So much Tom Waits lately. What a goddamn genius. He's one of those guys who can just keep cranking out innovative, beautiful music for decades and decades... fuck, man. Also an amazing ballad performer.
Speakin' of which, I was just having a conversation with Malik about the decline of the ballad. You really don't see many bands coming out with ballads today (or if they do, they're typically pretty awful and without feeling). There's Radiohead with "Nude," but you can't really put that in the usual ballad pigeonhole. The White Stripes do an amazing cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene," but it is a cover, and they only do it live--never on a studio album. Where'd they all go, man? The ballad form has so much power to move the listener... though it's true they are hard as all hell to write, when done right they can be some of the best songs in an artist's repertoire. I know when I play a jazz gig a lot of the time the ballads are the ones which get the crazy applause... and a lot of the songs that move me the most are ballads.
Been craving ginger beer so badly these past few days. Unfortunately I presently have precisely $88.33 to last me the remainder of the semester, so I really can't go out and get any.
Should really be writing The Essay and not on here.
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