SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Waiting for the Moon (2003).
This Tindersticks disc shows a bit of a departure for them. Two of the first three songs are not sung by Stuart Staples (which is nice for diversity, but it is shocking to hear the first sung words on a Tindersticks disc be in the relatively high register of Dickon). Not to mention, the song opens with lines about killing someone (!), which is a bit more drastic than most of their lovelorn lyrics.
The fourth song “4.48 Psychosis” is the most guitar heavy/rocking song in the band’s catalog, I think. And the rest of the disc falls into a fairly traditional Tindersticks camp.
I’ve read a lot of reviews of this disc that describe it as a grower. It’s entirely possible that I haven’t allowed this disc to grow on me enough, but I’m not as enamored of this one as I am with the rest. The problem for me is that the first batch of discs are so magical that it just feels like this one is simply not as exciting. Of course, any Tindersticks record is a good one, this one just isn’t quite as good as the rest.
Mayhaps I need to go back and try it a few more times?
[READ: October 31, 2009] Etidorhpa
I found out about this story when a patron requested it. I’d never heard of it, and when I looked for it, it was very hard to find in our library system. But when I Googled it, it was available as a Google Book. They had scanned the entire thing and (since it was old and out of copyright) it was available free online! Awesome.
I printed out the whole thing (double sided) and figured I would read it fairly quickly. [Oh, and just to ruin my cool story about Google books, I see now that it is available in paperback for about $10 from Amazon. Doh!]
Of course, I’m not just going to read something because it’s available as a Google Book. The patron said that it was like Jule’s Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. I had just read “Symmes Hole” in McSweeney’s #4, so Hollow Earthers were already floating around my mind. It all seemed to work out quite well.
By the time I started reading it, I had forgotten about the Hollow Earth ideas. Which is fine, since the first 100 pages or so are given up solely to the ideas of occult sciences. But, let me back up a bit first.
First there is a Preface. Lloyd claims to have found this manuscript which was hidden by Llewellyn Drury. Before he gets to the manuscript, though, he gives a little background about himself. He also relates a lengthy story about the value of libraries and shared knowledge. He concludes with speculation about Drury, and the revelation that although he is unwilling to specify how he came into possession of the manuscript, he has had it for seven years (as of 1894) and is finally convinced that it’s time to get it published.
My edition also contains a Preface about Daniel Vaughn. Vaughn is mentioned as a character in the story (but he was a real person as well). In the story, Drury sought Vaughn’s assistance with some scientific matters. So there’s a brief biography about the man.
AND THEN, there is a section called “A Valuable and Unique Library” which is another preface about the value of libraries. I’m not even clear about who wrote it, if it’s supposed to be a plug for this book itself or if it’s just an ad for something.
Finally, the story proper begins. But not without a preface by Drury himself, giving his own life story (his full name is Johannes Llewellyn Llongollyn Drury) but he decided to remove those two ugly names. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: THE TREWS-House of Ill Fame (2003).
After listening to the new Trews disc, I popped in their first disc. Mostly because I thought their first one sounded rawer. And it does.
SOUNDTRACK: NEKO CASE-Middle Cyclone (2009).
I first learned of Neko Case through The New Pornographers. Their song “
I found out about 
SOUNDTRACK: TV ON THE RADIO-Dear Science, (2008).
The problem with TV on the Radio for me is that their first EP is so damned good that anything else they do pales in comparison. Having said that, Dear Science, comes really close to topping that EP. I liked Cookie Mountain (their previous disc) but I felt like they put so many elements into the mix that it detracted from the best part of the band: Tunde Adepimbe & Kyp Malone’s vocals.
SOUNDTRACK: THE DEAD SCIENCE-Villainaire [CST054] (2008).
This is probably the most fascinating album that Constellation has released recently. I’d never heard of The Dead Science, but evidently they have a few disc out already.
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-“Rather Ripped” (2006).
When Rather Ripped came out, I was really excited by it. It rocked heavy, it was catchy and it featured a lot of Kim. I listened to it all the time, and would have said it was my favorite SY disc of this era. However, listening to Sonic Nurse reminded me how much I liked that one too, so I’m unclear now which one I like better.
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-Sonic Nurse (2004).
SOUNDTRACK: BEN FOLDS-Stems and Seeds (2009).
I enjoyed Way to Normal, although not as much as previous Ben Folds CDs. I was listening to 
I Just Read About That... 