What have you been listening to?

Supposedly the song refers to the botched effort to rescue the hostages in Iran back in '80. "Here comes the planes..."

"Sign of the Times" - The Belle Stars...Man, I had forgotten how good this song was! "Say Goodbye" - Triumph. "My Girl" - Chilliwack. "She Sheila" - The Producers. "Real Enough" - Doug and the Slugs. "All Night Long" - Rainbow. "Every Word Means No" - Let's Active. "Holiday" - The Other Ones.

Okay, these ones are a bit more readily familiar (at least in the U.S.): "Freedom" - Wham. "Leave a Light On" - Belinda Carlisle.

Tuesday I wasn't in the mood to listen to much of anything musical, so I didn't.

Didn't listen to music all of yesterday and all of this morning. Then, at lunch, went & bought some CDs, and listened to two of 'em -

Bikini Kill - Reject All American
The Faint - Danse Macabre

The titles of these two CDs seem almost too perfect, given the situation. However, almost any song title or album can seem prophetic in a situation like this. Except, maybe, "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes", or "Convoy".

I've been heavily relying on the Black Heart Procession, Kid 606, and Amnesiac (which also has plenty of tickly lines, from "Knives Out" to "Life in a Glass House": "Once again we're hungry for a lynching. That's a strange mistake to make."). But I've been much too paranoid to keep the headphones on for long while moving around Chicago; too many dirty looks today.

Oh Jesus fuck piss shit, etc. AM I GOING TO HAVE TO COME OUT THERE AND SLAP THE WHOLE FUCKING CITY AROUND FOR ITS STUPIDITIES?

And for once my emphasis is not comic.

Matmos - Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure... (listening to For Felix was rather eerie yesterday) Jay-z - Blueprint Al Green - Take Me to the River Aphex Twin - Drukqs (a lot to swallow) Bjork - Vespertine

Kevin Saunderson 'E-Dancer'

techno seems to best match my mood right now.

To be honest, I've been mostly playing the Skinny Puppy album, particularly "Tin Omen".

Better to place the hype where it's deserved, which is with the Microphones. I've listened to The Glow pt.2 at least once a day for the past 3 weeks and I still want to go back to it. This is what headphones were invented for. Perhaps escapeism isn't the best response to what's going on outside, but if that's what you're looking for, this is the album for it.

'And one day in New York City baby A girl fell from the sky From the top of a burning apartment building 14 stories high And when her spirit left her body How it split the sun I know that she will live forever All goes on and on and on And she goes and now she knows she'll never be afraid To watch the morning paper blow Into a hole where no one can escape.'

Those last couples lines are the most unsettling to me, in light of all the reports on Tuesday that lower Manhattan experienced a great shower of office paper after the planes hit. But I guess these are all just weird coincidences; I suppose the point is that it is going to be impossible to hear or say or see a lot of things the same way from now on. Like for instance, I picked up the new Mercury Rev album yesterday and there are lines in the first song that I'll probably never be able to hear without thinking about Tuesday: 'I always dreamed of big crowds / Plumes of smoke and high clouds.'

Yesterday I listened to Dirty Three's HORSE STORIES and godspeed you black emperor's SLOW RIOT FOR NEW ZERO KANADA ep, both of which seemed about right.

I bought a whole stack of Naxos issues of Schubert lieder, sung by baritone Ulf Bastlein. I don't know how they compare with other readings, just wanted to hear the material, and they were all just $6.99 at Tower. I have a yen to take electronic Chamber Pop in the direction of Lieder and 19th Century art music.

The night of the attack, when I could finally switch off the t.v., I played John Fahey's "America" and it was perfect. The next day at work it was Arvo Part's "Alina" over and over and over again. Since then it's been a lot of Sun Ra. There's still a song for every mood.

This morning I woke up and put on Pan Sonic. Loud. Followed by Kohn.

Feels wiped clean.

This morning I had a really strong urge to listen to the Hair original cast album, don't know why. Can't wait to get home and put it on, though.

MTV just showed Tender by Blur, which isn't the greatest record ever, but I'd forgotten it had truly magical uplifting properties, especially if you're not really listening. Put it on.

I didn't listen to anything for a couple of days, but last night I turned off the news, drank a couple of beers and put on some really loud foot-stomping old rhythm & blues... Arthur Alexander, early Ike & Tina, Larry Williams, Slim Harpo stuff. It felt really nice.

Recently spun:

- Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
- Britney Spears - Oops!... (the import version)
- The Mink Lungs - The Better Button
- The Moldy Peaches - S/T
- Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain (& related MP3s)
- Quasi - Early Recordings

No rhyme or reason. Just trying to get back into the swing of things as best I can.

Surely that's ¡Ööps!... ?

Was Dan trying to be funny up there?

Have listened to:
- Fridge (Happiness)
- Saso (Big Group Hug)

Futile MP3 searches for:
- new System of a Down
- newest Deftones
- new Aphex Twin
- new Kelis
- new Neptunes

Hearing in my head:
- a friend pretending to be Apu singing Britney Spears' "Sometimes" in a karaoke bar (which was stupidly funny, but not quite as funny or stupid as the kickboxing scene in _Saving Silverman_)
- NEIL FOOKIN' DIAMOND!

New Bjork and Mercury Rev albums.

Ruthie Henshall: "The Ruthie Henshall Album", "Pilgrim", plus the "Chicago" London cast album that she's on.

McCarthy: "The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth"

Reissued Heavenly album on K Records: "Heavenly Vs Satan".

Michael Nyman "The Kiss and Other Movements" and "The Draughtsman's Contract"

"Bugsy Malone" orginal Paul Williams soundtrack.

Doctor Who Audio Dramas on CD: "Phantasmagoria" and "Loups Garoux".

Alan Bennett: "Poetry In Motion" CD.

Yo La Tengo: "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out"

Diana Ross and the Supremes: "40 Golden Motown Greats"

The search is much better on the new ILX. I have been listening to my new 7 inches by the Tartans and Summer Cats and a lot of Capstan Shafts, thanks to gabbneb.