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Apologies abound: yet there's but two reasons, really, to account for my absence: 1) the new job and 2) ezarchive did something shady and I'm gonna need to switch but I don't have the time or patience because of: see 1).
But Richard Powers won the National Book Award. Again? Or was he only nominated before? I'm too lazy to check. Nice guy, though. He once apologized to me because Rick Moody interrupted a good conversation we were having about Evan Dara. True story.
Music haunts me, because I can only talk and not offer downloads. A mute music blog, if you will.
I will: Annuals: the end of indie rock.
Lady Sovereign: no one wants a lady sov cd in their collection. Mp3s, sure - no one can see them.
Joanna Newsom's Ys - you know. The real thing.
Tom Waits' Orphans -- a fan's must; but some reaaaaal outtake-y stuff. Could have been one fine CD. Some strangely off political stuff on there. But his cover of Daniel Johnston's "King Kong" just kills.
White Magic's Dat Rosa Mel Apibus - I still get goosebumps from Mira Billotte's voice, but this one disappointed me. I want to like it more, but the weirdly time-signatured piano begins to grate by track 6.
Skygreen Leopards' Disciples of Calfornia has been a nice, unoffensive set of acoustic psychedelia. Imagine if Manson fronted the Byrds.
The Drones' Gala Mill might be my favorite record of the last two months. Insane, winding, spacious guitar epics with no hurry or tempo; gruff singing for 6 minutes plus. Reminds me of These Immortal Souls.
My second fave of the last two months is Jay Reatard's Blood Visions. Danzig fronting Wire and singing about how much he hates yuppies. Certainly the best album cover of the year:
