The jackpot in tonight’s Super 7 lottery is a cool $25,000,000 Loonies. That’s a lot of scratch. I’ve bought a couple tickets, and in anticipation of my impending windfall (I am SO due!), I’ve decided to do a little something for all my readers. If I win tonight – and I’m not talking whole jackpot, let’s say more than $10,000,000 – I will buy everyone who responds to this post a large, 3-topping pizza. You have to leave me your proper email address, but you have my word that if I do end up filthy rich, I will kick-start my inevitable transformation into a raving eccentric with a giant world-wide pizza party.

Mogwai’s new long-player, Happy Songs For Happy People, drops on June 10th. Eardrums everywhere tremble in fear.

np – Rilo Kiley / The Execution Of All Things

This from Fluxblog – The Kronos Quartet doing a string arrangement of Television’s “Marquee Moon”. I think it’s masterful, but I am a sucker for strings and for Television covers. I’m not sure how long the link will stay active, but I’ve saved it and will probably make it my mp3 of the week at some point.

The track is from a double disc compilation called Rubaiyat : Elektra’s 40th Anniversary which features a slew of Elektra artists doing covers of other Elektra artists. It’s out of print now, but is definitely going on the eBay watch list. There’s some damned good stuff on there.

“Guitar with just enough twang to remind me that girls who smell good don’t like me.”

I think I’ve just found the perfect phrase to describe my musical aspirations. I lifted the above quote off the webpage for The Scud Mountain Boys. It’s a great line, and one that deserves to be immortalized in these virtual pages.

We are currently being buried under ice pellets and freezing rain, and this is supposed to carry on through tomorrow and maybe into the weekend. It’s quite obvious that we’ve displeased the weather gods somehow, and they are punishing us. I will be going onto the roof to sacrifice a goat after dinner.

np – The Scud Mountain Boys / Massachusetts

Okay, I’m not usually video game giddy, but Metal Gear Solid 2 : Substance is out for PC now. It wasn’t entirely clear to me before why I went out an bought a new computer last month, but it is obvious now – I was preparing for this day. Or not this day, specifically, but the day about a week and a half ago when the game was released… without my knowledge… and I probably wouldn’t have known if Kyle hadn’t told me… Fine – maybe it’s all a little less divinely-inspired than I’d like. But I still need to get this game. I finished Metal Gear Solid something like five times on two different platforms. I could finish that game in my sleep. It was so good. I hear in this one you don’t get to take the ‘kill em all and let the coroner sort em out’ tactic quite so much, and there’s more stealthiness required. I dunno, I don’t do stealthy so well.

Radiohead are not happy about the fact that their new album is all over the internet. Not so much for the fact that it’s being traded, but because this is still not a final mix and they would prefer that works they regard as being unfinished and not up to their standards be widely available.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a giant squid post, and I know you’re all really disappointed by that, but I make it up to you now with a colossal squid post. Check that mofo out – that is one bad-ass mollusc.

np – Elf Power / A Dream In Sound

I picked up the new Idlewild disc this evening. On first impression, The Remote Part is big, passionate, anthemic and despite being really outwardly pop, it’s leaving me oddly unmoved. I’m not too worried about being disappointed though – I felt the same way with 100 Broken Windows and after a little while that one suddenly smacked me upside the head like the fish-slapping dance.

I feel a little bad that I’ve had to decline invitations to see Flirt play the last two times out. I don’t see Al and Joe enough as is, but I’m just worn out tonight. Not getting enough sleep, and I don’t expect to be able to rectify that anytime soon. Friday night, The Delgados show. Then Saturday night I gotta wake up early to haul my butt out to lord only knows where for Scott’s paintball/bachelor party. Maybe I’ll just find a nice tree hollow somewhere and try to sleep, capping the ass of anyone who dares come near. Then to top it all off, Sunday kicks off this year’s edition of daylight savings time … Or does it wrap it up? Either way, this is the crappy one where we lose an hour of sleep. Damned farmer time.

I’m sitting here looking at my calender, and a couple of things strike me. One, I have a list of things I’d intended to do this week, and it looks an awful lot like last week’s list of things to do. I suspect this goes beyond usual procrastination. Something is up, and I’m not sure entirely what. Two… It’s April 2003. Which is not far off from May 2003. Ten years is a bloody long time, isn’t it? It’s one of those chronological intervals that prompts people to issue stamps, air retrospective television specials or digitally remaster and reissue with bonus tracks. It’s a good round number. A good time to reflect on some things, unload some things, put some things to rest maybe once and for all. It’s been a long time. I hope it’s been long enough.

Yes, I know I’m a cryptic bastard. Deal with it.

np – Idlewild / The Remote Part

In reviewing my referrer logs, it seems that the bulk of my hits these days come from people looking for mp3s of the new Radiohead album. Sorry folks, don’t have none. But here’s a link to a fellow who does have them. I haven’t heard any of it – I’ve got this weird thing about waiting till the day of release to buy and hear an eagerly anticipated album. But you go on ahead and enjoy, I don’t mind. I’ll catch up in June. And don’t say I never do anything for you.

My Morning Jacket are coming to the Horseshoe on May 6. This is a show that would normally appeal to me, but the timing stinks. I’ve got a show on Friday night, then Monday night. Tuesday would be a little too much to handle. To say nothing of the fact that it’s expensive ($15). I had been really keen to see them when they opened for Doves last year, but couldn’t get around to going. And now I will probably miss them again. Which is a shame because I hear terrific things about their live show. Alas.

And speaking of shows, tonight I have the option of seeing either Kathleen Edwards at the Horseshoe or Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Rivoli. Sadly, I will probably go to neither cause… well, no one else has expressed an interest and I don’t think I’ll be in ‘standing around in a bar on a Wednesday night alone’ sorta mood today. But I’m not ruling out any 11th hour change of mind. Anyone want to provide me some compelling arguments? Note that you’re up against a new episode of The West Wing tonight – some stiff competition, to be sure.

Brad is getting me a copy of the I Am Trying to Break Your Heart DVD from his work with his employee discount. It’s handy to know people who know people. I’m very excited about it – but I will have to figure out how to capture the audio off the DVD in a way to burn a CD from it.

Go read today’s Get Fuzzy. It’s great.

np – Idlewild / 100 Broken Windows