trocc

so i could certainly be accused of having used the 'life as a wave' metaphor in the past, and lord knows it's a cliche, but that's the only real way i can describe how the last few weeks have been for me. although i am loving the new job, the adjustment to a 9 to 5 schedule and a downtown commute has left my spare time feeling kind of dizzy, like i just got off a ride at the fair, and i just kind of blearily stagger my way to the next one... so not a whole lot of productive work has come from the downtime i get... that will come around.

but first, i have to finish experiencing this cleansing of my mind that i'm going through. so many things that have weighed on me over the last couple of years have gone away - i have the chance to relax and be me again - and what's more, create a better me than the one i was before, with the things i've learned. i was tripping today while washing dishes with the music up loud - i started feeling some knee-jerk work stress, for no other reason than that's how i've thought about work for so long, it was almost muscle memory. but i ran with it, and realized that all of the weird undercurrents of politics and uncertainty that caused my stress in my last job are completely fucking gone. my concentration, my energy - it can all go towards doing my stated job better. which after working for a small company for years with a sort of nebulous ball of responsibility? holy crap, it's amazing.



so yeah, i'm kind of clambering back up onto the board and eyeballing this wave as it's starting to swell under me. i want to use it to take me places i haven't gotten before. did i say i'm relaxing? it's allowing me to be excited about the ride again.

let me scatter some sounds and pictures for you, since coherence is not my midnight forte (yes, these are links to mp3's you can download - check them out!)



Adam Franklin - Morning Rain - this is the gentleman who was the main thrust in the engine that still keeps my blood pumping, Swervedriver... he'd had some solo work before this that was a bit more in the drifty electronic mold. this came out this week and i am a happyhead. on this new album he brings back the guitar. in a big way. this is a really languid cut, where i swear i can hear the waterfront breezes and creaking wood of "Duel" echoing in the mix... i hope you are well aware of this record's existence, arch_stanton...



Moka Only - It's Done - had this record for a while, but spent an evening recently rocking back and forth on the couch with it on the edge of consciousness. i love the loops that leave the voice some elbow room. antigravity type.



A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Things Only I Can See - a Philly band that is still kind of mysterious to me, but their music hits my sweet spot. especially with sunbeams coming through the blinds. they tread a narrow but deep space between Seefeel's Quique and MBV's Loveless, and are covered in the American grit that characterized records by the Lilys and the Swirlies that aped this same sound... use soft focus and high volume.



65daysofstatic - Little Victories - i have to thank both Cherry and AnnaLee for indirectly turning me onto this band via their last.fm listening. (speaking of which, any of you that are on last.fm and haven't found me yet, i am right here. say hello. and if you're not on there yet, you should join.) in this world that is being overrun with loud-soft-loud instrumental meanderers, it's wonderful to find a band that conveys excitement, movement, and emotion with a vocal-less palate. if it weren't for me nosing around at what you cats were listening to, i'd have never even been introduced to the fabulous blend of Aphex Twin and Explosions In The Sky that these guys are...



they're not the only instrumental sound i've been digging, however.

Jatun - Fashion Whore - this band came out of a black hole somewhere, i think. i'm not even sure who introduced them into my life, although i think it's mister Barsky. i think they've been around for a bit doing soundtracks for snowboarding videos and shit. this is soaring, wide-open sky stuff. it has become one of the first records my new office partner and i have bonded over as well. this gets played a LOT.



have i mentioned that i'm working in a two-person office? so it means the world that this guy and i can relax and talk music and shit - i fire up a new iTunes playlist every day and we just vibe. he's burned a ton of stuff for me to check out that i'm looking forward to diving into more - Sharks Keep Moving, The Appleseed Cast, Maserati...

The Whitest Boy Alive - Inflation - this gets a lot of office play lately as well. i threw another song by these guys up in YouTube form a couple journals back. great stuff for watching the city go by, either down the sidewalk up from the subway, or passing by the big tinted office windows. i love the 'wet' sound of the guitar and the snappy Joe Jackson-ish stride it has...



Electrelane - Between the Wolf and the Dog - goddamnit i am so fucking pissed i didn't get to see these ladies when they were here. you can only begin to feel the interplay between them as musicians by listening to their recorded work. and even then it's impressive. seeing them live, watching them build it up and tear it down? goddamnit. and yes, Mia is smokingsmoking hott.

my siamese pal Huxley is sprawled on the chair next to me, catching the occasional breeze from the quiet street out front. my head is starting to puzzle up. interlocking sections. cardboard dust in the corner. calling it a night is 'round the corner.

"maybe it's the next corner."

oh and hey.

i see this sign almost every day on my way home from work. i am usually peering out of a bus window while jammed up next to some stranger or another and feeling sweat run down my back. it makes me smile every time.