If you approach it in the right frame of mind, Draft 7.30 is the sort of album that will take you to other universes. Keep an open mind.

Either I gradually learned to hear the world the way Sun Ra heard it, or he was hearing it the way I do, but I love the way his best music clanks and stumbles along, the weird and realistic way it meanders between grace and gracelessness; the way it mimicked the stutter-stepping, bursts of noise and silence, and general caterwauling of my consciousness.

The middle portion of the record, featuring "Fool," "He War" and the riveting "Smashing Paper," is the strongest, giving us full bursts of the fight Marshall has in her. The trio of songs is so dramatically different from what we've heard before from Cat Power -- so aggressive, upbeat and catchy -- that it's disappointing to go back to the morose lullabies that occupy the last six tracks of the album.

Its as if the album is the story of the hills and valleys of a relationship that is, when at its best, the sweetest thing imaginable, but when at its worst, enough to tear a man apart.

Afterward, I was standing behind Mark at the bar and I spoke to him – he's the most approachable guy in the world. I told him how much I'd loved the show, and also "West," and this one song from it, but I couldn't remember the name of it. He was friendly, but he said he didn't remember the song. So I sang part of it into his ear – a few of the best lines. "I don't remember!" he yelled at me over the noise. "I don't remember any of the songs I write!"