Song 2 for this CD is giving me a lot of trouble. I re-listened to the Jazzanova that I have and nothing there is quite what I'm loking for. In fact, I think I'm moving Jazzanova down to where the six organs/tortoise song was.

So much so that I really want to just use the Blur song "Song 2." However, I think that song is still a little to recent to get away with that -- meaning not old enough to get "retro" points and not quite new enough to be current. Here are my current thoughts:
1) Chinese song --> I have some Chinese folk songs available and one or two, "Racing Horses" especially, is rather fast and a longtime personal favorite
2) The Magnificents --> Digital Dirt or Blueprint -- both are pretty uptempo and might make pretty good uptempo songs, I'm just not sure how they're going to transition from some jazz-rock trumpet wailing
3) Pearl Jam --> go back to(one of) my favorite album(s) and the one that seemed to mark the end of a love affair for the world. "Spin the Black Circle," "Not for You," "Whipping."

that's all for today

Alright, you gotta start it hot and heavy, so I think I'm gonna lead off with

1) Chase - Get it on
2) Jazzanova - (song under debate)

Then kind of alt-folk around with

3) The Evens - Shelter Two (for the chorus of "it's all downhill from here")
4) Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day
5) Canasta - Slow Down Chicago
6) The Neins - (?)

Transition out of that and into "indie" set

7) The Wrens -
8) Torpedo - Declare despair
9) Seven Feet Four - Last Days of Summer

Into energy set

10) The Russian Futurists -
11) Juliet -
12) ??Caribou?? -

Back to alt
11) Faraquet
12) The Sames - In Liberty Lights
12) Torpedo - Declare Despair

A little Metal
14) C Average

Close it out and slow it down
15) The Magnificents
16) Six Organs of Admittance
17) Comets on Fire

We'll see how long this lasts

edit(s): fixing/adding song titles throughout day

So it's been a rather up and down past ten days but I think my optimism is finally reasserting itself.

Some good news:

1) My evolutionary interests are reasserting themselves thanks to finding cool new evolution/science blogs with lots of intelligent people (see: Pharyngula, evolgen)

2) More music love (post to follow shortly), and I'm going to try and begin a weekly "column" on music in case my brother decides to actually revive his mostly defunct web review site.

3) Chicago was a lot of fun and it was good to reunite the "fearsome foursome" although the loss of La Pasadita was a fell blow indeed.

Bad news:

1) I'm single again (I think -- late developments have made this process slightly more ambiguous or at least opened the possibility that my status may change again soon)

2) I spent the weekend in bed reading old cliche'd (not sure how to make that a word) fantasy books and eating bad junk food

3) I'm broke. Nothing relating to this website but more the fact that cars are expensive and such. Oh well

A days worth of digging for new bands yields a few promising leads

1) The Sames - good ol' indie/garage rock that is kind of like The Strokes but better (and I love The Strokes)
2) The Village Arena - melodic punk rock from LA
3) Temper Temper - post-punk + Danzig vocals
4) The Russian Futurists - pretty cool, keyboards and some neat effects and fuzzy bass. (via fluxblog)

So, I am part of a group that puts together music that each member is listening to of late. May is my month so I am trying to put together my compilation for the group. It should be accurate and yet there is a little drive to impress.

So far, my hypothetical CD goes as follows (I might sidebar this so I don't just keep posting variations):

there isn't an order yet (or even a song since I'm at work)

The Evens
The Magnificents
The Wrens
Chase
Jazzanova
Comets on Fire
Canasta
The Neins
Helio Sequence

Other possibles:
Vienna Teng (sf area folk-ish piano)
Joanna Newsom (sf area fok-ish harp)
Loquat (extra sf local, pop-ish)
Pearl Jam (to remind people they exist)
Blur (alternate band for the same reason)
British Sea Power
Tortoise
+/-

I am still looking for a few more songs so if anyone wants to tos an mp3 my way, feel free.

Whales off the starboard bow! Ahoy mates, well, I wasn't on a ship but I did go visit Point Reyes on the Northern California coast and what should I see but four frolicking whales! It was interesting and pictures will be added shortly.

Crisis = Danger + Opportunity debunked (prety effectively for me) and also some criticism of the term laowai here.

bye for now.