Songs 212 to 217

So, I'm apparently using a new blogger.com software, which for me simply means I had to rummage through my brain for my password. I found it under a stack of Dominos and Luckys. Thank goodness it wasn't beneath the September VF and InStyle, else I would have killed myself lifting them. So, here I sit--my first three diss chaps out for review and down to just one chap left to cover in my textbook, which at last gives me some time to blog. The children started their new preschool a couple days ago. It's just down the street, which provides several benefits: it cuts my commute to work by about 40 minutes; it prevents me from simply drifting over to Old McDonald's (as we like to call it, kinda gives it a homey touch) every other night for dinner; and it provides my kids with a school environment that actually seems, well, school-y. They love it so far--especially the part where they carry their lunch (yep, it's lunchables, folks) in their personalized Disney totes. I was going to add a lovely Jello pudding to the lunchables/Capri Sun/fruit snacks menu, but my husband wondered aloud exactly how quickly we were looking for a visit from Child Protective Services. I, on the other hand, felt that my emphasis on preservatives in my children's food suggested that I wanted to keep them around--and fresh!--for a while, making me a rather good mother. Still, they went pudding-less. I am now faced with the prospect of bringing Sunji--my daughter's class hamster--home at some point. I can envision only tragedy when Sunji escapes somehow from his cage, encounters one of the local fauna, and becomes either a moving cat toy or a furry Scooby snack. Perhaps I should wait for Flat Stanley later in the year. In the meantime, here's some more music:

Song 212: Living Things, "Bombs Below." Full on rockin' tune. You can picture some guitar choreography coupled with head banging. Seems slightly political in lyrical content, with a nice ironic use of the requisite rock phrase, "we salute you." All in all, rockin' good news.

Song 213: Blue October, "Hate Me." Creepy, Japanese-horror-y random audio beginning with a phone message machine. Imagery doesn't move far from these grudgelike roots. Seems to basically trace a self-destructive guy's relationship with an enabler girlfriend that taught him the value of life--and how he wasn't valuing life enough to be with her. Kind of like what would happen if Saw met Oprah and developed an Afterschool Special.

Song 214: The Boy Least Likely To, "Be Gentle With Me." This is peppy, tinkly. Nice turns of phrase ("I'm happy because I'm stupid"). The music flows merrily along always undercut by the lyrics. Seems to have a chorus sung by Fraggles. Clever.

Song 215: The Hold Steady, "Banging Camp." More rock. Has an alternating opening, seems fairly retro. The lead singer's voice seems mixed kinda high over the music tracks; they sound very separate, which is not what I would want from this kind of music. There's some aspect of it that sounds like posturing punk rap and is off putting--a bit like the child of Randy Newman and that kid who just wanted a Pepsi (you know who I mean).

Song 216: Lady Sovereign, "Fiddle with the Volume." I can't remember why I bought this. An electronica Missy, same sexual innuendo but with fewer slamming beats and more turnkey electronic sound effects.

Song 217: Mute Math, "Control." Starts pretty-emo but picks up some rockishness. It has a vintage new wave feel, reverbs and synth-y drums. The vocalist has a nice voice, a slight sense of urgency. I'm actually thinking this sounds like a Rick Springfield for the aughts, which is not a terrible thing in the end.

148 to go.