By the way... Did I mention that Freaky Trigger is back, complete with:

- reviews of Rooty, Amnesiac, 10,000 Hz Legend, and Moulin Rouge;
- Otis Wheeler's Third Door;
- a Pop Art interview with Momus;
- 24 hours of MTV with Mike Daddino (is he MAD?)
- the fourth Freaky Trigger Focus Group (including commentary from Yours Truly);
- A sleek and slick new look that has me seething with jealousy?

I didn't? Well, it is. Go, click, and be merry!

Aaliyah pushes boundaries further on radical new album: I'll admit that "We Need A Resolution" had begun to grow on me, but when I first heard it my overall reaction was that the Aaliyah/Timbaland synergy had just about dissipated. Apparently Aaliyah's been feeling the same way, because she's brought in a group of unknowns to produce the majority of her new album. She's also doing some deranged song about rape and cannibalism. WTF? I might buy this one. At the very least, it will go on the Amazon wish list.

One Inch Punch has redesigned and looks really, really cool. I'm all jealous and stuff.

I got really excited the other day because MTV played the video for Craig David's "Fill Me In". This is a song I was largely ambivalent towards until approximately three weeks ago, at which point some switch in my brain was flipped and I just went googly for it. It's really all about the choruses; the dull-as-dishwater verses would really benefit from the sparkly two-step beat that propels the choruses into the stratosphere. I am in love, I don't care what you say...

What a girl wants: Psychotherapy. I dare anyone to try convincing me that that is not a cry for help. Maura pegged the Dee Snyder connection over on NYLPM; apparently the first thing Christina isn't going to take anymore is her medication.

NME is chock-full of goodness today. A sampling:

Stereophonics and Feeder bottled off at Imola Festival
Ash music makes Havana roof collapse
Insane Clown Posse star in arrest drama

Also, today's Tabloid Hell references the unfortunate Mecha-Christina, but doesn't provide you with a picture like I did (even if I did steal it from someone else).

What a way to start the week! Some account of the weekend shenanigans involved in Ally's Boston visit will go up at some point. As an appetizer, here's a fairly hilarious link pulled off of the I Love Everything board about Nad's. (No, I won't explain further. Just click on it.)

EEEK! Normally, I would have some commentary on the linked article, but the accompanying picture was so disturbing that I couldn't bring myself to read it. I will say, though, that it takes a special kind of confidence to name your first album in half a decade Invincible.

That's some good writin': I feel bad about not discovering Glorious Noise earlier. They have some startlingly good pieces there. Today's piece about over-exaggeration and the need to have The Right Persona strikes particular chords with me.

OW! I like cats and all, but GIVE ME A BREAK. That thing should be put down post haste. (I'm trying to imagine the horror of actually being at the scene. EEK.)

Take that, you smug bastard: gsv at Glorious Noise drops some science on a New Yorker writer who appears to be vanishing up the rear end of classic rock at the speed of light. The defense is applicable to any genre, not just nu-pop, which makes me smile.

Track-by-track preview of New Order album: The album, titled Get Ready, is due to hit stores in the UK August 27. Going from this description, it's going to be the most exciting New Order album since Technique. Hands up everyone who can't wait to hear "Vicious Streak" and "Primitive Notion"... *raises hand*

You can't touch this! A slice of insanity stolen from Guns over at One Inch Punch. He also has a link to the family-only feed of the McVeigh execution, which will not be linked here because my skin just will not stop crawling. Go check out his site; it's pretty good, despite the unnecessary T'Pau-bashing. (I mean, so what if "Heart And Soul" was their one good song? It's a fantastic song. Had Roxette faded away after "The Look", I'd be giving them props, too.)

BBC pledge action against Britney death hoax pranksters: Looks like my initial inclination not to link that one was a good'un. In a way it's too bad, as the fake report was kind of funny. (Most of the humor is admittedly derived from the mental image of someone running over the startlet and saying, "Oops, I did it again.")

I love The Onion: This has been cracking me up for the past 10 minutes. How brutal!

In other Onion-related news, Chuck D is a juggalo. See, I'm not crazy!

Robbie Williams plans album of Sinatra-style big band covers: Jesus. Someone's ego is sprialling out of control, I think. What would be less appealing than Robbie Williams proto-bleating over big band music? Hmm... how about Dido singing over the sound of screaming rabbits? (Um, wait; that would make Dido interesting. Scratch that.) Ah, here we go; A.J. of the Backstreet Boys singing cabaret songs!

Okay, I've officially disturbed myself. Must think happy thoughts...

Tim blasts the ballads on the second half of Survivor and I can only shake my head in sorrow. Only playing the first 30 seconds of "Dangerously In Love" means that you never get to hear the soaring, aching chorus, where the emotions overwhelm the girls in a terrifying rush of tears and joy. It's a complete emotional meltdown that mixes elation and pain so thoroughly that the listener isn't sure whether to feel scared by the intensity of love offered or to just bask in its thermonuclear glow. It's absolutely beautiful.

Perhaps I'm getting sentimental, considering that my two-year wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of the summer. Maybe approaching thirty is bending my emotions towards things I would have scorned in my callow youth. Or maybe "Dangerously In Love" really is excellent and I should stop trying to come up with excuses for my admiration.

My newest obssession: Has everyone out there heard of an online comic strip called Sluggy Freelance? Imagine Bloom County filtered through even more sarcasm with a heaping helping of gratuitous violence and multiple concurrent story arcs and you're starting to get the idea. Click here and bask in the cynical hilarity.

Singles to watch: These are my personal picks for hot singles to watch in the top 50 of the Billboard Top 100 singles chart:

12: Superwoman Pt. II - Lil' Mo Featuring Fabolous
37: It's Been Awhile - Staind
41: Fill Me In - Craig David
44: Bootylicious - Destiny's Child

The Backstreet Boys single might do well, but I'm not holding my breath. We'll also see if Jessica Simpson can ride her uncanny resemblance to Britney Spears into the top 10.

Fall honour festival date despite Mark E Smith's broken leg: I just wanted you all to know that I don't remember ever seeing a picture of Mark E Smith before... and now I know why. YIKES. Rock 'n roll is a hard life, kids.

I'm somewhat impressed that he's going to go onstage with a broken leg. I probably wouldn't do it. Or, if I did, I'd whine and moan about it the entire time until the audience bum-rushed the stage and tore my lips off. So, it's a good thing I won't ever face this predicament. I like my lips.

Review Depeche Mode in Quebec City for NME.COM: Are you an amateur writer looking to break into the wild, wacky world of record reviews? Are you going to see the kickoff concert for Depeche Mode's Exciter tour in Quebec City on June 11? Then this might be your big break! (Alternately, it could be another cynical promotional gambit. It's sort of a toss-up.)

Radiohead set for another US chart-topper: After this week, Staind will no longer have the top-selling album in the land. (I can hear the chorus of "Awwwww"s from here.) Most sources point towards Amnesiac holding a slight lead over St. Lunatics' Free City.

(I was going to make some crack about St. Lunatics, seeing as before this morning I'd never heard of them, but I can't be too rough towards a group that has 4 tracks called "Mad Baby Daddy Skit" on their album.)