Friday Random Ten: Sick of Data Edition

I've spent all day staring at this laptop, plugging data from my last couple experiments into our spreadsheets, and I'm really sick of fiddling with it. I'm reminded of a conversation I had with my friend Phil a few weeks ago: if anything's going to kill the traditional pen-and-paper, non-spiral-bound-journal approach to lab notebooks, it's the simple fact that scientists in a variety of disciplines regularly have to process things in such a fashion as to make the data far too large to fit in such a notebook. And even if it could fit in a reasonable fashion, it would still be meaningless outside of its computerized context.

But anyways, enough of that: this is R & R time. So today's Friday Random Ten, now with free comments.

Note: Links are mostly to the eMusic page, with the exception of a few things I didn't get from eMusic. Does this count as some sort of shilling: am I no longer to be trusted? Probably, at least in relation to conversations about pay-for-download music sites. Fortunately, it doesn't come up too often around these parts.

1. Bebel Gilberto - Mais Felis (Monoaural Remix), off of Tanto Tempo Remixes

I still remember the first time I heard about the existence of an album by the daughter of Joao Gilberto--the founder of bossa nova--and Astrud Gilberto--singer of the "the Girl From Ipanema"--and that it was also a bossa nova remix album? It's not often that you claim that the world gives you great high concept. But it did right there, and I've been a fan ever since.

2. Deathboy - Antimatter, off of Digital Deviant

Okay, the backstory here is a bit weird. So when I was in college, one of my best friends was Deathboy. Not these guys, but just this random guy who went by Deathboy. Yeah, we made fun of him a bunch. But so anyways, one day my friend Ryan tells me about this band he saw in London, named Deathboy. I laughed a bunch, and made a mental note to check it out, as I was still DJing goth & industrial at Macalester at the time. Didn't get around to it until much later, which I rather regret. They're very solid, and heavily promote themselves with free downloads. Of this I heartily approve. Anyways, this is off of Digital Deviant, a free album Scott Deathboy put up a few months back which I immediately fell in love with. The weird thing is, I think he later said he'd accidentally put up a version that had accidentally had the pitch modulated up. I'm afraid to listen to the corrected version.

3. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella (With Taft Jordan), off of Ella Fitzgerald: With Friends, 1936-1950

I think they say that if you're tired of Ella, you're tired of life. Or something like that, maybe.

4. Mylene Pires - Eleanor Rigby, off of Mylene

More of the electronica-influenced downtempo Brazilian love. Other than to point out that this is a cover, which gives me even more reason to love it, there's little left to say.

5. The Gits - Absynthe, off of Frenching the Bully

The debut album from the short-lived, notorious Seattle punk band. A man was convicted of Mia's murder back in 2004; we toasted that day.

6. Atmosphere - The Arrival, off of You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having

I'm from Minneapolis. I don't think I'm allowed to not like Atmosphere--not that there's any danger of that. If the Prince fan club ever find out about my true feelings, tho... then I'm in a world of trouble.

7. Spahn Ranch - Dubnosis, off of Beat Noir

There's something perfect about Beat Noir, you can find a bit of it on Architecture as well. Unlike what attracts me to many bands, I find very little of what I like about Spahn Ranch elsewhere. Oh, well, the Goth/Industrial/Dub/Fusion/pop sound is clearly an acquired taste.

8. Johnny Cash - Cry! Cry! Cry!, off of The Complete Sun Singles, vol. 1

I'm not going to insult you by pretending you don't already know everything you need to about the Man in Black.

9. Immortal Technique - Bin Laden Remix (Street), off of Bin Laden Remixes

I know absolutely nothing about Immortal Technique, other than that the few tracks of there's I've heard are good-but-not-great rap, with an impressively self-aware approach to the politics in their lyrics.

10. Death Ride 69 - Needle, off of Screaming Down the Gravity Well

Some great industrial rock, balancing the power rock approach with the electronics for the dance floor very well. Great vocals. I think these guys came into my life from one of the Diva X Machina comps.