I’m feeling quite flattered. A blogger known only as M. had very nice things to say about my site. I’m not sure what I did, but I can say that flattery will get you far around here. So thanks, M. For that, he’s got a free pass to the blog roll and a plug right here. Go visit him — The Perm & The Skullet, great name — because he’s got some Sufjan and Nada Surf and Mountain Goats and a ton of other stuff that you’ll like. Promise.

Moving on, I’ve mentioned the Grand Cayenne Festival taking place in Mesa, Ariz., this week. The wife and I likely will be attending. The lineup is stellar, and I’m excited to see some bands I’ve never seen live: Go Big Casino!, Earlimart and Reubens Accomplice, especially. (Good lord, I’m just realizing that I’ve lived in Phoenix for, like, ever and I’ve never seen Reubens, who are from here. Sad, sad.)

Anyway, the headliner is Spoon, and so I thought I’d hit you off with some goodness there. We saw them for the first time in Austin at the ACL fest and I was not disappointed. We had to cut out a little early to make it in time to Stubb’s to see this one band called the Arcade Fire; maybe you’ve heard of them.

I’ve been listening to Gimme Fiction quite a bit, and I think what I love best about Spoon is they don’t dick around. They’re in and they’re out in about four minutes. That’s rock craftsmanship at its finest.

Spoon | The Fitted Shirt (holy hell. Their best song?)
“I long for the days, they used to say ma’am and yes, sir.”
Spoon | Sunday Morning, Wednesday Night (from Sister Jack single)
Spoon | The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine (on KEXP)