otium cum dignitate:

New Music

The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible
A good friend of mine convinced me to buy "Funeral," Arcade Fire's first album, last year and I'd say my reaction to that album was mixed. I recognized that the band had some unique ideas, and an interesting sound, but it just didn't really fit my musical tastes. "Neon Bible" may be less inventive, but all in all, I think it is more enjoyable to listen to than "Funeral." However, I actually went to an Arcade Fire show here in DC last weekend, and I have to admit that the songs they played from "Funeral" were much more energetic and exciting than the selections from "Neon Bible." The concert, like the recordings, come off as highly orchestrated and refined rock compositions. There is little wasted space, and the music features an interesting, although somewhat off-putting blend of instruments and vocals. The finished product takes some getting used to, but once you've acquired the Arcade Fire taste, it's hard to put these albums down. (****)
Bloc Party: A Weekend in the City
Sure enough, Bloc Party validated my predictions and avoided the dreaded "sophomore slump" with their second album. While Silent Alarm was a bit more polished, A Weekend in the City takes more chances, and offers a more diverse and creative set of songs than the band's first album. There are clear allusions to Radiohead's Kid A throughout this album, but Bloc Party does a good job of continuing to hone their own unique sound. "I Still Remember" is the sort of anthemic single that could propel Bloc Party onto the national spotlight. (****)
Thom Yorke: The Eraser
This is basically a solo version of Kid A, although you can't really tell it's solo since there isn't really any instrumental background, only synthesized stuff like on Kid A and Amnesiac. I like this album, but i'm still really looking forward to the full band's new album which is expected in a couple of months. The Eraser is basically an addendum to Kid A/Amnesiac, and that's ok. But im excited to hear what's next. (****)
The Strokes: First Impressions of Earth
This is my first Strokes CD, and the first album in a recent foray of CD buying over the last week or so. Knowing almost nothing about the band, I first listened to this CD with an open mind, and I liked what I heard. Although there aren't many especially interesting songs, the overall sound is pleasing, and even a bit catchy at times. To me, Julian Casablancas' singing basically makes this band what it is. He has an extremely deep voice, and he features his impressive singing ability much more so on this album than on the other two. I went out and bought "Is this it" as an encore, but I am so far dissapointed in the older album. Sorry, AMG, but we just can't agree this time. (***)
Brad Mehldau: Day is Done
Another fine addition to the Brad Mehldau collection. On this newest album, the trio welcomes Jeff Ballard on drums to replace Jorge Rossy at least temporarily, and I must say Ballard provides a refreshing new feel to a trio that was in danger of becoming somewhat repetitive and dull. As usual, Mehldau delights those of us who supplement our Jazz listening with recordings from the real world as he begins this album with a rendition on the Radiohead composition "Knives Out." This is one of Mehldau's better albums in recent years. I don't want to completely sell out Rossy, but this trio seems to have more energy and spontaneity than it had on the previous few albums. (*****)
Bloc Party: Silent Alarm
After hearing a short clip online, I decided to see these guys perform at Music Midtown. Typically with rock-type bands, I know whether I'm going to like them or not within the first 30 seconds. Clearly, since I just bought the CD, Bloc Party impressed me from the outset and maintained my interest throughout their hour-long performance. In danger of becoming just another English band in the form of Coldplay or Keane, Bloc Party has thus far succeeded with a unique sound that blends the smooth and clean style of those former two bands with the type of rock heard on some of, dare I say, Radiohead's older albums like the Bends and Pablo Honey. Just released in March, this first album has a lot of good stuff on it. Bloc Party has serious potential. (****)
Joe Lovano: I'm All For You
As far as ballad-oriented albums go, this one is pretty damn good. Offering fresh renditions of standards as well as a few originals, Lovano's tone and expression remains unique but also traditional as he moves around these charts and improvises. This is really my first exposure to Lovano other than seeing him live once in New York. I like the album a lot and personally think he handles the ballads much better than Michael Brecker on his Ballad Book album a few years ago. (****)

Photo Albums

« November 2004 | Main | February 2005 »

Monday, January 24, 2005

Weekend Stuff

I've seen the Falcons play really really horribly this season. The best example of this was the loss against the Lions at home. The next best example was yesterday's pathetic showing in Philly. Although it is clear that the team's receivers rival those of the Ravens for the worst play-making ability in the NFL, I don't understand why Jim Mora and the Falcons coaching staff remained conservative with Vick. I mean Roethlisberger had more success on the ground against the Patriots than Vick did yesterday. The few times that Vick did decide to run, he had moderate success--obviously nothing groundshaking, but he is always bound to break one if you let him take off.

At least I feel somewhat vindicated for my prediction of a Patriots win. They showed why they are one of the best teams ever. I just don't see how they could lose in the Superbowl--even with Owens maybe returning for the Eagles.

In other news, I finally managed to get into some law schools. Emory and UGA. It's nice to know that now my future is at least somewhat secure. I think it would probably be a miracle for me to get in anywhere better than Emory, and I would be happy back in the ATL. We'll see what happens (or doesn't happen) though.

Finally, my little jazz quintet landed a new regular gig at Summit Coffeehouse here in Davidson. We're all pretty excited about it. This should easily beat our old regular gig at Fuel Pizza, and I think the atmosphere and people should make these final few months really rewarding musically. Anyways, we'll be playing our first gig this thursday from 8-11 p.m. and should be playing on most Wednesday nights in February.

Monday, January 24, 2005 at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monday, January 17, 2005

Best Weekend of Football Upcoming

Just like last year, I again find myself with some sort of stake in who goes to the superbowl. A year ago, I easily allowed myself to be consumed by the local fervor for the upstart Panthers. This year, the Falcons have my allegiance. I'm not sure which bandwagon-jump is more legitimate, but I don't feel all that bad rooting for a team from my hometown in the ATL.

I thought this past weekend would be the best of the year, but it is now apparent that next Sunday will easily surpass all others as the single most exciting and talked about day in the world of football. The four top seeds are in the final four, and one could not have hoped for more even-matched championship games than the ones in this year's playoffs.

I think, as is probably true of most NFL enthusiasts, I was most impressed this weekend with the Falcons and Patriots. To put up 327 yds rushing is just unheard of...the Falcons are just so cool because even though they are predominately a running team, they still are a big-play offense. It'll be interesting to see how they match-up against the pass-oriented offense of the Eagles. History seems to suggest that the Eagles are in for trouble. They'll have to play far better than they did against the Vikings if they want to beat the Falcs.

The Patriots are obviously an anomaly in today's NFL. While the NFC seems to have new front-runners every year, the Patriots have remained among the very best for three years now. Even with major injuries to Tyrone Poole and Ty Law, the Patriots defense made Peyton Manning look more like his brother than the seasoned, 49TD record-setting QB that he proved to be this season. This team isn't about players, it is truly about a system. When a coaching staff can turn a veteran wide-receiver into a very solid nickel-back, you know that there is more going on over there than mere athletic talent. Game-planning and overall football-intelligence is what makes this team as good as it is. I think the Falcs can take down the Eagles, but after that...well, things get a whole lot harder.

Monday, January 17, 2005 at 04:07 PM in Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

New Year Update

While one might believe that the outcome of the election rendered this blog irrelevant and obsolete, it was a combination of exams, papers, madden, and sheer laziness that has kept me away from this page for so long. With renewed motivation, I have again returned and will quickly update my disgruntled readers before resuming a fairly consistent posting schedule.

Christmas break provided an extended opportunity to see family, go to an awesome falcons v. panthers game, give and receive gifts, and, of course, play hours upon hours of madden with my brother and cousin. But the highlight of the break was Jazz tour 2k5.

This year, we went to NYC. While the city rocked (or jazzed I should say), our journey to and from Manhattan was replete with many memorable experiences and interesting people, most notably a young college philosophy professor-gay-Nazi who was nice enough to get us drunk on freshly brewed Yuengling in Lancaster, PA. In NYC, Travis and I saw some amazing jazz, including Wynton Marsalis and Ravi Coltrane at the Village Vanguard. In fact, Travis provides a very detailed and enjoyable account of our travails in the city on his new blog. Give him some hits. Every new blog needs a fair amount of love and attention to survive for the long-haul.

Currently, I am spending my time obsessively checking my mail for law school letters, reading books for this cool new metro-politics seminar I'm taking, and trying to remain excited about the future of my small little jazz quintet here at the college. The inspiration from NYC still remains, and I think our group can and will do something cool in the next few months. For now, we are just trying to find a gig...anywhere.

My interest in politics has given way to my love for football over the past few weeks. And I'll admit, I'm the better for it. With giant tsunamis flooding one half the world and fundamentalist terrorists taking care of the other half, the one-and-done excitement of the NFL playoffs is a perfect distraction from all that is bad. I'll admit, my Giants didn't exactly finish the way I might have hoped, but they did finish strong. Since the Panthers went by the wayside as well in their final game, I can't help but shift my allegiances to my hometown Falcons.

I promise to try to remain attentive to this blog. With the rookie Travis deep in blog-obsession (it'll wear off soon enough), I feel duly challenged to assert my status as a veteran blogger; already over the initial glamor of an online forum for self-expression, but still resilient in maintaining this page that I spend $4.95 a month on.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005 at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)