Monday, December 04, 2006

The Sound of Money


Clink... clink... ka-chiiing!! This week, Contrast Podcast is bopping to the beat of cash tills, the sound of shaken piggy banks, and the rustle of banknotes. Yes, the theme this week is, as Abba so eloquently put it, "Money, Money, Money." And since time is indeed money, let's get on with it: you can download this musical cash cow here, or you can improve efficiency, and therefore both your profit margin and return on equity, by subscribing via this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast.

And so, let's open the vault and sift through the treasure therein...

(00:00) Toby Slater - Consumption (Waverunner remix)
SAS Radio

(05:21) Mudhoney - The money will roll right in
Bob from Gimme Tinnitus

(07:59) Billy Bragg - The marching song of the covert battalions
Sid from Too Much Rock

(11:54) XTC - Love on a farmboy’s wages
Crash from Pretending life is like a song

(16:06) The Coup - Pimps (freestylin’ at the fortune 500 club)
Katherine (who doesn’t have a website)

(21:23) Jamie T - If you got the money
Tim The Daily Growl

(25:38) Horace Andy - Money Money
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away

(30:18) Daisy Chainsaw - Love your money
FiL from Pogoagogo

(33:48) Whodini - What people do for money
Tom from Other People’s Toys

(38:30) Jens Lekman - Pocketful of money
Jamie from The Run Out Groove

(43:20) Billy Bragg - Bad Penny
Natalie from Mini-Obs

(46:23) MxPx - Money tree
Alex from Totally true tales from Texas

(48:57) Fang - The money will roll right in
Michael from The Yank Sizzler

(51:42) Hamel on Trial - The lottery
Ross from Just Gimme Indie Rock

(54:42) Think about life - Money
Marcy from Lost in your inbox

Over the next fortnight CP is getting into the holiday spirit with not one, but TWO festive episodes on subsequent weeks. So break out your favourite seasonal ditties, though I promise to send Rocco & his ninja elves round your house for a friendly chat if you submit any Aled Jones. Indeed, why limit yourself to Christmas? Pelt Old Saint Tim with your Kwanzaa and Hanukkah tracks as well! Go here to see how you can get your presents under the tree.

To be sure, as I rummaged through my change purse trying to decide what to drop into the donations box week, several songs caught my eye with their lucrative glint. So here are a few of the not-quite-so-valuable tracks that were considered:

Buzzcocks - Credit (buy here or e-here)
From this year's corker of an album, "Flat Pack Philosophy," which is in my Top of the 2006 Pops list. And they're stunning live, even if they're old.

The Jam - Pretty Green (buy here)
Paul Weller explains the complexities of the monetary system to us all in down-to-earth language even a banker can understand.

Momus - Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (buy here)
No, no, nothing to do with those nice, suburban kiddies, Good Charlotte. This is lovely, squiggly, bleepy, indie C86 Eurodeesco, not unlike a slightly more knowing Pet Shop Boys. When you're up, everybody wants your babies.

So, now that we've talked about money, a brief word about love. On Sunday, Dearest Wife asked if I would help her henna her hair (I dare you to say that last phrase ten times fast). With some trepidation, I agreed. The process involved strategically pasting her lovely chestnut locks with a whiffy, greenish mud consisting of grass clippings, freshly brewed coffee, and apple cider vinegar. As I worked the gunk in with my mismatched rubber gloves (one pink, one yellow), I mused out loud that this situation must indicate one of two things: either that all the magic and mystery had drained irretrievably from our marriage, or that our relationship was so firmly cemented that it could withstand such banalities. I'm going with the latter...

Haircut 100 - Love Plus One (buy here and dance like a mad, eighties fool)

And in this holiday season, remember: love trumps money anytime...