30-Day Song Challenge: A song that makes you happy (day 3)

There are songs you like, and then there are songs that make you feel something. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "(Forever) Live and Die," a #19 hit in 1986, has always been one of those for me. And despite lyrics about "why you make me want to cry," it does give me a happy feeling, because there's just something powerfully evocative in that lovely synth and brass production (props to Stephen Hague) and those ascending vocal harmonies. The feeling it evokes is also tinged with nostalgia, although the only thing it really reminds me of is standing at the door waiting for the school bus while the song played on VH1 in the background. I didn't own the song until many years later when I got an OMD compilation; I had no idea what the name of the song was, in fact, although the tune had stuck with me through the years. I particularly like the dreamy, lilting intro, and the brassy instrumental bridge. It all somehow combines to feel like a perfect autumn day spent on a carnival ride, holding hands with the one you love.

30-Day Song Challenge: Your least favorite song (day 2)

As with choosing a favorite, there are so many possibilities, and I strongly considered Warrant's "Cherry Pie" and Nickelback's "Photograph" before settling on "One Sweet Day," Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's record-holder for most weeks at number one (16) on the Billboard Hot 100. Given the song's earnest sentiment, this may seem cold, but I truly hated this inescapable, overwrought treacle from the first time I heard it. My animosity towards it also reflects my loathing of that time in mid-90s radio, when R&B had taken over and every chart-topper seemed to be there for 10 weeks or more; it was as if radio decided we would only listen to about 40 songs per year. I have equal loathing for Boys II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" and "End of the Road." Before I'm accused of being a hater, it should be noted that both artists have songs that I do like, and Mariah hovers just outside the top 50 on my last.fm artist chart.

30-Day Song Challenge: Your favorite song (day 1)

Seriously, how do you pick just one? I could spend a year whittling it down to a short list of possibilities. So, I've chosen one of the standout songs, "Alive," from my favorite album of last year, Goldfrapp's Head First. It's a little more sunny and positive than the typical 'frapp tune, and it's arguably the best example of the album's brilliant melding of synthy '80s pop sounds into their modern, elegant dance music. The cheeky video complements the upbeat vibe with an odd mix of vampires, zombies and '80s workout video; you wouldn't be surprised to see Olivia Newton John suddenly pop out, dressed in the spandex from her "Physical" video.

With this post, I'm kicking off the 30-Day Song Challenge, which has been a popular Facebook meme. I'm rarely on Facebook, so I didn't stumble across it until checking out Daft Monk's blog, where he's just wrapped up the challenge. Check out his answers for a good read. I'm already well intrigued by how these deceptively simple categories make you stop and consider the music that defines you. One caveat for my list — I do plan to swap out a handful of the categories for something I think is more interesting; there are a few of them for which I simply don't have an answer.

Insidious

2.5 out of 5

The extent to which this movie got generally favorable reviews suggests that our collective craving for a thoughtful, frightening movie has gone unsatiated of late. Competently and stylishly executed, Insidious certainly is better than the typical horror abomination of the week such as Darkness Falls, which I had the misfortune of watching on satellite a few nights ago, but it doesn't earn a spot on the top shelf, either. The trailer gave away the movie's best line — "It's not the house that's haunted" — and this plot centering on a troubled child is definitely not staking out original territory. In fact, I couldn't help thinking of Poltergeist, given that both have a child trapped in another realm, a paranormal investigation team that comes in to assist, and a rescue attempt by one of the parents. It doesn't help that we have a villian that looks like a Sith lord lost from the set of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; with Saw director James Wan at the helm, it isn't surprising that subtletly gets lost. The best part of the movie is the fairly brief appearance of the paranormal investigators led by Lin Shaye, who brings a certain gravitas, even if she is no Tangina. A couple of bumbling and bickering assistants provide some comic relief, but, by this point, the movie is trending more silly than unsettling.

Erasure's forthcoming album art

 

I've long been a fan of Erasure's sleeve art as well as their music, with some rare exceptions, such as the uninspired, cheap-looking artwork for the Other People's Songs campaign. It got a big dodgy again for the last album, Light at the End of the World; I remember someone commenting that it looked like a Zale's jewelry circular. And now, the artwork for Tomorrow's World, which looks like a fairy's heart exploded butterflies, is leaving me cold. Based on sculpture by Kate MacDowell, it looks like something that would be on the cover of a 12-year-old girl's diary. I'm not feeling it, but at least buzz is good for the Frankmusic-produced album.

The folly of Netflix streaming

For a company that has gotten things so right most of the time, Netflix's new price hike seems punitive and incredibly boneheaded. Customers will now pay the price, literally, for the company's misguided placing of all its eggs in the streaming basket as the studios demand higher and higher fees for streaming rights.

I'll be switching to the $7.99 DVD-only plan with Blu-Ray. Streaming plus DVD plus Blu-Ray is no longer a deal after two price increases within the space of months.

And it's not that I'm a streaming naysayer. I got a Roku late last year, thinking that I'd love it. I have enjoyed it from time to time, but the streaming selection is notoriously mediocre, and there's the larger problem of picture quality. I have a cable broadband connection, but I almost never get an HD stream. I've invested in a quality home theater, and I don't care to watch VHS or less quality on my new HDTV. I think many people agree with me, whether it's because of broadband issues or the desire to have top-notch picture quality. Netflix has made a surprisingly large miscalculation in its attempt to jettison the DVD side of its business.

It may be a few months down the road, but I predict Netlix backs off the new pricing and cuts the fees to some middle ground.

GSN brings Lingo back from the grave

Verdict: 3.0 out of 5

No love for Chuck Woolery? Such is the state of game shows in the 2010s, an era in which game show hosts get by not on their polished presentation skills but on their resumes as comedians or C-list personalities. Classic-era host Chuck Woolery helmed GSN's 2002-2007 revival of Lingo, a relatively obscure format that had a single syndicated season in the late 1980s, and it is somewhat surprisingly back (given that GSN seems to think tawdry relationship shows is now its bread and butter) in a slightly tweaked version now helmed by "blue-collar comedian" Bill Engvall. Illogical a pick as the new host may be, he has brought some appreciable deadpan wit to the format, a combination of word game and Bingo in which teams try to guess five-letter words to earn the right to draw a couple of balls which can help them score a Lingo on a numbered field set up like a Bingo card. Adding insult to Woolery's exit is that the show has now added a clue for each word in a style ripped from NBC's Scrabble, hosted by Woolery for the duration of its exceptionally enjoyable run of 1,300-plus episodes from 1984 to 1990 and again briefly in 1993. While the new, genreric rock music theme is another dubious move, GSN deserves kudos for making some overdue changes — correct guesses and Lingos now earn cash rather than points for the winning team, and the cable network has finally made the obvious move of including prize balls amongst the drawing lot, as well as a wild ball that, when selected, can be used to fill any open slot on the Lingo card. I'd also suggest a progressive jackpot ball — those side elements can break the monotony of a highly repetitive format (think Super Password's always-fun Cash Word). GSN has remade Lingo's end game in a way that boringly excises the Bingo element; the teams just try to breeze through five words in 90 seconds to collect $100,000 — an awful lot of loot for a simple, if compelling, word game. And, unfortunately, the game has stripped away a level of Woolery-era  class by wallowing in inuendo. It needs "enema" as one of its five-letter words (I'm not making that up) as much as it needs Big Money Syndrome.

Lingo airs at 7 p.m. (Central) weekdays on GSN