Marit Larsen album preview, day six: "Fuel"

Starts w/ acoustic strums on a blues riff, and one expects or fears that the inevitable curlicues and orchestrations will come along and envelope it, but no, she's pickin' and strummin' all through with no embellishment. Her melody stays with the basic chord until it rises up on "takes fuel to light the tiniest star," and in the third verse (or is that a "middle eight" that happens to come at the end?) she goes way high and into a new chord, then finishes fast at 2 minutes, airy and quick and out. Credits the person or entity she's addressing as the source of her fuel, though this being Marit, one suspects that hanging around just offstage is her worry that the fuel/person/entity will run out.

http://www.myspace.com/maritlarsen

Our two weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency

We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and negative equity...

In any event, Paul Krugman is on a roll today. Thinks the coordinated cut in rates was the right thing to do but that it probably won't help much, thinks that Gordon Brown is doing what Hank Paulson should have done in the first place* (seems to be temporary partial nationalization) but that Britain being so small and all, it might well get swamped by all the surrounding cluelessness. (And Krugman had yet to see the actual Brown plan when he posted.)

Anyway, flist, what do you think of the Brown maneuver? (Er, that's manoeuvre.) Btw, can Brown just say it and it's done, without having to go through parliament? Or is parliament a foregone conclusion with the Labour majority? But how will the fellow's low popularity affect his efforts?

*I wonder, even if Paulson had wanted to go for a straightforward cash infusion and partial nationalization, whether he'd have had any chance of getting such a plan through Congress. Or whether Obama will in February, if that's what he decides to do.

Top Singles through third quarter

Damn, katstevens scooped me.

( top 42 )

Is this the year in which male vocalists finally catch up to females? Not according to this list, but you're welcome to make the case for the testicle possessors in the comments. Also, albums (to come in a few days) may tell a different story.