Visitors seem to crawl out of the woodwork whenever I talk about music, so today's post will consist of random whimsies about the music in my mind and on my playlist.

• A faux 70s pad sound can turn a mediocre song into a catchy one, like Black and White Town (325KB MP3) by the Doves. You can forgive a lot in a song when it sounds a little retro .


• I'm a sucker for that Chase credit card commercial featuring Five for Fighting's 100 Years . It's so shamelessly over-the-top sentimental that it works. This doesn't mean I'll get a new credit card though.


• I think Love Machine (580KB MP3) by Girls Aloud is a perfect example of harmless cheesy pop. It has cute lyrics too . Nikka Costa's Til I Get To You has some very clever lyrics . I like clever lyrics.


• I can't decide which song has the more infectiously catchy beat, Jump (503KB MP3) by Mike Monday featuring Stella Attar, or Que Onde Guero (504KB MP3) by Beck. What do you think?


• I can't decide which song is more infectiously obnoxious, Get Right by J-Lo, or -- actually Get Right wins hands down. A near miss would be One Thing by Finger 11.


• Kylie Minogue has some horrible music but I like it anyways.


• I don't see why everyone likes Franz Ferdinand so much. He has some pretty decent songs but the man is incapable of carrying a tune . On the other hand, Shaznay Lewis has a very unique and pleasing voice (496KB MP3).

Today's funny video from my archives is a funny commercial. Be warned that there's swearing in the audio, so don't watch it at work unless you're a VIP in a single office (8MB MOV)

Happy Birthday, Uncle John!