Practical Life

Live Positive

Thesis

It is my hope that this post is distinctly characterized by pleasantness. In other words, I've had nothing short of a lovely day - the kind of day that makes you proud of yourself.

I understand, Reader, that I often burden you with my existential woes, or the grim fact of my 1,000+ pages of reading per week. These challenges are constant, and do preoccupy me. But just look at today! I finished three acts of Shakespeare before breakfast, participated in all of my classes, read outside in the gorgeous pre-autumnal cool, and am about to fix myself a nice dinner.

I spent less time doing me and more time doing what needed to be done, which turns out to be more rewarding than the procrastination-filled days of my first week of class. I know it's no great mystery that the mundane can be hugely fulfilling of its own accord, but usually it takes Great Art to convince me (and then for just a few days). What I feel now is an easy, uncomplicated satisfaction.

To quote Bilbo: "it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life."

Big Time

Did I mention that my first column was published in the Indiana Daily Student today? The writing's a bit messy, and to my dismay the editors removed most of my parentheses, but I'm satisfied with it and its message. I get to argue my passion (feminism! radical, preferably!). Unsurprisingly, some latent misogyny has already crept into the comments section. I'll deal with that after I've finished with my other passion (blogging! about music, preferably!).

This Is A Music Blog

I wanted to maintain my pleasant mood when I settled down to write this post, and one album immediately came to mind. It's also one that I'd been meaning to review for quite a while.

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My Side Of The Mountain

by Ladies Auxiliary

[2011; self-released]

The debut from Philly trio Ladies Auxiliary is competent and inventive, even if it never asserts itself to the listener. Instead, My Side Of The Mountain puts all of its effort into recreating the comfy feeling of a carefree summer night. Despite occasional deviations (an eerie keyboard tone here, ghostly vocals there), the overall mood of the album never falters. Here is an unapologetically easygoing and restrained record.

That's not to say it's boring or without character. The combination of Casio keyboards, heartfelt vocals, and pedal steel guitar (complimented by vibraphone) works to create a uniquely cozy atmosphere that at times rivals Emeralds in its otherworldly warmth. Especially on 6-minute standout "Charity Reprise" is this sort of alien glow allowed to take hold, before a gorgeous vocal melody and moody guitar finish things in style.

Ladies Auxiliary's bio mentions "friendships" as a founding inspiration for My Side On The Mountain. It's easy to hear this in the band's chemistry and in their ability to convey the rewards and comfort of old pals. While this debut isn't going to surprise or demand the attention of many listeners, it reveals itself over time to be an especially imaginative and assured record that shouldn't be overlooked. Not since Beach House's debut has an album sounded so content to bask in its own pleasantness and sound this good while doing it.

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Conclusions

A good day should be all rights stay good the whole day through. That's how I intend this day to behave. Seems like it will: the sky is slowly filling with yellows, and that interseasonal breeze is still blowing. The immediate future holds no worries. Just soup and feminist theory.

Sounds like my kind of night.

For Ted