Hello. I feel like a debutante. Or a debut ant.
I guess the best way to start is to let you know what I’m listening to and what I’m reading.
I’ve been spinning these tracks for the last month, and they both keep getting better and better.
The National‘s Boxer is about a year old and on virtually every rock critic’s top 10 list of 2007, deservedly so. The bandwagon is warm. Matt Berninger’s vocal delivery is something very special. Don’t let the baritone get you down – it grows on you like Chia.
I think of (good intersection mellow) Bruce Springsteen, Arcade Fire, Interpol, Leonard Cohen. They are notoriously known for being a “grower” band. Remember when you and your friends always say “My favourite albums are the ones that grow on me. You have to earn it.”? Yes, it’s how we all feel, it’s probably the most important sign of a good song, at least to me. This is how the National frames their writing, and this record completely displays it. Not too many bands have this as their mandate, and I have no reasonable idea as to how Matt Berninger writes with that in mind, it’s boggling. Give it a small period of time, you’ll find Waldo.
Fleet Foxes is another deserved bandwagon jump. Say what you want about the almighty Pitchforkmedia.com, they are responsible for distinguishing this band for me, and I appreciated their promotion of Fleet Foxes. Think old Jim James from My Morning Jacket (one of my heroes) goes Great Lake Swimmers. The late bloomer “Blue Ridge Mountains” has really solidified this band as a group who really gets great melody and moody/intelligent arrangements.
” In the quivering forest / Where the shivering dog rests // I will do it grandfather / Wilt to wood and end”
” I was following the pack all swallowed in their coats / with scarves of red tied ’round their throats //
to keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow / And I turned ’round and there you go”
Check out 4 awesome tracks on their MySpizz. Their songs are so good, it’s actually worth going to their MySpace and tolerating the most blood-boilingly annoying talking emoticon banner ads, trust me.
SAY SOMETHING.
Ok. I’ve also been reading a not-so-new book, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. My mumsy was the main reason why I decided to read it.
Really cool narratives, sporadic, train of thought style dialogue. Fun and complex and disturbing. A cool read so far.
More personal updates will follow soon, but this is more important. Right?
