This song rocks just as hard as any of the old Blondie standards. I can’t wait for this album to come out.

And might I say that Debbie Harry is quite possibly the sexiest 65 year old I’ve ever seen.

Me: Can anyone give me words to describe Annie Hughes? Hogarth’s mother?

Female Student: Hard working!

Another Female Student: Single mom…

Male Student: MILF!!!

or like this?

Inspired by Princess Beatrice’s ridiculous Royal Wedding Hat

What’s kind of uncharacteristic of me is that three of my favorite CD’s this year are gospel oriented. The first is Patty Griffin’s Downtown Church. I love, no LOVE Patty Griffin. But I didn’t initially love this CD, and so I kind of put it on the back shelf because I wasn’t ready to accept that my Goddess of Music had produced anything “less than.” Then a couple months ago I was heading to meet with my Homeys on Sunday morning, and was in a spiritual mood, and threw it on and it hit me the way it was supposed to hit. She injects soul into old white-people hymns, and can belt out the black spirituals with the best of the gospel singers. My favorite is her treatment of Samson and Delilah.

Next to cross my path was Mavis Staples “You Are Not Alone.” I’ve had a passing interest in the Staples Singers over the years, but only passing. I heard an interview with Mavis and Jeff Tweedy, who produced the CD, and was curious enough to give it a listen. Tweedy adds a gritty edge to a lot of the songs that compliments Mavis’ magnificent belting.

Finally, Tom Jones (yes, Mr. What’s New Pussycat himself) put out a mostly gospel album. At 70, Jones’ voice is still amazing. In fact, any gruffness his voice has acquired over the years adds character to the gospel and secular standards on the CD. Whether it’s the holy spirit, or whatever it is, Jones is inspired and is on fire with each track. This makes me want Jones to do a Howlin’ Wolf/Muddy Waters tribute for his next project.

I can certainly attribute my passion for these CD’s to a drastic increase in spirituality, but I think the CD’s are a sort of “gospel lite” and are more approachable musically and lyrically than many gospel albums. Since I’m not a Christian in any sense, there must be some explanation.

That said, Neil Young’s new album “Le Noise” is fucking amazing, and Neil Young is a genius. It’s one of many Neil Young experiments and my current favorite. Part of Young’s genius (or call it courage) is his ability, indeed, fondness for shunning his classic rock safety zone, in which he will always sell a gozillion records in favor of recording some really way out shit.

Admittedly, I haven’t liked all of it. Like the one he did with the voice synthesizer on every song, or the one he did with the Shocking Pinks. (Yes, yes, I know, a lot of people loved that one.) My favorite “experiment” was the Blue Notes, and I remember people booing him at a “Blue Notes” era concert because he wasn’t doing “Heart of Gold” or any other of his overplayed FM radio songs. I was disgusted.

I’ve listened to the album a few times since I got it, but today on the way home was the first time I REALLY listened to it. Four speakers and a hundred or so watts is all it takes for a good listening. From the opening bars to the end, it’s Neil Young guitar at its crunchiest and most beautiful, with prodigious knob tweaking by producer Daniel Lanois. As Lanois put it in an interview with NPR, “there is no band, no overdubs, just a man on a stool and me doing a nice job on the recording.” I’m not always a fan of Lanois.. I think he usually softens things too much for my often bombastic tastes, but he’s dead on with this one.

Editor’s Note: I was going to put in a picture of Daniel Lanois here but the Google Image Search produced a picture of a naked woman on one of his album covers and, even though she’s brandishing a dagger and looking fierce, it’s still more fun to look at than Lanois.

Young’s voice, which never really sounds good, never sounded better than on this CD. His singing is strong, plaintive and passionate throughout, whether it’s a retrospective song about his life, a love song or my favorite “Love and War.”

Listen to this album if you’re only a casual Neil Young fan. You might dismiss it as one of those “weird” efforts, but if you REALLY listen to it, it may just become your favorite “weird” CD.

As the author of the article I linked to above says, these are the sad remains of supercapitalism run wild. Detroit made cars, and music for the world and now these symbols of a once proud city are falling down. Beauty falls to pieces while ugly strip malls probably abound in the areas surrounding Detroit.

It’s a great example of the difference between the sort of benevolent capitalism of the 50′s and 60′s.. that employed thousands of thousands of highly paid workers for life.. capitalism that at least had a little bit of soul, a soul captured in the heyday of Motown’s music. The aesthetics of civilization give way to the barren ugliness and coldness of the bottom line.

What’s most striking to me about these pictures is that many of them represent the institutions that define modern civilizations. Government buildings, police precincts, schools and churches – all buildings used to serve, protect and nurture the souls of its citizens are now in ruins.

While these pictures are tragic, it’s even more disturbing to think of the lives of all the workers that used to go to these places to learn, to read and grow. Michael Moore captures that human degradation well in Roger and Me and Capitalism: A Love Story. This trailer gives you some idea..