Poolside

On a perfect summer day like yesterday, what's better than sitting poolside? How about inside a pool...a former community pool that when it was functioning, held nearly 8,000 swimming bodies in it? uh...ew. and wha? that's exactly what i thought as I was heading towards McCarren Park Pool, which this summer, has been re-fashioned as THE HIP and happening outdoor venue for hip and happening greenpoint, brooklyn. you enter through a large, worn brick structure before you come face-to-face with the Gi-NORMOUS (and un-filled) skeleton of a pool. the inside is all chipped concrete lined with plenty of graffitti art. it really is HUGE. supposedly on weekends, they have free 'pool parties' which includes live DJs, loads of sweaty dancing bodies, and a slip 'n slide-- i MUST get myself to one of these...

i was at McCarren Pool for one reason only: The Shins. to say i was excited would be an understatement. yeppers. they are definitely one of my most favorite bands i wouldn't miss a chance to see them live. here, the audience sits INSIDE the pool-- you can bring blankets to picnic but there's also brooklyn brewery beers and burgers and dogs for sale to munch on. and, this place is seriously hipster heaven. W kept egging me on to admit that yes, 4 out of 5 guys attending the event would qualify as 'my type.' perhaps he's right...but they all seemed either VERY young or VERY taken or (possibly) VERY gay. sigh.

The Shins, on the otherhand, sounded great (although the acoustics are iffy--it can get REALLY loud). fortunately, The Shins are pretty mellow-- although the boys totally rocked out on some of their tunes, which included a few new tracks from their upcoming album (they promised it will be out by very very early 2007). James Mercer, the lead singer, is sparse with the audience chatter (read: he doesn't chat), saving his unique, beautiful voice for singing only. a souped of version of my personal favorite 'Gone for Good' gave the anti-love song a different edge. And an almost elegiac, rendition of 'Young Pilgrims,' which Mercer sang alone under a single spotlight, was haunting. now the funniest part of their set-- while singing their hit 'New Slang'-- i could tell Mercer looked distracted and almost confused...in fact, he had to stop because he lost track of the lyrics. laughing it off and attempting a re-do, he stopped again, this time cracking up and asking if someone would just come up and sing it. it seems, post-Garden State fame, he can't seem to recall the lyrics to a track he's been forced to play a bajillion times. W and I started calling out Natalie (as in Portman's) name to see if she could help fill in the gaps. there was no answer. The Shins, of course, redeemed themselves with a proper re-do during their encore. me suspects they went back to review the lyrics...haha.

Rhapsodic!

Romance comes in many forms. Sometimes it surprises you, sometimes you can’t put your finger on it…and sometimes you’d rather avoid it and just walk the other way--declaring it cheesy, vomit-inducing…or gasp!...nonexistent. But even the most skeptical among us (myself included) fall victim to that flutter of whimsy, that welling of warmth that allows us to believe--if only for an instant--that the world is perfect and that love is actually possible.

Excuse me. But I’m making myself sick.

In spite of my current predicament of stalled romantic opportunities (some days, I term it “I-Will-Be-Alone-Forever”), I am still easily seduced by that jazzy symphonic ode to romantic nostalgia: Gershwin's An American in Paris. Ever since my friend A and I attended this concert , I can't rid myself from visions of Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, dancing their wistful pas de deux under the starry glow of a Paris dreamscape. To me, romance should sound like a Gershwin composition. Its confluence of brass and strings-- complicated rhythms, long notes held by a lone saxaphone, violins swelling to a rapturous crescendo-- casts a spell that's irresistable. Even the anti-romantics can't help but be moved.

In a packed concert hall last Sunday afternoon, One World Symphony, a community orchestra based here in NYC, performed not just Paris, but also Gershwin's classic (and one of my all-time favorite pieces) Rhapsody in Blue. No matter how often I listen to it, hearing it performed live is still thrilling. I'd love to learn to play it one day. And between the Gershwin masterpieces, they performed a series of works from another love-erly classic: Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Yes, we know how that one goes. Boy meets Girl and both love and tragedy ensue. This day, the focus was just on the love part. And yes, the song lyrics can be heavy on the fromage (A and I mock-sang the roles of Tony and Maria during intermission, people were probably staring) but the orchestra's conductor was pumped up, and got the audience involved by having us shout "Mambo!" during the hyperkinetic Latin dance sequences. It was awesome. The I-want-to-get-up-and-shake-my-hips kind of awesome.

When it was all over, right as the applause died down, the conductor-- all shifty nerves in his rigid military tux-- faced the audience and began inarticulately waxing poetic about the music...the dedication of his musicians...the orchestra's founding member who made this all happen...and then got on bended knee and proposed to his girlfriend (she's the founding member!) who was sitting up in the balcony. the audience whooped, tears were flowing, and an embrace was had on center stage. me? i was ready to fall in love. too bad Real Life doesn't play like a Gershwin tune.

Breakups, Breakdowns

though i may not have a legitimate boyfriend, i can still remember the heartache of past breakups and anticipate the potential pain of future ones. yes, i'm a cynic. but can you blame me, its the friggin holidays?

last year, i was dating this guy for about four months and still remember very clearly that moment when we broke up. we had a very mature conversation, hugged goodbye, and i calmly exited his place before he could glimpse any tears filling my eyes. as soon as i caught a cab, i sobbed for 5 minutes straight, expunging all the frustration that comes with ending a romance. when the crying finally stopped, i took a breath, called my friend Holly and was over it. there should be songs for moments like that. and there ARE songs. there should also be songs that characterize the more wrenching affairs that leave permanent marks on our hearts. what do those sound like? sad? maybe. bitter? possibly yes.

so i'm trying to compile a list of great Break Up Songs. they could be about breaking up, moving on, longing for past love, the anger at those that broke your heart, or the memory of that Last Night together...

on my current Breakup/Breakdown playlist:

1. "By the Bed," Phantom Planet
2. "Gone for Good," The Shins
3. "Burn," Usher
4."Tiny Vessels," Death Cab for Cutie
5. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," Al Green
6. "Screaming Infidelities," Dashboard Confessional
7. "Your Ex-Lover is Dead," Stars
8. "When the Heartache is Over," Tina Turner
9. "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson
10. "Linger," The Cranberries
11. "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You," Colin Hay
12. "Fling," Built to Spill
13. "One More Night (You're Ex-Lover is Still Dead)," Stars
14. "Harder Now That It's Over," Ryan Adams
15. "Once You Loved Somebody," Dixie Chicks

what's on your list?

A Little of This, A Lot of That

swimming in midterms and papers, my mind is not use to all the intellectual stimulation. and what's worse, my body can't seem to properly adjust to the student (lack of) sleep schedule-- daylight savings doesn't help-- throwing my system totally out of whack. yes, we earn an extra hour...but is it EVER enough? and the shorter days will only make for longer sleepless nites, no? man... sleep is such an under-rated recreational activity. it may just rival alcohol and sex. just a little bit.

student life also warrants much procrastination...so as we dive straight into cold, brisk autumn days, some random ramblings...

Press repeat...

don't know about you, but i go through these phases where all i do is listen to the same ten songs or the same three albums. i get obsessive like that...but also, music connects me with all the unfiltered emotions that flow through my head. so right now, i'm currently listening to...

Gimme Fiction, Spoon

this indie rock band hails from Austin, TX and pairs dense, moody lyrics with sparse muscial arrangements. i can't get over the tracks "I Summon You" and "I Turn My Camera On".

Seven Swans, Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens current release, Illinois, the latest installment in his ambitious a-record-for-every-state project, is at the top of every critics list this year. its a great record...but i can't seem to get away from this haunting, beautiful folk album that is filled with faith and intimacy.

Set Yourself on Fire, Stars

when my ipod shuffled out "One More Night" one day on my subway ride home, i was immediately hooked. a friend introduced me to this band earlier this summer...but i didn't really LISTEN until this tune caught me off guard. each track is like unwrapping a secret between lovers--we're accidently listening in on the dialogue between Amy Milan and Torquil Campbell, Stars' two lead singers. their vocalised interchange weaves together stories of heartache and breakups in between electronic pulses, rich string arrangements, and staccato drum beats.

An Ode to China...and Rachmaninoff?

over the weekend, i attended a performance at Carnegie Hall that was a celebration of sorts for the Chinese people in the metro area...okay, i exaggerate. but it was the 1st anniversary of the U.S. Chinese Chamber of Commerce (i know, i don't get it either). was it wrong that we cracked communist jokes? probably, but still. honestly, i was there for my friend...she plays for the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, a community-based orchestra that features young talent, and it was their debut. i was both excited and envious of her-- playing in such hallowed space. it made me long for my piano back at my parents house...and the days when i use to be able to tap out a decent tune. sandwiched between some very patriotic chinese pieces (one, called the Yellow River Concerto, even elicited clapping from the predominantly chinese audience during the encore) was my favorite piano concerto of all time-- the Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor...played in all its dramatic glory by a celebrated chinese pianist...it was just gorgeous.

Pet Peeves

what are your pet peeves? in-between pieces at the orchestra performance, my friends and i rattled off a few:

1. Clapping in-between movements during a classical music performance. okay, fine. some audience members probably don't know the difference...they think a pause is a moment to clap...but c'mon! even the announcer had to tell everyone during intermission to not clap until the END of the piece...hahaha.

2. Using text/instant-messaging acronyms in actual e-mails. this is nitpicky yes, but can't you afford to type out the full freaking word? LOL...what the hell? i just don't understand that one at all...just say haha...i get it, you think i'm funny.

3. Talking on the cell phone at the gym. this totally drives me insane. you are at the gym to WORK OUT not catch up with your girlfriends or make business calls. it's inappropriate and disruptive and rude to other gym members who just want to work off some negative energy...not acquire some more. if i wanted to know what your weekend plans were, i'd be friends with you already...but don't you think you look stupid sweating on the elliptical machine with a cell phone to your ear?

okee...back to the studying grind...

Fountains of Wayne Rock!

the other day, i went to the Fountains of Wayne concert at Central Park. it was part of this sing-a-thon fundraiser type event to raise money for homeless children. and as the sage FoW lead singer said-- who doesn't support children without homes? hehehe. okay, lame joke. in any case, for those that don't know FoW outside of their pivotal radio-hit-turned-pepsi-commercial-theme-song tune "Stacy's Mom"-- they are a fun, laid-back, tongue-in-cheek power pop band from new york. their songs are about everyday things: an asshole boss, a shitty relationship, why high school sucked, and of course, football...you know, regular stuff. but each song is infused with catchy hooks and up-tempo, rock-out guitar riffs. despite the lack of a real audience(the rain didn't help) FoW gave an energetic, self-deprecating performance of some of their best tracks. some personal faves of mine: "Hey Julie!," (a personal anthem when i'm having a crappy day at work) done acoustic style, "Hackensack," and "Radiation Vibe." good stuff. and despite an awesome 9'X 12' plastic tarp my friend W (genius!) brought for us to huddle under(which resulted in a narsty-ass viral infection i'm still forced to endure), they have become, in my mind, a band I must catch live as MUCH AS POSSIBLE. check out more about them here.

Weezer tries to "Make Believe"

some bands, and specifically some albums, are more than just a cultural reference point, but a touchstone for one's own personal history. for me, weezer's eponymous debut album, known by the emo masses as the Blue Album brings me straight back to senior year in high school. it was fall 1994, and i would rock out behind closed doors to "in the garage" and "say it ain't so" while attempting to pen my college application essays.

luckily for me, the album's power pop sound and confessional lyrics were more adrenaline-inducing vs. distracting, sending me into college, primed and ready for angst and self-discovery. which was why Weezer's second album, released during my sophomore year-- the sometimes angry, often dour, and always catchy Pinkerton-- sealed the deal for me: Weezer was My Band. i was freakishly obsessed. i re-read every tortured lyric, pined after geeky front-man Rivers Cuomo, played each song over and over until every exploding guitar riff found its place as a personal anthem. will i ever get over this? could another band ever mean as much to me?

well, the answer would be yes. and yes. my obsession was real, but so was my short attention span. Rivers and crew waited five years to put out two consecutive albums that amped up the power pop but forgot the soulful introspection that brought them to cult status. i had, in turn, gone from insecure collegiate to wannabe yuppy. so now, on the cusp of my late twenties ready to discard yuppy status, the band has released a new album rumored to be more closely aligned in tone and sound to the earlier ones i had been so attached to. sure, its been ten years, but i was ready to Make Believe.

a recent Rolling Stone cover story illustrated Weezer as a band mired in dysfunction, one where Cuomo's quirks and ego dominates every track. Cuomo spent much of his three-year hiatus seeking peace and celibacy through meditation and the result is a fifth album that is at once introspective and unapologetically optimistic. the album's first track, already an MTV staple as the video was shot at the Playboy Mansion, seems to shout out "Look! The Geeks have made it!" while other tracks, such as "This is Such A Pity" sounds like it could have come straight off a Depeche Mode album-- when did Weezer become a New Wave band?

however, these deviations aside, the album has some real gems reminding me of the Classic Weezer i first fell for. "Perfect Situation" opens with a 40 second punk-pop guitar solo before plunging straight into a quick-tempo song about fear, love, longing and loneliness, eventually leading into a power ballad type chorus. i have a feeling its a track i'll be putting on repeat a lot. "Hold Me" and "Haunt You Every Day" continue along this same theme of self-doubt, very much in the vein of Pinkerton. other tracks, such as "Pardon Me" and "Peace" are reflective and somewhat hopeful-- it's as if all the meditation is allowing Rivers to finally forgive himself.

in the end, nothing will ever replace the impact of Weezer's earlier breakthrough albums. but, maybe that's okay. i'm older and wiser (supposedly) now too and can learn to appreciate that as a band ages, it's expected that they will let go of the issues that once defined them...so long as they don't forget what makes them essentially who they are. you should only be allowed to Make Believe some of the time.