Aural Fixation

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of seeing one of my favorite bands of all time, My Bloody Valentine. They reformed after 15+ years of inaction, and I was excited to see them again after first experiencing their wall of sound at the Palace in Hollywood waaaaay back in 1991.

During the late '80s and early '90s they were a forerunner of the still popular shoegaze/ethereal sound. I have fond memories of cruising around in my '89 Toyota Tercel blaring the cassette of the album pictured here, 1988's "Isn't Anything."

So, did they live up to my memory?

Mark had bought me the tickets as a belated birthday present, but with the strict warning that the sound at the venue is worse than sub-par. I'd never been to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for a concert before, and I can unequivocally say that I will never go there for a concert again. Not even if Joe Strummer miraculously rises from the dead and headlines 20 nights there with a reunited Clash.

When the band began its set, something was amiss. The sound was muddy and reverberated with unintended feedback. The vocals were all but inaudible, and I was instantly disappointed.

Not 1/4 of the way through the first song, I turned to Mark and yelled in his ear, "This sounds like shit!" What a let down. I guess I'll just have to placate my aural yearnings by continuing to fish out the band's CDs when I need a dose of dischordant offerings.

On a side note...Wow, can you believe it's October?

I've been wracking my brain for an appropriate wrapup for each post this month, and have come up with the following. Enjoy!

Today's wish: That my group meeting for my curriculum design project class later will go off without a hitch. After completing this assignment, we'll be halfway finished with our monster assignment.