We sent Mudhoney frontman Mark Arm a CD of seven songs, each identified only by title. Here’s what he had to say about the selections.

The Artist: Will Smith
The Song: "Nod Ya Head"
The Album: Born to Reign
The Skinny: Music journalists just don’t understand

Less than 40 seconds into this, it’s painfully obvious that I’m stuck listening to the promotional number for the new "Men in Black" movie. It opens with a decent enough guitar intro that gets swallowed up and spit out as a cheesy metal/funk riff the instant the horrid fake-sounding drums kick in. The beat is that stiff thud-whack-thud-whack hack drummers play when they try to emulate John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) or Phil Rudd (AC/DC); all stomp, no swagger, and no groove. (Where are (jazz drummer) Bernard Purdie and Zigaboo Modeliste (The Meters) when you need them?) This piece of overproduced piffle comes complete with fake strings, fake horns and samples of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Rapping and scratching are part of the package to let you know that Sony Pictures is keepin’ it real, y’all.

The Artist: The Flaming Lips
The Song: "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Part 1)"
The Album: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The Skinny: Major label land’s most experimental outfit

That’s Wayne Coyne’s voice. I’ve been with the Flaming Lips since they released their first EP in 1984. They are a great band. They’ve made giant leaps in unpredictable directions with nearly every album. No matter how hard I tried, however, I just couldn’t get into their last and most acclaimed album. The keyboard tones that dominate The Soft Bulletin remind me of Supertramp or something. Granted, The Flaming Lips are miles beyond Supertramp, but that mushy keyboard sound keeps pushing me away. In this new song, a strummed acoustic guitar and Wayne’s sweet voice float on fluffy clouds of vibes, smooth keyboards and soft drums. It’s very laid back. My guess is that the farty bass synth sound that joins in on the choruses either represents the evil robots, or just made the band roll on the floor. The critics are gonna love this. Me? I’m gonna keep listening, maybe it’ll click.

The Artist: Jerry Cantrell
The Song: "Anger Rising"
The Album: Degradation Trip
The Skinny: From the new solo LP of former Alice in Chains guitarist

Is this Alice in Chains? The guitar riff is straight out of the Jerry Cantrell songbook. I don’t recognize the singer. I think it’s a good sign that he’s singing naturally and not yarling like that putz in Creed. Hopefully that whole underbite rock crap is on the outs. Still, this tune ain’t my bag. That fact alone guarantees massive mainstream rock radio airplay.

The Artist: DJ Shadow
The Song: "Fixed Income"
The Album: The Private Press
The Skinny: Acclaimed DJ returns after prolonged absence

This sounds like Meddle-era Pink Floyd played over a simple, vaguely funky beat. Some nifty sounds drift in and out, but it feels like an interlude, or a prelude to something. My guess is they dig Neu, and that’s not a bad place to be. I’d like to hear more.

The Artist: Queens of the Stone Age
The Song: "No One Knows"
The Album: Songs for the Deaf
The Skinny: The coolest rock band in the world

I first heard this last week when Queens of the Stone Age played it live. I remember thinking "this is a fuckin’ great song!" I was right. It’s got this sort of early ‘70s glam stomp which gets knocked off of its straightforward trajectory by this bassline which churns underneath, around and over the proceedings. I love the way these guys get their instruments circulating in different directions, bouncing around and building momentum until blast off. The Queens have a knack for making disparate elements flow effortlessly without sounding overtly prog or contrived. Most importantly, they rock with soul. I can’t wait for their new album.

The Artist: Neko Case
The Song: "Deep Red Bells"
The Album: Blacklisted
The Skinny: Alt-country songstress sans Her Boyfriends

Brushes on a snare + twangy reverb soaked guitar = alt-country rock. This conforms to the formula and pushes nothing except the Adult Contemporary Soft Rock agenda. This sort of thing is more likely to be up (Mudhoney [guitarist]) Steve Turner’s alley. Perhaps I’m not "mature" enough, I don’t know. I do know it doesn’t hold my attention because I keep thinking how great (Queens of the Stone Age’s) "No One Knows" is and how I’d much rather be listening to that song. If it weren’t for the singer’s lovely voice I wouldn’t give this number a second listen.

The Artist: Outkast
The Song: "The Whole World"
The Album: Big Boi & Dre Present Outkast
The Skinny: New track on greatest hits package from out-there rappers

Hey, I’ve seen this on television… it’s Outkast right? Sometimes I think the music broadcasted on TV and radio doesn’t exist. It’s invisible, it’s everywhere and it’s easily forgotten. It’s like carbon monoxide. You don’t really think about it and you don’t think it affects you, but it’s there all the time polluting the atmosphere. That said, I like this song. It’s funny, smart, catchy, and despite the gratingly awful fake drum sound, it’s got a good beat. I wouldn’t go out of my way to hear it, but then again, I don’t need to.