Kinky Loveliness Redux (Part 5—The Godly Ones in Bali Circa '03 – Nothing More Beautiful... and Uli Shirtless!?!)

Perennial Loves/Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Man: Andy Caldwell

I've been meaning to post these exquisite photos of Andy Caldwell for some time – and to say that both the title track of Universal Truth and the shimmering bossa of "I Can't Wait" were among the loveliest of '06 by far – and an email invite to his birthday gig next Thursday at the newly renovated Boardners, with a live PA by the newly reunited Soulstice that should likewise be gorgeous, seemed the ideal time. Enjoy these sublime pics, and let me send best birthday wishes to this fine as hell/epically beautiful man.

Shinichi O. in NYC Tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got word via a MySpace bulletin from the brilliant and beautiful Jeff—a.k.a. ex-porn boy Damon DeMarco, writer of the legendarily gorgeous Naked City Boys blog, and now manager of NYC superclub Mr. Black—that the almighty sonic deity that is Shinichi Osawa is spinning at Mr. B. tonight. I'm having a bit of a catalespy in response as I listen to "Everything Needs Love" at deafening volume and trying to salve myself with the above aesthetically superb photo from an article on the Japanese online mag site Air. Needless to say, if you're in NYC and have any prayer in hell of making it, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If not take solace in one of the Mondo Grosso clips elsewhere on this blog.

Lovely Return: 4Hero

I always miss the gods Marc and Dego when they take years between proper 4Hero discs, but it is ALWAYS worth the wait, and the gorgeous Play with the Changes proves that indefatigably once again. Of course I miss the d+b a bit, but this one is nowhere near as excessively broken as fools had made out. Not remotely as sublime as Two Pages but most definitely lovelier than Creating Patterns, the most shimmeringly beautiful here are the blissfully careening "Look Inside" (+ Face) and "Something in the Way" (+ the goddess Bembe Segue), along with the first single, "Morning Child," with Carina Andersson once again doing her best Minnie Riperton over Charles Stepney strings, in a mode that improves on the boys' exquisite but far too literal take on "Les Fleur." Gorgeous, essential, and much much much needed at the moment.