begin rant

So... I remembered a few things about myself this weekend. I have been housesitting for one of the folks related to the research station, and it reminded me of what I liked about living and working around a real home.

The first is that I really like stereo sound, and I have missed it terribly. I plugged my host's speakers to my laptop, and the improvement in my movie-watching capability was dramatic. Headphones are okay, but nothing beats the freedom a pair of cheap speakers and a small subwoofer can provide. I can only imagine how much better my surround sound system will appear to me when I finally return to civilization and a television that provides more than monaural output.

The second thing I have rediscovered is that I focus better with less white noise. I am okay with music blazing clear, or random nature rustling in the background, but the steady whine of machinery like the incubator beside my desk can be incredibly distracting. It gets inside my head and it grinds against my brain - and it drives me crazy. It makes me want to plug my ears up and go to sleep.

So I just need to find good clear sound for my brain to function right.

Muses, are you listening?

Posted by Derksen at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another band and another concert from NPR's live summer concert series: the increasingly popular sounds of "the Arcade Fire". While the concert was actually back in February as part of their Neon Bible tour, NPR has been kind enough to archive all of this classic goodness for you. Their upbeat indie pop has a driving beat, and it certainly is something to listen to while you count endless armies of chili thrips under the microscope.

Feel free to subscribe to the podcast and hunt through their archives for other gems, or just download the MP3 from me right here.

Posted by Derksen at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(but only for now...)

Posted by Derksen at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brian: Princeton?

Princeton: Yeah?

Brian: Listen buddy, nobody has seen you for two weeks! What is up with that?

Princeton: I went to work for a temp agency, and they fired me for being too depressing on the phone. I maxxed out my cards, I am two months behind in rent, I totally messed up my personal life... Oh - and Brian? I still haven't found my purpose.

Brian: All right. Get off your ass and stop worrying!

Avenue Q, "There is Life Outside Your Apartment"

Posted by Derksen at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And like that, it was over. Three days of music, friends, and excellent food. Later this afternoon, I will get on a plane and fly back to Florida, leaving all of these good things behind.

I will remember, and someday:

I will return.

I mean that. Austin is and will probably always remain my town.

Posted by Derksen at 1:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Decemberists were the single band I had most hoped to see at ACL, and they did provide fun for all in attendance. In spite of misplacing the majority of my good friends, I did manage to arrive in time to negotiate my way to a place center-stage, but fifteen feet from all the action. The set felt a little short, and they were deluged by an excessively large number of chrysopids drawn to the red stage lights, but it was a fun and exuberant show. It was a good way to finish out the weekend, and I am glad I attended.

Posted by Derksen at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ms. Spektor turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the concert series. She could be compared favorably to other female vocalists who perform a significant portion of their work on piano, such as Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, or even Norah Jones. However, just as they maintain a distinctive voice, so can Ms. Spektor be distinguished from her peers. Her music is haunted by traditional jewish folk-music, and influenced by jazz and the American independent sound... but she still gives it her own particular spin. I had heard her before briefly on NPR, and several of my friends were enthusiastic about her work, but I remained unsold.

Then I saw her live. While she sounds great prerecorded and on disc, her performance live is nothing less than amazing. Her most recent album feels overproduced, with unnecessary accompaniment - and on stage you have only her and her instrument and her voice. Her audience was exceptionally supportive, and stood transfixed in appreciation. This was not a concert to yell in excitement at, but one to absorb in admiration. One of my companions commented that she would have been better to see in a concert hall, for that was the ambience that we drew off the crowd.

She also fed off of the energy of that crowd. She was as delighted to be there as her audience was to listen. This was a woman who loved her job, and she poured that enthusiasm and appreciation right back into the audience who wanted to be there to hear her in a warm and fuzzy feedback loop of happiness.

It didn't hurt that she is the kind of cute that you just want to reach out and pet on the head like a puppy...

Posted by Derksen at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes, ACL is under way, and it is that smokin' hot!

Posted by Derksen at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A month or so ago, Ben Gibbard, frontman for Death Cab for Cutie, played unplugged and solo at the 9:30 club in Washington DC. Normally I would have had no opportunity to listen to such a thing, but fortunately NPR's Bob Boilen was there for All Songs Considered to cover and record it.

If you're already a fan, or just happen to be interested in finding out more about a band named Death Cab, you can find the real-audio version at the NPR link above... or you can just download the MP3 formatted version from me here. Last but not least, feel free to subscribe to the All Songs Considered podcast, and experience a weekly sampling of the latest in new music and the occasional live concert.

Posted by Derksen at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)