Down with Disease

That's right, my fellow half-wits and semi-literates, after a brutal 3 days of agonizing headaches and a sore throat, I cached in my luck and ventured over to the local health center. After about 30 minutes and a blood test, I was informed that I had contracted mono. I have found that mono is the biggest asshole of a bacterial infection. All the doctor said was "Well, Bill, we can't really do anything, and be sure that you don't do anything, see you in 4-6 weeks." At that he handed me a feel-good brochure that said "So, you have mono: taking the next step" and had a group of people sitting in a circle laughing and some guy on a beach, reassuring me that I, too, can still live a normal life. And by god, this brochure contained the nastiest of information : "Rupture of the spleen is a very rare, serious complication. It usually occurs between the 4th and 21st day of illness." With the 4th day approaching quickly, I look back at how far my spleen has taken me, what we have accomplished together, and am thankful. During the brief moments where my headache subsides, there is really only one band I can listen to: MONO. I discovered the Japanese post=rock band a little over a year ago and it was love at first sight. I truly wish I had traveled up to Chicago to see them this past summer, but that damned 21+ rule killed that idea.

Autumn Leaves

Well I've finally come to terms with that absence between summer and fall, that strange void that occupies a good portion of the first quarter of school. It is the time of year that doesn't fit in with either Summer or Fall. But now the leaves are starting to fall and the maples are showing their true colors. Fall is probably my favorite season. The season has become synonymous in my life to a time of appreciation for natural beauty. Walking around campus this past week, I have been overcome with the urge to pick up running again and to just go explore unknown places, a lifestyle that I have been living every fall with cross country the past 3 years of my life. This time of year, this feeling, also brings it's own musical tastes, a sort of down-home bluegrass and folky feel, sometimes uplifting and sometimes remaining subtle, in quiet respect for the upcoming winter.

Here is a sample playlist that took me like 2 hours to make (mostly embed) so listen it up.

Wild Horses

So this past weekend I ventured down to Des Moines with a few mates and wenches to catch Band of Horses in the Val Air Ballroom. We got there right as doors opened and managed to get right up front, literally within reach of Ben Bridwell. Naturally, we waited around as 2 opening bands played around for an hour or so before they took stage. They played all the classics, such as No One's Gonna Love You, The Funeral, Weed Party, and The Great Salt Lakes, as well as some never before played songs. The overall attitude, humility, and band-audience feedback that you just don't get with some of the bigger shows made the evening quite enjoyable, definitely try to catch them if they come your way.

Jonny, ma boy

"At London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall the BBC Orchestra presents the first of a three-part series on October 6th. The evening titled ‘Electronica‘ explores the evolution of electric instruments and sounds fused into the ‘real’ and the ‘live’ with instrumental music by Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory, Jonny Greenwood and others featuring theremins, Moogs and ondes Martenots."

As if the There Will Be Blood soundtrack wasn't enough evidence for the versatility of Jonny Greenwood, here he is, at it again. This will be unbelievable.

On a side note, i wish Radiohead would just straighten out their neckties, strap on their rollerblades, and finish their album already.


+

False Priest. The Controller Sphere.

Following up 2008's bangin release of the psychedelic sex-pop album, Skeletal Lamping, that just seemed to leave of Montreal fans in mass pandemonium, they have finally boiled up another one: the much anticipated yet little sought after False Priest. False Priest is most comparable to Skeletal Lamping in song structure but the tone has changed a bit from steadily creepy to just a bit more poppy with an accompaniment of the usual nonsensical falsetto screeching. On the side, one of the weaker points is that I do not felt an immediate sense of flow that almost every other oM album seems to possess. I have listened through the album probably about 10 times in total and I think that while every song on there is entertaining, the second half is much stronger than the first. It's definitely got great potential to grow on me as I continue to give it more listens and I'm sure that this fall tour is going to be groovin! All-in-all, if you have consistently liked of Montreal, this one will probably still have a strong kick even though it may fall short of some their other masterpieces. Highs:Famine Affair, Our Riotous Defects