otium cum dignitate: Enough About Abortion

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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. (****)

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Monday, October 31, 2005

Enough About Abortion

I'm starting to get really tired of abortion dominating all of our discussions about anything even remotely political these days. I would do anything to read a newspaper article about the Supreme Court that doesn't mention abortion. PEOPLE, OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM DEALS WITH MORE ISSUES THAN JUST ABORTION!

Anyways, last night's West Wing episode introduced an interesting hypothetical: what if both of the major candidates in a presidential campaign had the SAME views on abortion? It would blow up the whole "moral issues" obsession that took hold of our last election.

Bill Clinton recently had some interesting points on this topic. In a speech to Democrats, he explained:

"So how come we can't talk about [abortion]?" he added. "Because we basically let political ads turn every player in this drama into a two-dimensional cartoon instead of a three-dimensional person."

Clinton also spoke about how most Americans fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to this issue. Much like the two candidates in the West Wing episode, most people probably think abortion is a "tragedy" that should be limited, but not illegal.

It still astounds me that people are so obsessed with an issue that was decided 30 years ago, and shows no signs of being overturned anytime in the near future.

Monday, October 31, 2005 at 07:43 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink

Comments

While I like most of the comments you've made (esp. the Clinton quote), I think the curent concerns about abortion, at least as far as Alito is concerned, pertain not to a woman's right to have an abortion, but to the burden placed on her to inform other parties (e.g., a husband; parents). And that issue still falls under the heading of "moral issues" but it seems that that's the agenda the Bush White House has pushed such things (and Americans, out of nostalgia for the "good ol' days" or whatever, are hot and bothered by them).

What I don't understand is why conservative judges, like Alito, seem set on letting laws with risks that they acknowledge live. I understand that they don't want to step on the legislature's toes (and, these days, reluctance to do so earns any judge the title of "conservative"), but I don't understand why they refuse to declare unconstitutional a law that doesn't have any apparent benefits (other than reinforcing family values) but has huge potential risks (e.g., spouse/child abuse; conceivably even the death of an unborn child).

What's the point for those judges? Do you know (I'm being serious)?

Posted by: Travis Lloyd | Tuesday, November 01, 2005 at 08:59 AM

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