Is This Desire?

Yes, it is. PJ Harvey, recently voted Best Musician on the Planet on my own personal and completely un-rigged Diebold machine, will be releasing her next album on September 25. This is a beautiful thing for her—uh huh, her—to be doing, and not only because a new PJ Harvey album is always a beautiful thing (albeit "beautiful" in an adventurous, ragged, occasionally guignol way). Due to her exquisite and clearly deliberate timing, the album will drop exactly two weeks before the birthday that we share. And just to prove that Peej really got her codex out and decided to send me a super-cryptic message of love—though not that cryptic—track #9 on her tenth album, as in October 9, is called "The Piano." Right back atcha, Peej!!! You're a true friend, and I can't wait to hear the tunes. (If you need an appetizer to hold you over for the next 3½ weeks till White Chalk arrives, and you've already watched Miss Teen USA South Carolina too many times to keep laughing at it, take a look at PJ and Björk, her co-mistress in sonic trailblazing and impossible cool, laying their own claim to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction".)