Canto LXVII

So it's been a little while. Okay, more than a little while. But like the little fighter that could in Punch-Out, I have tapped "A" a bunch and I'm back! I've got a list of topics I want to hit up this week, and some pictures to share. So my plan is a new post every day this week. We'll see if I can hold myself to it.

Today I'm going to talk about music. Mostly because I've been listening to a lot of music lately, but I'm not sure if it's any more than normal. But I feel I must spread the word about a new band I found out about. They're called the 1900's, from Chicago. Here's their MySpace site, and you can give them a listen. A friend of mine from Chicago whose a grad student here gave me their album and now I'm completely in love with them. Sadly, they don't have their title track from the album Cold & Kind. But Bring the Good Boys Home is quite excellent. Just imagine two beautiful women singing in harmony the following lyrics:

"I don't believe I've ever told you
Something about my murderous mind,
That it's cold & kind and filled with hate,
Like strange attractors that keep their shape over time."

They're totally awesome. A nice hippie band, remind me a lot of Buffalo Springfield, only with the harmonies of the Mamas and the Papas. The only downside to finding a new band to love is that they have a limited selection available, and I just have to wait for the next album. Sigh.

Next up in my music scene is Guitar Hero/Rock Band. For those who have not played it yet, I just feel sorry for you. It really is a thrill, and I love playing the Bass/Rhythm Guitar. I can't help myself. It's even inspired me to pull my bass off the shelf and make some noise. Man do I suck, but who knows. In the same way I can bench my own weight now (unlike when I started as a slightly paunchy weakling 6 months ago), in a few months maybe I can actually lay down some fat notes. The nice thing about Rock Band, besides the collaborative effort, is that they're putting out new songs every week, so you can keep enjoying new material. They even put out a few Dead songs! Really, the only hole in the repertoire is no Zeppelin. But we all know that they're insanely protective of their music, which is fine, but it would be fun to play drums to "When the Levee Breaks"...