"Don't brood too much on the superiority of the unseen to the seen. It's true, but to brood on it is mediaeval. Our business is not to contrast the two, but to reconcile them."
(Full disclosure: I am writing this before being completely finished so that I can triumphantly post it later today when I am actually finished. I'm hoping it will help motivate me to actually finish.) So yeah, that is exciting, but means that this is going to be a pretty boring post because all I did this weekend was work on my application.
Oh, except this kid I know (Full disclosure: He's my brother.) was the guitarist in the Maryland All-State Jazz Ensemble and their concert was last night. It was actually quite impressive.
So I promise that this is the last Andrew Bird post for a while (at least until I see him in New York at the end of the month), but this weekend I listened to the NPR first listen chat with him about his new album Noble Beast, and I think that you should listen to it, too. The first few times I listened to the album, I have to admit that I didn't love it. Well, I loved the song Anonanimal, but it is the one with the most loops and swirls and sounds the most typically Andrew Bird. It is still my favorite song on the album, but I have come to love the album as a whole, instead of trying to break it down into songs. It is really just beautiful. I know that I am gushing, but I just can't seem to help myself when it comes to Andrew Bird. I'm like a thirteen year-old fangirl. Anyway, the NPR interview made me love the album even more. He had a lot of interesting things to say about what he was trying to do and why and it made me appreciate the album even more. You should listen to it. And then you should read his New York Times blog posts. And listen to the album, obviously. And see him live because that is really the only way to truely appreciate his music. Okay, thanks for indulging me. I will lay off for a little while.
5. Attack & Release - The Black Keys I am ashamed to say that I have not listened to this nearly as much as it deserves. It blows me away every time I put it on.
2. The End of All-Purpose - The Heligoats I havne't been able to find out too much about Chris Otepka, the guy who seems to basically be The Heligoats, but I first fell in love with the song Kind/Brutal, then the whole EP.
So I took a major holiday time hiatus, but I am back. Actually, I am avoiding writing grad school application essays, but at least my reading public will benefit.
I am about to post some 2008 Top 5 lists, but first...
My 2009 started off exceptionally well! I was in New York with friends going to parties and museums and movies and just generally enjoying myself. I saw Christmas Tale, which felt exceptionally long, and Milk, which was exceptionally good. I also took advantage of free/pay what you want nights at MOMA, the Guggenheim and the Brooklyn Art Museum.
"Don't brood too much on the superiority of the unseen to the seen. It's true, but to brood on it is mediaeval. Our business is not to contrast the two, but to reconcile them."
-Howards End, E.M. Forster
