:: a.whisper.in.water ::

:: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 ::

[ we report: you decide. ]

I haven’t written a suitably encompassing update in nearly a month. In said month, I’ve spent almost two weeks on vacation, listened to months’ worth of new music worth mentioning and discussing, and seen numerous up-and-coming bands in concert at Curiosa. I’ve gone to my first club, had another soul-crushing, futile argument with my parents, and resolved to eat healthier and go to the gym when I get back to school. I’ve come into TONS of new music, and I’m sporting a new haircut and a decent tan to boot. I’ve clearly got some ‘splaining to do.

So, given my immense burden of bringing the Blog/LiveJournal up to speed, in the style of Fox News, I’m opening with a cute, largely meaningless (but somewhat cute) anecdote about a largely inconsequential (but totally sweet) band.

Though I put my reputation as a bastion of unerringly good taste and cutting opinions on the line, I admit freely that I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for those mid-90s altrock holdouts, Nada Surf. For one, they were my first real rock concert (disregarding that promotional Foo Fighters show way back in 7th grade, a local milestone among us Whitman kids), I’ve seen them in concert twice (no other band has had the pleasure of my company on more than one occasion), and I adore The Proximity Effect so much, I actually own two copies of the album. In my defense, one copy has the bonus track “Spooky” at its end. However, totally undermining said defense, this was the first copy of the album I came to own: I actually went out and bought a used copy of an album I already owned that was in every way inferior (no bonus track) some two years afterwards from a used CD store on St. Marks (or wherever…I can’t be bothered to keep track of that sprawling flesh-zoo), figuring I’d just buy it then and find something good to do with it later.

Three years or so down the road, I’ve still got it sitting next to the older, better copy of the album when it finally comes to use: the old copy’s “Slow Down” has a scratch that shows up even at high quality ripping at about 1:50 or so, even after I re-rip the song. However, I recall that I have two copies of the album for no real reason, and throw the newer copy into my computer. The verse comes and goes pop-free: saved! My MP3 copy of one of my favorite albums remains acceptably flawless. Mind you, this hardly validates the purchase (a meager $3 or something), but it would have driven me casually mad, knowing that there was this pop I couldn’t get rid of on one of the album’s standout tracks.

Regardless, Let Go was still unforgivably bad, doubly so given how totally sweet The Proximity Effect is, and triply so given that they had nearly 5 years to write better material when they weren’t fighting some huge record company for the rights to their own songs.

Um, I’ll start writing about the rest of the month now.

Music: On a Smiths kick. Hilariously, my friend Alex (sometimes spelled with a 3, and he’s earned it) is on a Smashing Pumpkins kick (when he’s not listening to Arab Strap), thus signifying a thorough exchange of our middle-school musical experiences. So, while I’m humming “Ask” or “This Charming Man,” he’s probably rawking out to “Here Is No Why” or “Thru The Eyes of Ruby.”


:: Aziz 3:17 AM [+] ::
...