Crosswalking

Salami · 12-10-2011, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

You have a quietly magical way with words, you know that? Your prose is very descriptive and poetic: I can just imagine the rainwashed, littered streets of Manchester in the weak early morning sunlight. Very evocative indeed.

It works for me in a different way. I think through reading this journal, I've come to look at my own city in a new way. For me it's mundane at times, it annoys me that there are puddles everywhere and the architecture from the 17th and 18th century seems commonplace and boring at times. But reading journals like this remind me how even things I overlook can be special and wonderful. Thanks Pedestrian!

Paedantic Basterd · 12-18-2011, 10:02 PM

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Paedantic Basterd · 12-20-2011, 01:00 PM

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (2010)
Genre: Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia

One man's trash is another man's treasure. This is the phrase that comes to mind when listening to Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest. I refer of course not to the content of one of 2010's best-received albums, but instead to the nature of interpretation. Culture, environment, and personality all come together to shape our perception of the world, and so it happens I consider Halcyon Digest to be the definitive summer album, to general bafflement. Digest surfaces memories of summers long forgotten, not from a youth I've ever lived, but decades out of date. It blends cold-war-era melody seamlessly with woozy modern psychedelia. It's lazy and precocious, and delivered under Bradford Cox's childlike vocals.

Digest opens with Earthquake; a touch of dream pop, guitars shimmering like heat on suburban pavement, sluggish and sapped of energy. It's a breeze too hot to dry the beads of sweat on your brow. Faster tracks that follow, such as Don't Cry and Revival bring to mind bicycle gangs, buzzcuts and horn-rimmed glasses. Unsupervised baseball games. Guitars climbs and descend, meandering on Desire Lines. Each song is a painting by Norman Rockwell. It's the sound of white picket fences and porch swings and the American Dream, viewed through a hazy photograph.

Bradford Cox's voice reverberates across generations. It is music capturing a simpler time, tastefully crafted into a current context; a time capsule revealing familiar parallels. Digest appeared to me like a tan, through gradual warm exposure. It's easy to return to, nostalgic during the crisp winter months. A grayscale snapshot of summer to reflect upon free of foolish whimsy.

Trollheart · 12-20-2011, 01:54 PM

Just the one comment, but a sincere one: I wish I could write like that!
Well done man....

starrynight · 12-20-2011, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

[LEFT]One man's trash is another man's treasure. This is the phrase that comes to mind when listening to Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest. I refer of course not to the content of one of 2010's best-received albums, but instead to the nature of interpretation.

I'd refer to the content.

Not that I'd say it's trash, that's a harsh word to use about any music, but I can't say it appealed to me either. Many of the best received (or most well known and hyped) albums today I can find overrated anyway.

Zer0 · 12-21-2011, 03:44 PM

Halcyon Digest is definitely a more enjoyable album than Microcastle, which doesn't really seem to do anything for me. I've never really seen it as a summer album, probably because I first heard in autumn last year. But now that I think of it, it does kind of have that lazy summer feel.

My favourite song off the album is probably 'He Would Have Laughed', which was written for Jay Reatard. It's a brilliant ending to the album.

Paedantic Basterd · 12-24-2011, 08:04 PM

Merry Christmas

I sat here for forty minutes, staring at a word document, trying to find a way to say what's on my mind, trying to work up the spirit to ask somebody to sit and talk with me. Trying to open a journal entry with vivid imagery of steaming plates and seasonal cutlery. Of cloth napkins and stupid paper hats. These are images I associate with the Christmases of my youth, when I was too young to follow an adult conversation, and spent the dinners at my mother's side picking at nuts and bolts and the stick of celery in her bloody caesar. I wanted to paint you a jovial picture, to distract you from the fact that I'm floundering on Christmas eve.

Every year I can recall, I remember post-Christmas discussion weighing on my heart. The family, the friends, the gifts, the parties. Accounts of success measured in electronics and drinks consumed. I've always preferred the giving side of Christmas to the getting. This year, the inevitable getting is weighing on my mind. It has nothing to do with perceived selfishness, or extravagance. I've never felt bitter about the gifts I've received; always useful, necessary items. Thoughtful, not superfluous. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't overcome with disappointment every year. I know that my mother would bestow me the world if she were able, and knowing the pleasure of giving, it saddens me that she cannot, but even that isn't the root of my negativity.

Five years ago my grandmother passed away. Two weeks before Christmas. I remember opening all of the gifts on Christmas morning that should've been hers. Every year since, my mother and I have had less and less. Fewer friends to party with. Fewer relatives to invite to dinner. Fewer gifts to give, except to one another. One less pet, then another. Less cards, less phone calls. Everyone has moved away, or passed away, or conveniently forgotten. This year we barely got baubles up on the tree in time, and it occurred to me how easily this could be just another day of the year.

I want to end on a thoughtful note, if I can't be cheerful or at least optimistic, so I'd like to wish anyone reading a merry Christmas. Please enjoy everything you glean from the season, but don't forget the small things that come together to make it possible and worthwhile.

NSW · 12-24-2011, 09:03 PM

I just want to tell you how much I've enjoyed reading your journal. You seem like a very private person, so it's nice to catch a glimpse of what's behind the mysterious persona that is Pedestrian.

I can't say I can relate to the Christmas angst, having never celebrated it. It really has always been just another day. But my heart goes out to you because I do know what it's like to have things like relationships, family, and just a general sense of normalcy seem to pull apart over time. Your last sentence really got me. "Don't forget the small things." It's so easy to do isn't it? But those are the things that really make life, not just the holidays, special. Not to get sappy or anything...

I sincerely hope that tomorrow finds you a bit more cheerful and that something happens to put a smile on your face.

Happy Holidays lady.

starrynight · 12-25-2011, 02:54 AM

Christmas is more for children I think. Adults perhaps have to develop other more sophisticated pleasures to get them excited, simple things like chocolates, TV or even opening a present will not excite them like when they are younger.

Trollheart · 12-25-2011, 12:46 PM

It's very true that in general most people are split into one of two groups: those that prefer to give, and those that prefer to receive. I've always enjoyed picking out and arranging the perfect gift, those I know someone would like, and appreciate, but it got to me last year when, after going to quite extraordinary (for me) lengths to ensure everyone had a thoughtful present --- including, almost especially --- those I didn't like particularly, I got back presents that were quite obviously last-minute or at the very least had zero thought put into them.

Now, I know we don't give to get, but when you go to all that trouble it's nice to receive something half-decent back. So this year I said forget it. In addition to having little money for extravagant pressies, I feel I'm wasting both my money and effort, when the gesture is not even appreciated. I recall a few years back when I had very little money and decided to MAKE gifts, but interesting and kind of unique ones. For my brother I made a series of CDs with the best music from Tom Waits, his absolute favourite artiste, and then having dug up some information on his wife's musical interests (I absolutely do not get on with her) I made her a selection too.

The total lack of interest, appreciation, gratitude or even acceptance was like a bombshell to me. I had put a lot of effort into these gifts, and all I got in return was a shrug and a feeling of "is this all we get?"

But more than that, this year, and for the past two years, my Christmas has consisted of looking after my sister, who as some of you know has MS. She spends her entire life in her bedroom, so the best I can offer her at Xmas is to decorate that room, make her dinner and sit with her as much as I can, or she wants. In that way, I continue the spirit of giving that has always been close to my heart, and the way I am. I don't so much give gifts, but I give of my time and my company. Of course, I do this on a day-to-day basis normally, but I feel it's so much more important to do so, and make a special effort, at this festive time.

We get NO visitors, unless my elder sister can make it. My two brothers have basically cut us out of their lives, for no reason I can ascertain. We don't even get phone calls from one end of the year to the next. Some people see their extended family only at this time: we don't see our immediate family anytime!

So I can sympathise with you about the "shrinking circle", but remember that the people who matter are still there, and if for nothing else than for their sake you have to make the most of Christmas, for them. May not feel like it, but it's probably the best present you could give at this time.

I hope your Christmas improves, and you have a better 2012.
Happy Christmas, to you and all.

Troll

12-18-2011, 10:02 PM	#102 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	. Last edited by Paedantic Basterd; 04-24-2021 at 02:47 PM.

12-20-2011, 01:54 PM	#104 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Just the one comment, but a sincere one: I wish I could write like that! Well done man.... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-21-2011, 03:44 PM	#106 (permalink)
Zer0 ∞ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,792	Halcyon Digest is definitely a more enjoyable album than Microcastle, which doesn't really seem to do anything for me. I've never really seen it as a summer album, probably because I first heard in autumn last year. But now that I think of it, it does kind of have that lazy summer feel. My favourite song off the album is probably 'He Would Have Laughed', which was written for Jay Reatard. It's a brilliant ending to the album. __________________ Last FM \| RYM \| The Final Sound

12-24-2011, 09:03 PM	#108 (permalink)
NSW Bigger and Better Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Texas girl living in the UK Posts: 2,596	I just want to tell you how much I've enjoyed reading your journal. You seem like a very private person, so it's nice to catch a glimpse of what's behind the mysterious persona that is Pedestrian. I can't say I can relate to the Christmas angst, having never celebrated it. It really has always been just another day. But my heart goes out to you because I do know what it's like to have things like relationships, family, and just a general sense of normalcy seem to pull apart over time. Your last sentence really got me. "Don't forget the small things." It's so easy to do isn't it? But those are the things that really make life, not just the holidays, special. Not to get sappy or anything... I sincerely hope that tomorrow finds you a bit more cheerful and that something happens to put a smile on your face. Happy Holidays lady. __________________ Hi.

12-25-2011, 02:54 AM	#109 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	Christmas is more for children I think. Adults perhaps have to develop other more sophisticated pleasures to get them excited, simple things like chocolates, TV or even opening a present will not excite them like when they are younger. __________________ non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on

12-20-2011, 01:00 PM	#103 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (2010) Genre: Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia One man's trash is another man's treasure. This is the phrase that comes to mind when listening to Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest. I refer of course not to the content of one of 2010's best-received albums, but instead to the nature of interpretation. Culture, environment, and personality all come together to shape our perception of the world, and so it happens I consider Halcyon Digest to be the definitive summer album, to general bafflement. Digest surfaces memories of summers long forgotten, not from a youth I've ever lived, but decades out of date. It blends cold-war-era melody seamlessly with woozy modern psychedelia. It's lazy and precocious, and delivered under Bradford Cox's childlike vocals. Digest opens with Earthquake; a touch of dream pop, guitars shimmering like heat on suburban pavement, sluggish and sapped of energy. It's a breeze too hot to dry the beads of sweat on your brow. Faster tracks that follow, such as Don't Cry and Revival bring to mind bicycle gangs, buzzcuts and horn-rimmed glasses. Unsupervised baseball games. Guitars climbs and descend, meandering on Desire Lines. Each song is a painting by Norman Rockwell. It's the sound of white picket fences and porch swings and the American Dream, viewed through a hazy photograph. Bradford Cox's voice reverberates across generations. It is music capturing a simpler time, tastefully crafted into a current context; a time capsule revealing familiar parallels. Digest appeared to me like a tan, through gradual warm exposure. It's easy to return to, nostalgic during the crisp winter months. A grayscale snapshot of summer to reflect upon free of foolish whimsy.

12-24-2011, 08:04 PM	#107 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	Merry Christmas I sat here for forty minutes, staring at a word document, trying to find a way to say what's on my mind, trying to work up the spirit to ask somebody to sit and talk with me. Trying to open a journal entry with vivid imagery of steaming plates and seasonal cutlery. Of cloth napkins and stupid paper hats. These are images I associate with the Christmases of my youth, when I was too young to follow an adult conversation, and spent the dinners at my mother's side picking at nuts and bolts and the stick of celery in her bloody caesar. I wanted to paint you a jovial picture, to distract you from the fact that I'm floundering on Christmas eve. Every year I can recall, I remember post-Christmas discussion weighing on my heart. The family, the friends, the gifts, the parties. Accounts of success measured in electronics and drinks consumed. I've always preferred the giving side of Christmas to the getting. This year, the inevitable getting is weighing on my mind. It has nothing to do with perceived selfishness, or extravagance. I've never felt bitter about the gifts I've received; always useful, necessary items. Thoughtful, not superfluous. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't overcome with disappointment every year. I know that my mother would bestow me the world if she were able, and knowing the pleasure of giving, it saddens me that she cannot, but even that isn't the root of my negativity. Five years ago my grandmother passed away. Two weeks before Christmas. I remember opening all of the gifts on Christmas morning that should've been hers. Every year since, my mother and I have had less and less. Fewer friends to party with. Fewer relatives to invite to dinner. Fewer gifts to give, except to one another. One less pet, then another. Less cards, less phone calls. Everyone has moved away, or passed away, or conveniently forgotten. This year we barely got baubles up on the tree in time, and it occurred to me how easily this could be just another day of the year. I want to end on a thoughtful note, if I can't be cheerful or at least optimistic, so I'd like to wish anyone reading a merry Christmas. Please enjoy everything you glean from the season, but don't forget the small things that come together to make it possible and worthwhile.

12-25-2011, 12:46 PM	#110 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	It's very true that in general most people are split into one of two groups: those that prefer to give, and those that prefer to receive. I've always enjoyed picking out and arranging the perfect gift, those I know someone would like, and appreciate, but it got to me last year when, after going to quite extraordinary (for me) lengths to ensure everyone had a thoughtful present --- including, almost especially --- those I didn't like particularly, I got back presents that were quite obviously last-minute or at the very least had zero thought put into them. Now, I know we don't give to get, but when you go to all that trouble it's nice to receive something half-decent back. So this year I said forget it. In addition to having little money for extravagant pressies, I feel I'm wasting both my money and effort, when the gesture is not even appreciated. I recall a few years back when I had very little money and decided to MAKE gifts, but interesting and kind of unique ones. For my brother I made a series of CDs with the best music from Tom Waits, his absolute favourite artiste, and then having dug up some information on his wife's musical interests (I absolutely do not get on with her) I made her a selection too. The total lack of interest, appreciation, gratitude or even acceptance was like a bombshell to me. I had put a lot of effort into these gifts, and all I got in return was a shrug and a feeling of "is this all we get?" But more than that, this year, and for the past two years, my Christmas has consisted of looking after my sister, who as some of you know has MS. She spends her entire life in her bedroom, so the best I can offer her at Xmas is to decorate that room, make her dinner and sit with her as much as I can, or she wants. In that way, I continue the spirit of giving that has always been close to my heart, and the way I am. I don't so much give gifts, but I give of my time and my company. Of course, I do this on a day-to-day basis normally, but I feel it's so much more important to do so, and make a special effort, at this festive time. We get NO visitors, unless my elder sister can make it. My two brothers have basically cut us out of their lives, for no reason I can ascertain. We don't even get phone calls from one end of the year to the next. Some people see their extended family only at this time: we don't see our immediate family anytime! So I can sympathise with you about the "shrinking circle", but remember that the people who matter are still there, and if for nothing else than for their sake you have to make the most of Christmas, for them. May not feel like it, but it's probably the best present you could give at this time. I hope your Christmas improves, and you have a better 2012. Happy Christmas, to you and all. Troll __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018