One Word For You, Man:

Beirut.

You should check out their latest album: The Flying Club Cup.

It's like Neutral Milk Hotel, Devotchka, Andrew Bird and some one else I'll remember in a little while all got thrown in a room and were told to work something out. Anything. Any little something. But they came out with a big something. An important something. I should really try their first album now.

The Levs

Dude, I don't get it. The Levellers are so freaking awesome. And yet you can't even get mildly excited about them. It drives me up various walls in various venues. I just got Levelling the Land from Lala and it is my Album of the Year for 1992 (check LOWAG, I'll make the announcement). So, why do you hate them? WHY WHY WHY?

Plural of Serum

That Plural of Serum Cahoone is really great. That Couch Song, especially when done live on KEXP, is a real hearttugger. I recommend her highly. The Call Stamp of Approval. Too bad's she's from 2006. It would be nice to include her on the best of 2007 list. Alas.

5 men whose voices I would rob

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Copy Cat

If you were in a band would you deliberately put things in your songs that corresponded to or resembled songs or parts of songs from artists you like?

I totally would!

Let's say...

...you get a call one day and someone on the other end of the line informs you that you can take over the voice of any singer of any band. All you have to do is choose the artist and away you go.

My top three or so contemporary artists who's voices I'd steal if I could and why:

1. James Mercer So clear. Such great range. So unpretentious. So simple.
2. Timothy Booth Pretty much the British version of James Mercer in my mind. If I was much of an expatriot Timothy would be number one. Booth was the first guy I heard sing where I consiously thought, "Dude's got a really great voice."
3. Rob Zabrecky (Possum Dixon) Like James Mercer but on amphetamines.
4. Britt Daniel He sings every song in such a kick a**, f*** you! way. If I had that voice I'd strut around town like the fate of everything awesome was riding on my shoulders.
5. Nick Diamonds (The Unicorns, Islands) Young, fresh, jovial. Pretty much everything I'm not.

My top three or so artist from the past I'd steal if I could:

1. Paul McCartney Great. So great.
2. Paul Simon See: James Mercer. Only 50 years ago.
3. Frank Sinatra "The Voice"--even if he was a mobster. Who knew?

Depeche Mode is King

I mentioned this to you earlier...I spent a good six hours with Depeche Mode's music over two nights. It was a make or break time for us. I came out of this six hour discussion with one clear thought ringing in my head: Depeche Mode is still awesome (except for the cuts off Speak and Spell where David has a really bad lisp...how did that get past the producer and let's all thank Vince Clarke for leaving the band and taking his terrible sunny pop with him). So, I'd like to publicly apologize to Depeche Mode for ever doubting them and I will not ignore them like I have for the past 4 years. I still think the concert I saw in SLC when I was 18 was the worst concert I've ever seen, if only for the fact that it lasted about an hour and a half when they still had a good 15 great songs in them. My expectations were so high and they were cruelly crushed. Adrienne would disagree as she thought the Happy Birthday to Martin was off the charts brilliant. I believe Mike vowed to never see another concert again after that one.