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That's not the way it feels . . .

Songs in my head:
"Operator" by Jim Croce
"Have to Say I Love You in a Song" by Jim Croce
"Pounding" by Doves

I'm still a little bummed about Hey Mercedes breaking up, but I'm proud of them for doing it for so long. I look forward to their final EP on GTA. I'm glad "Warm Chords" will be on it. Maybe a live version of "That's Right, I Said It" will be on there too . . .

I don't know how we did it, but we played two games of kickball with a total of eight people. Having two teams of four meant that some people stepped up to the plate twice in an inning. Maybe our turnout was low because of the fact that yesterday's high was in the lower 40s. However, it was mostly sunny. I've said it before, but it feels like you're in a Wes Anderson movie in that kind of weather. Good times.

Pitchfork has a great interview with Q and Not U. I love this quote: "Dischord to us is about freedom. And most relationships between bands and labels are about control, and it's a struggle."

Pitchfork also has a review of two of the three records I will be picking up tomorrow.

Over the weekend, I watched A Decade Under the Influence. I think I have a better understanding of why the movies in the '70s were so unique compared to the movies of the '80s. Of course, the post-Vietnam/post-Nixon vibe was a large factor, but there were a lot of small factors too. The doc covers a lot of those smaller factors very well. As a sidenote, after listening to William Friedkin talk, I'm curious if he's the voice of all those Honda TV commercials . . .

Rolling Stone has an interview with Paul Weller. Always good to hear from the so-called, "Modfather."

I started reading Fargo Rock City over the weekend. It's very hard to put down: I read the first thirty pages in my first sitting. Well-written and very funny, this is a really great discussion about '80 pop-metal.

Journey got a star on the Walk of Fame yesterday.

I heard the new Doves single, "Black and White Town," on the radio last night. I really dug it and I'm glad to know that the next record, Some Cities, will be released in the US a week before the UK gets it.

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