Downright Dynamite Downloads Of The Week: Spoon, Jay-Z, Hard-Fi…

hecklerspray sure does like music. From slam dancing in overcrowded elevators, to ill-timed pelvic thrusts next to an unstable cantaloupe stand, we cut loose wherever the tunes find us - and it finds us all the time, and when we do, we like to put it out there for you to check out. Because we love you. But we don't like your mother.

As always, you'll have to track these down yourself. This week we've tracks from Spoon, Jay-Z, Smashing Pumpkins, Mint, Sparklehorse (with The Flaming Lips), and Hard-Fi.    

Spoon: The Beast And Dragon, Adored off Gimme Fiction
(Songs about dragons really help us get in the zone before D&D tourneys, and the slow groove Spoon's established here is no exception. From the first strumming of the strings to the last, it really gives us wicked good ideas on how to cast wizard spells with dice. The trick is to flick your wrist precisely 22 degrees, and open your palm halfway through. Thanks Spoon.)

Jay-Z: Threat off The Black Album (Kind of)
(hecklerspray likes hip hop - everything from Jay to Z.™  This particular version appears to be a remix of Threat and some song by John Miles. It'll be tough to find, but it's awesome.)

Smashing Pumpkins: Glynis off No Alternative
(This track goes back to the mid-nineties sometime. It's got heavy bass line that reminds us all why the Pumpkins demanded so much of our time and respect. Plus, it was recorded while Corgan had hair, which seriously adds to it's desirability.)

Mint: Your Shopping Lists Are Poetry off Magnetism
(It's a great song this one, it's about how if you love someone enough, you even enjoy getting spattered with their sneeze. They use all different words though. It's a great song.)

Sparklehorse (With The Flaming Lips): Go off The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered
(This album is all covers of mentally ill songwriter du jour Daniel Johnson. The album's actually got two discs, one with all the covers, and one where Johnson seems to sing them all into a handheld tape recorder at different stages of his life. The whole thing is very recommendable.)

Hard-Fi: Cash Machine off Stars Of CCTV
(Nothing wrong with unapologetic rock n' roll - that's always been hecklerspray's stance. As we understand it, this particular number's gotten quite a bit of air play in certain parts of the world. Proof positive not all radio DJs are handicapped. Most probably are though.)

Now listen to these beautiful choices via the magic of Napster

[story by Shawn Lindseth]