New Jams and a Four Day Weekend

I know, you’re thinking “No man.  It’s a three day weekend.”  For me, it’s a four day weekend.  I took today off, so I got four days away from “the man”, you dig?  I’m no cog today.  No corporate puppet having its strings pulled by some middle management soul-sucking succubus.  No sir.  Today I’m the guy running errands, buying dog food, toilet paper, fancy cheeses, and fresh herbs and vegetables for some Labor Day weekend salsa and guacamole.  That’s how we roll in these parts.  Oh, I also bought a $120 graphing calculator.  Not for me.  I’m not even sure what to do with graphing paper, or charts and graphs.  Skin graphs?  Wait, that’s spelled differently.  Never mind.  Maybe I should ask the 13 year old in the house for which the graphing calculator was purchased for.  She’s 13 years old and in Honors Algebra II.  When it was time for me to take Algebra II(no honors for me, not by a long shot), I was a Junior in high school.  She’s in the 8th grade(yeah, I think all the antibiotics I took as a kid destroyed some  brain functions in me).  Anyways, I didn’t even take Algebra II.  I took Accounting as my math credit.  Praise Jebus for that loophole, otherwise I might be typing this blog post from a prison cell, or the statehouse.

So yeah, on my day off I shopped till I dropped, took my two youngest for some pancakes before dropping them off at school, and cleaned my car.  Oh, I also readied a couple songs for a digital single release(check those inboxes tomorrow, folks).  I took my wife some lunch(maki rolls and something wrapped in tapioca paper), and I stopped at my local brick n’ mortar and picked up something pretty amazing that I will talk about at a later date.  But the last week brought me some pretty awesome music(thanks, writing money) in the form of Diana Perpetual Surrender, Dent May Warm Blanket, and Washed Out Paracosm.

Diana’s Perpetual Surrender is pure 80s synth pop at its finest.  Think The Motels, Animotion, and St. Vincent all rolled into one quirky and sometimes kinda sexy sound.  It’s been my jam all week.  I plan on writing a review very soon.  Until then, just check out “Foreign Installation”, “That Feeling”, and “New House” for proof that I’m not full of shit.

Dent May’s Warm Blanket is a step in the full-on Brian Wilson pop direction.  His last album Do Things hinted at his love for Wilson’s longing for youth, young love, and sunsets.  Warm Blanket hints at nothing.  This is an album of unrequited pop bliss.  It still retains some of his electronic beats and Panda Bear puppy eyes longing, but for the most part Dent May has given in completely to his Brian Wilson muse and has given us a pop album that your Grandaddy used to make.  Listen to “Do I Cross Your Mind”.  If you don’t tear up thinking about a lost love(or your dog when you were a kid), seek the help of a priest…for you have NO SOUL!!!

Finally, Washed Out’s Paracosm is nothing short of a hazy, stoned-out summer feel good record.  And the great thing is that when fall hits, this album is reversible(much like your favorite fleece pullover) and can be enjoyed once the hot air is replaced with that brisk fall breeze and the green leaves fall to the ground and blow in the wind(hopefully to the neighbor’s yard).  “It All Feels Right”, “Weightless”, “Falling Back” and the very Marvin Gaye-ish “Great Escape” will make you long for a road trip, a cold one, and that friend you don’t see much anymore.

Well, I’ve rambled long enough(thank you, Sam Adams).  Everyone have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend.  Don’t, umm, labor too much…unless you’re actually in labor.  In that case, breathe.  “Hee, hee, hoo…Hee, hee, hoo…PUSH!!!”

XOXOXO