Quick one

The boss want me to do the new Doves CD (out next Tuesday) so we'll be checking it out this Monday. Can tell you this: if you loved the Last Broadcast, you are going to be a nut for this.

Supposed to interview Chris Stamey on the air yesterday but he had some personal stuff come up. They want us to try for next week but I'm gonna be mighty busy to try and squeeze it in. You should still go and check out both his fine albums from 2004 (actually, all his fine albums over the last couple of decades) and spread the word.

My hat's off

...to the people who maintain a blog day after day with plenty of intelligent things to say. It's been kind of frustrating that I haven't been keeping this thing up, but dang, the winter has been kind of a downer, and life has been pretty busy.

Still, there's the show to worry about. New playlist by clicking on the link in the previous post (now I'm really being lazy).

NP: M.I.A.--"Arular"
Yes, still, and if this darn near isn't my album of the year, I'm gonna be pretty stunned when something comes along to topple it. The discussion on this online is just about deafening, in good and bad ways (best jumping on point is Carl Wilson's blog, he being the rather savvy music critic for the Globe and Mail out of Toronto). I don't consider myself that familiar with the scores of sub-genres they talk about, all I know is I want to keep hearing this and bounce up and down like a fool (The political and sexual subtexts don't hurt, but it's still all about the music). It was supposed to be out today, but apparently Beggars has postponed it "indefinitely" for some legal complications, which means it will wind up being revised somehow. So far, I count four versions of this thing floating around out there: 2 slightly different Piracy Funds Terrorisms, the official promo (and I'm not even counting the 7-song demo) and the "clean" version, which I have a copy of too but haven't even listened to, cuz what fun is that, I ask you?

Next week, the Review is all about some shows coming to town, but I'm not going to say anything til I get my ticket, because, naive thing that I am, I think it might sell out and I don't want that to happen til I get there (selfish, too). I'll let you know. Course I thought that the show that I attended last week at the Dryden about outsider music would be packed too. It wasn't, and it was awesome, turning me on to a number of things I wouldn't have encountered before, about more which later.

NR: Carol Emshwiller--"Mister Boots"
Actually, I haven't started this yet, but probably in the next day or two. It doesn't come out til July but I hear already it's one of the year's best fantasies.

More to come, like a list of favorite blogs, books finished so far this year, and maybe even a Kylie discourse or two.

Upcoming

Briefly poking my head out of the hole to report that the next new show (with yours truly on 2.21) will feature the Chemical Brothers, the Moaners and Sally Timms. I'm tweaking the schedule all over the place, not sure what I'm going to be playing for the 16th anniversary show yet. Meantime, Katrina will probably be playing a bunch of stuff Monday so tune in if you're not out with your best sweetie (or watching 24).

NP: Kylie Minogue--"Light Years". The obsession continues.

A smattering of updates

Last night we played Ted Leo, Marianne Faithfull and the wonderful, awesome M.I.A. Hop on over to the WBER site for the playlist.

I was mentioning on the show about all the controversy that M.I.A. is generating and a fine article from last Saturday's Globe and Mail by Carl Wilson. You can get a fine jumping point right here (scroll down just a tiny bit).

It's been kind of slow in this corner of the blogosphere. Next week is Valentine's Day on show night, so I'm taking it off to be with my wife, which is no hardship at all. In the weeks to come, the Review will be spotlighting a couple of labels (Asthmatic Kitty, Sugar Hill) that have graciously bombarded me with some good music. We'll also be doing a look at some recent greatest hits offerings from the likes of Pearl Jam, Verve, Placebo, Trevor Horn, and Fuzzbox (!)

While I'm off, I hope to be here a bit more, reviewing a couple of things that I wouldn't normally play on the show. While you're at it, go support your local library why doncha? In a couple of months time, they're gonna be doing a redesign which'll feature a few side columns on good new books and music, and yes, your alternative librarian/DJ will be there as well.

Life is OK right now. Good music abounds, of the three-letter variety: Low, LCD, M.I.A.
Oh and I should mention: the beginning of March we'll be celebrating the Spotlight Review's 16th anniversary. The grand old fart of 90.5 sails on.

Next shit

Last night's playlist:

Bambix Andre What's In a Name? Daemon
Bambix Annie What's In a Name? Daemon
LCD Soundsystem Losing My Edge LCD Soundsystem DFA/Capitol
LCD Soundsystem Daft Punk Is Playing In My House (Soulwax remix)
LCD Soundsystem DFA/Capitol

Wish I could get it to look better after I cut and paste but a little posterity is better than nothing. Here's the unadulterated look.

NP: M.I.A.--"Arular"

A little ways downblog I commented on the Piracy Funds Terrorism mix CD and how cool it was (my stepson was having a blast with it last Saturday), but this is freaking out of this world. I am helpless in the face of listening to this. For the few of you who check the blog out, here's a heads up on what the CD pick of next week is.

NR: "Arabian Wine"--Gregory Feeley