Tally ho! Progress! And all that. Today I picked up my new audio equipment and soon enough, you’ll be able to hear Her Jazz in addition to reading it. Actually, my newfangled technological goodness is for a new series I am producing for WPRB. (But I can’t resist putting up some outtakes [and other odds'n'ends] here, you know?) You’ll be hearing more about it soon enough.

I went to see Robyn perform at the Highline Ballroom in NYC Tuesday night. I bought the tickets the nanosecond I got the announcement about her U.S. shows, but as the semester began creeping around the corner, I wasn’t entirely sure I could make it. But Lady Luck (or more specifically, some course scheduling wackiness) shone on me. What’s a word for something more ephemeral than ephemeral? ‘Cause that’s what Robyn’s performance felt like, in a good way. The room was packed to the gills and if she had run over her 30-minute (plus encore) set, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. You can read elsewhere the setlists and whatnot. The lone misstep (in my eyes!) was clubby, clunky electro version of “Bum Like You,” one of my favorite songs of hers. The strum-und-sparseness of the album version aches, the live adaptation just seemed too cheeky. (Who knew it was written with Chuck Bukowski in mind?) Otherwise, a flawless, energetic, charming set that I hope will stick out in my mind as 2008 steamrolls on.

The newest CaUSE Co-MOTION! 7″ arrived in the mail earlier this week and it’s a scorcher. Looking forward to their show on 2/19 at Johnny Brenda’s with fellow Brooklynites Blood on the Wall. (Note to self, and perhaps you: I/we/you still need to pick up Liferz!)

I am taking the rest of this school break to do… nothing. Well, nothing that doesn’t involve my job, personal administrative miscellany, getting a ton of exercise, or making stock for soups (which I am totally obsessed with right now). I know, I should be a bit more chatty here now that I’ve got downtime, but this prime time to get some ducks in a row. I have a really amazing project in the works, which you’ll hear about soon enough.

Speaking of “Soon Enough,” looks like Dallas Green (of Canadian post-hardcore dudes Alexisonfire) covered this tune. The vid’s crappy quality, but it sounds alright. I guess at this point I should remind you that the Cons have a new record coming out this year, which I can put on the short list of new releases I’m looking forward to: Breeders, Blood On the Wall, The Long Blondes, Oxford Collapse, and of course, the Constantines.

This event is a lot of fun — it’s like our own Zaireeka (kindofbutnotreally) and right up there with strange community ritual performances like the Mermaid Parade, Running of the Santas, and so on. So, don’t miss out. It’s BYOBB (Bring Your Own Boom Box), but I think they’ll have a couple loaners in case you show up without one.

A word of advice, inspired by the howling wind outside my window: “I went to ‘Unsilent Night’ and all I got was pneumonia because I failed to take into account the weather situation when dressing myself that morning” does not sound the least bit hilarious or cool if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to explain why you’re sick, nor does it make for a vaguely funny t-shirt slogan. A human body loses most of its heat through the head, so whatever you do, at the very least, make sure to wear a hat.

Check the Accuweather forecast for tomorrow »

I think people are getting really stressed out about their “Best of 2007″ lists. Totally understandable — how exactly do you ordinate a year’s worth of experience? (If you’re anything like me and thought this year was a total wash, then it’s more difficult.) So I give you two choices to de-stress: WPRB DJ Jon Solomon’s “Enter Snowman” column or Crystal Vibrations. Both are win-win.

When I look at these, the first thing to spring into my mind is the Evolution Control Committee’s infamous “Rocked By Rape”.

Redd Kross at the Santa Monica Pier, 1982. Love that quick shot of the girl’s face after a particularly loud shot of feedback.

Just like the title says kids, Alan Licht was at work last night, to discuss his new book (Sound Art, Rizzoli), “Ensemble” and the environmental elements affecting improvisational music. The talk culminated in a screening of Text of Light, an ongoing series of improv-music-meets-silent-film collaborations with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo. (This particular piece involved Stan Brakhage’s The Text of Light.) While the talk was a little on the dry side, the discussion of incidental sounds in performance gave me something to gnaw on for a couple hours.

Later, I caught Kinski at Johnny Brenda’s. While there was a small crowd (emphasis on small), a couple of the audience members took it upon themselves to document the performance with their cameras. I don’t object to people photographing shows at all, but the flashes were constant through the duration of the set. Some photogs only shoot for one song, others stretch it out to two or three — but that’s pretty generous. Consider putting down the camera if you can’t grab any good shots after a few songs! Anyway, while it may not have been incidental sound, it became an element of the performance nonetheless. But unlike Licht’s thought about external influences matching up to performance at hand, the non-stop flashes did little to enhance the action onstage. In fact, it detracted from the show overall. Way to ruin the fun, dudes.

Kinski were pretty great and their new record is a personal favorite (in a year where I’ve been pretty disappointed with music). The new songs hold up well live, but Kinski’s always been quite good at translating their records to the stage. It never really hit me until last night but “Dayroom At Narita Int’l” sounds more and more like an outtake from Watery Domestic, especially the frayed melodic structure of the guitar solos. I rarely listen to Pavement these days (sometimes I wonder if I actually ever liked them in the first place), but it’s funny how pervasive their influence is — creeping up when I least expect it.

(While it’s still fresh in my mind: Licht’s argument that improv can match up to the experience draws upon the concept of inverse presence, coincedentally.)

I’m only a couple chapters into Marc Masters’ forthcoming book, No Wave (Black Dog Publishing), and it’s fantastic. For once, believe the hype. Every page turn has a new quote that resonates with me on an intense personal level. I’d go into more detail, but I’d rather finish the whole damn thing first.

Not sure of the exact release date, but it should be due out stateside very soon. You can reserve a copy through Amazon, or just wait for it to hit your local, independent retailer.

Nope, I’m not making this up. Thursday and Friday there is a symposium on James Brown (!!!) at Princeton, and Xgau is coming into the studio to talk about it tomorrow:

On Wednesday 11/28 at 6:30PM EST, Matt (host of “Rhythm of the One”) will interview Robert Christgau, Ferris Fellow of Humanities at Princeton University and the “Dean of American rock critics”. He’ll discuss his work at Princeton, and the upcoming symposium “Ain’t that a Groove: The Genius of James Brown” presented by Center for African American Studies.

Visit WPRB and tune in. Personally, I would like to hear Xgau rate the record reviews we put on all the music in the library. That would be hilarious/awesome.

Thanks to Idolator, I was tipped off to the NYT article on “No Music Day”, which occurs this Wednesday, 11/21. I already participated in Shutdown Day 2007, so I think I’ll give it a shot.