Saturday: Coheed and Cambria - Atlas

     That didn't take long, did it? Less than two weeks of on-time posts, and then I go and sleep away most of yesterday, putting me behind where I want to be on a number of projects both personal and professional. Fiddlesticks. Oh well. Back to it? Back to it. So: how're you liking Coheed and Cambria's new record?

     The Colour Before the Sun is a bit of a mixed bag for this longtime Coheed fan. For one thing, it's the first and only Coheed LP that doesn't take place in Claudio's Amory Wars universe, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, except that I happen to like big, epic space operas. For another thing, the admittedly well-crafted selection of songs has a tendency to eschew Coheed's traditional, more adventurous brand of space prog in favour of earnest, more straight-forward pop-rock.

     Does that mean I don't like The Colour Before the Sun? (Great album title, by the way guys) No, it doesn't mean that, I like it alright, but it does mean that I'm going to try and pick what I think is a more Coheedy-sounding track for your belated Saturday song. To that end, have a listen to (the album version of) "Atlas" (not the acoustic one from a while back) to kick off your Sunday afternoon.

Friday: Coheed and Cambria - You've Got Spirit, Kid

     Like a diminuitvely-sized steam-thing that could do... something... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can hit you with another late post on the path to calendrical responsibility. And, praise the Allfather, the deities responsible for new music have deigned to smile upon me and aid in my efforts. Decent.

     Let's start with your Friday song, and a bit of a twist: Coheed and Cambria have a new single out ahead of a new album, and for the first time Claudio and Company are eschewing their usual concept record route in favour of something much more grounded in meatspace (my words). Will longtime fans like myself explode with disappointment?

     If first single "You've Got Spirit, Kid" is any indication, probably not. It might be lyrically less obtuse and more direct than past Coheed stuff... or it might not. Since Claudio always built personal meaning into the Amory Wars story anyways, things don't sound worlds apart with that concept stripped away. And musically, well, Coheed pretty much just sounds like Coheed; this one's not as instantly in my brain as some of their stuff, but it's got plenty of potential. Bring on The Color Before the Sun in October.

Super Tuesday

     I used to follow American politics somewhat closely, back during the... ahem...tumultuous term of Bush II. As a Canadian, it's a little hard not to. We're so closely commercially and culturally linked, and on top of that our own politics are so much...drier than those of our neighbours to the south. Don't get me wrong, as a voter I like the fact that the Right and the Left in Canada are both pretty Centrist positions. But as a spectator, I can't deny the appeal of a little political drama, things like mudslinging and the like. I don't really follow any sports closely, so stuff like that can be fun to see when they're not my politicians. Hence, I used to follow American politics. I haven't payed as much attention to this election as I did the last couple, but I still maintain more than a passing interest in Obama vs. Romney.