2001-05-26 - 3:18

And she knows I've used that line before

I just found out that Yo La Tengo played Montreal and Toronto two weekends ago. Yo La Tengo is definitely near the top of my list of bands that I must see live and I missed them again. A weekend show is so easy to see, too--no need to worry about missing work to travel. D'oh. Somebody needs to tell me these things . . . I can't keep track of every band.

In the past three days, I've received three shipments from CDNow; I bought 2 CDs while I was in Houston; and I also recently picked Tool's latest release. (I wanted to hear Tool as soon as it came out, but my ears were still ringing from the Nashville Pussy concert, so I thought I'd wait and not diminish the unveiling.) So yes, it's new music time around here.

I'm definitely a sucker for CDs. Island put out two versions of PJ Harvey's "Good Fortune" single. Each single has that song, exactly as it is on the album, plus "Memphis" and a differing third song. Of course, I bought each. Then, in Houston, I saw the Australian version of "Good Fortune," which places all four songs on one disc and adds 3 videos. Yes, I bought that, too.

I am more inclined to listen to the songs when they're all together; and the videos were cool to see. Now I need to find someone who wants the original singles, though, since they've been superseded. I've also been replacing some of my CDs with Japanese import versions, which contain extra tracks, and giving away my originals.

The singles and imports are a mixed bag. A single like Nick Cave's "As I Sat Sadly By Her Side" is solid, because it adds two interesting songs. Other times, the extras aren't very impressive. And once in a while, I find something like the Tricky song "Bombing Bastards," which is so cool, I can't believe that it didn't make the cut for Juxtapose. Surely it would have been a better addition to the lineup than the pointless remix of "Hot Like a Sauna."

J.