Today's Music From The Future is Duplex, by Apparat. This is music that came to me via one of my shady online resources, probably the Internet equivalent of buying music in an unlabeled jewel case from some homeless-looking person in a truck stop parking lot. Okay, so that's not really true, I bought it from eMusic, but I found out about it via somewhat dubious sources. In this case, though, it worked out okay.
Duplex is a curious electronic and instrumental album, with maybe one track having vocals. It's very much in the vein of Boards of Canada, not completely different from Ratatat. But this isn't dancing music, this is music for introspection and brooding. Someday in the future, when machines rule the world and everyone has AIDS, all music will probably sound like this. But for now, it just exists independently of time. It's very futuristic, perfect music for a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape.
This music probably isn't for everyone. If you like to sing along with your music (and I do, sometimes) or are easily depressed by sound, then maybe you should stay away from Duplex. But if you like your music on the minimal side, where the noise is less frequent but more significant, then maybe this is the stuff for you.
In other news:
Less crabby today. And apparently, I am going to a baseball game tomorrow! This would be really exciting if I was still into baseball, but it should be fun regardless.
I needed a place where I could blog to my heart's content without the harassment that came from the social networking sites. This isn't really going to be a diary, but more of a place where I can tell people what is happening with me and talk about music. Mostly talk about music.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Everything All The Time
Today's Music of the Day is Everything All the Time, by Band of Horses. I'm surprised I haven't wrote about this album yet so today seemed like a fair opportunity.
Anyway, this album sounds a little like nostalgia and uncertainty with a sprinkle of angst but no real rage. It's sort of a sad dog without any real teeth, I guess. The sound is mostly electric guitar with a thin tenor voice. Maybe this album sounds like Bright Eyes with an amp? That's not exactly it, but it's along those lines. There is energy here, particularly on songs where the guitar gets to make a little noise ("Funeral"), but mostly it's pretty laid back. While the songs do have a dreamy, tender quality to them, the album is pretty conservative in its sound. It's not a bad sound, but after four or five songs of the thin voice and the silver guitar sound, it's not hard to guess what will happen next.
So, in short: decent album, though hardly unpredictable. It's not really dynamic enough to be offensive in any regard, which is not a positive here. This is a nice album, 'nice' being the key word, as people who buy albums for being nice generally expect a certain degree of minimal stimulation from their music.
In Other News:
I am in a sour mood today. Perhaps a little better now than earlier, but still kind of cranky. I'm not even sure why! Attribute it to old age, I guess.
Anyway, this album sounds a little like nostalgia and uncertainty with a sprinkle of angst but no real rage. It's sort of a sad dog without any real teeth, I guess. The sound is mostly electric guitar with a thin tenor voice. Maybe this album sounds like Bright Eyes with an amp? That's not exactly it, but it's along those lines. There is energy here, particularly on songs where the guitar gets to make a little noise ("Funeral"), but mostly it's pretty laid back. While the songs do have a dreamy, tender quality to them, the album is pretty conservative in its sound. It's not a bad sound, but after four or five songs of the thin voice and the silver guitar sound, it's not hard to guess what will happen next.
So, in short: decent album, though hardly unpredictable. It's not really dynamic enough to be offensive in any regard, which is not a positive here. This is a nice album, 'nice' being the key word, as people who buy albums for being nice generally expect a certain degree of minimal stimulation from their music.
In Other News:
I am in a sour mood today. Perhaps a little better now than earlier, but still kind of cranky. I'm not even sure why! Attribute it to old age, I guess.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Ratatat
Today's Music That is Fun and Interesting is the self-titled debut album from Ratatat. No history lesson today, let's just talk about the music.
This is all instrumental and electronic music, no vocals to be found here (at least I don't think so). It's not exactly Explosions in the Sky, but more upbeat and staged. It's pretty fun though! There are guitars and synthesizers; the music borders on being obnoxious but manages to remain light. Each song does have a good progression; there's a nice pop, but it's built to rather than given away within the first thirty seconds. I guess I'd describe Ratatat as using a lot of the same elements as Boards of Canada, but more jovial than pensive. Really, I'd think I should hate this album, but I'm pretty much enjoying it.
In short, this is what you should play when you have a party, and you want people to dance like there's ass in their pants.
In Other News:
I had a pretty great weekend but I know I am going to screw things up. Maybe?
This is all instrumental and electronic music, no vocals to be found here (at least I don't think so). It's not exactly Explosions in the Sky, but more upbeat and staged. It's pretty fun though! There are guitars and synthesizers; the music borders on being obnoxious but manages to remain light. Each song does have a good progression; there's a nice pop, but it's built to rather than given away within the first thirty seconds. I guess I'd describe Ratatat as using a lot of the same elements as Boards of Canada, but more jovial than pensive. Really, I'd think I should hate this album, but I'm pretty much enjoying it.
In short, this is what you should play when you have a party, and you want people to dance like there's ass in their pants.
In Other News:
I had a pretty great weekend but I know I am going to screw things up. Maybe?
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
If It Was You
Today's Music That Is Pretty Great is If It Was You, by Tegan and Sara. This album, I think, was one that I just picked up at the library at random. And it worked out! Lucky me. I'm a little surprised that I haven't written about this album yet, as it's been with me for a few years but hasn't ever really fallen out of my favor.
Anyway, this is kind of a folk-pop album, mostly dominated by two guitars and the voices of Tegan and Sara. Sonically, this album isn't all that complicated; the voices are solid and have just enough of an edge to them to keep the music from being too sweet. While this album doesn't exactly change the way I think about music, it does change in style and tone enough to keep things interesting. The ballads are touching, the driving songs push the tempo pretty well.
The thing I like most about this album, though, is its sincerity. These are generally love songs, but they're not "Oh love is so great and so hard" bubblegum songs that the American Idol songwriting team is probably hard at work on right now. These are songs full of longing and stuck-out tongues, and they never seem forced or manufactured. The only song I don't care for is "City Girl", which is kind of bland in comparison to the rest of the album, and it meanders for too long without making any kind of a point. "Monday Monday Monday" was stuck in my head for a good week after I heard this album, and it remains one of my favorites. "Living Room" is a good tune, "You Went Away" has wonderful energy. The entire album is listenable, though.
This album is basically like a well-prepared made from scratch meal against a sea of processed, manufactured foods. It might look or even smell the same, but it's two completely different approaches to a concept; one works, and one can be sold to the masses. A few bites of either, though, and you'll know what you have.
In Other News:
Some things are falling apart but I remain hopeful. Also, I didn't have to throw out much food due to my power loss, but if someone wants to bring me some milk, that would be super.
Anyway, this is kind of a folk-pop album, mostly dominated by two guitars and the voices of Tegan and Sara. Sonically, this album isn't all that complicated; the voices are solid and have just enough of an edge to them to keep the music from being too sweet. While this album doesn't exactly change the way I think about music, it does change in style and tone enough to keep things interesting. The ballads are touching, the driving songs push the tempo pretty well.
The thing I like most about this album, though, is its sincerity. These are generally love songs, but they're not "Oh love is so great and so hard" bubblegum songs that the American Idol songwriting team is probably hard at work on right now. These are songs full of longing and stuck-out tongues, and they never seem forced or manufactured. The only song I don't care for is "City Girl", which is kind of bland in comparison to the rest of the album, and it meanders for too long without making any kind of a point. "Monday Monday Monday" was stuck in my head for a good week after I heard this album, and it remains one of my favorites. "Living Room" is a good tune, "You Went Away" has wonderful energy. The entire album is listenable, though.
This album is basically like a well-prepared made from scratch meal against a sea of processed, manufactured foods. It might look or even smell the same, but it's two completely different approaches to a concept; one works, and one can be sold to the masses. A few bites of either, though, and you'll know what you have.
In Other News:
Some things are falling apart but I remain hopeful. Also, I didn't have to throw out much food due to my power loss, but if someone wants to bring me some milk, that would be super.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Eraser
Today's Music That Is Pretty Cool is The Eraser, from Thom Yorke. I guess this Thom Yorke guy has done some music with a group called the Radioheads that was used in a movie about churches or something. So he got to make an album that was done by him and some sort of sexy computer.
Well, anyway, this album sounds kind of like the leftovers from Kid A. More precisely, it sounds like songs that might have been conceived or even recorded around the same time but weren't quite bleak enough to fit that album. It's very much a Radiohead album, though, electronic and sparse in its sound, though the prevailing mood here isn't so despondent and cold as Kid A. It's not exactly easy listening, but it's definitely mellow. Overall it's a pretty enjoyable album, though not anywhere near as important as Kid A or OK Computer. (It's basically unfair to compare most of anything to those albums, though.)
In other news:
MOAR Sleep Required. Though today is a far cry better than yesterday.
Well, anyway, this album sounds kind of like the leftovers from Kid A. More precisely, it sounds like songs that might have been conceived or even recorded around the same time but weren't quite bleak enough to fit that album. It's very much a Radiohead album, though, electronic and sparse in its sound, though the prevailing mood here isn't so despondent and cold as Kid A. It's not exactly easy listening, but it's definitely mellow. Overall it's a pretty enjoyable album, though not anywhere near as important as Kid A or OK Computer. (It's basically unfair to compare most of anything to those albums, though.)
In other news:
MOAR Sleep Required. Though today is a far cry better than yesterday.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Today's Music That Jason Is Hollering About is New Adventures in Hi-Fi, by R.E.M. This is one of their more recent albums, having been released in 1996; it is also the last album that the group released before Bill Berry (the drummer) decided to leave the group.
This album sounds very much like mid-to-late period R.E.M. It's definitely more complicated, musically, than their earlier work, which can be either a plus or a minus, but it's quite apparent. There are a number of mid-period R.E.M. elements to the music: piano, synthesizer, the distorted guitar. The sound is all over the place - there are some Monster-style rock tunes, some that sound more in line with Green and Out of Time, and one song ("Leave") with electronic roots that give hints to the sound (though certainly not the mood) of the consequent album, Up. I do like this album, overall, even if it doesn't rank in the top two or three R.E.M. albums, in my opinion.
So why not? I really enjoy the quality of the songs - the mood and sound varies enough from song to song that these waters are hardly tepid. Sometimes the prevailing mood is melancholy, sometimes empty and longing, sometimes cheery, sometimes even snotty and cocksure. What the album seems to be missing, though, is the erudite quality that previous albums carried, maybe even Monster. There isn't much in the way of politics here, and the literate songs just aren't anywhere to be found. I do appreciate these songs, but there isn't a "Begin the Begin" or an "Exhuming McCarthy", even a "Let Me In" that allows this album to attach itself to my conscious mind. Cripes, I hope I'm not wishing for a more pretentious album; this one is certainly listenable, and even fun at times.
In other news:
I am puzzled today, and a little irritated. Chances are that it's not your fault, though, so don't worry about it. I'm also looking forward to the weekend. Mostly, though, I want to play guitar and practice that stupid damn F chord that I can't seem to transition into easily at the moment.
This album sounds very much like mid-to-late period R.E.M. It's definitely more complicated, musically, than their earlier work, which can be either a plus or a minus, but it's quite apparent. There are a number of mid-period R.E.M. elements to the music: piano, synthesizer, the distorted guitar. The sound is all over the place - there are some Monster-style rock tunes, some that sound more in line with Green and Out of Time, and one song ("Leave") with electronic roots that give hints to the sound (though certainly not the mood) of the consequent album, Up. I do like this album, overall, even if it doesn't rank in the top two or three R.E.M. albums, in my opinion.
So why not? I really enjoy the quality of the songs - the mood and sound varies enough from song to song that these waters are hardly tepid. Sometimes the prevailing mood is melancholy, sometimes empty and longing, sometimes cheery, sometimes even snotty and cocksure. What the album seems to be missing, though, is the erudite quality that previous albums carried, maybe even Monster. There isn't much in the way of politics here, and the literate songs just aren't anywhere to be found. I do appreciate these songs, but there isn't a "Begin the Begin" or an "Exhuming McCarthy", even a "Let Me In" that allows this album to attach itself to my conscious mind. Cripes, I hope I'm not wishing for a more pretentious album; this one is certainly listenable, and even fun at times.
In other news:
I am puzzled today, and a little irritated. Chances are that it's not your fault, though, so don't worry about it. I'm also looking forward to the weekend. Mostly, though, I want to play guitar and practice that stupid damn F chord that I can't seem to transition into easily at the moment.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Coachella 2008
Today, you are in for a treat, unless you don't like it. Instead of blogging about an album, today I am going to blog about a playlist, specifically about a playlist of artists that I got from another blog. The list is full of artists who played at Coachella this year, and then it also has some other songs in it that I acquired independently. Because the list is going to be longer, it will have shorter opinions on each song. I guess I might rate each song, according to a scale which I will devise here.
The scale goes all the way up to 'kitties'. Starting at the bottom:
corn - nobody likes corn. Bleh.
mud gum. pretty awful but maybe funny if it doesn't happen to you.
cut grass. Kind of pleasant in its own way but not really worth writing home about.
clouds - even though they don't really do anything but rain on you, they still look pretty neat.
Squirt soda - pretty tasty and apparently truckers like to mix tequila with it.
Quarters - they're pretty shiny and useful for lots of things.
that metal hand sign with the horns - heck yes! now we're talking.
kitties - adorable and a little dangerous.
Now for the songs:
Aphex Twin - "Avril 14th" - kind of a lame title but a decent song - Squirt soda.
Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance (Remix)" - fun but kind of obnoxious and snotty. Maybe even pretentious for what it is. - cut grass.
Breeders - "Bang On" - remind me to put "Cannonball" in here instead - mud gum
Brett Dennen - "Ain't No Reason" - not bad, but I can't see giving it a strong rating - clouds.
Carbon / Silicon - "Total Fucking Madness" - a little monotonous but still kind of fun. - Squirt Soda.
Tokyo Police Club - "Tessellate (Remix)" - a whole album of this would be too much but pretty good - Quarters.
Cafe Tacuba - "Volver a Comenzar" - kind of long but pretty fun, good energy - Quarters.
Cold War Kids - "Red Wine, Success!" - not my favorite CWK song but still good - metal hand.
Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip - "Thou Shalt Always Kill" - nice rhythm but I hate name-dropping in songs - cut grass.
Parts & Labor - "Fractured Skies" - pretty wicked stuff here, with horns! - kitties.
Devotchka - "Transliterator" - yeah, I'm biased. This song is delightful. - kitties.
Goldfrapp - "A&E" - nice but kind of unaffecting. -clouds.
Islands - "Creeper" - fun but ultimately kind of shallow - clouds
Hot Chip - "Shake It Over and Over" - you go right ahead and shake it. -mud gum
Holy F**k - "Lovely Allen" - okay, i guess, but people get excited about this? - cut grass
Heavy Stereo - "Bangers and Mash" - obnoxious in a good way, but i have my limits. - Squirt soda.
Iron & Wine - "Boy With a Coin" - yeah, I could get into this. -metal hand.
Justice - "D.A.N.C.E. (remix)" - not so much. I'd rather S.I.T. on my A.S.S. - mud gum
St. Etienne - "Goodnight" - cheesy but it appeals to me for some reason - Squirt soda.
Low - "Murderer" - oh, i like this song. i don't love it, but i like it. -quarters.
Longwave - "Sirens in the Deep Sea" - my guilty pleasure on this list. -metal hand
Stars - "My Radio (remix)" - sounds like Stars, which isn't bad. - Squirt soda.
Les Savy Fav - "The Sweat Descends" - driving and ominous, pretty good stuff. - metal hand
Murs - "Better Than The Rest" - not so bad, but sampling is generally not so clever. - clouds
Rogue Wave - "Lake Michigan" - okay, I guess, but I have a hard time putting it in the upper tiers of my scale. - Squirt soda
Sia - "Sunday" - I can't remember what this sounds like, so I'll go with - cut grass.
My Morning Jacket - "The Way That He Sings" - now we're talking. - metal hand
The National - "Boxer" - I wanted to end with something I liked. And I like this song lots. - kitties
Well that's enough for one day. Feel free to disagree with me, or don't.
In other news:
Time to get some more music.
The weekend was nice but I need more sleep, as usual.
The scale goes all the way up to 'kitties'. Starting at the bottom:
corn - nobody likes corn. Bleh.
mud gum. pretty awful but maybe funny if it doesn't happen to you.
cut grass. Kind of pleasant in its own way but not really worth writing home about.
clouds - even though they don't really do anything but rain on you, they still look pretty neat.
Squirt soda - pretty tasty and apparently truckers like to mix tequila with it.
Quarters - they're pretty shiny and useful for lots of things.
that metal hand sign with the horns - heck yes! now we're talking.
kitties - adorable and a little dangerous.
Now for the songs:
Aphex Twin - "Avril 14th" - kind of a lame title but a decent song - Squirt soda.
Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance (Remix)" - fun but kind of obnoxious and snotty. Maybe even pretentious for what it is. - cut grass.
Breeders - "Bang On" - remind me to put "Cannonball" in here instead - mud gum
Brett Dennen - "Ain't No Reason" - not bad, but I can't see giving it a strong rating - clouds.
Carbon / Silicon - "Total Fucking Madness" - a little monotonous but still kind of fun. - Squirt Soda.
Tokyo Police Club - "Tessellate (Remix)" - a whole album of this would be too much but pretty good - Quarters.
Cafe Tacuba - "Volver a Comenzar" - kind of long but pretty fun, good energy - Quarters.
Cold War Kids - "Red Wine, Success!" - not my favorite CWK song but still good - metal hand.
Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip - "Thou Shalt Always Kill" - nice rhythm but I hate name-dropping in songs - cut grass.
Parts & Labor - "Fractured Skies" - pretty wicked stuff here, with horns! - kitties.
Devotchka - "Transliterator" - yeah, I'm biased. This song is delightful. - kitties.
Goldfrapp - "A&E" - nice but kind of unaffecting. -clouds.
Islands - "Creeper" - fun but ultimately kind of shallow - clouds
Hot Chip - "Shake It Over and Over" - you go right ahead and shake it. -mud gum
Holy F**k - "Lovely Allen" - okay, i guess, but people get excited about this? - cut grass
Heavy Stereo - "Bangers and Mash" - obnoxious in a good way, but i have my limits. - Squirt soda.
Iron & Wine - "Boy With a Coin" - yeah, I could get into this. -metal hand.
Justice - "D.A.N.C.E. (remix)" - not so much. I'd rather S.I.T. on my A.S.S. - mud gum
St. Etienne - "Goodnight" - cheesy but it appeals to me for some reason - Squirt soda.
Low - "Murderer" - oh, i like this song. i don't love it, but i like it. -quarters.
Longwave - "Sirens in the Deep Sea" - my guilty pleasure on this list. -metal hand
Stars - "My Radio (remix)" - sounds like Stars, which isn't bad. - Squirt soda.
Les Savy Fav - "The Sweat Descends" - driving and ominous, pretty good stuff. - metal hand
Murs - "Better Than The Rest" - not so bad, but sampling is generally not so clever. - clouds
Rogue Wave - "Lake Michigan" - okay, I guess, but I have a hard time putting it in the upper tiers of my scale. - Squirt soda
Sia - "Sunday" - I can't remember what this sounds like, so I'll go with - cut grass.
My Morning Jacket - "The Way That He Sings" - now we're talking. - metal hand
The National - "Boxer" - I wanted to end with something I liked. And I like this song lots. - kitties
Well that's enough for one day. Feel free to disagree with me, or don't.
In other news:
Time to get some more music.
The weekend was nice but I need more sleep, as usual.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Boxer
Today's Album That Jason Is Pretty Much Sold On is Boxer, by The National. I do have to confess two things about this band:
1) I bought one of their shirts via the Yellow Bird Project.
2) The first time I heard them, I thought that the singer was the guy from Crash Test Dummies. Sadly, no.
This album is something I have listened to, in pieces, somewhere in the realm of six or seven times. However, I still don't feel like I have a strong grasp of the album's personality. However, I'll offer my somewhat uninformed opinions, as I typically do.
The album overall seems to be pretty good. This is one of those rare bands that makes a really great ballad and just a good uptempo song. That is, the faster, driving songs on the album aren't bad by any means, but the ballads tend to overshadow them. While the deep male vocals are a unique touch, sometimes the faster songs tend to veer a little too close to the sort of 'we want to be the baby of 1985-era U2 and the Smiths' sound that some bands (Interpol, Editors, and who knows how many others) lean on. Maybe these songs just need one or two dedicated listens; none of them are bad, the sound isn't maybe as original as some of the better songs would lead me to expect.
The standout tracks are the ballads; specifically, "Ada" and "Fake Empire" are wonderful. This album is probably worth buying on the strength of those songs alone. Let me stress this one more time: "Ada" is a touching song, "Fake Empire" is glorious.
I'll maybe revisit this album after some more listens, as I did enjoy it, but I feel like it's not getting a fair shake from me.
EDIT: Upon listening to this album again, with less commotion around me, I liked it much better. The songs are somewhat reserved and introspective, and as a whole the albums is pretty good. It's a sensitive album, full of quiet anger, brooding and seething. Worth the hype, in my opinion.
In Other News:
I am going to buy Neko Case tickets tomorrow for her show in Des Moines, later this year. I'm freakin' excited.
1) I bought one of their shirts via the Yellow Bird Project.
2) The first time I heard them, I thought that the singer was the guy from Crash Test Dummies. Sadly, no.
This album is something I have listened to, in pieces, somewhere in the realm of six or seven times. However, I still don't feel like I have a strong grasp of the album's personality. However, I'll offer my somewhat uninformed opinions, as I typically do.
The album overall seems to be pretty good. This is one of those rare bands that makes a really great ballad and just a good uptempo song. That is, the faster, driving songs on the album aren't bad by any means, but the ballads tend to overshadow them. While the deep male vocals are a unique touch, sometimes the faster songs tend to veer a little too close to the sort of 'we want to be the baby of 1985-era U2 and the Smiths' sound that some bands (Interpol, Editors, and who knows how many others) lean on. Maybe these songs just need one or two dedicated listens; none of them are bad, the sound isn't maybe as original as some of the better songs would lead me to expect.
The standout tracks are the ballads; specifically, "Ada" and "Fake Empire" are wonderful. This album is probably worth buying on the strength of those songs alone. Let me stress this one more time: "Ada" is a touching song, "Fake Empire" is glorious.
I'll maybe revisit this album after some more listens, as I did enjoy it, but I feel like it's not getting a fair shake from me.
EDIT: Upon listening to this album again, with less commotion around me, I liked it much better. The songs are somewhat reserved and introspective, and as a whole the albums is pretty good. It's a sensitive album, full of quiet anger, brooding and seething. Worth the hype, in my opinion.
In Other News:
I am going to buy Neko Case tickets tomorrow for her show in Des Moines, later this year. I'm freakin' excited.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Automatic for the People
Today's Music That Has Held Up Over Time is R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People. In addition to having a pretty great title, this happens to be a really decent album. It's the last 'traditional' R.E.M. album, as after this, the band kind of went in a different direction with Monster and hasn't really found their way back, though some of the post-Automatic stuff is not bad by any means. This album was maybe a little bit lost in 1992, what with the musical landscape being dominated by grunge and gangsta rap; it probably also suffered for not having a radio hit as great as Out of Time's "Losing My Religion", which, while being a fine song, was guilty of being everywhere in 1991 and for some time after.
This is probably the first R.E.M. album I really felt strongly about; I don't know if it's still my favorite or not but I care for it a great deal. The album overall has a real haunted presence, as though each song is something of a ghost with a story to tell. Some of these ghosts are more personal, while others are more public and obvious (Monty Clift, Andy Kaufman, even Ronnie Reagan, lest you think that no politics made it in to this album).
Anyhow, Automatic has some songs that you will recognize instantly, songs that are typical of mid-period R.E.M. and fairly representative of the band in general: "Man on the Moon", "Everybody Hurts", "Drive". The rest of the album is excellent as well. "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" is basically just what it suggests, but it's a pleasant two-minute departure. Some of the songs are light and inviting ("Nightswimming", "Find the River", even "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"), some are filled with longing and regret ("Try Not To Breathe", "Ignoreland", "Monty Got A Raw Deal"). The common threads between songs being few but strong makes for a fine album.
So, to sum up: this isn't a rockin' good-time party album, but why you wouldn't listen to it is beyond me.
In Other News:
Man the blog has really been neglected lately.
I think this is the week I go to Planned Parenthood and see if I can start volunteering there on a regular basis. If you don't like it, that's fine, just don't expect me to care.
This is probably the first R.E.M. album I really felt strongly about; I don't know if it's still my favorite or not but I care for it a great deal. The album overall has a real haunted presence, as though each song is something of a ghost with a story to tell. Some of these ghosts are more personal, while others are more public and obvious (Monty Clift, Andy Kaufman, even Ronnie Reagan, lest you think that no politics made it in to this album).
Anyhow, Automatic has some songs that you will recognize instantly, songs that are typical of mid-period R.E.M. and fairly representative of the band in general: "Man on the Moon", "Everybody Hurts", "Drive". The rest of the album is excellent as well. "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" is basically just what it suggests, but it's a pleasant two-minute departure. Some of the songs are light and inviting ("Nightswimming", "Find the River", even "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"), some are filled with longing and regret ("Try Not To Breathe", "Ignoreland", "Monty Got A Raw Deal"). The common threads between songs being few but strong makes for a fine album.
So, to sum up: this isn't a rockin' good-time party album, but why you wouldn't listen to it is beyond me.
In Other News:
Man the blog has really been neglected lately.
I think this is the week I go to Planned Parenthood and see if I can start volunteering there on a regular basis. If you don't like it, that's fine, just don't expect me to care.
Monday, July 7, 2008
I promise I'll put something up here this week.
I swear! Probably something about Devotchka, or maybe Cat Power.
I'm also itching to get my hands on the new Sigur Ros album, even if I can't pronounce its name. But "Gobbledigook" is pretty interesting, if a little unrestrained for Sigur Ros. (Not bad, just different.)
Oh! The 80/35 Festival was pretty good. I didn't get to see as many bands as I would have liked, but the ones I did get to see (Andrew Bird, the Flaming Lips) were pretty rockin'. And I ran the merchandise tent for a few hours. There were freaks and hippies everywhere! It was great, and there were no major problems, so hopefully the festival will happen again next year.
I'm also itching to get my hands on the new Sigur Ros album, even if I can't pronounce its name. But "Gobbledigook" is pretty interesting, if a little unrestrained for Sigur Ros. (Not bad, just different.)
Oh! The 80/35 Festival was pretty good. I didn't get to see as many bands as I would have liked, but the ones I did get to see (Andrew Bird, the Flaming Lips) were pretty rockin'. And I ran the merchandise tent for a few hours. There were freaks and hippies everywhere! It was great, and there were no major problems, so hopefully the festival will happen again next year.