I am a 23-year old physics graduate of Bethel University in Minnesota. The first day of freshman year, my friend Elizabeth gave me the nickname "Thor." It caught on, and many people to this day still refer to me as Thor, even some of my former professors. Some people hate nicknames, I chose to embrace it. Ever since I can remember, I've had an undying love and passion for music, and this blog is where I go to talk about it. I play guitar and sing in the band I really fail at keeping this thing updated, or having some semblance of a consistent blog. I should work on that. Here’s a good first step in the right direction: a new post!
I’ll start the post off with a mini-review since I enjoy those. I just got the new Norma Jean album Meridional. It’s their first album with their new label Razor & Tie. Something I really appreciate about Norma Jean is that each of their CDs is different than their last in a noticeable way. O’ God, the Aftermath is a CD of breakdowns. It’s almost exhausting to listen to, but not in a bad way. Redeemer, the record I would call (before Meridional) their best album to date, begins to bring in a more melodic side to the band. The Antimother brought a good amount of singing and more melodic tendencies than even Redeemer. And then we have Meridional, an album that I feel shows us the true picture of who this band is. It’s darker than the rest of the CDs, heavier at times as well, and there are guitar riffs that are almost… mainstream. It’s strange to hear for a band that usually uses very unorthodox guitar work. There are contemplative songs such as “Falling from the sky: Day Seven” and “Innocent Bystanders United,” as well as some songs that will thrash you, like “Leaderless and Self-Enlisted” and “Blood Burner.” It’s well rounded, with interludes that provide a breath of calm while portraying the dark nature of the album. It really is a great piece of work, and I suggest you check it out.
In other news, my roommate Peter and I went and saw the new movie Inception at midnight. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go see it. It is the most brilliant piece of film I have probably ever watched in my life. It is well thought-out, smart, and actually requires that you bring your brain to the theater and engage in the movie. The only negative reviews I have seen of it are from people too unintelligent to comprehend the film and it’s clever nuances. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like I have gotten so much out of my $5 I paid at the theater. Looking forward to seeing it again. (
Good news! My band The Poor and the Prevalent have just sent our EP Decline and Fall out for print and we should be getting it on July 26th, which is also the day of our CD release show! The album will be available at shows and in Cheapo (and we’re working on a deal with Best Buy) in physical form or on iTunes and AmazonMP3. The CD release show will be at Station 4 in St. Paul on Monday the 26th, so keep the date open!
Well, that feels like a good length for a return post. I really should work on doing this more consistently. Take care, everyone!
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Music | Tags: blog?, emery, lookingforsummerwork, music, my band, update
I can’t remember the last time I posted on here, and it’s time for the blogging drought to end. First and foremost, I am looking forward to June 2nd perhaps even more than the last day of finals this year. Why you ask? Well, that’s the day that my all-time favorite band Emery’s new album “In Shallow Seas We Sail” is released. It’s their fourth studio album and they’ve returned to their golden roots. They recorded it at the Compound, Tooth and Nail’s flagship studio in Seattle, with über-producer Aaron Sprinkle, who is tailor made to immortalize this kind of sound. Today, Emery released their latest track from ISSWS entitled “Piggy Bank Lies” and it is impeccable. From what I can discern it is about a guy catching his girlfriend in the act of cheating on him, with the words sung “This is where you say it’s not what it looks like. He’s got his hands wrapped around your waist!” In true Emery fashion, they mix dark lyrics with surprisingly upbeat music. The first thing I notice is that they’ve gotten back to the heaviness that saturated their first CD, The Weak’s End, and balanced it with extremely melodic catchy lead lines laced together by their dual frontmen. Pairing this with their earlier single “Cutthroat Collapse” and I am thoroughly excited to get my hands on a copy of this album.
Emery - In Shallow Seas We Sail
In other news, I am in my last two weeks of classes, and I am aching for Summer to get itself started. I’m in a waiting game right now hoping to hear from a contact with a possible internship opportunity this Summer at one of the nuclear power plants in either Monticello or Red Wing. It would be quite an exciting opportunity that they say usually leads to eventual employment which would be really great. Prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated, as I’ve struck out of every other internship opportunity I’ve applied for.
The Aeipathy has finally broken it’s prolonged show-less streak as we played a free show at the Zylstra Harley Davidson in Elk River. Our drummer Darin got wind of the show from his dad and they needed another band so we jumped at the idea. Now that we’ve gotten that first show in a while out of the way, we want to make it a more common activity. That will hinge on a lot of things however. Peter, our bassist and my roommate, needs to get an internship in town or else he’s going to have to move back home for the summer to work for his dad. With him gone it looks like we’ll be in for another long hiatus unless we can find a fill in bassist, which I don’t like the idea of. So let’s hope for those internships! Also, if things go right, we’re getting to the point where we’re going to be wanting to hire a manager to help us plan shows and get organized. So if you’re interested, give me a holler!
I am working hard on getting our first recorded track finished and online. It’s kind of difficult because I’m pressed for time with two jobs and the end of school. I fear I won’t have the mental capacity to effectively mix and master this thing until finals end. I really want to get it online as soon as possible, and eventually it’s going to be one of those things where I can’t do anymore and have to get it online, so stay tuned for that. Anyway, my blogging is cut short, I have to get working on stuff. I’ll be back soon!
