Music: Current count 20116 [20091] rated (+25), 756 [762] unrated (-6). Was ill most of last week. Doubt that it was anything serious, but didn't feel like listening to music, much less writing about it, and when I did finally feel a bit better I skipped new jazz for Recycled Goods. Rated count is a bit inflated because I also did some work comparing database files and fixed some discrepancies. So Recycled Goods is in fairly good shape, due to run tomorrow. However, no Jazz Prospecting this week. Not sure about next week either. Only have 23 records in the draft for July's Rhapsody Streamnotes, but that seems about par this time of the month, at least for the last 3-4 months. Downloader's Diary is also drifting toward mid-month. What's unusual is that I don't have any A- records queued up -- best I can do is B+(***): Far East Movement, A Place to Bury Strangers, Otis Taylor, Bobby Womack. Nor does much else look promising.

I've seen some people kicking around mid-year lists. I currently have 48 records on this year's A-list. Can't compare exactly to last year's total, when I wound up with 121 (by freeze date, Jan. 18; I've added 8 more since then). But I am able to compare Christgau's database: in 2011 he had 39 A-list records by July 1, and 94 by Jan. 18, so he got 41.4% by this time. If I'm to wind up with 121 like last year, I've nabbed 39.6% of them thus far. That's too close to support a claim that this year sucks, even though I'm starting to feel that way. Christgau has 40 A-list records so far this year -- one more than last, so no real change. He counts compilations, which I don't, and he likes EPs much more than I do, but I cover much more jazz, so I usually end the year with about 20% more A-list records.

Haven't processed the week's unpacking yet. Next time.