Passing the buck. When a girl has a lot of meetings, that means y'all get a link compendium. I hope that's okay. Pinkie and I had planned this whole Big Star & Big Star covers thing -- I think we'll have to get to that tomorrow instead. The best collection of selected live Mountain Goats sets, including a grand cover of Radiohead's "No Surprises" and The Sunset Tree orphan "Hawaiian Feeling/The Day The Aliens Came." My long-time internet pal Ario linked to the Serious DJs in his livejournal today; I have to admit that anything I know about what's new and hot on the dance music scene comes entirely from keeping up with what Ario's into (and I believe he can claim the honor of introducing me to Feist). The Serious DJs' latest set, The Christopher Hitchens Dubstep Hour, is posted for your enjoyment (along with a ton of other great sets) on the 'mixes' section of their site. Kelefa Sanneh evaluates the comeback strategies of a clutch of pop divas: Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson and Jewel. How will we know what charming new bands to love, to love when "The O.C." is gone, is gone? FOX practically writes the show's execution order by only asking for 16 episodes next season. If you're a huge nerd for mergers and acquisitions and, as I am, and into watching the record industry make total fools of themselves, the Daily Deal's Dealwatch blog has a spectacularly entertaining chronicle of the WarnerMusic/EMI tug-of-war. And, just for the record, some recent opinions: Covers of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy": ENOUGH ALREADY. It's not just in a minor key: A lot of people are flipping out over Peter Bjorn and John's "Young People" (featuring a cameo from The Concretes' Victoria Bergsmann), and it's a lovely song -- the only problem is the bass is completely out of tune, which is kind of problematic as the entire song is anchored by an otherwise lovely melodic bassline. Jim Noir: Zzzzz. No thanks. I've already heard The Kinks, The Left Banke, and Badly Drawn Boy. Also, Tower of Love has about the worst album art I've ever seen come out of the Barsuk camp -- frankly, it borders on embarrassingly amateurish. Making matters worse, it was kind of gross to watch the posts begin to spring up on other blogs literally the same night everyone got their promos in the mail, conveniently timed to hit us right when his song in an Adidas World Cup advert was gaining traction in the earworm department and saw release as a digital-only single. How could you be that savvy when it comes to the marketing, and that lacking in an eye for design? I mean, that font is so tired. Come on! But I digress... The Great Sleater-Kinney Breakup of 2006: Finally, geez! Wasn't it inevitable after The Woods was an utter failure artistically? Look, I never liked them, though I am a giant fan of Janet Weiss, her skillz on the trap, and her amazing hair. The Great Jeff Mangum Hoax of 2006: I really, really, really hate the internet sometimes. John Cale: I'm beyond obsessed lately. Paris 1919, Fear, Slow Dazzle, The Academy in Peril -- they're all fantastic. Forgotten early 2006 release of the week: The Elected's Sun, Sun, Sun. This is a note to myself not to forget it when the dreaded mid-December rolls around and it comes time to make end-of-year-lists. Speaking of The Elected and Big Star and other celestial bodies and all... The Elected -- Biggest Star Mojave 3 -- Big Star Baby Sean Na Na -- Sean Tillman Is A Fucking Star Which reminds me -- did I actually see somewhere (and I can't remember where now) that Sean Tillman is doing a DJ set in like NYC or LA soon, as Sean Tillman? Was it with a Franki Chan event? Does this mean that Har Mar Superstar no more? Sorry if I'm behind the times here; I mean, I still have Calvin Krime CDs, you know. I love the way I managed to squish some songs on here anyway, even though I'd decided not to... Oh, what the heck, have a deliciously dark and slinky I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness b-side (off the "According to Plan" single) and a fantastically vocoder-laden Goldfrapp remix for good measure! I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness -- Better Strangers Goldfrapp -- Oh La La (When Andy Bell Met Manhattan Clique Mix) Really, I'm not as crabby today as you might think. I just found out I'll be blogging for my employer soon, which should be eminently entertaining. Or something. Is there such a thing as too much blogging? We may soon find out, what with the launch of Four Inches From The Cuff around the corner as well. (So good I kind of want to keep it like a secret, but that would be wrong: Special Agent Crazy Flower)