remain in light (talking heads)
I really liked this album a whole lot. It's a worldly, eccentric work- nice currents of funk and new wave, a joy to listen to. The album organizes itself very nicely on this arc, first it gets faster and faster, and then ends going slower and slower.
"Born Under Punches," the opener, is wonderful. Funky, mysterious, worldly. Cool lyrics. It feels like a twilight visit to a secret society in the jungle. It really feels like one of the defining Talking Heads songs, a compelling mix of primitivism and futurism. I love the low, rolling phrase “All I want is to be…" mixed in with the chants and the controlled sparks of the guitar. The next two songs get faster- "Crosseyed and Painless" is cool, funky and fast, "The Great Curve" gets frantic and searching- if "Crosseyed" was a jam, "Curve" is a mission. "Once in a Lifetime" is obviously a classic, and the moment where the chorus begins to fade into "Same as it ever was" feels like the turning point of the entire album, setting off the second half, which grows slower and more contemplative with every track.
"Houses in Motion" and "Seen and Not Seen" are both subtle and mysterious- the latter almost feels like a chant, opening a series of closing songs that evokes that 'jungle secret society' vibe once more, this time focusing on an individual setting out on his own, like a tribal ritual. "Listening Wind" is the lonely pilgrimage, the tribal youth speaking to himself as he wanders a mysterious landscape. And "The Overload" is a dark, ominous crawl.
Exciting, interesting combinations of instruments and witty, charming lyrics. The two types of songs I liked most were the fast, funky, poppy songs, and the songs that really capture the spirit of eccentric, worldy experimentation- the opener and "Houses" in particular. The closing tracks are a little too slow and drippy for my tastes, but in general a terrific, fascinating work.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
march recap
-$435 +$556 (not including rent)
march goal: $14 spent per day, hard max. and earnings that equate to $15-20 per day.
march result: $14 spent per day. and earnings of $17.94 per day.
Congratulations! This was your best money month so far, and you held precisely to your $435 cap. And financially, April will be a bonanza.
april goal: $14 spent per day, Hard Max (including dues, boston trip, metrocard.) earnings that equate to $25-30 per day.
think of it as a monthly allowance of $420, and once you spend it, there is nothing left to spend.
Music: Ten albums reviewed.
Museums: no written reflections. A brief, conversational visit to MOMA with the Porter brothers.
Fount: currently suspended by Meagan. We'll see…
Paintings: Zero progress.
Artwork: Another big leap forward. I've got my illustration portfolio organized on a chart right now. My goal is 20 pieces. I have 9 complete and 9 in progress.
Exercise: No progress.
Cartoons: Didn't quite make it into the idea month I wanted, bad writer's block. Still two packets out.
Improv: Feeling good in class. 6 performances, 3 okay, 1 pretty good, 2 great. (1 501, 2 ST, 3 Z)
Drawings: the doodle blog is looking like a solid success, keep it up! 73 followers.
Miscellany: Spent the second half of the month working a steady temp day job. Watched The Office (British). Dating a cool new girl. Read and reviewed Dreams From My Father. Had some film/sketch auditions. Eventful, fun CG/NJ bus trip. Participated in an Onion video! It'll come out in September. Shot fun, hilarious Ernie Gumboldt video, one of my favorite, most successful video projects. Lost internet connection for about two weeks, which disrupted the rhythm of some projects, but it's okay now.
april targets…
music: 10 albums reviewed
museums: 1 written reflection
paintings: 1 significant work completed and submitted (ali and dave portrait)
artwork: complete the catalogue of 20 illustrations. Submit to Austin gallery show.
exercise: 5 workouts
cartoons: work on drafts of all the december idea file.
improv: 4 performances, submit personal notes to coach B.
drawings: keep it up
march goal: $14 spent per day, hard max. and earnings that equate to $15-20 per day.
march result: $14 spent per day. and earnings of $17.94 per day.
Congratulations! This was your best money month so far, and you held precisely to your $435 cap. And financially, April will be a bonanza.
april goal: $14 spent per day, Hard Max (including dues, boston trip, metrocard.) earnings that equate to $25-30 per day.
think of it as a monthly allowance of $420, and once you spend it, there is nothing left to spend.
Music: Ten albums reviewed.
Museums: no written reflections. A brief, conversational visit to MOMA with the Porter brothers.
Fount: currently suspended by Meagan. We'll see…
Paintings: Zero progress.
Artwork: Another big leap forward. I've got my illustration portfolio organized on a chart right now. My goal is 20 pieces. I have 9 complete and 9 in progress.
Exercise: No progress.
Cartoons: Didn't quite make it into the idea month I wanted, bad writer's block. Still two packets out.
Improv: Feeling good in class. 6 performances, 3 okay, 1 pretty good, 2 great. (1 501, 2 ST, 3 Z)
Drawings: the doodle blog is looking like a solid success, keep it up! 73 followers.
Miscellany: Spent the second half of the month working a steady temp day job. Watched The Office (British). Dating a cool new girl. Read and reviewed Dreams From My Father. Had some film/sketch auditions. Eventful, fun CG/NJ bus trip. Participated in an Onion video! It'll come out in September. Shot fun, hilarious Ernie Gumboldt video, one of my favorite, most successful video projects. Lost internet connection for about two weeks, which disrupted the rhythm of some projects, but it's okay now.
april targets…
music: 10 albums reviewed
museums: 1 written reflection
paintings: 1 significant work completed and submitted (ali and dave portrait)
artwork: complete the catalogue of 20 illustrations. Submit to Austin gallery show.
exercise: 5 workouts
cartoons: work on drafts of all the december idea file.
improv: 4 performances, submit personal notes to coach B.
drawings: keep it up
Sunday, March 29, 2009
album #34
parallel lines (blondie)
This is an all right album. I'm not in love with it but there's some good stuff going on. Their overall sound is pretty good- I like the guitars, I like Debbie Harry's voice. And they have nice versatility within that sound, there are some slower songs, some faster aggressive songs, one or two songs that make me think of '50s teen ballads, and the anchor, "Heart of Glass."
"Hanging on the Telephone" is a good opener, this track really grew on me. Fast, good tune. "Pretty Baby" is one of those '50s songs I was talking about- it's like a doo wop song, run through a punk and new wave filter. Harry's voice swoons in this really lovely, low way on that track. "Sunday Girl" is nice. Chill and charming. "Just Go Away" is very good, nice cascading guitars and really strong, clean Harry vocals. The only flaw on that song: the annoyingly punkish male backup vocals. "Heart of Glass" is of course a good one, but I think I prefer the briefer, rock version, "Once I Had a Love." It feels so fresh from the studio, like it all came together on one take. There's a ragged, swishing sound to the guitars that I really like a lot. I can't quite describe what it is- maybe the guitars, the melodies, the energy- but this song (and "Hanging on the Telephone") capture the Blondie that I love best.
This version of the album includes a few bonus live tracks. They're all good, especially "Bang a Gong."
This is an all right album. I'm not in love with it but there's some good stuff going on. Their overall sound is pretty good- I like the guitars, I like Debbie Harry's voice. And they have nice versatility within that sound, there are some slower songs, some faster aggressive songs, one or two songs that make me think of '50s teen ballads, and the anchor, "Heart of Glass."
"Hanging on the Telephone" is a good opener, this track really grew on me. Fast, good tune. "Pretty Baby" is one of those '50s songs I was talking about- it's like a doo wop song, run through a punk and new wave filter. Harry's voice swoons in this really lovely, low way on that track. "Sunday Girl" is nice. Chill and charming. "Just Go Away" is very good, nice cascading guitars and really strong, clean Harry vocals. The only flaw on that song: the annoyingly punkish male backup vocals. "Heart of Glass" is of course a good one, but I think I prefer the briefer, rock version, "Once I Had a Love." It feels so fresh from the studio, like it all came together on one take. There's a ragged, swishing sound to the guitars that I really like a lot. I can't quite describe what it is- maybe the guitars, the melodies, the energy- but this song (and "Hanging on the Telephone") capture the Blondie that I love best.
This version of the album includes a few bonus live tracks. They're all good, especially "Bang a Gong."
Monday, March 23, 2009
album #33
icky thump (the white stripes)
This is an exhiliratingly badass album. Ferocious and ballsy, hard rocking guitars, playful lyrics that trip off the tongue. It’s a serious breath of fresh air, a completely different thing than all the milky, subtle stuff I’ve listened to lately.
I love the first several songs. “Icky Thump” is heavy, furious and fierce, a garage rock masterpiece within the first thirty seconds. It makes me think of driving in a hot summer, blasting music with the windows down. “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” heavy, catchy and soulful, probably my favorite, reminds me of Exile on Main Street- era Rolling Stones. Except better. If this song had been on that album, maybe I would actually agree with Exile’s reputation. “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues” nicely mixes hard rock and relaxed, catchy guitar work. “Bone Broke” is pretty damn satisfying in a generically good rockin’ way.
The album fades down the stretch, unfortunately. After several early explosions of brilliance, the rest of Icky Thump mostly settles into a generically good, bluesy-rock pattern, not really capturing my attention or affection.
There are some interesting asides, the howling Flamenco “Conquest” and the Highlander duo of “Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn” and “St. Andrew.” “Effect & Cause” is a nice, funny, chill closer, my favorite of the second-half songs. Overall it’s a decent album, but those first few tracks are magnificent, and it’s great to listen to a band like this after all the moody tenderness I’ve subjected myself to.
This is an exhiliratingly badass album. Ferocious and ballsy, hard rocking guitars, playful lyrics that trip off the tongue. It’s a serious breath of fresh air, a completely different thing than all the milky, subtle stuff I’ve listened to lately.
I love the first several songs. “Icky Thump” is heavy, furious and fierce, a garage rock masterpiece within the first thirty seconds. It makes me think of driving in a hot summer, blasting music with the windows down. “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” heavy, catchy and soulful, probably my favorite, reminds me of Exile on Main Street- era Rolling Stones. Except better. If this song had been on that album, maybe I would actually agree with Exile’s reputation. “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues” nicely mixes hard rock and relaxed, catchy guitar work. “Bone Broke” is pretty damn satisfying in a generically good rockin’ way.
The album fades down the stretch, unfortunately. After several early explosions of brilliance, the rest of Icky Thump mostly settles into a generically good, bluesy-rock pattern, not really capturing my attention or affection.
There are some interesting asides, the howling Flamenco “Conquest” and the Highlander duo of “Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn” and “St. Andrew.” “Effect & Cause” is a nice, funny, chill closer, my favorite of the second-half songs. Overall it’s a decent album, but those first few tracks are magnificent, and it’s great to listen to a band like this after all the moody tenderness I’ve subjected myself to.
album #32
a weekend in the city (bloc party)
I got kind of bored with this album from time to time. Thematically it’s a generally cool, successful work- the better songs on the album almost made me think of a musical- Les Miserables in particular. The theatric energy, the dark, adventurous, rebellious, European vibe. Many of the songs have a suitelike character- they start small and eventually spiral out into much bigger, more rocking, more symphonic creations. The first half of the album is louder and more anxious, the second half more delicate and sentimental. There are successful and dull-ish songs on both ends. I wasn’t in love with it but there are some fine works here.
“Song for Clay” is the opener, and it’s one of the strongest, most dynamic songs on the album. Excellent pace and energy- it feels like a night time rampage in London, a friend frantically dashing about the city, leading me through the back alleys. “Hunting for Witches” follows through with more of that dark energy, with a guitar lick that sounds borderline plagiaristic of “Banquet” or “Crazy Train.” “Waiting for the 7.18” grows beautifully, with nice, reflective lyrics. My very favorite might be “Kreuzberg”- it’s a soft song, with these beautiful, matt pond PA-esque guitars. And “I Still Remember” carries a prettiness, an energy, a sentimental optimism that I’m really into.
I liked most of it but I did feel like it dragged a little. I don’t know other Bloc Party albums, but I know a few of their singles. This album collectively feels less fun and less frantic than their singles- more reflective, more mature, more demanding. I’d like to hear their earlier work, see if it’s a little more playful, might be a little more up my alley. Regardless, this is pretty good work.
I got kind of bored with this album from time to time. Thematically it’s a generally cool, successful work- the better songs on the album almost made me think of a musical- Les Miserables in particular. The theatric energy, the dark, adventurous, rebellious, European vibe. Many of the songs have a suitelike character- they start small and eventually spiral out into much bigger, more rocking, more symphonic creations. The first half of the album is louder and more anxious, the second half more delicate and sentimental. There are successful and dull-ish songs on both ends. I wasn’t in love with it but there are some fine works here.
“Song for Clay” is the opener, and it’s one of the strongest, most dynamic songs on the album. Excellent pace and energy- it feels like a night time rampage in London, a friend frantically dashing about the city, leading me through the back alleys. “Hunting for Witches” follows through with more of that dark energy, with a guitar lick that sounds borderline plagiaristic of “Banquet” or “Crazy Train.” “Waiting for the 7.18” grows beautifully, with nice, reflective lyrics. My very favorite might be “Kreuzberg”- it’s a soft song, with these beautiful, matt pond PA-esque guitars. And “I Still Remember” carries a prettiness, an energy, a sentimental optimism that I’m really into.
I liked most of it but I did feel like it dragged a little. I don’t know other Bloc Party albums, but I know a few of their singles. This album collectively feels less fun and less frantic than their singles- more reflective, more mature, more demanding. I’d like to hear their earlier work, see if it’s a little more playful, might be a little more up my alley. Regardless, this is pretty good work.
album #31
devotion (beach house)
Beach House cultivates this perfectly dreamy, hazy aura. This music sounds like it comes from some distant American island, from a beach bathed in blue light. After several tries, that’s the best way I can think to describe it. Hauntingly beautiful vocals, relaxed guitars. It’s a great, chill album- great for ambient listening.
Like many works I’ve reviewed lately, this album makes its name not on versatility but the mastery of a tone- a haunting but sweetly relaxed, tropical tone. My three favorite tracks are the opening tracks. “Wedding Bell” captures this lovely, leisurely vibe. A slow, quietly charming vacation of the past. “You Came to Me” is dark, sophisticated and mysterious, with some really fine curves on the guitar. “Gila” quickly grew into my favorite. A low, haunting song with a chill, lovely refrain.
The rest of the album is slightly less memorable but generally carries the nice, cool tone. “All the Years” has this wonderful cascading hook, and I can absolutely picture it emerging as a new favorite after some more listens. “Some Things Last a Long Time” carries the mystery and energy of rainy twilight. And “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.” is not one of my particular favorites, but it’s noteworthy as the most clearly Beach Boys-esque work on the album. This band definitely owes some debts, in tone and instrumentation, to the Beach Boys’ later, moodier work. In many ways this album is closer than Pet Sounds to what I wanted Pet Sounds to be.
Great stuff.
Beach House cultivates this perfectly dreamy, hazy aura. This music sounds like it comes from some distant American island, from a beach bathed in blue light. After several tries, that’s the best way I can think to describe it. Hauntingly beautiful vocals, relaxed guitars. It’s a great, chill album- great for ambient listening.
Like many works I’ve reviewed lately, this album makes its name not on versatility but the mastery of a tone- a haunting but sweetly relaxed, tropical tone. My three favorite tracks are the opening tracks. “Wedding Bell” captures this lovely, leisurely vibe. A slow, quietly charming vacation of the past. “You Came to Me” is dark, sophisticated and mysterious, with some really fine curves on the guitar. “Gila” quickly grew into my favorite. A low, haunting song with a chill, lovely refrain.
The rest of the album is slightly less memorable but generally carries the nice, cool tone. “All the Years” has this wonderful cascading hook, and I can absolutely picture it emerging as a new favorite after some more listens. “Some Things Last a Long Time” carries the mystery and energy of rainy twilight. And “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.” is not one of my particular favorites, but it’s noteworthy as the most clearly Beach Boys-esque work on the album. This band definitely owes some debts, in tone and instrumentation, to the Beach Boys’ later, moodier work. In many ways this album is closer than Pet Sounds to what I wanted Pet Sounds to be.
Great stuff.
Monday, March 16, 2009
book # 3
Dreams from my Father (Barack Obama)
This book has been on my radar for a long tme. I deliberately avoided reading it until after the election, because I was already deeply emotionally invested in the campaign, and reading the book would make the possibility of defeat that much more painful.
Altogether it’s a cool book. Tonally, there are countless moments of poignant eloquence and keen observation. There are also a few points where I felt kindof like rolling my eyes- like, there are times when the writing feels somewhat cliche, kindof like what the bland overachievers from my high school would have written. Often the joy of reading the book comes when it hits you- wow, this guy is the President. This is the most powerful man in the world, and he had these fascinatingly exotic experiences, and he also battled these very human and relatable insecurities.
The book is divided into three sections- his youth, his time in Chicago, and his visit to Kenya. I loved the Origins section, this was by far my favorite part. Each chapter covers a different segment of his youth- the origins of his grandparents and mother, his childhood in Indonesia, his youth in Hawaii (and meeting his father), his teenagerhood (great, interesting chapter), his college experiences in Occidental and Columbia. The Indonesia chapter is particularly astonishing, because it brings the absolutely exotic, strange facts of Obama’s childhood to light. Just step back thinking, damn, our President lived this. And I loved Obama’s grandfather- the charismatic young dreamer, gradually aging and compromising his ambitions, retaining his humor and his uniqueness. The most heartbreaking and vivid illustrations of black pain, through the entire book, come in those first chapters… the weeping janitor, the taunted, fleeing friend.
Chicago was a very difficult read. It reminded me of my own limited experiences in volunteer social work, tutoring kids, helping who I could but also weighed down by the tasks of mere discipline and control. The crushing apathy and poverty and street-level politics and beaurocratic ineptitude that Obama writes of, that he experienced… it makes for emotionally exhausting reading. Some of the chapters, especially when the character of Rafiq comes in, make for uniquely pointed, philosophical examinations of the dilemma and choices of American blacks. I thought of my African American History class, and how many of these chapters could make for good reading on the syllabus. The presence of Harold Washington- that unifying, larger than life figure- was inspirational and fascinating. The emotional power and also the practical limitations of that leadership. It’s impossible not to read it and think of Obama’s photo in those same dilapidated homes, the same limits to what he can do for the believers and the inner city strugglers. Ultimately it vaguely felt that, his experiences in Chicago- yes, they’re authentic, it was intense, he did good work- but it does leave the reader feeling like, the only lasting value is that it filled out his resume.
Kenya definitely made for some fascinating reading. Honestly it was hard just keeping track of his family- I need to read this section again, with a family tree drawn up. Again, this section blows my mind just to remember that this is the President of the United States- that he has close family ties on a distant and pillaged continent, that his close relatives live these incredibly different lives. My favorite parts of this section related to his grandfather, Onyango- the fascinating interactions he had with British colonialism, his fierceness, his story in general. I found it very beautiful and poignant, that the book opens with the story of his white grandparents, and closes with the oral history of his black grandparents.
As Obama himself writes, his father remains something of a spectre throughout the book… even after reading it, I’m not sure if I feel much closer to understanding the Old Man. I certainly know a lot more, but the feeling of mystery, of emotional distance, remains. He kinda reminds me of my friend Ben’s dad. Just a strict, intensely proud, emotionally hardened intellectual. It is Obama, not his father, that we understand much more thoroughly after it all.
A very good book. An incredible glimpse into the heart and mind and family of my favorite American.
This book has been on my radar for a long tme. I deliberately avoided reading it until after the election, because I was already deeply emotionally invested in the campaign, and reading the book would make the possibility of defeat that much more painful.
Altogether it’s a cool book. Tonally, there are countless moments of poignant eloquence and keen observation. There are also a few points where I felt kindof like rolling my eyes- like, there are times when the writing feels somewhat cliche, kindof like what the bland overachievers from my high school would have written. Often the joy of reading the book comes when it hits you- wow, this guy is the President. This is the most powerful man in the world, and he had these fascinatingly exotic experiences, and he also battled these very human and relatable insecurities.
The book is divided into three sections- his youth, his time in Chicago, and his visit to Kenya. I loved the Origins section, this was by far my favorite part. Each chapter covers a different segment of his youth- the origins of his grandparents and mother, his childhood in Indonesia, his youth in Hawaii (and meeting his father), his teenagerhood (great, interesting chapter), his college experiences in Occidental and Columbia. The Indonesia chapter is particularly astonishing, because it brings the absolutely exotic, strange facts of Obama’s childhood to light. Just step back thinking, damn, our President lived this. And I loved Obama’s grandfather- the charismatic young dreamer, gradually aging and compromising his ambitions, retaining his humor and his uniqueness. The most heartbreaking and vivid illustrations of black pain, through the entire book, come in those first chapters… the weeping janitor, the taunted, fleeing friend.
Chicago was a very difficult read. It reminded me of my own limited experiences in volunteer social work, tutoring kids, helping who I could but also weighed down by the tasks of mere discipline and control. The crushing apathy and poverty and street-level politics and beaurocratic ineptitude that Obama writes of, that he experienced… it makes for emotionally exhausting reading. Some of the chapters, especially when the character of Rafiq comes in, make for uniquely pointed, philosophical examinations of the dilemma and choices of American blacks. I thought of my African American History class, and how many of these chapters could make for good reading on the syllabus. The presence of Harold Washington- that unifying, larger than life figure- was inspirational and fascinating. The emotional power and also the practical limitations of that leadership. It’s impossible not to read it and think of Obama’s photo in those same dilapidated homes, the same limits to what he can do for the believers and the inner city strugglers. Ultimately it vaguely felt that, his experiences in Chicago- yes, they’re authentic, it was intense, he did good work- but it does leave the reader feeling like, the only lasting value is that it filled out his resume.
Kenya definitely made for some fascinating reading. Honestly it was hard just keeping track of his family- I need to read this section again, with a family tree drawn up. Again, this section blows my mind just to remember that this is the President of the United States- that he has close family ties on a distant and pillaged continent, that his close relatives live these incredibly different lives. My favorite parts of this section related to his grandfather, Onyango- the fascinating interactions he had with British colonialism, his fierceness, his story in general. I found it very beautiful and poignant, that the book opens with the story of his white grandparents, and closes with the oral history of his black grandparents.
As Obama himself writes, his father remains something of a spectre throughout the book… even after reading it, I’m not sure if I feel much closer to understanding the Old Man. I certainly know a lot more, but the feeling of mystery, of emotional distance, remains. He kinda reminds me of my friend Ben’s dad. Just a strict, intensely proud, emotionally hardened intellectual. It is Obama, not his father, that we understand much more thoroughly after it all.
A very good book. An incredible glimpse into the heart and mind and family of my favorite American.
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