Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Fat Oscars

>> Featured Artist: El Perro del Mar

As Mardi Gras comes to an end down in New Orleans, we're increasingly drawn to the creepy-pretty El Perro del Mar song "Party." From the minor-key insertion of "Be Bop a Lula" at the end of the chorus to the droning backing vocals, El Perro del Mar creeps us the fuck out.

Having lived in New Orleans for the summer of 2001, we're hoping that life in New Orleans' Mardi Gras carnivale/festival/parade/drunkfest has not become the minor-key rendition of its past.

Still, there's a party going on.

>> Album Lookout: The 79th Annual Academy Awards

Various Artists - Airing: Feb. 25, 2007 ABC

With the nominees for Best Original Song including the requisite Randy Newman song, a trying-too-hard political song by Melissa Etheridge for An Inconvenient Truth and the three original tracks (read: the underwhelming songs) from Dreamgirls, the Toaster decided to revert to one of the 51 songs that were submitted but did not receive nominations.

Though there were only a few indie tracks gracing the Oscar submissions this year, Spoon's "The Book I Write" for the impressive Will Ferrell vehicle Stranger Than Fiction stands out among them. Not only is it one of the better recent Spoon songs, but it adds a component to the movie that something like Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" or Dreamgirls' "Patience" didn't. It was a natural fit.

Our vote goes to Randy Newman.

>> Reverting to: 1965

Now that we've depressed you all, let's relish in one of the best Mardi Gras songs of all time, The Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko."

"My grandma said to your grandma, 'I'm gonna set your flag on fire.'"

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