One our favorite songs from 2008, this L.A. band freaked the shit out of us when we saw what they looked like, but one spin of the first single from their Cheat the Gallows album was enough to make us say, “We’re in.” Like some demented extension of Jellyfish’s Spilt Milk after the band grew bored with Queen and moved on to Pink Floyd, “Money, It’s Pure Evil” is one of the most epic three-minute rock songs ever recorded, and there is even a part of the solol (first notes in the second half) that we could swear were taken straight from a Floyd, or at the very least David Gilmour, solo, but damned if we can figure out which one. As first we thought it was from “Comfortably Numb,” but nope. Then we thought it might be from “Time,” but nope. Either way, it’s positively Gilmourian, and there are few guitarists we hold in higher esteem than Sir Dave. Tune up your air guitars and even your air violins – they’re about to be put to use.

As for the video, well, it’s suitably creepy to go with the band’s serial killer look. Two girls are offered the chance to presumably sell their souls for money, and the one who agrees becomes famous but ends up looking like the Black Dahlia, which is a pretty shitty trade, if you ask us. That movie was terrible.

Most of us guys think we know it all when it comes to grooming and women. Wrong! There is no better way to learn about both subjects than a real live study. Good thing our friends at AXE are on the ball and these results are worth noting.

This AXE study was conducted with Guys and Girls at six major U.S. colleges and universities to learn what they thought about male grooming. In this study 261 guys were asked to shower with bar soap for one week and with AXE shower gel and the AXE detailer shower tool for one week (for all of you guys out there that don’t use AXE don’t get too nervous as no permanent damage is done just yet!).

Here are some of the results for all of the inquiring minds out there:

* 66% of girls surveyed felt that a guy who put more effort into their personal hygiene was sexy.

* A shower a day makes the girls want to play! 75% of the girls said they would only date a guy who showered daily.

* 81% of the girls said they’d be more willing to shower at a guys apartment if he had AXE Shower Gel in his shower (and not bar soap only). I can just see sales of AXE going gangbusters right now…..

* 90% of guys said they smelled better after using AXE Shower Gel.

* 88% of guys felt more confident in high pressure situations including presentations after showering with AXE.

* (This is the big one) While using AXE Shower Gel and the AXE Detailer Shower tool, guys were seven times more likely to hook up than guys who used bar soap alone.

We received some samples of pre shave gel, shave lather and after shave moisturizer from the folks at EverBlade. After using these products several times a few things stood out. 1) These products are really made from a natural preservative system without dyes, or alcohol and is chemical free. 2) You can tell all three products are of high quality and smell really good.

Knowing that this set is about as natural as you will find out there in shaving products combined with the fresh clean feeling you get your day off to a smart start! I really noticed how smooth and moisturized my face felt after finishing off my shave with the EverBlade after shave product.

Granted you will pay more for EverBlade than off the shelf shaving products at your drug store but if you are going for the natural shaving products and want to do your own thing you will probably be happy with your purchases.

Seth Meyers may have joked that MySpace is the abandoned amusement park of the Internet, but let it not be said that it no longer has something to offer. As a social networking site, yes, Facebook has wiped the floor with them, but it’s still a great outlet for bands, especially if you’re at anything like us and like being able to check out a band’s material without handing over some private information for the privilege. Download our new song! All you have to do is fork over your email address. That practice just gives us the willies.

And then sometimes, something really awesome happens, like the unsolicited friend request from a really good band that you never would have heard about otherwise. Case in point: Ex Norwegian, a Miami trio that lives in this magical place where ’90s power pop is still going strong and nu metal and emo never happened. They sent us a friend request, and we asked if we could hear more. The kindly sent us their first album Standby. We liked. We posted a song from it in our download column Me, Myself and iPod. A little bit later, they sent us a link to download their recently completed new album Sketch.

Damn, it’s even better than their first album. Sweet.

Here’s the video for opening track and first single “Jet Lag.” We love the way it opens with a clear nod to grunge rock (that opening bass line and guitar chord is none more Alice in Chains), then gives way to a sky-high chorus that Sloan would be proud to call their own. If you like this, there is plenty more where it came from on Sketch, so do something you probably haven’t done in a couple years and hit a MySpace page, namely theirs. You won’t regret it.

Disclosure: Sponsored Post

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There’s an ad campaign out there – we’re not naming any names, but you’ve almost certainly seen it – which asks the question, “What’s in your wallet?” In these trying economic times, the answer for all too many of us is, “Not nearly as much as there used to be,” and if you’re one of the folks who currently finds themselves in the midst of a search for employment, then you’re probably really feeling some lightness in your back pocket.

It can be rather disheartening when you’re trying to balance your budget, and we know that you need to find places to cut down on expenses, but be sensible, man, and keep yourself looking stylish at all costs. After all, did not the great philosopher Fernando once say, “It is better to look good than to feel good”?

Indeed, he did, and you must heed his words, for he is far more marvelous than you or I.

So how do you go about maintaining your outer awesomeness for future job interviews without having to break the bank? No, it’s not just about closing your eyes while you’re eating Ramen noodles and pretending it’s a sirloin steak…although, come to think of it, that actually worked pretty well for me when I was in college. If you put a bit of thought, care, and concern into your efforts, you can still come out with the right clothes, the right shoes, and, of course, the right shave.

As to the latter category…wait, hang on, let me just walk over to the CD player and cue up “Hymn for a Contractual Obligation”…we’ve already discussed in a previous column about how guys tend to buy a razor and stick with it for the long haul, so just go ahead and invest in Gillette’s new Fusion ProGlide and get it over with. First and foremost, it proves an awesome shave, but more importantly in this instance, odds are that you won’t feel the urge to replace it until well after you’ve found gainful employment again. As for your shaving gel and any of the other products with which you prefer to pamper your face, start scouring the Sunday papers for coupons as well as fliers for sales at your neighborhood drug store or pharmacy. If you keep your eyes open, the odds of you having to pay full price for these amenities drop significantly.

But what of the right clothes? Or, more importantly (as far as women are concerned, anyway), the right shoes?

Don’t freak out on me here, but…have you considered going the secondhand-store route? Kids, thrift stores aren’t just for hipsters anymore. They’re a great place to get near-new clothes, and if you investigate the scene and scout out the locations nearest to your area’s highest-priced homes, you’ll be astonished at the quality of clothing you can find…and, more importantly, the breadth of the big-name brands amongst their selection. How do you find the secondhand and thrift stores in your area? Well, first and foremost, there’s The Thrift Shopper, a one-stop web destination for all your thrift shopping needs. Per the site, “Search for thrift stores in our national thrift store directory, join our online thrifting community, and learn more about thrift shopping!” Beyond that, though, here are some of the more prominent names in the business that are likely to have locations in your neck of the woods:

• CHKD Thrift Stores
• The Salvation Army
• Goodwill

But, okay, maybe you just can’t get past seeing secondhand stores as a step down. If that’s the case, then try their upscale cousins: consignment shops. Or you can let the crappy economy work for you and keep an ear to the ground for word on going-out-of-business sales. Or, heck, you could even consider checking out the occasional estate sale. Yeah, it’s a little grim, but just imagine the possibilities for retro fashion!

Guys, how do you manage to save money but still look your best?

Look, no one ever said it was going to be easy to look good, but with a little effort, at least it doesn’t have to be expensive. So get out there, beat the street, and turn that reasonably-priced look of class into a new job that kicks ass!