Since it's not going to make the cut for my review of the New Pornographers' Electric Version, I might as well tell you: Dan Bejar (Destroyer) sounds like Stephen Malkmus' long-lost brother, like Uncle Drosselmeyer perched on a grandfather clock - wry, dark and wise.

I've been on a bit of a music burnout since listening to all that Grateful Dead this past weekend. I keep scanning my CD racks, trying desperately to find something I want to listen to. So far nothing is clicking, except for a wonderful track you can download here - Tom Zé's "Vai (Menina, Amanhã de Manhã". Oh, and Will Oldham's "Ohio River Song," and that weird record by Stars of the Lid, Tired Songs, but that's best for falling asleep to.

Universal asked me if we wanted to do a feature of Sam Roberts. Not sure what that would entail - an interview maybe? I don't know the guy at all; is he any good? Does anybody care - apart from radio DJs? He is a Montreal boy done good, though... Please advise!

I've also been having a lovely correspondence with David Neufeld, the (incredible) producer of the Broken Social Scene's You Forgot it in People, among others. I called attention to him in my review, and before I knew it, he had written me an email. A really, really interesting fellow... We'll see where this leads.

Boy, who recently moved to Toronto, will be doing a short tour, playing in TO (opening at The Rivoli), Montreal (Le Swimming) and Ottawa. A year ago, he was a revoltingly talented Whitehorse kid with a really good self-recorded album. Now, well, it looks like things are finally happening for him. (His website suggests there's a new album. Holy smokes.) Do check him out if you can - though I've never seen him live, Boy's (first) record is somewhere between Is This It? and Odelay (though his voice hints at Rufus Wainwright).

I'm trying to buy Clinic's Internal Wrangler on eBay, but people are giving me trouble.