Skritch Skritch Tap Tap

Scribbles and dribbles in longhand and two-fingered typing.

Jason Isbell - Different Days

Jason Isbell “Different Days”

Jason Isbell’s Southeastern is the kind of record that you play at work and a song comes up and you stop what you’re doing and pull out the lyric sheet and wonder how in the world someone is capable of writing a song as good as that. And then another song—the next song, probably—comes up, and you do the same thing again. And again.


For those wondering if Jason Isbell would ever put together an album filled with songs equal to his Drive-By Truckers stunners like “Outfit” or “Decoration Day” or “Danko/Manuel”, Southeastern is that album.

The Boomtown Rats - Someone's Looking At You

The Boomtown Rats “Someone’s Looking At You”

And when the place comes ablaze with a thousand dropped names
I don’t know who to call.
But I got a friend over there in the government block
And he knows the situation and he’s taking stock,
I think I’ll call him up now
Put him on the spot, tonight.

The NSA just saw me upload this song.

And oh yeah…

On a night like this I deserve to get kissed at least once or twice

Eleventh Dream Day - Making Like a Rug

Eleventh Dream Day “Making Like A Rug”

New Moodio is Eleventh Dream Day’s “lost record,” a parallel world version of El Moodio. It is also the snapshot of a band at its peak. Recorded and mixed in just a few days, there is an urgency and excitement that courses through these songs played by a band empowered by freedom and possibility.

Chicago’s finest, and they’re still crackling and ripping, 20 years later.

Yo La Tengo.

I’m skritching again. Actually, I never stopped. I just stopped posting on tumblr. But here are some words on an excellent show I saw 2 1/2 months ago now..

Setlist:

Acoustic
Ohm
Two Trains
The Weakest Part
The Summer
Ashes On The Ground
The Point of It
Cornelia and Jane
I’ll Be Around
Sugarcube
Center of Gravity

Electric
Cherry Chapstick
Is That Enough
Before We Run
Autumn Sweater
Tired Hippo
Paddle Forward
Nothing To Hide
Ohm
Tom Courtenay
The Story of Yo La Tango

Encore
Gimme All Your Lovin’
One PM Again
Nowhere Near

Encore 2
Time Fades Away
What Can I Say 

Gold Stars For Robert Boy. I recently uncovered my kindergarten report card. They don’t make them like that anymore.

Gold Stars For Robert Boy.

I recently uncovered my kindergarten report card. They don’t make them like that anymore.
Record Fair Aftermath (7” version).

Record Fair Aftermath (7” version).
Coloring Outside the Lines. While Easter-ing at my parents, I came upon some pages that had been pulled from coloring books and given as cards/gifts in my quite-youth. Even then, I knew.

Coloring Outside the Lines.

While Easter-ing at my parents, I came upon some pages that had been pulled from coloring books and given as cards/gifts in my quite-youth. Even then, I knew.
XTC - Easter Theatre

XTC “Easter Theatre”

Easter… in her bonnet
Easter… in her hair
Easter… are the ribbons
She ties everywhere

Happy springtime!

Happy 60th Birthday, Robyn Hitchcock!

Happy 60th Birthday, Robyn Hitchcock!

The Dentists “I Had An Excellent Dream”

Since tumblr has for the moment deigned that an mp3 file is not an audio file (wtf), uploading this from a ripped file from The Dentists’ indispensable compilation, Dressed was not possible. So you can stare at the cover to Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It’s Over It Is Now while YouTube does its thing.

By the way, I did have an excellent dream this jingle jangle morning. 9 1/2 hours of sleep will facilitate that.

‘The Last Catholic In America’ was the first “adult” book I remember reading cover to cover. It was introduced to me by my junior high school English teacher, Mr. Skerritt, who, like my parents, was a product of south side Chicago Catholic grade schools. He read chunks of it to us in 7th grade—the clean parts anyway. The rest of it I had to read on my own, and I did. It was funny and bawdy and filled with dirty words, or at least it seemed so to a 12 year old. Now, thumbing through the yellowed pages of the original paperback, it’s rather quaint, and almost has me nostalgic my CCD classes (I was always a “public”). Almost. The author of ‘Last Catholic,’ John R. Powers, died today. Thanks for the laughs, John.

‘The Last Catholic In America’ was the first “adult” book I remember reading cover to cover. It was introduced to me by my junior high school English teacher, Mr. Skerritt, who, like my parents, was a product of south side Chicago Catholic grade schools. He read chunks of it to us in 7th grade—the clean parts anyway. The rest of it I had to read on my own, and I did. It was funny and bawdy and filled with dirty words, or at least it seemed so to a 12 year old. Now, thumbing through the yellowed pages of the original paperback, it’s rather quaint, and almost has me nostalgic my CCD classes (I was always a “public”). Almost.

The author of ‘Last Catholic,’ John R. Powers, died today. Thanks for the laughs, John.
Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System - The New Year

Jimmy Jules and the Nuclear Soul System “The New Year”

I didn’t post any Christmas music here this year. Actually, until a few days ago, I hadn’t posted anything at all here in months. But tucked on the tail-end of one of my favorite holiday compilations of recent years, In the Christmas Groove, is this bit of new beginnings, positive-thinking, feel-good, disco-soul. Oh, yeah!!

Just remember kids: “Only the strong survive, there’s just no time to fool around and jive.” Oh, yeah!!

Happy New Year!

The Replacements “Swingin Party”

Happy birthday, Paul Westerberg.
Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone. Bring your own lampshade.

The terrible twilight tyranny of symmetry.

The terrible twilight tyranny of symmetry.
Sign of the times.

Sign of the times.