I am the pick in the ice….

So I took a small break from blogging for the simple fact that aside from being slammed at work, there are so many other things happening on in life. I’m sure people with jobs and families can appreciate and understand what I’m talking about. I’ve had several things happen since my last post back in July. My sister left working with me after ten years, we added another baby boy to our family, I finally signed up to take my GRE, and got accepted to the MBA program at my old stomping grounds, UNT. Go mean green. All of which are amazing changes and blessings, nonetheless life changing. This leaves me to start working on what I’m doing to satisfy my future plans… yes I mean my future. Although being a mom and wife are two of the most wonderful things in the world, before I am all of that, I am me first. I find it hard to struggle to maintain my identity when being pulled from all other aspects of life. I’ve taken a break from many things enjoyable, blogging, running, casual outings, Shiraz, music, and of course purchasing great books and great clothes. Things change once you become a parent, “you” apparently take the backseat of life for the betterment of your children… well… for most good parents it does. I am overconfident that my boys will become amazing men someday, but for now they are my babies, and I am their mother first before I am anything else. Am I excited for graduate school? Of course. Am I unsure of what the next few years will bring? Absolutely. But uncertainty used to be my biggest enemy and I now realize that it is part of life. Not everyone has things planned out for life, but if so, rarely are their plans met exactly as they expected. All I can do for now is to work on who I am and continue to stay happy.

this place is full of spies, I think they’re on to me…

 

Can’t stand thieves.   We had our wheels from our ’08 Yukon stolen this past Saturday and it was quite disturbing.  First off, let me preface by saying that our neighborhood is out of a storybook… children playing, small dogs, families and the occasional “just-married” couple.   The quintessential suburb of North Texas, surrounded by nothing but homes just like ours, and the addition of a shopping pavillion.  So the fact that our neigborhood is currently undergoing the last phase of home building in our area poses the “theft” problem.  Now, I’ve heard everything from ‘its those construction workers’ to ‘it just happens in new areas’.. but I’m one of 4 Hispanics in my neighborhood, so of course it is a bit unsettling that “those” construction workers (i.e., illegals) are the first to be blamed.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean I don’t blame them as well….  but regardless of what animal stole our vehicles’ wheels… don’t think it won’t come back ten-fold.  They had the audacity to not only snip the wires of our streetlight (which illuminates our house directly) but they also unscrewed our lightbulbs in the front porch and garage fixtures.  Very sneaky.  But it doesn’t matter.  It never does.  Police report, insurance claim, rent car, who cares?!?  We have all the money in the world, right??  Why, you ask?  Because we work.  In Texas, where the unemployment rate alone is 4.4%, I don’t feel sorry for ANYONE.  I am not a bleeding heart and am unapologetic for feeling this way.  I’ve worked over half of my life, and I have had lots of things taken from me… some more expensive than others….. all because the next person “just doesn’t have money.”  But just because I can afford it, doesn’t mean you can take it away.   Screw  the libertarian ideas of a free everything.  Although it might sound “super Texan” we do in fact have the right to bear arms to protect our homes and belongings.. so thieves beware… I can guarantee that my husband’s trigger finger is getting mighty itchy.

to spin tales and bend truths

I was having a Bowerbirds fix at la Blogotheque…. seriously, I don’t see how the Bowerbirds don’t have the hugest of followings.  I guess I’d prefer it that way.  Wouldn’t want to see some Volkswagen commercial with “Bur Oak” in the backdrop.  Ugh…

Unimpressed with Coldplay’s latest release Viva la Vida, it left me to wonder, do all bands evolve into something that is unlike anything they were before?  Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the head were amazing.  They put Coldplay on the map.  All known and unknown b-sides reinforced any and all feelings of the bands prominence, trust me, I have them all.  Then mainstream happened.  They lost me as a genuine fan after Live and XY.  I got their new cd and heard nothing but top 40.  Where is the Coldplay that had a vision of changing the world with their music??  One guess….. Hollywood.

On another note, Wolf Parade’s At Mount Zoomerwill probably be one of the greatest albums put out this year.  Stereogum has a pretty decent write-up on the album here.   I encourage anyone who supports indie music to follow the careers of Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner, cause these guys aren’t going ANYWHERE….

Listen to “language city” at their myspace

a glowing young ruffian

Ah… the beloved Britt Daniels… singing Wolf Parade….. it doesn’t get better

I am sooooo behind on my music.  Lots of things happening in my life now, mainly a new baby on the way.  I have my mind on figuring out what I can do about that annoying pain in my belly that doesn’t go away but with food.  Or how I will I manage to work out daily while fighting all the aches and pains that will be coming my way soon…. VERY soon. 

But as for now, I will just take it day by day and revel in new music.  I was unimpressed with Death Cab for Cutie’s latest release Narrow Stairs but it was to be expected.  For some reason I could not find Gibbards low, ethereal vocals amongst any of the songs on this album.  I’m looking for something to blow Styrofoam Plates out of the water, but nope, not here.  However I did discover a band worth giving a listen, Frightened Rabbit.   Think of Adam Duritz (never been a fan of Counting Crows) combined with the Kaiser Chiefs…. but Scottish.   If anything, at least hear out their songs “I feel better” and “the modern leper.”  Good stuff indeed.

Some other albums I’m digging so far…. Girls In Hawaii’s Plan Your Escape, Grand Archives’ The Grand Archives, The Whig’s Mission Control, and the Courteneers St. Jude.   And of course, I’m counting down the days to Wolf Parade’s new release.

Ball and chain

So we are trying to bring another little life into this world.  Bittersweet, indeed. 

On a lighter note, Colin Meloy sings live! is probably the greatest live album ever recorded.  Of course I’m partial to Colin as a solo artist after listening to snippets of his ‘Colin Meloy sings Morrissey’, however that does not take away my love of the Decemberists.  This makes one wonder just exactly WHO is Meloy’s fanbase?  Tickets for Wolf Parade went on presale a week back, and although I would absolutely love to see them live, the number of 15 yr old myspacers would deaden the experience.  I know this for a fact.  These same kids love the Decemberists and Death Cab which is wonderful…. but in the words of Sunset Rubdown.. “Nadia says the crowds too young!”  Times are definitely changing, in terms of fanbase.  I would assume most of Meloy’s ticket-buyers were longtime afficionados of the Decemberists and related material, which could possibly exclude the teen in their bedroom tying the lyrics of a song (with as much depth as Meloy brings) and the love of their middleschool sweetheart.  However you want to look at it, its great for the artist, not so great for a fan like me, who would just like to go to a concert and see other fans just like me….. I guess you can call me old-fashioned….. or old, either way doesn’t bother me

don’t get any big ideas, they’re not gonna happen

 

I’m not going to try and enlighten anyone who might be reading this on the relation between music and money.  Hopefully you already know.   But what has been catching my fancy lately is artists who are “self-releasing” their new albums.  I’m not just talking about the artists who is struggling to get their music “out there and heard,” but the artists who now self-release albums, simply because they can.  Radiohead, did it last year… Nine Inch Nails… and now even Dolly Parton!  I’m sure several people ask themselves, what has become of this?  I’m one of those people.  Not quite sure of what to make of it, I mean, we were raised in a lifetime of eight-track, vinyl, tapes and cd’s.  So what does that mean for the record companies??  Who cares.  Radiohead re-introduced this concept after their last album ‘hail to the thief’ leaked and seemed to be fine with it…. however, its not like they are hurting for money anyhow… who doesn’t love Radiohead?  But for the artist/band who doesn’t have that luxury of putting out music, just to do it and not worry about how they will get the money to actually live off of… well, THATS the guy who wants me to hear what he has to say! 

Nonetheless, I’m still ambivalent about this issue, I guess if your an artist who has paid your dues to the industry, why not cut the middleman?  I support DIY, start-up labels and almost more-importantly the music bloggers of cyberworld.  And people can say what they want about bloggers, but the truth about them is that they provide us with mp3’s, video snippets, links, reviews and all of the other greatness to introduce us to great artists for a first or fifth time.  I’m interested in knowing what others think about major musicians with accomplished music careers self-releasing their albums… I’m willing to bet we see much more of this in the future.

the three cheers from everyone

 

So its official.  I’ve turned 28 and cannot look back.  I guess 28 isn’t such a bad thing, we all “GET” older, whether we act it or look it.  I don’t mind acting my age… I guess there is not much of a choice.  My latest indulgences are reading up on some of my favorite artists.  I have these memoirs and biographies that have collected dust in my bookshelves for way too long.  Also, I guess I will really focus on getting the admissions process started for grad school.  My major??  Yet to be determined… but see, I’m 28 so I don’t have to make any hurried decision and people will still respect what I have to say.  HA, what a change from 21!!! 

go around raising hell, then there’ll be hell to pay

One

One of my favorite things about music is the increase of variety.  There’s about 30 genres and countless sub-genres out there, and the number continues to increase.  However, something must be said for the storyteller.  It takes a dedication to your craft to be able to capture a listener, hold them from the first lyric, until the saga ends. 

So goes the Dowry’s “three graves for evelyn”… which evokes some of the most disheartening feelings towards life and death.  The album is about a man’s journey through hopelessness, and finding only more sadness and despair along the way.  This song is only one of his encounters with a woman who lost not one daughter, but three, all named Evelyn.  They all died the same way, but we do not know how that was.  Therein lies, the fact that life only “seems” to be fruitful and worth living to the fullest.  But is not the case for everyone, there are those who trudge down their paths with little to no hope…. searching for explanation…. the Dowry does this well.

show them your good parts, leave town when the bad ones start to show

 

Politics…. I won’t delve too deep into who I think is right, wrong or just plain crooked.  Not many people think that this country can be run where we all get along, and I’m one of those people.  No matter which “smiley glad-hand” gets elected, the American people will still be divided.  I never claimed to own a house in la-la-land, so it is what it is.  

During elections, everyone puts their best foot forward… celebrities come out of the woodwork… showing their monetary support for their nominee of choice, (of course their support is much more than you or I could ever give, so there!) 

Ah, politicians….. they all have a hidden agenda, hopefully this doesn’t come as a surprise.  I enjoy watching the naive belief in all the “myspacers” of the world.  People see an edited and scripted version of who you are to vote for and nothing more.  Before the presidential election became about money, scandal, and pointing fingers, I believe that at one point our President truly had the American’s well-being at heart…. Abraham Lincoln is the last that comes to mind…

In case the picture is confusing, it is the amazing Avett Brothers who supplied me with my title….  I couldn’t bear to post a pic of any politic, plus the Avett Brothers would never lie to me…

all the friends you can eat

Amy Winehouse sucks, and I won’t give her record company the satisfaction of listening to even ONE of her songs.  I’m listening to  ‘Ethel’ on XM radio, when lo and behold, some Wino song came on.  I was like, NOPE…. not as long as I control the even flow of music in this house.  I won’t do it to myself.  Nothing, not even a good 13 seconds of any track.  She’s a trainwreck, yet I still won’t waste my extraocular muscles on any tabloid with her name on it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I give every artist their fair share of research before I decide to listen or follow their career, but there are just some things I can’t look past.  Green Day is another.  People trying sooooooo hard to make their art stand out.  And apparently they are doing something right because they have huge followings,….. but then again, so did Barney.