Life: Shelf Life of Life

With Life on life support, it doesn't help to have an episode like this where which feels like filler in place to deal with Sarah Shahi's pregnancy. While the over the phone scenes between Crews and Reese were funny, it kind of felt like those weird Three's Company episodes where Chrissy (Suzanne Somers*) would call in at the end of the show. It's hardly the kind of thing you want to do on a show that's a long shot for renewal.

*Somers wasn't pregnant, but instead was written out of episodes due to her boycotting episodes earlier in the season after not getting the raise she demanded.

Next week, as if in response to the lack of chemistry between Damien Lewis and Brent Sexton (Stark,) Gabrielle Union (Bring it On, Cadillac Records) is coming aboard as both Crews' new fill-in partner and proxy for Sarah Shahi's job as female foil.

Finally, outside of Lost, when was the last time you saw a record player used on TV for a series that takes place in the now? Sure, She & Him's "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" is the kind of song that sounds like it should be played on a record player, as does any song that M. Ward is associated with, but it's still kind of unexpected. Even odder, Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" screams four years ago. I guess a show that's about to be axed has to be budget-conscious, so when Coldplay is out of their league, you turn to the poor man's Coldplay.

More: Reaper fans wondering what happened to Sock's old squeeze Josie (Valarie Rae Miller,) apparently she joined the military. Miller did a good job with what little she had to work with here.

So weird hearing her say "I get what I get and I don't get upset," which is something I hear almost daily from my four-year old. I'm not sure where the phrase's ultimate source is, but I know he got it from his preschool teacher, who in turn got it from the book Pinkalicious (required reading our household). The phrase "You get what you get and you don't get upset" seems far too obvious to be from a somewhat obscure kid's book that's less than three years old, right? Has anyone else heard that phrase before?

Playlist: Life - Episode 2.17
1. "It Dawned On Me" - Calla
2. "Gone Too Far" - Shivaree
3. "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" - She & Him
4. "Somewhere Only We Know" - Keane

Previously: Man on a Stick (Episode 2.16)

Now Downloading: New Releases 07.31.07

It's a surprisingly thin week. I've been told it has something the fact that it's the last day of the month, whatever that means. A few releases haven't been scared away, including anticipated new ones from 1990s, Shivaree and Bat For Lashes' latest finally sees it's US release.

Playlist: New Releases 07.31.07

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Album: 1990s - Cookies

For the handful of dedicated Yummy Fur fans, this release is a long time coming. Formed from the ashes of that Glasgow band (which also at one time featured two current Franz Ferdinand members,) the trio 1990s incorporates much of the ascerbic wit of their former outfit, and all of the fun. The album was produced by Suede's Bernard Butler, and the infectious first single "You Made Me Like It" had the added production of fellow Glaswegian (and Teenage Fanclubber) Norman Blake, so they're certainly not afraid of a pop hook. Think of the lyrical bruntness of Art Brut, the swagger of T. Rex or the Rolling Stones along with the songwriting chops of Supergrass and you're getting close here. It all may bring frontman Jackie McKeown up from the level of "Cult Status," not that he needs it, as he relates on the track: "my cult status keeps me f*cking your wife!"

Free album stream from AOL

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Album: Shivaree - Tainted Love: Mating Calls and Fight Songs

The (not so) inside joke in Shivaree's first album of covers (Tainted Love: Mating Calls and Fight Songs) is that while it's an album of love songs, the original artists who performed the song don't exactly have a great track record on the subject. Songs from R. Kelly, Ike Turner, Phil Spector, Rick James, Gary Glitter, Chuck Berry and Michael Jackson are linked together not just through their content, but also through their originator's legal problems. Frontwoman Ambrosia Parsley and her cohorts tear apart the songs and present them in a barely recognizable fashion. Ike Turner's "My Heart Belongs To You" is imagined as a New Orleans dirge, Jackson's once funky "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" takes on a jazzy tone, and Motley Crue's "Looks that Kill" gets the James Bond treatment. It's a distracting first listen, but after awhile, all the pieces fit together and the underlying juxtaposition of misogyny and pedophilia against love raises the album to a level above just a fascinating listen.

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Album: Bat For Lashes - Fur & Gold

I have to admit that I'm not sold on Bat For Lashes. This album came out last year in the UK and recently garnered a 2007 Mercury Prize nomination, so it has plenty of critical support, regardless of my ear. It's a stylized offering, to be sure, toeing the line between Bjork and Kate Bush, and the song "Wizard" can induce goosebumps, but it doesn't feel like there's as much running under the hood as those influences. Also, it's just hard for me to get past the new age-y fairytale lyrics running throughout, so knowing these things, I'm sure you can decide if it's for you or not. I'll pass on the crystal, thank you very much.

Free album stream from AOL

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More going (or already in) the Sansa
Common - Finding Forever (Free album stream from AOL)
Josh Rouse - Country Mouse, City House (Free album stream from AOL)
Luka Bloom - Tribe
Oh No - Dr No's Experiment

tags: music, album review, 1990s, shivaree, bat for lashes, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody