Love her little freckles.

I've been lying in the park for ages.

Graham Coxon - Tell It Like It Is
Graham Coxon - Don't Believe Anything I Say
Straight-up alternative-power pop-rock-hwalever from Coxon, who still sounds eerily similar to Damon Albarn. And while I liked Think Tank quite a bit, it veered dangerously close to Albarn's solo work, which is a little too "world music" for my taste. It was missing Coxon's guitars.

Darkman

Having a drink with my fellow workers.

For the night...

Headlights - Put Us Back Together Right
Erin Fein sounds like a less eccentric Bjork here, but the instrumentation is otherworldly. A gradual build song - in the mold of "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" and "I'll Believe In Anything."

We tried so hard to love.

Jason Collett - Hangover Days ft. Emily Haines
Anything with Emily Haines is gold, so the fetching bass line just adds to this song's luster.

Transcendence Part Iwakalua Lua

Let's get out of this country.

Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
Nothing I've heard from the band in the past could've prepared me for this, these ~4 minutes of pop perfection. Already an early favorite for single of the year.

Don't stop believing.

The Sounds - Night After Night (alternate version)

As The Sounds prepared to take the stage, an oh-so-familiar keyboard intro filtered through the speakers. "Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world..." All in attendance - young and old - sang along, word for word. "A singer in a smokey room, a smell of wine and cheap perfume..." Steve Perry: a man for all seasons. Who knew?

For the band, it was a shrewd and ingenious move, playing this 80's staple as a portent (almost Holly Hunter's favorite word, portentous) of things to come. For me, there has always been a certain amount of cheese, however miniscule, associated with The Sounds - which is what makes their music so goshdarn fun. If I ever threw a block party, my 2 favorite Swedish imports, Sahara Hotnights and The Sounds, would be at the top of my wishlist. I haven't seen that many people truly dance since The Postal Service gig in Austin.

And Maja. Oh, Maja. Possessing a killer voice, super-toned bod, a playful cockiness, and the deadliest of come-hither looks, she totally pwned (a word I have never used until this moment) the crowd. There's a reason why James Iha, Melissa Auf der Maur, and Dave Grohl have all championed the band - and that reason is Maja Ivarsson. She's a star. "A big, bright, shining star."

My ears are still ringing...

The search for space & gain

Magneta Lane - Artistic Condition
Magneta Lane - Bridge To Terabithia
I don't have the full CD yet, but in all likelihood, I'll be putting up more tracks from Dancing With Daggers before the spring is done. Lexi's voice is wonderfully rich and deep, and her departing "la da da's" on "Artistic Condition" belong amongst the great moments in music.