Big news-day roundup hottness.

First up on the docket, Why, oh why, Interpol, did you agree to play Twiropa? Furthermore, why is Twiropa booking so many shows all of a sudden? They obviously don't give a shit about live music - at least not enough to make the mix listenable. I saw White Bitch and TV on the Radio and it was terrible - about half of White Bitch's mix was inaudible and TV on the Radio's set suffered from fluctuating vocal levels and poorly balanced guitars. Fuck, even Mermaid Lounge, with its old-ass setup, was able to provide a better mix. If Twiropa is going to become the venue of choice, then they'd better get their shit together. It's a nice looking space and, yes, they're possibly not as douchey as House of Blues, but they still need to have some consideration for those of us who appreciate being able to hear the music when we go to a show. Not much I can do about it, though.

On the other hand, Prefuse 73's new record looks hottttter than the center of the sun. El-P and Ghostface? Sweet. Could be a huge clusterfuck, but as nothing yet from the Herren camp has been, I'm definately looking forward to it. Plus, he said he had to cut out an hour of material to bring the album down to a releaseable length. Outtakes, anyone? Dropping March 22, with a new single in late Feb.

Also on the 22nd, the Decemberists' new record, Picaresque, gets released. It'll probably be inoffensively pleasant and everyone who hears it will like it. Then Colin Melloy will run for President along with the Shins and they'll carry the coasts and Nebraska. Will it be enough? Depends on Ohio. Chris Walla of DCFC fame will be producing the record. Or, rather, has already produced it.

Ah, well. The new WTUL DJ schedule comes up this weekend. I'll be posting my show time as soon as I've got it.