obviate media.

A recent explanation of a dream by a friend caused me to realize that I no longer consciously remember my own. I believe that we can only appreciate the good things in this world because of the fact that we have bad things to compare them to. I started to think about the application of this idea to every day life and the way I perceive my place in it. I don't have a firm grasp on my intentions or motivations but I do have a good sense of how I feel internally. Recently I've felt somewhat out of place, misdirected, or just .outside of my head. I'm toying with the idea that because I no longer remember my dreams, I in turn have trouble grasping onto how real reality is. I have no unconscious state to compare my coherent thoughts to. I'm not positive as to how much my conscious and my unconscious affect my dreams, but I do know that my bearing on reality is directly affected by how unreal my conscious is. The line seems to be blurred lately, and I blame that on the lack of appreciation I have for the reality I'm surrounded by. Anything that alters my mind in a way that is anything but the "uge" becomes more appealing as time wares on.

Anything that takes me away from reality seems to better establish where I was before I left. What is wrong with the idea of misguided direction. What good is direction if you have no idea where it's taking you?

Posted by Andy S. at 1:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

Back for a special Friday edition. Excuse me for the rather loose descriptions this time around.

Timbaland ft. Fall Out Boy - One & Only - Tim's releasing a solo collaboration record in April with guests diverse as The Hives, Elton John, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake and Dr. Dre. Too bad it pretty much sucks. This is one of the record's few bright spots. Remember that Swizz Beats/Metallica/ Ja Rule 'classic' from a few years ago? Yeah, the rest of the record is like that. No bueno.

Voxtrot - Stephen - Okay, if you're really down with the whole Austin, TX music scene (or music blogs), you probably have heard about these guys. Maybe not.. you just as likely got lucky and tracked down some of their tunes off of any of their three stellar EP's. Anyways, these guys are finally dropping their first full length on May 22, and it's fantastic. May take a few listens to sink in...but something gives me a feeling these guys are going to catch fire at some point.

El-P - Up All Night - The best record of the year (so far) belongs to El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead. Listen to this and you'll know why.

Joni Mitchell - River - I was conciously trying to stay away from picking another Joni track, but this song is constantly coming up in my rotation. It's absolutely gorgeous. I think the melody sounds a little unusual, but it sticks with me.

Mike Watt - The Boilerman - Given Mike Watt's history with the legendary Minutemen in the early 80's (and an endless list of projects since then - this cut off of 1997's Contemplating the Engine Room kind of reminds me of my brief jam band period in the first few months of 2003. However, this apparently is punk rock. Either way, it's a lot of fun.

Wilco - Impossibly Germany - Wilco finally returns with their follow up to 2004's A Ghost Is Born on May 15 with Sky Blue Sky. The record sounds definately more organic than the band's last two efforts, and it proves to be a very enjoyable, breezy listen.

Amy Winehouse - Rehab - I spend many conversations with a friend of mine from school lamenting the production of modern music and how nothing really can replicate the sound of the great 60's soul records. Winehouse, 23, already making headlines with her hard-living ways, almost gets it right. This single is one of the best to come around in a long time.

Dinosaur Jr. - Show Me The Way (Peter Frampton Cover) - So...gnarly.

Posted by Brendan at 3:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Ahem..... if you'll excuse me. I'm about to start. I would first like to thank you all for coming. I realize that the circumstance of this impromptu meeting is both regretable and unwelcome. Now please let us throw caution to the wind and begin with a question. Can music save a life? Do harmonized notes have the power to crescendo our spirits strait out of depression and into a light airy mood? Music is a medicine that needs no percription. It is amazing the illness a song may cure. If your anxious, something calm. If your restless, something fast. If you feel as though no one else on this earth could possibly ever feel as undone as you at a certain moment, something that understands. Music, my friends is the language of the heart. I have been saved by music and I write this with the certainty that I am not the only one.

Posted by Raleigh St. Claire at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

One night, when Shane and I were still together, I couldn’t fall asleep. The only logical solution was to go to his apartment and fall asleep with him, in his bed. I knew this would comfort me. I gathered some things that I would need in the morning (face wash, clothes, class binders) and headed to his place.
I knocked a few times on his bedroom door, and he didn’t answer. I didn’t want to wake him with a phone call, as that seemed harsh. When he didn’t come, I gave up and walked back to my car, scolding myself for being so “crazy.”
His roommate texted me, as he was awake and had heard my knocks. I went back and talked to him for a while. In time he convinced me to just crawl into bed with Shane. When I made it to the next room over, Shane was surprised to see me, but not in the terrified sense that I had anticipated.
The whole time I had been gathering my things at my apartment and while I drove over, I told myself that I was “crazy” and that needing him to fall asleep would “freak Shane out.” This self-deprecating behavior is very typical of me, and was very unnecessary in this situation as he was not put off by it at all.
I think of this tonight, as again I cannot fall asleep. I have had many nights like this, especially since we broke up. I can’t seem to stand my bedroom. But now there isn’t another bed to crawl into.
After spending my Friday evening with friends I have made through my relationship with Shane, I have a new theory of the reason for our parting: he is afraid.
I want so badly to let him know that he has nothing to fear; that we’re in this together and everything will work out somehow. There’s no need to look far ahead and play “What If.”
I am incredibly tempted to pack up, drive to Highland Road and knock on his bedroom door. I was terrified of what would happen when we were together – I wouldn’t know what to expect now that it’s been “over” for almost three weeks.
I have made many attempts to get my feelings out of my system and calm down: I’ve made a mix CD, written two letters and watched three seasons of “Sex and the City.” I gave him the CD; I still have the letters; the third disc of season four has been skipping. I’m fresh out of ideas and in desperate need of sleep.

Posted by Anonymous at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments

Responsive echo bellows, tumbling toward the internal drum
Whether mallet, hammer, or hand itself strikes -
My echo will cry out from the caverns where once it came

Interference perhaps:
a vowel here
two - wait! three consonants there!
I think a wave ate a wave
or dropped a mast and forgot how to sail

Derelict,
and Receiver's eyes bug
For what are conquests if the cargo never makes it?

Posted by Matt at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments