the listenerd

*Read: The Top 10 Most Popular Funeral Songs and the Top 10 Most Unusual Funeral Songs. Unusuals include: “Highway to Hell” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” [the 9513]

*Music sales are down 11% the first half of 2008 compared to the first half of 2007. I have contributed to this decline personally by being a lazy, slothful MFer. [daily swarm]

*Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jim James collaborating on a new album. The band will be called He and Them. [absolute punk]

*Bozo the clown died. He was 83.

*Much-maligned SpiralFrog, the free, ad-supported music site that’s had its share of missteps over the past year or so, is claiming to now be getting 6M unique visitors per month. I am not one of those 6M people. [coolfer]

*Frank Zappa’s “Beat the Boot” series will go on sale via iTunes. I used to listen to a lot of Frank Zappa when I was trapped in a car and forced to.

*The gravestone of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis has been stolen.

*SubPop relaunches its Singles Club.

*Off topic: Barack Obama is on the cover of Ebony.

*Video: Putin on the Ritz. With George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin dancing goodness. Tuxedos are involved.

*Very off topic: The Vagina Spa. Includes the word vagina!