Fresh from the playlist:

“In Ruins” by Fol Chen–This L.A. band is relatively new on the scene, but this song shows that they’re already masters of the pop hook. “In Ruins” is pop with a lot of drama, but it’s not overwrought or pretentious. The female lead doesn’t let her jaded view of love dim her hopes that someone will just take her dancing. Which brings us to our next song…

“Dancing on My Own” by Robyn–For my money, Swedish artist Robyn is one of the best electropop artists of the past decade. Her music is the most delicious ear candy, but it possesses a hint of tartness that separates her stuff from forgettable Top 40 pap. “Dancing on My Own” is a continuation of the crying-on-the-dancefloor vibe that Robyn explored in the gorgeous 2008 single “With Every Heartbeat.” The beat on this one is more upbeat and playful, throwing some mirrorball glitter on the singer’s broken heart.

“Rill Rill” by Sleigh Bells–Sleigh Bells is the buzz band of the moment, turning heads with songs that are densely constructed layers of distortion that stand in stark contrast to the honeyed vocals of singer Alexis Krauss. “Rill Rill” is one the band’s more accessible tracks; a mellow guitar sample melded with Krauss’ dreamy girl-group delivery of lyrics that sound like they might have their origins in a schoolyard chant. There’s a lot going on in this song, but the total effect is blissful summertime pop.

One of my favorite games from last year, Torchlight, is getting a sequel. Torchlight is a hack-and-slash RPG similar to the classic Diablo. It can be played almost entirely with the mouse, which is why it has earned my seal of approval. The game also boasts gorgeous graphics rendered in a vibrant palette. The sequel should be out next year, which is probably when I’ll finally finish the original.

A new poll shows that all three potential DFL candidates for governor are leading the Republican candidate, Tom Emmer. It’s still months before the election and anything can happen, but GOP activists can’t be happy with Emmer’s inability to gain traction against any of his Democratic candidates. Perhaps they’re having second thoughts about ceding the nomination process to Tea Party zealots who couldn’t be bothered to find a candidate that possessed even a thin veneer of moderation.

It’s also worth noting that Pawlenty’s name has been frequently mentioned in DFL campaign ads; almost as much as Emmer’s name. It’s something of a repeat of the 2008 national election in that Dems are trying to portray Pawlenty as mini-Bush, the guy who let everything go to hell and is now leaving us in a big mess. Pawlenty was never that unpopular, but Minnesotans seem to have a diminished appetite for another Republican in the governor’s mansion. If the eventual Democratic candidate can avoid having any paranoid outbursts (cf. Mike Hatch in 2006), he or she might actually win this thing.

A man diagnosed with amytrophic later sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) wants to donate his organs even though he’s not facing imminent death. He claims that he’s “dead anyway” as a justification for granting his request. It seems unlikely that he’ll get his wish; no hospital or physician will volunteer to harvest the organs of someone who is still very much alive. And I hope someone tries to help him understand that he could still have several years of meaningful life ahead of him. I’m also a registered organ donor; as with ALS, SMA doesn’t affect the integrity of vital organs. But my organs are off-limits until I’m good and done with them.

I’m also guessing that this set of facts will be written into a future episode of House.

Comixology, which made a name for itself offering digital comics on the iPhone, is now operating a web-based comics store offering titles from major publishers like DC, Dark Horse, and Image. A healthy selection of free titles are available (such as the first issue of the intriguing and off-kilter Chew) and prices for the paid content are pretty reasonable: $1.99 for most single issues and $9.99 for collected volumes. They’ve even got digital issues of Sandman that they’re releasing at the rate of one per week. The reading interface itself is intuitive and the content looks quite sharp on my widescreen monitor. The only drawback is that Marvel titles aren’t available yet, but hopefully that will change soon.

I dropped over $100 on physical comics over the weekend. As much as I love my local comics shop, I wonder if that will be the last time I spend that much in-store. The convenience and accessibility of the digital version is starting to look irresistible, which is something my friend and owner of Big Brain Comics probably doesn’t want to hear.