Going Down Slow

It looks like things are gonna be rather slow around the Det this week. I don't have any classes, so I'm forced to go after the final blow to NKO. NKO has been the bane of my existence since reporting here in San Diego. The lovely acronym stands for Navy Knowledge Online and it consists of several online courses that are supposed to "train" you. Some of the courses are interesting, such as "Duties of an Armed Sentry," but most of them are common sense and it's really just a bunch of clickity clicks to get to the next slide and get a passing score on the test at the end. The command, however, has demanded that we go through it. In fact, they're crazy mad about us getting it done. I don't really get it. Since I'm a lowly seaman, I'm tasked to do more courses, 57 in fact. So far, I'm done with 49 or so. It'd help if the programs don't crash and force me to login again and again...ug.

The slow time allows me to keep up on the latest musical stylings the kids are listening to these days. No, not the "Panic! at the Disco" or "Fallout Boy" kids. I'm talking about the indie yuppie kids out there. Go ahead, raise your hand, you know who you are. C'mon, I'm not the only one, am I? Bullocks! The sad thing is that once you get hooked reading all those music blogs, it's hard to kick the habit. By the way, I haven't completely dismissed Pitchfork yet, so I guess I'm not a full blown indie yup. That day will come eventually. I honestly can't explain why I'm so obsessed. I guess you start wondering if you're missing out on the next Arcade Fire's or Shin's out there. You get hungry. Some of the music isn't that good, but when you do find a great song or, better yet, a great album it's all the sweeter. And then, when you find out about their side projects, forget about it. Of course, you can get burnt out from it. When that happens I just kick back into older established bands that you can never get enough of, such as the Wilcos, Dylans, Beatles, Radioheads, Denison Witmers, Spiritualizedses, Pinbacks, Explosions in the Skies, and French Kicks, etc., only until that stomach starts a-rumblin' for more.

Some songs of note that I've been spinning regularly are:

Midlake - Roscoe I can't help but think of the M*A*S*H theme, "Suicide Is Painless" in the first two measures of the song. It quickly moves on from there with a Fleetwood Mac-esque warmth and driving rhythm. Midlake is, however, a lot more interesting than Fleetwood. It's something I can't really pinpoint, it's just keeps you intriqued through and through.

Golden Smog - 5-22-02 Not what I expected coming from an ongoing side project of former Jayhawk members, the drummer from Soul Asylum, Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, and others most notably known for an american roots rock or, dare I say, alt-country sound. Instead, this song can easily be one of the catchiest songs of the summer. Infectataious!

Ratatat - Wildcat If there was a commercial for Sex Panther Cologne, this would definitely be the soundtrack! 60% of the time, it works everytime