Since I seem to be covering my favorites in various media lately, why not music?

Return to the Sea – Islands

Amazon.com insisted that I wanted this album. Their music-pushing is a little annoying, but Amazon knows me all too well. I wasn’t too familiar with the Unicorns, from whom Islands apparently sprung, but they’re from Montreal, and maybe that’s about all we need to know. Even expecting to like this album, I was pleasantly surprised at just how listenable it is. There’s something good-naturedly bratty about its sound, which is fun.

Live Through This – Hole

Maybe you remember that Courtney love used to be known for her band in addition to her late husband and drug problem. This was actually one of the first CDs I ever bought (maybe the second), when I was about 14. Having lost it long ago, I just bought it again recently, after hearing that Ms. Love is working on a new album. Listening to it again, I’m not convinced that its subject matter is appropriate for a 14-year-old, but it’s certainly just as good as I remembered. A very tight, cohesive album, at once very pretty and disturbing.

Very curious to hear what’s coming next from her.

Neon Bible – Arcade Fire

This was another case in which it seemed like every media outlet was insisting that we all want this album, the follow-up to the hit Funeral. So I put off getting it until everyone shut up about it, and now I admit I feel a little late to the party. It’s dark, epic, and completely deadpan, which is refreshing. Maybe like a soundtrack to a hip and modernized Les Miserables. It seems that you just can’t go wrong with Montreal music these days. Is something in the water?

Wild Like Children – Tilly and the Wall

This one is a couple of years old, but I just recently got it. It’s upbeat indie-pop, with the unique accompaniment of tap-dancing throughout. I have to say, the tapping schtick gets to be a little much for me to listen to the album straight through, but it’s charming nonetheless – the songs themselves are clever, and certainly deserving of points for originality.

Also looking forward to the new Cornelius. (Anyone heard it?)

The gallery I work for has a fun summer show coming up next month. I’ll post the details once the show opens (on July 19th), but for now I thought I’d share the awesomeness of one of our special participants, Team Macho.

Team Macho is an art collaboration of five men based in Toronto. Their work is a gleefully eclectic mix of styles and little surprises.

They recently had a show at Magic Pony in Toronto, where they released their book called Fancy Action Now. (I’m having trouble locating the book online, but I suspect that Magic Pony might still have some copies.)

It’s all so strange and wonderful – I can’t wait to see what they’ve come up with for our show.

Best of all, check out their adorable photo:

Don’t you just want to give them all a big hug? Team Macho seems very huggable. And they’ll send you some artwork if you happen to have a spare drill press lying around. How nice!

Tonight John and I went to see his big brother (as seen on Last Comic Standing!) perform at Gotham. Laughter ensued.

Among the 12 or so five-minute performances, the highlight of the evening came with bunny ears, a boom box, and a megaphone. Rock Albers stole the show by far, at least according to our table of three. I’m generally more of a quiet chuckler than a hearty guffawer, but Mr. Albers had me in pieces, literally crying with his routine about various countries’ national animals. Maybe his comedy isn’t for everyone, but for us it was truly inspiring.

Check out the videos on his website for a sense of the experience. The “state birds” clip made me realize that Rock and I have something in common: we’re both from Oklahoma!

After the show, we met him and signed up to his mailing list (an honest-to-God mailing list, with real newsletters), so we’re looking forward to much more Rock.

Sick of her nursing mannequins and all their complaining about being in pain, my mom came back to New York with me from Oklahoma last week. On Saturday, we paid a visit to Mood, the ultimate fabric destination as seen on TV.

The staff was much nicer than I remembered from before, when I had visited during Fashion Week and they had all been in an understandable tizzy. So I definitely recommend a non-Fashion Week visit.

To complement my awesome cotton print that’s now sitting in a bag somewhere, I got this awesome cotton jersey print to sit in another bag somewhere until I actually take up sewing:

But really, it’s so pretty, I have no excuse this time not to pick up that Singer manual. I’m thinking a pretty tunic top, simple and sublime. Or at least as sublime as a first sewing project can get.