Hidden Bonus Track

Hidden Bonus Track is dead...

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:45:00 +0000

...long live Hidden Bonus Track. Or something.

Meanwhile, I recommend this blog. Or this one. Okay, that last one's not really a blog, but still...fun stuff.

I'll stick a fork in this blog in a week or two, i.e. it will be coming down. I hate cobwebs.

Thanks for reading, y'all!

oh my poor, neglected blog...

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:05:00 +0000

...has it really been a month since I've updated you? Sorry to my loyal readers...all three of you...for the extended silence. Work has been crazy.

For now, I'll mostly just be frantically posting new content on Metromix and occasionally tweeting about it. So head over to my Twitter account if you want to follow what I'm working on these days. Eventually I'll start updating this sucker again, too, but it'll probably be awhile.

Or...maybe Metromix will actually give me a blog. Wouldn't that be a kick in the head.

OK...back to work. Later!

Q&A: Lady Sovereign

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:58:00 +0000

I had interviewed Lady Sovereign once before, back when she was just getting introduced to America and had been pegged by everyone as hip-hop's Next Big Thing. It didn't quite turn out that way, but to her credit, she regrouped and recorded a new album with her own producer, on her own imprint, and while I can't really say it's better than her first record, you do get the sense when you hear it that she's keeping it real, as the kids like to say. A lot of the tracks are just downright wacky in a way that most American hip-hop never dares to be. ("Let's Be Mates," in particular, is a pretty outstanding ode to the outsiders, set to a groovy electro beat.)

Anyway, this time I got to chat with her in person at South by Southwest, which was cool. She's very nice, even tinier than I expected, and smokes a lot. I hadn't heard the whole album yet, which is always a bit of a drag, but she didn't seem to mind. Maybe in this day and age, artists are relieved to find out you haven't heard their unreleased album yet--that just means it hasn't leaked yet.

I just missed her set at the Perez Hilton party the day after our interview, which I was bummed about until I learned that she had cancelled the gig anyway. Oh, well. I'll catch you live one of these days, Sov!

Song of the day: Doves, "Compulsion"

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Sat, 02 May 2009 07:21:00 +0000

So how freakin' good is the new Doves album? It's my favorite by far since "Lost Souls" (their best by a mile as far as I'm concerned--and yeah, I know everyone loves "The Last Broadcast," but I thought it was hit or miss).

I haven't listened to it enough for a favorite song (or songs) to emerge, but an obvious early standout is "Compulsion," which features the best use of a disco bassline by a rock band since...Blondie? The Stone Roses? I'm not sure, but you have to go back a ways. And that guitar solo at around the four-minute mark...outstanding. It's so good to hear these guys back on top of their game.

Compulsion - Doves

Is electroclash back?

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:03:00 +0000

True fact (as Stephen Colbert might say): between now and June, the world will be graced with new albums from Fischerspooner, Peaches, Felix da Housecat, Miss Kittin and the Hacker, Tiga, DJ Hell and even Larry freakin' Tee, who invented the term "electroclash" in the first place. Is it back? Does this mean we all have to start pretending again that dance songs about fucking on the dancefloor are just HIGH-larious?

Although I actually have a soft spot for some electroclash (Tiga, in particular, is kind of awesome), I have to say that I really hope not. Ironically lame dance music, which is what a lot of electroclash was, is still lame dance music. On the whole, I'd rather get down with my bad self to Kool & the Gang.

Anyway, here's my Metromix gallery of ex-electroclash artists (electroclash survivors?) who are on the comeback trail in 2009. You've been warned.

(P.S. I have to admit that Casey Spooner's headwear--basically, an industrial lighting fixture humping a straw boater--is pretty cool. I predict they'll be all the rage at Burning Man this year. Goodbye, steam punk--hello, Twain-dustrial!)

Song of the day: The Little Ones, "Tangerine Visions"

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Los Angeles has been developing a reputation lately for bands that produce either crazy post-punk noise (No Age, Abe Vigoda) or '90s-aping alt-rock (Silversun Pickups, Giant Drag). Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's a fantastic town for smart, hooky indie-pop, too. There's no scene per se, just a bunch of bands like the Submarines, the 88 and the Bird and the Bee who seem happily oblivious to our city's reputation for rejecting anything that doesn't reek of hipster cool.

Add to that list one of my new favorite bands of the past couple of years, the Little Ones. One listen to their music and it's pretty clear that their record-geek publicity photo isn't some ironic pose; these are just guys who deeply and unabashedly love pop music, whether it's Billy Joel or the "Top Gun" soundtrack (if you squint real hard, you'll see those albums in the publicity photo--along with Bruce Willis' debut solo album, "The Return of Bruno"). And they're not afraid to break out the melodicas and toy accordions to make it, either.

(By the way, sorry this is only a 30-second clip. I'm currently seeking a better source for embeddable one-song players. Any suggestions?)

Tangerine Visions (Album Version) - The Little Ones

Q&A: Peter Bjorn and John

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:23:00 +0000

I was supposed to interview Peter Bjorn and John at SXSW, but things got a little too hectic for it to happen. So instead, I settled for a phoner with Peter Moren. I left out the part where we talked about their disastrous show on the first night of SXSW ("oh, you were at that show," Moren said when I brought it up--apparently, the band's own crew was late getting to Austin, which helps explain why the trio seemed so helpless in the face of their various technical difficulties), but otherwise, most of what we talked about found its way into the Q&A. Hope you enjoy.

So I just saw Elizabeth and the Catapult at the Hotel Cafe...

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0000

...and wow, what a great band, with a great frontwoman--the adorably pocket-sized Elizabeth Ziman--and a fantastic batch of songs. I had only listened to the album all the way through once, but I still found myself not only recognizing nearly every tune, but immediately thinking, "Hey, now this is a great song. Clearly, this is the highlight of their set." Then they'd go and top it, every time.

I guess their sound could best be described as piano-pop, but the songs are quirkier and jazzier than that implies--still catchy and fun to sing along to, but with definite shades of everyone from Regina Spektor to (and yes, I know this is hopelessly uncool, but deal with it) Norah Jones. The bass player, who for some reason isn't pictured or mentioned in any of the band's press (poor guy), brought an especially swingin' sensibility to much of the material. They even pulled off a pretty convincing Leonard Cohen cover, which is hard to do these days without lapsing into hipster cliche.

Anyway, the album, "Taller Children," comes out digitally on May 5th. Seek it out. It's good stuff.

Awesome video of the day: Matt & Kim, "Lessons Learned"

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:13:00 +0000

I've blogged about Matt and Kim before (god, was that show really more than two months ago? that's crazy) and talked about how fun and high-energy and endearing they are. But I don't know if I mentioned how they're also totally fucking fearless, which I think has a lot to do with their appeal. I mean, this is a couple that, by their own admission, didn't even pick up instruments or start writing songs until they were in college. They just went for it. That high-wire attitude rubs off their music, I think, and is part of what makes it such a jolt.

Anyway, this new video for the song "Lessons Learned" pretty much sums up that fearless quality of theirs, and not just because it features public nudity (although that's definitely part of it) or because it's apparently not possible to make it fit in a standard Blogspot layout (curse you, widescreen!). Watch all the way to end and you'll see what I mean. Trust me on this one.

Happy Record Store Day!

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:08:00 +0000

There are two ways to look at Record Store Day, which is today, April 18th. Either it's an indicator that the music industry is, despite dire news to the contrary, more vibrant than ever; or it's a sign that a growing number of artists and labels are willing to try anything to get fans to cough up some bucks for physical product like they used to in the good old days.

The truth is, it's probably a little of both. Today, independent record stores all over the country are featuring special releases by more artists than you can shake a vinyl 7" at. Most are Record Store Day exclusives, and several are about as cool as it gets: a split Beck/Sonic Youth 7", 12 classic Radiohead EPs on 10" vinyl, a reissue of the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" single, which hasn't been available on vinyl since 1969. If you own a turntable, you'd be a fool to sit this one out. Fortunately for me, I do not in fact own a turntable, so I can save my money for my mortgage.

Visit the Record Store Day website to find a store near you, and happy hunting!

Q&A: Meiko

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:33:00 +0000

How can you not love a young artist who's gracious enough, at the end of an interview, to thank you for asking good questions? Yep, Meiko is pretty much about as adorable as they come. Her backstory is pretty cool, too; she took a job waiting tables at the Hotel Cafe, even after gigging there, just so she could be exposed to as much good music as possible while she was honing her craft. Clearly it's paying off; she makes catchy, accessible folk-pop, but with a smart, self-aware twist, best exemplified on the song with "Boys with Girlfriends," about how her guy friends' significant others always seem to get jealous of her. Gee, I can't imagine why, can you?

Anyway, here's my interview with Meiko; you can decide for yourself if I really was asking good questions or if she was just being nice.

Amanda Palmer is awesome

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 05:44:00 +0000

I know it's practically fashionable at this point for artists to loudly complain about how much their labels suck and actively campaign to get dropped (thank Nine Inch Nails for that), but I can't think of anyone doing it with more balls or panache than Amanda Palmer. This YouTube video from a recent tour stop in Florida is the latest salvo, and it's kind of awesome.

By way of background: Palmer is signed to Roadrunner Records, a predominantly punk/metal label that's also home to such luminaries as Cradle of Filth, Machinehead, Trivium, Killswitch Engage and their cash cow, Nickelback. You might wonder how Palmer wound up on such a label, and the answer is that she was originally signed as part of her group Dresden Dolls, who were originally associated with the punk/emo scene and...okay, it still doesn't really make any sense, but the point is that it's not a good home for her and she's unhappy with how much support she's gotten from the label, and they're probably unhappy with the fact that she seems to have put her cute little goth/punk/cabaret band on hold while she goes off and does a bunch of what, to them, I'm sure must sound some supremely non-rockin' Tori Amos shit.

I know some of the folks at Roadrunner and they're nice people...but seriously, guys, let Amanda go. You'll both be better off in the long run, I think.

Cool site o' the day: Blip.fm

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:58:00 +0000

Here's a cool site to jump on before the music industry sues and/or overcharges them out of existence. It's called Blip.fm and it allows users to become "DJs"...which is really just another way of saying, it allows you to create a profile and post tracks to it, with little comments accompanying each one. You can add other DJs to your favorites list and create a feed of everything they post, and you can share all your posts with Twitter, Facebook and a host of other social media sites. (You can't embed their player, as far as I can tell, so I guess Imeem.com and occasionally Skreemr.com will continue to be my embedded players of choice here at HBT.)

Anyway, check it out, and make me one of your favorites, yo!

Nostalgia trip of the day: Lou Reed & John Cale

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:42:00 +0000

In 1990, fresh from the amazing career resurgence he enjoyed with the "New York" album, Lou Reed teamed up with his old Velvet Underground buddy John Cale and recorded a tribute album for Andy Warhol, who had died unexpectedly in 1987. That album, "Songs for Drella," remains one of my favorite things Reed has ever done. It got quite a bit of attention at the time but it's been sort of forgotten since--unjustly, I think, since it has some of the simplest and most emotionally direct songwriting of Reed's career.

I had lost track of this album for many years because I only had an old cassette copy, but I recently found a collector's edition CD bound in black "velvet" at Amoeba Records and I've been loving getting reacquainted with it. Here's a track, featuring Reed's voice and guitar, Cale's sawing, Philip Glass-like cello, and nothing else. And it's absolutely perfect, I think. Andy would have approved--or actually, he probably would've loved it but found something about it to criticize anyway, which is sort of the point.

Images (LP Version) - Lou Reed & John Cale

Song of the day: City and Colour, "Waiting..."

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:03:00 +0000

Lots of singers in the punk/hardcore/emo world like to take breaks from all the yelling and loud guitars and release sensitive singer-songwriter side projects, but I find that most of them just wind up exposing their limitations. Without all the yelling and loud guitars, their songwriting tends not to hold up.

But last year, I discovered a major exception: Dallas Green, frontman for Alexisonfire, a "post-hardcore" (I'm still not really sure what that means; it seems to roughly translate as, "yeah, we scream a lot and use drop-D tuning, but we're really into Pink Floyd, too") band from Canada. Green's sensitive singer-songwriter side project is called City and Colour and his second album, last year's "Bring Me Your Love," was pretty outstanding. Supposedly, he's working on a third City and Colour album for release later this year--after the latest Alexisonfire record comes out. Dude likes keeping busy.

By the way, random trivia note: Dallas Green was also the name of the manager who won a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980, the year my family first moved to the Philly area. Go Phils!

Anyway, here's a great, country-tinged track from "Bring Me Your Love." Shades of "Ventura Highway," no?

Waiting - City And Colour

Chillout Tuesdays: Thievery Corporation, "Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes"

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Okay, enough SXSW. Let's move on. How about getting back to some quality chillout music? I think we could all stand to chill a little these days, wouldn't you agree?

This track opens Thievery Corporation's 2002 album, "The Richest Man in Babylon," and features a fantastic Icelandic singer named Emiliana Torrini. Neither artist has done anything more beautiful since. Enjoy.

Heavens Gonna Burn Your Eyes - Thievery Corporation

SXSW highlights, part two: Buck 65 at Scoot Inn, Saturday night

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:31:00 +0000

There was a lot of great hip-hop at SXSW this year, but none of it topped Buck 65's amazing performance at the Strange Famous showcase on Saturday night. I wish I could find a better clip from it than the above dodgy YouTube video, but it gives you a taste. He led off with the DEVO remix and from there launched into a bunch of songs from his most recent album, "Situation," then finished off with a 20-minute medley of at least a dozen songs from throughout his career. When he wasn't lighting up verses, he jumped on a pair of turntables and did some very credible scratching. He's a posse of one, I tells ya!

The showcase was at the Scoot Inn, which is kind of out in the sticks by SXSW standards, so a lot of people probably missed it. As it is, I hauled ass over there from 6th Street and then, as soon as Buck wrapped up, hiked back up to the Perez Hilton party at the old abandoned Safeway. The walk there and back probably took me longer than Buck's entire set, but it was totally worth it.

SXSW highlights, part one: Peter Bjorn & John at Vice, Wednesday night

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:43:00 +0000

(Photo by Ryan Muir for Metromix.com)

If you've read any coverage of SXSW, you're probably scratching your head that I would single out PB&J's Wednesday night gig at Vice as my first festival highlight. The blognoscenti have been quick to trash the Swedish trio for a "disastrous" set that was "marred from the beginning by technical difficulties" and made worse by some pretty nasty heckling. It was definitely not the band's finest hour.

But what a lot of people aren't mentioning is the fact that, if you stuck around for the last 20 minutes of their set, they finally scrapped most of the non-working parts (keyboards, electronic drums, Bjorn's mic) and tore through a bunch of songs in guitar/bass/drums power-trio format--and for those 20 minutes, they were fantastic, especially Peter Moren, who channeled his obvious frustration into some furious guitar work and impassioned vocals. In particular, they did a barnstorming, garage-rocky version of "Objects of My Affection" that those hecklers really should have stuck around for.

Could they have handled all the sound problems better? Of course. But it was their first night in Austin debuting material from their new album, and I think it's fair to say their nerves (and Bjorn Yttling's obvious perfectionist streak) got the better of them. Watching them redeem all the miscues, false starts and general nastiness in a single song was a pretty incredible moment.

(Note: yes, I know the song isn't called "Detects on My Affection," but whoever posted this on imeem.com got the title wrong.)

Detects On My Affection - Peter Bjorn And John

Off to Austin...

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:10:00 +0000

...yee-haw, as they say in Texas. All my reporting will be posted on Metromix but I'll link to it from here.

Looking forward to seeing (in no particular order): Ulrich Schnauss, Ladyhawke, the Coathangers, Larkin Grimm, Boys Noize, Brother Ali, Booka Shade, Peter Bjorn & John, Ida Maria, Starling Electric, Heartless Bastards, Chris Smither, Peter Mulvey, Fastball, Iwrestledabearonce, Au Revoir Simone, Morning Benders, Mirah, Colourmusic, An Horse, Howe Gelb, Ian McLagan, Anya Marina, Sam Roberts Band, Yppah, Delta Spirit, Andrew Bird, Black Lips, Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Blitzen Trapper, Kraak & Smaak, Titus Andronicus, the Ettes, Here We Go Magic, King Khan & the Shrines, Tinted Windows, Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, Camera Obscura, Datarock, Theresa Andersson, P.O.S., St. Vincent, NOMO, Black Gold, Chairlift, Thunderheist, Through the Sparks, Lady Sovereign, the Little Ones, the Break and Repair Method, Yelle, Buck 65, Gramercy Arms.

Whew! Did I miss anything?

See ya in Texas!

Nostalgia trip of the day: The Police

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:19:00 +0000

Is it just me, or do The Police remain a weirdly underrated band? Everyone was quick to slag on their reunion tour for one reason or another (they jammed too much! they didn't play enough hits! they played too many hits! Sting can't hit those high notes! every sing-along part goes, "Ee-yo-yo"!), but I thought it was fucking fantastic. And to this day I think their best songs (not necessarily the same thing as their hits) sound fresher than 90% of today's music. No other band before or since was so successful at mixing together elements of punk, jazz, and reggae and making them work together in the form of brilliantly well-crafted pop songs, for God's sake. I mean, who these days is even attempting anything like that?

All that being said: I'm actually glad they didn't try to record any new material as part of the reunion. Let sleeping dogs lie, I say. Part of the Police's greatness, for me, is that they didn't tarnish their image by continuing to churn out sub-par material long after their sell-by date. Although that, paradoxically, might be another reason why they're sort of underrated; in the conversation about all-time great rock bands, people tend to forget about them because they were only together for seven years.

Anyway, here's one my favorite Police songs that isn't one of their big hits.

Deathwish - The Police

Song of the day: School of Language, "Rockist"

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 08:47:00 +0000

David Brewis used to be--or maybe still is, they might just be "on hiatus" as they say--in a British band called Field Music, who made some decent enough folk-rock over the course of two albums. But last year, he released a solo album under the name School of Language that really never got the attention it deserved. It's meticulously constructed, studio-geek guitar-pop, on the order of something Todd Rundgren or Paul McCartney might have produced in the '70s, but with a little bit more in the way of modern sampling and electronica. Every track just reveals more and more layers every time I hear it. This Brewis character is seriously talented.

The album begins and ends with a four-part song cycle called "Rockist," which is built upon a foundation of endlessly looped open-vowel sounds ("ah, eh, ee, oh, ooh," etc.) and a maddeningly addictive guitar hook. I wish I could find a stream of my favorite part, "Rockist Part 4," but the best I could come up with is this rather silly video that seems to feature elements of Parts 1 and 4. It's enough to give you a sense of what a great song it is, I think.

[Note: might help if I actually post the video, huh? D'oh! Well, here it is, two days after I originally wrote this post:

Song of the day: "It's Trader Joe's!"

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:56:00 +0000

A guy with a website called carlsfinefilms.com made this awesome and totally unauthorized song and accompanying video as a paean to Trader Joe's, that great source of sustenance and disappointment (why did you stop carrying the Thai tuna curry, TJs? why, oh why?) for hip urbanites everywhere. It nails everything that's weird and wonderful about TJ's so well, I can hardly stand it. Enjoy.

Nostalgia trip of the day: Talking Heads

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:26:00 +0000

David Byrne was on "The Colbert Report" tonight, promoting his new album "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today." He chatted with Colbert, played a track from the album, had some sort of weird, postmodern dance accompaniment to it (the song, not the interview--though maybe that would have been better) and it was all well and good, but dammit, I can't help it--I still miss Talking Heads.

I used to tell people, only half joking, that there were three defunct bands I would sell my mother to see if they ever reunited: the Police, Soul Coughing and Talking Heads. And for a long time, it seemed like they were all never gonna happen--but hey, if it could work for the Police...

I do still love David Byrne, and even if most of his solo stuff has never done much for me, he's still good for a great collaboration every now and then (check out his stuff with Thievery Corporation or Forro in the Dark, or a track by X-Press 2 called "Lazy"--great stuff). But I've always felt that Talking Heads was one of those bands that was greater than the sum of its parts, and he's never approached the brilliance of even some of the band's second-tier tracks.

Just check out this song from "Speaking in Tongues" that popped up on my iPod today as one example. This came out in 1983, for shit's sake! It sounds fresher than virtually anything Talking Heads' legion of imitators has ever attempted. When Byrne says "Get in line," he could be addressing the Rapture, !!!, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Moving Units, Vampire Weekend, etc., etc. They've all tried to emulate that uneasy mix of sweaty funk and twitchy, art-school self-consciousness, and occasionally they manage to make it work, but no one ever made it sound this perfect.

Making Flippy Floppy ( LP Version ) - Talking Heads

14,000 songs

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Lately I've been making periodic runs to Amoeba Music to fill in some gaps in my music collection. I hunt for used copies of stuff I used to own on vinyl or cassette but somehow never got around to owning on CD. The way I figure it, any album I can find for less than $9.99 is worth grabbing a copy of, because that's probably less than what I'd pay for it on iTunes. (And yes, I know, pretty much anything can be had for free these days...but I'd rather pay for the privilege of knowing it's an authorized copy and the sound quality is probably going to be pretty good. Besides, I get so much free music through work that dropping a few bucks on old favorites every now and then doesn't really bother me that much.)

Anyway, this weekend I found a motherlode of Bowie stuff, including all of his "Laughing Gnome"-era material, much of which is brilliant (and hard to find) and a three-CD set called "The Platinum Collection" that rounds up most of his best tracks from '69 to '87. And this fresh Bowie infusion officially pushed my iTunes over the 14,000 track mark.

I don't know why this seems momentous, but for some reason it does. 14,000 songs is officially a crapload of music. My iTunes informs me that it would take 40 days to listen to all of it.

The 14,000th song to enter my library? Bowie's cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together." I don't suppose there's really anything remotely significant about this--it's not even one of my favorite Bowie *or* Stones songs--but there you have it.

I wonder how long it'll take me to get to 15,000? I wonder why I feel like I really need all this music?

Lets Spend The Night Together (2003 Digital Remaster) - David Bowie

Song of the day: Marykate O'Neil, "Different for Girls"

ahermann@metromix.com (Andy) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:33:00 +0000

I can't believe I was totally unaware of Marykate O'Neil until I got a copy of her "mkULTRA" EP last fall, because she is freaking awesome. She reminds me of one of my favorite singer-songwriters from my Boston days, Merrie Amsterburg, but a little sunnier and with definite traces of '70s easy listening and yacht rock creeping into her sound. I betcha this girl owns a few Steely Dan albums.

Anyway, her latest album, "Underground," came out earlier this month and it's an early candidate for one of my favorite records of 2009. I hope she starts getting more buzz because she's just too good not to be more well-known. Fans of Josh Rouse and Tegan & Sara should eat this stuff up (Doug, if you're reading this, I'm looking at you).

Funnily enough, I was going to post her cover of Joe Jackson's "It's Different for Girls" just the other day and couldn't find it anywhere on the Internets, so I gave up. Then yesterday, her publicist sent out a Marykate press release with a "Different for Girls" MP3 link. I love it when kismet strikes.

So here it is: Marykate O'Neil's version of "It's Different for Girls," which for some mysterious reason lost its "It's" somewhere along the way. I guess girls are different like that.

Marykate O'Neil, "Different for Girls"