Guess what. It’s time for Buffy Week again, a look at music and how it relates to one of my all time favorite tv shows. But actually, it’s more than a TV show now as Joss Whedon has successfully turned Buffy into a comic book franchise. And it’s canonical which has brought back fans of the TV show who love the characters and want to know what happened to them. And the show still has all its charms. But what about music. It’s not like it comes with a CD. But they still make references. Take for instance a scene in the issue “No Future For You, part 3”. Faith is having a conversation in a bath tub with a woman named Genevieve.:

The two quickly become fast friends. Who hasn’t had that musical link with someone? That moment when you realize someone else digs what you dig. It’s a genuine moment and Buffy is full of great simple moments like that, despite being so fantasical.

Song 620- “I Wanna Be Adored” by the Stone Roses

and here they are live

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Booyaka Booyaka! 619! Booyaka Booyaka! Rey Mysterio!

Wrestling fans will understand that outburst. Now back to the last part of my “Why haven’t I posted about them before?” theme. And I could’ve sworn that I’ve written about Stone Temple Pilots before but a quick look at google tells me that I never have! Not even during last year’s Buffy week (which I really should do a Buffy week 2008. Maybe starting tomorrow). I can’t believe that I haven’t even written about “Big Empty” during one of the movie or sci-fi themes. And I haven’t mentioned them with the recent news of their reunion. And they’re a band in which I own three albums of. I’m in shock that I’ve never posted an STP song, not a one! Time to remedy that.

Song 619- “No Way Out” by Stone Temple Pilots

I would post a live video but 1) It would be redundant and 2) There isn’t one on YouTube because No.4 is underrated.

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This is the thread where I mention bands that I like that I haven’t posted a song for in 10kdays. Many of these bands like Be Your Own PET were surprising oversights. Today’s is one that I didn’t list because of my attempts to hold tight to my indie cred. I’m talking about li’l miss American Idol, Kelly Clarkson. At first, I paid attention to her because she’s attractive and I liked her personality, but I was never a watcher of AI. In fact, I can’t stand AI. But then I got past the looks and stuff and got to listening to her music. I began digging the song “Miss Independent”. Then I heard Aggro-1’s remixes of Kelly Clarkson songs (especially the incredible “Behind These Immigrant Eyes” Clarkson vs. Led Zep) and I was convinced there was something to Kelly Clarkson. And don’t ya forget “Since You’ve Been Gone” which is the pop version of The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Maps”. And I gained more respect for her when she went off the beaten track and made the “My December” album. There were a lot of great songs on that album and it’s a shame that more people weren’t willing to give it a try.

Song 618- “Sober” by Kelly Clarkson

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I have spoken a lot about my love of mashup before in 10kdays but I haven’t gotten a chance to do any focusing on any specific mashup dj’s. One of the absolutely best mashup djs is Mark Vidler aka Go Home Productions. He’s one of the few dj’s who I own a whole album of. The only others are Dean Gray (which is actually 3 dj’s together) and Wax Audio. That’s right, I don’t have the Gray Album. I’m not a fan of Dangermouse’s Jay-Z/Beatles mix. It’s incredibly overrated in my eyes. It’s very trendsetting and I’ll never doubt it’s place in the annals of history BUT I prefer mixes like Vidler’s. Take for instance the song “Supreme Evil”. It takes a great mind to hear the Supremes and think…this would go great with some Electric Light Orchaestra. And then to top it off, adding some Michael Jackson. It’s brilliant stuff.

Song 617- “Supreme Evil” by Go Home Productions

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I have spoken before about AFI as they are one of my favorite bands of all time but I haven’t talked about Blaqk Audio. Blaqk Audio is an off-shoot of AFI. It’s what happens when Davey Havok and Jade Puget pack away the rock and punk and embrace their inner electronica artists. The songs found on Blaqk Audio’s album “Cex Cells” definitely couldn’t be found on any AFI album. Even when AFI is at it’s most electronic (namely 37mm), it’s still more rock than this. But it’s very enjoyable. It’s as if it’s AFI’s version of Depeche Mode. And watch the live video and you’ll see that Havok and Puget are having a blast doing this as they perform with David Bowie-esque flamboyance.

Song 616- “Stiff Kittens” by Blaqk Audio

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It’s new theme time and I think I’m going to cover some bands that I really like that I have never posted a song about in 10kdays. I’ve been doing 10kdays for over a year now and I bet that there are still a few bands that I still haven’t talked about that I really should of mentioned by now. For instance, I could’ve sworn that I have already posted about the band Be Your Own PET but a quick google check tells me that I never have. And they are a band that I do listen to an awful lot. When I was a teen, I was in a few bands but none with the energy that this band of teens has. People often compare BYOP’s Jemima Pearl to a young Karen O. I see the comparison when it comes to energy but Jemima is a powerful all her own. I especially like how the band has progressed through time. Their first album was definitely full of a lot of kid stuff. The new album “Be Awkward” is too, I’ll admit. But there is a certain maturity that they are getting. For instance, check out the song “The Kelly Affair” which is definitely written by a band which has gotten to see a lot of things now that they are deeper in the music scene.

Song 615- “The Kelly Affair” by Be Your Own PET

And here’s a revved up live version

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With only a few minutes left on the clock, I have made it for #614. Why am I cutting it so close? I was out doing some food shopping. What song should I do? Well, my first instinct was The Clash’s “Lost in the Supermarket” but there aren’t really any music videos for it and I’m being picky. So what’s the second thing I think of in regards to supermarket music…Jane’s Addiction.

Song 614- “Been Caught Stealing” by Jane’s Addiction

And here they are live, which is always a party.

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It’s the last day of the bad video/ good song theme and I’m finishing with Smashing Pumpkins. If I hadn’t already done a post about “Tarantula”, it would’ve been a sure bet. But that’s not the only epic video fail from the Pumpkins. What happens when Billy Corgan gets his girlfriend to direct a music video? You get the band being horribly stiff on one of their most energetic songs while being stared at by equally stiff oddities in a Roman mansion. There’s nothing more I can say about that one because there is nothing more.

Song 613- “Zero” by the Smashing Pumpkins

and here they are live and energetic. They do the song faster live for some reason.

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One would think this concept would work for a music video- you do an artful strip tease act using a prominent super model. You even put the video in black and white. But then you had the video done by Sofia Coppola. Sofia Coppola is a disaster in my book. Other than appearing in “Electrolux” by Chemical Brothers and “Sometimes Salvation” by the Black Crowes, I cannot think of any other redeeming qualities as an artist. Sofia Coppola as a actress= crapfest. Sofia Coppola as a film director= crapfest in my opinion (other people love “Lost in Translation”, I don’t.). So even a White Stripes song could not survive. Plus out of all supermodels that could’ve been used, the video showcases Kate Moss. And this was Moss circa 2003 which is pre-comeback and mid-coke habit. The result is a half-naked Moss being kinda boring on a pole. Shame. With a better model and a better director, this really could’ve been something.

Song 612- “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” by the White Stripes

And here’s a live version which is so much more dynamic.

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It looks like a recipe for making Niveous happy. You get Ben Folds doing some work crafting the songs (and playing some drums). You get the amazing Zoe Keating to play cello. And you add all that to songs by Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls and ta-da. It should be incredible. That’s the recipe for the new Palmer solo album, “Who killed Amanda Palmer?”. The title is a play on the Twin Peaks tag line. That just makes it even better. So, she releases the first music video. Dresden Dolls have had a bunch of great videos. Their “Shores of California” video is a parody of David Lee Roth’s “California Girls”. The “Backstabber” video was the Dresden Dolls vs. Panic at the Disco in a battle to the death. My anticipation was high to see the video for Amanda Palmer’s lead off single….Remember what the theme is. The video is a boring as watch paint dry. No wait, it’s as boring as watching paint in the can. But it’s a good song. Enjoy the song.

Song 611- “Astronaut” by Amanda Palmer

And here’s a live version. Despite the fact that both are essentially performance videos, this one is more interesting.