Epiphany in Baltimore

Monday, May. 03, 2004

Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com

The only new artists who have moved me in the last year or more have been hip-hop artists. I've always considered my musical tastes to be eclectic, and they still are, but before they usually centered on the singer/songwriter genre - Bruce Springsteen, Brenda Kahn, Bob Dylan, Dan Bern, Melissa Ferrick, Tracy Chapman, John Mayer, or bands with distinctive lead songwriter personalities, like pre-green album Weezer and Counting Crows. Well, I haven't found anyone new in that genre in at least a couple of years. I'm still fans of the old ones, but can't seem to find the energy or drive to find new ones. It's all about the hip-hop.

Kanye West's College Dropout is the album that's speaking to me the most right now. It's quirky, soulful, funny, and beautiful, all at once. It veers from social commentary to leering sexuality within the same track, from pathos to gut-busting humor in the next. My two favorite moments on the CD show this well. One is in the song "Jesus Walks," which is the most dramatic and soulful song I've heard in some time. It manages to capture the type of faith that I can't manage to muster for much of anything, but, while it's god-loving, it also has a healthy doubt to them. I love the repeated line, "I wanna talk to God but im afraid cuz we aint spoke in so long," which grabs me and doesn't let go.

My other favorite moment on the CD is in the funny, self-deprecating "Get Em High." There's a moment about halfway through the song in which West drops the name of Taleb Kwali to try to pick up a girl, and there's this exchange between West and the girl that's really funny, but my favorite part is when West hands over the mic to Kwali. West howls this "Owwww" just a second before Kwali takes the mic that had me laughing out loud the first time I heard it.

Anyhow, I can't get enough of that CD. Every song is good enough to be a single, but I don't even know which ones are because I don't listen to the radio much right now, other than NPR or C-Span when I'm not listening to Kanye West. I'm even a little obsessed, reading all about his accident and imagining in my head that his eye injury from the car accident he discusses in "Never Let You Down" ("I can't complain what an accident did to my left eye / cuz look what an accident did to Left Eye") is a detached retina, just like mine, even though I have no evidence to believe this at all.

I still pride myself on my eclecticism. Today, I listened to Belly's Star (erratic, but "Gepetto," "Feed the Tree," and "Sleep" are all incredible), Old 97's Fight Songs (that song "Nineteen" is one of my all time favorites), and Taleb Kwali's latest, which I haven't yet gotten into but hope to soon.

****

Other updates:

1. I had a great soul-baring entry in tow for last night, when a strange and violent storm shook the city unexpectedly. I lost power for nearly 24 hours, which sucked (especially since I lost it for seven days during Isabel, I figured my neighborhood - which is also the mayor's - would be a priority. Nope) but I'm over it now.

2. Erin called from Michigan and asked why I told Gale all about my sex life, which I did, but it's not really much of a discussion because it's been so non-existent for far too long, so she leaves a message about it, so I call her back and leave a message explaining pretty much what I just told you, that it's pretty barren now since even a couple of months before the eye surgeries so I can't even blame that. But, I was driving, and sort of only half paying attention, and I was struck with this sudden fear right after I left the message that I had actually called my boss instead, leaving her a message all about my sex life, or lack thereof. My heart started beating fast and I was worried because I was almost sure I did it, but I checked my call history and I did not. Still, I sort of had a car daydream in which I came into work and she had a smirk on her face while asking me if I wanted to discuss my use of the word "barren." Luckily, it was all a fantasy, and I didn't actually call her, but I did call Erin. What a stupid and pointless story.

3. My trial is Thursday. Please send me good thoughts. And if anyone has a cousin Vinny, I'm taking all the help I can get.