my brother and his girlfriend are getting married in a couple of weeks, and they’ve just moved into a new place, so i find myself running around with my mother doing stuff.

firstly, the new issue of the chimpanzee is out! for those of you who aren’t able to get hold of an actual copy, look up the pdf archive for the file name “Chimpanzee_4_lores.pdf”. my article is the four page spread on perth indie music. when i look at it, i think i could’ve changed the odd word, or profiled more bands, but i think it’s pretty representative and well worth the sleep lost.

secondly, i recently subscribed to hyphen magazine, an asian-american pop political magazine of sorts. i think i just wanted some more meat than giant robot could offer, and stuff like audrey magazine is too poxy to consider. the fact that my brother took it off me to read is a pretty good indication as to its interestingness, seeing as the only reading material he usually touches has engines in it. there’s a well written piece about the vietnamese americans in the wake of the katrina disaster. in lieu of a decent australian publication (except for the alien invader zine by jen tsen kwok and amin-reza javanmard), i don’t mind sending a few dollars over there.

thirdly, christopher hitchens. if you read my old blog i think i posted once how i find him weirdly attractive, even when he is displaying one of his vices on the cover (the other is rumoured alcoholism, though i could care less unless he were pissed when writing). this particular book is a series of ‘mentoring’ chapters, kind of like chatty letters on ethics and politics that meander a bit, just like a good letter should. while i get antsy at his constant nitpicking (if you have not read all the classics, oh poor you), there are some hopeful notes at being oppositional when it seems the hardest thing to do, and a bit of wry humour.

lastly, the new album from roger joseph manning jr, or just plain roger manning. the connection is jellyfish and imperial drag, and it’s the kind of pop i would expect from jon brion and jason falkner and more. previously a net only release, now on pony canyon in japan (import on not lame), and later in the year, the us? final verdict on the music is very good.