Saturday, November 21, 2009

I love philosophy because of its purity and clarity, but I think it also helps that philosophy never uncovers any depressing real-world issues, unlike politics and economics. I am going to miss it.

said someone out there at 4:24 PM

So I've started on the latest Pterry novel, and so far he's referenced the All Souls tradition of chasing the mallard, and mentioned a university called 'Brazeneck', which is obviously a reference to Brasenose. Heh.

said someone out there at 2:03 PM

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

I think my initial assessment of Röd might have been too generous. A lot of the songs do have rather predictable structures - it was the mid-song stylistic changes, I think, which made me think otherwise. After a few more listens and a closer look at the lyrics, I still think the album is rather complex musically, but perhaps not structurally.

said someone out there at 3:44 PM

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Maybe it's just because all the other songs are new to me, but it does seem that Töntarna is the most conventional song on Röd. Also, I need to translate it properly, but the closing track, Det Finns Inga Ord, seems like Sverige by way of 747 - absolutely beautiful, crushing melody, pretty epic, but the Sweden-centric lyrics are actually cynical, and you can't just take them at face value.

I really wonder how they're going to choose songs for the concert setlists, because almost every song on the album seems like it would be awesome live. Taxmannen is definitely a live song, as is Ensamheten. If they don't play Hjärta, Sjukhus, and Vals för Satan, I will be disappointed, because those three songs are the emotional core of the album, I think. Svarta linjer might be hard to pull off live, maybe - they've performed it once already, though.

Also, this is a difficult album for one (i.e. me) to sing along with, partly because of how they've broken away a bit from overly predictable rock song structures. Maybe. I mean, it's undeniably pop, but it's complex pop, if that makes sense, and at the same time less... obviously catchy, maybe? So many epic songs. *_*

Ahhh I have lots of work to do, but all I want to do now is translate the lyrics and listen to the album on repeat. I'll do the latter, at least.

said someone out there at 1:04 PM

Three minutes into the fifth track of Röd, now, and I am officially in love. Oh man. I desperately need to translate all the lyrics now, if no one else has done so - I'm reading along and only getting fragments of it. Or, okay, maybe like 60 to 70 per cent of it, but most of the missing words are, you know, important verbs and nouns.

edit: Also I am so damned excited for the concerts now, because some of these tracks would be bloody epic live.

said someone out there at 12:35 PM

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I have Röd! Unfortunately, I do not have the Good Speakers, so listening to it will have to wait for the weekend. I'm not entirely sure what to make of the album art, at the moment.

said someone out there at 10:34 PM

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

I just sent off emails asking my tutors for academic references. I hate myself and am terrified of masters applications. That is all.

said someone out there at 5:53 PM

Friday, October 30, 2009

The first reviews of Röd are starting to appear. Some really exciting stuff in there - suggestions that some of the songs break away from formulaic pop structures, for instance. My main worry is that, with the Royal Mail strikes, my copy will not reach me. ._.

said someone out there at 5:25 PM

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

This is one of the most epic tegaki vids I've ever seen. But then again, I think pretty much all Baccano! OP parody vids are awesome.

said someone out there at 5:52 PM

Monday, October 26, 2009

Descartes's attempt to solve the problem that determinism poses for free will basically goes like this:

1. We can't hope to understand God's power of preordination and omniscience.
2. But it sure does feel like we've got free will!
3. And something which we can't understand shouldn't be grounds for doubting something which we grasp so well.

I love how that section in the Principles is actually titled 'How to reconcile the freedom of our will with divine preordination'. Because clearly Descartes's answer to that... is not to try.

The Meditations really goes downhill from the Third Meditation onwards. Sigh.

said someone out there at 3:36 PM

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

I'm hoping that this is the explanation for those sudden, stabbing pains I sometimes get. Hurrah (I think) for internet diagnoses.

said someone out there at 9:20 PM

Sunday, October 18, 2009

I appear to have just bought a ticket for the third Göteborg concert.

Oops.

That makes it:
18 march – Göteborg, Lisebergshallen
19 march – Göteborg, Lisebergshallen
20 march - Göteborg, Lisebergshallen
24 march – Oslo, Oslo Spektrum

Why am I such a sad Kent fangirl? Why?

said someone out there at 5:15 PM

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Töntarna video is interesting, Guero is actually pretty good studying music, I am a bad student, and it is too bloody cold for October. This blog really has degenerated into a Twitter feed.

said someone out there at 11:07 PM

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Unexpected outcome of reading about development economics: finding out more about the systematic discrimination against women and female children, with data and graphs to boot. It's a depressing world in so many ways.

said someone out there at 5:52 PM

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Oh man, extra concerts have been added. The question now is, do I want to see Kent thrice in Göteborg? Or even four times? (Okay, maybe not four times, because I want to have enough time in Oslo before that concert. But oh, temptation.)

said someone out there at 5:45 PM

Monday, October 12, 2009

So, my debit card has been blocked, yes? And I was calling my bank to get them to unblock it. But then the call gets cut off because my phone has run out of credit. And I can't top up my phone credit, because that requires a debit card.

...*cries*

I'll have to visit the bank tomorrow. Augh.

said someone out there at 7:16 PM

Apparently dealing in various sums of Swedish and Norwegian currency counts as making 'suspicious transactions'. In happier news, though, I have Kent tickets. :D

said someone out there at 6:53 PM