People and their loud music

Just a quick rant. I don't know why people think they have the right to blast their stereos at night in an apartment complex. Usually, when I ask nicely, people do turn it down. But last night, I had no luck. The guy just acted like I must be brain dead to think he'd turn down his music. Some people do need sleep. I don't know about him.

On a related note, how about those people with their headphones so loud you can hear it all the way across the length of a subway car? Aren't they deaf? Well, maybe they are and that's why they play it so loud.

I'm writing this because it's the next day and someone else is blaring their music. Maybe I sound like a curmudgeon (great word). But I have so many neighbors who do this that there's almost always at least one of them doing it, so it's never quiet. Sometimes it's even people two floors away.

In an older complex with thin wood floors, I'd sort of expect this. But this building was completed in 2005, and has rather thick walls and heavy concrete floors. I often hear one of our neighbor's music through his door, but I hear nothing once I get into our apartment.

We have a powerful stereo, too. But in over three years, we've only gotten one noise complaint. That was when I had it pretty loud, and was playing DDR at about midnight. I had just forgotten it was late.

Maybe I should put Ministry's Psalm 69 on, put it on repeat, crank the volume, and leave for a few days.

Veloce - headroom

I've long been a fan of Perfume Tree (Tide's Out, Feeler), and the subsequent incarnation of the band, Veloce (Veloce, headroom). Their music is available from iTunes at high resoluton without DRM; check them out. Following is my review of their latest effort, headoom.


headroom by Veloce

Veloce is what became of Perfume Tree. Perfume Tree was already headed toward minimalist electronica with tracks like "Flooded," and Veloce has continued in that direction. As headroom is missing Jane Tilley's distinctive vocals, it feels like a side project from one of the other members. This is not meant as a criticism, rather just as an observation.

headroom is a collection of minimalist soundscapes. Just a quick check through the samples available on iTunes will show that by "minimal" I don't necessarily mean sparse (at least as far as music in this genre goes). Most of the eight tracks have fairly complex rhythms; what makes them minimal is how slowly they change over time.

The whole album has a mysteriously distant quality about it; as such, it's a rather meditative experience. It's an experience whose quality isn't immediately apparent; it took me about 10 listens to come to grips with it. I recommend this album for the committed minimalist electronica listener. Veloce's self-titled album is probably a better starting point for those unfamiliar with the band's work, but headroom is certainly a worthwhile listen.

Sarah Palin learned from the George W Bush school of pronunciation

A quick note for Sarah Palin:

It's ih-rak, not eye-rak.
It's ih-ran, not eye-ran.
It's nook-lee-ar, not nook-you-lar.

I know pronunciation is not the most imporant thing in a political debate. But it's much easier to take someone seriously when they don't sound like a hick.