Let me start this post by stating the obvious. This winter has sucked. Specifically, it has sucked the marrow from my bones and left a slushy trail of S.A.D. in its wake. The winter has also left roughly 32.73 inches of permafrost on the roads of Iowa City, damaging the streets and also the fragile suspension of my 1992 Lincoln Continental. As I wave goodbye to my antique auto and look ahead to purchasing a new car, I find myself asking, “What type of car will I buy?” Before my A.D.D. riddled brain can even begin to confront this query, another question pops up. What indie rock makes me want to a buy a new car? What? You don’t think about things like this? Every since I saw “The Funeral” featured in the new Ford commercial, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into this. After much deliberation, here is my list of the next five indie gems to be placed into the automotive marketing scheme (with sales pitches in parentheses).
1. Evangelicals - “Bloodstream” - (The new Honda Civic will become a part of you. You can feel it cruising through your bloodstream.)
Kinda makes you wonder why Grandaddy didn’t sell cars. Wait, didn’t “Crystal Lake” come with Windows XP? At least their talents weren’t totally wasted on mainstream consumerism.
Download: Evangelicals - Bloodstream (The Evening Descends, 2008)
2. Rilo Kiley - “The Moneymaker” (The new Lexus will let everyone know that you are the moneymaker.)
Nevermind that just a few years ago they were an actual band. That does not matter. Now, Rilo Kiley sells things, including their music, cars, and… their souls. NOTE: As I write this, this song is the background music for a new FX show or something like that. I hope the show features RK as the actors - because God knows their performances in “Troop Beverly Hills” and “Salute your Shorts” far outweighs their music at this point.
Download: Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker (Under the Blacklight, 2007)
3. Headlights - “Cherry Tulips” (Ahh, the 2008 VW Bug. Things are good.)
Could Erin Fein sell me anything? Yes, anything. Including cars.
Download: Headlights - Cherry Tulips (Some Racing, Some Stopping, 2008)
4. Spoon - “The Underdog” (The 2008 Kia Spectra is here. The underdog has arrived.)
I feel like this already happened. Really? This hasn’t already happened?
Download: Spoon - The Underdog (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, 2007)
5. Evangelicals - “Skeleton Man” (Feel like you’re missing something? Let the new Chevrolet Aveo complete you.)
Yes, they made the list once already, but who cares? This whole album could be licensed to GM. Not that they should, but…we’re just sayin’. Don’t get any ideas, guys.
Download: Evangelicals - Skeleton Man (The Evening Descends, 2008)
First of all, props to Bruce Nemerov, Barack Obama, and Connor Oberst. There are over 100 Grammys given out, from Best Hawaiian Music to Best Children’s Instrumental Album to Best Long Form Music video. The majority of these little gems will forever go unnoticed by the general public, and even the indie public (did I just invent that term?), and you know what, who the hell are the Grammys even for, anyway?! Who cares?! It’s like the band playing as the Titanic sinks! It’s an exercise in self-fellation from the most fellated people on the whole planet, and, and…whoa, is that really Tina Turner?
Super Bowl? We’re over it. Besides, we here at the Freak know the truly “super” event this week is going on right now , as voters in 24 states (plus American Samoa—you know we love you guys) are casting their ballots in today’s historic “Super-Size Tuesday”. So get your popcorn ready, check out this new 
For Immediate Release: Katie Berlin Turnpike Announces World Tour!
