Bobbies on bicycles, two by two

We're back from London! There will be more to come, but here's a photo for now.

They're just tryin' to put the "punk" back into punctured lung

A giant election hangover abounds here at major metropolitan newspaper, today. Everyone is tired and grumpy, including me. The only glimmer of brightness appeared when Rumsfeld's resignation was announced. People smiled for a bit then went back to their caffeine jitters.

If that weren't enough, I'm further distracted by thoughts of my upcoming trip to London. How can I be expected to chose a photo for page B3 when I have to decide what day would be best to visit the Tower of London? Honestly, people! So today I am doing my best to get through work and preparing for England by listening to Declan's next album Employment by the Kaiser Chiefs.

After giving Employment a listen, I do feel compelled to take back some of the bad things I've said about them in the past. They appeared on the scene in America in early 2005, during the height of hyped new, New Wave bands like The Bravery, The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. It was just one more album to throw on the pile of derivative 80's stuff. On a closer listen, though, the Kaiser Chiefs standout as more inventive and thoughtful than most of their contemporaries. Their popular single "I Predict A Riot" might not show it, but much of their music has a sort of cabaret feel to it. Their lyrics are pretty fun, too. Any band that uses the word "pneumothorax" in a song is okay in my book.

It's quite possible that I'm your third man, girl, but it's a fact that I'm the seventh son

You guys are the best! Thanks to a last minute donation from Josh, we're up to $105 on our trip fund. When this started, I was going to be thrilled if I managed to sucker people into giving me $10 so I guess you're all 10 times better than I thought you were.

In other London news, it looks like we're going to have some special events lined up for our trip. Carrie wanted to go to a club called Fabric while we're there and it turns out that Fatboy Slim (yes, that Fatboy Slim) will be doing a set for a benefit show on Thursday. Also, Damon Albarn (from Blur and Gorillaz) will be DJing, too. It's like the 90's have come back!

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Tonight's review will be short. The first of Declan's albums in the letter "E" is Elephant by the White Stripes. It is my least favorite White Stripes album, and I don't even like the band as much as I think I should.

I mean, I feel like I should be a really big White Stripes fan. They're a little crazy and I love it when Jack White is sporting a jaunty moustache, but man, that whole guitar and drum thing just doesn't do it for me. Get Behind Me Satan won me back a little bit but I often just find their albums repetitive. It's good thing I didn't buy this album. Shawn actually just gave me a copy. I guess he knew what was coming.