Too little time and too much good music to post, so here are some of the albums that I’ve been obsessing over for the past few weeks. Not exactly a mix, per se, but great tracks all. Enjoy... and leave me a freggin’ comment of thanks.
Well Mr. Cave…I’d say you’ve been on a creative tear in recent times. Between the expansive, pretty-at-times Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus and Grinderman, which was a refreshingly gritty affair—as well as the apparent jump-off point for the new recording with the Bad Seeds.
After breaking his long-standing moratorium on playing live, I had the pleasure of seeing David Berman and company live in March of 2006 at Webster Hall in NYC (snapped this picture with my cellphone). They most certainly did not disappoint. And being on the receiving end of all that pent-up fan love seemed to have medicinal powers in healing the fragile psyche of Dave. 
To celebrate Gary Numan’s 30th year in music, Beggars Banquet has just re-issued Tubeway Army’s 1979 synth masterpiece Replicas as Gary Numan & Tubeway Army – Replicas Redux. What’s more, Gary Numan has set off on a 15-date UK tour through March where he’ll be performing the album in its entirety. 
I discovered Hefner in the late 90’s, and was immediate drawn to the offbeat vocal style of Darren Hayman. After putting out many EPs and a couple full-length records, they released Boxing Hefner in 2000, which was a compilation of all kinds of stuff from across their catalogue, including new song called “The Science Fiction.“
I can hardly forgive myself for missing The Clean when they played NYC late last year. I have great affection for the New Zealand bands that recorded with Flying Nun throughout the 1980’s, e.g., the Verlaines, Chris Knox, the Chills, the Bats, etc. And of course the Clean, who really were at the heart of it all. They just put out fiercely original music that went on to inspire countless bands (and still do).
Handsome Furs are a Vancouver-based duo consisting of Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner and his fiancée, Alexei Perry. Their debut, Plague Park, was released in mid-2007. And although the sound is stripped down with just guitars and a drum machine, it’s incredibly full and textured. The effect is dark, dusty, and raucous in the all right places. 
At just 22 years of age, Dev Hynes has already reinvented himself from a former dance-punker in Test Icicles, into a precious, folkster dubbed Lightspeed Champion. The sound is definitely in the realm of Patrick Wolf, whom he toured with, and he’s also connected to the whole Saddle Creek collective in Nebraska. What can you say… it works. The album is something special from a unique talent. 
These guys have definitely never gotten the recognition they deserve. They put out their debut This is My Drug Hell back in 1996, which yielded a modest college radio hit with “Girl at the Bus Stop.” For an amazing record that was, in my opinion, one of the best of that year, they should have gotten a whole lot more attention. 
Stephin Merritt returns after four years with Distortion, yet another "concept" album. Funny that it seems more of a return to the early days of The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees... and that's a good thing. I was one of the few that thought his 1999 breakthrough, 69 Love Songs, was completely overwrought and would have worked better as 34.5 love songs, but alas, the "concept" was born. 
