Miscellaneous mid-week business. First and foremost, are you sure you don't want to buy my guitar? Think about it. Not shockingly, I didn't make it out to the Tapes'n'Tapes/Figurines/Cold War Kids show, even if I did have semi-good intentions; my allergies are really bugging me this week and I was totally exhausted last night.

Secondly, you remember mc DJ, right? He of the really fantastic Sufjan Stevens, Fiona Apple, and Feist remixes, among others? Well, he's just finished his first full-length record of original material, Utterances of the Heart; the whole album is really strong, though the spoken word tracks are a tiny misstep. They kind of wear thin after a few listenings. You can download the full album here, complete with cover art, or if you'd prefer a smaller, bite-sized sample, here's a few of my favorite tracks.

mc DJ -- Nightlife
mc DJ -- Attractive Idea

Also in heavy-ish rotation now is the new one from The Futureheads (out yesterday), News and Tributes. You may recall that we are very fond of the band's cover of "Hounds of Love," and their self-titled debut album. News and Tributes does not disappoint; though less skittish, there's still huge doses of XTC-ish manic urgency and those creepy, aggressive, gorgeous harmonies still deliver. Most importantly, though, it shows a more mature and focused band at work. (Bonus: all three songs below mention bodies of water...)

The Futureheads -- Back to the Sea
The Futureheads -- Hounds Of Love (Mystery Jets Private Invasion)
The Futureheads -- Danger of the Water

A bit of sad news: One of my favorite visual artists, Luis Jimenez, was killed in an accident in his studio earlier this week. My mom penned very lovely tribute to Mr. Jimenez and his work in her blog.

It is definitely Wednesday. Blah.