Review: The Main Drag - Simmer In Your Hotseat

My only link to Hipsterdom.

My composer essay project: A profile of Claude Debussy

I was tasked with preparing an essay on an assigned composer from our book in Music Appreciation. While I wanted to spotlight John Adams, my teacher said he was too late in the textbook and we wouldn't have time to present him. (We also have to do a presentation on our composers when we cover their time period; I would be the first in the 20th Century period, so I have plenty of time.) Since I was at a loss for who to choose, I asked her to pick one for me. In retrospect, I think I should have chosen Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland or Gustav Holst, because she gave me Claude Debussy, a person I hadn't even heard of before that day. I also don't particularly like the person, now that I've done my research. The music is excellent, but the person I don't think I would have gotten along with. Oh well, at least I got to listen to some good music, and I think I produced a pretty good essay. Here it is, for your enjoyment:

Songs I'm Obsessed With: "Upward Over the Mountain" by Iron & Wine

Ah... That's better. This is a song I can talk about.

Songs I'm Obsessed WIth: "Kinfe" by Grizzly Bear

I can barely begin to explain just how wonderful this song is.

Grizzly Bear are a indie folk band, sort of. Listening to Grizzly Bear is like listening to folk music with electric guitars, I suppose. I think it's best you just listen to it.

"Knife" is their "single" from Yellow House, released in 2006. It, too, is a folk-asterisk song.

You know what? I can't do it. I am left speechless by this song. I have nothing I can say about it. Just listen.

Artists I'm Following: Woodkid

So I thought I'd try to invent another regular post, since reviews are so irregular, making "Songs I'm Obsessed With" the only regular post and currently the only thing I'm updating (life's pretty boring right now). The problem with this is how irregular this regular post will possibly end up being, because I might run out of people to talk about. To combat this, I'll do this on a monthly basis instead of the weekly basis I've been maintaining with my other posts. Well, I'll try and see what I can do.

Songs I'm Obsessed With: "Ammonia Avenue" by Alan Parsons Project

I know what you're thinking: out of all the Alan Parsons Project songs out there, I picked "Ammonia Avenue". Well, no you're not, because you probably haven't heard of this group. To you, this group is a totally unknown entity that I just pulled out of a top hat. But to me, it's like reaching into the hat and pulling out something I had no idea was there. That is, I'm not familiar with this band, either. I haven't listened to any other Alan Parsons Project songs or albums, and I probably won't, unless someone very, very good argumentation can convince me to buy an album. Yes, I know, I should be intrigued by the quality of this song and want to explore further, but really there are other things I would prefer to spend my money on right now, especially since I'm saving up for the inevitable rush of new video games.

Review: The Killers - Hot Fuss

They got soul, but they're not soldiers.