Not for all North Carolina,
Not for all my little words...

In my thinking for new posts, I had thought about listing all the things I want for my birthday. Yes, it is upcoming, but it's got me quite upset. It's not like when I was younger, and they described new abilities like drinking and smoking and driving. Birthdays just now mark out getting older and things not accompished, like real relationships and success. Blech.
So yeah, I want stuff, but I won't get it, so I'm not listing anything.*

Tonight was quiz night at the Skylight Exchange. I always enjoy that -- we won a round tonight, "Cartoons", with the answers Madcatt and Brain, Tex Avery, Buttercup Blossom and Bubbles, Snagglepuss, Spike, and two others -- and won some beer. Yay. Other wise, we pretty much sucked, except for another round where we tied. Well, hmm. Two out of five rounds ain't too bad, really. Except maybe for me having to do a Tweety Bird impersonation. See beer, winning of as to why I did that tie breaker.

Last night was the music staff meeting for WXDU. Heh heh, we sit around listening to all the music we get sent from all the bands and labels and such. "They suck" or "They rule" or "Why are we even listening to RICHARD PALMERS** new album?!" are the rules of the day, along with liberal gossip about local bands and their sexual proclivities***. I walked away with these albums to review:

The Temporary Things -- S/T (Self released as far as we could tell) Beats me
The Tyde -- Twice (Rough Trade) Sort of 2nd-rate Indie Pop, as far as I could tell
Monsieur Mo Rio -- Bonne Chance (S.H.A.D.O.) Very silly lounge/ambient
Hint -- Portakabin Fever (Ninja Tune) Questionable lounge/ambient

I'm sure proper reviews will follow. Speaking of...

The Eaves (S/T) Acefu Records, NYC

According to their label's information, the Eaves have gpne through three drummers and two guitarists in the past year. I'd havbe thought that gives their debut album a very confused, unsettled sound. Don't get me wrong, it's an album with a great deal of variety but there is a consistent basic feel to it -- imagine Trembling Blue Stars and the Cure crawled into a blender.: sad, wistful lyrics that go out into extended thematic explorations of pop, rock and synth sounds. Nothing terribly new and explosive, but interesting and fun.
Favs: Tracks 1 (the most Cure-y), 5 (80s synths and drums versus 60s Surf guitar sound) and 7 (Very Yo La Tengo-esque rock)
4 out of 5 *s

The word, according to WXDU as spake by Jaylemurph

I'm now reading Dr Who: Sleepy. I want to explore the gross excesses of Virgin's mid-90s dark Doctor. I plan to read one more later one to get the truly gothic feel, like those written by Russel T Davies and Matthew Davies, Dr Who fans and writer and script editor, respectively, of Queer as Folk.
Kate Orman's stuff is quite delightful, complex and believable. She can work subtle use of plot and characterization, but at only 60 pages in, it's hard to decide where it's all going.

Word of the day: Justicorps -- elaborate mid 18th Century military uniforms with elaborately embroidered coats. As tonight's quiz theme was the mid-18th Century, this was an appopriate question. We duly got it wrong.

*Okay, so yeah, I'm quoting the wrong Love Song. I know it needs to be "I Don't Want to Get Over You" but I'm too caught up being 17 to care.

**You know, as in "Simply Irrestible" and "Addicted to Love"?

***Well, I DO love gossip. And music. And if I might as well mix the two, especially when the third element is sex, of which I get None.