Kompetenz-Kompetenz

Folks, I'm not usually one for self-promotion. But let's not classify this as self-promotion; instead, I suppose it's more like sharing news. But barring financial catastrophe, I'm going to be headed to either Hong Kong or Vienna next April, to help represent Hamline Law at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration moot court competition!

I attribute my successful audition/resume/cover letter almost solely to my yellow and blue striped arbitration tie, clearly visible in the above photo. So, thank you tie.

In all reality, this will probably make life a living hell for a good chunk of the school year, as it will take up an absurd amount of time and effort. However, I think it has been plenty established that law students are by definition, sado-masochists, so I suppose that helps make sense of it.

In any event, ICA, watch out. You are about to be owned.

Music Video of the Week: Mark Ronson and the Business Intl.

I don't quite know what the hell is going on here. I especially don't understand the MC Hammer hybrid dress/parachute pants. But I like it.

Album of the Week: It's Never Been Like That

To commemorate my failure to see Phoenix live in Minneapolis last Thursday, this week's album is the third studio release from everyone's favourite English-language French electronica-rock band. Yes folks, for those of you who may remember my glowing review of "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix," here is yet another one. Actually, I daresay this is the first band to have the honor of landing twice on the Album of the Week. So, I think you'll agree that congratulations are in order!

My starting point and frame of reference for listening to this album was the fabulous album previously referenced, that being "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix." That album was heavy on electronica and dance beats, combined with some unique use of percussion and guitar. Bottom line, it's a very unique sound, one that is very distinguishable from many other current groups. In contrast, "It's Never Been Like That" features much more prominent guitar work, although there is still some dance/electronica elements. The dance vibe is especially evident in "Consolation Prize," which is one of my favourite tracks on this disc.

Like I said though, I hear a lot more non-distorted guitar on this disc, and it comes off in a very crisp, appealing way. "One Time Too Many" is a good example of this sound, with the guitar coming off in a very crisp way. Almost completely opposite is the driving accompaniment in "Courtesy Laughs," where you almost feel hit on the head with heavy, accented downbeats. Although this relatively ham-handedness isn't quite what I expected from Phoenix, it really works on this particularly song, especially when combined with Thomas Mars' focused vocals.

From a broader point of view, one thing that Phoenix always seems to do quite well is to maintain a certain level of energy throughout not only their songs, but their entire albums. I mean, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" practically has you on edge the entire time, and I think it's really hard to listen to it sitting still. "It's Never Been Like That" has that same sensibility, but in a different, more straightforward way. That's not to say that this is a boring album; in fact, that's far from the truth. But in listening to this in comparison with "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix," you definitely get the sense that this is a band on the cusp of revelation, like they're but a few steps away from greatness. I'd be very interested in getting some earlier Phoenix stuff, just to get a better sense of their sonic development.

Another thing I appreciate about this album is the inclusion of an all-instrumental number, "North." Too often I think, bands are consumed by the temptation of lyrics. After all, they have a vocalist to sing, and popular tastes demand it. So I really respect the inclusion of an instrumental number, although I must say, it lacks the sweeping quality of "Love Like a Sunset."

As you may guess, I love this band. I love "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix," and have literally been listening to it at least once a week since February. I still don't get tired of it. I'm always going to judge any music by Phoenix against that album, so I'm definitely skewed in terms of what I expect from them. This album was a pleasant surprise, although I'd lie if I said I was instantly taken with it. Like I said, I think it's an excellent portrait of a band on the brink of truly finding themselves from an artistic standpoint. It could stand alone on that, as a historical relic. However, I think it also stands by itself as great music.

Verdict? Highly recommended.

Baseball

Strange things happen in baseball. The Twins win when an otherwise inocuous pop fly ends up hitting a catwalk and careening back into fair territory. There's a mysterious thing called the infield fly rule that has its own law review article. And then there's this...

Humidity... and stuff

Hi folks, hope everyone is somehow enduring this ridiculous humidity. I mean, seriously, this is quite uncool, both literally and figuratively.


(the opposite of uncool - damn we look good)

Humidity aside, had a great weekend at the long anticipated 2010 Nottingham reunion. Although we never got the chance to have all nine of us in one room together, as a fellow Notter observed, it was "surreal" to be all back together again. Surreal in a good way, I think. I may have expressed this to some folks, but it was probably obvious anyways - it was intense to see how almost instantly, the nine of us, who are so different in so many ways, suddenly became the Nine again. It brought back a lot of memories, let's put it that way. At one point, I visualized all of us standing around the flat kitchen, eating custard creams, talking about how our days went, maybe having some wine or beer. Needless to say, although so many things were experienced that year, I think it's fair to say it was moments like that that stand out most potently.

I'm just saying, I was always ready to get the tattoo. Next summer? Takers?

Anyways, riffing on that last point, I always find it interesting how people, who may have gone years without communication, can always coalesce again, if they have some sort of foundation. I suppose I'm particularly subject to this, because I have either the curse or the blessing of being incredibly loyal. I think it's fair to say though, that the 2006-07 Notters had a very unique bond. If not for the fact that we were stuck together, I'm sure I would never have befriended some of these folks. I may not have even wanted to. But even given our intense diversity of personalities, and maybe even given an occasional awkward silence or lack of conversation, I'd be hard pressed to imagine folks I'm closer to. That's pretty cool. Cheers to that.



On a sidenote, whoever came up with the idea of drinking on a rooftop, is an absolute genius. I wish I could do everything on a rooftop. It would make life so much more interesting. I mean, can you imagine if we had court on a rooftop? That would be awesome.

Unless it's this humid.