Birmingham

Of Alabama, I've spoken too soon.

Birmingham is a city with character, culture and cuisine. Upon arriving, the city reminded me of Pittsburgh. No surprise, I suppose that its foundations are in the iron and steel industries.

A man with whom I spoke Thursday remarked that because of its blue collar foundations, Birmingham developed a healthy middle class. This resulted in a solid liberal foundation that had driven the city's direction ever since. It's a lovely city, with picturesque vistas high on its hills, and vibrant neighborhoods, something lacking throughout the rest of the state.

the bottletree: loney, dear

Loney, Dear is Emil Svanängen (center). At least on his albums. Last night, however, Svanängen was accompanied by four other Swedes, providing instrumenal support and backup vocals. Unfortunately for Loney, Dear the sound at The Bottletree was tuned for the main act, Battles. Resultingly, Svanängen's delicate voice was drowned out by his bassist and backup guitarist, even at times by his own guitar. The performance wasn't helped by Svanängen's lack of confidence, occasionally talking to the audience in quiet mumbles before starting another song.

The crowd of hipsters entirely similar to those I've found in Washington, DC, Harrisburg and Minneapolis were generally disinterested in Loney, Dear. The pairing of a soft-singing fellow with a thrashing almost-metal guitar band was poor, and hopefully Loney, Dear will get a better reception when they return to their tour opening for Of Montreal. Here they departed to a smattering of applause.

Svanängen and Loney, Dear are better suited to studio recordings or a quiet room with chairs and an acoustic guitar.

mmm....steak

Today I spent almost nine hours driving around Alabama. As I mentioned earlier there's not a lot to the state. There are, however a lot of cows. Moooo.

on the beach

Not content to sit in my hotel room in Dothan on my second day off, I drove two hours south to the gulf coast of Florida. Resting on the warm sand, listening to the waves roll in, I was almost able to ignore the dozen spring breakers who decided to start a football game 10 feet from my towel.

The gulf waters were clear and cool, offering a refreshing interlude between my sessions in the sun. Complaints aside, it's always nice to see the ocean.

Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8

Cloud Cult's upcoming The Meaning of 8 is the best album I've heard in more than a year.

The band flows and tumbles through 19 songs in little more than an hour. Throughout, the songwriting retains its urgency and carries the listener over the softer moments of the lesser tracks. Lead singer Craig Minowa demands, engages and ultimately engulfs your attention.)

The 2002 death of Minowa's two-year-old son serves as an emotional anchor to the songwriting, which he infuses with context and meaning. Despite subject matter so weighty, however, the band avoids a descent into pity by mixing in delightful story songs and electronic interludes.

The aural experience covers a range of beauty, from pretty to sad. Comparisons to both The Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse are obvious, but the band avoids mimicry by cultivating well-executed, elaborate orchestral melodies.

While Minowa's poignant lyrics about his son's death and its impact on his life serve as an emotional anchor, the storytelling songs provide this album's formidable depth. "The Deaf Girl's Song" deftly skewers the swill on the radio, as well as our inability to see the forest from the trees. Minowa accomplishes this with lyrics alternately playful and sardonic.

Did you hear about the deaf girl, the one who's song's gone number one?

Three minutes of silence on the radio is the best dang gift for everyone.

Did you hear about the deaf girl, the one who made everything clear?

If we could just shut up for a second, my darling, my dear, we might actually hear.

The Meaing of 8 has everything: A complex lyrical narrative; beautiful and dramatic music; and compelling individual songs which, together, craft a complex and sophisticated album. Well done.

Predicting the next big (indie) thing is too difficult given the whimsy of the genre and its fans. Whether Cloud Cult will break through is unclear, but based strength of The Meaning of 8, it is clear that whimsy is all that stands in their way.

i hate dateline

I've got a new idea for the next Dateline feature, once they stop using hidden cameras to catch the scourge that is African spam con men:

To Catch a Journalist.

i got 82

Tonight is catchup night here at chabel.net.

For an entertaining way to kill 10 minutes at work, try this. How many of the 192 U.N. member nations can you name in 10 minutes? (from Nancy Scola)

just say no

Alabama is littered with billboards and signs promoting abstinence. I wholeheartedly endorse the prevention of procreation among Alabamans, but if I lived in Ozark (where this bench is), I would endeavor mightily to have sex on the bench itself.

what happened to Enterprise?

On March 1, 2007, swirling clouds over Enterprise Alabama quickly formed a massive tornado with winds over 160 mph. The tornado tore across the town, descending in a residential neighborhood in the west side, passing through the town's cemetery and finally plowing into Enterprise High School. Having killed eight and left a town broken, the tornado disappeared into the sky.

Hundreds of homes are damaged or destroyed. The cemetery's iron gates were left twisted and strewn among overturned headstones. And Enterprise High is in ruins, its roof collapsed. In its parking lot hundreds of cars were shredded in a maelstrom of gravel-turned shrapnel.

photos from Enterprise, AL

A young boy struggles to climb down the broken stairwell of his home.

An elderly man greets two Red Cross volunteers in the remains of his home.

The March 1 tornado destroyed one house completely, leaving its neighbor without a roof.

Debris is strewn throughout the Enterprise cemetary.

Enterprise High School, its roof collapsed by the force of the tornado.

A car in the high school parking lot was destroyed by flying debris.

Alabama meets expectations

Little recommends Alabama. Having spent my day driving to media outlets in Southern Alabama, I conclude the state is not picturesque, and lacking in culturally significant landmarks. Tomorrow I'll have plenty on the destruction in Enterprise.

hi-ho, hi-ho

BEEP beep. BEEP beep.

Awakened by my watch, I hop into the shower, and quickly clothe myself in my dark, quiet apartment. Flipping off the lights, I close the door behind me and head off to work for the first time in 171 days.

Montgomery here I come

After more than five months on the sidelines, I've been deployed to Montgomery, Alabama. Excellent.