As much as the latest Bloc Party album has devolved into a disappointment for me, the anthemic "I Still Remember" still sends shivers down my spine and makes the tears well. Perhaps its resonance is the reason why i'm so bummed by the lackluster remainder of the record.

I'm still amazed that the second album by Canadian indie collective the Arcade Fire debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 200 sales chart. Not the alternative chart mind you, but the total sales chart. The accomplishment seems even more impressive when you consider that the only album to best Neon Bible in its opening week was the Notorious B.I.G.'s Greatest Hits. I'm still playing "No Cars Go" on endless repeat on my iTunes. For some reason i'm very proud of the widespread success of the Arcade Fire, unlike my jealousy when previous indie heroes Death Cab made a similar leap to the mainstream. The Washingtonians never made such a sales impact though.

I wasn't a huge fan of LCD Soundsystem during their ascendency to indie stardom. I believe i mockingly quoted a Streets lyric to describe to Veronica my disapproval of James Murphy's musical philosophy: "i make bangers, not anthems". That said, i can't stop listening to the transcendent "Someone Great" from Murphy's sophomore effort Sound of Silver. It reminds me of the utterly moving electronic pastiches of Dntel and the more captivating experiments of Fridge, with some of the Knife's moody and foreboding soundscapes washing over. A reviewer i can't recall said that this track demonstrates that Murphy is true songwriter and not just an indie kid with a few tricks up his laptop. Perhaps.

i wish that we could talk about it
but there, that's the problem

Because of work as well as the closure of several of my sources of musical information, the growth of my record collection has come to a grinding halt in recent weeks. After completing my Modest Mouse catalog a couple of weeks ago and grabbing a few random new albums, i just haven't had time to hunt down anything new. Time to scour Pitchfork for some current recommendations. I'm only 464 songs from my mp3 library reaching 50k ... so close!

Picked up the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II last week on my way back from driving my parents to the airport. Between the tweaking of the song order, the addition of ten new songs, and the beautiful HD visuals, this latest incarnation is well worth purchase even if you already own the PS2 version. The inclusion of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" is worth it all by itself. I rocked out playing this track on medium difficulty, and melted my brain and fingers attempting it on hard.

I was told the other day by an acquaintance who shall remain nameless that they had convinced Veronica to let me cut my hair. I was getting used to it until i learned that someone thought it looked so bad that they felt compelled to petition Veronica to let me go back to my spiky locks. Now i'm conflicted. I'm not sold on long hair in the back, it brings back shudder-inducing memories of my high school mullet. The long hair on the sides and especially the top looks quite good when i'm banging my head, however. Maybe a compromise is in order?