So, I’ve been listening to the new OutKast double album non-stop. Well, I should clarify: I’ve been listening to The Love Below constantly, and Speakerboxxx sometimes.

Every day, I have a new favorite song on The Love Below. Yesterday’s song was “Dracula’s Wedding.” I love the concept of Dracula sneaking around his castle, terrified of only one thing: his new bride. I wait my whole life to bite the right one, then you come along and that freaks me out, so I’m frightened! Ooh!

You know I’m terrified, Dre 3000/Dracula whimpers in falsetto, interrupting himself by gasping, Shh, shh! Here she comes!

Then Kelis makes her entry, calling out for him: 3000? 3000? You can almost see her wandering the halls of Dracula’s castle, looking for Dre 3000 as he cowers behind a column somewhere. Kelis then does her little thing, singing punnily about don’t run, I’m not the sun. So much at stake — oh! Bad choice of words! Her short section finishes, Plus, I make great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Van Helsing!

After getting over the random humor of Dracula’s bride making sandwiches (WTF?) I started wondering to myself, “Van Helsing? What the hell is that? Some clothing label? Some cultural reference I’m too white to understand?”

So, I did what any geek would do: I googled it. And oh-ho-ho! Looks like a little clever marketing soundtrack tie-in! Van Helsing is a movie staring Hugh Jackman, as “the famed monster-hunter” from Brahm Stoker’s “Dracula.” And will you look at that: there’s a website, already advertising the flick which doesn’t come out until May.

This album came out late last summer, which means that this soundtrack tie in with Outkast, complete with the very subtle name dropping (some lyric listings have the misheard the words as “Van Heusen”), started getting the word out almost a year before the movie will be released.

Very, very clever.

I think today’s favorite song is “Behold a Lady.” I just love it when he says, “Clap, clap!” It reminds me, in a weird way, of Phish’s “Stash.”