11:59 PM: Here's your damn update.

I apologize for the lack of blog posts lately. I'm still attempting to make a smooth transition from high school to college, without moving out, leaving my hometown, and with a complete lack of social skills (I am a social retard, remember). Making the transition is far from easy, and it's turned my life upside down. I'm caught in a crossroads, and I could go two different ways: Hang out with my friends that still live in town all year, and ignore the 23,000+ other students that go to Auburn University, or attempt to start making a new set of friends, ASAP. Trying to do a bit of both hasn't been working for me so far, and I think a series of life-changing events are in order, in the next couple of months.
The reason I tell you this is that all these feelings have left me little to talk about besides live journaly bullshit like this. I don't want to bore you daily with posts like this, so I keep those kinds of thoughts regulated to my personal journal, rather than assuming you care about my real life.

Nobody wants to become the e-diary writer when they set out to begin and maintain a weblog:

"I heart a girl and she hearts me. heart heart heart. <3 3 =")">

Something I have been doing over the last few weeks is discovering some great albums. Here are a few that I've found myself coming back to on a consistent basis:

Dr. John-Dr. John's Gumbo


I kind of downloaded this by accident. I was looking for the new Elliot Smith CD on Suprnova, and came by this record. The songs all share a basic theme: Blues-based white boy R&B, with a lead singer that sounds more than a bit like Van Morrison. The energy and pure fun of the record is contagioius, though, and I'm looking forward to giving this album a real intensive "headphones" listen at work tomorrow. I'll post my thoughts later on.

Brian Eno-Another Green World


I bought this album on impulse, based on several recommendations (this album was recently reissued, so a lot of new reviews have been circulating), and at first I thought I had wasted $15. Slowly the bizarre songs grew on me, though, and I learned to love the spare, 90 second instrumentals, as well as the classicly-structured pop songs. So many different ideas are represented on this disc, and you are drawn to a different aspect of the album every time you listen to it. If you like any David Bowie, Talking Heads, U2, or Roxy Music, give this record a try.

The Libertines-The Libertines


The Libertines have been called this decade's answer to Blur and Oasis, who have both become more or less irrelevant in the last couple of years. "Can't Stand Me Now," the lead single on The Libertines' eponymous secon album, is shooting up the charts throughout Europe. Mick Jones, the album's producer, has even declared this album as "The kind of record that defines a generation." What don't the Libertines have going for them right now? Well...the lead singer is a crack/heroin addict, more or less killing the band, and they've yet to make even a dent on the US music scene. The Libertines might have been the future of Britpop, but in-fighting between the band, drug abuse, and erratic, scandalous behavior on and off the stage have seriously damaged any chance The Libertines had of becoming the band that they are talented enough to be. So, the point is, enjoy this excellent Britpop masterpiece while you can, because it just might be the last record the band ever puts out.

David Bowie-Station to Station


David Bowie had probably made enough money to live on for 20 lifetimes after his run of Ziggy Stardust-themed albums, but it was this album, released in 1976, where Bowie started to really tinker with his approach to song-writing. All of Station to Station's six songs sound completely different; if you like your ballads ten minutes long, and complete with sythesizers, falsetto vocals, and keyboard solos, theres something for you. If you prefer avant-garde disco, look no further. Think of it as Bowie's answer to Blood on the Tracks: A career rejuvenating masterpiece, released just as the public was starting to question his relevance.

If you'd like to try any of the above albums out, just get a blank CD to me, and I'll be more than happy to burn any of them for you.