via//chicago

np: "the skin of my yellow country teeth" - clap your hands say yeah

because one David Byrne wasn't enough. but seriously, this album is pretty fun and i'm excited to see them later this fall. anyway, i'm thinking about temporarily changing the name of this blog to via//miami or some shit, because my ass got rocked like a hurricane by Starlike Collision and Logic of Elliott last night at the Empty Bottle. the bands played as part of a benefit for Estrojam 2005 and both were in fine form, bringing Western Avenue a much needed Thursday night dose of rock action. LoE bassist Ella's channeling of Bon Scott on a devil-horn raising cover of "Highway to Hell" was a definite standout. seriously, go see one of these bands.

DangerDoom's The Mouse and the Mask has leaked and its pretty solid. the [Adult Swim] cameos are not as intrusive/out of place as i feared they would be, in fact they blend in pretty damn well with Doom's cartoony style and Dangermouse's beats. it's far from classic, and the novelty will probably wear out quickly, but for now i'm enjoying it much more than MM Food. the cameos from Ghostface and Talib Kweli are pretty hot, i can't wait for the Doom/Ghostface album. shit will be red-hot.

a few other random things i'm enjoying lately:
"John Wayne Gacy Jr." - Sufjan Stevens (harrowing track, this proves why the man is worthy of all the hype)
Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (unexpected direction for the band, great results)
Sour Patch Kids (best movie snack ever)
The Jungle - Upton Sinclair (makes your job seem not quite so bad)
Rocket From the Crypt (i wish i'd discovered these guys sooner)
sleep (never goes out of style)

and yeah, the Lolla and Intonation pics will be coming soon. promise.