Headphones and Asses

Feelin' a little lazy about writing a review today. My mind is sort of on a lot of things that I'll get to elaborating on at some point, but basically I'm preparing for a big move and it's requiring a lot of my time and energy. I'm still finding time to listen to music and I have plenty of albums to review, but my schedule has been making it difficult to find the motivation to put my feelings on those records in words. I've recently received some compliments on a couple of my reviews, though, which was really appreciated because I didn't feel like I was making progress as fast as I wanted, and it was nice to see that something I wrote had an somewhat of an impact on someone. So maybe that'll motivate me (or intimidate me, we'll see).

I also just picked up some new headphones, which was much needed. A lot of times I end up listening to music on my iPod at work, and have begrudgingly settled on using the standard earbuds because it's portable and easier to move around in, even though I hate them sound-wise. I'm not much of an audio snob, but I can spot a shitty pair of headphones/earbuds pretty easily; it just comes down to whether I care or not. But I figured if I'm going to be writing reviews on music, I owe it to myself to get the best experience possible. So I picked up the Panasonic RP-HTX7's because I've heard a lot of good things about them, especially considering what quality you get for the price. I'm sure true audio snobs will scoff at those as well, but for me, it's probably the best pair of headphones I've ever owned. I'm anxious to see what minor details I've been missing in the music I've been listening to lately.

Perhaps you've noticed the bombardment of Mastodon-related posts recently. Well, prepare for more. I went to a Mastodon concert last night and I'll have pics from them up on Monday [note: I'm writing this before the fact, so let's hope I'll actually have pictures]. I'm not trying to be redundant, but things have just happened to work out in a way that makes those posts relevant. Plus, the new album is fucking amazing. I can't remember the last time an album has warranted so many repeated listens from me, and I have a hard time not giving it a spin at least every few days or so. I spend a lot of time listening to music with the purpose of reviewing it -- thinking of how I'm going to put certain thoughts in words -- so I forgot how nice it was to just listen to the music I want to listen to without having a goal in mind; letting myself be absorbed in an album until it wears itself out. It's nice. Not that I don't enjoy writing or keeping this blog, but you know, it's good to have breaks here and there.

Speaking of listening to music for the purpose of reviewing, I humored myself by picking up Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III from the library a few weeks ago. I always figured I'd hate it, but when I saw it, I couldn't resist the temptation. Here it was: the best selling album of 2008. Winner of numerous awards and honored in countless Best of 2008 lists from major and indie publications alike. "Why not give it a shot?" I thought. I might even like it. Long story short: I hated it. I didn't even feel like putting forth the energy to properly review it (not like it really needs my opinion anyway). Lil Wayne was interesting back in his days as a teenage sensation for Cash Money, but that appeal seems to have evaporated. He strikes me as a performer who's really trying hard to be different and original rather than one that just is. He's a long way from Andre 3000, that's for sure.

On a final note, I'm digging this picture I found of Joanna Newsom from a recent photoshoot/interview in Paper Magazine. It's nice. And she's got an ass. Who knew?