conceptualist v. concept driven...annoying distinction, but needed. john cage, a man i wish i knew more about than the sort of exploded cliches i've adopted for party chatter about idea over action. of course, others did it at the time - stockhausen and his om - but cage really explored it with all types of compositions - from radios, speaking, silence (argh, i'd love to bring a boom box to 4' 33" and get kicked out...oh, another of my musical audience annoyance pranks has been hatched), and of course, tape loops. ahh, to live in california in the '40s. all that concrete, all those pinko minds.

nina nastastia - good stuff - sort of like a country rasputina sans annoying super-fake vibrato. always trust touch and go, even in the promo. very inoften do i approve of extended jams where the strings, usually cello, is allowed to come out from the mix and have melodic dominance, but the song 'ocean' really gets me. she's not even country, she's just cat power without the twirled-hair ignorance and coy downplay, tory without the stigma or harpsichord (or overuse of breathy delivery)...

also, the new pop writer for the new york times who covered nelly today is trying to do some sort of 'larger commentary' on society with his bs about mr. cornell (i love finding out the real names of monikered stars, guilty pleasure) being a posterchild for the mundane, army-brat midwest existence. st. louis is everywhere, and nelly the every man. let's take off all our clothes.