Here's a new band called Youth Lagoon. You can download a few of their tracks for free from Bandcamp (use the widget below). The second of the two tracks available, "Cannons", is my favorite, especially when the lead guitar kicks in 50 seconds in the song.
Looks like the first week of law school wrecked my blogging consistency. Pepper Rabbit is a band I came across today. They have a funny name, but I like their sound.
I flew back to Kansas City this past weekend to celebrate my family's August birthdays, most importantly my mom and sister's birthdays. Fulfilling a promise we'd made after reading the book, my mom and I went to see The Help last Friday, my dad graciously tagging along. The film is one I'd highly recommend to anyone who has a heart not made from stone. I found The Help to be equally emotional and thought provoking. Here is one thought I had while sitting in the theater:
I officially have homework again. Only in law school do you have homework before school even starts. Lana Del Rey, the new Jeff Bridges album, and the new mixtape from The Weeknd are providing the soundtrack as I dive into my Day 1 reading assignments. Check out a track from Lana Del Rey below.
I've been waiting to read the Grantland article, written by Carles of HipsterRunoff.com, on the lessons taught by the TV series Friday Night Lights. I actually began the article a month ago only to stumble upon spoilers and postpone reading. Having finished Season 5 of FNL last night, I was finally able to finish the article. The author Carles gleaned surprisingly insightful lessons from watching the show (though I don't know Carles, so maybe his insight is not surprising at all). Among the many lessons he describes, these stuck out to me as most powerful - sacrifice defines a family; and a successful marriage depends on mutual submission (he uses different language in the article to describe the second lesson). This will be the lasting impression of Friday Night Lights for me: beyond entertainment, the show made an authentic examination of life in America and ultimately provided lessons for how life is best lived. At the core it's a show about the fallibility of humans and the need for grace, love, and sacrifice to make relationships work. If I'm honest, I shed some tears after watching the finale last night - tears for the end of an excellent show and for the many unexpected ways I grew from watching.
I'm reading a very interesting book by Dave Eggers entitled Zeitoun. In this nonfiction narrative, Eggers tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a successful Syrian-born painter in New Orleans who remains in the city through Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent chaos. I'm actually reading this book as part of my law school orientation. Zeitoun's experience post-Katrina raises the issue of the value of law and order and it's fragility in times of crisis. Though only halfway through Zeitoun at the moment, I would highly recommend the book thus far. My one criticism is way in which this account grossly misunderstands Christianity as "same God, different book" as it relates to the Muslim faith. In Egger's attempt to relate the "Americanness" of this Muslim family, I believe he inaccurately unifies the two distinctly different faiths. Nevertheless, this on-the-ground account of the mayhem surrounding Hurricane Katrina is both fascinating and heartbreaking.
I really like this cover of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" by Mr. Little Jeans - aka Norwegian singer Monica Birkenes. This song would make a great soundtrack to Norwegian novelist Per Petterson's desolate fiction.
I heard this band, Quiet Company, on the radio last night. They hail from Austin and have a melodic indie sound. Check out a few of their songs below. It looks like they have an album coming out at the end of September.
One of my friends tweeted about the website DearPhotograph.com. Those who post to the site are charged to "take a picture of a picture of the past in the present." That photo above reminds me of fishing at the park with my dad and my brother Kyle. I love looking at old family photographs and I really enjoy the concept of the website.
The title of this song is appropriate considering the recent heat wave that has descended upon the Midwest - 111 degrees in parts of Kansas City yesterday. I'm a big fan of The Tallest Man on Earth. Some may not like his Dylan-esque growl, but I enjoy his sound. Check out a new song released as part of this summer's Adult Swim Singles Program through Cartoon Network.
I've meant to post this song for awhile now. It's from Death Cab's album that was released back in March. Though I loved Death Cab in college, I didn't give this album much thought. They've regressed, in my opinion, since signing to a major label and their last album, Narrow Stairs, was a flop. But I've enjoyed this year's Codes and Keys and I really like guitar riff in "You Are A Tourist".
