Dig!: The Brian Jonestown Massacre & The Dandy Warhols

I just saw the documentary Dig!, a film focusing on the nearly decade-long musical friendship-turned-rivalry between bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The documentary, which won the grand jury prize for best documentary film at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, is a fascinating snapshot of the bands' varying fortunes. This playlist contrasts music from the two bands and highlights their varying styles, from British shoegaze swirl to Stones-like sleazy rock. Highly recommended listening.

Damn you, Target

Earlier this week, Drake over at Thus Spake Drake posted this excellent Rhapsody playlist of songs Target has used in its TV ads. Like Apple, Target has made a cottage industry out of featuring in its commercials great music that otherwise might go unheard by the masses. The first song on the list, The Concretes' "Say Something New," may just be my new favorite song, with the next song, Cornershop's "Good Shit," a close second. Enjoy.

Song of the day: Velocity Girl/"Drug Girls"

Velocity Girl are on the long list of bands I discovered too late. Although I lived in the Washington, D.C. area when the band's epic Copacetic album was released by Sub Pop Records in 1992, it wasn't until their second album, Simpatico, came out in 1994 that I began to get into the band's music. The song "Drug Girls" is one of my favorites from that second album, which is brighter and poppier than Copacetic, considered by many to be one of the best American pop albums of the early 1990s (listen to the song "Crazy Town" to hear why). I was lucky to catch Velocity Girl live on the 1994 tour; it's still one of my favorite concert memories. Enjoy the music.

Song of the day: Ben Folds/"There's Always Someone Cooler Than You"

In 2003, Ben Folds released a series of solo EPs following the breakup of his band, Ben Folds Five. Of these EPs, my favorite was Sunny 16, which included this perky piano-driven tune -- "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You." A nice way to end the week -- enjoy the music (and have a great weekend).

Smoker's Songs

Cigarettes Songs about cigarettes and smoking. WARNING: Do not play in California. Rufus Wainwright, The Smithereens, The Thrills, Roy Book Binder, Fiction Plane, k.d. Lang, Rod Stewart, Reverend Horton Heat, Jesse Malin, Scud Mountain Boys, King's X, Guided by Voices and more. (Via: The Rhapsody Radish)

Song of the day: Say Hi to Your Mom/"Pop Music of the Future"

I have ups and downs with music, where I fluctuate between listening to a lot of music and a ridiculously large amount of music. It's not normal, but man does it make dealing with the stress of workaday life a little more manageable.

I'm in the middle of a ridiculous period right now, and one of the albums I've been playing over and over recently is Numbers and Mumbles by NY-based lo-fi band Say Hi to Your Mom. The album is chock full of fun, simple and catchy pop ditties, particularly the song "Pop Music of the Future," a paean to the changing music tastes of an indie girl in New York City. This playlist includes that song and 2 others that have been killing me lately, including "Hooplas Involving Circus Tricks" and "But She Beat My High Score" (the best love song about video games ever...?). Enjoy the music.

Song of the day: Caesars/"Sort It Out"

I've had some bad breakups in my life, but never the kind that would lead me to write a breakup song with an opening line like "I wanna smoke crack/'cause you're never coming back." Maybe I'm just dating the wrong girls...?

Anyway, the song "Sort It Out" by Swedish garage rock band Caesars is just that sort of song. If you're the curious type who wants to live vicariously through a bad breakup, click here.

Song of the day: Autolux/ "Sugarless"

People who know me know that I'm a used CD junkie, someone who spends hours poring through used bins searching for deals on great music. I almost never buy new CDs unless there's no other option for getting the music. But one of the CDs I did pay full price for last year was Autolux' excellent debut album Future Perfect. This LA-based dream pop band is at the top of my list right now, and I've been playing their album over and over again for more than a month. This weekend the song "Sugarless"was the one killing me -- listen to the break 1:30 into the song. Unadulterated noise-pop bliss.

Damn you, Apple....

....and your ad agency, too. Why? For putting such good music into your iPod ads. Over the past three years, the company has given a boost to many bands (from the Polyphonic Spree to The Vines and Steriogram) by featuring their music in ubiquitous ads for the equally ubiquitous iPod. Their latest ad, for the new iPod Shuffle, includes the catchy song "Jerk It Out" by The Caesars (whose 2003 album 39 Minutes of Bliss (in an Otherwise Meaningless World) is a highly recommended listen). This playlist includes that song and others Apple has featured in iPod ads. Enjoy the music.