Long Short Break

Today could have been better. I didn’t go for any of the four hours of lessons I was supposed to go for, which is quite worrying. I *am* doing something productive now though, or at least I was before I decided to take a short break. :)

I should really pop down to Stefan’s room and return him his Radiohead book, which I’ve had for the past two weeks. It was quite a good read for someone like me who’s been buying their albums but doesn’t really know anything about them. Assuming the writer was giving an accurate portrayal (which is, I admit a huge assumption as rock journalism goes), I was drawn to the picture that emerged of the band as people and musicians – the overall impression I got was that of people who have found the happy compromise between pursuit of intellect and artistry, and keeping their heads on straight with regards to everything else that’s important about living life.

Kid A has been growing on me. I don’t foresee liking it more than OK Computer but a number of its more subtle touches are beginning to sink in – a dissonance here, a resonance there, every now and then there’s something that catches my attention and makes me check the track display so I can remember it for future listening. I don’t think this album has the coherence and flow of OK Computer, but I definitely wouldn’t say Radiohead have lost their way or anything quite so drastic. [Random edit upon re-reading this in 2008: Haha, I totally prefer Kid A now and have for years!]

Anyway, most of the best albums I’ve ever listened to, or at least the ones I’ve ended up liking the most, have always taken a while for me to like – OK Computer took me three months to get into, and my first Sonic Youth album (Daydream Nation) took a year to go from something that sounded very interesting but very strange to something that sounded better than anything I’d ever heard. I was only convinced I hadn’t wasted money on Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea after four months. I liked both Odelay and Midnite Vultures by Beck the first time I heard them, but since then Mutations, which I was disappointed with at first, has emerged as my favourite Beck album.

Damn. This hasn’t been a short break. I blame the music, maaaaan.