If 13 ghosts weren’t a band but a married couple, the story of how they formed, disbanded, and reunited years later after the original bass player’s funeral would have already made the daytime talk show circuit. So, if anyone from “Oprah” is reading, what are you waiting for?
On to the music… There’s a saying in Michigan, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes.” Same could be said of 13 ghosts’ latest, Cicada, which introduces new genres, styles, instruments, formats, etc. every few minutes. However, I’d recommend against skipping ahead. While the album has its clear standout tracks (“Robert J.” among them), you really need to spend all 62 minutes with the album in order to fully appreciate it. Brad Armstrong and Buzz Russell split songwriting duties (which could explain their wandering style) and finish each other’s thoughts like the old friends that they are. Together they build a collaborative narrative — one soaked in beer and nostalgia — that would be a shame to interrupt. The number of “sounds like” comparisons I’ve read in reviews could fill the screen and I’m already running long, so I’ll just say this: enjoy the weather.
As I spent this weekend in NYC for the 
Today’s post is dedicated to Serge and Sabrina, who today will marry in a Manhattan loft overlooking the Hudson river. Serge’s taste in music splits pretty evenly between ’80s one-hit wonders and old timey bluegrass. Sabrina’s…well, let’s just say her request list for the wedding mix included 
I never really cared for the meandering freak-folk outfit Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice. To be fair, I haven’t listened to everything they released — if I had that much free time I could finish my Master’s degree — but what I did hear seemed to require an accompanying prescription to hallucinogens to be appreciated. So it’s strange that I even stopped to check out founding member James Toth’s solo record. But I did and I really dig it. Toth seems to have holed himself away from the world, or at least his cumbersome collective, and stripped his mystical and spiritual meditations down to their hypnotic core. Even his moments of self-indulgence are done with humor and innocence, such as his “okay” vocal tick on this track. I may be able to join this cult after all…
I’m still recovering from 
Okay, all you saps, here’s one for your Valentine’s Day playlist… Portland’s Parks and Recreation craft completely over-the-top pop pastiche with a wistfull underbelly. Fits nicely alongside 
It’s been saddening for me to watch this whole Danish cartoon scandal go down because Denmark has always sat on a pedestal in my memory after I spent a few of the more peaceful and pleasing days of my life there back in 1999. Not much I can do about the recent events, except for this small gesture of distraction: Slaraffenland’s slow-burning instrumental jazz/rock goodness from Denmark, done with the effortless, artful precision Danes ought to be known for.
Clay’s 
It’s been a wild and wonderful past week, beginning with our baby daughter arriving much earlier than expected. All is well, except she’s tiny and needs to get bigger. My wife and I finally took a moment to play back the week via iPhoto slideshow. We selected Gregor Samsa’s “Young and Old” (from their forthcoming debut full-length 55:12) as the soundtrack. So understand that I’m heavily under the influence (cf. Jon’s