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!
