Some folks on my favorite forum frankblack.net posted a link to muxtape.com a couple of days ago, and I have been caught up in it ever since. A pretty simple idea, really. You create an account, upload some songs, and anyone you want can access your mix and listen.

And it's great quality stuff, as well (well, as good as the quality of the file you upload). Anyway, a couple of my favorite mixes:

http://einzack.muxtape.com

I had never heard of Die! Die! Die! before, but my friendly neighborhood Kiwi led me in the right direction.

And another good mix:
http://marmarrr.muxtape.com

Good stuff from Why? and The Bicycles on that one.

Anyway, I imagine I'll be posting one soon for your listening pleasure.

I felt like a voyeur, but I thoroughly enjoyed these old penpal letters from a 21 and 22 year old Morrissey to a guy named Robert Mackie.

Some of it is funny, some of it is a bit embarrassing, but I wouldn't hold someone's letter-writing from their youth against them anyway. I know that there are some embarrassing letters from me out there somewhere.

Two of my favorite lines:

"It was a terrible blow to hear that you actually worked. I didn't think anyone did so anymore. It's so old-fashioned to work. I'd much rather lounge about the house all day looking fascinating. I'd rather look fascinating than have a permanent income. Am I insane?"

Also:

"I'm sure there are worse groups than Duran Duran, but I'll be damned if I can think of any. The Polecats have just been on duh box destroying John, I'm Only Miming now if they REALLY had any imagination they'd shoot themselves."

This amuses me because Morrissey ended up working with Boz Boorer of the Polecats in 1991, and they've been together ever since. His songwriting relationship with Boorer has lasted nearly three times as long as The Smiths were even in existence.

We miss you, man.

So there's a new Top Ten up after an extended wait. If you don't have everything The Rosebuds have ever done, GO GET IT NOW. Now, I say. I didn't have their last two albums, and I must be a moron for not having them since I loved the first one so much. "Boxcar" is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

I also didn't know that they had a blog here where they post from time to time.

Also included in this week's top ten is a cover of The Smiths' "The Headmaster Ritual" by Radiohead. If you haven't already heard it, you can check it out on YouTube here. It's fantastic, and I'm not just saying it because I'm a rabid Smiths fan.

And Panthers! Go pick up Panthers.

In other music-related news, I saw Dinosaur Jr. last week in Asheville. I came away a little disappointed, not because J, Lou and Murph didn't rock out, because they did. J rocked hard - his guitar work was everything I imagined it would be. I think I was down about it because - well, the guys are getting older. I'm getting older. The show felt a bit dated. I felt a lot like I think my parents would feel at a Stones concert, although there were a fair amount of people moshing and slam dancing in front of the stage. I think I also wanted them to play "Blowing It" so bad and they just didn't. I mean, they have a prety damn extensive back catalogue, so I can't blame them. I still got "The Lung," "The Wagon," and "Freak Scene." So I can't complain too much.

Anyway - sorry for the brief hiatus. I guess I'm back.