Damn You Futureheads!

Just when we'd completed our list of the ten best Christmas songs, the Futureheads show up with a late entry that blows our doors off. The tune is called "Christmas Was Better In The 80's" and it RAWKS!

Enjoy!

Badly Drawn Boy Lives Up To His Name At Troubadour Gig

Now we know why Badly Drawn Boy doesn't tour more often. Yikes.

The Cars Unleash Second Song Snippet From New Album

Legendary new wave act The Cars surprised a lot of fans by reuniting earlier this year. Work on a new album, produced by Jacknife Lee (REM, Snow Patrol, U2, Bloc Party), has progressed to the point that the band felt comfortable enough to release a second musical snippet this month.

The new song is called "Sad Song" and manages to recall both "My Best Friend's Girl" and "You Might Think".

You can check out the tune by clicking HERE.

Shit 4 FREE: New R.E.M. Song & Album News

Can you believe that it has been almost three years since REM gave us "Accelerator"? Time flies, huh?

Anyhoo, Athens' finest return with a new album, entitled "Collapse Into Now", slated for a March 2011 release. Pre-orders for the album can be placed as of TODAY at iTunes. Those that do so will receive a second FREE download of the song "It Happened Today".

In the meantime, the band has made a FREE DOWNLOAD of the song "Discoverer" available to all.

The album's track listing is as follows:

1. Discoverer
2. All The Best
3. Überlin
4. Oh My Heart
5. It Happened Today
6. Every Day Is Yours To Win
7. Mine Smell Like Honey
8. Walk It Back
9. Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter
10. That Someone Is You
11. Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I
12. Blue

For more info and some new pics of the band taken by Anton Corijn, click HERE.

A Christmas Gift To Chicago Weezer Fans?

Weezer recently hit NYC as part of their six-city "Memories" tour, which sees the band play "The Blue Album" in its entirety the first night and "Pinkerton" on the second night, and the reviews are GLOWING!

Why mention this, you ask? Because Weezer hits town on January 7 and 8, rocking the Aragon Ballroom. Sure, both shows have been absolutely sold out for weeks, but rumor has it that a brick of tickets will be made available to fans during the week leading up to the show. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, as tix will be made available only via the Aragon box office.

The Shit List: FIVE Best New Year's Eve Shows In Chitown

If you haven't already made plans (i.e., scored tickets) to one of the many awesome NYE shows taking place around the city, you best shift things into high gear ASAP. To help you in solidifying your NYE festivities, we here at The Shit are more than happy to provide you with our list of the five best NYE shows in town, in no particular order.

The Black Keys @ Aragon Ballroom

This is the second of three nights that will see this dynamic blues-based duo rock the Aragon off its foundation. Seriously, if you haven't caught these guys yet, you owe it to yourself to bust a move and make at least one of these shows, if not all three. Of course, the 12/31 show is sold-out, but there is always Craigslist!

Ike Reilly Assassination @ House Of Blues Back Porch

Once you catch the IRA live, you will be a convert for life, trust us. Obviously, the opportunity to catch them in such an intimate venue on New Year's Eve is a total slam dunk that you will be talking about for years.

Rusted Root and Michael McDermott @ InterContinental O'Hare

Rusted Root and McDermott always put on a good show, but the best part about this show is the four-hour open bar. Well worth the price of admission ($75), if you ask us. You may also wanna book a room so you won't have to drive home.

Smoking Popes @ Reggie's Rock Club

The Popes are just as great these days as they were back in their Capitol Records heyday, so if you're looking for a "sure thing" on NYE, you could never go wrong with these guys. Company of Thieves and The Fold provide some cool opening act action.

Japandroids @ Schubas

Garage rock duo Japandroids are one of those rare duos that make you forget all about the fact that there are only two guys up onstage. Make a bee-line for this one if you don't already have Black Keys tickets.

The Shit List: Top 10 Christmas Tunes By Pop Artists, Part 2

Here is the second and final installment of our Top 10 favorite Christmas tunes by pop acts...



Material Issue "Merry Christmas Will Do"

Okay, we're not gonna lie to you, Material Issue remains a band very dear to our hearts and this acoustic performance of "Merry Christmas Will Do" is one of those ultra-rare clips that makes you glad that YouTube exists. Having said that, the studio version of this tune KICKS ASS.



Pet Shop Boys "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas"

After being released as a fan-club only single in 1997 and becoming one of those songs you might hear on the radio but have not a snow ball's chance in actually buying, the Boys did the right thing and officially released the song in 2009.

Of course, the version they released was a newly recorded version, but, hey, that's just as cool.



Cheap Trick "Come On Christmas"

Some may find it cheesy for Cheap Trick to take one of their classic tunes ("Come On Come On") and give it the full Christmas treatment, but it's always good to have a Cheap Trick tune to add to your holiday playlist. Bless you, boys!



R.E.M. "Christmas Griping"

Back in the day, R.E.M.'s "fan club only" singles were some of our most cherished Christmas arrivals. You never knew what awaited you when their yearly gift would show up in your mail box. This one from 1991 remains one of our favorites.



Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers "Christmas All Over Again"

It just isn't officially the holiday season until we hear this song. Petty, of course, is a national treasure and this song is just one of those upbeat, feel-good Christmas songs that warms our heart. Enjoy!

OK Go Singer On The Future Of The Music Biz

"My band parted ways with the record label EMI a little less than a year ago. While we were profitable for them, our margins were smaller than those of more traditionally successful bands, because our YouTube views don't directly generate as much revenue as record sales. Our idea of what constitutes success and how to wring income out of it eventually wound up too far apart from EMI's."

An excerpt from OK Go singer Damian Kulash's recent column for the Wall Street Journal on the current state of the music biz and how up-and-coming bands can make a living in the ever-changing landscape that is "the music industry".

Read the rest of the article HERE.

My personal opinion is that Kulash is one of the more delusional self-appointed champions of indie rock. The only reason 9 out of 10 people care about OK Go is because of the credibility and promotion afforded them via their alliance with EMI Records. Let's face it, if not for the viral success of the video for the song "Here It Goes Again" (aka "the treadmill video"), the band would have been dropped after their second album, "Oh No".

Both the band and the label believed, incorrectly I must add, that the millions of YouTube views of the video would one day translate into sales for the band. If they didn't translate into sales for the song, however, it should have been plain to everyone that such a thing was never going to happen. Regardless, the band's profile was raised enough by the success of the video that EMI willingly financed a third album and the band - like any other band not knowing where their next dollar was coming from would do - played along.

In January of this year, the band's third album for the label, "Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky", was released. It was immediately clear to both EMI and the band that this album was not generating the interest necessary for the relationship to continue. EMI signed over rights to the album masters, allowing the band to re-release it on their own label in April.

Since then, they have continued filming kitschy conceptual videos on the dime of corporate sponsors such as Samsung and State Farm Insurance, speaking out about the "future of music", and holding a parade in their own honor in Los Angeles (sponsored by Range Rover). None of this would be possible, or viable to such sponsors, if not for the band's status as a result of their tenure at EMI.

While it is feasible that the band could have filmed "the treadmill video" on their own dime, it was their connection to EMI that lent them the necessary credibility as a "major label recording artist" to then land spots on high-profile tours with the likes of Snow Patrol. While it is reasonably safe to say that the genius of said video would have made it a viral success with or without EMI, the public perception of the band was heightened by their connection to EMI. Without it, they'd have been merely the rock & roll equivalent of a Tay Zonday ("Chocolate Rain").

Of course, seeing Kulash methodically position himself as some expert on "making it in the music biz without a major label" is laughable, as every check his band continues to receive comes as a direct result of them milking their past association with a major label for all it is worth. They've long ago proven that music is secondary in the "OK Go experience", as one can watch any of the band's videos with the sound off and derive the same amount of pleasure.

In truth, as "The Blue Man Group Of Rock & Roll", OK Go's genius lies in their realization that being in a band these days has little to do with music. Devise one visually stunning video or event after another, keep your name in the press, and you can continue to find corporations willing to pay you for appropriating whatever hipster cache they believe you might have.

It's "The Great Rock & Roll Swindle" all over again, albeit this time minus the music.

Roger Waters on Conan?!

While we thought Conan did a horrible job interviewing this iconic rock legend, it is always nice to see Roger Waters on national TV! Ah, at least it wasn't the completely insufferable Jimmy Fallon doing the interview.

American Idiot Coming To Chicago?

An inside source has whispered in our ear that the producers of Green Day's Broadway production of "American Idiot" are in talks to bring the show to Chicago in 2011. Those producers, and Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong were recently in town to meet with potential partners in hopes of securing a venue for the production.

In other "American Idiot" news, Armstrong will actually be playing the role of St. Jimmy in the Broadway production during the months of January and February 2011 (excluding January 11-16).

For those who want a little taste of what this show has to offer, check out the clip below, which is probably NSFW due to language, drug references, and sexual situations.

List of New Inductees Into Rock Hall LEAKED!

Yep, an LA Weekly insider reports that Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Dr. John and Darlene Love are set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

For fans of actual rock bands...such as the criminally ignored Cheap Trick, seeing such names as Neil Diamond and Darlene Love make the cut is a complete slap in the face to anyone who actually knows the definition of "rock & roll". Pop music, yes, rock & roll...uh, no.

I mean, we love it when we wear "Solitary Man" in the grocery store as much as the next guy, but come on. Granted, he's a heckuva lot more "rock & roll" than Percy Sledge.

Sigh.

Innuendo & Out The Other

Whenever possible, we at The Shit like to let you in on all the latest musical rumblings, rumors, and whatnot. Here's what's been going on this week.

Word has it that Aerosmith are currently plotting a spring/summer tour without Steven Tyler, who has joined the "cast" of American Idol as the new Paula Abdul. Is Lenny Kravitz the current front-runner to replace Tyler in the band? Our money says YES!

Cheap Trick were one of the first bands to popularize the concept of album-based concerts, doing three-night stands in major markets where they performed each of their first three albums in their entirety. Now, it seems the band will be doing the same for their fourth studio album, "Dream Police"...with orchestra! The shows will all be taking place at, ahem, a bingo casino in Wisconsin. The Potowatomi Casino in Milwaukee, to be exact Show Dates are Jan 20, 21, 28, 29 & Feb 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 & 26. Tickets are on sale now. Call the casino box-office at (414) 847-7922 for more information.

Inspired by the success of Green Day's "American Idiot" on the stage, KISS are currently in talks to bring a stage adaptation of their TV chestnut "KISS meets The Phantom" to Broadway, or Vegas, or both. Expect to see this production go live by summer 2011.

Seems Laura Dern, fresh off being served with divorce papers from hubby Ban Harper, has taken up with yet another rocker...can you guess which one? If you said John Mayer, you get a cookie.

What mega-star's newly-opened fitness Center in Mexico City, Mexico is reportedly already in financial trouble? Madonna wanna cookie? Affirmative!

Fall Out Boy "bassist" and Ashlee Simpson's dorkier half has been slowly rolling out his new project, the Black Cards. Here's the thing...the album is reportedly delayed due to Pete's incessant Twitter addiction. :)

The Shit List: Top 10 Christmas Tunes By Pop Artists, Part 1

Every Christmas, we are besieged by new Christmas albums by contemporary artists who unwittingly think the world needs another cheesy rendition of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer". The sheer amount of schmaltzy holiday crap that oozes from PA speakers all month long can make you forget that there is actually some really great Christmas music out there. For those needing a quick refresher course, here is our list of the ten best Christmas tunes by rock/contemporary artists, in no particular order.



David Bowie & Bing Crosby "The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth"

I still remember seeing this unlikely duet take place on Bing Crosby's 1977 Christmas special and not believing my eyes. Even as a kid, I knew this was one of the weirdest musical pairings the world would ever see. In the many years since, this performance has come to be one of my favorite Christmas songs, not so much due to any admiration I have for Crosby, but for Bowie's epic performance of a drastically re-tooled holiday chestnut, thereby making it a whole new song.



Stevie Nicks "Silent Night"

Nicks' solo rendition of "Silent Night" (my fave Christmas song) was a stunner and stand-out track on 1987's essential "A Very Special Christmas" album. While I've never been a huge Stevie Nicks fan, her voice is perfectly suited for this song and she absolutely knocks it out of the park.



Eurythmics "Winter Wonderland"

This track, also from the 1987 album "A Very Special Christmas" introduced the rest of the world to a voice I have loved since I first heard Annie Lennox singing as a member of the Tourists back in 1981. Hearing Annie wrap her supremely understated voice around "Winter Wonderland" gives me both a chill of winter and the warm fuzzies.



Wham "Last Christmas"

Sigh...it takes every fibre of my being to admit that I actually adore this song. It's so incredibly kitschy that it pegs the kitsch-o-meter and, in doing so, achieves an almost mythical grandeur. Of course, these days, George Michael is a menace to society, but whenever I hear this song, I am reminded of much more innocent times...you know, back when Michael was pretending to be straight and all.



Aimee Mann "Whatever Happened To Christmas?"

Aimee is one of my all-time favorite people in the music biz and when I heard that she was putting out a Christmas album a few years back, my heart about exploded. The album, "One More Drifter In The Snow", is enjoying its fourth year of heavy rotation in my house and this track is the one that resonates the most in light of how commercialized the holiday has become and, yet, how people have come to look at you strange for saying "Merry Christmas" to those you meet.

Check back later this week for Part 2!

CD Review: The Plain White T's "Wonders Of The Younger"

For every generation, musically speaking, there seems to be a band whose somewhat one-dimensional sound makes them the sort of band you either love, or hate with a passion. In the 90's, it was Cake (who used to annoy the heck out of me, but who I now love, for the most part). In the 2000's, it was Train (who I still completely loathe for many musical transgressions, the least of which was stealing a song from a band that had opened for them).

For this decade, the band best fitting this description seems to be Lombard, Illinois' very own Plain White T's, whose latest album, Wonder Of The Younger, just hit store shelves this week. Best known for their #1 smash hit "Hey There Delilah" and Top 40 single "1, 2, 3, 4" (which single-handedly put Chicago monument "The Bean" on the map), the band wholeheartedly approach their sixth studio album with absolutely no intent of tweeking the formula that has made them one of the most popular US bands of the past few years.

Of course, this refusal to "rock the boat", so to speak, can be viewed in one of two ways; 1) the band's utter predictability is exactly what makes them an easy band to dislike, or 2) this is a band smart enough to know that once you establish a brand, you don't go changing things. Your opinion of the band going in will no doubt pre-determine which side of the fence you fall on. Let's face it, preconceptions are unavoidable in such cases as this, but, having spent quite a bit of time with this album, I can safely say that my opinion of the band, which was not exactly glowing a week or two go, has improved quite a bit based on this new record.

Now, don't get me wrong, the band doesn't reinvent the wheel, or even contemplate such a thing. Nope, "Wonders Of The Younger" is an album by a band that is employing much the same template they've used on their last two records, but the difference-maker is that the band has never sounded more confident. I liken this confidence to that of the Ramones, who, by their third album "Rocket To Russia", had also perfected their formula and were now firing on all cylinders. Of course, by their sixth album, they'd begun messing with the formula and so began a lengthy string of albums with diminishing returns.

Now, if this were a regular record review, I'd have name-checked a couple stand-out songs by now, and used some cool words from my rock journalist's thesaurus - such as "plaintive", "cathartic", and "introspective", all of which apply quite heavily to this album - but I'll spare you that nonsense and simply state for the record that if you love melody...lots and lots of melody...and have a thing for mid-tempo love songs full of lush vocal harmonies, acoustic arrangements, and unabashedly flowery/slyly cinematic lyrics, this album has your name written all over it.

John Lennon Remembered

Unless you've been hiding under a rock all week, you are well aware that today marks the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death. It does seem that the roundness of this particular anniversary has really upped the ante as far as Lennon coverage goes. I'd go so far as to say that I've seen at least half a dozen different TV specials detailing Lennon's last few hours, days, months, etc., and, though I know all too well how the story ends, the child inside of me who still recalls Howard Cosell's shaken announcement of Lennon's death during that night's Monday Night Football game as if it were yesterday can't help but hope for a different, better ending.

I can't help but feel Lennon's death is partly my fault. See, he was my Beatle, the one I always identified with from the moment I saw him pop his head out of his bed-in-the-floor in the movie "Help!". See, bad things always seem to happen to those I adore. No sports team I've ever rooted for has won it all, in all my years on this planet. The minute I start liking a band, they either break up, get dropped by their label, or see their sales plummet. The more I like them, the more doomed they become. In Lennon's case, I loved the guy and, as a result, here we are adding yet another year to the anniversary of his death.

I honestly can't believe that it has been thirty years. You'd think that much time would lessen the pain, but every damn year, like clockwork, along comes December 8th and my day is ruined before it can even begin. Oddly, my own father passed away a mere seven years ago and the anniversary of his passing is sad, sure, but my head is filled with fond recollections and I find myself smiling more so than feeling sad. I mean, I'm sad - always will be - but I smile when I think about him. By contrast, December 8th is a day filled with thoughts of how senseless his murder was and all that could have been if only Mama Chapman had just had a fucking abortion.

Wherever you are, John, I am merely one among millions who miss you because you changed the direction of my life and gave me a sense of joy I would not have experienced otherwise. To have been able to do that to more than one generation is a hell of an accomplishment, you know that, right? The world is a lesser place without you.

The Shit List: Top 25 Worst Band Names EVER!

We've all gasped in disbelief upon seeing an awful band name and wondering how stoned out of their minds they must have been during the "band name brainstorm session" to not only come up with such a name, much less stick with it. Here are some of our "favorites", if you will...in no particular order.

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

I still have a hard time believing that an otherwise intelligent Welsh band chose to go with such a ridiculous name, That they succeeded in maintaining a rather successful career, culminating in a deal with Mercury Records, is quite an accomplishment, all things considered. Truth be told, they were actually quite listenable - imagine if The La's sang in both Welsh and English and you'll get the idea - up until they finally called it a day in 2006.

Apparently, what might seem like complete gibberish was actually derived from the following:

"Gorky" was school slang for "dimwit", "Zygotic" is a biology term meaning "fertilized egg cell", and "minci" is a direct spelling translation of the word "monkey".

For the rest of their lives, the members of this band get to tell anyone who might be interested one of two stories: 1) How much bigger they might have been if they'd chosen a different name, or 2) How big they became despite one of the most unpronounceable (not to mention difficult to spell) names to ever grace a marquee.

Geggy Tah

For years, I have seen this name staring back at me from the dollar bins of most used CD stores, but I've never ever heard a note of this band's music. Why, you ask? Because the name sounds like bohemian slang for "jock itch".

In actuality, this band is comprised of core members Tommy Jordan and Greg Kurstin. The name "Geggy Tah" is taken from the fact that each had a younger sister incapable of pronouncing their first name correctly, hence "Geggy Tah". The band cut three "critically-acclaimed" (i.e., poor-selling) albums for David Byrne's Luaka Bop label between 1994 and 2001.

Greg Kurstin is now a member of current hipster favorites The Bird & The Bee.

Garbage

I still laugh about the time Duke from Garbage was telling me how his mom still gives him a hard time about being in a band called Garbage. At the time, they were still together, at the height of their success, known all over the world, and she was upset that she had to tell her friends that he son was in a band called "Garbage".

Still, it's better than Spooner, I said. I laughed. He didn't. Oddly, we haven't spoken since.

(NOTE: Spooner was the name of the band that Duke Erickson and Butch Vig were in years before Garbage came to be, slugging it out in dive bars throughout the midwest throughout the 80's)

The The

Matt Johnson may very well be a musical genius, but you'd never know it due to the rocketing obscurity that calling his band "The The" has afforded him. Seriously, "The The"? Can you imagine the deafening silence on the other end of the phone when a young Matt Johnson starts calling booking agents?

"Yeah, hi, this is Matt Johnson from The The."
"The who?"
"The The"
"You got a stuttering problem, pally?"

If only...

Hootie & The Blowfish

Whose bright idea was it to call a band Hootie & The Blowfish? I mean, for starters, there's nobody in the band named Hootie. Bet Darius Rucker thought he was being really cute when he decided to name his band after two childhood friends of his (neither of which was ever in the band). I gotta wonder, though, if he realized then that he might spend the rest of his life being called Hootie both in front of and behind his back? As far as I'm concerned, that's not even close to being a fitting punishment for forcing us to listen to "Hold My Hand" and "Let Her Cry" a bazillion times in the mid-90's.

Jethro Tull

I'm sorry, Jethro is just not a name that inspires any sort of interest on my part. Maybe it's because whenever I hear the name Jethro, I, like millions of others, thinks of that backwoods mouth-breather Jethro Bodine from "The Beverly Hillbillies".

Then, of course, when you factor in just how unpleasant the band was to look at...trust me on this one...or that band leader Ian Anderson fancied himself quite the rock & roll flutist...meh.

Where did the name come from, you ask? Jethro Tull was actually a British agriculturist who invented the seed drill. Zzz.

Smashing Pumpkins

The story is that when Billy Corgan told future manager Joe Shanahan that the name of his band was "The Smashing Pumpkins", Shanahan literally begged Billy to change the name. Immediately.

Corgan, of course, refused to listen and the rest, as they say, is history.

Danny Joe Brown & The Danny Joe Brown

When Molly Hatchet's lead singer Danny Joe Brown quit the band at the height of their popularity, many said it was because his ego was out of control. Apparently so, as his first post-Molly Hatchet band was called Danny Joe Brown & The Danny Joe Brown Band, as if saying his name once wasn't enough. As if that weren't enough, I remember seeing an advance poster advertising the album's release that actually said, and I quote: "Danny Joe Brown & The Danny Joe Brown Band, featuring Danny Joe Brown." Needless to say, I didn't do a double-take, I did a triple-take and then laughed so hard milk came out of my nose...which is funny because I hadn't drank any milk. Needless to say, DJB and the DJB Band featuring DJB proved short-lived and the singer would eventually return to Molly Hatchet, where he belonged.

Puddle of Mudd

Never has a band's name so perfectly fit the sound of their music and, yet, here they are still putting out records and scoring hits twelve years after their first record sold over five million copies.

Sigh.

Dandy Warhols

I love this band, really I do, but I do so in spite of their horrible name. I'd have actually been into them much earlier if the name hadn't put me off so and, for that, I kinda wanna kick Courtney Taylor in the shins for choosing a name that sucked. I mean, seriously...Dandy Warhols?

Whatever.

Sponge

Thanks to Nirvana, the world of alternative rock was flipped upside down and every band on the planet had a band name that was intentionally lame, so as not to seem as if they wanted any actual commercial success. The members of Sponge were all refugees of the heavy metal world so the selection of the name "Sponge" was an attempt to hop on the bandwagon. It worked, too, for a little while at least. They did manage to put out a couple cool records for Columbia, including their second effort, "Wax Ecstatic" (which also has the distinction of featuring one of the worst album covers EVER!), before disappearing.

Poi Dog Pondering

Another band with a horrible name that still managed to get inked to Columbia. I remember seeing their first album in the record store and just being stunned at how awful the name was. At the time, they were based in Austin, TX, which I found to be oddly fitting. Then they did the unthinkable and moved here to Chicago, which has meant having to see that godawful name in print on an almost weekly basis for the past 20 years. Sigh.

I actually asked band leader Frank Orrall how they came up with such a name and he tried telling me it was the name that best fit the band's amalgamation of stylistic influences. Of course, it makes total sense that a guy who named his band "Poi Dog Pondering" would use the word "amalgamation" in explaining how such a name came to be. Personally, I think what he was trying to say was that the name wasn't half bad if you were stoned out of your mind, which I'm betting he was.

Toad The Wet Sprocket

Egads, do I vividly recall seeing their first album, immediately showing it to my buddy John, and the two of us laughing our ass off for the next five minutes.

"Toad The West Sprocket? Holy shit!!!"

I was convinced that the band would soon disappear into oblivion, as was the fate for most Columbia bands of the day, but damn if these book=wormish fellas didn't stick it out and finally hit pay dirt in 1991 with the hit singles "All I Want" and "Walk On The Ocean".

Still, the name remains just as hilariously awful today as it was the day I saw their first record.

Goo Goo Dolls

Back when the band was making bratty, lo-fi indie rock, I thought the name was absolutely horrible and a detriment to their forward progress. Now that the band is best-known for putting out schlocky mid-tempo movie ballads, it fits perfectly.

Mr. Mister

I think this band did Matt Johnson of The The one better by choosing one of the most innocuous words in the English language and repeating it. They didn't go the easy route and call themselves "Mister Mister" or, for that matter "Mr. Mr", they mixed it up a little and used both the abbreviation and the full spelling. Genius!

The Rembrandts

As much as I love Danny Wilde and Phil Solem, both formerly of one of my fave childhood bands (Great Buildings), calling themselves The Rembrandts was a huge misstep. I mean, for starters, it's not very rock & roll to name yourself after a painter. Secondly, how many people can spell Rembrandt correctly? There is that pesky silent "d" right before the "t", after all. Ugh.

Goblin Cock

Nuff said.

Sigur Ros

They're Icelandic, but still.

Cirith Ungol

I remember seeing an album by this band in a mail-order ad stuck in the back of some rock & roll magazine when I was a kid. The name stuck with me because, at the time, I thought it was the perfect name for a metal band that wanted to spend the rest of their career in absolute obscurity.

The name Cirith Ungol is taken from Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings", as the band members were heavy into the "Swords & Sorcery" stuff as kids, but now admit that maybe they'd have been better off coming up with a different name. D'oh!

Marianas Trench

It sounds dirty, doesn't it? Like a derogatory term for the vagina, or something. Of course, I've never heard anyone actually refer to the vagina as a "trench", but there are a few chicks out there for whom the tag would no doubt fit. Courtney Love, for example. Now, Courtney's Trench would be a cool band name, Of course, "Mariana Trench" refers to the deepest part of the ocean, located in the Pacific Ocean near the Mariana Islands. Why anyone in the band Marianas Trench thought that was a great idea for a band name is beyond me. They're Canadian, of course.

Limp Bizkit

Horrible band, Horrible front man. Horrible name. Massive success. Go figure.

Blink 182/Sum 41/Matchbox 20/Maroon 5

Okay, I dunno who came up with the idea to take a lame word...blink, matchbox, etc., and add a number, as if that somehow makes it interesting. It doesn't. Cut it out.

FREE Shit: Bloodshot Records Sampler

Face it, if you live in Chicago, then you are well aware of Bloodshot Records. They almost singlehandedly put "alt. country" on the map with seminal releases from the likes of Robbie Fulks, the Bottle Rockets, and others while maintaining an amazingly consistent string of great new releases going into their 16th year of operation.

Like any great label, Bloodshot pulls out the stops right around the holidays and this year is no exception.

For starters, they've released a brand-new digital-only sampler that is available for the amazing price of ABSOLUTELY FREE! It features kickin' tracks from the likes of the Old 97's, Exene Cervenka, the aforementioned Bottle Rockets, Alejandro Escovedo, Bobby Bare Jr., and several other notable acts. You can download it HERE!

As if that weren't enough, the label's Annual Holiday Sale features discounted pricing on 90 of the label's releases, as well as free goodies starting at all purchases over $10. Obviously, the more you spend, the better the goodies. Check HERE for more deets.

New Shit: Wilco Coffee

Since the last couple Wilco records were cures for insomnia, we at The Shit find it oddly fitting that the band has joined forces with Chicago-based coffee outfit Intelligentsia Coffee to bring fans a line of "Wilco-approved" coffee just in time for the holidays.

Apparently, the band was extremely hands-on in the selection process and that the unanimous band favorite was Organic Ethiopia Sidama Homecho Waeno.

Pre-orders are being taken through December 5th, with the band "virtually guaranteeing" that all orders placed up until December 15th will arrive in time for Christmas.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER DIRECTLY FROM WILCO