Steve Reich, Music as a Gradual Process. I do not know if it is complete.

If it could be said that there's some truth and falsehood (not necessarily in equal measure) in everything, and that some things are false because they are lies, or distortions, then you might say that my default, apparently instinctive (scare quote that however you like) way of responding to music, the one I have to work to suspend or surpass, is to go for the truths whose false aspects come not from deception or distortion but because they make me forget about the rest of the world.

Oops - I guess they're only sorta fine.

Does a male rapper ever do an album without another male rapper on it? (Ans. = yes obv., but the dumbness of the question still reinforces the dumbness of the original question.)

I'm afraid there may be a question, come the end of the year, whether I should be putting two Kompakt mixes in my top ten. And one a mix of remixes, even.

But I'm now feeling solidly committed about eight records, which is much more decided than I was a few months ago, and I thought I would just have to fill out my list with best-I-heards. (This may still end up being what happens, but at least it won't be my only motivation.)

It seems I'm now waiting to see if I can settle on one of the chart rap albums. I've liked the ones that I've heard alright, but none wholeheartedly. Maybe the Trick Daddy, given some more time? (The magic play count for 'Ain't a Thug' is at 6 today, and it's not staying there.)

I find it interesting that I'm over my initial doubts about the Magnetic Fields record enough to list it - I think it really only took some close repeated listening, enough for me to build up some affection for it and learn the songs, perhaps not insignificantly in a short period of time where I was loaded down with grading work - yet I wouldn't say it's that much better a showing (to use the ugly record critic talk: well, let's see if they could do any better this time, heh heh har) than the Stereolab album that remains cheering but flat. Perhaps the different musical styles make it more acceptable for a record of songwritten (ahem) romantic pop to be okay than for a record of uh whatever it is, I don't want to get into that now, to be okay. Or maybe Stereolab's just played their sound out more.

What I've got so far (after #2 I'm ill-prepared at present to rank them honestly):

1. Junior Boys - Last Exit
2. Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
3. Madvillain - Madvillainy
4. Mouse on Mars - Radical Connector
5. M. Mayer - Speicher 2
6. Pan Sonic - Kesto (234.48:4)
7. De La Soul - The Grind Date
8. The Magnetic Fields - i

It's a very me list, I see.

I'm less sure now about my singles now but that's just because there are a few I know I'll list, and I'm not too bothered about sorting the rest out; it would be better if I could just put a big affirmation of the fact that there are singles at all on my ballot (notice how I am talking as if the Voice might send me a ballot again this year, even though I didn't return it last year and am not sure I should be given one this year). Like so: I ♥ singles. Yes.

I've made at least three typos in the past two weeks, and it's really starting to get to me. Time to finally fix my post editing software.

Compare to 16 months ago:

1. Breathe - Fabolous - 19
2. Party and Bullshit - Biggie Smalls - 18
3. Kevin Rowlands 13th Time - Dexy's Midnight Runners - 9
4. You're Wondering Now - The Specials - 9
5. II B.S. - Charles Mingus - 8
6. The Jump Off - Lil' Kim feat. Mr. Cheeks - 8
7. Happy People - R. Kelly - 8
8. B R Right - Trina feat. Ludacris - 8
9. Yeah - Usher feat. Lil' Jon and Ludacris - 8
10. I Love You (Listen to This) - Dexy's Midnight Runners - 7
10. I Luv U - Dizzee Rascal - 7
10. Hovi Baby - Jay-Z - 7
10. Just Blaze, Bleek & Free - Memphis Bleek - 7
10. Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit - Sonic Youth - 7
L 10. Get By - Talib Kweli - 7
10. Lean Back (Remix) - Terror Squad feat. Ma$e and Eminem

All played within the past month, except for the second and third; for some reason I haven't played the Biggie on my iPod since getting it (I last played it on my computer in April, probably sometime later than that on a CD or something I burned), and the Dexy's is still at #3 despite last being played almost a year ago (on my computer, that is - I think I've played the record a handful of times in the past month on my stereo).

Can you tell that it bothers me that iTunes doesn't know about every single time I hear every single song? The Trina, for instance. I think all 8 of those must be from the past week; but that's far from accurate if I add up every single time I've heard, on my headphones, while walking around somewhere: fuck a dime, I'm a silva dolla, holla.

(A gasp every time.)

I like the phrase here - 'makes a show of shifting gears'.

'the part/of your head/that used to be/your face'