I Got New CDs
Right now, I’m indescribably overjoyed… I found Saint Etienne’s Smash the System earlier today and right now, I’m grooving to their cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.” There are times when I go through used CD bins and I’m completely confused as to why someone would want to get rid of some of those CDs. There’s always plenty of crap in those bins, but in a rare instance, you unearth solid gold. I mean, how could you not simply love Saint Etienne. We’re talking pure, gorgeous pop music, not the mindless crap that gets passed off as such today.
I also picked up Sigur Rós’ new album today, which is quite nice. I’ve heard most of these tracks before, either in concert or as various MP3s. But the power that they still have took my surprise. I guess you could argue that the lack of album and song titles, liner notes, lyrics, etc. smacks of pretense. But when the music is solid like this, who really cares? Other purchases included Broken Spindles (a Faint side-project), Sing-Sing, and the new Saint Etienne (which I’m sure will be lovely).
And then, I came home to find the double-disc special edition of Musa waiting for me. I love, love, love this movie. Its epic battles, drama, and tragedy make comparable movies, like Braveheart, look like small potatoes. I even got choked up during the “behind the scenes” footage, seeing all of the effort and detail that went into this movie. And I didn’t even understand a word of what they were saying. I can only imagine what Hero will be like.
My co-workers find it amusing that I spend so much money on CDs and movies. To me, it’s no big thing to drop serious cash on CDs. The giddy thrill I had when I left with Saint Etienne and Sigur Rós in hand… you can’t put a price tag on that sort of stuff. I wish I spent more money on them. They’re not just consumer goods or mere entertainment. Each one is an investment. They don’t always pay off, but when they do, I get a little clearer glimpse of those true beauties, those deeper truths that C.S. Lewis wrote about.
“Join Our Club” might sound like a trivial house-driven dance-pop song, but when Sarah Cracknell sings “We all want to kiss the sky/Join our club, we’re going to try,” it’s downright transcendental.