rotten!

[ilexx]

i spoiled myself this evening, and got several things i've really been wanting, and one was an impulse buy:

spoils

• the new PJ Harvey album, "White Chalk." like most cds i purchase anymore, i pre-listened to it a few times via Rhapsody. (i still like to have the package in hand and the "real" cd. call me old fashioned or whatever) i know at least one person here didn't care for her album. it's gotten great reviews so far, i think partially because people are scared and partly because they're impressed. once again, polly jean comes up with something that's absolutely nothing like her previous work. "white chalk" is eerie, dark, slightly dismal, rich, gothic (not really goth), and old sounding, and not really any kind of a rock album at all. it's a little piece of art. i dig.
  oh, and kudos for the packaging - one of those annoying simple cardboard envelopes. only, someone finally picked up on the brilliance of vinyl packaging, and the cd gets an internal envelope to prevent scratching. these things matter to me. although, i guess they wouldn't if i wasn't so bent on owning the physical disc.
  
• "Scarred" by Johnette Napolitano. she's been my vocal hero for ages, and really my first real influence as a vocalist. Concrete Blonde, as much as i loved them, were always kind of hit-or-miss. which made me a little wary of this new solo album. i do own "Pretty and Twisted" but i just never got into it. might have to go back and re-listen. "Scarred" is really a great album, though. it's honest and raw, a description usually used admirably for 20-something angst. this is "honest and raw" coming from Johnette - a what - ? 40-something? so it's a completely different level, covering much deeper territory. and god-DAMN but she still has those incredible pipes. and guess what? i got tickets to see her live at the end of this month. oh. motherfuckin. yeah.
  
• "The Downward Spiral - deluxe edition" by NIN. yeah, some people might think this is a lame buy into NIN's perpetual move of releasing fifteen million remixes and ep's. but again, i've been listening to this via Rhapsody for a while now and i love love love the 2nd disc. and i'm starting to appreciate remasters a LOT more. going back to pollyjean, i wish like FUCK she would get around to remastering her early albums. it makes me crazy. "dry" is so low-volumed it makes me angry.
  
• "The Illusionist" it was on sale and i liked it.
  
• LEGO STARWARS II. NOT "lego starwars," because "lego starwars" is based on episodes I, II, and III, while "lego starwars II" is based on the original three movies. i kept seeing this game around and thinking, "you've got to be kidding me." but then all these people keep insisting, "no, REALLY. it's GOOD." and once i read about all the stuff you do, i went ahead and nabbed it. i bet i can get the boy to play nintendo with me, now.
  

and the other night the boy went to target and bought a new dvd player and "The Jungle Book" on dvd for me. see? fucking ROTTEN! i've gotta lay off the via satellite.