Yikes!

Has it really been a week since I last posted? I guess it has. Crazy, huh? Well, here's what you missed.

Last week I got shitfaced smashed at a friends place. What was supposed to be a Yo La Tengo listening party quickly turned into a real party about halfway into a 30 pack of Miller Lite. Eventually we scrapped the Yo La stuff in favor of more danceable songs, only to take turns picking music in hopes to wow each other into oblivion. I forgot how much I like Lonesome Crowded West, and Joanna Newsom makes my head spin. Or was it the beer...?

The next day, Wednesday, was the Yo La Tengo concert (hence the attempt at a listening party). The show was good, very good really, but by far the mellowest of the 4 I've seen. Which isn't to say they didn't rock, they certainly did at times. The main set was well constructed with some of the more upbeat songs leading into quieter/slower songs, and then raising the set back up with monstrous, beefy tunes. Highlights include a pitch perfect rendition of "Tiny Birds", an intense "Story of Yo La Tango", and a noisy "Big Day Coming" that perfectly fed into "Little Honda", which the band stopped midway through for an extended feedback noise jam, only to bring the song back to life and finish it up.

However, the encore was a little flat. To be completely honest I would have liked a little more rock for my buck. For example, the slower version of "Autumn Sweater" was pretty cool, but it was missing something, and not just the organ and James' bouncy bass. Or, maybe I was the one missing the organ and the bass. That sounds more likely.

Also, it seems that the band is only playing the alternate version of "Tom Courtenay" these days (the one where Georgia sings, as heard on disc 3 of Prisoners of Love). I've heard the band play both the quiet one and the loud one in concert, and after hearing them both I can honestly say that I would much rather have the loud one. Its much more fun to rock out to and sing along with than it is to stand still and quiet while listening to it.

I probably sound like I'm complaining. I'm not, really. Okay, maybe a little. Regardless of my favoring Yo La's rock songs over the quiet ones (at least in concert), it was a very good show. Its not like I'm ever going to pass up seeing them in concert, you know.

Later I caught part of the Antelope show. I wasn't terribly impressed to be honest.

And to the obnoxious girls at both shows who kept telling me to dance: Make me. I didn't spend my money to listen to some drunk girl order me around. If you wanna dance, fine, knock yourself out. Just don't get all wound up and give me grief because I want to enjoy a song (or in Yo La Tengo's case, numerous songs) without hearing your voice every few seconds. And while I'm ranting, why is it that the quieter a band gets, the louder the audience becomes? What sense does that make? Its times like those I think back to when Saul Williams told the people at the Granada bar to fuck themselves, though his words (like so many he said that night) probably got lost in the chatter and fell on deaf ears.

Thursday was school.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I worked. I missed the Faint show in Lawrence, mostly because I forgot to hit the bank up before work, but the chilly weather didn't help matters any. Plus, they're playing Columbia in June and I'd rather go to that show even if it is more expensive and a 3 hour drive. I also took up playing video games again (God of War for PS2 if you're curious), and spent some time with a certain girlfriend, who was a little more rosy looking than usual. Watched Seven and Army of Darkness for the first time in 11 years.

Yesterday I relaxed and sold some CDs.

That pretty much sums it up. Lame, I know. But these things happen sometimes.

I do have some albums I plan on writing reviews for soon. Tonight's Junior Boys show will probably get at least a brief mention. I'll probably update the concert calendar. So it goes.