courtesy of preshrunk.

Pitchfork loved it. I was skeptical — not too long ago it seemed like Montreal could do no musical wrong, so I downloaded Wolf Parade's last two EPs and was unimpressed.

But Apologies to the Queen Mary is good, and you should get it. Two things, though:

1. Who mixed the drums? You guys should probably fire him. Also, the guy who miked the drums. And the guy who sold you the kit. It sounds like somebody's pounding on an unusually flimsy cardboard box. And do you even own a bass drum? On some songs this works out fine, but on the uptempo numbers you could really use a driving rhythm section. Maybe I've just been prejudiced by all these recent dance rock albums; I donno. But the album frequently sounds anemic.


2. We need to set up some sort of background-check system for young men buying Modest Mouse albums, so that it can be determined prior to purchase that they're not planning to pursue careers as rock vocalists. Cause this shit has gotten out of hand: approximately every new front man in indie rock now apes either Isaac Brock or David Byrne. Oddly, with Wolf Parade it's not to conceal an inability to actually sing. But they still do it. It's not super-irritating, it's just a little more boring than it could be.

It may surprise you to learn that since Catherine left I have played exactly zero games of Halo. In fact, I've barely played any video games at all. Instead I've been immersing myself in a number of tech projects (one of which should launch later this week). But that can only last for so long. Soon enough I'll ease myself back into the lifestyle of a dissolute twentysomething guy.

On that note, have I mentioned how much I love the WWE? Sure, I don't watch it as much as I used to. But tonight's broadcast of RAW is some sort of three-hour spectacular celebrating the program's return to the USA network, and it's providing an excellent way to reacquaint myself.

Tonight the backstage is packed with luminaries of yesteryear. Tatanka? Hacksaw Jim Duggan? Ted "The Million Dollar Man" DiBiase? Yup, they're all here. Hell, Ric Flair is even still wrestling, if you can believe that. The sight of his overtanned hide flopping around evokes both nostalgia and disgust, like the "salmon loaf" entree that my parents inexplicably served during my childhood.

There's something very compelling about professional wrestling. No, I don't think it's the homoeroticism. No, I don't think it's because I'm stupid. Well, it's not just because of that, anyway. It's that it's a very specific and unappreciated dramatic art, with its own tricks, terminology, traditions and code of honor. It's only fake in the way that a circus performance is fake: there are real feats being performed. But they may not be the ones you think; and (of course), despite the stated motivation they're actually being done for no particular reason. Other than spectacle, that is.

There's a minimalist aesthetic working in wrestling's favor, too. The in-ring promos are just two people playing broad archetypes, with perhaps one prop. The crowd — which, yes, is in on the joke — adds its contribution, not only with boos and cheers, but, in recent years, with specific, formalized chants. Greek chorus, anyone?

Finally, there's the industry's seedy underbelly. The backstage fights; the injuries; the predatory business dealings made possible by the WWE's monopoly. And, of course, the drama is aided by the fact that seemingly every performer is or has been addicted to painkillers (or worse). Anybody else see this? If you haven't, keep an eye out the next time you're at Blockbuster and in the mood for a harrowing documentary. It's fascinating, I swear.

The quality of the product goes in cycles. I tend to get bored after a few weeks. But when a show is well-booked and well-executed, it's pretty goddamn entertaining. I'm not saying it isn't stupid. I'm just saying that more thought goes into this particular type of stupidity than you might imagine.

crapola. when i went to the dreaded ticketmaster to buy new pornographer tickets, i found out the show was sold. out. nearly three weeks in advance. and i thought i was being clever, buying tickets this early. THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN D.C.! mostly because chicago has about 10 billion times the hipsters that d.c. does, but still.

i am sad. can anyone help a sister out?

I know Harvey Danger has some fans around these parts. You might be interested to hear that the band is giving its latest album away. Not streaming, not samples — the whole thing. Here are their reasons why; here's the download. I hope this pays off for them.