Seattle’s KEXP is easily one of the finest radio stations on the continent, at least in my puny frame of reference. There’s not one station (besides the CBC) that I will listen to within reception range of me, though not having a radio tuner certainly helps with that decision, but I gladly turn on the KEXP webcast when I’m not spinning a CD or something. I remember being stopped in my tracks in the hostel in Seattle last year as I realized that the great music being piped through the PA wasn’t the staff’s CD collection but the radio.

Anyway, the point of this besides adding to my word count is that KEXP is releasing Live at KEXP Vol. 1 August 23 and it will offer up 19 excellent tracks from artists such as Sea Ray (pictured here at KEXP), Belle & Sebastian and Rilo Kiley, all culled from sessions for the radio station. Pitchfork has more deets. You can wade through KEXP’s live archives online, but the CD will be worth having regardless.

Want another reason Wilco is the best band in the world right now? They do a mean, unironic Captain & Tenille cover (via Muzzle Of Bees). As the band’s current tour winds its way through the northeast, the media trail follows. Check out these pieces from The Boston Herald, Buffalo News and Pulse Niagara. They’re playing in Buffalo on Wednesday.

The Montreal Mirror gets Feist to muse at the eclectic and unpredictable nature of her crossover appeal. Feist reaches out to all peoples this Friday with a free Canada Day show at Harbourfront.

Some sneak previews – an Icelandic newspaper gets a first listen to the new Sigur Ros album, which is completed and mixed and should be released this Fall, and Billboard offers a preview of My Morning Jacket’s Z, out September 20.

Despite absolutely zero interest from MTV (they asked) and the risk of a “cease and desist” if they keep using the name, Joe Pernice is pushing forward with his dream of creating the indie rock Cribs. Episode 2 is up… In this episode, Joe tries to get insurance. “It’s religious music”.

Dear NME: Two of the four Stone Roses getting together onstage is not a fucking reunion.

All music bloggers should add this to their bookmarks – Snobsite is the self-proclaimed home of the Rock Snob’s Dictionary! While the tone is kind of snarky, it’s actually pretty informative and it’s all tongue-in-cheek. I think.

Chuck Klosterman composes his list of 10 Things That Aren’t The Best Albums Of The Past 20 Years for Spin.

It’s not escaped my attention that while I’ve gotten pretty good at photography in the worst possible lighting conditions (read: concerts), I’m still not very good in less trying conditions like, oh, daylight. Since it’s going to be important in the near future for me be able to take decent pictures somewhere besides Lee’s Palace, I’ve decided to get some practice shooting in different, more colourful locales. And what’s more different and colourful than the annual Pride parade? Sure, it doesn’t hurt that the parade route goes by one block from my building, but I figured it’d be fun to head down and take in some of the spectacle. Here’s the results. My goodness some of those guys are in shape.

You may note I’m running a little Doves contest up in the corner. I’m more distracted by the fact that the banner graphic does not line up properly with the other interface elements. Anal retentiveness… kicking in… I will have to fix that tonight. In the meantime, email me to enter and win junk. I promise to only sell HALF the entries to spam lists, so if you happen to win the prize and not get an inbox full of Viagara offers, it’s like you’ve won twice! Thank me later.

np – As The Poets Affirm / The Jaws that Bite, The Claws that Catch

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