Dean Canute

Estimated number of U.S. workers who are college basketball fans: 58.5 million.

Estimated number of U.S. workers who think their boss should be outsourced to Tralfamadore*: 62.3 million.**

Average number of minutes employees spend on college basketball websites during March Madness: 13.5.

Estimated amount of productivity employers nationwide lost during March Madness: $3.8 billion.

Average number of minutes (per day) employees spend making fun of their bosses on the Web: 8.5.

Amount of productivity employers nationwide lost due to employees making fun of their bosses during the March Madness cycle: $66.4 billion.

Percentage of college students who told their parents they were going to help out with the Katrina aftermath during spring break: 13.

Percentage of these students who were found innebriated and washed up on a beach in South Padre, Texas: 19.

Percentage of these students who exposed themsleves to a “Girls Gone Wild

The last time (which also happens to be the only time) I posted on Pelle Carlerg, I took some heat for admitting that I’m not a big fan of The Velvet Underground & Nico. Well things have changed since that post; it took a particularly dusty piece of vinyl and a generous amount of marijuana, but I am now among the countless thousands who regard that album as perhaps the singular defining album of what is now known as “indie rock.” However, none of that matters; you’d be a fool to like a band or album only because it’s “important” or “legendary.” The music is good, that’s all.

But this post isn’t about VU & Nico. It’s about a man who considers that album a significant influence for the music he produces. Now before you listen to the following songs expecting a sincere, heartfelt testament to 1967 and blow-up when you realize they’re nothing of the sort, realize I’m not saying at all that Pelle Carlberg is “Lou Reed: reborn.” If anything, he’s “Lou Reed: satirized.”

In A Nutshell is the name of Carlberg’s newest LP, released earlier this month. And, in a nutshell, it’s a collection of highly satirical songs with track titles like “Clever Girls Like Clever Boys Much More Than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls” and lyrics like “if I didn’t have bad luck I’d have no luck at all.” Because of its comedy, much of the album seems destined for “throwaway status”–especially for those who expect all music to fill their lives with the drama and emotion they explicably lack. But for those of us who can listen to a song without needing to identify with it, or without needing to be taken to an emotional place we have trouble finding in real life, Pell Carlberg’s music is, in a nutshell, perfect. Here are a couple of songs to have some fun with:
[MP3] Pelle Carlberg - I Love You, You Imbecile!
[MP3] Pelle Carlberg - Clever Girls Like Clever Boys Much More Than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls

Official Site | MySpace Site | More MP3s | Buy In A Nutshell

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