Hades, I'm Only Dancing

In some ways, the new Hercules & Love Affair single, "You Belong" reminds me of David Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing." The former has a house beat and contemporary synths with Nomi and Antony's yearning voices overlapping. The latter is a stomping glam classic that often gets overlooked, probably because it's usually tacked on the end of special edition releases of Ziggy Stardust.

Lyrically, there is a tumultuous, sexually ambiguous relationship between the protagonist and whoever he/she is addressing. Both songs are a little flirty, slightly moody, and tease the listener to some degree.

When I first heard "You Belong," I thought of it as the John character in Bowie's song, letting go of the person he was holding on to. I'm not sure what triggered this random thought, but I hope it's intriguing nonetheless.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Walking on Jim Lambie's color chart floor at MOMA.

All apologies for the extended absence, as I've been relocating my entire life to a completely new coast. Despite my worldly travels, I've actually only lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, except for a four month stay in the U.K.

I went to New York City last year and everything about it felt right. And so here I am, having a new life adventure. I found a hot piece of real estate with cool roommates in Brooklyn and everything has been going well so far.

I was surprised by how comfortable I felt leaving San Francisco. Perhaps it was the support of all my friends and family, who encouraged me that NYC was the right thing for me.

To be honest, it actually didn't hit me that I was leaving until I unplugged my stereo system and packed it up for storage. It was one of the last things I packed. So many years singing and dancing around in my bedroom, getting ready to go out and playing records I had just purchased at Amoeba and Streetlight.

The last album I played on my stereo before packing up was New Order's Technique. I had just come back from selling a bunch of DVD's at Amoeba, and used the exchange credit to buy four albums: Blondie's Eat To The Beat, Hercules and Love Affair (self-titled), Missy Elliott's Miss E... So Addictive, and the New Order album.

Pretty much all four albums had songs I was very familiar with, and I purchased them as a kinda of comfort food before I left for my trip: albums that would keep me warm and feel familiar, while still being new.

The album of this moment for me has been Ciara's The Evolution. I can't believe people weren't into this when it came out late 2006. It's a solid, creative, interesting piece of dance, pop and R&B. Where was I when "Promise" came out? I have been listening to this album non-stop since I got it.

Ciara can be so beautifully vulnerable, awkward and self-conscious. She's also very passionate about the music she makes. I'm looking forward to her new three album Fantasy Ride project.