Look! Effort!

I realise I have seriously neglected this blog for the past month so this is me trying to make up for this. Although, if I were to give justification's I haven't had anything to interesting to write about, hence no posts. But I'm still trying! So this is a semi-stall post, I'll give it my all!
Soo... things new with myself.. (yes.. I've resorted to that).
I got a main part in the school play, so this is keeping me busy! We're doing beauty and the beast, I get number one evil fairy and have already been told the costume in mine is big wings, and large boots. When I decide how I feel about this, I will update.
Got into Photography (time table clash, etc) so that is keeping me even busier, but it's good! Just a lot of work.
Hm... I'm understanding algebra (anyone who knows me knows this is beyond miracle).
I'm reading a quite fantastic book called Dead Until Dark (by Charlaine Harris), so rock on with the vampire romances! It's quite interesting to sit and read this and see parallels between this book sand the Twilight series, but I s hall not go on in case I sound teenie. Er.
Another thing I've gotten into is the show Numb3rs (this is after watching all of Chuck, which was brilliant). Numb3rs is also quite brilliant, just finishing the first series (it's important when starting to watch a series that there are a decent amount of DVDs already in the DVD store - you always know then the show was good enough to carry on for X amount of seasons, and you won't run out of episodes to watch as quickly, and have to go through that painful mourning period of said show, and then the issue of having to try and choose a new show to fill t he void it's left in your life). Anyway - point was, it's really good! It also has David Krumholtz in it, who is quite cool, and if something comes up that I actually can comprehend, it makes me feel really intelligent, which is also quite cool.
While we're on the subject of media, have also been listening to a lot of Jack's Mannequin lately - brilliant for walk-around music, catchy, simple, clever little lines for moments when you actually listen to it, easy to have on when you're mind's in another world. Also been listening to more Ben Folds (yes, it's been one of those weeks) but also great to have on in the background. That kinda piano/rock thing going on, it's all good, can be pretty rockin' or pretty cruisey. Jack's Mannequin is quite something though... only because if you listen to a bunch of their songs, then realise (like I did) the lead singer almost died of cancer, ad listen to the albums again; a lot starts to make sense. Not for every song, but I do like this music as it can related to many things. With this, I'll leave you with my favourite JM song of the moment (sorry I couldn't get a real video).

Fall Out Boy To Mark The End Of Summer

So, as the rumours have told anyone who's listened, it does look like the break up of the band "Fall Out Boy" is on the horizon, if it has not already hit us. I will not ramble on how this is terrible, how it's going to change my life, or how upset it's made me, because in all honestly, it really hasn't.
I'll admit, I am a fan; and have been for around 4 years now. I've seen them twice in concert, and have all five albums on my ipod (plus odd demo tracks and such), I'd even be willing to state I know every single lyric, give or take.
However, the last album (Folie a Deux), although catchy as some songs were, on a whole was very average. Infinity On High was a good rock/pop album, one which I could quite happily put on and not have to skip any songs, and I was impressed as a musician with the arranging in it. Under The Cork Tree and Take This To Your Grave I personally consider as great albums. Great hook lines, great one liners, nice rhymes, catchy, and of course I refuse to forget to mention Fall Out Boy's Night Out With Your Girlfriend - terribly mixed and recorded to a point where "rough around the edges" does not cut it, yet some of their best songs. The talent was there, before they "mainsteamed" and the commercial world got to them. You can tell it from that album, even if it sounds like it's been recorded in a basement; which it probably was.
So as I sit here now, listening to Fall Out Boy, I am slightly mournful of this break up, not 'cause I spent a year of my life listening to them constantly or, like many other teens, took comfort in their music; but now as a more "stable" person I actually really wanted to see what they would do next. Although I do expect some form of reform within the next two years (just saying).
So I can happily sit here shuffling through 275 MG of FOB, listening to songs I haven't heard in months and months pondering how this is absolute proof of the "here today, gone tomorrow" music industry we have today - where FOB (after only 5 albums) are seen as a "long standing band", even though they've only been together since 2001. Our music, just like our food, clothes, jobs, even friends, have become disposable. Single after unmemorable single thrown at us, and if you're really hooked you might even download the album. Fan loyalty is generally disregarded by the masses, and although I sound like my father in saying this, the industry is really nothing like it was twenty years ago.
But, back to my point, when the mood calls for it I'll still listen to these albums again. When I get sick of the latest artist, or can't find anything else to rediscover, I'll turn back to bands like Fall Out Boy, for a week or so at a time. Although, as I found every album progressively got less catchy and memorable, maybe this break up is for the best; and if they do reform (and I do hope they will) maybe the break would have done the music good, and maybe regain some of the "spark" it's lost. In their own words: "No one wants to hear you sing about tragedy."