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Four stars, without ifs or buts, both to Sleater and to those who write about them. The best all-girl band in history, unfortunately never quite appreciated here in Italy. I would avoid delving into feminism; let's just say they were quite intelligent and ironic, known for some fierce barbs aimed at a few idiotic male colleagues and very strong positions against some macho bands like Korn. It's not even relevant that two of them were in a relationship for a while. The only things that matter, besides their intelligence, are the immense energy (I've seen them live) and an ability to write pieces that are nothing short of monstrous. Always regrettable.

Boh... look, I'll tell you, today I listened to it with headphones while pruning the hibiscuses (I say this only because I think I’m the only idiot in the world who listens to Mogwai while pruning hibiscuses at full volume in mp3), and it left me a bit there. I mean, it seemed like it would never end and when I got to Lionel Richie I came back up. The more I listen to it, the less I fall in love with it. But maybe on Thursday, after the concert, I’ll adore it. Damn, I’d like to say something even dumber, but I’m going to sleep.

Here I am. So, regarding the crime of lesse majesty, I have to review PJ and the Mogwai! Otherwise, what am I even doing here? In reality, while I found PJ's album right away from the dealer down the street, of course in vinyl, this one is still spinning in mp3 (I wasn’t in the mood to spend the usual fifty bucks on the pre-ordered box). So I don’t have a clear thought yet; Grand Prix seems huge to me, and I would have loved a whole album of electro-pop like that, but then I'd miss the guitars, which don’t seem to reach historical levels either. The usual cuteness, appreciated by fans but certainly not irresistible. Speaking of Grand Prix, maybe a Formula One driving on autopilot? @Blecchino, I do more things on Saturday morning than you do in a month: court officers, GIP clerk office, a file of a hundred pages, gym, picking up ironed shirts, weekly grocery shopping, stopping by the flea market and haggling for a pair of LPs... and I’m getting back to Isaac Hayes, aloha!

Baf, more than time, which already delineates the difference between feeling and listening (in this regard, just a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that idiot Hornby who, despite being a reviewer for the Guardian, claimed he wouldn’t have the time to understand Kid A, that time needing to be dedicated to reading fiction, when in reality I believe he was actually watching Arsenal and getting drunk, but everyone does what they want in life, just shut up after), it was really a matter of means of listening. It’s rather funny that I get tangled up in such a question, having grown up on cassette tapes of debauched punk, but so be it. But that dozen or so little bands that care more about the sound than anything else, wouldn’t it be worth giving them a chance by really listening to them? Last night I was re-listening to Rid of Me, which I’ve already morbidly indicated as one of those albums you can’t ignore if you’ve been recording guitars for the last twenty years (it’s one of the few albums I have on both vinyl and CD), and still, having listened to it more than a hundred times, I discovered new things. For heaven's sake, I might be aging poorly, but this thing where, despite having stopped playing, I know the time and effort it takes to find the right sound, and you try it on a thousand systems before releasing it, and then people judge you based on what comes out of the Mac, irritates me a bit. After all, that for a matter of time and money, one makes a pre-selection to decide what to really listen to, is perfectly fine. But one thing is minding your own business, another is passing judgment, that's all. @Gabri, after so many years, can we disagree on one thing? Sound isn’t felt, it’s listened to. Thanks for the tip on Wire; if fewer customers were getting arrested, I would have happily gone to see them. @Isi, I don’t want to annoy sfascia, as usual, but Jovanotti mentioned Lady Gaga as one of the albums you can’t ignore in recent years... no thanks. @Bartolo, come on, the cap understands my irony. Maybe.

Cazzarola, but almost the entire intelligentsia of the site is here (after all, we’re talking about the smartest group on the planet), I was just missing to shoot some nonsense. But I haven’t listened to it yet. And, I ask, dear colleagues, has anyone "listened to" it? I mean, since it only came out in mp3 and wav, has anyone at least taken the trouble to put it on a CD and play it in a player? Because the clear feeling is that records are just listened to nowadays (in fact, cptgaio asks if the punisher has heard it, not if he has listened to it). So what are we talking about here? Certainly not music. Now, no one expects everyone to be like Psycho, and sometimes even I, who have to wait for the record to spin, but, damn, how can you talk about Radiohead after having "heard almost the entire album on YouTube," as someone says? They must have worked on it for two years to bring out who knows what sounds (let’s leave aside whether it turned out crap or a masterpiece) and it’s discussed like the latest Jovanotti song heard on MTV. At least for those four idiots who care about producing something decent, wouldn’t it be a good idea to try actually listening? It’s really just a question because the fact that a whole series of enthusiasts, like those present here, don’t listen anymore, but just limit themselves to hearing, perplexes me greatly. Aloha. P.S.: Of course, the page is entertaining, as always with the punisher.

Oh... finally a bit of healthy nonsense... I could almost get into an argument with that old fool with ears lined with bondola from the Captain, but the second half of Gunners-Barça awaits me. So, shall we go for the full house, both Mogwai and Arbouretum? On the first two matters: is it necessary to buy the ticket in advance? Is Josi hosting me/us? Let that premature ejaculation Blech handle both. As for Arbour: Blech can come (another time), only if he brings a bunch of chicks: we will wait for him in vain. Gabri, on the other hand, is very welcome, if she can make it, to both. @Nes: Padova is hosting on the 1st, on the 2nd Circolo degli artisti, on the 3rd Pescara.

@Bartolino! Now that's how you really got into it, a hundred posts and a lot of back-and-forth! This vacuum is really saddening me: not even Trottola has stopped by to leave a fart, who knows what the hell she’s up to! You have a memory, I don’t, and I can’t remember if you went to see Arbouretum at Magnolia. My idea, already suggested to the current Ole, would be to have our annual concert at Unwound on April 1st (no joke), for the aforementioned ones presenting their new album (which, by the way, I still haven't heard). It would be a Friday night: I know it's tough for you, but you could even take the train to VR, then I can pick you up. Let me know.

So, besides 'fuck you, good luck, may the mail be with you!

Hello to the dear passersby:-). @Boredom, what a memory... it seems quite different from White Chalk, both in writing (what I criticized there was mostly the piano writing of a non-pianist) and in the attitude, which is present here and absent there. @Mushroom, you take home a nice 'fuck you: damn, I'm so envious of her in Berlin!

Merden, how's that saying go? The devil makes the pots, etc.? I sent it too last night. Damn, I write two reviews a year and I still end up with a duplicate! Argh! Well, I'll give the album four too.