Not counting “Airplane”, I haven’t watched a movie from beginning to end since “Blue Car” on Memorial Day. I guess moving and movies don’t mix that well. However, I have been listening to a lot of new music. For Splendid next week, I’ll review Natacha Atlas (who did a mesmerizing version of “I Put A Spell On You” that appeared in the film “Divine Intervention”), Allday Afternoon (painfully mediocre Chapel Hill post-Hootie band) and The Boxing Lesson, a somewhat pretentious but intriguing brit-influenced Californian combo.

I’m also having the most trouble making a sound clip for the Jayhawks CD I reviewed this week. It’s a tad scratched, and my CD-Rom drive won’t play it (at least without it skipping madly). So, I tried taking it in to CD Spins, because they claim they repair CDs. Well, in truth, they send it to a warehouse and the whole damn process takes two weeks. At least I found a copy of DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing”, which I bought without hearing a single track. I was hoping for the spiritual forerunner of the Avalanches, and that’s about right, only more ambient and chilled (and a little quirkier).

I also just listened to Lucinda William’s latest, “World Without Tears”, all the way through. I still haven’t fully digested her last one, “Essence”, but it’s on loan from Tom, so I wanted to hear it. It’s a demanding record, and I need to hear it a few more times. It’s livelier than “Essence”, at least, but better? That I can’t say yet.

Looking forward to eventually getting new records from Fountains of Wayne, The Pernice Brothers, and maybe Liz Phair. Her long awaited new album sounds both interesting and frightening. I’ve already read about comparisons to Sheryl Crow (Phair’s softer work isn’t that far off from Crow’s edgier stuff anyway) and Avril Lavinge (ick). Hmm, maybe I should just save my money for the Punch-Drunk Love DVD…