The randomly-picked list of the week:
1. Beck, Midnite Vultures
2. Prince, Purple Rain
3. Beastie Boys, Hello Nasty
4. Radio 4, Stealing of a Nation
5. Aria Decline, Moving
Once again, another week goes by, and the batteries I have in the portable keep on kicking! I can't complain about that. I'm just surprised at this point. Go batteries, go! The other thing I've noticed is that if I put the headphones plug all the way into the jack, I only get one channel coming into the speakers. If I keep it part-way out, I get the stereo signal--very weird. I'll have to see if I can tool around with that to fix the problem.
It's music time!
Out of all the Beck albums I own, Midnite Vultures is definitely my favorite. There are so many fantastic songs on the album. There's "Sexx Laws", "Peaches & Cream", "Nicotine & Gravy", "Milk & Honey", and of course my favorite favorite track, "Debra". Most of these tracks got played often when Kathleen and I would have dance parties in our apartment--those were the days! There are a bunch of songs I associate with those fun nighttime impromptu dancing sessions, but the songs from Midnite Vultures feature prominently. These songs make me bounce and dance and just want to party. It's so feel-good you'd think it'd hurt, but it doesn't!
When I met Karl in the city one day a few years ago, the first thing he did was give me a copy of Purple Rain. I gave him a copy of an article I found on vintage amps--personally, I'm betting I got the better end of that exchange. Now, the reason he gave the CD to me was because I told him that, at the time, I didn't have anything by Prince. Apparently, that was musical blasphemy in his eyes. So, I took CD home after our afternoon traipsing around the city, and put it on shortly thereafter. Right away, I knew that I knew about half the songs on the album already, but after listening to it as a whole, I can safely say that this album rocks. For a few years I've thought of "Let's Go Crazy" as one of my theme songs, and anyone who knows me well knows that I can perform the spoken opening to the song with perfect inflection from memory. The first couple weeks after I got the CD, I was listening to it every day on my walks to and from work and practically jumping while I walked because I was so energized. It's got a great feel for putting some pep in my step when I need it, or even when I don't and I still want to continue the good vibe I'm already on. I think my favorite line in all the songs is from "Baby I'm a Star": "Hey, I ain't got no money, but honey I'm rich on personality!" All the happy, bouncy energy is brought to a close with the title track, powerful in itself but with a more subdued energy from the rest. So thanks for the gift, Karl.
Hello Nasty is the only Beastie Boys album I own. Maybe I misspoke; it's the only one I own on CD. It's another good CD for moving around. Hell, it's got a song called "Body Movin'", you'd hope at least that song would do it! It's been quite a while since I've listened to the CD, and I found as I listened to it that I remembered more songs than I thought I did. I started singing along wth "Super Disco Breakin'", "Just a Test", and of course "Intergalactic". It's always surprising to see how much information my head can hold, and how at any given point just one little trigger whips out all this information, be it song lyrics or a product jingle from some toy in the 80s. Sometimes it really does seem like it comes out of nowhere. I'm sure it can be explained--there are enough people studying neuro-science these days--but I think the self-realizations of what one's brain can do are, for a lack of better words, mind-blowing.
This must've been the week for good albums to dance to. I think Radio 4's Stealing of a Nation fits the bill quite nicely along with the others in this list. I think I like "Shake the Foundation" the best. Interestingly enough, the only lyrics included with the CD are the ones to the "Nation" (where the title of the album comes from), and reading them over just now, they feel very appropriate for the political climate of the past year, even though this came out in 2004. Then again, the political climate wasn't much different back then, aside from the guy who was heading up the Executive Branch. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?
I went to see Aria Decline play at some bar in Upper Darby with one (or more) of my sisters and other friends. I can't remember too much about the night, except for some reason it comes to my mind the the bar was awash in the color red. I don't remember any of the other bands that played that night, but I know it was a good time, and I enjoyed myself. We wound up talking to members of the band after their set, and I picked up a copy of their EP, Moving. I also picked up a number of stickers from them, which I found when I was going through and doing some cleaning a few weeks ago. I signed up for their mailing list too, because that's what I wind up doing at shows when I like a band, and then when the e-mails actually start rolling in, I decide whether or not it was worth it. Funnily enough, I think one of the first e-mails I got from them was one that said they were changing their name. I have no idea what it is now, or if the band is even playing together anymore. Those stickers I found could be considered collectors' items now, I guess--if something like band stickers held much of any value. Oh well--their poppy rock was enjoyed on a night out with some friends, and the EP was enjoyed tonight. It wasn't mind-blowingly great, but it was a good way to start winding down the evening.
That wraps up this week. I know it might be a little bit shorter than some of the others I've put up on this project. I'm a bit tired tonight, and I wanted to keep up with the consistency of the current formula I have going, so length was sacrificed. I hope you can understand, dear readers.
Until next week, happy listening! And if you're in the US, I hope you all have a very happy and filling Thanksgiving Day!
Battery tally: still 4 sets. Woohoo!
