Lord Froth: But there is nothing more unbecoming a Man of Quality, than to Laugh; ‘tis such a vulgar Expression of the Passion! every Body can laugh.
William Congreve, The Double-Dealer
Austra – “Lose it”
Feel It Break
The feminine electro-pop of Sister Crayon crossbred with turn-of-the-90s dancefloor synth, resulting in a slightly repetitive but ferociously catchy tune. Great timbre. (insound)
Failure is less frequently attributable to either insufficiency of means or impatience of labour, than to a confused understanding of a thing actually to be done; and therefore, while it is properly a subject of ridicule, and sometimes of blame, that men propose to themselves a perfection of any kind, which reason, temperately consulted, might have shown to be impossible with the means at their command, it is a more dangerous error to permit the consideration of means to interfere with our conception, or, as is not impossible, even hinder our acknowledgment of goodness and perfection in themselves.
John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture
M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy (Martin Pugh)
Heat graph of PINs; origin is 0000, apex is 9999 (Data Genetics)
Vocabulary: Spurious Peers Edition
lapidary: an expert in or book on, or simply pertaining to, gemmary; or, of gemlike character
pinchbeck: a spurious or counterfeit item, named for a copper-zinc alloy used to fake gold
octroi: a duty on certain goods; also, when a sovereign grants the people a constitution
auscultation: diagnosis by listening to the sounds of the body, as with a stethoscope
phalanstery: an ~1800-person commune under the rules of socialistic Fourierism
cotemporary: variant of contemporary, and makes more sense really
amaranthine: purplish red like the flower, or unfading and eternal
distrain: to seize or hold goods in order to satisfy a debt or claim
compeer: a peer or comrade equal in rank, ability, status, etc
coromandel: a tropical tree known for its hard, brown wood
pellucid: translucent or clear, either optically or in style
purulent: containing, discharging, or producing pus
libration: oscillation, especially of the moon
puling: whining, crying, or whimpering
The Most Serene Republic – “Career In Shaping Clay”
Population
If you’re familiar with TMSR, you know what to expect: bombastic, somehow geometric indie rock, with a sort of uniquely multitracked vocal effect that, to be honest, isn’t for everyone. But it makes for really great songs now and then, like this one, which stumbles a bit in its second quarter but really nails it for the climax. Phages is probably still a better intro to the band, but Population is still a quality record. (insound)