two i forgot to mention...

1) i am gutted that we will be out of town on tour during the hideout block party for one significant reason- neko case will be headlining said event. fuck.
2) i found the download leak for the new deerhunter album 'microcastle.' it's become too easy to find these- even for me who knows nothing about torrents or filesharing. my main method of tracking these things down is to do a google. so far it's worked every time. the only album i was able to resist the temptation to listen to early was the new portishead album. i also just bought 'songs in a & e' on green vinyl through rough trade east in london. so i still bought the album. it's kind of nice actually- i don't have to convert the lp to mp3 and mr. pierce is still getting my money. i'm happy to give it to him. that's the difference.
the deerhunter album. i like it more and more with repeated listens. i've noticed most people who hear it go on about how they didn't like 'cryptograms' but loooooove 'microcastle.' i always wondered why this was. well it's simple- 'microcastle' is quite poppy and accessible especially when you compare it to 'cryptograms' which is split into ambient experimental passages and more clearly-conceived songs. i admit that when i listen to 'cryptograms' that i look forward to the last half which is much stronger than the first because all of the best songs are all condensed into that last four or five song stretch- fuck- 'spring hall convert,' 'strange lights,' 'hazel street,' 'heatherwood.' those are all fantastic songs and they're all back to back. i also used to listen to 'cryptograms' and 'fluorescent grey' back to back because on my ipod it would play them back to back and the closing of 'cryptograms' segues very nicely into the ep which is just four really fantastic songs back to back. i kind of miss the trippier quality of songs like 'spring hall convert' when i listen to 'microcastle.' the only song i feel like that really has it is 'twilight at carbon lake' (which is a gorgeous song). 'activa' and 'calvary scars' both have it as well, but for some reason, where they were over the four minute mark and quite nice in their daytrotter session here they are both under two minutes. basically you get the verse once and all of the trippy bradford cox cooing once and that's it. kind of a shame. at least for me. that said the album is very tight and compact. something i am always on the look out for is good music for me to listen to during my morning commute to my job. this proves to be elusive as my commute takes slightly less than 40 minutes and can be as early as 6:15 in the morning. when i'm in the mood to listen to music it's not something bombastic or loud- usually something really beautiful, soft and yet not too ambient. a few good ones are 'you follow me' by nina nastasia and jim white and my friend nick butcher's new record 'bee removal' (this one might be the epitome of what i'm looking for to listen to in the morning- to know what i mean you're just going have to get it aren't you). 'microcastle' is good for this too. it's nice in its own way as well- because it never really serves up the bombast either- for the morning commute it's actually a bit of gentle nudging- 'you're up and you'll be at work soon- just a gentle reminder to be awake and with it.' good morning music. i'm not so sure if i like it better or worse than 'cryptograms.' i do like it quite a bit, but i hope that they don't necessarily get immersed in making this kind of poppy music. they are far too gifted at mixing in the weird shit to just go down that road. i assume it will serve well to expand their fanbase- which wouldn't be a bad thing- but at the same time i relish being able to see them at the empty bottle for $7 and i guess i'm selfish and would like to be able to witness them in that context for as long as possible. bands like that where i see that way i'm usually not able to pay $25-35 to see at the vic or the riviera. i usually quit going to see them once they outgrow the metro. time shall tell. but 'twilight at carbon lake' is probably one of my favourite songs of theirs.