We had a little pea soup and manicures party last night. I totally painted my fingernails black (with the cheapest thing I could find: NYC Black Lace Creme) and glossed the fuck out of them, like I saw was The Next Big Thing in some magazine whilst in the checkout line the other day (probably in an issue of OK! or some similarly low-rent celeb gossip rag). Anyway, they look surprisingly classy. Seriously. Pinkie, as ever, went for the more glam OPI shade of Lincoln Park After Dark, which always makes me laugh -- it's a totally gothy vamp color named after a highly gentrified, hipster neighborhood in Chicago. Unfortunately, we decided to watch the film version of RENT during all this. Not that I was ever the biggest fan of the musical, but the film was just cringeworthy. The only high point was the very tiny cameo from Broadway workhorse Randy Graff, who may be the first musician/singer/etc that I ever wrote a fan letter to. I think I was about 13 -- she sent me a photo and a letter on stationary printed with her Hirschfeld cariacture. I thought that was like, the neatest thing ever.

Totally charming (via Bows+Arrows): Will Sheff of Okkervil River posts some mp3s on the O.R.N.A.G. blog. It makes me secretly very happy that he's as much of a nerd for Arthur Russell as the rest of us. And by the rest of us I mean me and the nice young man from Black Country Grammar.

Everyone is sluggy with allergies today, it seems. Including me. There's not a whole lot going on this week, which is also okay, though I'm a little bummed that I missed Bound Stems last night...

In HIGH DEMAND TODAY:

Arthur Russell -- Keeping Up. I just told Pinkie this might be one of my favorite songs of all time. I'm not exaggerating. I would either like to see a modern dance piece set to this, but not a cheezy modern dance piece -- or a short film of some kind with time lapse photography, but not cheezy time lapse photography. (info)

All Saints -- Rock Steady (MSTRKRFT Edition). Oh lordy, All Saints are back! And there's a MSTRKRFT remix! My excitement over this may make me about the lamest person ever. EVER. (site) (video)

Nirvana -- Come As You Are (Dirty Funker Remix). Ok, ok. Someone, somewhere (or perhaps several someones somehere) will think this is sacrelige. Personally, I think it's just the kind of thing I would play if I ever dj'd a bar/bat miztvah party, and the theme was high irony. "I was part of the historical process at Rachel Cohen's bat mitzvah!" That would be the giveaway t-shirt, for sure. (do I really need a link here?)

Isolee -- Hermelin. I'm still challenged by dance and electronic music genres, I just like what I like. Apparently, Isolee are micro funk, which doesn't exactly conjure up the most charming mental images, now does it? Whatever you call this, it's just really lovely -- smooth and pwangy at all the right moments, I love tiny motifs -- the sleighbell for a few seconds, the surprising whisper or steam press in the background, hardly noticed until the moment's passed. (site)

Alden Tyrell feat. Nancy Fortune -- La Voix (Isolators remix). Since we were gushing quality dance music, why not some Alden Tyrell too? This remix is super-Italodisco-tastic, which American Athlete pointed out, is NEVER a bad thing. (info)

Harvey Danger -- Cold Snap. If I were a music supervisor for a soapy nighttime drama about ... the complicated love lives of interns, or criminal attorneys, or pampered teenagers, I'd totally use this song in the "seasons change" episode that has tons of heartbreaky moments, including that farewell montage at the end of the hour. Just a hint. (site)