Archive for December, 2008

The Best I Could Do

Posted by on Tuesday, 30 December, 2008

As the year began to draw to a close, I realized that it was time to choose a song, like I do every year. (Or at least, have done in some years.) Except… I didn’t really listen to music this year. Again.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Earlier in the year, I took an interest in some steampunk bands of whom none of you would have heard, but they did not have any new material this year anyhow. I also remember tuning into the modern rock station at some point and hearing this gangsta-reggae song called “Paper Planes” by Sri Lankan-British female artist M.I.A. Is that what the kids are listening to these days? I couldn’t get into it.

Yet, I managed to come up with a winner, and then to make it interesting I thought of a few runners-up. As you may recall, the year got off to a promising start with Matchbox 20 singing about the world burning to the ground. The world, however, did not burn to the ground in 2008. I know, I know… I was right there with you Matchbox 20; I don’t know what happened either. Also, in response to that post, someone suggested I look into The National. They had a pretty good sound, but not best-of-the-year good. I rather enjoy “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis. You might be thinking that an over-produced pop song can’t possibly be any good, and until recently I would have agreed, but there’s something about this one that strikes a chord. I did a little research, and apparently this single has broken all kinds of records, so maybe if you’re the sort of person who, like, actually leaves your house every once in a while you are thinking, “Is he serious with this? I’m sick to death of that friggin’ song!” But I don’t care what they say, I like it.

So, the winner then. I don’t even remember where I heard this song, and it took awhile to track down from the little piece that I had stuck in my head. My pick of the year is “Kids” by MGMT. Mainly because when I heard it, I thought that it sounded a bit like The Purple Robe – if The Purple Robe was actually any good. So, as some of you may know, I blocked YouTube from my computer, but the rest of you can try your luck here: the #1 song of 2008.

5 Words

Posted by on Thursday, 11 December, 2008

Sometimes I look back on life and wonder, “Where did it all go wrong?” Or even, “Where did it all go right?” What were the defining moments of my life? And for the most part, I’m disappointed, because there are really very few instances that I can point to where everything changed. Every day is a decision to make, some are large some are small, and generally the consequences of each choice are not know for a long time. It is not so much a series of defining moments as transitions between phases. That annoys me.

Yet lately, I keep finding myself returning to five words. Here, unlike so many other instances, my life can be clearly divided into before and after. My reaction to those words, and my highly uncharacteristic behavior in the following period set a course that has defined everything about who I am today. I would never have started going to church, which means I would not have met any of the people who have been my closest friends over the past several years, would not have the job I have now, would not have joined the band that I’m in now… and without any of those ties, I would have no particular reason to stay in this area, and I may not have chosen the school that I went to… So when I ask myself, “Where would I be today?” There is no answer, because I truly might be anywhere at all, doing anything. Five words.

“We”
“Don’t”
“Date”
“We”
“Court.”