I'm Going to Babble About Music

Trent Reznor announced last week that Nine Inch Nails had a new album to download for free at nin.com. This just a few months (if that) after the previous album was made available for download. I'm a NIN fan from way back; the first CD marked my freshman year of college. The first album can be downloaded a few ways, and I got the freebie chunk of songs; I downloaded the entire second album on Monday. The first album is now for sale as a CD in stores, and I bought that yesterday, along with the new REM who made it big when I was still in high school.

A distinction has to be made in REM's success; they were big with folks listening to something other than Top 40 radio before their major-label debut with Out of Time. That CD has Losing My Religion, and that made them household names. People loved them some mandolins. The new CD is really, really good. The band seems to have remembered they play guitars.

Nine Inch Nails had only a few really big songs, and the biggest song, Closer, is heavily edited for radio play. NIN is my angry band, my pouty and maudlin and surly music, and if you try to listen to them when you're in a good mood, the simplistic, mopey lyrics will crack you up. Still, when the mood is right, they're the go-to band. I was so eager to buy the above two CDs that I fogt to get the new Def Leppard.

I'll listen to the CDs while I paint; the music rarely makes any difference to what I'm working on. I've heard the Fight Cub commentaries and talk radio while working on this painting. The dark colors are just how my brushes roll, I suppose.

I added another level of brown through the canvas, touched up the lower left and spread to the lower right.

Honestly, it's coming along pretty well. I even see an indirect influence of Wayne Thiebaud. I've passed the hump of drudgery and now eagerly skitter off to the workshop to work with the paints.

I also ran into the mom of the kid who played the murderer in the last play. He's still interviewing to get into the state art school, but all signs point to a certain admission. Meanwhile, the gal who played the widow in the first local play pulled out of the school's Oklahoma! just over a week before they open. I hope she doesn't expect to do any more plays for that drama teacher.

When I got home, I attacked the garden. The blackberry bush also hosted a pernicious ivy vine, and the roots spread throughout the entire left side of the potential garden swath. I dug up the root clusters, and I think fatally damaged the main root strand. Tonight, I'll rake up the ivy and roots. The predicted rain this weekend might keep us from tilling and wood mulching.