The Decemberists - More from Hazards of Love

I really like the queen's songs on this album, with a touch of classic rock in them and a wonderful female vocalist. Here's another one.

The Decemberists

From the new release, a "Victorian" concept album. See a full analysis of its narrative here.

Jimmy & The Boys

New wave glam from Australia, covering The Kinks.

The Handsome Family

Alt-country husband and wife duo, from Albuquerque via Chicago. There's a touch of the gothic in their stuff (the video, however, is uncharacteristic).

Behind every great man . . . a stimulant?

From Christopher Buckley's profile of his father (William F. Buckley, famous conservative) and mother in Sunday's NYT:

I looked at the blister pack of Ritalin, which Pup took for low blood pressure and energy. “How many Rits did we take yesterday?”

(Fully annoyed.) “What does Rit have to do with not sleeping?”

I still can’t say whether this stunner was denial or a “Firing Line”-quality countermove. I had made the (pretty obvious) point to Pup — 50 times over recent years? — that Ritalin, which acted on him as a stimulant, was no means to a good night’s sleep, especially if you took your final one of the day at dinnertime and washed it down with coffee.

WTF? This is a man in his eighties still taking speed. I must be naive, because I find this a little shocking, both because I keep imagining Buckely rocking arrogantly back in his Firing Line chair while high on dexidrine or some other speedy substance and that a dying man would continue the habit -- and it is a habit (an addiction) if you can't stop taking something in anticipation of sleep. It seems wrong, somehow, like an athlete using performance enhancing drugs. It's hard not to jump to conclusions. Buckley was a prolific, influential man, I can only assume, thanks to some substantial chemical help.

Roxy Music on Sound Opinions

I haven't been listening much to the Sound Opinions podcast, produced by two Chicago music critics. But I tuned into their show on rock and the literary (Rock Lit 101). Their first example, Bryan Ferry -- one of my heroes. From Roxy Music's second album, "In Every Dream Home a Heartache." And after all the moody lyrics, the song rocks.

Where's my trust fund?

According to a new Pew study, class in the U.S. matters a lot.

The truly amazing thing to me is that parental income isn't just crucial in getting to college, and getting through college -- its effects linger on, basically, in perpetuity. One of the most remarkable findings from the Pew Charitable Trusts' Economic Mobility Project is that a child from a family in the top income quintile who does not get a college degree is more likely to wind up in the top income quintile himself than a child from a family in the bottom income quintile who does get a college degree...

Bajofondo Tango Club

Cold Coffee

Prog rock from Uruguay.

The Flying Lizards