Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Sound of Silver Lining

There are a lot of things I could write about today, like the grocery clerk who squished both the bread and the whole grain blueberry muffins, or the umpteenth trip I am making to in-laws tomorrow to help them sell their house, or the continued ridiculousness of Kindergarten report cards -- shoe tying is no longer on the report card now that Henry can do it.

No, I've got two vitriolic men to thank in today's post. They are connected too, so it's kinda nifty.

Last week I ripped open the package from Amp Camp (I don't just pretend to work there, I am also a steady customer) that contained the new LCD Soundsystem CD, Sound of Silver. The CD felt like a consolation prize because I knew mailing it out to me was practically the last act of the site's now former editor, and I knew I was really going to miss him and his work.

Not too surprisingly given the pre-release buzz, the CD is great. I am enamored of its creator James Murphy (that's him in the tub) because he dives just as fearlessly into anger as he does into fun and he melds them both into the best record I have heard this year. Yeah, this one pretty much kicks the Arcade Fire and the Shins in the teeth.

I am going to miss my editor because he was just beginning to do much the same thing for Amp Camp. The site was evolving into something a little different than when I started there, but something just as unique and vital. Now POOF. It's not the first time the site has lost its leader, and I am sure it will survive and thrive because that's what happens. I am just not a fan of the process.

But in the words of James Murphy, "it's the memory of our betters that are keeping us on our feet." Cheers to you, Walter Pillman, and your many other incarnations.

3 comments:

Emsmom said...

Okay, I had to download Sounds of Silver today, haven't listened to it all the way through yet, but I think I'm going to like it very much. Very persuasive Em!

Danny de Zayas said...

Pillman is one of a kind, it's true. He'll be sorely missed.

However, I've heard a rumor that the helm has already been taken over by someone with big plans for a bold new, even more thrilling direction.

The rumor also goes that he's incredibly handsome and intelligent and lives in Denver. Also, I've heard that he plans to involve you once the site is ready for its retooled unveiling.

But what do I know?

Andy Fenwick said...

Mr. Pilman tells me he's flattered for the eulogy. He's currently inhaling a bottle of Carlo Rossi while he sits fully clothed in his bathtub, but he feels much better than he did in March. Truly.

He's still waiting to see that bold new, even more thrilling direction, though. He might have to get new lenses, I told him. Or take some mescaline, at least to see something new and different.

We're both still nursing hangovers from the Pseudonyms' Conference last weekend, held in an unnamed city. But we came away with multiple assignments that'll send our shared bank account in a bold new, thrilling direction, and with less work and more Carlo Rossi.