Anthony and I discuss this week's new singles.

Man, is it ever beautiful today: bright and sunny and in the 60s. I hope we get to leave work early so I can sit outside somewhere and read the rest of my Murakami novel.

Some reflections of mine on the Donald Fagen song "I.G.Y."

The Singles Going Steady team at Stylus (including yours truly) celebrates its one-year anniversary by selecting the top 50 singles to have appeared in the column since last May. I think it's a pretty good list. I wrote blurbs for The Game, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, Snoop Dogg, and the Von Bondies.

On the Stypod today, I've posted mp3s by Victor (Morgan Geist mix), Teedra Moses, and Life Without Buildings, with commentary.

One of the first songs I ever recorded, during that summer of '95 when I realized, "hey, I can write songs!" was this Casio jam with a sped-up disco beat called "Once." It was largely improvised, including the words, which I spoke-sang with a ridiculous stuffy British accent; if I avoided my own voice, it was because I was much more interested in what I could do with a portable tape recorder and a few junky instruments than in music-as-personal-expression.

Anyway, I have no idea where I came up with the vocal style for this song -- here's the vaguely embarrassing chorus: "Once, I told all of my friends that the secret of the universe was roasting a turkey / Who knew they were stupid? / Who knew they'd believe me? / And all I have to show for it is this scar on my elbow" -- but I've been listening lately to the faux-naive ramblings of Life Without Buildings and Art Brut (esp. the new single "Emily Kane"), and holy fuck, I think I anticipated them!!

Someday I'll put all these old recordings online, once I figure out how to convert all my old cassettes to mp3. I know you can't wait.

I just realized that a week ago this blog hit its second anniversary. Wow. When I started it in 2003, I mostly wanted an incentive to write more, figuring that its semi-public nature would help accomplish this -- if I thought that someone somewhere was reading it, I'd have reason to put forth the effort. I had no idea when I started it that it would actually lead to me writing for actual publications (see last week's singles blurbs!) and otherwise joining the critical ranks. (I mean, I wasn't even intending for it to be a music blog!) So thanks to everyone who's said nice things over the past twenty-four months.