
It's a time of transition. School's started up again, and while that means concerts, it also means that time for blogging will be limited, or at least shifted (go insomnia). I'm also not really sure where this blog is going, as it's definitely beginning to evolve into more than just live music. I guess this is another attempt to mix things up a bit, but I promise that I'll provide a live music fix tomorrow later today for those of you craving it. The other day, Pitchfork [...]
I'm not really sure how I ended up not posting yesterday -- so sorry dear readers. I imagine it had something to do with laundry and appointments. Sometimes I find myself wondering, as I sit in the Rich Girls HQ garret (aka the dining room on the 4th floor where it's easier to leech the neighbors' wifi), how I'm ever going to manage my new job, my other responsibilities, and this blog in a few weeks. I don't mean to be a gloomcookie, far from it -- it's just taxing my brain a bit. Part of the problem is, [...]

I'm not a big Christmas music guy, but I inevitably end up collecting a fair bit of decent seasonally-themed stuff over the course of my travels and since there's only one time of year to post it, now's the time. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and happy statutory holiday to everyone else. The Cocteau Twins released a Christmas single in 1993 with a couple of classic covers, one of "Frosty The Snowman" and this one, "Winter Wonderland", featuring a rare appearance by [...]
Happy Holidays, everyone! No matter what your religious affiliation (or lack thereof), international location, or what have you, we send you the very best wishes for a lovely holiday season. Over the past few days, I've spent an inordinately large amount of time shuttling between The Castle (In Brooklyn, In Which We Reside -- thank you, Beastie Boys) and J&R Computer/Music World in Lower Manhattan. My trusty clunky desktop computer Brian (yes, as in Brian Ferry. No. Really.) finally just kind of fell apart. It was one of those systems I built myself out of cardboard and [...]

I usually shuffle through many genres in my listening patterns, an eclectic experience. But over the past year I've found my niche, the twee-jangle-shoegaze tangent. The latest "new-gaze" band to reach my ears are the Michigan-based Mahogany. Now signed to Darla Records (also home to The Radio Dept. and My Morning Jacket), they've recently released their second full-length, Connectivity , ending a lengthy hiatus since their debut, The Dream of a Modern Day . Bright and celestial instrumentals and soaring vocals, Mahogany stray far away from the drone and fuzz that often encapsulates shoegaze, [...]

Well, the first post, and boy-o-eee it's a doozie! A big mix of Christmas tunes delivered to you by a heathen, complete with a fancy cover. I tried to find a still of the scene where Billy Bob tells the big saleslady that, well, her pipes ain't gonna be working right down below, but oh well. I actually did an award-winning story in high school (well over a decade ago now) about a Santa fired from his job, getting drunk, scratching some records, and then blowing up Macy's. Of course, I could have fleshed it out into a screenplay if [...]
Go Home Productions - Velvet Sugar Ladytron - Sugar [Jagz Kooner mix] Lara & the Trailers - Sugar Town Cocteau Twins - Sugar Hiccup Go Home Productions info here [...]
Belgian website Sideline reports of significant progress in a project between former Ultravox singer John Foxx and ex- Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie . The headline claims "Cocteau Twins member finishes collaboration with John Foxx" while the item states that "Guthrie is close to finishing a collaboration with Foxx." The site includes an apparent present-day quote ( "Foxx has this to say" ) which triggered my Spidey-sense. It wasn't [...]
This Santa Claus fellow is married . He is very, very old . He is a father figure , and not even in a George Michael "Father Figure" video sense. Anyway, I don't think a strong attraction of any kind is responsible for the "screw me Santa!" Christmas song. It seems the real attraction is to the double-entendre, with poor old Santa a mere prop. The lazy songwriter wants someone to toss slutty Christmas-themed double-entendres at, and jolly Old St. Nick seems like the most convenient guy. [...]
Happy Birthday to the fabulous Pinkie Von Bloom! If we were real rich girls of leisure, we'd probably be whooping it up at CMJ right now -- but we have jobs and budgets, so we're seeing Britt Daniel and having cocktails at the Belmont later -- and playing hooky from work tomorrow (well, not really -- her company gives birthdays off, and I have a day saved up from my 7 year service anniversary date last month) to do girly things like get manicures and go shopping for unmentionables. Trés glam! Anyway, [...]
The Things That Make My Heart Beat Faster, Part Four photo courtesy of perri Yesterday, I got the facial to end all facials. Not only is my skin glowing but my technician was so attentive and gave me such amazing massages-that's right massages-during my session that midway through I started to worry that I had somehow [...]
Earlier this year, when Books on Tape and Captain Ahab came through town, Pinkie and I took them to dinner at Nuevo Leon, where we had margaritas big enough to swim in and were entertained by a large wedding shower party complete with sassy mariachis. The 'hot' mariachi is still looked back on quite fondly. (Seriously, he was fiiiiiine . But I digress.) Anyway, during the course of the evening, the boys told us about their friends' band Anavan . "They're awesome! They're gonna be huge!" we were told. Well, [...]

Dreamland When midnight mists are creeping, And all the land is sleeping, Around me tread the mighty dead, And slowly pass away. Lo, warriors, saints, and sages, From out the vanished ages, With solemn pace and reverend face Appear and pass away. ... - Lewis Carroll "Serpentskirt - Una Furtiv" 01. Cocteau Twins [...]

Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins are behind the label Bella Union . Established in mid 1997, they wanted to create a label to help expose the music which inspired and excited them. The exciting and inspiring Bella Union is found in Twickenham, England. >>Dirty Three sea above, sky below >>Garlic philmore >>Simon Raymonde muscle and want >>Yu-Ra [...]