Sophie Says Sooth (2002.09.02): "Avoid graduation at all possible costs. This may sound crazy now, but by the time you're out of school for a year you'll know exactly what I'm talking about and you'll really start to miss caring about back-to-school sales. Enjoy this time while you can."

Sophie Says Sooth (2002.08.26): "When you call your children unexpectedly, do not express concern if they were out until 4, 5 or 6 AM. They are now the masters of their own bedtimes. If someone of the opposite sex answers the telephone at 7 AM on a Sunday, say nothing."

Sophie Says Sooth (2002.08.19): "It was once required that ten witnesses be present at a marriage ceremony to outsmart jealous demons. (I don't know who really thought this would work but let's play along for the sake of the story.) Bridesmaids dressed similarly to the bride and groomsmen's attire resembled the groom's in an attempt to confuse the spirits who wanted to harm the couple."


Silverchair / Diorama: "Musically, it is one of the best of the year. Rich orchestrations sweep across beautifully arranged songs, a feat quite remarkable for a band unaccustomed to such complex string and horn work. This is due, in part, to help from the legendary Van Dyke Parks, whose resume boasts such names as U2 and the Beach Boys."

Miniviews 2002.08.02: "While reining his noodling tendencies way in for the two Guided By Voices records released by TVT, his side projects exploded. The Fading Captain series, home to numerous collaborations and throw-away 7" singles, has probably had a release or three just since you started reading this piece."

Miniviews 2002.07.28: "If John Lennon and Yoko Ono had been in little-known power pop bands, then decided to do a record together with John's brother and a pseudonymous drummer for a Spanish label you've never heard of, Double Fantasy would've sounded a lot like Sound It Out."


San Diego Comic-con 2002: Part 1: "A lot of it sounded like standard conspiracy theory bullshit; I would like to believe him about the income taxes, though. Apparently it has something to do with the improper ratification of the 16th Amendment and taxing our privilege of earning money."

"Glamour Hose": A 14-piece photographic series from Natalie Meyer


"Pixel Worship": A new short narrative work from Aaron Veenstra





2002/04/05

As promised, a lengthy review of Alanis Morissette's Under Rug Swept. It's not pretty.
posted at 14:08


2002/04/04

I've begun down the road to being one of those cranky, old record geeks. I bought the Who's Who's Next and Quadrophenia -- original vinyl releases, of course -- for $7 via eBay last week. They arrived today. As I pulled the first record out of its sleeve, all I could think about were the many other records which I surely needed to complete whatever puzzle it is I'll wind up completing. And those low-run Pixies and Blake Babies LP's are getting hard to come by.

Here's to obsession.
posted at 18:19



Let's hear it for emo -- the upcoming Billboard modern rock singles chart shows the new, unreleased and officially unpromoted Weezer single, "Dope Nose," at #14 and the current Jimmy Eat World single, "The Middle," hitting #1. The bad news is that there are still two Nickelback tracks in the top 20 but change takes time.
posted at 11:35


2002/04/03

Yesterday was Wisconsin's spring election day, which means that a new edition of the Fast Lane is headed your way today. There's also some stuff in there about nuking Israel but that's pretty minor compared to municipal bridge repair and school board run-off votes.
posted at 10:32


2002/04/02

When I get around to getting my bike fixed, I must have Hokey Spokes for it. I can use them to advertise this site and annoy passers-by. Yay!
posted at 16:32


Newly posted: mini reviews of the debut EP's from the Mars Volta and Sparta, the bands that formed from the ashes of indie heroes At the Drive-In. Look for reviews of the new records by Piebald, Alanis Morissette and the Promise Ring coming soon.
posted at 09:02


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