Ragged isn't the right word, but I'm going to use it. This morning I feel somewhat beat up and who knows if it is due to the Bud's or that painful Mets' loss. Sorry to all you True Believers out there, but going down looking is no way to go down. In any event my Thursday night was close to perfect, but before I get to that may I remind you:

End of the World
Record Release Party
Tonight @ The Mercury Lounge!
w/ The Subjects & Stylofone
21+ / $10 / 9:30pm
Stream You're Making It Come Alive

Tonight will be another perfect evening at the Mercury Lounge. I'm super proud of The End of the World and can't wait to hear all the new songs live since they've been a favorite of mine for quite some time. You've read this before so there is no new news, but they are currently a three-piece so that is something different. And hell, if you haven't heard it - it's new to you!

:: Last Night ::

Despite my diminished self-esteem, last night was fantastic fun. After work I met the eMusic crew along with Grant and Oliver at Bar 119 to grease the tracks before heading into Irving. After a couple of drinks with the crew, the interns (I'm going to call them that when they roll together) and I rolled into the club upon which I realized the only Mets' updates available would come from a 9inch TV security was huddled around.

Annuals set was in full effect upon entering the room and despite their sound being a few decibels too high, their set was engaging and highly entertaining. After soaking up a few of their tunes, it made obvious sense as to why they are part of the Ace Fu family. They are a quirky six-piece from North Carolina that features some dual drums, a hardcore style bassist (his moves were straight from Victory Records, but he held it down), a bat-shit-crazy front man who would be a fantastic dinner party host, a guitar player who crept out of a 1976 stoner basement and a stone cold fox on the keys. So yes, they are aesthetically pleasing, but it doesn't stop their. Thought I don't know how to fully describe the crazy aural layers, Annuals will definitely appeal to the kids in love with bands like Animal Collective, Broken Social Scene and Man Man. The fortunate thing for us is their songs are more accessible and fun then their predecessors.

As The Spinto Band jammed away to their patented private school pop, I caught up with Peter and Marni in the back of the room. Those kinds of jawing sessions are what I live for. The catch up session and pointless banter really made my evening.

The cherry on top of an awesome evening was yet another great set by the cheeky fuckers also known as Art Brut. It's quite possible that I've seen this band nearly 10 times this year so last night I was mildly skeptic that the show would lose it's kitsch. After a couple songs it became clear this may never take place because they've written a ton of great rock songs and Eddie Argos is a born front man. They killed their show and even finished with a cover of We Are Scientist's "Great Escape" that bled into the solo bridge portion of "Freebird". Yes, you read correctly - fucking "FREEBIRD!"

The night ended back where it started. I had a final round with Queen Goon, Roedawg and Sidekick before we piled in a cab to our various final destinations.

:: Pieces of the People You Love ::

** Check out the YouTube Mustachiomo feature created by the Dogger.
** Check out LCD Soundsystem's 45:33 (amazing! Thx Paul)