Karp's S/T is the record that I have consistently reached for whenever I feel that maybe I simply don't really like music much these days. It's a glorious and inspiring record that I never tire of.

The last newish record that excited me was Tarantula AD's 'Book of Sand'.

Shorty make me feel a hell of a lot better about being back at work after two days coughing up lungspunk.

The T&G weekend has given me enough inspiration for the next decade (especially with the Sunday night Smog show with Joanna Newsome on wurly at the Old Town School thrown in for good measure)... so great...almost surreal in its joys! I felt as if I was drunk (I was not) and was in love with everyone.

What else....

I saw Spires That In The Sunset Rise a while back and really really enjoyed their set... had no idea of them...went to see the opener... was really really happy I stayed.

I agree on Josephine Foster. Great voice, odd haunting songs, very charming and attractive to boot.

Just heard a CD by Chicago band the Violins which is nice and worth repeated listenings... in the vein of GBV but not a retread...they bring something good and unique to the table...

Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark LP which was suggested to me by Brett Eugene Ralph... so good... it finds its way to the CD player at least once a day.

caix wrote:Seeing the Ex at Touch and Go was also eye opening. I had never heard them before, or heard about them. The drummer plays some of the catchiest beats. And that bald dude on guitar had his hand bleeding by the end of the third song!

The Ex has got to be one of my favorite still active bands. And Katrin is one of the greatest drummers I've seen live. A particularly interesting characteristic of the Ex is that how much better they've become as time goes by. Their work first started to become truly amazing in the early '90s - that is, after the had been together for over 10 years!

Good albums to check are "Scrabbling at the Lock" - brilliant. "Starters Alternators" - their Touch and Go debut, also brilliant, and "Dizzy Spells." The latter was released in April of 2000. The opening track, "Town of Stone" (which can be heard on their website www.theex.nl) contains an amusing unintentional premonition to September 11th in the break down.
It really pays off to own a few Ex albums.

as new bands go when I heard the Archie Bronson Outfit's new album Derdang Derdang it really clicked with me. It's got some great songs on it.One of those right time right place sort things. I still play it most days.

I haven't played anything quite this much since Dj Rubbbish's Armageddon session which was a funny listen at the time of the kicking off of the war on terror.

My freakout over The Books lasted quite a while. Seeing their first-ever show at the Art Institute a couple of years ago was really something. I don't think I have sensed such genuine adoration from an audience in my lifetime. Each round of applause felt like a heartfelt "thank you," and the band were clearly overwhelmed by it. It was an experience that has really stuck with me.

That would be Pelican and their latest album, which i had on repeat for nearly a week. It's brilliant.

But check this, their first EP is even better.

I was digging Golden Smog's new album. It's just tits

and

I want to thank Subpoop Rex for releasing the compilation of Dead Moon tracks. I't takes a lot of pressure off of me and my negative budget.

Motorhead's Ace of Spades. Seriously; I had never heard that record until my girlfriend got it for me for my birthday.

Pete Kember has made a compilation record out of influences on Spacemen 3, which should be with me tomorrow I'm told. When I actually get this record, I will be excited about it, as I will have the following songs on vinyl:

SPACELINES

This May Be The Last Time - The Staples Singers
You Don't Care - Bo Diddley
Sun Arise - Rolf Harris
Transparent Radiation - The Red Crayola
Angels + Demons - Sun Ra
Denomination blues - Washington Phillips
I'm So Glad You Don't Know What's On My Mind - SheWolf/ Jesse Mae Hemphill
Needed Time - Lightnin' Hopkins
Please Stay - Cryin' Shames
Stay - Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs
She's Coming Home - The Wailers
I Can't Let Go - Evie Sands
Crawdaddy Simone - The Syndicats
Elevator Operator - The Rays
Perfidia - Xavier Cugat
It Was I - The Fantastic Baggies
Firebird - The White Noise
True Love Will Find You In The End - Daniel Johnston
Just One Time - Juicy Lucy
I Take It That We're Through - The Riot Squad
Witchdoctor - John Mayall's Bluesbreakers