8Tracks and Summer Music

You know how in each season you're trying to find just the right mix of songs that fits your mood without overplaying them like they do on the radio? In lieu of options like making new playlists on your media player of choice or letting Pandora find some new stuff for you, one of the new tools I've found is 8Tracks.com. They're user created playlists which are updated regularly and provide a quick and dirty solution to the perfect mix you're looking for on short notice.

My favorite right now is a station called Summer Country, hope you enjoy it!

Le Petit Prince

par Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

So the other night I decided to go back and reread one of my favorite books of all time, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In high school I originally read it in French, and to get the full effect of the imagery and humor, that's how it should be read. In the essence of time, however, I decided to read through the English translation and look up my favorite quotes in French.

The main idea of the story revolves around the author's encounter with a young prince who lives by himself on an asteroid, but has gone exploring. Through this encounter as well as flashbacks to the author's youth, the book illustrates the ridiculousness of what adults consider "matters of consequence." Rather the little prince teaches the author the value of a single rose who depends on you, and the responsibility you have for that which you have tamed. Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé.

So, if anyone ever shows you a picture of what appears to be a hat, ignore your eyes and try to see the boa eating an elephant. If you are shown a picture of a box, remember the little sheep inside. Il est très simple : on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.

 And finally, I close with a warning: Enfants! Faîtes attention aux baobabs!


Note: Illustrations are originals from Le Petit Prince and obtained from the online text.

This ain't no love song

"I just felt like gettin' my guitar on and singin' a tune, singin' about you. Yeah, feeling good and tappin' my shoes."

As much as I love songs about breakups, lost loves, being a redneck and having big pickup trucks, it's always nice to hear a new theme to a country tune. Songs have always been used to express emotions or ideas, but rarely do you hear a popular song written about music.

At first listen, I hear a guy who needs to sing because he just has the itch to tap his toe and feel those chord progressions resonate down to his soul. The verses tell about how he's singing to her because he needs a subject, not because he's falling for her. My girlfriend thought the way he presented it was quite insulting, but then again, intentions are usually misunderstood and the guy usually ends up in trouble.

Unfortunately, my interpretation of this song was cracked by the music video. Trace spends the whole song singing to her as she seduces him from the bed. I thought, well maybe he's resisting her temptations by just writing this song about singing for the sake of music. But then I saw an interview with Trace on CMT where he explains how the song was actually a tongue-in-cheek love song similar to George Strait's "Ocean Front Property"

So, for me at least, this song transformed from an innovative, fresh take on country to just another pretty good song for the radio. I still like it, but it doesn't hold the same epic place in my music library that it initially did. However, the chord progressions in Dierks Bentley's "Up on the Ridge" are still incredible. That one is still holding its ground.