Jeff Bridges as a slick DJ, Robin Williams homeless, and Mercedes Ruehl wins an Oscar. Oh, and it's a Terry Gilliam movie too. »»
The first time I heard Cold War Kids' excellent "Hang Me Out to Dry", thinking that they sounded like at any second they might lose the rhythm and devolve into some ponderous, off-key Radiohead-worship. That they continue to hold onto that steadily bouncing groove throughout the track and match it with a loose Bono-ish warble is part of what made them the apple of every blogger's eye for about 5 minutes. ... »»
The cover notes contain commentary by Scarlett Johansson and producer David Andrew Sitek, telling how the original songs influenced and touched them, and why they were included on the album. This could be truthful, or it could be, as it seems to me, complete lip service to shore up what amounts to a vanity project. I get the impression that Scarlett Johansson likes Tom Waits not because of his songs, but because it's just kind of cool and off-beat to do so. ... »»
