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Moving in Brilliant Timing
Underworld live at the Kool Haus, Toronto
October 16, 2002

I generally try to avoid sex and music comparisons, as I tend to find the two incomparable. While they both have uses as entertainment (and indeed may be used together to further their entertainment value), the ways which they provide entertainment are so different that it's usually difficult to draw intelligent comparisons. However, I'm fully prepared to make an exception to that self-imposed rule and say that Underworld's show at the Kool Haus last night was like truly amazing sex with a good friend you haven't seen in a long time.

Thrill Kill Kult are one of those bands that I always seem to miss catching live. They used to play in Rochester all the time, but up through the Raygun tour I was still in middle and early high school and the shows always seemed to fall on a school night, which was a definate no-no according to my parents. Then, once I could go out on school nights, they stopped playing anywhere near me. Earlier this year I had a free ticket to catch the Elektric Inferno tour in Pittsburgh, but wouldn't you know I couldn't get off of work so I had to miss it once again. And now they're on tour again, and of course I have previously made plans for the night they're in Buffalo, so that means either a road trip or missing the Kult in action once again.

I was fortunate enough to get a short Q&A session with Bobby Wratten of the Trembling Blue Stars (formerly The Field Mice and Northern Picture Library). Bobby and Beth can be seen performing acoustically in a city near you soon.

A big thank you to Beth Arzy-Dean and Subpop.

I'm a sucker for Farfisa and Hammond organs. Add in a bit of harmonized vocals and intricate arrangements, and I'm a goner. Chicagoan KEVIN TIHISTA apparently has my number. I must be honest, Kevin plays my favorite bar quite frequently and yet somehow I never managed to go check him out. It wasn't until an acquaintance in London went on about him that I realized there might be something actually going on here in Chicago. What a shame that it takes a Brit to make me appreciate my own musical backyard. I must have seen Kevin's previous band "Triple Fast Action" at least half a dozen times during the mid 90s yet never had their "rock" show given me any indication that their might be more to their silent, smoking guitarist.

Yesterday, on what would have been JOHN LENNON's 62nd Birthday (Oct. 9) , YOKO ONO has awarded the first ever LennonOno Grant for Peace. She awarded the prize of 50,000 USD to two artists from Palestine and Isreal on the work they've done to promote peace during "the intense political situation we all live in." Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan was quoted as saying, "peace is everybody's business -- not just an issue for governments."

On an secondary note, Mark David Chapman was denied parole again yesterday for the second time.

I just downloaded the new BECK microsite and it's pretty cool. Here are the links for the PC version and the Mac version. For the Windows version, just download it and run through the very quick installer and you'll end up with a Beck icon on your desktop. Make sure to adjust the playlist in the "Music" section so you can listen to the whole album.

No, it's not another best of poll, it's time for CMJ! (btw, take note Shane is obviously wearing off on me, i just used the word "folks").

The music world will be converging on NYC again this year from October 30th to November 2nd. Ahem, tickets and hotel reservations should have already been booked now, but if you haven't... HURRY! Among new features of the conference this year are a DIY seminar and an entire track of programs for music retailers.

A few of acts at CMJ include: The Chemical Brothers, Simian, Kid Koala, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sigur Ros, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Walkmen, Ben Kweller, Sahara Hotnights, The Mooney Suzuki, Bright Eyes, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Aberdeen, Anna Waronker (ex-That Dog), Blonde Redhead, The Blood Group, Dressy Bessy, Dirty Vegas (DJ Set), I Am The World Trade Center, Idlewild, King of France, Ladytron (DJ Set), Love Life, Metric, Moldy Peaches, The Music, OK GO, Parker and Lily, The Ocean Blue, Polyphonic Spree, Soviet, Sprites, Stereo Total, Venus Hum, Trembling Blue Stars, VHS or Beta, and on and on and on...

Hmmm. Statements from the PULP camp have been a little concerning lately, "Pulp aren't technically splitting up, but neither are they making any plans to return to the studio for the foreseeable future." So what's the difference between "technically" splitting up and no longer recording as a band?

In the meantime, to release themselves from their Island record deal they are releasing a best of package ('Pulp Hits') on November 18th in the UK. To be featured on the new album are: Babies / Razzmatazz / Lipgloss / Do You Remember the First Time? / Common People / Underwear / Sorted for E's & Wizz / Disco 2000 / Something Changed / Help The Aged / This is Hardcore / A Little Soul / Party Hard / The Trees / Bad Cover Version / Sunrise / The Last Day of the Miners' Strike (new song).

So the trend continues of adding bonus songs to UK artist's US releases. DOT ALLISON's US release of 'We Are Science' will have a remix of "Substance" by FELIX DA HOUSECAT and a remix of "We're Only Science" by SLAM. The album is to be released domestically on Beggars on November 5.

So I went and disappeared again.

Please don't think I've "matured"... that I've evolved... that I've somehow managed to put something together in my life that's more important than geeking out to music, 'coz I can happily report that my social life remains in a state of shit due to my overwhelming consumption of popular (and, quite often, not-too-damn-popular-at-all-really) music.