It’s that time of year when there’s not so much going on: plenty of busy work to fill up office hours, but not so many assignments afterward. Combine that with ongoing wedding preparations, and the result is that I haven’t had so many nocturnal ramblings to share just lately, newspaper links aside.

But the good news is that the Doctor and I sat down with our calendars last night and filled them with hours of potential adventure — there are some fine things happening hereabouts this summer. So with luck, there will be plenty to report before too long.

In the mean time, here are my TONY reviews of two excellent new CDs:

Bridget Kibbey – Love Is Come Again (self-released)
(bridgetkibbey.com)

Alexandra Gardner – Luminoso (Innova)
(Barnes & Noble, iTunes)

I’ve also got a glowing review of Iris, Messenger, a brilliant new fantasy novel for pre-teens by Sarah Deming, in the July issue of Time Out New York Kids, on news stands now. Apparently, it’s not available online just yet. I’ve met Sarah once, briefly, and I think it’s safe to predict she’ll be thrilled to see she’s sharing a page with Neil Gaiman.
(Barnes & Noble)

Playlist:

godspeed you! black emperor – Yanqui U.X.O. (Constellation)

maudlin of the Well – My Fruit Psychobells… A Seed Combustible (Dark Symphonies)

Gravetemple Trio – The Holy Down (Southern Lord)

Mono – Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (Temporary Residence)

Giuseppe Verdi – Un Ballo in Maschera – Sylvia Stahlman, Birgit Nilsson, Giuletta Simionato, Carlo Bergonzi, Tom Krause, Orchestra e Coro dell’ Accademia di Santa Cecilia/Georg Solti (Decca)

A Silver Mt. Zion – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium, Apr. 4, 2007 (Archive.org download)

Explosions in the Sky – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, England, Feb. 9, 2004 (Archive.org download)

Grateful Dead – Three from the Vault (Grateful Dead/Rhino)

Rued Langaard – Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 – Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir/Thomas Dausgaard (Da Capo)

A Silver Mt. Zion – "This Is Our Punk Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing (Constellation)

Explosions in the Sky – Metro, Chicago, Illinois, Mar. 28, 2007 (Archive.org download)