Derutted, or, How My Faith in 2007 Was Restored

You might have noticed from my whining that I've been in a bit of a music rut. I've also been in a bit of a school rut--not feeling a fire for some of my studies. But thanks to Bodies of Water and a new professor I may be derutted.

I've been getting excited about a few things I'm hearning, but in particular this week it's Bodies of Water's Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Bleed. I used to hate when people compared bands, but sometimes I just can't help it if I want to be efficient. They feel a bit like an Arcade Fireish Belle & Sebastian. Or a Belle & Sebastianish Arcade Fire. Superlatively speaking. Like classic 60's pop attacked with abandon. According to them,

They play loud, intricate songs and sing very emphatically, usually all at once. They draw from a number of disparate traditions, combining the metaphysical intensity of gospel, the primitive gusto of punk rock, the earnest idiosyncracy of american folk, the sonic inclusiveness of tropicalia, the planned jamming of prog, and the sincere melodrama of musical theatre.

And the more I listen the better it gets.

mp3: Bodies of Water - Here Comes My Hand

Now as far as school goes, once a month we have this mandatory meeting for everyone in the Ph.D. program and more often than not it feels like a big waste of a morning. This week we happened to get a presentation from a new professor about a relatively new empirically supported psychological treatment called ACT he's really into. The details would really bore you: there was ego and theory and statistics involved. When it comes down to it my primary goal in school is to become as good a therapist as I can possibly be but other demands of school can often distract from that. The way this approach to therapy was presented fit really well with some things I've been thinking about recently, so I'm pretty excited about the prospect of being able to be trained in it.

So yeah, there's hope yet.