I'm Not Going to Harvest My Hair This Autumn

So it's the second day of Autumn today, and I thought I might point out a few things in light of it.

1) The weather is cooling down (although it's still feels hot).

2) The Halloween virus hit the super markets, and now you can buy large packs of candy made specifically for Halloween and costumes/decor.

3) My hair is possibly the longest it's been in nearly two years, and the logical thing to do, given the season, would be to lop it off, but that won't be happening. Not yet, at least.

4) Stephen's late night laughter is getting easier to sleep past. Now all I have to learn to ignore is his damn alarm clark that sets off too early in the morning! >:I

Taste the Rainbow

   So I was musing about the retro apple decal I have placed over the Apple logo on top (back?) on my laptop (you know, the one that lights up for all to see when you're using your Mac so that, in case any one missed it, you own a Macintosh computer). It occurred to me that some people might take me for a homosexual because of the brightly lit rainbow decal. I don't really think I should worry about what random strangers are thinking about me, but this concern at least brings something else to the forefront of my thought: when did the visible spectrum as shown in its whole likeness become the exclusive property of male and female homosexuals? It belongs to all of us, whether we're straight or gay!

   This probably didn't come up in the 80s when Apple designed their original logo, but in the rising wave of the increasing civil rights movement for gays, the rainbow has taken a more exclusive connection to that group of individuals within our culture. Ergo, Apple--and I'm totally speculating--decided to change the polychromatic to the monochromatic. Blank whiteness bears all peoples, I suppose. We also associate the color white in our culture with purity and goodness, and I'm sure that Apple must have taken that into consideration when they recolored their logo.

   It seems to me that I can have not qualms with the vintage rainbow decal. In the sea of Mac users today, it provides a fresh twist of the unique for those who find out about them and decide to place them over the saintly logo that is already in place. Is our world a black and silver one, or do we wade in variegated streams? I know that life is beautiful.

Concerning Something I Read on the Interweb during the Adolescent Hours of the Morning

   Yesterday morning, after I had come back home from doing my overnight shift, I read a story online about an Italian woman who had been raped back in the '90s and how the court would not convict as guilty the man who assaulted her because the woman was wearing skinny jeans (which were presumably "sexy," although I don't know anything about jeans being sexy. They've always seemed more practical and/or fashionable rather "sexy."). The story was decrying the injustice of the verdict. I've heard similar stories before, and it got me to thinking. Was is completely the sick bastard man's fault. I'm inclined to say that if it were divided into percentages, he would be 90-95% guilty in the event that she had been wearing she had not been wearing jeans. But I don't really think that. 

   Still, I have to admit that modesty and immodesty play a huge role in the stimulus of the male specimen. I would in no way have said the man was not guilty. It's clear that he indeed was, regardless of what the Italian court ruled. But I do wonder wether or not the same incident would have occurred if she had been dressed modestly, which I'm not entirely convinced that she wasn't. Jeans, after all, are simply not that arousing. But I'm a louse too and know what it's like to be a Samson. I see Philistine; I say get her for me, Dada and Mama. They say, "But no! It would be better that you take one of the daughters of Israel!" I say, "No! Give me what I want" Oh dear, I'm spiraling down into deconstructionist drivel now. Consider this story, though. How much of a part do you think modesty plays in regard to the general stability of male-female relationships in a society? Is it even easy to generalize? I definitely think so. But that's the perennialist in me shining forth.

Some Afterthoughts from 2010

I didn't listen to that much new music last year in 2010 because I was so let down from the experience of trying to keep up with new music during 2009. In 2009, I found it to be a trying experience because I was checking out all this new music, yet so much of it wasn't that good. By the end of that year, I didn't even want to think about making a list of the best albums that had come out. That carried over to 2010, a year in which I made almost no effort whatsoever to listen to new music, and doing so was very refreshing.

I think the problem with my 2009 experience was ultimately the obsession (i.e. idolatry) that took place in my life over exploring new, hip music. It was, of course, complicated by the fact that much of that music was disappointing (there were exceptions: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jeremy Enigk, and Tori Amos).

I wanted to throw out a few albums that came out in 2010 that I have listened to now and have really enjoyed.

1) Arcade Fire--The Suburbs

2) Matt Pond PA--The Dark Leaves

3) Stars--The Five Ghosts

4) Interpol--Interpol

 

This Past Week (It was Holy Week.)

   Tuesday was my dad’s birthday. He turned 59. He was 35 when I was born, so if you take 59 and subtract 35 from it, the result will yield how many years old I am. Well, I’m not quite 24 yet, but in May I will be.

   In typical beat boxer fashion, I taught one of my eighth grade students how to imitate the sound of vinyl record scratching. It was funny to listen to her initial attempts because the scratching imitation is quite hard to pull off just right on the first few tries.

   Saw Interpol play at Austin Music Hall Thursday night, and it was amazing! My friends, Andrew and Gu, my brother, Stephen, and I all went. The doors opened at 7, and we were there waiting for it. When got in, we got ourselves some beers (I had a Dos Equix) and made our way up to the area practically right in front of the stage. We were pretty close to the stage, I think—not quite in the very front, though. I told Andrew that I predicted Interpol to open the show up with “Success,” the first song on their most recent album. We then proceeded to go back and forth about what songs we hoped they would play. Eventually, the opening act, School of Seven Bells, went on, and we quieted down. They were pretty good; the lead singer had an exaggerated wedge haircut where the sides of her hair were very long but the back was wedged. The guitarist had a flock-of-seagulls hairstyle. The music they played would find its place in the Shoegazing genre. When they finished, we were happy because we had not come to see them: we came to see Interpol!

   We had to wait for 30 minutes before Interpol came on stage, but when they did, all the energy of the crowd intensified and unleashed itself. You could tell that without any doubt. When Daniel Kessler, the guitarist, walked across stage over to his guitars, he lifted up his cocktail to the crowd and gave us a nod. I got a real kick out of that. My prediction about them playing “Success” came true, and it was a wise decision on Interpol’s part since it really set the tone for the rest of the concert. I counted all of the songs they played: 5 from Turn on the Bright Lights (Obstacle 1, NYC, Say Hello to the Angels, Hands Away, and The New), 5 from Antics (Evil, Narc, Slow Hands, Not Even Jail, and Length of Love) 2 from Our Love To Admire (The Heinrich Maneuver, Rest My Chemistry) 5 from Interpol (Success, Memory Serves, Summer Well, Lights, and Barricade), and 1 new song I had never heard. That’s 18 songs! What a show! It was simply the best live show I’ve ever been to; it was even better than the Sunny Day Real Estate show I went to in October 2009, which I would consider to be my favorite live show up this point. My brother and I will be watching Arcade Fire with my friends, Nathan and Amy, in just a little less than 2 weeks. I kind of hope it beats out the Interpol concert because that means it wool be a great show.

   I took off today in remembrance of Good Friday. I mostly rested and took it easy, which is appropriate, I think, considering that through his perfect life and sacrifice, Christ has given his beloved complete rest from the wrath of God’s righteous attention to justice. It dawned on me that if I was to suffer the condemnation for my own rebellion against God, which I was born into, his wrath against me would be never-ending, and yet Christ suffered for a much shorter amount of time but at a greater degree of torment and anxiety (and anything else I miss), even though he was not culpable of my sin. It’s relieving to know that when he said, “It is finished,” it was indeed finished, and now, those whom he loves can have rest. There is a reason we call this particular Friday “Good Friday.”

Spring has been upon us for almost a month now, and with only three weeks left of student teaching, I'm anticipating Summer. Well, perhaps it's not that I'm anticipating Summer so much as I'm anticipating the break, which starts mid-Spring.I plan on boarding myself up in my room and erotic and recording some music with my guitars and microKorg synth! It will be wonderful.

Update on Slow Runner's Damage Points

   I said that I would get back about my feelings toward the new Slow Runner album, Damage Points. Well, I really, really like it--so much so that it's moved me to go to their concert at Stubbs on the 24th of April (Resurrection Day).

   My favorite songs, by the way, are "Damage Points," "Strange Days," "Devil Moon." Check it out. It's extremely good! Look forward to my thoughts on the new TV on the Radio album soon.

Review: Damage Points

   Michael Flynn, Slow Runner's singer, held an interview with the album here. It's pretty zany, but it can give you a little insight into the nature of the creative thought of the band.

   Now, after having listened to the Damage Points, I have to admit that I don't think it has the kind of attitude it displayed during its interview. Alas, relationships something or someone has with a particular other person or thing will always be in the very least slightly different from the relationship it has with another person or thing. I guess Damage Points didn't really want me to see its sassy side. What I did see, though, was something enjoyable.

   Ever since I first heard Slow Runner back in 2006, I've always been attracted to the goofy, free-spirited character of their songwriting. Their first album No Disassemble showed us that while they can describe a flippant scene with such hilarious accuracy ("Break Your Mama's Back," "Redneck Bar"), they can also sing beautifully of some of the most raw and painful experiences ("Streamlined," "Don't Let Them See Me Like This"). Their second record, SHIV, was definitely a sophomore slump. It seems as though they glorified their kitsch, which just let the album more random and goofy than the last one. The heavy raw and heavy moments from its predecessor helped to balance the their flippancy. Likewise, their flippancy kept No Disassemble from being a drag. This contrast and balance is largely nonexistent in SHIV, and when the sad songs roll around, their more sappy than moving. Because of this, I tend to hardly listen to SHIV.

   Slow Runner made a come-back, however, when they released Mermaids, their third full-length album. While this album lacks jovial, campy songs, the quality of the songwriting was severely improved. It's a bit more pensive in its presentation, but that's what makes it pleasurable--that and simply knowing it's better than SHIT...I mean SHIV. "Horse Armor," "Trying To Put Your Heart Back Together," and "Love and Doubt" are all quite enjoyable songs. The overall theme of the album seems to be about love and renewal, rejection and closure. It's kind of loose, but the songs are sweet.

   And this brings us to Damage Points, which I don't know how to properly dissect. First of all, it has more 16 bit bleeps and blips than your average Nintendo game from 1986, but these are not the focal point of the record. They server more to support the songs, and if Slow Runner had cut them out, there would still be very listenable songs here. But that's my biggest setback about this album: is it merely listenable, or do I actually want to listen to it when I'm not listening to it. I need to listen to it some more before I make a final evaluation of it. I recommend that you check it out, too! iTunes has 90 second samples of each song, and they really can you a feel for how a record. I'll be posting more conclusive thoughts about Damage Points after I've had some time to let it digest a little. Be waiting for it.