I've always thought Wham's (okay, George Michael's) "Careless Whisper" was a beautiful song that perfectly reflected the pain and aftermath of hurting someone you love. But after hearing Seether's take (almost three years old and yet it's new to me) I have to say that _this_ version nails the heartache and the inner rage that never quite go away once guilt has got its hooks in you.

There is no point in doing a cover unless you're going to add your own spin and that's what Seether does here. They take a classic and make it sound just as good (in its own unique way) as Wham's. In some ways, it's better because Seether makes the song so raw and exposed whereas Wham sounds just a tad too polished.

Beauty comes in all forms, Wham's view was pristine (almost kind of too polite), Seether's cuts to the bone and is really quite unforgettable.

The Juan MacLean wants Everybody To Get Close

The most recent free offering from Spin includes one of the best dance songs of 2011. "Everybody Get Close" by The Juan MacLean.

The track starts off all 80s electro retro but soon goes full-speed ahead into the future. It's one of the most mesmerizing things to hit the dance floor in ages and when I checked out the rest of the album it would appear it's all fun and games for your soul to get down.

Lovin' it so much!! At about two minutes in (or maybe it's two minutes out) your eyes practically roll back in your head, it's THAT good! :)

Free Showtime Preview This Weekend! :)

I may be the very last person on earth to have started watching Homeland, but I got to say so far I like it a lot...if you're like me and haven't seen it all, catch the first season episodes through Showtime On Demand's free preview this weekend!:)

Late Night Tales

There are so many reasons I love the intimate sounds of Snow Patrol, but one of the main is for the pleasantly safe buzz I get off their music. And even when it's not really their songs, anything with their name attached to it gets my attention.

As soon as I saw they helmed the production of one of the Late Night Tales cds I got pretty giddy and when Amazon's mp3 store sold it for $4.99 I gobbled it up right away.

And I'm glad I did! Music critic Andrew Leahey calls the album "surprisingly moody, stylish, and fairly danceable". (The inclusion of "Hold On" by Holy Ghost! is one of the most mesmerizing dance songs ever, unrelenting in its seductive hold!) Leahey adds in his review that the songs blend into each other and make for a great nocturnal feel (a must for the Late Night Tales collection.)

As charming and chill as any of the wonderful Grey's Anatomy soundtracks,  Snow Patrol's take on Late Night Tales gives me the kind of dreamy oblivion no amount of alcohol can buy :)

The Last Werewolf...

Of all the books I read in 2011, The Last Werewolf is the one that haunted me the most. It still haunts me. Beautifully written, sincere and yet, sometimes, cynically executed it's a novel that holds nothing back and most certainly is not for the faint of heart.

More than anything, Glen Duncan's novel feels like an indie pop album full of pining, sometimes lonely music that is always lovely even when it rocks hard. It's one of those books that has so many wonderful lines, you don't know which one to love best.