So Franz Ferdinand's debut CD "dropped" today; I'm scooping it up right after lunch. The first US reviews are also trickling in--check out Pitchfork's excellent review HERE. I like this review because when I first downloaded FF stuff a few weeks ago I commented to someone how this was the most danceable rock music since Blur's "Boys and Girls"--a somewhat cheesy song that got me hooked on Blur close to a decade ago.

Also worth a listen are The Pernice Brothers; I stumbled across them thanks to Rosa, who got it from Foon. Well played, Foon. It's pretty straightforward, mid-30s American male rock (not sure how old the members are and I know they have at least one woman in the band, but just go with it); but with power chords checked at the door and pretty meticulous production, it reminded me a lot of Michael Penn (both the vocals and the general tone). This is the kind of very good music that isn't breaking any new ground but will have a lot of appeal to smart people in their mid-30s driving Volkswagen Passats. And people like me. I'm curious to see what the audience will be like when they come to the Middle East in a month. Best songs I've heard so far: "Weakest Shade of Gray" and "Flaming Wreck." The former is off their newer CD, which you can sample most of from their website.

Saw Starsky and Hutch last night--fucking awesome. I love the Stiller/Wilson combo, but even objectively speaking I think this is a great flick. In general I like Owen more but I gotta give Stiller's Starsky the nod in this one. Good to see Jason Bateman getting work as well (even if it's in a non-funny role), as I love his new Fox show Arrested Development which I've mentioned previously.