We may be in a recession, but even when the economy is in the toilet, you still need to have great music. That's why we invented "Bargain Spins," a new feature that focuses on overlooked albums that also happen to be available in every used or bargain bin in every record store in the country (and if you don't have a record store in your town anymore, you can still find them discounted in most every digital music store or on sites like Half.com). So enjoy some great records you might have missed.

James' Pick: The Amps, Pacer (1995): In hindsight, it's pretty clear that 1995 was the year the alt-rock bubble burst. The tepid response to that summer's Lollapalooza festival (featuring Sonic Youth as the headliners) had plenty to do with that, and so did Pacer. Originally intended to be little more than a Kim Deal solo album, Pacer blossomed — drunkenly, it seems — into a full-band recording after Kim's sister Kelley was arrested for heroin possession and subsequently entered a rehab facility. Realizing that they were suddenly going to be releasing the follow-up to the Breeders' breakthrough Last Splash album, Elektra Records ordered a huge first pressing of Pacer, and when it sold about as well as a delightfully lo-fi one-off could be expected to sell, Pacer was doomed to an eternal existence in bargain bin purgatory. Still, it's a fabulous listen. Songs like "Tipp City" and "I Am Decided" crackle with live-wire, first-take energy, and free of the Breeders' burden, Deal sounds like she's having an absolute blast. Sure, Pacer was a commercial disaster, but rarely — if ever — do disasters shine so brightly.

Kyle's Pick: R.E.M., New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996): It seems strange to think of a band as seminal as R.E.M. having a reject album, but New Adventures in Hi-Fi stands as one of their great unloved collections. Read more...

Early Friday (October 9) morning, NASA fired the latest salvo in its ongoing war with the Mooninites, smashing a rocket into a lunar crater just because they felt like it.

OK, that's not necessarily true. The stated purpose of NASA's mission was to discover water ice buried beneath the surface of the moon, but we here in the MTV Newsroom would like to think that NASA's real intent was twofold. First, to get revenge for the infamous Mooninite invasion of Boston in 2007, and second, to remind those moon jerks that the Earth still is the big dog on the galactic block … and, well, if you can't run with the big dogs, YOU BETTER STAY ON THE PORCH.

So, in celebration of the Earth being #1 — and to rub it in the face of those lunar losers even more — we've made a playlist of our favorite "Moon" songs. Yeah, that's right, we're calling you out, Mooninites, and we await your inevitable rebuttal.

Ozzy Osbourne, "Bark at the Moon"
Prime solo-career cut from the Prince of Darkness. Featuring Jake E. Lee on lead guitar and Ozzy dressed as an awesome wolfman in the music video. Seriously, what else do you need to know?

Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Bad Moon Rising"
John Fogerty was right, there really was a bad moon on the rise … or at least there was until the folks at NASA laid down the intergalactic law. Bonus points for this song serving as the inspiration behind Chris Berman's nickname for the immortal Andre "Bad Moon" Rison.

Echo and the Bunnymen, "The Killing Moon"
Swoony, atmospheric post-punk with a message: The moon is a killer and must be stopped at all costs (or something like that). You probably remember this song from the opening sequence of "Donnie Darko," or from the roughly 10,000 cover versions that exist.

Feist, "My Moon, My Man"
Believe it or not, Canada has a space program, too (it's so adorable!), and this sexy, sumptuous tune is its official theme song. Okay, you got us: We made up the part about Canada having a space program.
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There aren't a whole lot of bands who came up in the 1980s and are still kicking around. Actually, strike that. There are plenty of bands who are still milking it (including Kajagoogoo!), but most of them are shells of their former selves or simply irrelevant in the 21st century. Even the bands who have retained their size (U2, Bruce Springsteen) have a hard time keeping their new material interesting. But even though they have 25 percent fewer members than they did at their peak, R.E.M. have still managed to keep things lively, thought-provoking and hugely anthemic. Since drummer Bill Berry left the band for health reasons in 1997, the group continued as a trio and constructed a series of quiet, underrated albums in Up, Reveal and Around the Sun. In 2008, they got back to their louder roots with the stunning Accelerate. They remain one of the most relevant and definitive socially-conscious rock bands, having stumped for Barack Obama during last year's election and standing up for gay rights.

Though they retain their relevance in the 21st century, R.E.M. will probably never be as big as they were in 1992, when on this day they released Automatic for the People. Though they had scored a big commercial crossover the previous year with Out of Time (and its accidentally massive single "Losing My Religion"), Automatic for the People represented the band at its commercial peak. The sad-eyed single "Everybody Hurts" was inescapable, but the rest of the album was really stunning: The pulsating "Drive," the head-nodding "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight," the haunting "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" and the positive jam "Man on the Moon." But the most magical track on the record also had a delightfully lo-fi, moving video, so enjoy "Nightswimming" and remember that three decades of relevance is harder than it looks.

Weezer just announced that they will be releasing their new album on October 27. The still-untitled record will be preceded by the release of a single called "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," which is supposed to hit radio on August 25. I haven't heard the song yet, but I can already tell it's going to be great. Why? Because it has parentheses. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the easiest way to elevate your songs from good to great is to toss a parenthetical phrase into the title. In the world of music, parentheses will always equal immortality.

Take Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." What you have there is an epic seven-minute song with a lyric sheet that makes no sense at all. But it ended up being a massive single for Mr. Loaf, and do you know why? Parentheses!

It doesn't end there. R.E.M.'s single about Armageddon would be something of a downer if it was simply called "It's the End of the World as We Know It," but luckily it's called "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." The simple addition of the parenthetical phrase flips it from a downer to a slightly more optimistic tune.

The parenthetical statements don't always complete the thought. Take the Backstreet Boys' "Everybody." It's not terribly descriptive, is it? Are they pro or con everybody? Why isn't there a verb in there? But upon closer inspection, it turns out the real title is "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)." Now it's clear — BSB want everybody to know they have returned! A similar "A-ha!" moment occurs with "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," because without the add-on, how would we know what games to quit playing?

Want more parenthetical videos? Check out the playlist below, which features clips from BSB, Jay-Z, New Kids on the Block, Green Day and a particularly phenomenal parentheses-assisted clip from 30 Seconds to Mars.

Over the weekend at UFC 100, former professional wrestler Brock Lesnar established himself as the most dominant heavyweight MMA fighter in the world, delivering a pounding to top contender Frank Mir. Lesnar has only had five fights in his career, but he's a freak who seemingly can't be beaten.

Enter Shane Carwin, a man nicknamed "The Colossus From Colorado" who will become the next in line to fight Lesnar should he beat Cain Velasquez in October. Carwin is also a beast who may have faster hands and a better reach than Lesnar. But he has one thing working against him: His music.

Brock Lesnar made his UFC debut using Mötley Crüe's "Shout at the Devil" but has since adopted Metallica's "Enter Sandman." It's a little cliché, sure, but it's also exceptionally badass (especially in a sport where "putting people to sleep" is the main goal). On the other hand, Carwin used Drowning Pool's "Bodies" walking into his last fight. A heavy song for sure, but it's hard to compete with Metallica.

So what is Carwin to do? Here are a few suggestions.

Judas Priest, "Revolution"

It's got an ominous intro, a heavier-than-thou riff and lyrics that suggest that a change is coming whether you like it or not — perfect for a guy looking to unseat a champion.
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It has come to my attention that many of you will be graduating from high school very soon (or maybe you already have, I'm not exactly sure). Regardless: Congratulations, class of 2009! You've overcome a lot to get to this point (sexting, cuddle parties, whatever else Bill O'Reilly tells me you kids do all day long) and you deserve to celebrate. That's where I come in.

Regardless of whether you've already received your diploma or if you're still being fitted for your cap and gown, you're part of the Class of '09, and every graduating class (obviously) needs a graduation song. Now, picking that song is tough: You need something to not just commemorate the moment, but the past four years of your life — the friendships, the unforgettable moments, etc. A song that's both nostalgic and current, one that will bring a tear to your eye and joy to your heart. Oh, and you should probably be able to dance to it, too.

Clearly, no ordinary song will do. So I've been asked to help you guys out with a few picks — my suggestions for the official song of the Class of '09. Hopefully, these tunes will be the soundtrack to your celebrations, because you really should be celebrating. Hard. Because the future is kind of scary. Let's concentrate on the present — and the past — instead.

Good luck, and congratulations once again. Now get a job.

R.E.M., "It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

You probably know this one, despite the fact that it came out 22 years ago. That it's stood the test of time is a testament to the ringing guitar work of Peter Buck and Michael Stipe's stream-of-consciousness, "Subterranean Homesick Blues"-lite lyrics, which stir up a mixture of joy, terror, sadness, madness and bliss. Also, everybody needs an excuse to shout "Leonard Bernstein" at the top of their lungs at least once in their lives.
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Sitting in the room where they decide who will be nominated for the annual World Music Awards must be awesome.

"Michael Jackson for zee best Pop Male Artist!"

"Vy viss the Michael Jackson again? Alvays viss the Michael Jackson!"

"We shall give zee award to zee Kid Rock, not that Enrique Iglesias. Hees mole makes me sheever. And if Jovanotti does not win the award for Italy, zere is zomezing rotten in Denmark! Haw-haw!"
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By Ocean MacAdams

Here are some things I learned this weekend at the launch of MTV Greece:

1) Athenian cab drivers will not take you to a restaurant if they think the place is “too high society.”
2) Europeans are really, really hoping that Barack Obama wins the presidency.
3) If you're looking for someone to host your concert, sweet 16 party or Bat Mitzvah, Tim Kash is your man. Read more...

This weekend the MTV family gets a new addition, and its name is MTV Greece. So this morning, after a nine-hour flight, we touched down in the beautiful city of Athens.

Athens is almost the polar opposite of the hustle and bustle of New York City: The first thing that hits you when you arrive (apart from the abundance of MTV signs all over the airport) is a real sense of calmness and serenity.

It's all too perfect. As MTV News' grand poo-bah Ocean MacAdams, resident Greek god Nick Neofitidis and I sit here eating breakfast on the roof of our hotel — with a view that overlooks the city and the magnificent Acropolis — it's almost too easy to forget that we're actually here for work.

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R.E.M. treated their New York fans to an arena-size rock 'n' roll show last night at Madison Square Garden, and those fans have been sharing their experience on MTV's You R Here. Users PlayboyTonyNYC, Radhika and EmptyVitamin uploaded a slew of camera-phone pictures, and Radhika posted a rather detailed review of the career-spanning set, writing:

New York's Madison Square Garden was the place to be Thursday night, thanks to a brilliant performance by the legendary R.E.M. Featuring a lively light show, funky camera work relayed on projection screens, and a hefty dose of biting political commentary courtesy of singer Michael Stipe, the concert proved that the band still knows exactly how to hold a crowd's attention.

Stipe was in top form throughout the night, dressed in a sharp suit while lithely dancing around the stage, smiling and occasionally making self-deprecating remarks. "This song is like from the year 1740," he joked while introducing "Ignoreland" from 1992's Automatic for the People, and at another point he even asked one of the audience members if he needed earplugs since he looked so "miserable."

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