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December 17, 2007

Weezer, Radiohead & the Pretenders DLC

This week’s DLC tracks catch three great alternative bands at defining moments in their careers.

Radiohead—“My Iron Lung”

Radiohead
There’s a great tradition of alternative bands dumping on their hit singles. For years R.E.M. refused to play “Radio Free Europe,” the song they were first known for. The Clash got a UK hit with “Remote Control” but were miffed that the label made it a single without permission; they wrote “Complete Control” about that. Barely a year after hitting with “Creep,” Radiohead’s Thom Yorke was already flinching at the thought of being a one-hit wonder, so he wrote this “Creep” sound-alike with hyper-cynical lyrics. The anti-stardom sentiments are purposely out of sync with the song’s big, anthemic sound; offering Jonny Greenwood a chance to be the guitar-slinger. The next year they’d start work on “Ok Computer”; the band and the world would never be the same.

Weezer—“Buddy Holly”

Weezer
If this song has a message it comes down to “Uh-ho” and “wee-ooh.” OOne of t he monster hits from Weezer’s debut album, this song clinched Rivers Cuomo’s reputation as a lovable nerd, a nervous pop guy with his heart on his sleeve—No wonder he gave Buddy Holly a namecheck. The song, of course sounds nothing like Buddy Holly—it sounds like the Pixies meeting the Cars. And the Cars sound comes straight from the source, namely producer Ric Ocasek, who added some of those trademark Cars keyboards. (Since Cuomo loves Boston bands so much, it’s no surprise he wound up enrolling at Harvard). The famous Spike Jonze video, which recreated a “Happy Days” episode complete with commercial break, put this one over the top, but the song stands up alone just fine.

The Pretenders—“Brass in Pocket”
One of the great new wave singles, this was the Pretenders third 45 (the Kinks cover “Stop Your Sobbing” was first, followed by “Kid”) but it was the one that created Chrissie Hynde’s mystique. Be sure to sing it with the proper “I’m special” attitude, and don’t get tripped up by the Uk slang that Hynde throws in—Lines like “I got a new skank, so reet” testify to the time she was spending with the punk and reggae kids in London. The original Pretenders lineup lasted for only two albums before they were hit by the overdioses of bassist Pete Farndon and guitarist James Honeyman Scott; this track features some of Scott’s more economical guitar work. According to producer Chris Tomas, Hynde didn’t like the song and had to be talked into recording it.

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“I Want My, I Want My DLC!”
The songs in Rock Band are only the beginning. Each week we’ll be rolling out more downloadable songs, essential tracks (and sometimes whole albums) from every era of rock history. Check the Rock Band website to find out what’s new.

Tracks will usually sell for $1.99 each; with three-pack specials costing $5.49. (On the Xbox 360, that’s 160 Microsoft Points per track and 440 per three-pack). Occasional special or discounted tracks may cost a dollar more or less.

Downloadable content for the Xbox 360 is available through the XBOX LIVE marketplace. Downloads for the PLAYSTATION 3 version of Rock Band are available through the PLAYSTATION Network Store. In each case, the songs are downloaded onto your hard drive.

If you’re playing solo, you can start rocking right away. For head-to-head or multiplayer online, all players will need to download the song.