The weekender

Been a slow posting couple of weeks, as I've been feeling especially stupid and dense lately. Also, it looks like the election won't be over anytime soon, so I've been less interested in delving into the day-to-day minutiae. Luckily, I can still post video treats. Here's Joanna Newsom and her traveling band playing my favorite song of 2006, boiling down Van Dyke Parks' lush string arrangement into a minimalist but still sublimely effective stew.

Also, I hope everyone was up late to catch Yeasayer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on Friday. If I haven't plugged their record "All Hour Cymbals" enough yet, allow me to do so again. I'm really becoming addicted to it.

I wanted to pick a George Carlin bit for the sermon, but couldn't settle on just one. I think what I admire about this the most is the subtle rhythm of the cadence that lets you enjoy it even on repeated listens.