look! even easier than going to college for computer music, even cheaper than buying a G4

last night i saw the 'amazing grace' tour of spiritualized, a whopping two-hour set with 17 songs spanning each album. sadly, the new material goes into the 3/4 gospel chord lament one time too many, jason is now seemingly nailed to his chair for the whole set and that thighpaulsaundra guy stolen from julian cope's band shoots daggers at both the band and the audience as he plays the tinkering little chords. i haven't been to such a beautifully loud, orchestrated show in such a long time but sadly, it was very manufactured. progressive dream rock?

i got to thinking about how i've been a fan of that band for something like eight years, which is a third of my life. the audience was dumbed into silence - no feeing of ecstatic grace like at the field day radiohead performance...just a dull uneasyness in my stomach for a great band (man) gone on a severe ego trip.

speaking of which, the 'different strokes' concept is in full swing these days. reminds me of the lounge radiohead show, or more honestly, former rabid weird al fans all grown up.

been reading a lot about laibach for a sound collector reviews piece and am revisiting the idea of abjection, which is a messed idea when thinking about rejecting the very thing that forms you. might be helpful with the self-hating nature of goth kids and central european avant bands under communism...and laibach.

i remember when trans am's survelliance album came out, thinking 'what a half-baked idea it is to use the frayed ends of lonely cameras, their fuzzed-out, grainy clips' and now, there is a bizarre culture jamming surveillance culture which, not surpising, has something to do with those wily eco-terrorists.

everyone is in love with frog eyes these days. besides having a terrible band name, they're pretty good. sounding like the better parts of a) interpol with a tuning fork b) the walkman (at least the plunky production) c) capt. beefheart on prozac?

i've been excited about lead singers who really go for it (as opposed to the indie/hardcore drone) and carey mercer is another great example (the walkmen, broken social scene, ester drang, our beloved 'head, 90 day men).