Well, Al, (obviously) I'm with you on the Dismemberment Plan! Hope you don't miss the show - I luckily caught them in Baltimore in March when I was in the US for a few weeks - probably my last chance (since they've "broken up", this last hurrah tour notwithstanding).

I've been meaning to mention - I picked up Death Cab For Cutie's SOMETHING ABOUT AIRPLANES, and like it a lot. But when listening, one of the first things that occured to me was some of the vocal-harmony/sound similarity to Built To Spill, and later I go to AMG's review and they mention the very same thing. So given your DCFC fandom, I'd say check out BTS's KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET if you haven't already.

Al -- I understand your reaction to Hall, but I submit that it still made for good "driving-across-East-Texas-in-November" music.

Then again, I feel more out of touch with "rock" than I ever have, especially when I can make sense of the words being sung. I mean, I'm so square I actually still like Sigur Ros and the albums the Red Crayola put out on International Artists. My ideas about indie music revolve around odd artifacts like Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks' WHERE'S THE MONEY?, Ghost's TEMPLE STONE, and the first two or three, really odd Tom Verlaine solo albums.

Even the more celebrated stuff leaves me wondering a bit. I recently picked up Wilco's "pre-mythologically-packaged" YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT. Fine, memorable songwriting (hum, hum; sounds good in the shower) is to be found within, but the confessional lyrics bugged the bejesus out of me, and I'm growing weary of the Chicago Indie Rock Mafia (Jim O'Rourke, et. al.) production flourishes. One too many Stereolab records in my collection, I suppose. You can dance to Situationalist critiques, but you can't bang your head to irony (Blue Oyster Cult excepted).

two tangential comments:

Al, you seem like you're implicitly dissing David Lynch soundtracks. I've never been a huge Badalamenti fan (although I wouldn't go out of my way to slam his work), but I just watched the newly remastered Eraserhead DVD this week (available from davidlynch.com), and OH MY GOD was the soundtrack amazing. I don't know anything about the sound designer (Alan Splet), but it was pretty prescient stuff, better than most of the demos I get almost thirty years later, even from established "name" artists.

Joe, totally with you on the lyrics to that Wilco record. seeing them live, without all the nice production touches (because that record is produced extremely well, tough to argue that), pretty much ended my short period of Wilco fandom, mostly because of the lyrics.

Vince, will do. Glad you're liking DCFC. Have you checked out lead singer Ben Gibbard's new project, The Postal Service? I have a strong suspicion you'll enjoy it. I'll look into BTS.

I have every Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and Wilco record with the exception of YHF. I heard a cut from it on Letterman and remember reacting the same way as Joe and Jon, funny as that may be. I still want to hear it though. I'm hoping for generous helpings of pedal steel.

Jon, it's not that I don't care for Badalamenti's music. It's a strong, working component to Lynch's films. I was, albeit in a roundabout way, commenting on its simplicity. On its own, his music does not work for me outside of the films. Halls of the Machine is similarly repetitive and the "hooks" I found to be very predictable. I'd rather listen to Course of Empire.

Get your hands on a copy of Built To Spill's "Live" CD to add to Vince's "Keep It Like A Secret" recommendation. It's an amazing rock record.

I'm with you on the DPlan. I saw them (and they were a blast, by the way) with Death Cab For Cutie last year on their Death and Dismemberment Tour. Too bad they're splitting up.

Listening to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for the second time through since purchasing it Friday. This is really, really dynamite Wilco. I haven't paid any attention to the lyrics I've been so moved by the progressions and arrangements. Tweedy and Co. never fail to impress. How deep is the divide between him and Jay Farrar? I've never quite understood. What I wouldn't give to hear those two collaborate again.

I do like what I have heard from this band, though:

Califone

(see: http://www.pastrysharp.com/)