A Review (Because I Couldn't Come Up With a Clever Title That Included Both Album Titles)

As promised, my review of Off With Their Heads and Perfect Symmetry. Not as much bashing as I thought there would be, but still rather good if you ask me.

Originally Off With Their Heads and Perfect Symmetry were suppose to be released on the same day. It was going to be an absolute bonanza for me: Two of my favourite bands releasing their third albums on the same day. Sadly, though I guess ultimately for the best, Off With Their Heads was delayed three weeks here in the States and so I got to hear Perfect Symmetry before I heard Off With Their Heads. If you had asked me at the beginning of October whose album I was more excited about I would have automatically answered the Kaiser Chiefs. But now, after listening to both albums I must, sadly, admit Keane has the better third album. And what it comes down to is passion.
My main complaint with the Kaiser Chiefs’ lead single, "Never Miss a Beat" (beside the idiotic nature of the lyrics), was the lack of passion contained in the song. This apathy pervades the band’s new album Off With Their Heads leading the listener to think that band doesn’t care about what they’re singing or playing, that they are merely putting out and album to put out an album (and ultimately, why should we care about an album that the band doesn't care about). Although Mark Ronson and Eliot James do a very good job of producing Off With Their Heads, the band’s lack of enthusiasm and the poor quality of the lyrics makes listening to this album a very trying experience. The few saving graces on the albums, particularly "Like It Too Much" and "Always Happens Like That", are the songs that seems to have even iota of passion in them. Unfortunately those songs are too infrequent to make up for the rest of the passionless tracks that dominate Off With Their Heads. Recommended Tracks: Like It Too Much, You Want History, Always Happens Like That, Remember You're a Girl
On the flip side, you could never accuse Keane of not being passionate about their music. While not every song on Perfect Symmetry is absolutely brilliant, the band never wanes in its enthusiasm for the music they’re producing. As often happens in the mixing of an album, Perfect Symmetry is front loaded with the best songs recorded by Keane, but there are a few gems on the second half of the album particularly “Pretend That You’re Alone” and album closer “Love is the End” that save the album from being too dull at the end. While some of the messages on the album can come across as heavy-handed the musical experientialism paired with Tom Chaplin’s complete and utter belief in what he is singing more than makes up for calling mankind weeds. The best songs on the album are those that break ground both musically and lyrically for the band, those few times when they step out of their comfort zone and create something unexpected. Recommended Tracks: The Lovers Are Losing, Better Than This, Perfect Symmetry, Pretend That Your Alone, Love Is The End
A good album shows growth musically and lyrically and conveys the passion a band has for creating music. Good songs step ever so slightly outside a band’s comfort zone, showing a certain amount of experimentation without alienating their fans or casual listeners. Those elements and the lack of those elements are what make Off With Their Heads a disappointing album and Perfect Symmetry a good one. Ultimately, it all comes down to passion.
Perfect Symmetry: B+ Off With Their Heads: C-

In other news my self-created issues with my relationship are slowly dissipating, though they haven't gone away completely. I still think way too much about everything, but since that's a problem that will never go away, I'm coming to terms with accepting what I have and embracing the idea that I will never be the perfect girlfriend because I don't live in a fictional world. Oh well. Ultimately my life is good and I am mostly happy. Except when I think about music theory. Then, not so much. But that's for another entry at another time.

Goodbye

Ten-Inch is leaving the building. Technically he hasn't left the show yet, but he's still left it in spirit. He says he doesn't want to out stay his welcome, but look at Tom Baker: He was on the show for seven fucking years. Being on it for only 4 years really isn't that long. I mean generally speaking. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T LEAVE US DAVID!!!!!!!
In other news, I'll be writing up a review of the new Kaiser Chiefs album this weekend. Look forward to a lot of bashing.

If Only

If I could get everything floating around in my head off my chest, if we could just talk about my issues for a little bit, so he could understand what's going on in my head, I think things would be better if not necessarily easier. There would still be some things in the way, but it would be better. If there was a guide or a template I could work from an example of how this is suppose to work I would feel more comfortable knowing that this is how it's suppose to work. If I could trust myself and my own judgement and if he weren't so damn horny I wouldn't be so confused and unsure of everything. If he had listened when I said I wanted to take things slow and I hadn't allowed my pent up sexual energy run the show we wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be so frustrated with myself. If I lived under a rock things would be so much easier. I try to go along with things and not let my paranoia and psychosis get in the way, but when all is said and done they're still there haunting me and calling into question every aspect of this relationship. I want Prince Charming and have decided that settling for a person is just fine and I can be happy with that, but then the memories of fifth grade and Miles come back and make me wonder how long this will all last. If he hadn't happened, if I didn't hold onto that experience like a safety blanket or protective shield, I wouldn't be calling into question every move we make and every little thing we do. It was all so much easier when I could believe that romance worked in the real world the same way it does in musicals and books. I wish I had someone neutral to talk to about all of this, just so I could know I'm not losing my mind. I wish Farber was here. He always seems to know what to do, even if I don't usually follow his advice.
I don't want to take back what's happened. I just wish I knew where this was all headed towards.

This Week...

- My hall finally passed the middle of the night fire drill (only took us like five times, but we passed!)
- Shocked Allison into talking to me
- Established that I am actually in a relationship
- Got really fancy shampoo
- Have re-established (multiple times) that I'm a paranoid nutter with body issues
- Decided that I will secretly and deceptively brain-wash Hunter
- "Watched" Spaced with someone outside my family (some watching was done, just not a whole lot, but I'm counting it anyway because I don't think I'll ever get Clark to watch it [sadly, cuz he'd really like it])
- Didn't completely fail my skills mid-term
And Finally...
- Got Young Frankenstein, Hogfather (go Terry Pratchett and Elton!), and The Nightmare Before Christmas

Once a Cold, Always a Cold

I'm just going to start off by saying NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reason I'm saying this is because Once was not meant to be made into a Broadway fucking musical. It is perfect in its movie form and why are the trying to ruin my favourite movie???
I've got a cold at the moment and have decided that I'm in conversation, no matter how hard I try. There are fences that have yet to come down and I'm dating a person with the exact same disability I have. But the cold is getting better.

Anglo-Audiophile, Paranoid Nutter

I feel I should post something, but what I want to write about is a bit to personal and hasn't been fully worked in my head, so instead I'll post a random Friday Five. It has to do with death 0_0

1. If you were to die today, what would your last words be?
Don't panic

2. What would you want your epitaph to say?
Anglophile, Audiophile, Paranoid Nutter

3. What song would you want played at your funeral?
"All These Things That I Have Done" by the Killers and "Days" by the Kinks

4. In lieu of flowers, what should loved ones do in your honor?
Listen to Kaiser Chiefs, the Kinks, and the Cribs a whole damn lot

5. What unfinished business would you wrap up
Visit London one last time

V. Random

Just to amuse: The 20 Most Awesome SciFi TV Theme Songs
Yeah, I'm a little bored right now. Enjoy.

Easy Observation

I'm of the opinion that it's much easier to hide under a rock than to open oneself up to the possibility of being hurt. I'm shy and quite by nature and tend to spend a lot of time by myself. I've developed a rather eccentric personality and a broad (as in from abroad) range of interests that set me apart from most of my peers. And now for the first time in my life someone is trying to penetrate my fortress. It's a bit scary I'll admit, but all my fears and worries seem to all but dissipate when I'm in his arms. Just being there is the best feeling I've ever known. I tend to forget everything else and just concentrate on his breathing. It's nice, very nice indeed.

Oh What A Night

Remember in my last entry how I joked about my big news being that I had finally gotten a boyfriend? Ya know, the funny bit right before I said that Franz Ferdinand had announced a release date for their third album? Yeah, think back. (This is my way of saying I think* I really, honestly do have a boyfriend. No shit.)
I've got one very persistent song running through my head which has now been given a partner ("Then He Kissed Me" and "December 1963"). My limbs haven't fully recovered which seems a bit odd but overwhelming joy can do that I guess. This is all very strange and very foreign and amazingly wonderful at the same time. Thank god I had never seen The Blues Brothers before. That's about all I can say right now.
One last thing: I found my Doctor :biggest grin known to man:
*The word use of "think" comes from a distinct lack of knowledge on how this whole thing works. In a sad bit of pathetic-ness, I'm waiting for him to change his status on Facebook.

Not So Bitchy Update

So last night was a bit bitchy which I will blame on my canker-sore. However, this morning provided some happy news so I have decided to update with said happy news. What is my happy news? I have a boyfriend! No, just kidding, that's not it all. No, Franz Ferdinand have announced a release date for their third album! And a track listing! Not that it really matters since the only song I've heard from their new batch of songs is "Lucid Dreams" but still yay! That means I have two more exciting releases before the end of the year (Kaiser Chiefs and Killers*) and then one really exciting release at the beginning of the year. (Lily Allen has announced a release date but it's only for those countries that release CDs on Monday and therefore does not apply to US) Also, Pitchfork is coming out with a book in November. I don't actually care about that fact, but found it interesting nonetheless.
*The Killers have turned into a nonsensical techno band which makes the raver that lives in the joy center of my brain very happy. Their new single "Human" is ridiculously giddy and wonderful. Here's part of the chorus, as an example: "Are we human/Or are we Dancer/My signs are vital/My hands are cold/And I'm on my knees looking for the answer/Are we human or are we dancer?" It makes me happy on the inside just thinking about it.
Ta for now.

Bitchy Update

I was so stressed out by my mid-terms that I got a canker-sore at the back of my jaw. You have to admit, that's pretty fucking stressed out. Granted it's a pain in the ass given where it is because the damn think makes it really painful to open my mouth all the way which makes yawning really painful and hard to do. Anyway, I've got classes tomorrow which I'm not particularly looking forward to no real reason other than that I don't feel like getting up before 9am. Also I'm currently trying to wrap my head around playing music that I don't have memorized because real hipster listen to cool hipster music. However depending on how my Thursday goes I may not want to be a real hipster, so we'll see. God I just want this week to be over. And for it to be really truly fall instead of this endless Indian summer.

Pop Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word

We're studying secondary dominants in theory right now and Prof. Long has been making a lot quippy remarks about pop music. Today however was the cherry on the sundae. I feel I should mention that Prof. Long is a composer and holds a fancy doctorate in something pertaining to music (I don't remember whether it's theory or composition.) To Prof. Long pop starts are illiterate idiots who degrade the artistry of music. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes every time he mentioned pop today, mainly because I was thinking of skipping today's class and was wishing I had. You see I wish I could immerse myself in pop at all times and really want to spend the rest of my life listnening and studying pop music. Yes the people who perform pop music can be considered the equivalent of trained monkeys (I'm thinking of Britney Spears and her ilk when I say this) but the people who write pop songs are every bit as sophisticated as classical composers. A person can't write a good pop song without knowing what they're doing. Singer-songwriters may not get a formal education in theory (most of the time anyway) but they know what they're doing. They have to. You can write mediocre crap and get no where very quickly in the music business. It takes skill and a thorough understanding of pop music to really get anywhere in the business (at least the mainstream business.) Writing off pop music as the domain of idiots is like accusing Judy Bloom of not being a good writer. Pop shouldn't be a dirty word in the world of music.

Lyrics pt. 4,252

In a vain effort to avoid writing my sociology paper (minimum wage sucks ass and here's why the politicians won't do jack about) here are some lyrics. I've included a small explanation for why I chose each song because I really don't want to write this paper. Cheers!

Autumn Almanac --- The Kinks [It's officially autumn, the song's called autumn almanac, it's by the Kinks, therefore it's perfect]

From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar,
When the dawn begins to crack.
It's all part of my autumn almanac.
Breeze blows leaves of a musty-coloured yellow,
So I sweep them in my sack.
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

Friday evenings, people get together,
Hiding from the weather.
Tea and toasted, buttered currant buns
Can't compensate for lack of sun,
Because the summer's all gone.

La-la-la-la...
Oh, my poor rheumatic back
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.
La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn almanac
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

I like my football on a Saturday,
Roast beef on Sundays, all right.
I go to Blackpool for my holidays,
Sit in the open sunlight.

This is my street, and I'm never gonna to leave it,
And I'm always gonna to stay here
If I live to be ninety-nine,
'Cause all the people I meet
Seem to come from my street
And I can't get away,
Because it's calling me, (come on home)
Hear it calling me, (come on home)

La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn Armagnac
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.
La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn almanac
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Bop-bop-bopm-bop-bop, whoa!
Bop-bop-bopm-bop-bop, whoa!

You Don't Know Me --- Ben Folds ft. Regina Spektor [I've been wanting to post the lyrics to this song for various reasons for quite awhile now and I though it complimented the Kinks' general aesthetic]

I wanna ask you;
Do you ever sit and wonder
It's so strange that we could be together
for so long and never know, never care
what goes on in the other one's head?
Things I thought but I never said
You said things that I never said
So I'll say something that I should have said long ago

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)

You could have just propped me up at the table like a mannequin
or a cardboard standup
and given me any face that you wanted me to be seen
we're damned by the existential moment
when we saw the couple in a coma
and it was weakened with the cliché
but we carried on anyway

So, sure, I could just close my eyes
Yeah, sure, trace and memorize
But can you go back once you know?

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all

If I'm the person who you say i am
Clueless chump you seem to think i am
So he's been led astray like an errant dog
who occasionally escapes and needs a shorter leash than I thought
Would you want me back?
Maybe it's because...
You don't know me at all

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all

So what I'm trying to say is
What I'm trying to tell you is
Not gonna come out like I wanna say it
'Cause i know you'll only change it (change it, change it)

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all

Neeth the Beeches --- The Frames [There's something distinctly autumnal about Ireland and the Irish in general {maybe it's the red hair} so I picked a Frames song that seemed autumnal]

Hand me down the picture
Of you leaving unsaid
I know how simple it get
But sat by chance I need you
Will you always be there
And I will lie with you neath the beeches
On the strand again
I'm learning to hand it over
To whatever Lord there be
And in the same old colours
I'll be dressed for thee
But it's not about that though is it?
It's about you and me
I hung your feet
That famous painting above my bed
And you told me a story
About some guy who kept his head
He drowned neath the Southport
Near the pier where we stand

And I will lie with you neath the beeches
On the strand again

1234 --- Feist [I freakin' love this song and I thought it would make for a nice conclusion]

One, two, three, four
Tell me that you love me more
Sleepless long nights
That is what my youth was for

Old teenage hopes are alive at your door
Left you with nothing but they want some more

Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, You know who you are

Sweetheart bitterheart now I can't tell you apart
Cosy and cold, put the horse before the cart

Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes
Too scared to own up to one little lie

Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are

One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then
One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then

Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, who you are

For the teenage boys
They're breaking your heart
For the teenage boys
They're breaking your heart

Oh God Midterms

I don't have enough energy to write a proper entry, so I'm just going to say that I have mid-terms this week. Not that I expect that to change the way I update, but if I sound particularly frazzled, it's due to mid-term stress.
So I spent about three hours of my day hanging out in the amphitheatre, which was oddly invigorating. The place incredibly run down and because of the renovation that's taking place (and the fact that it's incredibly run down) no one really spends a lot of time in the amphitheatre, which makes it the perfect place for me to read and act like a goon. Granted every time I go there I get eaten alive by mosquitoes and today I had to contend with randomly falling acorns, but it was fun nonetheless. I even did a little singing which was quite risky since I'm sure my voice carries. However there were few interruptions, just a lot of acorns and bugs.
That's it. Ta for now.

One Liners (And Then Some)

- I'm not talented, stop acting/treating me like I am. >_<
- Damn Prof. Long is pissed at my theory class. He sent us two emails today and yeah, totally pissed.
- Vowels are evil and their phonetic representations are evil.
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks' new series premiers tomorrow night!!
- Stephen Fry is going to be a filler-in team captain on NMTB next week, which is even more exciting than the premier.
- My radio show is now Thursdays from 9 to 10pm.
- No House or Gossip Girl for two weeks. Which means I'm going to have to "secretly" watch them by myself when I'm home for fall break.
- One week till Keane (yay!), which means two weeks till KC (grr).

Okay, that's all the news from my world. I've got a rehearsal for this quartet that I've been asked to play in which will be performing tomorrow. I'm not entirely sure why I was asked to play in this quartet given the fact that I suck at sight reading for the most part and become a nervous wreck when playing in front of people, but I suspect it's because they couldn't find anyone else. And yes, I do realize that I'm being incredibly self-deprecating, but that's what happens when you have self-esteem the size of an ant. And no, don't try to pump me up because I won't believe you. Anywho I've got a linguistics mid-term on Friday as well as severe tongue-lashing from Prof. Long over the fact that the majority of our class sucks at life. Or, you could say that Prof. Long has expectations that aren't realistic because the three most vocal members of our class play a)more than one instrument and b)all play guitar. Because guitarists are freaks of nature, while the rest of the class are singers. And singers are idiots (at least when it comes to chords and music theory in general.) The rest of us just have to endure being stuck between idiots and guitarists. :shakes head: It's all so pathetically sad.

Strange Observation

This is the strangest entry I'll ever write (an amazing feat considering) but I just came back from the gym (shock!) and I've noticed something: My legs are looking thinner. Actually my thighs are looking thinner which is even more fantastic than just my legs looking thinner. This whole eating less thing is really working! Yay me!

Spiralling in Lucid Dreams But I Never Miss a Beat

[On a side note, before I even start the entry: God I'm so clever]
"Spiralling" - Keane
Keane has always had the potential to be incredibly emo. The band's lyrics are incredibly depressing, even when the song itself is in a major key. What stops Keane from being the emo kings is the main song writer, Tim Rice-Oxley's, proclivity for technological experimentation. Rice-Oxley's love of synthesizer and sound effects, as well as the band's overall aesthetic, keeps Keane's depressing lyrics from turning the band into another one-note band. This fact is crystallized in Keane's latest single "Spiralling." If one was to simply read the lyrics, with no knowledge of what the actual song sounded like or who the band was, it could be assumed that "Spiralling" was by a run of the mill emo band. However Keane's heavy use of synthesizer, drum effects, and various digital doo-hickeys along with Tom Chaplin distinctive vocals mark the song as one by Keane, who are anything but run of the mill. The only part that can't be taken seriously by anyone who has heard "Once in a Lifetime" is the spoken bridge, which just sounds too ridiculous coming from Tom Chaplin. In all other aspects "Spiralling" is an interesting and musically adventurous song that leads Keane's sound in a new direction without being jarring. Grade: B+

"Lucid Dreams" - Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand have always been clever. Since their debut, the band has been able to write pop music that has depth without sounding pretentious. With "Lucid Dreams" Franz Ferdinand returns to the dance floor that they came from while continuing on the intellectual, and at times nonsensical, path that their lyrics have been going down since their second album. The band also continues it's musical expansion in its incorporation of mood-setting instrumentation and guitar effects while Alex Kapranos reaches into his falsetto range during "Lucid Dreams" chorus and bridge. The band also more fully incorporate the keyboards that had taken a back seat on their second album which gives the song a fuller and more danceable sound. It seems that despite their long absence Franz Ferdinand are still quite clever. Grade: A

"Never Miss A Beat" - Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs biggest problem is that they must be listened to repeatedly before being appreciated. Unlike their peers, Kaiser Chiefs tend to write songs that must be listened to a few times before the inherent good qualities can be heard. Sometimes a few times turns into 10 times, but eventually the good in the song will come through. In the past Nick Hodgson, the man behind the majority of the band's catalogue, has been able to write a few tunes that are instantly loveable by the masses. This time however it seemed that he was unable to produce such a song. "Never Miss a Beat" consists of boring instrumentals and inane lyrics and can be described as mediocre at best. At worst it's a poorly written try at social commentary from a band that can do so much better. Kaiser Chiefs are no strangers to making a socio-political point, but in "Never Miss a Beat" the band comes across as platitude spewing rockers. But, as with the majority of the Kaiser Chiefs catalogue, it has it's redeeming qualities. It just might take a few listens to hear. Grade: C

Horny Teenage Sex (or A Discussion of BPM)

I have to put this up now or I'll forget and moment will pass and all will be forgotten. I love Alex Kapranos.

"The last record was fast, furious, frantic, 150 beats per minute," said frontman Alex Kapranos. "It was like a teenager having sex. This one's a bit more assured and a bit friendlier for the dancefloor. It's about 104/105bpm."

By the way, bpm stands for beats per minute. 150bpm, to another less wonderful metaphor, is a very fast walk or medium paced jog while 104/105 is more a regular walk (most pop songs are around that bpm I suspect.) But yeah, I like Alex's metaphor a lot better, just because it equates musical terminology with sex. Very amusing.

Random News From Tuesday

My sociology prof asked me today what it would take to get me to listen to politicians. I said that they would have to say something new, something I hadn't heard a millions times over the past year or so. What I didn't say was "Absolutely nothing because I've given up on politics and politicians ever meaning anything to me ever again." I think that would have been a bit too disheartening for her.
In other news I'm trying to decide whether I should put up my new Ministry of Silly Walks poster and if so, should O'Keeffe or Matisse get the axe. It's a tough choice, but I'm leaning towards yes and Matisse.
Finally I had to let the whole of my music theory class see, and perform, one my horrible compositions. I hate everything I compose and that's never going to change. Never.

Passive Aggressive Bitch

Here's a word to the wise from one very passive aggressive bitch: Do not get in between me and my radio show. If you do I will write you a passive aggressive note and post on the radio station door. An anonymous note mind you, but still quite mean in a passive aggressive way. I love my radio show, it's the only time I actually get to work on the skills I will need one day as a radio engineer, so if you mess with me I'll be anonymously aggressive and potentially embarrassing. Mind you next weeks station meeting will be awkward, but I don't care. This is my time on air they were fucking with and I already had the whole show sketched out in my head. So, in conclusion I'm a passive aggressive bitch, so don't piss me off.
On a completely different subject, OMG!!! Gossip Girls is my sugary TV addiction. I loves that show so much, it's horrible.

Watch Your Phraseology!

A few months ago I wrote an entry about a line from the Proclaimers' song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" were I explained what a certain couplet meant because I didn't know what it meant and found the definition interesting. Well, I'm going to do the exact same thing with another song, this time by Supergrass, for exactly the same reasons. However my reason for figuring out the lyrics is slightly different, but still related to boredom so I won't get into the nitty-gritty details. Let's just say I was bored and wanted the issue cleared.
The line in mind is from the song "Alright" which is from Supergrass' first album I Should Coco which was released in 1995. The line is as follows:

We are young, we run green

Now I had deciphered the last bit as something else, but I was intrigued by what "run green" meant. So I googled the phrase and came up with this:

Run Green: the act of selling pot.

Unlike with havering this definition was more logical, but still interesting given the context within the song and actions taken in later verses (driving a car into a fence and still be alright for instance.) So there you have it, your little slang lesson for today.
Hopefully I'll be posting more in this blog in the coming weeks due to an onslaught of interesting releases. In fact Jenny Lewis comes out with her first/second solo effort this upcoming Tuesday and then three weeks later Keane comes out with their third album. Ben Folds enters the picture as well and of course there's the highly anticipated third album from Kaiser Chiefs, which will doubtless get it's own song by song review. Until then, keep listening.
Oh! Radio starts next week! Monday's 7-8 at wmwc.umw.edu. Be sure to listen ;D Also, kudos to anyone who gets the movie reference I'm making the entry title.

Meaningless Stuff and Marxism

I've got things to post and figured I might as well do it as a preface to my small rant on Revolution seekers. So here are the links in headline form:
NO BILL!! Don't leave us!! We love you ever so much and no one can replace you. Literally. No one
I know this is a comic, but you don't throw Abbey Road like a Frisbee!!!! You just don't, even in make believe land. It hurts me on the inside.
Now for the Revolution seekers rant. Yay rants!
According to Marxist theory first came feudalism. I can't say with an accuracy how long feudalism lasted, but it was definitely more than two hundred years. Much more than two hundred years in my estimate. Marx then states that capitalism came second and the last phase in History (and yes, the capital "h" is necessary) will be communism. Marx doesn't say how communism will work really or when communism will occur, only that it will be preceded by the Revolution which will be followed by socialism. So, to paraphrase, feudalism leads to capitalism which will lead to the Revolution which ends with socialism and finally communism. Communism, as my Western Civ II prof put, is a bit like Paradise or nirvana. Nobody knows what it really is, but its gonna be great. The idea of communism is so wonderful to so many people that certain types are always trying to ignite or look for the signs of the Revolution. Now, here is my issue with that mind set: If feudalism lasted so long, why are you constantly looking for signs or a means to start the Revolution when capitalism has only been around for 200-300 years (if that, my math and dates are a little fuzzy)? Surely capitalism is going to last a few more centuries before it petters out and the Revolution occurs. To my mind that's far more logical than feudalism getting to last 500 or more years and capitalism only getting to last only 200/300 years. But then again I'm not a die-hard Marxist or socialist so my opinion is voided by those standards alone. Still, the Great Depression didn't bring about the Revolution and our economy is pretty close to that right now. So why would the Revolution start now and not then?

Tonight's News, Pt. 2

I've somehow managed to get roped into being section leader for the altos in chorus. Prof. Tavernier decided that we needed to assign section leaders tonight at rehearsal and so when nobody from the section volunteered she moved on. I figured that someone would volunteer after the two soprano sections had chosen section leaders, but I was wrong. No one volunteered and so Prof. T chose me for no particular reason, at least in my opinion. She might have picked me because I was in the front row, who knows. The reason this is a bad thing is because last year I never went to any of my required sectionals because I always decided I didn't have time to go. This year I'm actually quite busy what with classes, rehearsals, and lab hours. But because I've disappointed Prof. T enough I said I would be section leader. I'm an idiot apparently.
I'm also currently experiencing eye problems. Monday night something got in my eye, I rubbed it in an effort to get it out of my eye and then went to sleep. I spent the majority of yesterday rubbing said eye and making the whole thing a lot worse. I thought it was allergies, but upon further investigation last night I can say with no authority that I scratched the outermost surface of my right eyeball near the tear duct (which I believe is called the cornea, but I've no clue.) In an effort to decrease the pain and inflammation I wore my glasses all last night and all of today. My right eye now looks mostly normal, but I'm going to avoid wearing my contacts until I can't see the scratch anymore. Hopefully that will be just a few more days since I'm incredibly vain and have a band performance on Saturday. I was rather panicked when I realized that the problem wasn't allergies and my right eye looked mostly red in the corner, but I've since gotten over that initial worry. As Mums said, I just need to let it heal on it's own, like a cut on my leg.
On a final note, I would like to point out that a certain lead singer is still ridiculously good looking and a certain drummer really should shave off his ridiculous moustache because he looks like an idiot.

Tonight's News, Pt. 1

So my initial fury at Kaiser Chiefs has waned considerably due to two things: Band has become a living hell and I need to constantly remind myself that the band is actually good at making music and "Never Miss a Beat" is an anomaly. Let's start with the first issue.
I haven't mentioned band in any entries recently because it's too horrible to think about. If I think about how crappy band is I become annoyed and annoyance and frustration aren't going to do any good. You see the scholarship I get from the music department is dependant on my performing in band. Also the reason I get paid $6.70 a week is partially due to the fact that I am both the band aide and a lab aide. Drop one and I lose scholarship money and job money. Since I'm hoping to put some of that into a nest egg for when I graduate, kinda can't lose any of it. And while both those factors are important and good reasons for not thinking about how crappy band is, the other, more salient and less money involved reason, is that Prof. Bartram (who is making band a living hell) will go back to being just the orchestra conductor at the end of this year and Prof. Naylor will be back and band will be wonderfully fun again. So, to summarize, band is crappy because Prof. Bartram treats us like we are high school students and makes me want to bash my head in with all his nonsense about breathing (which everyone should be able to do since we're in college). However I have no choice but to ignore this horribleness and wait with anticipation for next year when I will graduate back to college.
The second issue (KC are good at making music and "Never Miss a Beat" is ananomly) has to do with the fact that, after breaking down and listening to Employment, I decided that I should give "Never Miss a Beat" a proper listen instead of one where I'm not really paying attention. I listened to the song three times. It's crap. Sophs said it was a badly done derivative of a b-side the band recorded three years ago called "Sink that Ship" but I think it draws from the bands desperate desire to be socially and politically relevant. But no matter the source material, the outcome is mediocre at best and shitty at worst. The verses have no real meaning and the chorus is utterly pathetic. Worse than "Ruby" which in my opinion is really saying something. Sophs' hope is that Mark Ronson, who produced most of the album, hasn't ruined the band, but I don't think it has anything to do with Ronson. Being socially relevant is hard when you're writing for a pop audience (reference: the entirety of Rip It Up and Start Again) and while I'll never stop loving this band (no matter how many times I try to stop loving them) they are at their best when their social relevance is either vague or life-based. I somehow doubt that any of the members of KC "know nothing" and so the platitudes that fill the verses and chorus sound idiotic. Write what you know about applies to song writing as well.
What all of this boils down to though is something I've said before and will more than likely repeat over and over and over: KC are the aural equivalent of chocolate for me and always will be.
Part Two of Tonight's News will be posted shortly.

Just When I Thought Things Were Getting Better

It's amazing how a cd release can suck you back into a world you thought you had escaped (except of course in your sick, sick mind.) Well it seems I have been sucked back into the world of Kaiser Chiefs much to my distracted, fearsomely angered mind. And, to make it so much worse, my sister told me that the band had made a video for their new single. I haven't actually watched it per se, but I did listen to it while I was closing up the media lab tonight. It sounds vaguely familiar, as in: "Gosh this sounds like an natural progression from YTAM" kind of vaguely familiar. That got me all worked up because it doesn't take a lot to get worked up. Then I got an email from the band, 3 days late mind you, that informed that Of With Their Heads won't be coming out until the 28th. Which is a week later than the rest of the world. Seems some packaging shit postponed the release every where else. Now, none of the sites have changed their information and poor Bliss is going to be left in a very bad rut because their having a little release party 3 days before the actual release. I changed my facebook status to "Nore needs to find a new favourite band." Because I do. Really.
I'm watching Gossip Girl right now, which is making my life a bit better. Teen melodrama is a wonderful distraction. That and House which happen after GG. Stupid British whore-mongers. -_-

Squee!! Boo

Squee: The IT Crowd is coming to the States in it's original form!! Yayness and cheer was heard throughout the land
Small Preface: What I'm about to boo, I haven't actually watched. You see if I watch I won't be able to stop and I like my sanity. That's all I really have to say.
Boo: Stupid band I'm horribly obsessed with has come out with a single. It's called Never Miss A Beat. It has a video. They are stupid and ruin my life. Because I'm horribly obsessed 0_0
Also, I went to the gym today. Sadly my dinner, lunch, and dessert have voided out any calories I burned, so it was really for nought. Except of course for the fact that I figured out my natural gait can cover about 2.5 miles in an hour. Thanks Mums!

Remembrance

I'm not often touched by the things I read online. Unless of course it has to do with one my bands, but that's a different kind of touched that has nothing to with the quality of writing. The touched of which I speak of has to do with writing quality and for all the wonderful blogs I read it's not often I get touched. I might agree with an opinion but most of the time it's an intellectual thing, not an emotional thing. Tonight I was actually touched by something I read online. The Last Bus Home is a blog I've been reading for quite awhile now and I mostly read it to get an understanding of what it's like to actually live in London. The man who writes the blog is, like most bloggers, an excellent writer and I've always gotten the feeling that his is an accurate glimpse into the life of a Londoner. Sadly a friend of his passed away recently and yesterday he posted a blog in remembrance of his friend. I doubt I could have written something so eloquent.

How to Punch Oasis in the Face

There are few things in life that make me happier than a good bit of Oasis-bashing. Of course when I say a few I mean quite a lot, but Cracked wrote an excellent article on "How to punch Oasis in the face." The article comes in light of the fact that Noel Gallagher was shoved on stage during a performance in Canada this past weekend. The person who did the shoving has been found, etc, but I like bashing Oasis not coddling them. So, how do you punch Oasis in the face? Cracked will be more than happy to explain.
Sadly, there are other people in the media lab right now, or I would still be laughing my ass off. :'(

Some Lyrics to Pass the Time

That's how it starts.
We go back to your house.
We check the charts,
And start to figure it out.

And if it's crowded, all the better,
because we know we're gonna be up late.
But if you're worried about the weather
then you picked the wrong place to stay.
That's how it starts.

And so it starts.
You switch the engine on.
We set controls for the heart of the sun,
one of the ways we show our age.

And if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up
and I still don't wanna stagger home.
Then it's the memory of our betters
that are keeping us on our feet.

You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan,
and the next five years trying to be with your friends again.

You're talking 45 turns just as fast as you can,
yeah, I know it gets tired, but it's better when we pretend.

It comes apart,
the way it does in bad films.
Except in parts,
when the moral kicks in.

Though when we're running out of the drugs
and the conversation's winding away.
I wouldn't trade one stupid decision
for another five years of lies.

You drop the first ten years just as fast as you can,
and the next ten people who are trying to be polite.
When you're blowing eighty-five days in the middle of France,
Yeah, I know it gets tired only where are your friends tonight?

And to tell the truth.
Oh, this could be the last time.
So here we go,
like a sail's force into the night

And if I made a fool, if I made a fool, if I made a fool
on the road, there's always this.
And if I'm sewn into submission,
I can still come home to this.

And with a face like a dad and a laughable stand,
you can sleep on the plane or review what you said.
When you're drunk and the kids leave impossible tasks
you think over and over, "hey, I'm finally dead."

Oh, if the trip and the plan come apart in your hand,
you look contorted on yourself your ridiculous prop.
You forgot what you meant when you read what you said,
and you always knew you were tired, but then,
where are your friends tonight?

Where are your friends tonight?
Where are your friends tonight?

If I could see all my friends tonight,
If I could see all my friends tonight,
If I could see all my friends tonight,
If I could see all my friends tonight

Thinking Too Much

I've been trying to avoid thinking too hard about my life and what I'm going through right because if I do think about it, I become depressed. I'm not in a particularly bad place, so much as my social life is lacking a considerable amount of socialness. But the condrum I face is that if I think about this lack of a real social life, I become depressed, which leads to inertia on all fronts including school. And so I'm left with what I see as two options: Do nothing about my social life and focus on not being depressed so I can do well in school or try and do something about my social life, become depressed about the whole situation, and do badly in school. The reason I see it this way is because my ultimate goal for college (other than graduating obviously) is to study abroad my junior year. To do that I have to have a certain overall GPA that is considerably higher than I've ever achieved. So when thinking about my predicatment (which trust me only occurs on Saturdays when I have nothing going on and am sitting by myself in my room) I tend to think about it in terms of my performance in school versus my overall happiness. Since there is plenty outside of social interaction that makes me happy I try to focus on those things and not the fact that I basically have no friends, eat all of my meals alone, and spend most of my time after classes alone in my room. Which isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. My one fervent hope is that I meet someone who latches onto me so that I can say I have at least one friend. Sure, I may end up resenting them to a certain degree, but at least I'll have a friend. All of which I try not to think about too much because it makes me depressed and I can't deal with depression right now.

Definitions and Categories

This is well sad but I have to say it anyway: Please do not use the term "post-punk" without a more specific reference. I get confused easily and there's a whole lot of shit that falls on the very vague category of "post-punk" and if you're not more specific (or I've never heard the band in my life) I might be thinking of something completely different from what you're thinking. For instance you might be thinking Joy Division and I might be thinking the Raincoats. Very different.
:sighs: I should just stop reading things. Life would be so much easier if I didn't try to know everything. Sadly I've been reading non-fiction since elementary school, so I doubt the reading will stop now. :sigh:

If I Could Think of a Title, It Wouldn't Be This

I don't have anything I can say. I have a lot I would like to say, but I can't actually form the words to write out what is going on in my head. Despite outward appearances I have a lot that I've been thinking about, a lot I've been experiencing and mulling over but for some reason I can't make the lot coherent on the page. Or screen as it were. I'm assuming that eventually it will come out, but for now, just know that I have a lot that I'm going through right now, some good, quite a lot not so good, none bad, and that if I could write about it I would. The world I'm living in now is just kind of strange.
There are three things I can write out though. The first is that the DW/Sci-Fi club that Hunter wanted to start has officially been started. I don't know if it's an official club, but we held our first meeting last Friday and it was geek-tastic. Hunter made me so incredibly proud in a really geeky way and I felt very at home, which was incredibly nice since I had spent almost two weeks not feeling at home at all. The second thing is that I've decided that after the disaster of last year when I didn't do any "karaoke" singing, that Monday nights will be my "karaoke" nights. Basically that means I go to Pollard, check that no one is practising or on the first floor, and belt out a wild selection of songs. It's absolutely fantastic. Finally, the third thing is, is that I'm very quietly hiding my more outlandish personality traits from my roommate. This is quite easy though because she doesn't spend a lot of time in the room, but when she is around I try not to show off my insanity. For instance, I was checking the Kaiser Chief's website and knowing a) Kathy was in the loo and b) I would be seeing a picture of the band, I decided the best thing would be to check the site quickly and cover the picture. If Kathy had not been in the loo I would have had to endure Nick with a moustache and the presence of R. There are other things, but that was a more recent example and a very good one at that.
Finally, finally, radio should be starting up by the end of the month. "Returners" (me and my ilk) and newbies alike have to do radio training (bleh) and then there's even more cleaning up to do (hurrah!) and thems what be in charge have to make up a schedule so I'm guessing my first show won't be for another two or three weeks. Still I'm excited to get back in the studio. Hopefully being in my element will make me feel better. I'm getting the feeling I'll be needing that time on the radio.

Big Freaks

I'm currently reading a book called Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 by Simon Reynolds and after reading only 40% of the book I've decided something: Postpunk "musicians" were big freaks, one way or another. And the reason I call them "musicians" is because half of them refused to actually learn the instruments they "played" and the majority of them weren't musicians first and foremost. Some were politicos/philosophers using music as a soapbox while others were artists who got into music as a means of expressing their art (performance artists basically.) Of the bands I've read about about half thought that having a melody was to conservative and old fashioned and so screeched instead. I've read about the birth of industrial music which consisted of unconfirmed neo-fascists making strange noises from tape machines. The next chapter I'll be starting tomorrow finally gets to some bands I've heard of and who I don't think will depress or freak me out, namely the Talking Heads. But as my sister pointed there is a very good chance I'll be proven wrong. And this my friends is why I'll never be a true hipster. I'm not strange enough in the right way. I'm just a geek, not a freak.

Something That Should Be Known

A simple statement: You know I'm in a bad place when, in a desperate need to feel better, I watch the Ricky Wilson-hosted episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks. However you know I'm really bad off if I actually look at the screen the entire time during the episode and not just listen to the show.
So you may ask yourself "Nore, what are you doing?" The answer would be watching the Ricky Wilson-hosted episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, though I'm not watching the screen all the time, so obviously I'm not really bad off. I'm just in a bad place.

Geekdom is a Fun Place To Be

I just want to say, I get a little too excited when I see David Tennant. I was watching the fourth Harry Potter movie on ABC Family and when David Tennant was on screen I was all "Yay Ten-inch!!" Which considering how he plays the villian of the movie isn't a normal reaction. But god I love David Tennant.
Also, my friend Hunter wants to make a legit DW club on campus. Somehow I think that makes the world just a little better.
I've got classes tomorrow starting with linguistics and then moving on to theory (yay for cross campus classes!) and ending with jazz history. I think this is going to be a good year :D

Back At School (And It Feels So Good)

I got a cold on Wednesday, have errant ants wandering around my room (though those are mostly gone thank God), spent most of yesterday recovering from said cold, and spent all of today lounging around watching TV. Right now I'm wallowing in self-pity over my lack of social skills and in doing so ate a small pepperoni pizza. It hasn't been exactly the best three days of my life but there has been one small consolation. Last year my enthusiasm for Doctor Who convinced a friend of mine that he should rethink watching the series. He did. And now he's a complete fanboy now. He even set-up a Facebook group for UMW DW fans. Now all I need is for classes to start and my world will be fine. And if this DW group goes anywhere, maybe my year will be good.
My colds nearly gone though and Kathy moves in tomorrow. :prays for school to start:

Commercial/Corporate

I like to make villains of certain musical artists, mainly because it's fun but also because certain musical artists open themselves up to snide remarks. Oasis is one of those bands I tend to vilify and my reasoning behind that is because they open themselves up to being called idiots and twats. Anyway, I just wanted to put that in the open before I call Noel Gallagher an idiot once again. Because honestly, who doesn't play a venue because of nachos? Now I've read the article (because the whole nacho thing seemed too ridiculous) but Gallagher's complaint about O2 being "too corporate" makes me question the last time he's been to an arena gig (that he didn't perform at). I ask this because the last time I went to that kind of a gig, there were lots of people, during the headlining act, leaving to get more beer. Besides, not performing in a venue because it's too commercial/corporate is just a little too precious coming from the lead guitarist of Oasis. Can't call them a commercial flop, now can ya?

Summer/Beach Achievements

I'm currently waiting for an episode of Bones I haven't seen to download (oh yeah, totally love Bones) so I've decided to list the accomplishments of my summer/time at the beach. The beach part will be small since I've only been here two days, but that's not really the point. I mostly just want to write about my accomplishments from the summer. So onward and upwards!

• Write half of a novel aka The archives I worked on this summer totalled 133 pages, which, if a normal novel is about 350 pages, is about half the size of a normal novel.
• Managed to look like a human aka My skin is not the colour of neon white, which considering how that's what it has looked like since the summer before 9th grade, is quite an accomplishment.
• Gotten obsessed with a new show aka I've started watching Bones and by the time school starts I will have seen all three seasons.
• Gotten into an "argument" over the correct pronunciation of a snake cake aka Is it "jaffer cake" or "jaffa cake?"
• Continued my walking regimen aka The walk from my metro station to WPFW was twenty minutes for a total of forty minutes of walking a day. I've continued doing that even though I'm at the beach. Yay exercise!

That's it for my summer achievements. I have non-neon white skin and wrote half a novel worth of show summaries. All in all not bad.
In other music news, Keane and Kaiser Chiefs are competing for my attention by releasing their third albums on the same day. Hopefully my radio show this year will still be on Mondays and Wednesdays so that on the Monday before the releases (aka October 13th) I can concentrate on playing non-KC/Keane music and then on the Wednesday after the releases (aka October 15) I'll just switch between the two albums. Also I would like to apologize to KC and Keane for anything mean I might have said about when their albums might have been coming out. Obviously I was really wrong (World release for both: October 13; American release for both:October 14th). Now we just have to wait and see what Franz Ferdinand do. (By the by Franzie poo are streaming a new song on their site and you should really listen to it. It's quite good and I'm quite excited for the new album. Can't really say that for KC though. There is rapping involved, but it's not quarky 80's rap. It's the real kind. :shivers:)

Killing Me Slowly With Their Press

I know I said I wouldn't be updating that much during the next few weeks, but I'm having a "bad" day and need to vent. That's what blogs are for right?
My main complaint about today, other than the impending doom of rain, is my arch-nemesis, fanaticism. Namely fanaticism for a certain band. I think we all know which band I'm talking about (think Leeds) so I'm not going to write their name for the entire entry. Anyway, they are inadvertently ruining my day. See, back in 2007 when I decided I wouldn't allow a band to rule my life (yeah, that worked well), I unsubscribed from their email listing, because I figured unsubscribing from that and not bookmarking their website would mean I could ween myself from that particular obsession. It worked (sort of) and then I got addicted to Doctor Who. Anyway, I haven't been getting the band's newsletter's for some time, a fact that I enjoy because their updates usually just infuriated me. Until today.
I've figured out how the band got a hold of my email, but let me tell you seeing their name in my inbox just about stopped my heart. And then NME.com had some articles about them. And then NME.com said the band is planning some sort of mini-American tour. I didn't read the email and I haven't read any of the stories on NME.com, Drowned in Sound or This Is Fake DIY (which has a splashy new website.) However all of this press is killing me. Not knowing everything is killing me. However, I'm at work and if I were to read any of the above (except the email because I deleted it) I'd probably go insane. I can't go insane because I have my exit interview at 3:30. So, to summarize, a certain band from Leeds is killing me.
The only bright spot in my day has been the fact that I've totally turned a friend of mine into a DW freak, like me, without working too hard. It makes me happy on the inside.

The Plan

So this is my plan for the next few weeks:
This Week
This is my last week at WPFW which means I'm going to indulge at the Diner. Not much else really, I just won't be updating that much, unless of course something really fantastic or major happens. In which case I will.

Next Week
Next week I will be at the beach and occasionally having to endure my Mum's side of the family (all of them, grandparents, sisters, uncles, and cousins) without screaming. We leave Sunday and I'll be coming back the next Sunday. And then...

Two Weeks from Now
I'll be going back to school. I've been asked to be a "mentor" for the Disabilities Services' "Step Ahead" program, which I did last year. That and the fact that I didn't fail out of school means I'll be telling a bunch of freshmen not to be scared of their classes and profs. The rest of the week will be spent finding things to do and possibly harassing the Linguistics department.

So those are my plans for the next few weeks. I don't know how much I'll be updating, but just know I'm not dead. At least not right now.

Also, the new Keane song makes me laugh. It's very dancy, but there's a bit toward the end that makes me laugh. Tom sounds like David Byrne during the not-singing bits of "Once in a Lifetime." Which makes me laugh. 0_0

Signatures

I wasn't really that excited about seeing We Are Scientists again. Their second album leaves much to be desired and with the departure of Tapper, my respect for the band had taken a serious hit. But Sophie had purchased the tickets before either of us really understood how disappointing Brain Thrust Mastery is, so there was nothing to be done. Suck it up and enjoy the concert as much as possible. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as all that.

"So the merch guy left the band as well?" - Sophie (in a hypothetical question to Keith Murray)

At the last concert Sophie and I went to at the Black Cat, various members of the bands had somehow been put in charged of selling their own merchandise. The person who been selling for the White Rabbits had seemed somewhat disgruntled about the whole thing, which is why I ended up with a shirt a size too small, but it had been cool nonetheless. However, I thought that the whole thing had been because of the relative fame of the bands involved. So you can imagine my surprise when I see Keith Murray fronting the merch table.
Needless to say I flapped around a lot, was completely indecisive about which shirt I wanted and forgot what size shirt I wanted when it was my turn. Gorgeousness does that to me.

Nore: "Could you sign this?"
Keith: [swats card]
Nore: [makes small pouty face]
Keith: [signs card]

The first opening act was thoroughly unimpressive (I decided, after maybe three songs that "they [were] trying too hard"). In the lull between them (Apache Beat) and the second opening act (Oxford Collapse) I posited various actions I should take given that Keith was still manning the merch stand. None of them actually made sense and some involved taunting him about Tapper's departure from the band. This line of conversation was ended when I needed to use the loo (three diet cokes at dinner and two glasses of water, plus another diet coke at the club). Which was when I saw Chris Caine, bassist for the band, nonchalantly standing and talking to someone. When I came back from the loo I posited that I should get the two's signatures, since they were so readily available to the audience. Sophie concurred and we agreed that I would get Keith's signature and Sophie would get Chris'. After much hemming and hawing and general nervousness about the whole business I finally got the signature (hence the above little bit of dialogue).
(A very big version of the actual signature)

Sophie then tried to renig on her deal, but I wimped out from getting Chris' signature so Sophie agreed to get it for me. She missed the first two songs of Oxford Collapses' set, but she got the signature.
(Also a very big version of the actual signature)

The actual show was lack luster, but much of that opinion is due to the fact that I didn't care for the first opener, was coming down from an adrenaline rush during the second, and was completely un-enthused for the head liners. I'm sure actual fans of the band really had a fantastic time.

We Are Scientists

1. Nobody Move
2. Chick Lit
3. This Scene is Dead
4. Inaction
5. Impatience
6. Let's See It
7. Cash Cow
8. Can't Lose
9. Callbacks
10. That's What Counts
11. After Hours
12. Textbook
13. Tonight
14. Dinosaurs
15. It's a hit

Encore

• Lethal Enforcer
• Great Escape

My Eyes, They Burn

So it's been awhile since I lasted posted something here and I don't have a good reason other than that I'm lazy. However, today's entry is brought about by the horror that was this past Sunday's Mary Worth comic strip. I only saw it this morning, thanks to The Comics Curmudgeon (which by the way is really hard to spell, and I always get it wrong), but my eyes will be bleeding for the next three days at least. If you go to this entry Mary Worth is the first thing you'll see. The horror is in the last panel.
:waits:
Yeah, that's right, the writers of Mary Worth have somehow found out about Glenny and Mar and are trying to destroy their credibility. Or something. All I know is that it's an abomination and my soul is dead. Forever.
In other news, Gloria is away this week and the person filling in has left for the day. I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do, but whatever it is, I'll be doing it here at WPFW. Hurrah.

Elitism

There are times that I like to pretend that I'm not a cultural elitist. That somehow my mainstream tendencies, especially in cinema, and utter disdain for the culture of elitism creates means that I've somehow avoided being an elitist. That because I like Law and Order as much as I like Evelyn Waugh I'm not a bad person who looks down on others for their tastes in music, tv, and movies. I like to imagine that I don't judge people entirely on their choice of music or not knowing anything about the Kinks and Fred Astaire. I like to pretend that I'm not that kind of person.
However, I pride myself on my knowledge of musicals and the Kinks alongside my love of America's Next Top Model while looking down on people who like rap and can't appreciate a good black and white movie. I know that in most cases I'm a hypocrite through and through and willingly acknowledge that part of my personality. I just can't bare the fact that, despite not owning a single pair of drain pipe jeans, I've grown into the kind of person I never thought I would be. I was so sure that by not enjoying the majority of the films the rest of my family love and religiously watching ANTM and catching episodes of Law and Order whenever possible that I could somehow avoid being culturally elitist. That by not excelling in school for the most part and not going to a fancy uni I could avoid that stamp. I was wrong.
I'm a cultural elitist. I'm also a hypocrite. I take no pride in the former and acknowledge the latter because I know I must. Whether either label makes me a worse person, I can't say. It's just who I am.

A Statement Responding to CNN

This will only make sense if you're watching CNN right now but I need to get it out of my system so I can finish reading this article at the AV Club. So, my statement: You can't have it both ways. You can't say that the n-word is some sort of term of endearment when it's said by a black person but is racist when said by a white person. The world just doesn't work that way, especially the world of politics. And granted I'm saying this a white girl, so my statement may not mean anything because of that, I may be incredibly naive, but it's my opinion. You can't have it both ways. Not in politics at least.
:sigh: Now, onto Britney Spears. Yeah that's how CNN works.

KC Bandwagon, All Aboard

So it seems that since DW is out for the count until December (hurrah Christmas special!) my obsessive nature has decided to latch back onto the KC bandwagon. I haven't decided whether this is a good thing or not, but I haven't re-joined any LJ communities so that's a good thing. Anyway, the point of all of this, is that this past weekend was T in the Park/Oxygen Festival. Much like Reading and Leeds Festivals the two work kind of in conjunction with each other, namely if you're playing T in all likelihood you're going to playing Oxygen. Unlike Reading and Leeds the two festivals don't share headliners, or at least that's my belief. Anyway, the ultimate point is that KC played both this weekend, ending with Oxygen. Another band, Rage Against the Machine, also ended with Oxygen. Because of a policy at Oxygen trying to control the number of injuries due to way too many people moshing at the front (my guess based on the language used in the NME article this is based on), Rage fans had to show up a set early to get those key spots. Let's think for a second. Rage Against the Machine compared to Kaiser Chiefs. Chances are, their fan bases don't really, at all, overlap. And this is the bit that makes me happy. Kaiser Chiefs won. Well, when I say won, I'm using the word as a means of showing that KC somehow managed to get hardcore (and trust me these guys had to be hardcore) Rage fans moshing. That would be a bit like getting me to like rap in a little less than an hour. So yeah, booya.
Because Hulu gives me House I'm now 4/5 of the way through Firefly. Don't ask me how the two correspond, just trust that they do and it's all because of Hulu.
Finally, sorry for any incoherence in this entry. My brain doesn't seem to be working properly today.

Those Boring Days and Giddy Nights

Some days are meant for rewatching episodes of NMTB that you've seen fifty million times because Mark Ronson is gorgeous. Some days are also meant to check KC's website out of shear boredom and vain hope. Today happened to be one of those days and now I'm giddy from chocolate, diet coke, the comedic stylings of NMTB and two brand spanking new songs (to me anyway) from KC. One is quite nice and the other is horrible, but only because the lyrics are horrible. The music itself is quite nice. In any event, if these songs are any indication of what the new album is like (a quick note from the band's website: "Our new album is almost complete. We're still working on the finer details, artwork, title, mixing and website." Yeah, that's my definition of almost complete too) I'll be happy. Then again they could play dirges and I'd probably be happy though. I'm not exactly an unbiased source. So yeah, despite the boredom that filled most of my day, the end's been quite nice I have to say.
Finally, I would just like to say this: Dip. God musicians can be idiots (present party included.)

Edit: This picture, by the brilliant mimi-na of deviantART is utterly brilliant and completely spoilerish for the last episode of season 4 DW. It also makes me super-duper wonderful if in a strange way. Click the link at your own expense, oh un-spoiled DW fans.

Before Bed

This is almost too sad to mention, but I'm going to anyway. The Last Bus Home has gone green. Before the layout was red and I go to check it tonight and BOOM the layout is green! I must say I'm ridiculously excited. Yay for green!
Also, everyone works with Mark Ronson. It's no longer a unique thing to work with Ronson. He's the syphilis of the music world; he just keeps getting passed around. And if we carry this analogy forward, it's really not that surprising he's gotten to Carl Barat. I mean the man did work with Pete Doherty. However I'm still excited about the upcoming album (late spring 2009 people. That's my guess anyway) and still think Mr. Ronson is incredibly talented. Incredibly talented musical syphilis.
...
Yeah, I'm a horrible person.


And yay for green!

Something To Do

Item 1:
1988 - Past Masters Volumes One and Two, The Beatles
1989 - All That Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald
1990 - Flood, We Are Giants
1991 - Achtung Baby, U2
1992 - Kerplunk, Green Day
1993 - In Utero, Nirvana
1994 - Parklife, Blur
1995 - Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt
1996 - Susanna Hoffs, Susanna Hoffs
1997 - Blurring the Edges, Meredith Brooks
1998* - Version 2.0, Garbage
1999 - Title of Record, Filter
2000* - Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia, The Dandy Warhols
2001 - Beautiful Garbage, Garbage
2002** - The All-American Rejects, The All-American Rejects
2003** - Folklore, Nelly Furtado
2004** - Hot Fuss, the Killers
2005* - Employment, Kaiser Chiefs
2006* - The Life Pursuit, Belle and Sebastian
2007* - Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, The Cribs
2008 - A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation The Wombats (thus far anyway)

* These entries had runner ups too numerous to list
** These were the years I was deeply entrenched in the Beatles and so for the most part they weren't listened to during the year of their release (especially 2004)

Item 2:
Oh shut up Alex. You did not almost headline Glasto you dumb twit. Also, I doubt Damon Albarn's mother actually nixed the idea. For Christ's sake. You don't deserve Rossini.

Item 3:
Oooh, I'm a Bloc Party fan and therefore I get to complain about stupid countdowns and be taken seriously. Cor, if I complained every time a band's website made me unhappy I wouldn't have time to do anything else. I mean, KC had a stupid countdown to the "release" of a new website design. At least you got real information Bloc Party fans. All I got was a new website that told me nothing.

Sit Back In Your Old Rocking Chair...

Because sometimes lyrics need to be re-posted.

Shangri-la [The Kinks]
Now that you've found your paradise
This is your Kingdom to command
You can go outside and polish your car
Or sit by the fire in your Shangri-la
Here is your reward for working so hard
Gone are the lavatories in the back yard
Gone are the days when you dreamed of that car
You just want to sit in your Shangri-la

Put on your slippers and sit by the fire
You've reached your top and you just can't get any higher
You're in your place and you know where you are
In your Shangri-la
Sit back in your old rocking chair
You need not worry, you need not care
You can't go anywhere
Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la

The little man who gets the train
Got a mortgage hanging over his head
But he's too scared to complain
'Cos he's conditioned that way
Time goes by and he pays off his debts
Got a TV set and a radio
For seven shillings a week
Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la

And all the houses in the street have got a name
'Cos all the houses in the street they look the same
Same chimney pots, same little cars, same window panes
The neighbors call to tell you things that you should know
They say their lines, they drink their tea, and then they go
They tell your business in another Shangri-la
The gas bills and the water rates, and payments on the car
Too scared to think about how insecure you are
Life ain't so happy in your little Shangri-la
Shangri-la, Shangri-la la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Put on your slippers and sit by the fire
You've reached your top and you just can't get any higher
You're in your place and you know where you are
In your Shangri-la
Sit back in your old rocking chair
You need not worry, you need not care
You can't go anywhere
Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la, Shangri-la

Emotional Attachment

The mark of something brilliant is when someone involved (either by watching, reading, or listening) in that something gains an emotional attachment to the something. The emotional attachment a person gains can show itself in a hundred different ways but, since we're talking about emotions, the most obvious form is through a show of emotions.
I don't cry often. I think that is because when I was younger I cried quite a lot and so now it takes something truly horrible to make me cry. However, I am prone to becoming hyper-involved in fantasy mainly because I prefer fantasy to the real world much of the time. Also I spent a lot of my youth living in what essentially comes down to a fantasy world. So, when I become involved in something brilliant and create an emotional attachment to that thing, if it provokes me, I will cry. However, this doesn't happen all that often. Most of the things I become emotionally attached to don't do things that make me cry, usually they just annoy me. Except in two cases.
House got split into basically two halves because of the writer's strike. This is why I can say I don't really like feel attached to any of the new interns, because I never really got the chance, or continuity, to get to "know" them. However, I spent a huge chunk of my down time at school either repeatedly watching NMTB or House and so I did gain a kind of emotional attachment to the characters that have been in the show since its inception, namely House and Wilson. Therefore, when the season finale came around, the brilliance of the writers and my emotional attachment to those two characters provoked me into sniffling, if not outright bawling, when the character of Amber/Cut Throat Bitch died. This is because I sympathized with the pain that both House and Wilson felt and also because the writers wrote the episode in such a way as to tug at the heart strings of anyone who cares about House and Wilson. So I cried, if only for a short while.
The character of Donna Noble was not originally written as someone very lovable. In "The Runaway Bride" she comes off as very...yelly. When it was announced that the character was coming back for season four of Doctor Who, no one was looking forward to watching her again. But, thanks in large part to the amazing acting abilities of Catherine Tate, the character became someone almost everyone loved. I spent most of this season falling madly in love with the character of Donna Noble and defending her existence on the show to my father. This constant defending, plus the brilliance of Catherine Tate, plus the excellent writers, plus my involvement in the Doctor Who LiveJournal community all equal a very strong emotional attachment to the character of Donna Noble and the show itself. [Editor's Note: If you have not seen "Journey's End" and wish to remain unspoiled, do not read] Last night was the season finale of Doctor Who. For the last 15 minutes or so, I cried my eyes out due to my emotional attachment to the character of Donna Noble. I cried and swatted at my computer screen with my blanket, yelling at the Doctor and telling him he was a horrible bastard. After the episode was over, I cried myself to sleep. In four weeks time, when I'm watching the finale again, I know I will cry just as much as I did last night.
Some people cried when the character of Sirius Black died in the Harry Potter series. Others cried when Dumbledore died. People cry at the end of movies like The Little Princess and Steel Magnolias. I didn't cry when Sirius died or when Dumbledore died. However, I did cry when the Donna Noble I had grown to love died. And I still hate Russell T. Davies for giving the Ten/Rose shippers what they wanted, but killing off a character so much more important to many of us. Also, the Christmas special looks really stupid.

An Addendum from Behind the Sofa written by Iain M. Hepburn (who puts into words my feelings after "Journey's End" better than I could have, along with all the reviewers at BTS):
And then there was Donna. Oh, Russell T Davies, why? Why did you do this to us? What was this, an exercise in point scoring? A reminder to us plebs that ultimately you’re in charge? Because that’s what it felt like. It felt like Russell saying a big up yours to the naysayers. Perhaps this was his punishment for all the criticism of Catherine at the start. ‘Oh, they think she can’t act then? They think Donna’s a horrible character? I’ll show them. I’ll write her into being one of the best companions the show’s ever had, and give Catherine every opportunity to showcase her skills as an actress, to the point where you really, really care about her. That you forget the criticism you had of Donna and of Catherine from The Runaway Bride.

‘Then BANG! Fuck you for falling for my manipulative writing. Fuck you for your emotional investment. Now you’ve learned your lesson. Never doubt me again.’

Because this was the most ignominious exit Donna could have. It wasn’t dark, it wasn’t heart-wrenching, it was brutally, cynically manipulative. Even just killing her, melting her brain under the sheer weight of Time Lord knowledge, would have been a more noble exit for Noble.

Russell’s self-proclaimed desire to never kill off a companion, even allowing for his ever-more-pompous attempts to work the DWM audience, has effectively forced him to do something worse. After managing to imbue Donna Noble with a sense of dignity lacking in The Runaway Bride, he denies her a dignified end. We're supposed to feel sorry for Donna's loss, and sorry for the Doctor's. But ultimately, his mindwipe solution just left me feeling hollow.

Random Thingies to Pass the Time

An article about KC's third album was posted this morning on NME.com. It seems Mr. Ronson is calling Talking Heads and ELO "bizarre" but more importantly; how is the album like ELO and Talking? Are we talking about Little Creatures and Stop Making Sense Talking Heads or crap Talking Heads? Does Ronson mean the first Tom-Tom Club album and in what way does the album sound like the Tom-Tom Club? Do I finally get to hear Ricky rap!? I mean, you give these influences but with no explanation, how are we to know what the heck you mean? Honestly, a few pointers would be nice.
Meanwhile, my family has gone all sentimentally about Rescue Dawn and cinema history. As you can see, I'm blogging and watching the movie at the same time, so you can probably guess my emotionally involvement in all of this. Besides, I'm not what you would call a cinemaphile. Audiophile yes, cinemaphile no.
Side effect of changing one of my meds to another med: Nausea. Benefit: chocolate craving will finally be fulfilled. However nausea still sucks monkey balls.

VIENNA --- 5 MIN

This is going to be a bit random. I've just got things to say with no particular rhyme or reason to the order. And yes, I'm still alive.
This past weekend was the Glastonbury festival. I spent most of the weekend not really caring what was going on and continually expecting NME.com to report that Kaiser Chiefs were playing a surprise gig. I don't know why I was expecting that, but for some reason I was. However, they didn't and I continued to not care that this past weekend was the Glastonbury Festival.
So NME.com announced that the Arctic Monkeys start work on their third album this month and according to Filter the new Franz Ferdinand album is suppose to hit stores in January. So that means Arctic Monkeys sometime around January and Franz Ferdinand March 2009. I hope.
I am now a card carrying member of the ACLU. Damn you random person from Richmond making eye contact with me!! Damn you!! Yeah, I thought I was just going to sign a petition or something when she asked me if I wanted to end torture and bring back the Bill of Rights. Oh how naive I was. Now I have a membership card and a sticker declaring that I have a membership card.
The Last Bus Home had an interesting post today. The reason it was interesting was because it had to do with commuting and train countdowns. Kind of like the one that constitutes the title for this entry. Anyway, according to Mr. Bus his train station countdown use to be complete rubbish. And the way he described it makes me believe him. I don't know what I would do if I didn't know how many minutes were left until such and such train was showing up. Granted, none of the trains I take are ever so full that I would think about waiting around for another, but not knowing the approximate time arrivals for the next three trains is invaluable in my neurotic little mind. And yes, I really do obsess over the approximate time of my commute and the time it takes to get from stop A to stop B. It's either that or sleep and miss my stop altogether.
Don't talk to me about Doctor Who or might explode at you. RTD better have some legitimate and really fucking brilliant cards up his sleeve or the entire fandom will kill him. We don't care if he's leaving the show, if he fucks this up, we will kill. 0_0
Ta now. I've got a kitchen to clean!
PS - I rescind everything I said about the character of Donna in this entry. Catherine Tate is an amazing actress and Donna is made of so much win it hurts. Also, almost done with archiving. So excited.

Proof of Existence

Read. Rejoice in the entry "Being Extremely Egotistical" and the picture of Noel Gallagher. Have a lovely weekend/week.
By the way, I really wish Muse were touring. They're so much fun.

Wombatties

Go and find the Wombats' "Let's Dance to Joy Division" and enjoy the blissful irony of life. That is all.

Random Shite

When I'm not archiving or answering the phone (and confusing people), I goof off by looking at the more respectable websites that are book-marked here at home. These are two informative/hilarious tid-bits that I found whilst at work and didn't want to forget:

Your final score was 99/180
Birthday Party DJ (73-108 points)
You are a rabid consumer of music. You get a rush every time you hear something new but remain faithful to those artists you love. Your music collection represents who you are and what you care about and your home may even bear the tell-tale signs of your affections – posters, old band t-shirts and the odd music biography. But you aren't a completest, you know what you like and make sure you have it. Simple as that. To expand your repertoire, perhaps there are some genres that you'd benefit from giving a little more attention to – perhaps now is the time to hear something new or get hold of that missing album from your collection. [Music IQ quiz, taken from an article at Drowned In Sound]

Jakob Dylan will be playing at the Admiral Benbow in Wichita, Kansas next week to promote this album. His father will not be paying attention. [A comment by Haden in response to this article {second comment down if you won't the full comment}]

In other news, The Fratellis have perfected the medium-tempo song on their new album. All of which means, there's a better chance of understanding them the first time 'round. Not a guarantee since the lead singer has a thick accent (somewhere between Kate Nash's over-annunciated cockney and Ryan Jarman's under-annunciated Yorkshire), but a much better chance.

An Honest-to-God Review

I know, as shocking as this, it's a real review of the White Rabbits show last night. Brace yourself.

It's not often a band can fool you into thinking their penultimate night of touring is actually their first night of touring. But given the amount of energy the White Rabbits had last night (about the same amount as 20 unmedicated ADHD kids) you wouldn't be faulted for thinking just that. Although the audience seemed almost incapable of moving the band more than made up for the lack of energy emanating from that part of the room. The set, which seemed particularly short for a headlining act, was fast paced with only a handful of slow song to change the pace for the stagnant audience. The band, made up of two drummers, three guitarists, and one keyboardist, seemed to be having a ball though which in the end is all that matters sometimes.
Openers Greenland, a local DC and, kept a fast pace more akin to the White Rabbits than Miles..., who wouldn't maybe been more at home opening for the Walkmen. All in all the gig was good, no matter how apathetic the audience seemed.

White Rabbits

1. Standford Town/Sea of Rum
2. While We Go Dancing
3. Dinner Party
4. Navy Wives
5. Fox Hunting
6. ?
7. Fort Nightly
8. I Use To Complain Now I Don't
9. The Plot [with three tambourines]

Encore

• Take A Walk Around the Table
• Maggie's Farm [a Bob Dylan cover]

There Are Things I Should Be Doing

The world, as I see and experience it, has no love for me. Yesterday there was the horrible weather that left me with soaking feet and standing at the train station for two hours waiting for my sister to pick me up. Today, there's a Lily Allen/Kaiser Chiefs collaboration. Some might question my response to this fact, but then again those same people may question why I think dying your hair pink is a bad idea too. Of course dying your hair pink and getting shit-faced isn't exactly a guarantee of horribleness, the only female singer-songwriter/Kaiser Chiefs collabo I want to see is Kate Nash/Kaiser Chiefs. I guess I just don't see the LA/KC styles meshing very well, no matter how much Mark Ronson magic is added. I guess I'll just have to wait until next year :crosses fingers: to see.
Also, White Rabbits concert tonight. I won't be able to function at all tomorrow, but I'll still be working.

Your So Vain

There are times when I miss my days of insane fanaticism, at least for Kaiser Chiefs. Lord knows I'm still insanely fanatical about DW. But yeah, there are days when I miss being insane, not just because things were simpler then, but also because I could laugh when members of the band said ridiculous things. Like, "Oasis have disappeared up their own arse." I could enjoy that sentiment so much more if I wasn't a semi-rational human being. Granted I can still enjoy the quote because I think the Gallagher brothers have long since taken up residence in their own arses, but that's a different thing all together. Because, you have to understand, the reason I dislike the Gallagher brothers so much is the same reason why, when I read the rest of the article, I wished so desperately that I could be a bubble headed fangirl. Back then, I could swallow the inherit shallowness of the rest of what Rick says, because...I wouldn't have seen it that way. I would have agreed wholeheartedly. Now though, it's just rubbish. Vain, pompous, rubbish. Nevertheless, I trust their manager more than I trust Rick, so I'm very excited about getting the album next year ;D

A Quick Note to Potential Parents

Here's just a little piece of advice from me to you: For the love of God do not let your child play a string instrument, such as a violin, unless you are completely and utterly certain that they will be good. Qualities such a child might possess is a good sense of tonality and well developed motor skills. If your child doesn't possess one of these qualities (preferably a good sense of tonality) do not let them near a violin, viola, or cello. Please. My ears don't like bleeding. 0_0

Alright, back to work. I've finally gotten to last week in the archives. Tis exciting.

Suit

So today was a rather big gig for le Kaiser Chiefs and NME, in their typically hypocritical way, covered it like it was the biggest fucking gig of the year. I think it's because the band is working with Mark Ronson, but I'm paranoid about NME giving any band too much exposure. Anywho, in their exuberant coverage, they decided to include a couple of pics in their weekly round-up of music news. Per usual, I immediately freaked out when I sited said picture, because I'm not right in the head. However, once I got over myself, I noticed what Monsieur Ricky was wearing. A suit. Sadly, the two pictures posted at the NME site are basically shite for facial expressions, but still. A suit avec tie. My fevered fangirl brain went positively berserk. So yeah, I just wanted to point that out. Have fun dissecting my insane psyche.

Work

Imagine getting lost on your way to an interview. In a skirt. Now imagine developing blisters because you've been walking for twenty or so minutes in the wrong direction in poorly chosen shoes. Add all of this with a heaping dose of nerves and you've got my Wednesday morning. Okay, now we're going to fast forward to the offices of WPFW. I'm sweaty, nervous, and a minute late for my interview. My feet are also killing me I can't wait to get home. I've basically got the job bagged because the station is that desperate for help. Everything is going nice and smoothly. I figure, a half hour and I'll be on a train back to my bed and my last of "Law and Order" binging.
Around 3:45 that same afternoon I leave the offices of WPFW, after all the shows from about mid-January of this year to the end of February. I'm exhausted, both physically and mentally, and my feet are still killing, only a lot worse because I had to walk around some more to find some place to eat for lunch. However, I did find out that I like falafel. I'll be going back to the station tomorrow, and this time I will be wearing sneakers instead of unbroken-in mary jane's. Despite everything, life is good.
So that's basically been the major events of this last week. I started my first "real" job archiving Gloria Minott's shows from this year and starting this week I'll also be shadowing her producer during the show, which should be fun. Life is indeed good.
Other interesting things:

• The House season finale made me cry. It was both heart-wrenching and very embarrassing.
• Fox was incredibly stupid in cancelling Firefly. It's the best damn show I've seen in ages, at least on this side of the pond.

Well that's it pretties. I'll write sometime in the future.

Official Set Lists From the Past Month (Literally)

Kate Nash, 9:30, 4/17/2008

1. Pumpkin Soup
2. Shit Song
3. Stitching Leggings
4. We Get On
5. Birds
6. Nicest Thing
7. I Hate Seagulls
8. Dickhead
9. Pickpocket
10. Paris
11. Skeleton Song
12. Mariella
13. Mouthwash
14. Foundations

Encore:

• Dont You Want to Share the Guilt
• Model Behaviour
• Merry Happy

General Summary: Started strong and then began introducing her more acoustic side and a shitload of new songs, thus loosing all momentum. Not brilliant, but not horrible.


Flight of the Conchords, Lisner Auditorium, 5/9/08

1. Robots
2. ? [My Name's Tim?]
3. The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)
4. Thing About It
5. Bowie
6. ? (new)
7. Bus Driver's Song [From BBC radio series]
8. Bret, You Got It Going On
9. Mutha'uckas
10. Bret, You Got It Going On
11. If You're Into It
12. Business Time
13. Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros
14. Albie the Racist Dragon

Encore:

• Inner City Pressure
• There Are Angels [new]

General Summary: You know how funny the TV show is? You know how great the songs are? Well, add improv and you've got the gig. Very funny, horrible seats.


The Swell Season, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 5/17/08

1. Say It To Me Now
2. Lies
3. This Low
4. Moon
5. When Your Mind's Made Up
6. Love Makes Me Cheerful [new]{Your Love Makes Me Cheerful}
7. I Have Joy [new]{I Have Loved You Wrong}
8. Falling Slowly
9. Leave
10. What Happens When the Heart Just Stops?
11. ? {Astral Weeks - Van Morrison cover}
12. ? {Your Face}
13. If You Have to Go, Go With Happiness {Go With Happiness}
14. Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
15. Once

Encore:

• If You Want Me
• Blue Shoes [Colm Mac Con Iomaire]
• Fitzcarraldo
• Star Star**

General Summary: See previous entry. {Edits with thanks to PlayedLastNight.com, which allowed me to download this magnificent performance}


What's Next: May 28th will see the fifth (or fourth, I can't remember) time I've seen Ben Folds live, June 5th will see a welcome return of the White Rabbits at the Black Cat and in August I'll be seeing We Are Scientists, despite the fact that their new album pretty much sucks. It's going to be a busy summer for me :D

Thank You So Much

When Glen Hansard was twelve he somehow wondered across the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Young Glenny (as I affectionately called him all last night) wondered in and seeing no one but a cleaning lady, after asking said cleaning lady, went up on the stage with his guitar and played a song. At this point in Mr. Hansard's story I was grinning like a mad fool because playing on a concert hall stage is something one never forgets and I can only imagine what it would be like for an aspiring musician/twelve year old. In any event, Glenny was amazed and also determined to play such a venue again. Well, last night, along with the rest of the members that make up the Swell Season, he did and in my ever so humble opinion, it was amazing. Last night's show is the reason I go to see live rock concerts, no matter the venue (except of course the Sonar.) Without a doubt last night's show was the single best performance I have ever seen. And that's all I can say. Best gig ever.

Update on Things to Come

It's my dad's birthday today so I have to be nice to him. :sigh: Anywho, some happy updates on my list of upcoming things:

• Volunteer! Hopefully I'll be doing some volunteer work for the public affairs division of WPFW, but that means an interview which scares the shit out of me. At least I've got my travel route all planned.
• Set list postings! I'll be doing that whole thing shortly after this Saturday's Swell Season show. I'm quite excited.
• Grades! Well, they turned out about where I thought they would, and I'm in good academic standing in terms of my major and in an overall sense. I'm not thrilled, but I'm not failing, even by my fucked up terms.
• Duffy! Which I'm getting today, goddamit.
• No more rain! My hopes came true and we've been rain free for two days! Hurrah!
• [new item] Firefly marathon! If all parties can their collective shit together there will be a marathon of potential awesomeness. And possible brainwashing. Mwhahahahahahahaha

Well that's it. I'm currently rating my entire music library and I'm only at the Beatles. And there's a shitload of Beatles. Ta.
P.S. My dad hated Juno but for some reason doesn't think Belle & Sebastian could possibly be twee. I'm thinking of getting him to listen to some of their earlier stuff, just to prove the point that he's very wrong.

Things to Come

Some things that might be (or, in certain cases, will be) happening this week:

• A massive post of set lists! But no reviews sadly.
• Volunteering! At WPFW if the stars are lined up correctly
• Grades! I just want to know for fucks sake, I just want to know!
• Duffy! Yes her name is ridiculous (what's wrong with Amie?) but she's awesome!
• No more rain! This one's mostly just wishful thinking, but it has to stop raining eventually right?

And that's about it. Look forward to writing here again sometime in the far, far future.

Maturity

In case any of you were wondering how I might react to a Macca*/KC union, here's a little picture:

Oh yeah, I'm mature.
In other news Amy Winehouse has been arrested on suspicion of drug possession and I turn twenty in two days. Yay.


*For those who don't get the reference

And In the End

I move out tomorrow. Next semester I'll be living with a girl named Kathy in Arrington which means I'll have a five minute walk to Pollard instead of a 15 minute walk and A/C during those first two months of hell. There was some choas getting to that point, but I think it will be well worth it. I'm ending the semester not so much on a bang but on a puff, if that, but at least I've got lots of electives and my good grades from last semester to cushion the fall. All in all I've made it through this only slightly scarred and learned quite a lot in the process. It's been a good year.