(no subject)
Today was the first day of my new job. It went well, though most of it was spent finishing up tasks for my old job, cleaning out my inbox, arranging for supplies, etc. A general cleaning-out, emptying, in preparation for the tasks that will soon be heaped upon my shoulders. I've got a couple more training modules to run, and I'd like to go through some old papers and organize my supplies, but I can't do the latter because I don't have anything (tray, supply drawer, etc.) in which to organize them. I've got some drawers for hanging files, but that's about it.
Ah well, I've got plenty of desk space so I'll manage well enough in the meantime.
In big news, on Thursday I went with Brian and Mike to see the Decemberists in concert, and as usual got my face blown off by the sheer awesomeness :) They are a great band for live performances! And while it wasn't quite as epic as The Hazards of Love (how could it be? That was a rock opera supplemented with two awesome guest singers), it was still a great time :) They played songs from many of their albums, older and newer, including several from their latest album The King is Dead. I did not keep a set list, but I recognized most of what they played.
Highlights included, but are not limited to:
-A fantastic extended version of "The Bagman's Gambit"
-A few of my favorites from their new album, including "Rox in the Box," "Don't Carry it All" and "All Arise!"
-"Chimbley Sweep", turned up to 11, which (surprisingly enough) wrapped up their main set
-The entirety of "The Tain," which I now want to own. I had unfortunately never listened to it before, so I don't think I was able to appreciate it as much as some of their more familiar stuff, but it was still pretty epic. This was their first encore. Seriously. They played an 18-minute song for their first encore.
-And my personal favorite, the entirety of "The Crane Wife," all three parts played in order. This was really something great to experience live, because I was made aware of different aspects of the music that came through more strongly in performance (for example, the heartbeat of the solo drum during part 2). It also had a great dynamic response from the audience. Most of the audience stood through most of the concert, but some people sat down for quieter songs. Well, most everybody stood up when Part 1 started, but when the quieter Part 2 started, a huge swath of my section sat down--including a lot of people who had stood the entire time so far--so I had a sudden clear view of the stage. I sat too, but it was in this eager, edge-of-seat position, and I really felt like I--and the rest of the seated audience--were listening rapt to Colin Meloy as storyteller. It became, for part 2, less a rock concert than storytime. And when the song rose to the pounding climax of part 3, we all stood up again to rock to the sound.
The only downsides to the concert were 1) They performed "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" but it just isn't the same without the original Queen of the Forest, and 2) there was a shrieking, knuckle-headed, hormone-ridden teen in a row behind me who was CONVINCED that Colin Meloy, whenever he addressed the audience, was speaking to HER OMG!!!, and spoke back to him loudly throughout the concert, desperately trying to wave him down, even when he was doing, like, a quiet harmonica solo. She must've been badly in love with an imaginary Colin Meloy she'd made up in her head, because she became somewhat confused whenever the real, actual Colin Meloy did something on stage that she didn't expect (like play a guitar through his band member's legs). ("WHAT'S he DOING?!") It was hilarious and a little pathetically sad. That being said, this crowd seemed skewed slightly older than the last time we went to see them in concert, so this girl was really in the minority.
Anyway. I want to get The Tain and Picaresque, and eventually I want to get around to owning an actual copy of The Crane Wife, if for no other reasons than 1) wanting to support a band whose music I adore, and 2) getting an actual copy of the lyrics!
Also, I told Brian the other day that what we need--what somebody should write and publish--is an official, annotated guide to the Decemberists' lyrics. I bet you could get a ton of stuff out of that!
Ah well, I've got plenty of desk space so I'll manage well enough in the meantime.
In big news, on Thursday I went with Brian and Mike to see the Decemberists in concert, and as usual got my face blown off by the sheer awesomeness :) They are a great band for live performances! And while it wasn't quite as epic as The Hazards of Love (how could it be? That was a rock opera supplemented with two awesome guest singers), it was still a great time :) They played songs from many of their albums, older and newer, including several from their latest album The King is Dead. I did not keep a set list, but I recognized most of what they played.
Highlights included, but are not limited to:
-A fantastic extended version of "The Bagman's Gambit"
-A few of my favorites from their new album, including "Rox in the Box," "Don't Carry it All" and "All Arise!"
-"Chimbley Sweep", turned up to 11, which (surprisingly enough) wrapped up their main set
-The entirety of "The Tain," which I now want to own. I had unfortunately never listened to it before, so I don't think I was able to appreciate it as much as some of their more familiar stuff, but it was still pretty epic. This was their first encore. Seriously. They played an 18-minute song for their first encore.
-And my personal favorite, the entirety of "The Crane Wife," all three parts played in order. This was really something great to experience live, because I was made aware of different aspects of the music that came through more strongly in performance (for example, the heartbeat of the solo drum during part 2). It also had a great dynamic response from the audience. Most of the audience stood through most of the concert, but some people sat down for quieter songs. Well, most everybody stood up when Part 1 started, but when the quieter Part 2 started, a huge swath of my section sat down--including a lot of people who had stood the entire time so far--so I had a sudden clear view of the stage. I sat too, but it was in this eager, edge-of-seat position, and I really felt like I--and the rest of the seated audience--were listening rapt to Colin Meloy as storyteller. It became, for part 2, less a rock concert than storytime. And when the song rose to the pounding climax of part 3, we all stood up again to rock to the sound.
The only downsides to the concert were 1) They performed "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" but it just isn't the same without the original Queen of the Forest, and 2) there was a shrieking, knuckle-headed, hormone-ridden teen in a row behind me who was CONVINCED that Colin Meloy, whenever he addressed the audience, was speaking to HER OMG!!!, and spoke back to him loudly throughout the concert, desperately trying to wave him down, even when he was doing, like, a quiet harmonica solo. She must've been badly in love with an imaginary Colin Meloy she'd made up in her head, because she became somewhat confused whenever the real, actual Colin Meloy did something on stage that she didn't expect (like play a guitar through his band member's legs). ("WHAT'S he DOING?!") It was hilarious and a little pathetically sad. That being said, this crowd seemed skewed slightly older than the last time we went to see them in concert, so this girl was really in the minority.
Anyway. I want to get The Tain and Picaresque, and eventually I want to get around to owning an actual copy of The Crane Wife, if for no other reasons than 1) wanting to support a band whose music I adore, and 2) getting an actual copy of the lyrics!
Also, I told Brian the other day that what we need--what somebody should write and publish--is an official, annotated guide to the Decemberists' lyrics. I bet you could get a ton of stuff out of that!