Playlist FAIL!

I Can Has Cheezburger is a group that puts together several Web sites. My favorite is the FAIL Blog, a site that illustrates failure and human stupidity through pictures and videos. Check it out. It's laugh-out loud funny. And read more about the Burger empire in this cnet news feature.

Here's the rest of this week's creepy playlist:

Cold Fact. Rodriguez.
This lost psychedelic/folk-rock classic was reissued earlier this year. Cold Fact sank quickly after its release and Rodriguez left the music business. But the album became a big hit in places like South Africa and Australia. The 1970 album featured street-wise stream-of-consciousness lyrics set over interesting orchestration. If you're a fan of early Dylan and psych-rocker Arthur Lee, you should really check this out.

Giant Sand. Provisions
This boozy, meandering, Americana band is not for everyone. In fact, I gave several listens to their live 1996 release Backyard Barbecue before giving up. Something must have changed with me, because Howe Gelb and his band are still playing the same kind of raw, off-beat country rock. And I've bought into it. This is great music for those late Sunday mornings when you've got nowhere to go.

For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Chicago. Simon Baatz
One of the first crimes of the century truly did shock Chicago and the world. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnapped and killed a little boy in an effort to commit the perfect crime. It's a fascinating story with a lot of major players, including Clarence Darrow, who represented the defendants less than a year before taking on the Scopes trial. The book is interesting, but way too long, especially when Baatz goes into laborious detail, particularly when setting up the legal battle.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Jeff Lindsay.
It's creepy and it's kooky. For those who haven't seen the show (that includes me) or read the book, Lindsay's Dexter is a serial killer with no emotions. But he only kills bad people. It's weird having a likable lead character who talks so passionately about things like cut body parts and drained blood. An easy, quick and fun read.