The Dirty South

Do you ever put on an album sort of randomly and without thinking and it ends up being more perfectly suited to your mood and your life on the whole for those 45 minutes than anything you could have possibly actively sought out? It is a phenomenon, and it happened to me yesterday morning. I got home around 7:30 from work, kissed my husband goodbye, and as he walked out the door, the rain came POURING down. In sheets. Cats and dogs. All that. It was brilliant. I opened all the windows, soothed my scared doggies, and put on the Drive-by Truckers "The Dirty South." It is an album for the South, by the South, and to the South. It is about the mythology of the South and the sober realities of everyday life down here. It is beautiful, and it's the first time I've actually listened to the album while physically in the South. I was hopeful for another stormy morning today so I could relive that experience, but it's probably better as a one-time deal.

Serious squabbling at 1:30 AM

Neither of us could sleep last night. So, as per usual, we tossed and turned and debated really serious matters. The conversation started innocently and harmoniously enough. We had just finished "The Bourne Ultimatum" and were in total agreement that Julia Stiles was a weird choice for her role because, in Adam's words, "she certainly does not know how to kick ass." But then the talking wandered into dangerous territory. For instance, Adam claimed, with total confidence, that the Red Hot Chili Peppers' debut album was released in 1982. I was aghast. First of all, his knowledge of music trivia simply could not lend this fact to be true. Especially when my own grasp of this particular subject matter was dubious at best. As is my way, I very adamantly, perhaps even ostentatiously, disagreed, for absolutely no other reason than I just couldn't accept that Adam knew this and I didn't. So I declared that the Chili Peppers, in fact, could not have released their debut album until the late 80's. I was so persuasive that Adam started waffling and wondering if maybe he had gotten it all wrong and it was really 1988 that their first album came out and did he make a huge mistake in marrying me. Well, I threatened to get up and check wikipedia at that ungodly hour, but it was just too cold. So this morning, off he went to work, this matter completely unsettled. Until now. It pains me to say it, but my husband was more right than me. The band actually did form in 1983, and their first album was released in 1984. So, Adam, enjoy this moment. I know you will.

Best Song of 2007

According to Pitchfork, it's "All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem. It's hard to disagree.

One of the greatest blessings in life is to have a set of interesting, passionate, brilliant, caring, thoughtful, hilarious friends, and one of the greatest curses is to be separated from every one of them. This song is about memories and about moving forward. How hard that is. The droning but frantic piano a perfect backdrop to the scene of getting older and missing those careless days of sometimes really stupid decisions made alongside your best friend. Wondering how you made it out alive and would you trade any of it for anything? Those stories, the stuff that has now become material for wedding toasts. "The memory of our betters, keeping us on our feet."

This song is best heard alone and loud.