What up, lately?

I've been writing the French Saga (as I've affectionately named the cycle of stories to describe the France voyage), so for the few who await with scarcely-abaited breath, they're coming.

Since I've been back, several occurances to note:

• The Flower Market: Baltimore has an annual appreciation for all things floral. In addition to eating some food (excellent kettle corn), EV and I viewed a performance of the Baltimore City Improv group...assessment: dull with a dash of suckage. There's an artful method to improv comedy where the randomness of lawless over-acting intersects with the eureka moment of inspiration to build into a sublime moment of hilarity. The wrong way includes picking an absolutely unfunny tangent to the improv game structure and then running that premise into the ground - the rest of the group unwilling or unable to rescue the drowning. Additionally, poop, vomit, and piss is not funny just by itself: embellish the hell out of it. The Aristocrats is not funny unless you do the unexpected with the usual materials - Jeff's description of a woman defecating a flower is funnier than anything I could ever say.
• Been going crazy trying to finish the academic year off strong: field trips, experiments, dissections, and race wars are making it difficult times for Chuck to find time to write.
• Music Mania: downloading a lot from pay sites...here's the cream of the crop (in no particular order)

1. The Flaming Lips: Clouds Taste Metallic - Been meaning to get some older Flaming Lips (my collection stops at The Soft Bulletin except for a few singles like Bad Days, She Don't Use Jelly, and random tracks from Zaireeka). I got the new Lips first (the tepid At War With the Mystics), and being rather unimpressed, I got Clouds after reading a favorable review from Allmusic.com. Great album; tight, inspired insanity that really melds the experimentation of the band with solid melodic construction. Highlights for me: "Evil Will Prevail," "Brainville," and "When You Smile" which could have been transposed to Soft Bulletin.
2. Field Music: Field Music - I really like a random song downloaded from Myoldkentuckyblog.com, which is titled "I'm Tired." Mixes the sweetness of Of Montreal and Belle and Sebastian, with the syncopation found in Death Cab/Postal Service. It's good pop music with enough meat to prevent aural indigestion.
   
3. Built to Spill: You In Reverse - If you love Built to Spill, get this album. If you have not heard of Built to Spill, get this album then go to a show (they're on tour to support the album). Highlights for me: The first three songs and the last three songs.
4. Pearl Jam: Pearl Jam - Finally, a return to rock. Pearl Jam has departed (hopefully not for a temporary detour) from the downward spiral to irrelevance to make a solid rock album. I'm excited to go to the show in D.C. It has been a while, but this is a solid descendent of the Vitalogy era barn-burners (and thankfully sans "Stupid Mop.").
5. David Bowie: Heroes - A highlight of the Bowie/Eno collaboration, the album has a few great songs with vocals ("Heroes," "Secret Life of Arabia" and "Sons of the Silent Age"... the latter a Great White Duke classic slightly slurred from a few too many puffs from Marrakesh opium) and great soundscapes. Good stuff for fans of experimental music that are pleasant to listen to...this could lead to a tangent about so-called art music that are either minimalistic toward boredom or completely devoid of melody that it might as well be white noise...but I digress.
6. Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere - I'm sure I'm going to hate the "Crazy" song in a few weeks when it blows up on the pop charts, but right now, its a little slice of musical heaven. A mixture of great soulful singing and solid composition, with a killer hook, the song rocks it out. It makes the dance-phobic in me cringe as I boogie-bop in the driver's seat. The rest of the album ranges from decent to pretty damned good (including "Just a Thought," deploying the breakbeats of Danger Mouse so craftfully deployed on the White Album mashup, "Transformer" which is like Outkast on Ritalin, and the downbeat of "St. Elsewhere.") Great freakin' album, and I'm glad I got it just before it explodes and becomes a mess all over the radio and television.
7. Ghostface Killah: Fishscale - Intense and funny. Ghostface has always been tight lyrically, but this album returns him to the level of Supreme Clientele. This is a great album to get back in touch with Wu-tang Killah Bees!!! One of the best tracks on the album is "Whip You With a Strap" which is a story about getting beat by his mother: poignant and a bit chilling, but I end up truly feeling, which is a rarity in boastful artifice that is modern hip-hop. Get this album.

I'll be back with more soon, kiddies. I leave with fat man, redux.