Making Flippy Floppy

Post Graduation Angst It feels a little depressing and quite strange to realize that I'm totally done with taking classes. I thought I had a Geology final tomorrow but it turns out I don't need to take it. If I did, it would only change my final grade from a B- to a B, and I can live with a B-. So then, I'm done. After basically 15 years of having college on the brain in one form or another (especially the last 4 years), I have to start looking for other things to fill that space in my life. A part of me is a little sad that I have no more classes to tackle. I honestly think I am addicted to learning. I want to sign up for some of those "personal enrichment" classes that NIC offers, just so I can keep learning. I feel like I'm dead if I'm not learning something new, moving forward. Of course, in my chosen field of Web Design, the technology is always changing and you have to always learn new things to stay on top of the game. That's all well and good, but what I'm going to miss are the extra, unrelated things like learning Geology or Art History. Since I'm a big reader, naturally I will continue to pursue knowledge in different subjects, but it's not quite the same. There's something so satisfying about working hard and seeing that final grade at the end of the semester, earning those credits. I am thinking about going back in 2-4 years perhaps to focus more on writing (English? Journalism?) I already have enough credits stocked up that it wouldn't take me very long to do. Alas, I already owe a fortune in loans and I shouldn't really add more to the pile. In the words of the band Asia, only time will tell.

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Music Notes: Today My Heart Swings First off, I have a real "thing" for the new single by Interpol, "The Heinrich Maneuver." Such a strong return for these New York boys, who were criticized early on for being too derivative of '80's post-punk but manage to shake off the lazy Joy Division comparisons by arriving at a sound that the band has made purely their own. "Heinrich" is fresh with propulsive rhythm and soaring guitar, the lyrics oblique enough to be interesting, whilst Paul Banks' voice cracks with raw detachment. Near the end, when the song roars to a sudden halt only to fire back up again full speed ahead, I get chills everytime. I've got my gizzy in a twirl waiting for the whole album. Before I'd ever really heard of Feist I read something about her living with my fave electro-tramp Peaches back in the day when they first started out. So a few years back, when I saw a video for her track "Mushaboom" I wasn't overly jazzed - it was nice, but I was expecting something more electro-dancey. It didn't stick, basically. So when her latest album the Reminder hit my download service, I didn't react. Then I started reading praise for it left and right, so I became curious and was delighted upon first listen. Wonderfully, it gets better with each listen, more colors emerge each time through. Her musical palette is broad, from the high gloss and hectic handclaps of "Sealion Woman" to the awkward pop of "1-2-3-4" and many more chill moments between, Feist's melodies are earworms of the finest caliber. Her voice is alternately crackly and plainspoken, her singing style varied but singular. The Reminder is an album that completes and compliments any particular moodswing. Was there ever a more fitting song title than "Icky Thump", the new single from the ever-brilliant White Stripes? Those words collide together in exact description of the dull thud of Meg's drums and the ooey-gooiness of Jack White's boiling, Zepplin-y guitar moves. This audio mud pie slowly melts with the addition of some sick and sticky Moog synth riffs lifted straight from some obscure prog confection from 1974. Like baked Alaska, Jack's frantic rant sets the song aflame, a few sly anti-war metaphors lend it some political currency. This shit is bananas Foster.

Labels: Graduation, Music Reviews, Random Thoughts