Welcome to the working week, NYC. Had a pass at the admittedly well produced Ke$ha instru a few months back, to moderate success. Much more pleased with this go around, as we learn once again that all the headbands and pitch correction in the world don't mean pop music has changed at all in the last half century.

Except that Ke$ha is dreadful. Press release goodtimes back in swing tomorrow!

The Supremes vs. Ke$ha "Tik Stop" (Chambaland Mashup)

Hey New York people! Come hit up Orson Welles' Basement of Terror next Thursday night @ the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre! Written by Frank Hejl, directed by Chuck Dauble, and featuring the best cast this side of 1994 Mickey Mouse Club. There's no laughter like terror laughter.

I've had 5-6 posts of new music goodness lined up for the better part of this week, but here's the thing: traffic is down as brown at the moment since we don't have any proper SXSW coverage, and it just so happens to be one of the loveliest weeks out in New York in the last six months.

So, a sunny day superjam I cranked out last night for now, and back to proper music coverage later. THERE'S BIRDS SINGING RIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW, GUYS.

Iyaz vs. Alphabeat "Replication" (Chambaland Mashup)

(And hey! If you're @ SXSW, We Can't Live in a Cave is featured in the much buzzed about documentary The People vs. George Lucas! Check it out!)

This is rough, but was super fun to make. Woefully inessential/just what the world needed. Happy Friday.

Notorious B.I.G. vs. Rent "Seasons Of Juice" (Chambaland Mashup)

I don’t know what I like less about this Lady Gaga/Beyonce video: that title card “PRISON FOR BITCHES”? The hamfisted product placements for Virgin Mobile, Diet Coke, Polaroid, Wonder bread and Miracle Whip? The garish production design? Lifting the Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill and vague specifics from Thelma and Louise under the auspices that this video mirrors some aspect of those movies feminism? The fact that it’s 10 minutes long? (Tyrese Gibson?)

For all of Gaga’s adoration as a pop deconstructionist, the fact of the matter remains: reclaiming and casually using the word “bitches” is no braver or more progressive than some fake-ass ringtone MC causally throwing around “nigger”, and even ironically shilling for Wonder bread and Miracle Whip in your music video is still shilling for Wonder bread and Miracle Whip. This whole fucking shtick is the DEFINITION of “nothing more than the sum of it’s parts”.