philip sherburne

Disconnected

When iTunes and CDDB decide to be mischevious, they can be squirrlier than Bernie Goetz' band of followers. I thought it amusing when a scary dark ambient album -- not intentionally scary, but still pretty gloom 'n' doom, like if Pottery Barn marketed domestic soundtracks for dungeons, say -- was mistakenly identified as a Halloween sound effects CD. But today's data glitch takes the cake, as Funkstörung's Disconnected was magically transmogrified into the History of Funk compilation. I often forget what CD I've put in almost as soon as it begins playing, so my head fairly spun around when I saw that Sly & The Family Stone were the alleged authors of the folktronic ballad that opens the album.

(It's too bad, actually, that iTunes and CDDB can't just go the distance and load up the music they say I'm listening to; I'd sure rather hear the Bar-Kays' "Holy Ghost" as track 7, instead of the flaccid strings, glitches, and crooning of Funkstörung's "Sleeping Beauty." And while the real track 13, "Mr. Important," featuring Rob Sonic of Sonic Sum, isn't awful, it's nothing compared to its accidental doppelganger, Cameo's "I Just Want to Be." I just want to be listening to Cameo.)