The first is “Death or Radio” by Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer. I’ve been getting into Indie Pop music since a couple of years ago when I happened on a Fountains of Wayne album at a used CD shop in Pittsburgh. Subsequently, my cousin Brady introduced me to The New Pornographers. I realize I’m way behind the curve on this, but I’d been previously self-confined to jazz, soul, and hip-hop, so suck it.

I found this track on JWZ‘s latest mixtape 074 (JWZ is the proprietor of the DNA Lounge in San Francisco and he’s got some wacky musical taste, but his mixtapes are always interesting and often really fun). I’m a sucker for a good hook, and “Let’s hold hands and listen to sh*tty bands” is right up there with the best. Really, that line is pretty much how I feel about pop music in general – I don’t like it because it’s necessarily good (although a lot of it is), but because it tricks me into liking it.

The same goes for “nerdcore” hip-hop. I guess I’ve known about it for a while, starting back in the day with MC Stephen Hawking and more recently, MC Frontalot. I heard MC Chris’s “Fette’s Vette” while watching “Zack And Miri Make a Porno” last week (decent movie, by the way).