Dissentertainment.

You don’t have to be as rich as the Beatles to keep a song in your heart as the taxman approaches. Here’s a selection of tracks to help you get through tax week without driving a No. 2 pencil through your eyes.

Devin the Dude – “The Almighty Dollar” | Buy Track

Scary Mansion – “Sorry We Took All Yr Money” | Buy Track

Eliza Doolittle – “Money Box (Jamie XX remix)” | Buy track

Death – “Politicians in My Eyes” | Buy Track

Sic Alps – “Message from the Law” | Buy Track

Need a little tax week pick-me-up? Here’s a great interview with Henry Rollins via Uncensored Interview. He’s full of good financial advice for musicians (eat oatmeal, save money after every show) and some thoughts on the Brooklyn Beatdown certain fat cats would receive if they walked down the same streets as the “folks” they claim to serve (watch your back, Bill O’Reilly).

Watch the full interview.

Yes, the UK’s O. Children wear the influence of many bands on their on their black leather sleeves (and in the case of Nick Cave, in their name), but I’m predicting that front man Tobi O’Kandi’s panty-peeling baritone voice on “Ruins” is still going to fuel an ungodly amount of making out in the coming months. Mark my words.

O.Children – “Ruins” | Buy on Amazon

Happy April, Fools. Since April 1st makes the Internet the most annoying place in the world, I have to decided to go on a media fast for the rest of the day (this IS Holy Week after all and the Internet IS my religion). That said, my wheels did get turning while skimming this year’s parade of yawn-inducing corporate April Fool’s “jokes” (OK, Wikipedia, the wife selling article did make me laugh.). Why do April Fool’s pranks seem so empty when compared to other hoaxes that have managed to have lasting cultural impact? Perhaps it is too hard to pull off an effective hoax on a day when everyone is expecting it. Or perhaps it’s because a typical April Fool’s prank simply has no point. Below are some more clever and successful hoaxes, along with the magic ingredients that made them work so well.

1. Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds”
Magic Ingredients: media savvy, vérité style

Though intended as nothing more than a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ famous novel, Welles’ broadcast cleverly tricked latecomers who missed the show intro by using a news bulletin format and by broadcasting without commercial breaks. The actual extent of the panic that ensued is still debated, but the stunt generated over 12,000 newspaper articles and created one of the first mega-memes of the 20th century (Hitler even cited the broadcast as evidence of decadence in democratic society).

Listen to Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast [Internet Archive]:

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In a year that has seen both a Broadway musical celebrating the late king of Afrobeat Fela Kuti and the reissue of Fela’s entire collection, it seems appropriate to see more and more African musicians staking their claim as the most interesting artists on the planet. Whether it’s the laid-back stylings of Burkina Faso’s Hermas Zopoula, the transatlantic benga jams of Extra Golden, the joyous dance party-inducing pop gems of Esau Mwamwaya’s The Very Best, or the hip-hop/R&B hybrid of Nigerian chanteuse Nneka, Africa has a warm heart indeed (and if you don’t believe me, check out the amazing dance party that capped off The Very Best’s set at Emo’s during SXSW 2010).

The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa | Buy on Amazon

Nneka – Showin’ Love | Buy on Amazon

Extra Golden – OK Oyot System | Buy on Amazon

Hermas Zopoula – Alpha et Omega | Buy on Amazon