I now understand where the Bush girls get their deadening sense of 'humour': their father.

Sons and Daughters - "Awkward Duet". Dave introduced me to this duo after seeing them on a double-bill with the Fiery Furnaces. Guitarist Adele Bethel and drummer Dave Gow are pals of Franz Ferdinand, and toured with Arab Strap: in short, they're Scottish. They're not twee, though. While the guitar sounds like it could sit on a lap, it's got a sharp edge. Elsewhere on Love the Cup, Sons and Daughters play a song called "Johnny Cash." And he would enjoy this - quietly, with serious eyes and the smallest of smiles. The guitarplay reminds me a little of The Cay, and I like the way the drums rush forward, predicting the press of vocals at the chorus. For all the song's motion, however - the rattle of brushed drums, the weave of electric guitar, the late appearance of a humming horn, - "Awkward Duet" feels essentially immobile. Someone standing by a parking lot, swaying, wanting but unable to move. Originally released on Ba-Da-Bing, the album has been reissued/remastered through Domino. [buy]

Miles Davis & Modern Jazz Giants - "Bags' Groove [take 2]". Recorded on Christmas Eve, 1954, this is to me pure summer. It's Miles Davis (trumpet), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Percy Heath (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums), and the inimitable Thelonious Monk on piano. Jackson's vibes are cool as raspberry ice, a soft bed for Monk's solo - it's easygoing, then forceful, then a jarring birdcall and the windmill tilting of any love-affair. And then easygoing again. Miles notes the hidden hesitation, acknowledges it, drifts slowly out into the theme. Effortless, brilliant, full of feeling - even if Davis told Monk to shut up for his solos. [buy]

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A Million Stories is a beautiful new site for true stories, big and small. I will absolutely be adding one of my own, and so should you. Like Bittersweets but less bittersweet; like Fray without the self-importance. Wonder at it!