Those of you who adore soul music may be familiar with these guys. The Foreign Exchange have been heavily advertising their newest album The Last Fall to the point that I can't visit a music blog without it being mentioned. In fact, just this afternoon they released their hauntingly unfaithful video for one of the album's title tracks "Authenticity", and last week they spurred up a last minute contest in which die hard fans submitted their email addresses in the hopes of becoming one of the randomly selected few for a private concert in South Carolina. I was not selected. No worries, I made Nicolay know how I felt about the lost opportunity. The only problem with all of this is the album is already a few months old. Where was this enthusiasm when it first came out? Pitchfork gave it a surprisingly incredible review, and they definitely should have fed off that hype. Needless to say, these guys have a penchant for aptly describing love's twists and turns that cannot be overlooked. Pure talent right here. I'm eagerly anticipating their next project.
I spoke with Teen Daze's front runner again today regarding the newest tracks posted on his tumblr account (http://teendaze.tumblr.com/). He can't wait to drop the new album. Rumor has it, it will be very soon. Keep a look out. In the mean time, definitely take a look at his new stuff. It's eerily relatable to any human condition.
In other news, I recently added Umphrey's McGee's Mantis to my iPhone. I at first couldn't get passed the first two tracks because there was just too much going on. These guys are good... really good. Let me rephrase, they're f*cking awesome. I used to hold Phish as the ultimate jam band, but Umphrey's McGee clearly surpasses them with this album. Cemetery Walk and II are excellent openers. They grab your attention almost instantly with a questionable piano riff that transitions seamlessly into a technical concoction of heavy percussion and, dare I say, absolutely sick guitar riffs that just made me go, "oh... damn..." The rest of the album is stellar as well, but you'll quickly see from listening how hard it is to veer from the first two tracks. This mental exercise is especially difficult because the third song on the album kind of sucks. It's the weak track because it's not necessarily catchy as it's not in an easy-to-follow major key. Sooo, good luck with that. (Also, as a side note, if you get a chance, definitely see them live. I had never heard of them before and a family friend bought me tickets. Look at what it has done...).
If you're in the mood for a throw back, check out Pinback's self title. I've been listening to this album since middle school and it never ceases to please. They're old, but still great.
The hockey world was pretty busy today, but the trades included teams I really don't care about and players with whom I am not particularly familiar. The Panthers did play today, however, and lost miserably to a surprisingly surging Islanders team that I would consider to be the worst team in the league. The Panthers are still 7 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot. Now is not the time to start losing games. They need all the points they can get. The Bruins on the other hand are sitting comfortably at the top of the Northeast Division and third in the Eastern Conference. Yay!
Criminals are stupid. I had to present a case today in Criminal Law (for which I did not read by the way) that dealt with mental health defenses. The professor singled me out because we have had numerous debates regarding how the mental health profession intertwines with the law, and the case I presented was completely contradictory to the immediately proceeding case on the same exact factor decided by the same exact court. It's funny because I tend to be generally liberal in allowing psychiatric testimony as 100% credible and he seems to fall on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's not that he doesn't find it credible, it's just not consistent so how can it be the determining factor in a case? I think the Supreme Court got it right when it held the burden should rest on the prosecution to prove the absence of the mental health defense because otherwise the defendant would have to raise all affirmative defenses to have any chance at receiving a lesser conviction. The prosecution, rather, should have to prove the defense's absence provided the defense is supported legitimately because that is how criminal law has always worked: you are innocent until PROVEN guilty. I greatly respect my professor and his views, not only because he and it fuel incredible conversations, but because his dialogue is almost all hypothetical which forces us to think for ourselves. Especially in a field that is ever changing and ever being manipulated, it's beneficial to have varying opinions.
More to come.
Cheers, jhabra
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