In this week’s Georgia Straight is my review of The Children of Hurin, the new book from J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by his son, Christopher.

The book is beautifully illustrated by Alan Lee, who with John Howe helped Peter Jackson to conceive of the art direction for the Lord of the Rings films, but as you’ll read over here, I found Hurin to be interesting, but far from compelling.

Another song planted in my head by CBC Radio 3’s R3-30, “Pedal Pusher” by Abdominal is bouncing through my head this morning.

The Toronto MC’s album is entitled Escape From the Pigeon Hole, which is a great title, and this song documents his experience as a bike courier in the Big Smoke, and affirms that there is great hip-hop coming out of the Great White North.

My “Trigger Happy” column this week is an interview with PlayStation Canada’s Matt Levitan, who was very frank with me about the PS3’s struggle in the marketplace since its release last November.

Get the details over here, and also look for reviews of Activision’s Spider-Man 3 and Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls: Oblivion for the PS3.

They’re baaaack.

“Sisters in the Struggle,” by the Canadian band Lesbians on Ecstasy, has been in my head for the past couple of days. I woke up in the middle of the night last night with the refrain echoing.

Modest Mouse’s “Steam Engenius” had elbowed the lesbians out of the way come morning, but in listening to the R3-30 on the way home, the girls who love girls muscled their way back in. They were third on this week’s chart.

I give up. “Sisters” can stay as long as it likes.

I cannot seem to get Lesbians on Ecstasy out of my head.

Their song, “Sisters in the Struggle,” has been on CBC Radio 3’s chart podcast, the R3-30 for a few weeks, and it’s just stuck.

Those lesbians are there to stay.