1. Native Tongues poster children Black Sheep have a new release dropping next month after hibernating for the past 12 years of the rap game (Dres’ solo joint Sure Shot Redemption (1999) didn’t make many waves, despite being somewhat decent). I’d like to say I’m excited – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (1991) is easily my favorite hip hop record of all time – but after listening to a few forthcoming tracks on their MySpace page, I just can’t muster the enthusiasm. Dres sounds hungrier than ever, still retaining the sharp wit and clever lyrical puns of yesteryear, but the production is a tired re-hash of those stock “neo-soul” beats (“Be Careful”, “Sunshine”). Prediction: I’ll buy it anyway, of course, then chide myself for my unrealistic expectations.

2. There are a number of jazz records that are perfect sonic representations of this time of year in New England, when a blanket of bracing cool air sweeps across the city every evening, the traffic slowly dissipates, and the comforting glow of the streetlights subdues the neighborhood. Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Moments” resides here, epitomizing the inherency of the word “cool” and achieving an additional measure of timelessness with each passing year.

“Stolen Moments” – Oliver Nelson 8:46 (Blues and the Abstract Truth, Impulse! 1961)

3. With all the buzz surrounding the new season of HBO’s The Wire, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and see what the fuss was all about. I just finished the first season completely floored; “visual novel” really is the best phrase for it. How the writers skillfully managed to develop over 30 distinct and multi-dimensional characters over the course of 12 episodes is beyond my range of comprehension, but rarely have I viewed something so rewarding as this. I also love the lack of any kind of musical score for an additional facet of realism (ironically, being a film scoring major, my favorite cue is usually silence).

4. Mark Prindle has my vote for The Best Way to Kill Time at Your Desk and Laugh Your Ass Off. The man’s in-depth analysis of the Steppenwolf catalog alone is the stuff of legend.

5. While shopping at the otherwise satisfactory Eastside Marketplace the other day, I heard the following three atrocities piped through the store speakers, in order:

• “Set the Night to Music” – Starship
• “True Colors” – Phil Collins
• “A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That” – Carolyn Dawn Johnson

This is simply unacceptable. Who is responsible for this sort of programming? I can’t imagine a demographic that wouldn’t be, at the very least, slightly irritated by this kind of forced exposure to undoubtedly the disgraceful nadir in the history of popular music. If you haven’t had the pleasure of acquaintance with the third one, it’s notable for containing the most disgusting, maggot-infested, steaming mass of a guitar solo ever committed to tape. I had paid for my groceries and was out of the store before the next torrent of aural waste was dispensed.

6. Is it too early to start thinking about holiday gifts? Instead of my usual list of records this year, I’ve decided to make it easier. Please note that it must say “di Parma” somewhere on the package.

7. I love getting all riled up by sites like the ridiculously-named DigitalDreamDoor.com, which has one of the largest collections of absurdly amateurish, grossly uninformed music lists on the web. My favorite is the “100 Greatest Hip Hop Producers” list, which throws criteria such as innovation and influence out the window for old reliables: safety and popularity. Pete Rock holds a disgraceful #13, Diamond D is slapped in the face at #49, and Madlib, Large Professor, and J. Dilla are even lower than that. Dr. Dre, unsurprisingly, holds the #1 spot.

8. Suddenly I wondered aloud, “Where the hell did the last two hours go?”

9. Anita Baker has always been my girl, and Rapture (1986) has been sounding really good lately in between spurts of Mastodon and Carcass (still not out of my metal phase just yet). Combine 2 parts husky voice of seduction, 1 part watery bassline, 2 parts original songwriting, and 3 parts sultry sexiness and you’ll get “Been So Long.”

“Been So Long” – Anita Baker 5:10 (Rapture, Atlantic 1986)

10. I was glad to see that John Zorn was one of the recipients of a MacArthur Fellowship this year; as one of the hardest-working musicians today, the man certainly deserves it. What I’m not looking forward to is the forthcoming surge in the amount of Zorn product unleashed to the masses, courtesy of Tzadik, for which the term “quality control” has no meaning. Thus, I can reasonably expect the following treats within the next year or so:

• The Explanations, Vols. 1-4. Four discs worth of behind-the-scenes studio commentary, where John Zorn divulges the secrets to deciphering his unreadable scores! Listen to Zorn spend over 45 minutes explaining the complexities of a six-bar movement in his Adagio for Hamster Wheel Quartet!
• The Take-Out Orders of The East Village. Listen to John Zorn describe his favorite Thai eateries in his neighborhood, along with actual phone orders placed to said restaurants!
• Filmworks, Vol. XXVII. Having completely exhausted all contacts for film work, John Zorn turns to the medium of malfunctioning televisions, composing cues for various types of poor reception and deafening static! Featuring Yamantaka Eye on vocals/screams, Jamie Saft on white noise, and Mike Patton on bowel movements.