Even though The Age might have stepped into line and started fawning over Lady Gaga as the 'First Lady of Pop', something good is nonetheless happening to music right now. And the locus of this rebirth has to be Taylor Swift. Seriously. I was so skeptical at first, but now I really do believe... in her talents as a lyricist, her high-concept revisitations to the schoolyard, her stage charisma, as well as her high quality twittering, which is much more evolved than, for example, Miley Cyrus' constant preaching ('Jesus Christ loves YOU'). Does this not break your heart? My only gripe is with her slightly unhealthy idealisation of marriage, but this is perhaps a mandatory aspect of being a country artist. 

Also very much enjoying the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which is almost pornographically melodic, and with a lovely melancholic bent. A bit late to the party with this one, but also liking Lykke Li, who provides another link within the pleasing Scandinavian musical nexus (Lykke Li>Royksopp>Robyn>The Knife>Jenny Wilson). And speaking of, I hear that Robyn has begun working on her new album with a tentative Snap and Technotronic influence. This is, of course, amazing, but I was actually hoping for more of a Colette influence... And as if I needed more evidence that the musical stars are aligned, now they're playing Babooshka on Rage.

Kylie: a defence

Another article celebrating a Kylie milestone that ends up painting her as vapid, controlling and talentless, questioning why she hasn't yet *really* revealed herself to the world. The implication is that, because she's "deflecting personal questions and dodging controversy", she either has something to hide, or is hiding the fact she has nothing to hide.

I disagree with this equation! I think that Kylie's reluctance to reveal anything personal actually springs gfrom some kind of deference to the persona she has created. Unlike some people (Madonna!), Kylie has an acute understanding of the mechanics of celebrity, helped along by increasingly man-meat obsessed William Baker. She understands that this "thing" she is created is is something separate to herself, and as much a creation of others (fans included) as her own. This isn't to deny her talent - her talent is in tending this creation, and in performing. She reveals herself in her theatricality, not through exposes. Give the lady her dues!