Pleonastic Ephemera

2.15.2004 posted by William 13:00 link

I listened to The Shins album (well, both of them) once and was less than impressed. None of the songs grabbed me and the whole thing was smooth and bland, like plain vanilla yogurt. But I listened again the next day because no album can ever be dismissed before three listens, and my ears pricked up -- was that a hook? Yes, wait, there's another -- they're everywhere! It's full of catchy melodies that sound at various points like the New Pornographers, Beach Boys, Essex Green, early Kinks or Floyd, everything and the kitchen sink, and it works well. I saw them at Irving last night thanks to Christian. Highly recommended. I'm glad Kucinich gets a little press even though it's far too late, and most would say it was always too late. I'm going to reprint the first two graphs in case you don't click on the link: SAN FRANCISCO -- It was 7 p.m., well into the killing hours at the Sunnydale Housing Project. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) had been whisked in the back of a van to the project's deadliest corner, the boundary between two warring gangs that police believe are responsible for eight or nine murders in the city so far this year. The Democratic presidential candidate, in a navy pin-striped suit, jumped from the van to greet waiting residents. Two dozen people marching in a circle at the corner, as they do every Friday evening in a rally for peace in their streets, let out whoops of hello as he approached them. "This is great!" Kucinich said, smiling to his ears. He knelt down to hug two little girls who rushed to welcome the first presidential candidate to visit this part of San Francisco in as long as anyone could remember. This man needs to be president.