Marie Antoinette

Sofia Coppola's new movie.

Looks amazing. Can't wait 'til Fall '06.

"Back and to the Left . . ."

Out of curiosity, I'd like to take a conspiracy opinion poll. Please respond and let me know your opinions on the following.

1) Who killed John F. Kennedy?

2) Did American astronauts set foot on the moon?

3) What crashed in Roswell, NM in 1947?

AT's Hit Picks

OK, so finals start tomorrow. Here're some choice morsels for ya.

1) Ben Kweller - Lollipop This is just too much sublimity. I think this dude is mega keen. They got the perfect "pop" sound too.

2) Flaming Lips - If I Only Had A Brain This is both charming and scary. In a good way.

3) Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhhh! This is from the amazing album Illinois, which you should get if you don't already have. The second of a proposed fifty-album series, one for each state o' the union.

4) Link Wray and the Raymen - Rumble Rest in Peace.

5) The Sonics - The Witch This is amazing proto-garage punk slime from Seattle in the '60s.

6) Monty Python - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life From The Life of Brian - an amazing song for an amazing scene.

7) Neutral Milk Hotel - Engine Thanks Jeff. Is that a singing saw or a theremin? You be the judge.

8) Judee Sill-The Lamb Ran Away with the Crown I love her voice. 'Nuff said.

9) Fugs - Carpe Diem This is probably my favorite on the list. I've been grooving to it repeatedly. I'm fascinated by the repetition and the chanting. Very Zen, very Beat.

10) Jan & Dean - Only a Boy This was slated to be a single. From the lost Carnival of Sound. It has the interesting distinction of being a pro-Vietnam pop song from a draft age act. Listen to the words now in light of what's going on. It makes an interesting argument for a narrative that is not necessarily representative of the singer's point of view, but of someone's. We're used to the commonplace pop/rock ideal that there is no gap between the singer and the song. A lot of Jan & Dean fans who were of draft age in the '60s despise this song. I love it - to me, it's quite haunting. It's not really a point of view that I'd advocate, but I'd be comfortable communicating it.