Tuesday, May 6, 2008

A weekly playlist for the listener with a one-track mind.

Adele: "Last Night" Want to hear the Strokes' best-ever song without having to actually listen to the Strokes? British upstart Adele turns in a surprisingly faithful cover.

The Chain Gang of 1974: "I Wish Daft Punk Was Playing at My House" Because nothing beats a dorky electro guy from Denver yelling things in a vaguely European accent on a track that, near as we can tell, never actually mentions Daft Punk.

Scarlett Johansson: "Falling Down" On her debut single, ScarJo sounds as if she's been devoured whole by members of the Jesus and Mary Chain. But the video is an improvement, partly because we haven't seen this many "I'm staring forlornly out the window, because famous people are sad" type shots since Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" video.

Mudhoney: "Running Out" It's been only two years since the crazy kids in Mudhoney put out an album; it just seems like longer. And no, they didn't sound this much like the White Stripes the last time.

J. Dilla: "Pay Jay" This recently unearthed collaboration between the late producer-rapper Dilla and Kanye West uses the same obscure Doors sample as Jay-Z's "Takeover." It was recorded circa 2001, which explains all the references to Tony Soprano and Courvoisier.

-- Allison Stewart