A quick note to direct y’all to the newly constructed website of Eilish Cullen, who is currently involved in myriad aspects of art on the coast opposite this one. Definitely worth paying a visit (or visits).

Matthew Perpetua lays out a roadmap for new bands seeking influences, and it begins with…Rhythm Nation 1814. Which may or may not dovetail with his thoughts on High Places, but regardless, I’m linking both.

Spencer Ackerman delves into the world of punk and hardcore icons appearing on talk shows. Surreal? Yes. Included: Sam McPheeters, Justin Pearson, Justin Pearson with Scott Beiben, and the NYHC scene circa 1986.

Which is as good a time as any to link to The Yah Mos Def, I think.

I don’t entirely know if I would describe the experience of seeing Frightened Rabbit at Southpaw tonight as a religious experience. That said, it has been a long, long while since I last saw a band and had one of their lyrics answer a particular thought I was having at that very moment.

So…yeah. Religious experience.

In this case, my take on The Dutchess and The Duke’s “Reservoir Park”. Paper Thin Walls brings it.

One: Given my predilection for the overlap between music and literature, this list of recent happenings in the same made for welcome reading. Jonathan Lethem + Bloodshot? Nice. [via Maud Newton]

Two: Diana Wong documents last Saturday’s East River Music Project show.

Three: There are times when I wish I lived in Seattle, and then there are times when I really wish I lived in Seattle. Reading about this has triggered a case of the latter.

My take on Bodies of Water’s “Under the Pines”, along with a brief interview with said band’s David Metcalf, is now up at Paper Thin Walls.

…just a bit.

Stories to come. For now, sleep.

One: Molly Templeton on this week’s Frightened Rabbit/Oxford Collapse show in Portland. In a similar vein, Pitchfork on the Collapse’s terrific “The Birthday Wars”.

Two: David Edelstein on Wall-E. Interesting choice of the word “conservative” in there — I think I know what he’s referring to, but I don’t know if that would be the word I’d use to describe it at all. Either way, though, it’s a hell of a film; probably the most purely cinematic of all the Pixar films I’ve seen to date.

Three: Miss Heather on the condos roughly a block from the apartment I call home, and their secret mysteries. (Nothing like this, I’m afraid.)

Since getting back from Minneapolis, I’ve been pretty overwhelmed with ERMP planning.

That said: I’d recommend checking out a lengthy discussion of Philip Gourevitch and Errol Morris’s Standard Operating Procedure with a pretty astonishing selection of writers over at TPM Cafe.

A few weeks ago, I visited Think Coffee on Bowery for the first time. I stopped in again after work on Friday, and I’d have to say that my reaction so far has been pretty positive. While Brooklyn has no shortage of excellent places to get coffee, Manhattan at times seems to have a copious amount of Starbucks locations, with little competition unless you’re willing to get slightly more formal. (I should note, however, that the cafes at Housing Works and McNally Robinson are both quite good.)

While I don’t think Think has quite the coziness of somewhere like Gorilla or Champion, it reminded me a lot of, well, getting a cup of coffee at someplace other than Starbucks in Seattle or Portland. In both cities, though said chain is widespread, there are alternatives (though I was saddened to learn that they’d absorbed Coffee People a few years ago, as I enjoyed many a fine coffee-based drink there over the years). The Bowery location has high ceilings, plenty of windows, and ample space in which to sit back and get some reading done — something nearly impossible to do at many of its counterparts. And given that I once spent ninety minutes at a Tully’s in Ballard reading a Robertson Davies novel — well, these are the things that shape a fella’s mind.

Also: Think’s coffee? Pretty damn good.

Between a number of deadlines and assorted tasks related to next week’s ERMP show, I’ve been pretty light on the posting this week. I’m heading to Minneapolis tomorrow night for the weekend, so posting will remain fairly sporadic until I’m back sometime on Monday night. That said, expect some lengthy, rambling thoughts on both Zach Plague’s boring boring boring boring boring boring boring and something lengthy on conflicts of interest, music writing, and record labels — which will, of course, tie everything back to late-90s indie rock.

Via J. Edward Keyes comes this link to eMusic’s Selects series. I’m currently checking out the Deastro CD, which is a heady, airy collection of synth-pop; that one review of Hands on Heads invokes Atom and His Package pretty much sealed the deal for me there, too. And based on Maria’s recommendation, I suspect I’ll be checking out Mingering Mike before too long.

Luc Sante compiles a playlist for the Times.

And then muxtapes it.

It is every bit as good as you might expect.

In this case, some footage of the Lucky Dragons set at the East River Amphitheater last weekend: