I've just found out that the Field Day concert, where I was going to see Radiohead, may have been canceled after Suffolk County turned down the promoter's application for a mass gathering permit. I'll be following developments closely.

Speaking of Radiohead, a friend from work has given me a bootleg copy of Hail to the Thief, their new album. It's the "early version," which may mean that I'll experience divided loyalties when the official album is released next month...but I might as well post some comments anyway. There are some amazing moments here (standout tracks include "A Punch-Up at a Wedding," a classic Radiohead title if there ever was one, "There There," and "I Will"), and moments of indescribable beauty. It's slightly more accessible than Kid A and Amnesiac, which is to say, it only takes two or three listens, rather than ten, for the darned thing to grow on you. There are guitars, too. Overall, I'm happy that this album exists. At the same time, though, I can't help finding myself nostalgic for the Radiohead that once made an album called The Bends, with a couple of songs called "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees" that still form the best emotional one-two punch I've ever heard on an album. Not that I'm saying anything about Radiohead that hasn't been said before, and better...but, as Noah once observed, eventually Radiohead is going to release their equivalent of All That You Can't Leave Behind, and that'll be a beautiful day. Not quite yet, though.