This week’s pick goes to Nic Burrose for his spoken word chord changes, in part because it reminds me of one of my favorite Sonic Youth songs, but mostly because it fosters a space where “nuclear wizards,” “cutthroat sneaky ninja meter maids” and “helicopters chopping through the skies in silence” can all converge  with equal dispassion. This is important.

Armageddon has always been there

Sleeping just beyond the horizon line of our periphery

But it woke fully clothed and ready

To go to work that day

…

And the usual gaggle and gibberish mumbling …

blah blah blah’ing to themselves

cell phones plugged into stones

…

That day, baristas were five minutes twenty three seconds late for work

On a citywide average

Bartenders were making the rent in tips as rabid soccer fans converged

On a local faux irish pub

To watch the latest big championship match between

Ireland and bri-italy and some other country …

I don’t really follow sports

If I had to describe it?

The calm apocalyptic certainty of youth able to express itself and end with a genuine but slight smile

Or

Engaged in the world and affected enough to sing but not yet so much to silence

This coming week » Of course we’re all excited for Quiet Lightning 8 tomorrow, but there’s plenty going on all week: Tuesday, catch members of Featherproof Books and Hobart, in from the Chicago area, at the High Emissions Book Tour, and Wednesday Hobart teams up with Corium Magazine for some Random Hookups. Check out the (mostly) full calendar for more.