2008, the year of ****

I seldom listen to song lyrics – often it’s just a line that is coherent enough for me to focus on, and of course Tom Waits filters in somewhere whenever he’s gently crooning – but I might be missing out. Anna is all Morrissey Morrissey Morrissey ooh listen to the lyrics and I can’t really empathise with that, but she sent me a song of LCD Soundsystem, All my friends, and it has some really good lines.

Especially fitting since I’m in Stockholm doing something that doesn’t really resemble anything you might call living.

Oh, if the trip and the plan come apart in your hand
You look contorted on yourself your ridiculous prop
You forgot what you meant when you read what you said
And you always knew you were tired, but then
Where are your friends tonight?

Yes, well, ok. I’m in good health, and except that I worry about people in Poland, I’m fucking peachy. Peachy but bored. I just hope that I won’t regret being “bored.” Last time I did we got 2007.

Bruce Springsteen and I; An unaknowledged love affair

I haven’t been listening to new music lately. Apart from browsing the rather slim IDM vaults of 15megsoffame.com, I’ve been dedicating myself to Terry Pratchett most of the time. That, or recorded lectures (the teaching company is a favourite) on topics I can’t even recall at the moment, although I’m sure I’ve become a better and more confused person as a result.

As it turns out, my hampstering has lead me to have more music on my computer & iPod than I’ve had time to listen to, cause I found thunder road by Tortoise, sung by Will Oldham (aka bonnie ‘prince’ billy), and I really liked it. like, I am almost certain that there was a hint of a tear poking it’s head out of one of my eyes at some point. And that’s quite a lot.

Today I looked for the lyrics to the song, and was only slightly pertubed when it turns out that the song was originally written by Bruce Springsteen of all people. (Wikipedia article on the song here, and the lyrics to it are on this here fan-page.) I’ve always branded myself as someone who doesn’t like Bruce Springsteen, but this sounds false when compared to another statement I tend to do, which is that it’s content, not form that’s important. Since the song was written thirty years ago, I must’ve heard it somewhere before. The only reason I don’t recall it must be cause it sucked.

Then will oldham sings it, and it makes perfect sense. Form over content, indeed.

[audio:Thunder_Road.mp3]

Another brilliant track from the same album is another cover: Love is love by Lungfish. That’s about it from the album though – just get those two. The rest is rather bleak, if not outright crappy (the album is The Brave and the Bold, btw)