Inspired by Hi Fidelity, I decided to finally clear out my CD collection. Most of them had been converted to mp3 long ago, and as a result the CDs were just taking up shelf space.
I kept some for sentimental reasons and posted others on Amazon.com, and any that were selling for less than $3 went in the “discard” pile, shown below.

I took it to CD Spins on Newbury Street in Boston, where a helpful store employee took one glance at both stacks and said that they were “just nickel and dime stuff.” He gave me back both stacks, which I will now take to Goodwill in case anyone wants some near-free music.

While I was out, I recycled 30 cents worth of soda cans. Strange to think that all of the CDs above aren’t worth as much as six empty aluminum cans.

“Window in the Sky” is a YouTube style video synch mash-up done on a professional budget with the magic of copyright clearances. “It’s a triumph of postmodern reconstruction” says the Washington Post.

Via Metafilter.

Saw the Black Catholic Choir last Sunday at the Goddard chapel at Tufts University. The grand finale can be seen below.

I love “Mashups” - a remix of two or more songs that sometimes sound better than the originals.  Here are a few of the best I’ve heard:

• Sugar Shop - 50 Cent “Candy Shop” blended with Archies “Sugar Sugar.”  I like the combination of classic pop with new rap.
• Tripper Trouble - Beastie Boys “Triple Trouble” meets Beatles “Day Tripper.”  One of many excellent tracks off of DJ BC’s Beastles album.  An excellent mashup, unfortunately no longer available from his site.
• Smack my Orinoco Flow up - Enya “Orinoco Flow” remixed with Prodigy “Smack my B*tch up.”  A crazy dance mix remixed by Lenlow, great to work out to.
• Sweet Home Country Grammar - Nelly “Country Grammar” with Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama”.  Another perfect blend of old and new.  Remixed by DJ Mei-lwun.
• Never Feel Good - Cake “Never There” vs. Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc.”  Two odd but incredibly complimentary songs, almost like a duet between the two lead singers.  Remixed by Party Ben.
• Boulevard of Broken Songs - Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” vs. Oasis “Wonderwall” vs. Aerosmith “Dream On,” with some Travis mixed in for good measure. Another popular mashup by Party Ben.
• Elevator Doorbell - White Stripes “My Doorbell” with Outkast’s “Elevators” and Wings “Let ‘em in.”
• No One Takes Your Freedom - Scissor Sisters, Beatles, Aretha Franklin, George Michael.  A symphony of mashups, courtesy of DJ Earworm.

More later, probably under the “Mashups” tag on this site.