HFCS: effika’s blog

Yeah, no posts, losing readers, meh. I don’t have any excuses. No drive to do much lately.

Around the Sun is the latest R. E. M. album. Overall, it’s just an average album from a once above-average band. Stipe needs some inpsiration badly. The entire album feels like Stipe is waiting around to die, like being depressed after suffering a great loss. Stipe puts out a little effort in songs like Final Straw and Make it All Okay, but most of it seems so goddamn empty. He’s lost his muse- he’s just singing and writing poems because that’s what he’s always done. This stuff is more depressing than Beck’s Sea Change. Sea Change was made of horribly depressing songs about life and love, but it felt like Beck was working through his grief writing the album. Sea Change shows somebody growing. Around the Sun shows somebody without any reasons left to live drudging through life because he’s got nothing better to do. The songs in Around the Sun are not really depressing, they’re just… there. Neither happy nor sad. This is an album about existing.

Actually, this album reminds me of how I’ve felt lately. Existing is kind of hassle. Stipe and I must be emo-siblings.

Lyrics to Final Straw. This song really struck me. Go look at Make it All Ok, too.

As I raise my head to broadcast my objection
As your latest triumph draws the final straw
Who died and lifted you up to perfection?
And what silenced me is written into law.

I can’t believe where circumstance has thrown me
And I turn my head away
If I look I’m not sure that I could face you.
Not again. not today. not today.

If hatred makes a play on me tomorrow
And forgiveness takes a back seat to revenge
There’s a hurt down deep that has not been corrected.
There’s a voice in me that says you will not win.

And if I ignore the voice inside,
Raise a half glass to my home.
But it’s there that I am most afraid,
And forgetting doesn’t hold. it doesn’t hold.

Now I don’t believe and I never did
That two wrongs make a right.
If the world were filled with the likes of you
Then I’m putting up a fight. I’m putting up a fight.
Putting up a fight. make it right. make it right.

Now love cannot be called into question.
Forgiveness is the only hope I hold.
And love- love will be my strongest weapon.
I do believe that I am not alone.

For this fear will not destroy me.
And the tears that have been shed
It’s knowing now where I am weakest
And the voice in my head. in my head.

Then I raise my voice up higher
And I look you in the eye

And I offer love with one condition.
With conviction, tell me why.

Tell me why.
Tell me why.
Look me in the eye.
Tell me why.

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