A shoebox stuffed with memories

I've been living in other people's houses, staying away from the internet and over-dosing on alcohol - hence the lack of writing. It'll calm down at some stage.



Bran Van 3000

Speed

James DiSalvio is a conjurer. He is a magician who folds different coloured handkerchiefs up his sleeve and lets them unravel at will. He wears long sleeves at all times. They hold an abundance of tricks which fall out into his songs with subtlety. This song is a shoebox stuffed with post-cards from friends you've forgotten, pictures bursting with sunlight, letters written with joy and read with sadness. I first heard this on a compilation CD that came free with Uncut magazine. It is the essence of my childhood - as far as soundtracks go. It's filled to the brim with Bruce Springsteen references. They're there, they're obvious, will you pick up on them? It wasn't these references that sent the shivers down my spine when I rediscovered this gem. It was the sheer exuberance of the composition - yet it was also the extreme sadness that folded out and scoured my soul, looking for my heart... It found its target.



Bran Van 3000

Drinking in L.A.

Is this other song - by the same band - last years summer? I remember one extreme session - "just me and a friend... working on a movie" - sipping on vodka and orange diluting juice until around six am, sunlight coming over the hill. You've probably heard this one before. I hadn't until about a month ago. I got my hands on a digital copy straight away. I think it was the video that persuaded me. Visually it's someone waking up sleepy-eyed in the morning. Not quite hungover, yet not quite right. Tired and happy, bemused and smiling. You don't really care that you wasted the day before - there's a whole summer to do something constructive. But you know, deep down, that maybe some other people are mad at you about your laissez-faire attitude. But hey, fuck it. The sun is out and shining. The clouds are lazy as they sway from one side of the sky to the other. A dazzling blue. A brilliant gold. A lazy summer.