I've been scarce of late. Sometimes I just don't have the urge to share, even where music is concerned. But I'm getting back into a more outgoing frame of mind. I have a huge backlog of records to write about, most of them members of the substantial collection of clearance specials, promos and freebies that I've acquired over the past decade. It's a lot to sort through, but I'm making headway. Right now I'm revisiting a record by Black Cat Orchestra which suits my "cabaret rock" mood, even though it's less rock than cabaret. I also have things to say about a record I'm reviewing for ??Tikkun??, Dan Kaufman and Barbez's ??Force of Light??, which approaches the life and art of Holocaust survivor Paul Celan from the perspective of -- wait for it -- what I'm calling "cabaret rock," a category that I use to encompass everything from Tom Waits to Nick Cave to Camper Van Beethoven. See, by sitting down to write about how I'm not quite ready to write, I wrote myself into a topic worth writing about. More to come. . .