Oh, Great IntentionsFinally we hear from James again. He's back, and funnier than ever. EVER. James, did you know that Danny D. is a fan of your humor? Because he is. I hope that high praise is enough motivation to get you to update on a more-than-monthly interval.
And Danny D, if you read this, the song you sent me is messed up, it's all static-y. I was able to listen on myspace though, and like I expected I was tres-impressed! Such pop energy, gorgeous!
Thanks, Heather, for the Metacritic link. I love Metacritic, and not just because Sufjan Stevens' Illinois is the best rated album of the year (that would be a dumb basis for loving Metacritic anyways, as they don't actually review anything). As for our beloved Fiery Furnaces, well, the reviews are as varied as can be. My interest has been piqued, and I want to form my own opinion. Unfortunately I don't have the confidence to drop the cash on the album, so it may be a while.
I've been feeling a bit frayed lately - nothing terrible, but not exactly where I want to be. Stressed from different directions, the kind that makes me tired and useless. Just cleaning my room yesterday made me feel better, a little more proactive and in control. I went to church this morning and that made me happier as well. It was an Episcopal church, and the people were warm and friendly, unlike the weather during my walk there. And for the first time, I paid attention to what was said and made connections. And one of the songs mentioned setting our hearts on fire, and that was awesome. And and and. And I am a great writer.
-"Set our hearts on fire, with love"
"Dude, My Dad Owns A Dealership Dude."
I got my Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVDs from my aunt and uncle! Volumes 2 & 3! After missing the bus back from the King's Buildings campus by literally 3 inches (the driver drove away as my foot was coming down on the platform, the bastard), I was absolutely pissed, and there was nothing better to come home to than A.T.H.F. At one point I was watching and James came in and just started laughing, not because it was funny but because it's so weird, so surreal. I think I'm beyond the strangeness now, but remember hating the show at first because it was just so damn weird. But if you get past the fact that it's about a milkshake, fries, and a meatball, the brilliant dialogue reveals itself (that's why it's so quotable). The 15 minute episodes aren't about plot or storyline, they're about the series of short and usually angry interactions between the characters. And I wondered where James' anger came from.
I'm getting so lazy. This is how freshman year was supposed to be. This isn't a good thing.
Our RAs had a party last night. That's right, our Resident Advisors had a party, they can do that here. There were a lot of people in their flat, which was noticably nicer than any others in Darroch Court, but the mood wasn't very party-esque. It was more groups of second years talking to each other, over boring music, and us few Darroch Court residents sticking to ourselves in the hall. Parties either bore me or thrill me, usually there's no middle ground. I say that like it's the party's fault, but I don't mean it that way- I know just as much of it's me and whichever social skills I happen to have on any given night. Tonight will be good, though, as the girls from downstairs are throwing a party, and they are instant fun.
It's almost here.
-That's it. I can't write in HTML. Time for a sandwich.
Today I GET IT.I've finally caved in to you people's demands. I've signed up for Last.fm and now you can see what I listen to. Actually I did it because I like signing up for things, it had nothing to do with you lovely people. And I got a badge, it's over there somewhere -->
I have this idea that normal people are taking over the internet. I like it. So many blogs, so many profiles, so personalized. I love reading and seeing other people's interests and thoughts (but not in any creepy way). A lot of times it's stuff that just wouldn't come up in conversation - perhaps it's too hard to articulate or just too irrelevant. But still interesting.
So if Colin and I start the website that dethrones Pitchfork, what should we call it? I'm accepting submissions as of NOW. We are smart enough and awesome enough to do this, I tell you. For now, you can send us free cd's - you have our promise we'll listen to them and perhaps one day start this website and review them fairly and do whatever else a better-than-Pitchfork website does.
Today I feel disillusioned. I know what's up today. It's furiously sunny outside for the second day in a row. You would think it's in its last gasp, in a noble attempt to bleach out all the grey and the clouds and the cold. You would think this because it's brighter than ever and the warmth is palpable. Well, if this is it before the dark sets in for months, than hooray!
-A Team of the Understanding
O
First off, yay, for my good buddy Keith has got a blog. I miss him! And I guess Erin too.
Second off, James, I'd imagine your next post will beging something like:
DAMMIT.
or
I AM SO ANGRY, ALWAYS.
sound good? You can take it from there.
Thirdly, my flatmate Nick was in a play yesterday, and I was quite impressed! They had only been rehearsing for a few weeks before it was time for the big show, and I was expecting something a bit more amateur. But no no no, it was the real deal. I don't think I would have seen a play at the Bedlam Theatre on my own initiative, both because I am not a huge fan of theatre and because the building itself looked pretty weird (I didn't even know it was a theatre for a long time). I'm glad I went, it's a cool place. And Nick was spectacular. I won't write about the play, other than it was titled The Car Cemetary, because I'm not sure what really happened. Hey, it made me laugh though.
I'm excited at the prospect of jamming with my violin-playing neighbo(u)r! She's been playing for a while now, and knows all those cool Scottish fiddle tunes. We want to try out some Damien Rice (music here) duets, I think there is a possibility for sheer outstandingness to occur. You will weep at our hands.
-Volcano
On Pitchfork
It's late, but I've just read Heather's links to opinion pieces on Pitchfork, and I think now's as good a time as ever to take a close look at the devil itself.
Lately it seems that it's cooler to hate Pitchfork than to enjoy it, which I understand but still find a bit misguided. When I started reading the Fork ~3 years ago, I felt I had uncovered something sacred. At that time I was beginning to seek out indie music with increasing fervor, and what better for an aspiring hipster than an online music mag, one that bashed mainstream artists and heralded nobodies as the Next Big Thing? I felt I was in on a secret, that my elitism was valid because it was derived from such a glorified source. And in a way, it hasn't changed. Pitchfork is undeniably a tastemaker, but I'm just now realizing the effect it has on the music industry - realizing that its influence is actually quantifiable.
I find the joy of indie music is discovery and reward. It's fun to follow a band from the basement to the end of their road - perhaps a label deal, perhaps a major label deal, perhaps a gig on Conan, or maybe destruction and dissolution without anything to show for it. The point is you become the expert, you don't need to be told about their latest album because you know where and when and with whom they recorded it, and you've been listening to the demos since July. Of course you share your knowledge with whoever will listen, and this way we learn about other bands and invariably form our own opinion. After all, if your friend says Band X are the best band ever, you don't believe him immediately - he does like that one band you can't stand, after all. We like being told what to listen to as a recommendation by a source we are familiar with, one that's on the same level. I first thought of Pitchfork as a really dilligent friend, one with a lot of suggestions and a lot of warnings. And I discovered tons of music this way. I think the problem is that with an increased readership, the demands on Pitchfork have become unrealistic, and its status too hallowed.
Pitchfork has the responsibility of making bands now, and whether they've brought it upon themselves is debatable, with their hipper-than-thou attitude and strong opinions. Too much faith has been put into the publication now that it has brought us bands like Broken Social Scene and the Arcade Fire. So every time we get a Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! as the heir to that fleeting throne, we're underwhelmed and upset. Betrayed even. But why? How can we expect the awkward indie boys behind the scenes to wield this ridiculous power we've invested in them? Because it's easy and we're lazy. I think if we take a step back it would be easier to see Pitchfork for what it is - a webzine. It's a useful tool, but not a magic one.
That being said, I'm curious to see what will happen with Pitchfork, as the interface between the Internet and the real world becomes increasingly strange and difficult to identify. I know I'll keep reading, but I've got plenty of other resources as well - friends, ears, a brain (and mp3 blogs). And maybe it's good that the Fork has become so mighty - now that the industry is listening, perhaps we'll get some better music on the radio and in megastores with far-reaching distribution. As long as we remember what we like and keep an open mind, we'll find those gems, even if they did get a 4.0 rating.
-Awright & Awright
Turbo Blog Mode
So yeah Facebook pictures... whatever dudes. I made an album of stupid pictures of Mel and James and me jumping. To go along with the stupid hot tub pictures somebody uploaded with me in them! Facebook is catching on here too, I have a feeling it was all the Americans in Edinburgh to begin with, because we love things like that. Hooray for dual accounts and a terrific way to waste time! Seriously, it's terrific (now that Johnny's on it).
I am this close to actually hearing Danny D's songs! Stay tuned. Unless you've taken the initiative and listened for yourself.
I love Jason Schwartzman. Star of Rushmore, of course, and in the upcoming Shopgirl, by Steve Martin. Here's a cool interview with him, he seems very indie and down-to-earth, and lacks "game" - I could be him! Check the website, that's the Notwist's "Consequence" playing, one of my favorite songs! I am excited about this. Claire Danes is Shopgirl.
UPDATE: haha I love writing "UPDATE:" It's not even an update, I'm not even done writing this post. I just watched the trailer, and heard Explosions In The Sky and Death Cab. AND the movie looks like I will love it! It seriously has the look of Lost In Translation and the goofiness of Huckabees (thanks to Schwartzman).
Everybody should learn how to drive stick. I find this Slate article more scary than amusing. Seriously, it's not hard and I think it makes you a better, more aware motorist.
What's with Rehearsing My Choir's 4.0? Somebody send me it. I don't want to hear it, yet I do. The Fiery Furnaces are ace, but I had a feeling this would happen. They are so weird. Don't they have another album out soon anyways?
-TEAM UPDATE
Suspicious Minds
Last year I was watching TV in the apartment, and flipping by CMT I was taken by a song (and video I guess). Not usually one for the Tobey-Tritt-Travis-&-Dunn found on CMT, this was surprising indeed. The band was called Old Crow Medicine Show, and the song was "Wagon Wheel." It was very old-timey, with banjo and fiddle and those achey harmonies I absolutely love. But watching it, there was something in the band's energy that showed they weren't just revivalists, they displayed an urgency and a rawness inexorably linked to punk. "Wagon Wheel" is one of those songs that should be a classic, but will never find the exposure. Besides, many people wouldn't take it very seriously upon hearing a banjo and a southern accent. Open minds, people.
The other day I remembered Old Crow Medicine Show, and made a rare iTunes purchase - both the album version and a sweet live version with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. I also did a bit of research and realized that these boys are actually pretty left-leaning, which is more of a surprise than a relief (politics can become obnoxious), and confirmed my hunch that they had some punk blood. I wish I could post the track, but alas iTunes uses some stupid locked format for purchased songs.
Go here for the "Wagon Wheel" video.
Last night we went out to a proper pub in the Grassmarket, the hip nightlife area for twentysomethings. This pub had an older crowd of locals, and a Scottish musician who played guitar and banjo and sang traditional songs as well as classic pop songs. He was good and humorous, but what really took me was his rendition of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds." I've always been convinced that Elvis sucked, and never considered exploring his music. When he started playing this song I recognized it, but not as an Elvis song. With just his voice and an acoustic guitar, I realized that it's quite a pretty, sad song. The melody is gorgeous and urgent, and really makes the lyrics moving. "We're caught in a trap" is a hell of a first line. Sadly, I can't seem to find a similar version on iTunes, just slick covers. Elvis' original version is a little more R&B, but better than the rest.
Enjoy Monday, I know I will!
-The King
I am Tired.
Yesterday I woke up before the sun. We drove an hour to a place on the beach called Thorntonloch. Now, when I say 'beach,' you probably think of beach. But I mean beach. With jagged rocks and rain and water that's presumably below the freezing point - I didn't bother to check. We were at this particular beach for three hours, learning about the sediments in the cliff. Despite the bleakness, it was magnificent, with the cliffs and arches and waves. We got back on the bus and drove to a spot ten minutes away. I thought Thorntonloch was cold, but it only got worse. Here, at Chapel Point, we did an exercise called sediment logging. It is the single most boring thing one can do at the beach. For about four meters of rock, we had to describe in detail each individulal sediment bed, so the process took about an hour and a half, and we had to do it twice. What made it miserable wasn't the logging, but the driving rain soaking our worksheets through and through. It was cold.
Today we drove to the same general location and started out at a place called Siccar Point. From the cliffs above the point we could see far and wide, and the scenery was amazing. When we got to the cliff's edge, we had to climb down an incredibly steep and slippery (of course it was raining... hard) slope to get to the rocky point below. Most people fell and slid trying to get down, it was pretty gnarly. Once we were below, we were stuck between cliff behind us, towers of rock on either side, and pounding surf in front. Words can't do the beauty justice, but the feeling I got standing there was so terrifically primal, I was awestruck. We stayed out there long enough to freeze, perhaps longer, and then drove to our final location, called Pease Bay. More sedimentary logging, but this time was a little better as the interval we were looking at was more or less an overhang. The air got colder throughout the afternoon though. Here we had to do a lot of walking on super-slippery rocks in the tide, which was kinda fun but also a hassle. It was all, however, a memorable experience, much better than I thought it would be (and I really didn't expect it to be that bad). And I met some great people! Finally! Sorry for no pictures, I didn't want to worry about my camera in all the mess.
So now I look a wreck and smell even worse. Time for a shower and a nap before I go out like I promised Mark. Not looking forward to a late night, to be honest. At least tomorrow's my break started.
James killed his knee the other day. Send the poor cripple some happy thoughts. And let's hope he resumes blogging, now that he's immobile. LOVE YOU
-hardXcoreXgeology
My Needs.
A funny thing to do when you're bored, and can't be bothered to do any work, is Google "(your name) needs" and see what comes up.
Observe.
Brian needs food, badly.
Brian needs to do a Gospel CD because of all the
songs, this one stands out the most.
Brian needs prayers to help him rid himself of anger issues that is
messing up his life.
Brian needs to show what he brings to the table and the contribution he can make
before that person can give him more leads, more connections.
Brian needs our prayers.
Brian needs a great deal of help.
Brian needs active parents who will
attend therapy with him.
Brian needs to persuade people that this job fits him.
Brian needs terms to be agreed on large donations / pledges / loans as soon as
possible.
Brian needs to know every last detail.
Brian needs to know whether he
should apply for authorisation for his demonstration before 1 August 2005.
BRIAN NEEDS LATEX BADLY.
Brian needs to work a lot more often.
It's funny! And strangely sad when you realize some are true, or that some other person with your name really does need parents to attend therapy with him/her, or needs help with their anger. I guess without context, you apply the phrase to yourself, and that changes things.
I wrote a song today! Well most of one anyways. I didn't bother with working out a terribly unique chord progression or anything, and what turned out is better than anything I've come up with before! I'm excited to teach it to James so he can play the solo on electrical guitar. I was inspired by Marah, whose album came out this week. They rock so much. They are similar to Springsteen in the best way. Philly kids.
-Brian
LET'S GET PRODUCTIVE TODAY.
That's right folks! Today we are DOING THINGS. We will:
1) Run
2) Eat food!
3) Homework
4) Eat food!
5) Sleep
I don't think anything fun will happen tonight because of the field trips tomorrow are early por la manana. James is leaving for home this afternoon, the bastard. I saw the girls' pictures from the party on Saturday, and they are even better than the other ones! This post is so fragmented. I have stopped cracking my knuckles, but it's hard. It's as much of a "can I do it?" challenge as it is me wanting to stop. I think I'm making good progress. Speaking of challenges, James and I are going to do a 48 hour fast for charity sometime. That's gonna be tough.
Everybody will be pleased to hear that the illustrious Zachary I. has a blog. It's for his and Andrew's radio show on KCSB at UCSB, called Treetop Tales. It's on 2-4am on Sundays, and webcast for those interested. I am interested. The finest in hip-hoppery.
I've been meaning to post about Slate's weekly poems. The link is to last week's because I didn't really care for the latest one. There's an archive at the bottom of the page, and they're excellent for the most part. Not that I am to be listened to as a poetry critic. Check it out though, yeah.
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats tells us indie boys who's hot now that Scarlett Johansson stars in movies like "The Island" instead of "Ghost World" and "Lost In Translation." Now that she isn't ours. I've never heard of his suggestions for Scarlett replacements, and am doubtful they have quite the appeal. Screw it. I'll just keep loving Ms. Johansson. via CW via LHB cause that's how it works.
-Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
The Work Of Patrick Daughters, or, Amazing Videos and Scary Films
Patrick Daughters is an amazing director. I've just found his site, which contains music videos and short films, after trying to follow a Cliptip link. I am familiar with his work, as he directed some of my very favorite music videos like "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and "The Bucket" by Kings Of Leon. Turns out he also directed another video for Feist's "Mushaboom," one that surpasses the other version in my opinion. And it's good to see that he can make a happy video, because as I watched his showreel I realized that his videos have a tendency toward darkness.
Here is the music video list:
Feist - "Mushaboom"
Kings Of Leon - "King Of The Rodeo"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Title And Registration"
Kings Of Leon - "4 Kicks"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"
Kings Of Leon - "The Bucket"
The Secret Machines - "Nowhere Again"
Har Mar Superstar - "D.U.I."
The Feist video is brilliant and suits the song well, as do the K.O.L. videos. I was glad to see he'd directed a video for The Secret Machines, one of my favorite bands. Their video exemplifies Daughters' mastery of light and dark - the lights in all his videos seem alive and humming and hot, and contrast well with the black areas.
Daughters' short films are what really got me though - they're terribly haunting and disturbing. I won't try to summarize them both because I don't think I'll be able to well enough, and mostly because I don't want to scare you from watching them. They're beautifully shot in his underexposed style, and have a distinctly American minimalist style. Quiet and dark, they remind me of Southern Gothic novels in a way. VERY creepy and very recommended.
To get to his site, go here and click "enter site". Then click "directors" at the bottom of the new window and then select "Black Dog" company. You'll find Patrick Daughters on the list, click on him and choose either the showreel (all the videos back to back) or the spot index (to choose individual videos).
-Wow.
I'm Aware Of That.
We let a balloon go tonight, a helium balloon shaped like a shooting star that said "Happy Birthday!" We weighted it down so that it floated, and stuck it outside our third story window and let go. It was fun to watch it wander down Cowgate St. in the night, coming in and out of view until it turned a corner and vanished down a side street. And in a way it was moving to watch it leave, strangely sad and hopeful at the same time. That was the end of my birthday (well really a group hug was) and it was fitting. I'm 20 years old now, but that's like saying I'm 7296 days old, it's arbitrary. Not that it doesn't mean anything, it's really quite the opposite. I like how we invest importance in it, and how we are affected as a reaction. How a simple fact can make me feel a certain way, with a silly and admirable conviction. How I reflect on things and fancy myself as wiser, with an eye that isn't quite condemning and isn't quite patronizing and not quite regretful either. Hopefully more understanding, for whatever my hope is worth. That isn't supposed to sound cynical.
We had a little get-together tonight for my real birthday. I got some presents from the wonderful 7/6 girls: a sweet stuffed T-Rex that is awesomely bendable, some dinosaur ceiling things that glow in the dark (is there a theme developing?), some dinosaur chocolate candies (yes, there is.) and a deliciosa chocolate cake! Now I can act out Dinsaur Comics in my room. I am not obsessed with dinosaurs, as it may seem, I swear. The girls from downstairs came up too, and we talked for a good while. It's funny how awkward things can be without music in the background, as soon as we all sat down I realized we hadn't thought it out at all, and the strange silence kept coming up until the music came on and relaxed us all. I forgot that when you're not drinking, self-consciousness prevails during those moments. It ended up well enough though.
I've pretty much stopped reading Ishiguro's When We Were Orphans. I was loving it at first, but then perspective shifted in the novel to the narrator as a young man, and I didn't enjoy those parts as much. The book's a bit of a mystery, as the narrator's parents were kidnapped, so there are reflections into his childhood as an attempt to figure out the why and the how. I am not big on mysteries, although solving the crime is clearly not the real point of the novel. I just prefer the beginning bits where he examines and recounts the evolution of his relationship with a seemingly soulless socialite in London high society. Maybe I'll just read those chapters on their own to make my own story. I think I'll move on to a book I've been excited about for a while, which happens to be by a Scottish author, A.L. Kennedy. It's called Paradise and it's about a relationship which relies on drinking, and it's described as dark and at times funny. I am drawn to dark comedy for some reason, probably because the characters are so oblivious to their situations and their actions, and somehow that lets the humanity and the absurdity shine through. It makes the love and the emotion seem entirely real, and that gives the funny parts a bitter tinge and some depth. Hopefully this one will not disappoint.
Heather, you've probably already seen this, but here's Eleanor looking pretty for you (and only you). That's my proper blogging done in ~30 words.
Cheers,
Brian
This Heart's On Fire!
I fell asleep during a video in class and when I woke our instructor made fun of me indirectly. And I was indirectly embarrassed. I don't like sleeping in class, but that's how tired I am today. Mondays are just not fun, at all.
I received the videos Johnny sent of our freshman year antics as well as our two skate videos from high school. Our skate videos are badass. I miss that time, when we'd just skate all day and hang out and be happy, under no pressure and perfectly content. And that makes me miss skateboarding! Nobody skates here, except in George Square where all the little heshers rip all day on the stairs and ledges. They're fun to watch sometimes, even though I wish they didn't ruin the Square. Haha and now I sound like a square.
My old friend Danny D. has a myspace page where you can listen to his music! That is, if you're not me. I can't figure out that damn myspace music player so I haven't heard anything yet. But I can assure you it's good. Dan is a musical prodigy, I remember being in absolute awe after seeing one of his Please And Thank You shows, watching him wail on the guitar. Seriously, he's pro. And, he lives in Canada now, where ALL good music comes from (like Wolf Parade, who I listened to nonstop today. But that's neither here nor there).
-It's Getting Better All The Time!
'Give Us An "A-L-C-O-H-O-L"! And What Do We Get?'
My party last night was AMAZING. It was everything I could have ever hoped for. Best party I've ever been to, though my bias should be pretty obvious.
It started with a cocktail party featuring botched attempts at kiwi and strawberry drinks, and then (very) slowly grew into a fully formed party. Everyone showed up and seemed to have a good time, I met some nice people and received some sweet-ass glitter studded safety goggles from the 7/6 girls (pictures soon). I am very unused to being a center of attention, but it felt great last night. As James was saying, just being a host comes with a special feeling of respect and responsibility.
As the night rolled on, we got tired and the crowd thinned, and seven of us ended up sleeping on our mattress/couches in the kitchen. Yeah, I don't know either. SO MUCH FUN
Saw Wallace and Gromit tonight, it was pretty much how I thought it would be. At least movies here aren't prohibitively expensive, and the multiplex is pretty posh.
Wolf Parade's Apologies To The Queen Mary is one of the year's best albums. The Modest Mouse influence is displayed proudly, and in most ways improved upon. It's shamelessly tuneful and concise, and absolutely killer. It's got those special moments that are just so unique and perfect, you get chills when they happen. It's hard to explain what I mean, but there is that one part of a song that gets you every time, the part you remember most. An intriguing melody with fitting lyrics is usually the case. Well Wolf Parade delivers, is all I'm saying.
-'PISSED!' (from a birthday card I got)
Happy Ness
I ruined my own surprise party yesterday. See, my flatmates were doing such a good job of not saying anything about it that I got the impression nothing was happening anymore. Not content with doing nothing, I started talking about having a little get-together at the least. And then, by chance I ran into Mark and John, who were carrying loads of party supplies (read: alcohol) on while I was out yesterday. Turns out they've been planning tonight's party for a week or something, and it's gonna be a proper party! With a special cocktail party beforhand. Hooray for awesome flatmates!
So I mentioned I was out yesterday- do you know why? BECAUSE I BOUGHT A GUITAR!!! (cue gnarly guitar solo). Yeah, I went around to all the shops I knew and checked their low-price inventory. As expected, I found a lot of absolute crap guitars around the 50-70 pound price range, ones that were warped and dry sounding with awkward necks. But then I found a Fender DG5 that was on sale for 79 pounds (from 100) and it felt very nice. At another store it was actually 100 pounds, so they weren't kidding about the sale. So I was quite pleased with my find, and took it home. I can't even describe how good it feels to have a guitar again.
I've been digging Death From Above 1979's "Black History Month" (video) recently. I know I'm a little late, but I just couldn't get into them first time around. The song is killer good though.
-Team
I don't even know what to tell you today.
I taught myself to play "Secret Meeting," I found two pounds (that's four dollars, Heather) on the ground (!), and I wrote a poem which may be good and may be bad, I can't tell. Why don't YOU tell me something, world? I'm all ears.
Last night I made a playlist for my birthday party that I hope gets played.
-briantronic
Everything Ecstatic!
The observant among you may notice the new Huckabees/Four Tet inspired header up there. It's happy!
Last night turned into a guys' night, and we sat on our newly constructed couch (see above) and watched some dismal chick flick. Don't ask why (I don't know). We also messed around with Mark's camera and took this funny video (79MB - it will take a while). For reference: It's 2:30 in the morning and there is about half a foot of water flooding our courtyard. This morning they brought in an emergency de-flooder team to vacuum it out.
We were all in high spirits last night, spontaneity will do that to you. We also have another video that you'll have to ask for, because it's not really the kind of thing I'm ready to post (read: it's entirely embarrassing). It's funny though.
-Team Hollywood
Aww heyyyll naw... what up dog??
I lost this post right as I was about to publish. At least it wasn't anything I couldn't redo, unlike what happened to James and James.
Right then, here we are - something for everyone!
Firstly:
Awwwwww. Annie is awesome! I can't wait to meet her, and run and jump and play together. And then steal her away to Davis! Hooray for puppies.
Secondly:
Awwwwww. That's right, Yankees. You suck! I'm glad for Chone and the Angels, but now it's Chicago's time. Time for Podsednik to steal the show, that is! haha...
Thirdly:
Awwwwww(some). Chan Marshall a.k.a. Cat Power is the ORIGINAL Miss Indie Rock. She's supremely talented and equally foxy. Her new album, The Greatest, comes out early next year. While I can't say she keeps getting better and better (1998's Moon Pix is an all-time fav), I can say she is quite consistent. I totally stole the picture from GvB.
Lastly:
Awwwwww. Yeah, I had something else but now I forget. I just keep thinking how much I want to see that dog.
It's raining! It's just like it's supposed to be. I feel like I'm really here, that I've been welcomed warmly but now it's time to live in the city. I'm ready.
Last night I saw my friend Anne from UC. Always a pleasure. Today I met with my UC director and got my dual enrollment issues squared away, which was much easier than I anticipated going in to the meeting without any of the necessary paperwork.
-The Rain
Things Fall ApartI've always loved that phrase (it's the title of an older Roots album). It captures a distinct feeling of helplessness and brokenness.
Today things fell apart. They told us today that we have two field trips scheduled over our fall break, during which I was going to have an adventure with James in the highlands. Now I've got to go to the coast a few minutes away from 9 to 5 two days in a row, leaving me just two days of break, not enough time to go anywhere. They had better not have me write something up right after the trip, or I'm calling this off and turning "study abroad" into "gap year." I'm sorry to put James through this, I know he was looking forward to a trip also. I feel horribly numb.
To celebrate I've been listening to the ever-uplifting tunes of Ryan Adams. Think dark sad country bars! Check out some songs from his lost album with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at An Aquarium Drunkard, a blog I found last night that instantly impressed.
Today's Dinosaur Comics is really good. Take a look. I need to find out more about this "Intelligent Design," because I feel very underinformed. When in doubt, agree with Dinosaur Comics.
Thanks Heather for the belles-letres link. I am drawn to literary pop (and not-so-pop) music, as you may know. The article mentions the Decemberists, who I love but cannot take quite seriously enough to fully appreciate Colin Meloy's lyrics. There are too many goofy songs and funny-old-words-for-the-sake-of-funny-old-words. Which, by the way, is a word. The same goes for Fiery Furnaces. I associate literary with artists like The Mountain Goats, whose emphasis is squarely on interesting and affecting lyricism. A band not often mentioned when discussing lyrics is The Wrens. Perhaps because you can't decipher what they're singing. I can assure you (after reading them in the liner notes) that they are achingly honest and beautiful, on par with any of the other more obviously lyrically-oriented bands out there. Check out the lyrics to "Ex-Girl Collection," my favorite.
"Called at work/ 'Happy anniversary, jerk.'/ And I just laughed at the timing/ With you on hold line 2 still crying."
Finally, Marten from Questionable Content has started a blog. He is a cartoon character, and this may just qualify as webcest. Enjoy.
-The Team
UPDATE: I am not so sad anymore because we got a dog! And by we, I mean my family. Her name is Annie, which is sweet because it's like Annie. But seriously, I love dogs, and I hear she is the sweetest! Happiness. Pictures soon.
Fall Has Arrived
It just hit me. Sitting here with the window open, I am listening to Sufjan's "Romulus" over the whoosh of cars below and leaves in the breeze. It's darker than usual, and crisp, and cozy. Lovely.
Gave the bouldering another go, made some more progress. It's very gratifying, even though I still can't do much, to work out the little parts and get a little farther than the last time. The picture is of the area we go to.
Last night we went out to the pub with live indie-ish music, and just relaxed. It was perfect, except I had something weighing on my mind, something I couldn't escape. What was it? Portugal. I want to go during my fall break in a couple weeks, because Anne and her friends will be there and it would be an amazing time, guaranteed. Unfortunately there's no easy way to get there, at least not in our price range. I ran through as many scenarios as I could come up with, and nothing worked out well enough to be reasonable. The problem is getting to London to then fly out to Porto, which is harder than it would seem. I'm accepting now that we won't be going, as heartbroken as I am. And believe me, I'm heartbroken. Instead James and I will be taking the train up to the highlands and adventuring, hopefully I'll make it past Pitlochry this time. We'll be sure to go to Skye and explore, which sounds great.
Sorry, no fun links for you.
-The Team
My Life Is Finding Random Stuff
I went bouldering yesterday for the first time. It was really fun, very relaxed and very challenging. I've got this great feeling in my forearms now after trying to climb because those muscles aren't used much in my day-to-day life, it's like they're a bit over-taut. There wasn't a lot I could do, but I appreciated the strategic approach to the open-ended problems, and the fun of just trying. I'm glad James took me, it's only 10 minutes away after all.
Things to show YOU:
Go over to Milky Moon for some Joanna Newsom live songs, ones that aren't on her latest album and some that are unreleased. It even links to a site with some great up-close video of her performing. The harp is an intriguing and very gorgeous instrument, and for her to reappropriate it from a classical into a more pop setting is amazing. And I love her voice, although unorthodox it is still extremely nuanced and oddly moving. In an interview, when asked about her unique voice, she said something to the effect of "I just started singing recently, and that's what came out." Of course she said it a bit more eloquently, but that makes perfect sense when I think about it. Not that she sounds off-key or anything, it's just clear that she's still growing into that strange and lovely voice of hers.
Freshman year in Art 30 I had an assignment to write about a comic strip, and I didn't know where to begin. I wasn't going to do Calvin and Hobbes, my all-time favorite, because it was too familiar and we were discouraged. So I went off in search of another comic, not knowing in the slightest what I was looking for. Fortunately I found James (see here and here) by Mark Tonra, a comic that is abolutely beautiful in its graceful and minimal drawings. It's about a little boy named James and his life, like a more subdued Calvin sans his pet tiger. James lives in a wintry city, and the way it's portrayed is at once comfortable and surreal. The strips are charming and the drawing is amazing, and the writing is touching. Tonra has the ability to convey very childish emotions perfectly (childish not being a bad word here), probably because James was modeled after his own young son. This may be the reason Tonra stopped writing James (see the aww-so-sweet final strip), because he had simply grown up. It's a bit of a cop-out (Calvin ran for decades, didn't it?) but understandable nevertheless. Take a look, you could fall in love.
Lastly, and of course completely unrelated (what isn't?), I found a very interesting Slate article about how dogs think. It's about how humans attribute their thinking to animals, which is harmless enough but quite untrue, and if their actions are to be understood we have to recognize their true mental capabilities. The example in the article is a dog who acts up when her owner leaves for work, and the owner thinks it's because she is taking revenge for leaving her without attention. This just isn't true - dogs don't have the capacity for this kind of thinking. The dog really acted up because without its owner present to tell it what it could and couldn't do, what was appropriate and what wasn't, it simply didn't know how to act. In its confusion it would wreck the house while the owner was away. It's fascinating to think about thinking, about what is arbitrary and what isn't, the concept of a concept (how meta!). James decided that humans are just too smart for their own good. We'll see.
Dynamic Earth and a picnic today, yay.
-Team of Hyperlinks
My Weekend Starts On Thursday
UPDATE: Heather should be a guest blogger. She actually properly blogs, as seen in this post's comments. But more importantly she finds sweet things on the internet that I don't, and then I have to tell you about them. Because they are funny! Like Aziz Ansari, a hilarious comic from NYC via South Carolina. Rolling Stone's "Comic to Watch For 2005" or something like that. Rolling Stone may be useless, but that's pretty cool. Watch a video of him blasting the "Shittiest Mixtape" out of a boombox around the city (was that Paula Cole I heard?). His standup is great too, from the nuances of video game music compositions to the perils and pitfalls of hitting on M.I.A., he covers it all. Check it out. In other news, I am all for starting a band with you Heather (I hear she plays an ace tambourine and slide guitar). Is there an easier way to be big in Europe? We think: no. (especially Eastern Europe)
Also, enjoy my new drawing in the header! That's the end product of a Sedimentology lecture.
/UPDATE.
I will not play a single game of basketball while in Scotland. I will not even touch a basketball, chances are. Why? Because I'd have to join our school gym for 70 pounds to begin with, and on top of that reserve a court in advance for another 10 pounds every time I want to play. Upon hearing this I was broken. To get my exercise it looks like I'll be running a lot more than previously, which was pretty much never. Yesterday I tried with some success to run up a part of Arthur's Seat, and it was absolutely killer. I'm happy with myself for running the uphill part with only one big break. It wasn't far, but it was much steeper than anything I had ran up before. At the top was a bouldering place that looks pretty fun, I've never done that before and James has got me excited about it. To celebrate our bit of exercise we decided to cancel it out by having fish n chips for dinner. Delicious!
Go watch the new video for Spoon's "Sister Jack." They have such goofy videos, I love it. Britt Daniel is the man. The Catbirdseat says two singles for the song are coming out, and since I'm all UK right now I can get them E-Z.
I'm listening to Broken Social Scene's new self-titled right now, and I like it. That's all I have to say. I like it. Now if I could find My Morning Jacket's new one...
I've been listening to Lowlights' Dark End Road lately, it's folk, it's country, it's slow, it's cosmic, it's gorgeous, and it's dark (obv). I picked it up on a Pitchfork tip a couple months ago, and it has been growing on me slowly and steadily. It's too bad Lowlights will never be popular, even in the already eclectic indie crowd, because they're almost too solid and familiar (in a good, seasoned way) to be the Next Big Thing, or even to be noticed. Thing is, they're not boring! I guess they'll just be my thing then, that's okay.
-The Teem
This Band AGAIN???
The National's Alligator opens with the song "Secret Meeting," a pretty track with a subdued shimmer. With it being so unassuming, it took a few listens before its beauty was revealed to me, and I think it deserves a little write-up. Also this marks my first foray into mp3-blog territory, something I probably won't be doing too much.
"I think this place is full of spies/ I think they're on to me." And so it begins, in media res, with paranoid lines admitted over elegant guitars (it looks geekier than it sounds, trust me). It feels as if upon walking into a grand ballroom party you're swept aside and confided in, and in a way everyting becomes internalized. From then on the music feels very filmic and etherized, the grandeur reduced to dancing reflections of light, remnants in the narrator's head. "Didn't anybody, didn't anybody tell you/ How to gracefully disappear in a room?" is what comes next, and the transition from the real to the surreal has happened. This is where the amazing comes in - the music drops out except for the drums, and the narrator apologizes: "I'm sorry I missed you, I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain." The guitars return, urgent like echoing alarms but still tranquilized, ringing: "It went the dull and wicked ordinary way." And thus one of the most quietly heartbreaking couplets I've ever heard is completed.
In this sense the song is similar to "Maps," the Yeah Yeah Yeah's masterpiece, in which the guitarwork sounds like distant alarms and makes for the most simultaneously urgent and dreamy song imaginable. "Secret Meeting," then, is cinematic and gorgeous, with a chorus that reigns in the obtuse verse and hits square in the heart. It's incredibly moving for such an unassuming track, and leaves things feeling unresolved in its ending, which recalls the last line of Eliot's ode to the pathetic, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock": "Til human voices wake us, and we drown." Indeed, the din of voices in the background grows and the song fades into the ether it came from (abstract Prufrock reference?).
Whatever the idea behind the song, I'm just glad to have discovered that chorus couplet, as it perfectly describes a feeling which is both very real and very difficult to articulate. Give it a go, maybe after you hear it you can make some sense of what I tried to convey.
mp3: The National - Secret Meeting (follow link)
-The Team
A Day At The Zoo/ A Note To Mom & Dad
I had a fine day today. But first let me say that I had an adventure last night. The girls from flat 7/6 joined our flat on a night out, which ended at the Teviot union in some nice conversations. This bored some people, and they left for a more lively atmosphere. James, Heidi, Rhian and I, however, were content to sit and talk a while, and after that decided to take a walk. Around Arthur's Seat. In the dark. It was beautiful and I was chilled, both from the cold wind and the dark trail. But looking down upon city lights at night in good company made it more than worth it.
And today, we went to the zoo. I absolutely love zoos. It was Heidi, Rhian and me because James' parents were in town so he had to entertain them. The animals were great - we saw cool things like a rhino, polar bear (!), chimps, gorillas, all kinds of penguins, and cute cute cute pygmy marmosets (smallest type of monkey). They bought me a cute little rhino and named him Stumpy, which was beyond sweet of them. I had pretty much no battery left in my camera, and it was just my luck that the gift shops were both sold out of AA's. But I did my best:
Unfortunately the lion was giving birth, and that exhibit, as well as the neighboring wolf exhibit, was closed. But that means I can go back in a few months and see sweet lion cubs! When we got back we had a lovely meal from the vegetarian baked potato shop, which has the biggest and most delicious filled baked potatoes I've ever had. That capped a perfect day, and coming home to James' newly-amplified guitar was icing on the cake.
I talked to my dad yesterday and my mom today. I miss them more than ever, and enjoy talking to them more than ever. It's funny, I feel more independent than before, and also closer to them than before. I think it's that I appreciate them as I begin to understand better what their life is like apart from taking care of me, as I see what they do for themselves and for my sister and me, and realize that they are simply amazing. Everything they've afforded me, I'm beginning to see, shows they are simply outstanding and loving human beings. I'd be lucky to grow to have half the great heart of my father and half the temperance of my mother, to be as widely virtuous and honest as them. I know this isn't as personal a statement as they deserve, but I've been meaning to say it somehow. So thank you.
-A Team Of Zoologists
Thanks, Heather, for the Metacritic link. I love Metacritic, and not just because Sufjan Stevens' Illinois is the best rated album of the year (that would be a dumb basis for loving Metacritic anyways, as they don't actually review anything). As for our beloved Fiery Furnaces, well, the reviews are as varied as can be. My interest has been piqued, and I want to form my own opinion. Unfortunately I don't have the confidence to drop the cash on the album, so it may be a while.
