"We who believe in the immortality of rock took a vow 30 years ago that we would never release this incredibly powerful force unless we faced a Day of Reckoning—and that day has come," said Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, one of the chosen few who helped forge the Secret Vault to Save Rock and Roll, at a press conference in the Welsh highlands. "Just look at the pop charts, and you shall know I speak the truth."
"Let's give rock and roll its fucking balls back," he added.
Hilarious(Who knew Jack Black was an Onion ghost-writer...I still have to see The Pick Of Destiny), though in the real world we have Earl Greyhound instead of a mythic Page riff.
Arcade Fire's new album, Neon Bible, was released yesterday. As DCeiver noted, rock critics all over the Internet are going to have tough time out doing each other in lavishing cleverly worded praise on the new saviors of indie music. I enjoyed Funeral, so buying the follow-up is a no-brainer. The question vexing me is whether to buy the CD from Amazon, or to download the album from eMusic.
Yes, I still buy CDs. The collector in me loves having something physical attached to the music I love. Hundreds upon hundreds of five inch pieces of plastic sorted out in stacks, announcing their variety with artist and album names lettered in infinite styles. A satisfying site.
Next to my carefully organized(by artist name, last name if necessary) CD collection starts, there is an ever-growing shelf of vacant discs. Stored in identical thin STAPLES jewel or 5inch.com trigger cases, the CDs are either anonymously silver or the slightly more fulfilling vinyl-imitating design. My downloaded albums; at least the ones I've had time to burn. Between eMusic, free albums, music from friends, and the occasional iTunes purchase my digital music intake dwarfs my traditional appetite of CDs. eMusic alone gives me almost seven albums worth of music a month for twenty dollars.
And eMusic has Neon Bible. It can be mine instantly(depending on how well my WIFI is working). The rave reviews are in...I need to hear this for myself! Yet, if I find it moving, if it takes it place among my favorites, it's physical presence will be just another faceless disc distinguished only by it's title sloppily written and sprawled in magic-marker across the front. Am I too romantic to think that's a detestable fate for a great piece of music? iTunes 7.1 has full screen CoverFlow; shouldn't that be enough?
For $13 and a two day wait, I could have the CD, double 180-gram audiophile quality discs with three sides of music and an etching on the fourth side. Artwork, two 32-page flip books designed by the band, and the thank-yous that no one ever reads.
Or, I could download it tonight.
Can I do both; will downloading the album trump buying the CD? Does that make it empty? Stupid?
What to do, what to do.
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