...And it passeth again

Eat hot death, Pants, with your hunger-induced snark and vile memes. Alas, if you don't pass them along, these things fester like acidic eczema, so it only makes sense to pay this noxious meme forward.

Total volume of music files on my computer: there are about 2o gigs on my home computer, then 20 separate gigs on my work machine, plus about 40 more on CD-R.

The last CD I bought was: Ivy, "In the Clear." Officially a Fountains of Wayne sibling but from a completely different pop frame of reference, Ivy is breezy romantic pop with heavy Serge Gainsbourg overtones, but far more accessible than Stereolab. Sexy vocals by Frenchy Dominique Durand perfectly compliment Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase's classic progressions, and in an ideal world, they would be such unavoidable superstars that MTV would be hopping mad to get Dominique and Andy to show them their crib. "Thinking About You" is so perfect, it will make you weep for the great summer you never really had.

Song playing right now: Of Montreal, 'The Party's Crashing Us." Think Brian Eno circa "Here Come the Warm Jets" working with Giorgio Moroder on a really twisted Todd Rundgren track circa "Adventures in Utopia."

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me: I'm going to go with the ones I currently listen to a lot, rather than those that mean a lot to me, since that will involve a great deal of unsightly moping about the U.S. market's refusal to give Paul Weller a solo hit.

1. Belle and Sebastian, "This is Just a Modern Rock Song." This is such quintessential "bedsit" music, you'll get bedsores. Arguably the band's greatest song to date, and its available on the new compilation that arrived this week.

2. The Go! Team, "Ladyflash." A combination of old-school turntablism, '70s TV themes and the kind of slapdash cut-and-paste-isms that made the Avalanches so much fun.

3. Smoosh, "Massive Cure." Like a pre-teen Sleater-Kinney -- they've even opened for Corin, Janet and Carrie around Sea-Tac. Two minutes of weirdly accomplished angular rock, and a little on that creepy, "Play with us Danny, forever, and ever, and ever" level.

4. Ben Folds, "Landed." Way better than Chase thinks. It's like the best music Elton and Bernie did circa 71-73, without the stuff they just shat out between coke binges and circle jerks with Harry Nilsson.

5. Rilo Kiley, "It's a Hit." Jenny Lewis has a great leftist pottymouth, singing about chimps with veto authority and all that, and the horns during the chorus are insanely catchy high-aerosol squeeze cheese.

Five people to whom I pass the baton:

Lip Schtick -- Because she's "Thirty-something and loving it."

Pop Cultured -- Because he needs to care for his long-neglected blog, damn it, or join the Chase cult.

The Left End of the Dial -- Because what he's doing is such hard work, he needs to let off a little steam.

L'esprit d'escalier -- Because they mourned the passing of "Have Some Cheese, Rat," even when no one else did.

Token Liberal -- Because he'll be all over it like blueblocker sunglasses at Jeff Lynne lookalike convention.