After pondering over it for a while, I have decided that for all future music purchases, if it comes in vinyl with an MP3 code, I will buy it like that. If it only comes in CD, I will still buy it. But vinyl would be better. It's an experiment I want to try out.
Since I'm making good use of my father's record player these days (as I type this, I'm listening to "Us and Them" by Pink Floyd from Dark Side of the Moon on vinyl), it makes sense to go this route. This does cause a conundrum: it does cost more for the vinyl (about twice as much), but I'll deal with that as it comes along. It may mean wiser and more prudent purchases, or it means I need a better job. Either way, let's give it a spin, shall we?
ETA: Glad to see the story about CDs going away in 2012 wasn't exactly true. There is still life in the little buggers.
Showing posts with label hold up didn't i just post something a few minutes ago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hold up didn't i just post something a few minutes ago. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Reading Challenges for 2012
After the (somewhat) success of the Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge (I have until the 12th of January next year to finish), I have decided to take on several more, but with smaller goals.
And so, here we go!
A reading challenge for those who dig stories about unfortunate (or fortunate) souls going back into time to dig up the past, learn about their present days, and even warn the future (or just change it, y'know).
I'm going for 10 books:
The Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle (5 books total)
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Time and Again by Jack Finney
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Time After Time by Karl Alexander
Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson
Wanna give it a go? Click here for info!
A reading challenge that asks you to do the unthinkable: to read whatever damn books you haven't read yet!
I'm going for 50 books. Good luck to me...
Wanna take down some books you been meaning to read? Click here for more info!
A reading challenge that takes from a C.S. Lewis quote, but mainly asks the challenger to read (number chosen) of books that go over 700 pages.
I'm going for 2: The Agony and the Ecstasy and The Passage.
Wanna see what C.S. Lewis meant? Click here for more info!
A reading challenge that wants you to read some short story collections. Read a few, gain a favorite writer, y'know the drill...
I'm going for 8 collections, 3 I'm already working on (H.P. Lovecraft, Lydia Davis, and Edgar Allan Poe).
Wanna see if Lydia Davis really does rule the flash fiction kingdom? Click here for more info!
Good luck to all.... and may God help me in 2012.
And so, here we go!
I'm going for 10 books:
The Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle (5 books total)
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Time and Again by Jack Finney
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Time After Time by Karl Alexander
Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson
Wanna give it a go? Click here for info!
I'm going for 50 books. Good luck to me...
Wanna take down some books you been meaning to read? Click here for more info!
I'm going for 2: The Agony and the Ecstasy and The Passage.
Wanna see what C.S. Lewis meant? Click here for more info!
I'm going for 8 collections, 3 I'm already working on (H.P. Lovecraft, Lydia Davis, and Edgar Allan Poe).
Wanna see if Lydia Davis really does rule the flash fiction kingdom? Click here for more info!
Good luck to all.... and may God help me in 2012.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Well, that took f***ing forever...
But I finished one of my first major goals: wrap up the "24 Reviews for 24 Years" before my birthday. The review of The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt was a very appropriate end to this.
Hey, self... if you ever get the itching to do something like this again, remember what happened the last time, okay?
~
And now for something completely different: my favorite Looney Tunes cartoon...
Hey, self... if you ever get the itching to do something like this again, remember what happened the last time, okay?
~
And now for something completely different: my favorite Looney Tunes cartoon...
Monday, August 22, 2011
Further Thoughts on Retromania
(The book spurred so much thinking that a separate post is needed. I didn’t want to clutter the review with my own load of “cool story, sis”, so here you go!)
I do want to see Talking Heads record a new album, especially from all their years of doing their own thing (Tom Tom Club and their dance-pop resurrection, Byrne’s appreciation for world music, and Harrison’s love affair with alternative rock). But at the same time, I also don’t want them to reunite. Maybe, in the unusual grand scheme of things, Naked was meant to be their last album. I love them enough to want nothing more than for them to not become empty shells of themselves that tour just for money. Those Remain In Light days are long over. There ain’t never gonna be another Stop Making Sense. If Byrne still hates the hell out of Harrison, Frantz, and Weymouth; well, as Porky Pig once said "that's all folks".
And even if my favorite bands did reunite, I usually expect (90% of the time, actually) that they would record a new album. And I would probably expect the album to have their signature sound, only much older and obviously different-sounding from the many years of musical experimentation. By the way, the only band to record after reuniting… Fleetwood Mac. Yeah, bad odds, eh?
Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t go buy tickets to their Texas tour stop if Talking Heads ever did reunite. I’m no fool.
When I got into The Police, I read over and over again that there would be no chance of a reunion. Well, in ’07, it happened. I bought tickets to one of their stops in Texas, thrilled to finally see them live. After all the touring dust settled, they would go right back into the studio and make a worthwhile 6th album (that was my hope, at least). Imagine my utter disappointment when that didn’t happen. I then wondered “what the f*** is the point of reuniting if you ain’t gonna make a new album?” Well, blah blah touring makes more money than album sales blah blah. And who knows, maybe Sting still hates Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.
As for Steely Dan, I’m still fairly upset they haven’t recorded an album, even with all this touring they’ve been doing. Sure, the duo have released solo albums, but not joined forces and made something that would make me forgive them for the elevator jazz that is Everything Must Go. But again, see what happened with The Police. Plus, as I noted about their last album, that and Two Against Nature were honestly not their best efforts. They became shadows of themselves, a strange jazz-rock lounge act instead of the edgy poetry-popping studio phenomenon they were back in the seventies. I understand that age has a role in this. Also, it is flat-out unfair to expect long-running bands to always sound like they did in their best albums.
I guess, it makes more sense to reunite and tour than make a new album. The former is all about money and nostalgia, while the latter may be fraught with unresolved issues (Talking Heads, The Police) and interest in other things (Steely Dan). It is unfair of me to expect that from my favorite reunited (and not) bands. But I always hope for reconciliation. Damn me and my optimism.
I was thinking about Reynolds’ criticism that there isn’t that much new innovation in music, just resurrections of various genres. There is a striking similarity to that and the complaints about genre fiction and its “same-ness”. I can understand how copying a style and trying to pass it off as innovative without any outstanding originality is just silly. Do musicians not have the same freedoms as novelists when it comes to adopting a genre? I mean, writers are given grief also, but it seems like music critics give their idols a harder time. Personally, this whole problem strikes me as unrealistic and a bit snobbish. This doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for innovation, heavens no. I think music fans and critics are mistaking innovation for brand-new genres, when all that humans are capable of is original refashioning and storytelling.
Here’s a thought: The Dead Weather, sonically, sound like a heavier Creedence Clearwater Revival. It’s cool that they sound a bit similar to CCR, but it’s even better that they add their own personal touches (a female vocalist, lyrical content, talk box, and fuzz distortion). That is likely what Reynolds meant in this part here:
And those kinds of artists? They are obvious, especially if you have an ear for music. I have experienced a few of these. Mainly, Vampire Weekend, with their Paul Simon-from-Graceland and Talking Heads-goes-Afro-punk sound and lyrical content. Man, talk about not even trying. Even the delivery of the lyrics is David Byrne-esque.
Either way, Reynolds may have been a little too hard on this front.
~
COPYRIGHT NOTE: all bold quotes are from the novel and were written by the author himself. Those words are not my own.
~
And thus, you have it. More reviews, random thoughts, and writing things coming your way! So duck or at least, get yourself a sturdy umbrella.
Bands Reuniting:
Why Bother When There Ain't a New Album?
I do want to see Talking Heads record a new album, especially from all their years of doing their own thing (Tom Tom Club and their dance-pop resurrection, Byrne’s appreciation for world music, and Harrison’s love affair with alternative rock). But at the same time, I also don’t want them to reunite. Maybe, in the unusual grand scheme of things, Naked was meant to be their last album. I love them enough to want nothing more than for them to not become empty shells of themselves that tour just for money. Those Remain In Light days are long over. There ain’t never gonna be another Stop Making Sense. If Byrne still hates the hell out of Harrison, Frantz, and Weymouth; well, as Porky Pig once said "that's all folks".
And even if my favorite bands did reunite, I usually expect (90% of the time, actually) that they would record a new album. And I would probably expect the album to have their signature sound, only much older and obviously different-sounding from the many years of musical experimentation. By the way, the only band to record after reuniting… Fleetwood Mac. Yeah, bad odds, eh?
Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t go buy tickets to their Texas tour stop if Talking Heads ever did reunite. I’m no fool.
When I got into The Police, I read over and over again that there would be no chance of a reunion. Well, in ’07, it happened. I bought tickets to one of their stops in Texas, thrilled to finally see them live. After all the touring dust settled, they would go right back into the studio and make a worthwhile 6th album (that was my hope, at least). Imagine my utter disappointment when that didn’t happen. I then wondered “what the f*** is the point of reuniting if you ain’t gonna make a new album?” Well, blah blah touring makes more money than album sales blah blah. And who knows, maybe Sting still hates Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.
As for Steely Dan, I’m still fairly upset they haven’t recorded an album, even with all this touring they’ve been doing. Sure, the duo have released solo albums, but not joined forces and made something that would make me forgive them for the elevator jazz that is Everything Must Go. But again, see what happened with The Police. Plus, as I noted about their last album, that and Two Against Nature were honestly not their best efforts. They became shadows of themselves, a strange jazz-rock lounge act instead of the edgy poetry-popping studio phenomenon they were back in the seventies. I understand that age has a role in this. Also, it is flat-out unfair to expect long-running bands to always sound like they did in their best albums.
I guess, it makes more sense to reunite and tour than make a new album. The former is all about money and nostalgia, while the latter may be fraught with unresolved issues (Talking Heads, The Police) and interest in other things (Steely Dan). It is unfair of me to expect that from my favorite reunited (and not) bands. But I always hope for reconciliation. Damn me and my optimism.
On Originality:
Or Why I Hate Vampire Weekend For Trying Too Damn Hard to Be Talking Heads 2.0
I was thinking about Reynolds’ criticism that there isn’t that much new innovation in music, just resurrections of various genres. There is a striking similarity to that and the complaints about genre fiction and its “same-ness”. I can understand how copying a style and trying to pass it off as innovative without any outstanding originality is just silly. Do musicians not have the same freedoms as novelists when it comes to adopting a genre? I mean, writers are given grief also, but it seems like music critics give their idols a harder time. Personally, this whole problem strikes me as unrealistic and a bit snobbish. This doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for innovation, heavens no. I think music fans and critics are mistaking innovation for brand-new genres, when all that humans are capable of is original refashioning and storytelling.
Here’s a thought: The Dead Weather, sonically, sound like a heavier Creedence Clearwater Revival. It’s cool that they sound a bit similar to CCR, but it’s even better that they add their own personal touches (a female vocalist, lyrical content, talk box, and fuzz distortion). That is likely what Reynolds meant in this part here:
Where they [certain bands] really failed was on the expressive level; you rarely got the sense there was anything much in the way of felt emotion behind the songs; they seemed born of fandom, a love for the stylization of emotion in music.
- from page 137 of Retromania by Simon Reynolds
And those kinds of artists? They are obvious, especially if you have an ear for music. I have experienced a few of these. Mainly, Vampire Weekend, with their Paul Simon-from-Graceland and Talking Heads-goes-Afro-punk sound and lyrical content. Man, talk about not even trying. Even the delivery of the lyrics is David Byrne-esque.
Either way, Reynolds may have been a little too hard on this front.
~
COPYRIGHT NOTE: all bold quotes are from the novel and were written by the author himself. Those words are not my own.
~
And thus, you have it. More reviews, random thoughts, and writing things coming your way! So duck or at least, get yourself a sturdy umbrella.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Borders: A Tribute
They were one of my favorite places to hang out before the movies. My best friend and I went several times together to browse and learn more about each other's favorite things to read. She went through the fantasy area while I was found in the Music History or Women's Studies selections. I bought my first feminist book there and made it a tradition until last Friday to buy all my feminism books from Borders.
The employees I talked to (both at my job and on my days off) were nice and friendly. Contrary to popular thought, Borders wasn't staffed with rude jerks. I never had a terrible experience there. I liked that it always smelled freshly-painted for so long. Don't know why the last thing is interesting, but had to mention it (at least, for the location I frequented).
They were great competition for Barnes & Noble. Borders was the laid-back, on-the-porch-storytelling sibling to the sophisticated and sitting-by-the-fire-during-a-cold-winter coziness of B&N. They sometimes had books that the other didn't have. Contrary to popular thought (again), we never eyed each other suspiciously across the way. If anything, we always high-fived each other for staying around for so long in the lieu of the e-reader boom and the economy.
Sure, their CDs were ridiculously expensive and their member's program never made sense (to me, at least). But I never went there for those reasons and never held it against them.
~
To all the employees, I wish you nothing but the best as you work your last days. May there be a new job awaiting you at the end, along with benefits and good pay. If Barnes & Noble builds more stores and starts hiring for them, we hope you join us, if you want to. As we B&N employees watch our competition and compadres fade into history, we are not cheering. It is a sign of the economy. And nothing worries people more than lost jobs that will never be found or reincarnated. As this year churns on with more uncertainy, and the debt issues continue to drag out, we sometimes worry "will we be next?"
We all don't know. Such is the uncertainty of life.
Farewell, Borders. You were more than another bookstore. You were fellow booksellers doing the same thing under a different system and coats of red paint. Thanks for everything you have done for your local communities and loyal customers.
Borders
1971-2011
The employees I talked to (both at my job and on my days off) were nice and friendly. Contrary to popular thought, Borders wasn't staffed with rude jerks. I never had a terrible experience there. I liked that it always smelled freshly-painted for so long. Don't know why the last thing is interesting, but had to mention it (at least, for the location I frequented).
They were great competition for Barnes & Noble. Borders was the laid-back, on-the-porch-storytelling sibling to the sophisticated and sitting-by-the-fire-during-a-cold-winter coziness of B&N. They sometimes had books that the other didn't have. Contrary to popular thought (again), we never eyed each other suspiciously across the way. If anything, we always high-fived each other for staying around for so long in the lieu of the e-reader boom and the economy.
Sure, their CDs were ridiculously expensive and their member's program never made sense (to me, at least). But I never went there for those reasons and never held it against them.
~
To all the employees, I wish you nothing but the best as you work your last days. May there be a new job awaiting you at the end, along with benefits and good pay. If Barnes & Noble builds more stores and starts hiring for them, we hope you join us, if you want to. As we B&N employees watch our competition and compadres fade into history, we are not cheering. It is a sign of the economy. And nothing worries people more than lost jobs that will never be found or reincarnated. As this year churns on with more uncertainy, and the debt issues continue to drag out, we sometimes worry "will we be next?"
We all don't know. Such is the uncertainty of life.
Farewell, Borders. You were more than another bookstore. You were fellow booksellers doing the same thing under a different system and coats of red paint. Thanks for everything you have done for your local communities and loyal customers.
Borders
1971-2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
September 29th
A Thursday. Penultimate day of September. A day with... rain? Sun and clouds? (Ahem, anyway.) A day with unknown weather. But it is...
The day I take the GRE. Studying begins July 1st.
*big ol' sigh*
The day I take the GRE. Studying begins July 1st.
*big ol' sigh*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
