Autumn Rundown, aka Things That Were Awesome

Okay, so I still don't have a lot of time for blogging, and I probably won't for a while. Among other things, I'm writing 1500 words of fiction a day (rain or shine, brain waves present or not), prepping my dissertation manuscript for placement with an academic publisher, and looking for a day job and/or teaching post. So all that's eating up more than the number of hours there are in a day, and I don't want to post half-digested thoughts here just to say I've put something up. Expect posting to remain light...but I'll pop in when I can!

And, here are some cool things that I would have blogged about this fall, if I had the time. First, music:

1. Sufjan Stevens, The BQE: Sufjan presents "a cinematic suite inspired by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Hula-Hoop." It's gorgeous. Sufjan is ridiculously talented and one of the most innovative artists of his generation; at his most classical he reminds me of Debussy. As usual, the song titles on the new album are a work of art unto themselves, e.g.: 10. Interlude III Invisible Accidents; 11. Movement VI Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges; 12. Movement VII (Finale) The Emperor of Centrifuge. And here's a sample of the sound:


2. Shakira, She-Wolf: The first new album from the Colombian pop superstar in four years, the full album comes out on Monday Nov. 23. The first two singles, She Wolf/Loba (I prefer the Spanish version) and Give It Up To Me (feat. Lil Wayne) are already out. I'm excited to hear the full album because Shakira is hands-down my favorite pop singer; there's a depth to her lyrics and a range in her musical style, not to mention the unbelievable vocals, that puts her a cut above most who work in the genre. I'm a little ambivalent about the new album from what I've heard and seen so far, though. She's known for racy music videos, but in these new videos it seems like she's trying too hard -- crossing the boundaries of good taste in an effort to get attention, maybe overcompensating for the fact that this is considered a "comeback" album after a long sabbatical during which she was mostly busy saving the world. The sound of the new album is definitely a new direction for her, airy dance pop that runs more toward a Michael Jackson/Madonna type sound with the Latin flavor substantially toned down. This makes me sad, because I have to say, I was hoping she'd go more this way with her new work:

(She did that for the soundtrack of Love in the Time of Cholera, a terrible movie based on an amazing novel, in 2007. Also, I want that dress.) And I guess I'm still hoping she'll return to a more Colombian sound in future work. Given the versatility she's shown in the past, I don't think there's any reason to assume she won't...

Ok, I think that's enough for one day. More when I get a chance!