So, of course, Blogger would be all wonky when I wanted to post earlier. *sigh*

The big news today, of course, is that Miss Pinkie Von Bloom got a job offer. YAY! I'm still looking of course, so if you know of anything ... (I kid, I kid. Actually, not really. Drop a line if you can be of assistance! But I'm not groveling. {yet})


The other big news was that The Rapture (We missed The Presets again! They're totally turning into the M83 of 2006...) show was incredible -- easily the best thing we'd seen since, well last Thursday, really -- but trust us. After a fall full of fair-to-middling and pretty uninspiring shows, The Rapture was just what we needed. Catchphrases for the evening included "Ok, get all James Chance with your bad self!" (Aimed at the incredible sax/cowbell/keyboard player. I have a huge crush on him for his musical polymathyness alone!) and "Close your eyes and you can kind of pretend it's 1980!" Though honestly, some of the hipster hairstyles did an even better job of convincing us we'd travelled back in time some 25 years. Some pretty impressive styles were on display. And who knew the hipster kids could dance like that? Wow. Also, Britt Daniel and Sara Beck (Pink Nasty) stood behind us for a few minutes and kinda shook it before heading for the bar. Always a plus! That rave-tastic reworking of "I Need Your Love" was totes special; one song I didn't recognize slipped into pure first-album Roxy Music-ness and I completely flipped out. (ps -- congrats again, Keaton!)

Trust us, if you're in need of some serious dance euphoria, you really need to get out and see this tour when it comes to yr. neck of the woods (they're headed west from here). Totally necessary.

Random links for the day:

This story's a smidge dated, but any thoughts on whether these are really the best new bands in Portland? Because, hello, Norfolk and Western have THREE records. I'd hardly classify them as "new." Feedback requested.

TINY WEE ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS MADE OF PAPER. Seriously, that's all you need to know. Can there be like, a Cute Overload for musical instruments? That would rule.

In HIGH DEMAND today:

Pink Nasty -- Thirsty Thursday. Quick! Quick! Get on the Pink Nasty band wagon now so you can say you were like, there with the cool kids. She's kind of like ... well, remember that Sandra Bullock/River Phoenix/Samantha Mathis flop/cult hit, Thing Called Love, about struggling musicians in Nashville? Well, Pink Nasty would star in my awesome version of that film set in Austin in 2006. Alternatively, I would write a screenplay just so that she and the band could serve as the semi-ironic Greek chorus element. There's a Wanda Jackson/Neko Case/Cat Power influence there, for sure -- but she's so much better than just a watery blog-friendly comparison. Listen. Furthermore, must be seen to be believed -- it's very rare to see that kind of completely unaffected confidence in an indie rock performer. You can order her new album, Mold the Gold, from her website. See her in Louisville, Kentucky with a full band (she's totally boy-napped some cuties from The Black) at The Pour House on Nov. 11. (MySpace)

The Rapture -- Get Myself Into It. Well, naturally. It was about the greatest thing ever to finally dance to this last night, away from the confines of my desk and cubicle and headphones. It is approximately TEN MILLION TIMES BETTER live. Which honestly, I never would have expected. (site)

The Mary Onettes -- R.U.N.. Ok, really. I have yet to hear a band on Swedish label Labrador I didn't LOVE, and The Mary Onettes are no exception. Need some seriously pretty modernized Echo and the Bunnymen/New Order dark and spangled action -- but with the tininest sparkle of Swedepop magic? This would be the band for you. I'm crushing hardcore. Wow. (MySpace -- be sure to check out "Explosions," too -- so good!)

My My -- Pelourinho. It was hard choosing a representative track from the fanastic new My My album, Songs for the Gentle, but this ended up being my favorite. My tastes in Germanic minimal electronica (is this microhouse? minimal techno? not sure...) are pretty predictable, and this nails every mark. Stuck somewhere between dance music and listening music, this is the perfect accompaniment to, well, getting shit done. No really -- put on Songs for the Gentle and try not to feel motivated to do whatever it is you've been putting off lately. [Hey! Why didn't anyone tell me this is the new band of Lee Jones from Hefner!?!?! Well, of course I like it! I could smack myself for not doing better research the last time I posted about My My. Pls. forgive.] (label site)