Actually, it’s been my excuse for infrequent posting for the last 3 months. My graduate program and new city are nothing short of stellar. Immersed in reading, writing, walk-and-talks, travels, dancing, pot lucks, bike rides, snuggles, and balcony musings, I’m only a little bit sorry to report that I’m too busy for the fun distraction of this blog.

I see y’all are hanging with me, though, so thank you. New posts are brewing. Crafting season is upon us, 2010 music reviews are popping up, and I have treasures to share from Raleigh/Durham’s thrifting havens. Soon, friends!

Damn you for making music that taps my predilections. Running the alt-country gambit from rock n’ roll to folk to country, then throwing in some pop? Are ya trying to keep me from my studies? Plus singing in that endearing and creeping voice of yours? That’s just not playing fair. Fine, I acquiesce. Laptop aside, feet propped on desk, listening, sighing, smiling.

Your pals from MMJ and your old man are culpable too, buddy.

On Nashville: “I saw Elvis make out with Jesus in a yellow limousine.” Of course you did.

A Storm - A Tree - My Mother's Head

On breakups: “I climbed the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, but I forgot I’m afraid of heights. One of us has got to go.” Allegorical truths.

On livestock: “Your goat is on fire.” ?

Preview or get album here

Don’t worry, darlin’, you’re not the only one being cursed for making affecting music. Dylan LeBlanc is about to get a letter regarding If time was for wasting. But, I’ll save that story for next time (see September Playlist of debauchery and delight).

Yours truly,

E

It’s Alright from Fields by Junip | Listening Party.

Another album from Spinner this week.

Listen to the new album – Spinner.

The Drums is every bit as fluffy as you’d expect a new indie pop record to be. If you missed the 80′s, or if you’re feeling sunny, give it a spin.

Instead of a How To on crafting or cooking, let’s try something more adventurous…

How to rock it in a new city

Divide your time between nesting, exploring, and socializing.

1. Get lost to find yourself. Don’t rely on a GPS or fancy phone. Study the city map online so you know major thoroughfares that run N/S/E/W. Buy a Street Finder map for your car or bag. Next, GET LOST. Use the map and your instincts to find your way back. Then, do it again.

2. Find the free independent newspaper. Circle things you’d like to do. Then, actually go do them. For me, that’s music shows, art openings, writing groups, crafting groups, free yoga, park events, etc. (Thanks for the tip, Mando.)

3. Invest in your space. Moving is an excellent chance to shift old habits, even domestic ones. Despite my normal thriftiness, I thought, “Repainting costs be damned. I like color.”

And, of course, set up your stereo before anything else. (Pack that shit on top.)

Last week, I was living very happily in Louisville, KY. Today, I live in Raleigh, NC. I’ve gotten lost about 5 times. I’ve stared amazedly at incompetent slow people in the paint department. I’ve rediscovered forgotten music and fallen in love with a hiking trail.

Friday, I had a date with the city and caught a show by The Young Republic, a Nashville band I saw in Louisville last month. Southern tours, we’re doin’ it right.

Follow-up question: Where’s the rock? If you like pop/synth/trippy, then this is the summer for you! It’s littered with tracks like this one by CEO, chosen almost randomly from Stereogum because it sounds like most of what’s out there right now.

I’m not denying my love affair with creative indie pop. Oh no, it’s there. Blackbird Blackbird is flirting with me, I’ll admit it. And, Gorillaz and Broken Bells are fun enough. But come on, new music world, give me something lasting.

While searching, I did find Yewknee’s cool collection of SUMMER MIXES. The first one I was drawn to, Cicadas and Cocktails, has some great stuff – not new but nice to have.

For the record, one of my favorites so far this year is The Black Keys’ Brothers (but be warned: it can bum you out and struggles with monotony). Here’s the single. And, as stated before, Delta Spirit makes me happy.

If you’ve heard great stuff this year that maybe I’ve missed, please comment.

Sometimes your name elicits a grimace by those who have not yet discovered the genius of thrifting. But, I’ll say it loud and say it proud. I love you, Goodwill. I do.

Grand total: $5.

Mark Twain’s complete autobiography will be released in November, possibly revealing a character both acrid and compassionate. In the article, one historian describes it as “400 pages of bile,” a place for him to voice cruel observations that couldn’t be said at the time. Might this change the way we perceive one of our favorite American icons? However, the humanist remains. Twain discusses human rights and offers insights relevant today, such as this nugget that caught my attention: “patriotism (is) the last refuge of the scoundrel.”

I’m curious to see if this retelling of Twain’s own character complicates time’s glossy sheen on the way we remember him.

When people ask me, “Did Mark Twain really mean it to take 100 years for this to come out,” I say, “He was certainly a man who knew how to make people want to buy a book.” -Editor Robert Hirst, Berkeley.

China Mieville’s The City & The City caught my attention when it was nominated for the Hugo Award. A former sci-fi reader, I still keep my eye on these things. However, my current taste is for personal narratives which address public perception. This novel satisfied. Mieville’s story is barely science fiction, qualifying only by taking place in a fictional setting and drawing from theoretical physics–in presumption only. The language is accessible and bright with fast-paced dialogue, including a loveable supporting character who communicates almost exclusively in curse words.

Essentially, this is a murder mystery. It includes political intrigue and explores themes of perception, boundaries, fear and power. What I like most about this piece is its versatility. It can serve as a quick summer read, but it has enough thematic substance, should you choose to see it, to fill Sunday afternoon musings.

Here’s a clip from The Guardian’s review.

Subtly, almost casually, Miéville constructs a metaphor for modern life in which our habits of “unseeing” allow us to ignore that which does not directly affect our familiar lives. Yet he doesn’t encourage us to understand his novel as a parable, rather as a police mystery dealing with extraordinary circumstances. The book is a fine, page-turning murder investigation in the tradition of Philip K Dick, gradually opening up to become something bigger and more significant than we originally suspected.