Crank the Tunes

So I went to a party this last weekend. It wasn't a huge congregation, just a medium-sized get together with about 30 people in a small-ish apartment, but overall well executed. Except for one thing: speakers.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you are going to have a party, make sure you have ridiculously large speakers, big enough to get even the most timid of wallflowers dancing or at least involuntarily shaking with the bass vibrations. In normal life, I'm the first person to get pissed off at people playing their music too loud. My evil eye is staring right at you, car audio aficionados. But under the circumstances of a party, you are given a mandate to rock, and you'd better fulfill the damn thing.

Which made me think: maybe that could be my job. I could bike around with a pair of speakers and receiver set, finding all the parties that needed a little volume boost. When the neighbors threaten to call the cops, my job would be done and I would go on my way to find other poor hosts in need. I think there's demand.

Yo La

Out of all the pretentious, semi-obscure indie-bands that are out there, probably one of my favorites (and, incidentally, least obscure) is Yo La Tengo. I can listen to their album "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One" without wanting to skip a track, which is an accomplishment for the ADD channel-flipper in my soul. From the entrancing bass line of "Moby Octopad" to the shambling organ of "Autumn Sweater", this album is the kind of solid gold that you'd never build a toilet out of, even if you were a ridiculously rich rapper. Hell, even their cover of the Beach Boys' (or the Hondells', depending on how you look at it) hit "Little Honda" manages to be sort of a pastiche and still rock harder than, uh... a piece of granite (creativity waning).

But wait, there's more! For some reason, I believe this album has occult powers of association. Pretty much every song on this album evokes a particular memory for me, whether it be of seasons and loves past, family and friends, or just staring out the window on bus trips.

Ok, to be fair, I should counter the hype so any unfortunate soul that has not had the opportunity to listen to this gem gets a fair chance at enjoying it on its own merits. Some of the songs are certainly alienating to people who aren't into more droning, shoegazer-type electronic jams. Several of the songs are instrumental tracks, which might turnoff some listeners. Personally, I think they're well placed in the continuous whole of the album, something like the interludes on "Pet Sounds", but others are allowed to have differing opinions.

That said, give it a chance. Please. For the good of humanity.

A New Morning?

Ok, I've decided to attempt actually blogging. By blogging, I mean not putting up random jewels of shit that I wrote in a fleeting hour when I was drunk with inspiration, but occasional updates on my mundane life. We'll try to fend off the pretentious rambling this time, in favor of...I don't know, narcissistic insights on the world? Agreed hypothetical reader? Sounds good.

So yesterday I went and saw Into the Wild . It's a good little flick (ok, two and half hours is probably a bit more than "little") that manages to not completely screw the proverbial pooch by staying near to the spirit, if not the exact text, of the book. However, if you have even the slightest inkling of wanderlust in your soul, I recommend to steer clear. It made me want to go grab my backpack and hit the road so I could fight grizzly bear.