For those of us in the US, the race is finally almost over, and the polls close tomorrow. Gasp. Exhale. Let's assume 'your guy' wins. You're having an election party to celebrate and can hire any musician or band to play. Who do you hire, and what's the first song they play?

What happens when a law firm commissions its own anthem, only to rescind it later? A tale of corporate devotionals and brand management gone awry.

Elias Arts recently composed music for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Great stuff! And, interestingly, very much related to the growing connection between bands and brands, says the LA Times. For better or worse: That connection is a "mixed blessing that can introduce underground artists to a wider fan base (as a current Motorola phone spot has, creating a minor ring-tone hit out of glitch-hop artist Dabrye's "Hyped-Up Plus Tax"). But just as often, ad pop adulterates musical chestnuts (such as EMF's 1991 hit "Unbelievable," repurposed as the jingle "Crumbelievable" in the service of Kraft cheese) and can distort a song's original intent, as a 1995 Mercedes-Benz commercial did by using Janis Joplin's lampoon of consumer culture "Mercedes Benz" as a straight-ahead product endorsement."

The NY Times writes that only "one sad conclusion" can come from their search for a "song of the summer." Which seems silly to me, really -- this idea of a sound for the summer. Who needs it, methinks, until I realize that yes, a good handful of songs serve as mental filters for my memories of every single one of my teenage summers. (I refuse to reveal which songs for the sake of pretending to retain your respect.) These songs are part of me, and I just can't shake 'em. Fortunately the good folks at Weekend America aren't as dour on all this. They've asked WFMU's Liz Berg, CMJ Music Editor Kenny Rose, and XXL Music Editor Leah Rose for their predictions on the songs of the summer. Follow the link to listen. (Props to Metafilter for the pointers.) -- Noel Franus

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture," or so it's been said. And I've been doing more than my fair share of this over at the day job. So let's take a break from the semi-heady stuff and get down to some ear-bending goodness:

• Fast Company's The Sound of Brands slideshow provides a sample of short-form audio logos. (Thanks Stephen.)
• The Association of International Glaucoma Societies' Glaucoma Hymn is great gambling material: I'll bet you a dollar you can't listen to the whole thing through.
• Ernst & Young's corporate anthem is a classic. (No more wondering where American Idol rejects go once they're booted from the audition.)
• KPMG has something to tell you -- no doubt, it's straight from the heart. Grab a tissue.

And last but not least, the ultimate in corporate anthems from our pals Devo. Happy weekend...