Once upon a time, there was a band called My Favorite that released some of the finest pop music ever heard by mortal ears, crafting beautiful ballads to teen alienation and unrequited love while musically, evoking the greats (e.g., The Smiths, New Order, The Cure). The band revolved around the duo of singer/songwriter Michael Grace Jr. and vocalist Andrea Vaughn, and when their relationship went south, the band’s fate was inevitable. I still find myself listening to The Happiest Days Of Our Lives with some frequency, wondering what might have been had things not soured.

And now, Grace has emerged with his new band, The Secret History. He’s partnered with another female chanteuse—Lisa Ronson, daughter of David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson—and has recorded a four-song EP entitled Desolation Town. And in a rather meta move, the EP is actually the first chapter of a “mope rock opera” concerning a fictional band called “The Haunted Hearts” that is inspired, in part, by the dissolution of My Favorite and Grace’s relationship with Vaughn.

You can hear the first single from the EP, “It’s Not The End of The World, Jonah”, and while it’s not all that dissimilar from Grace’s work with My Favorite—the lyrics are still as pointed as ever, and the melodies still plenty catchy—the early 80s new-wave/post-punk influence is less pronounced. Instead, the band opts for a more swirling, rollicking sound of clashing guitars, organs, and trumpets.

Desolation Town is currently out on Le Grand Magistery.

And second, EllisLab CTO Derek Jones has posted an entry explaining the delays with EE 2.0. It’s pretty geeky, delving into some pretty heady PHP issues resulting from EE 2.0’s rebuild on CodeIgniter. I can’t wait to get EE 2.0, but I’m glad to see EllisLab taking their time, posting these updates to keep people in the loop, and continuing to support EE’s 1.x branch.

For those of you following along at home, a pretty intense discussion has been occurring in the comments for my “Election ‘08 Reflections” entry. And for my part, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying every single moment of it.

And it’s got me to thinking about debate and discourse, particularly its online forms. Online discussions almost always teeter on the edge of a cliff, always just one degree away from tumbling into an abyss full of trolls and snarks. As such, anytime an online discussion occurs in which the participants aren’t afraid to speak openly and passionately, and yet do so with respect and restraint, it’s something to be celebrated and treasured.

I suppose it helps—at least, for my part—that I genuinely like and appreciate the folks who are weighing in with their comments. Some I’ve known for years, some I work with right now—and that history certainly figures heavily into what I say, even as it’s something that might be diametrically opposed to another’s opinion. And I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if that—i.e., seeking to genuinely like the people with whom you’re debating, and even disagreeing—was more of a guiding principle.

It sounds rather Pollyanna-ish, I suppose, given that passionate-yet-respectful discourse is such a rarity in today’s all-too-polarized society. But it’s not altogether gone.

I’ve been particularly interested by the recent accounts of the debate tour between Douglas Wilson and Christopher Hitchens. The two men—one a Christian pastor, the other the author of God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything—participated in an online debate about Christianity, and then recently continued that debate via several joint appearances.

You couldn’t find two men who are more opposed philosophically. And yet, reading the accounts of their debates, particularly the “behind the scenes” accounts, I was pleased to find that both men respect, if not like, eachother. They enjoy sitting down for a pint, reciting poetry, and so on. They’re not afraid to compliment and praise eachother.

Such a thing gives me hope, and it makes me all the more eager to really debate and dialog—not to prove that I’m smarter, or to win a contest, or something similar. But rather that, if nothing else, I can hopefully say, as Chesterton said of Shaw, “all that there is of him is admirable.“

Josh Hurst recently posted his review of The Sound of the Smiths, a recently released two-disc compilation overseen by none other than Morrissey and Johnny Marr. And it’s sparked a solid discussion—what else?—over on Arts & Faith.

I suppose now’s as good a time as any to confess that it’s only been within the last year or so that I really got into The Smiths. Oh sure, I’ve been aware of them for years, and I’ve even made comparisons to them in my reviews. But I never had any Smiths—except for that downloaded copy of “How Soon Is Now?“ until I picked up the “original” Singles compilation.

My ambivalence, I suppose, stems all the way back to high school—supposedly the time that you’re supposed to get into The Smiths. After all, their songs are all about awkwardness, alienation, sarcasm, and longing, the defining qualities of high school. But back then, I was way into The Cure, and my friends and I had this unspoken rule that if you were into The Cure, you couldn’t be into The Smiths. It was one of those dumb high school things, like so many other dumb high school things that we had. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism, so that we didn’t digest too much alienation and mopeyness via our music. More likely, we were just being silly teenagers.

But the bigger reason for my Morrissey deficiency is probably my first girlfriend. No, I won’t get all juicy, but suffice to say, our break-up was less than wonderful. And the more I think about it, the circumstances surrounding our break-up would’ve been the perfect inspiration for the Smiths’ lyrics. That, combined with her unabashed love for the band, pretty much sealed their fate. But over the years, I’ve heard a number of stellar covers by folks like Low, The Autumns, and Neil Finn, and other folks—whose tastes I found to be impeccable—also loved the Mancunians.

So I suppose it was only a matter of time before I warmed up, and though I didn’t exactly become an unabashed devotee, there’s absolutely no way that I can dispute the brilliance of “This Charming Man”, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”, “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”, and “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”.

A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy’s wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn’t seem affected by the freezing temperatures. Coinciding with Eli’s arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. One man is found tied to a tree, another frozen in the lake, a woman bitten in the neck.

Blood seems to be the common denominator and, for an introverted boy like Oskar, who is fascinated by gruesome stories, it doesn’t take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. Oskar becomes increasingly aware of the tragic, inhuman dimension of Eli’s plight, but cannot bring himself to forsake her. Frozen forever in a twelve-year-old’s body, with all the burgeoning feelings and confused emotions of a young adolescent, Eli knows that she can only continue to live if she keeps on moving. But when Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can ...

The film has been garnering rave reviews as of late, and recently won first place in the audience awards at this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

And for your viewing pleasure, here’s the trailer (click here for an HD version):

It adds up to a nearly flawless parade of great songs, arranged for maximum impact and compulsive listenability, and, as such, it’s an absolutely essential package for anyone who doesn’t already have all these songs, and even a great selection for those who do.

Ardent Obama supporters need to learn quickly that if there is to be “hope” and “change” it’s going to have to come from their actions just as much as it does from the president elect. And that starts with being open to listen to others who may not think a like. The “for me or against me” mentality stinks just as much coming from left leaning persons as it does from those who are bent to the right.

And FWIW, I love that Alec Baldwin quote.

Of course, some might have said the same thing prior to Munich, but even so… this just feels wrong. As do most English remakes of cult Asian films. And I can’t help but wonder what still-living critter Smith might be consuming in the remake.

The “Dollhouse” shift to Friday is certain to provoke a despondent cry from Whedon fans, especially after having watched “Firefly” wither away on the same night. Fox could have given the series a premiere behind “Idol” before shifting it to Fridays—something the network has done a few times to boost sampling of new shows. And if that weren’t unlucky enough, “Dollhouse” premieres on Friday the 13th.

• Thank God it’s over. Seriously, thank God it’s over. Yes, there is/was an awful lot at stake with this election, but the power of politics to reveal even the most rational of individuals as complete asshats and/or total ignoramuses has never been clearer than it was this year.
• Of course, it’s not really over. There’s a lot of work and rebuilding to do, and people can still easily become asshats and/or ignoramuses at the drop of a hat.
• John McCain’s concession speech was full of decency and class. I just wish his supporters would’ve followed his example.
• I found it interesting that when Obama spoke of McCain, his crowd applauded.
• I’ve seen several folks already talking about 2012 with a slight bit of yearning. Stop it. It’s 2008 and you need to live in the now, so to speak, because that’s the only time you’ll be able to make a difference. The only plans I’m making for 2012 are plans to be more informed than I am now.
• I’ve become increasingly convicted about my Christian duties with regards to the president, and I think they can be summed up in two words: “respect” and “pray”. Neither of which, to my shame, I did well when it came to Bush.
• Speaking of respect, his name is Barack Obama, not Barry, the Obamessiah, or any other juvenile reference. Same goes for “Dubya”. You’re not in second grade: have the common courtesy to call your president by his real name.
• I need to stop watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report as much. They’re brilliant shows, and like all comedians, they often have the ability to say things that others should be saying but aren’t—and get away with it. But for me, they feed into so much cynicism and skepticism when it comes to my leaders, that it’s not very healthy. But to each his own.
• Holograms look really cool in Star Wars and Star Trek but look like absolute crap on cable news networks.
• I sincerely hope that Obama supporters will be able to take all of that faith that they’ve placed in their man, and translate it into action. That they’ll really listen to him when he talks about sacrifice and service, and actually do such things, rather than simply stop after celebrating their victory. That they’ll take to heart what Obama said last night: “This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change.“
• I hope and pray that Obama has a change of heart when it comes to abortion.
• I am anxious about the next four years, but more than ever, I realize that my ultimate assurance and comfort don’t come from an election, a president, or a political party, but from the fact that God is still on His throne, He is still sovereign, and He is never moved by the plans of man. And I realize that, while I’m to be loyal to my country, even if I oppose some of what it stands for, my ultimate allegiance lies with the Gospel of Christ and the Kingdom of God.

On a related note, I absolutely love the album’s artwork (courtesy of Invisible Creature).

There are a number of reasons why I think that EE being commercial software is an asset, rather than a liability. And right at the top of that list is support. True, systems such as WordPress have a very large and vibrant community, which is a definite plus. But one of the things that I’ve found most valuable about EE is that, in addition to having a vibrant community of its own, it also has its own paid support staff. Folks like Sue Crocker and Robin Sowell, whose job it is to hang out on the forums and answer people’s questions all day long. And they do an absolutely bang-up job.

Case in point: I was working on an EE-powered site at my day job when I ran into a rather irksome glitch where certain templates weren’t rendering correctly under certain conditions. I tried all the usual troubleshooting measures, to no avail, and so I went to the forums. There, the EE support staff has spent the last month or so patiently working with me to isolate the solution, and as of right now, it looks like we’ve found the culprit.

Now, the reason this took a month was all due to me; oftentimes I had to put this project on the backburner because something else came up at work, thereby delaying any further progress. But whenever I posted in the forums, I could always count on getting a quick response, sometimes within 30 minutes of my post.

That level of dedicated support is, in my book, simply amazing, and as much a feature of EE as its flexible templating system, custom field capabilities, or large library of third-party add-ons. And it just confirms my belief that EE truly is a superlative CMS choice.