heres something to tide you over ...

... until i finish my review of the band of horses sophmore album, cease to begin

monday's mandatory music (pt 10)

so i am back and ready to get going on some fresh album reviews/exposes for all of you to enjoy. again the whole focus of this is to share the music that has acted as the soundtrack for my life over the past 3-5 years to give you a glimpse into my life and to hopefully get you searching out more new music. i also would love to hear your takes on some of the albums ive talked about and also share some of the albums that you have come to love, or find very impressive, or sleep with under your pillow every night ... im keen to know.

with the mission statement out of the way lets dive into this weeks selection, 'boxer' by the national. the national, a 5 piece out of brooklyn (home of amazing music) create a very deep almost puplely melodic sound that has been referred to as a gothic style. the main reason for this is description and label can be attributed to lead singer, matt berningers warm mellow baritone voice that plays the leading role for the national. berningers voice has tremendous depth and warmth while at the same time projecting an understated sophistication and understanding.

the album opens with the rolling track 'fake empire' which kick starts the album and demonstrated the bands stripped down sound, clever drum fills, and is the perfect introduction to berningers vocals. 'mistaken for strangers' the albums first single shows how the national creates an authentic sound that has an understated edge or grit to it that actually comes across very melodically and well composed. the 3rd track, 'brainy' is a drum fueled ballad where the nationals songwriting ability really shines. again understatement rings true not only for 'brainy' but for all three of the albums opening songs.

'squalor victoria' offers the listener an opportunity to really get into the gothic musical architecture that the national builds through the combination of drum, piano, simple guitar, and berningers voice. 'green gloves' lies at the 5th position is almost contrast to 'squalor victoria'. 'green gloves' focuses on the soft nature of the national where berningers voice is reminiscent of a mellow springsteen. 'slow show' again features more vocals and more acoustic guitar that paints a peaceful background for the firm tones and images created by the tracks lyrics.

'apartment story' is another single off the album that really highlights all that the national is (click the link). 'start a war' is a personal favorite of mine about abandonment and clinging desperately onto something that is slipping away more and more the tighter the grip becomes. on the track 'guest room' we get a heavy does of the duo of vocals and drums and on 'ada' we get that duo couple with some guitar picking and a more uplifting vibe overriding the entire song.

'racing like a pro' is very stripped down and consists of mainly soft guitar, piano, and a warm bass that help to settle down the latter half of the album. the thoughful and emotional lyrics totally complete the song and really help to complete the entire album. where 'racing like a pro' would be the perfect set up man (this is baseball season folks) 'gospel' is the ideal left handed closer. the song like 'fake empire' has a rocking (like waves to a boat) rhythm that paints a beautiful and perfect the national picture which is made complete with berningers voice, soft piano chords, warm acoustic guitars, and understated drumming.



fake empire

stay out super late tonight
picking apples, making pies
put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

tiptoe through our shiny city
with our diamond slippers on
do our gay ballet on ice
bluebirds on our shoulders
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

turn the light out say goodnight
no thinking for a little while
lets not try to figure out everything at once
it’s hard to keep track of you falling through the sky
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

generation kill ...

i was in the baltimore airport getting ready to leave to head back to australia when i wandered into the terminal bookstore and came across 'generation kill'. flipping over the back cover and seeing that it was compared to 'black hawk down' and 'dispatches' (thank you mr whaley)and was being made into a mini series by hbo (in fact david simon and ed burns of 'the wire' and 'hommicide' are the ones behind the mini series) really grabbed my attention. since the book was only 15 bucks (compared to the average price of $27.50 for a book in australia) and i had 20 hours in a plane to look forward to, i took a gamble and purchased the book. i loved it. its vivid. it provides an outlook on the invasion of iraq that is neither pro or con, but is real. nothing more and nothing less.

the book got me thinking about the war and i have differing thoughts on it from day to day and hour to hour, but rather than give you my nickels worth of thoughts i wanted to give you a snippet from the afterward (confessed reader of both introductions and afterwards) for you to chew on.

"It's the American public for whom the Iraq War is often no more real than a video game. Five years into this war, I am not always confident most Americans fully appreciate the caliber of the people fighting for them, the sacrifices they have made, and the sacrifices they continue to make. After the Vietnam War ended, the onus of shame largely fell on the veterans. This time around, if shame is to be had when the Iraq conflict ends - and all indications are there will be plenty of it - the veterans are the last people in America to deserve it. When it comes to apportioning shame my vote goes to the American people who sent them to war in a surge of emotion but quickly lost the will to either win it or end it. The young troops I profiled in 'Generation Kill', as well as the other men and women in uniform I've encountered in combat zones throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, are among the finest people of their generation. We misuse them at our own peril." - Evan Wright, 'Generation Kill' p.370

**if anyone wants to hook up this guy who is without hbo with the dvds of 'generation kill' he would be very much appreciative!

pope's in town ...

so world youth day is in full effect here in sydney town and the city has been overrun with joyful, enthusiastic, and sometimes straight up crazy young catholics and the pope who wears funny red shoes (its true). its been hectic catching trains, walking around the crowded streets with flags from different countries flying, and having your coffee shop packed with folks from all over europe ... but i really like it. its created a buzz around town having close to half a million (thats 500,000 for those who have difficulty reading numbers) people running around high on life and god. it can be overwhelming at times, but hey its only a world youth day that happens to last an entire week ...

check out the photos from the sydney morning herald's coverage of the opening mass ...

monday's mandatory music (pt 9)

so i am still getting my feet under me from a bit of travel and wanted to give you some music for monday so i snaked this doozie off of owl & bear. hope you like.



"Neon Bible lacks Funeral’s immediate pop appeal, but this album is no less intriguing.

On 2004’s Funeral, the Montreal group turned what could’ve been a depressing effort into a serious- but joyous- rumination on both death and life. And while it was predictably 80’s-influenced, the band managed to forge its own identity outside of Win Butler’s obvious appreciation for Bowie and Byrne-like vocals.

In an attempt to transcend the Funeral hype, Arcade Fire have created something quite different (their agnostic album?) that is abounding with negative references to the Church and Bible. Neon Bible is weird, dark, and perhaps even more influenced by New Wave.

But is it a step backwards? I don’t think so.

Butler now restrains his emoting in accordance with the rise and fall of the music, and he doesn’t sound so much like Bowie as early Goth now, which (all implications aside) is an improvement. The music has also taken on a much darker edge, at times sounding downright tuneless, but just as listeners will begin to wonder what the Hell is going on, the melody arises and it’s all good again."

'keep the car running'

its saturday and i'm still pretty jetlagged ...

so i have been up for the past couple of hours reading, writing, and finding all my favorite songs on youtube before dawn breaks.

so heres your wilco fix: 'spiders (kidsmoke)' from bracelona, spain 2007. its amazing and its unfortunately (but professionally) split into 2 parts, but it accurately captures the energy, the cosmic jamming, and straight up rock that is wilco.

'spiders (kidsmoke)' part 1



'spiders (kidsmoke)' part 2 .... oh my goodness!

pausing in cosmic reflection ...

over the past 15 days (i lost 2 crossing the international date line) i have had an amazing time waltzing in and out of the lives of people who i love and care about at different moments and different circumstances with differing effects. i got to surprise my mother in an airport in maine that brought tears to her eyes and urine to her bladder. i got to go to a wedding that i so desperately wanted to attend and didnt think was humanly let alone financially possible, but because of the help only an older brother can provide i was able to see lauren and r.a. get hitched. i got to visit the place i hold dearest in my heart - great pond in belgrade, maine. this is the lake that my family for 4 generations has been coming for fun, for recharging the soul, and for letting go of pain, grief, and anguish. it was really special to be there for a full 7 days! i also got to see a lovely lady glowing in her transitional phase content with life and full of joy all the while running for mayor of her new town. her love of life and joy were infectious and encouraging at the same time. i also got to visit with the old man who has of late been down on himself, and i was able to pour a bit of that love that i get from the source (god) into him and his life like a son is supposed to. gran on my moms side is doing to hot (shes in her mid 80s) so i brought over some croissants and coffee for a little morning get together and i got to take a stroll with her and her dog around the block. and then in my last hours of time in the us of a i got to pick my younger brother up from the airport after a successful lacrosse camp and i was able to share in the excitement and college talk with him and my step dad over some chicken wraps at a nondescript airport hotel sports bar while clock watching for when it was my time to leave.

thanks guys. i feel really loved, encouraged, and totally focused. cannot wait to see everyone again - plus all the folks who i didnt get to see.

drum roll please ....

so my grades are in! well at least 3 out of 4 are in and things are looking pretty good for ole steve-o!

for all the aussies im carrying a solid high credit average with two 73s and a 72 with one to come.

for the americans i have pulled the definition of 'high credit' out of the university handbook for your understandings

High Credit(70-75) Highly proficient work. It is well-written and documented. It provides evidence of extensive reading and initiative in research, as well as a sound grasp of the subject matter and appreciation of key issues and context. It engages critically and creatively with the question and attempts an analytical evaluation of material. Furthermore, it makes a good attempt to critique various political interpretations, and offers a pointed and thoughtful contribution to a particular debate in Political Science and International Relations. Some evidence of ability to think conceptually and critically as well as empirically, and to conceptualise and problematise issues in political terms.



in other words i am 'pwning' this masters degree! big ups to all you guys and all your support.

love ya