the playlist track 03: O' Be Joyful by Shovels and Rope

Alrighty, so the first time I heard a recording of this group was through a late night study cram with Pandora and coffee. I didn't really know their music well until just recently when I saw them perform live. The energy and talent they put out on stage is amazing and if they roll into town near you, I highly recommend getting a ticket! This song I love specifically because of the lyrics and the rocking guitar throughout. The vocals are amazing as well, and this also happens to be my favourite song that they performed live.

Stay tuned for more!

the playlist track 02: Youth by Daughter

So this song I first heard when I went to the college modern dance recital at the end of the spring semester. The dance that went with this song was choreographed by students and the song was chosen by them.

I love the simple guitar melody at the opening of the song and how it carries on throughout the entire track. The song does the typical building up and then calming down, adding more instrumentation and creating louder vocals.

This song really inspires me when I have writer's block or artist's block.

Stay tuned!

book review! Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman: Endless Nights"

First off, this is not your regular 200-300 page novel. This is is a 152 page work of artistic and linguistic genius. I read this graphic novel before I read "Preludes and Nocturnes", which basically introduced the characters. "Endless Nights" is made up of seven chapters, each dedicated to an aspect of life and all of them start with the letter "D".

First is Death, a short story about the never-ending party in Venice. Second is Desire, and the pain suffered from pursuing it. Third is Dream, and the conflicts of reality and the dreamworld. Fourth is Despair, and the causes and effects of it on many different levels. Fifth is Delirium, and the confusion and hidden happiness found there. Sixth is Destruction, and the portrayal of  the positive side that no one sees. And finally the seventh chapter is on Destiny, and the struggle between its ambiguity and the future.

I don't want to give too much away here because reading "Endless Nights" without knowing too much about it is what really made it have such an impact on me. When I started reading, I was confused because each chapter didn't seem to relate to the next. But by the end, I finally had it figured out and I wanted to read more.

There are many different graphic novels and short stories under the title of The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, and I encourage you to read as many as possible! I started and finished "Preludes and Nocturnes" and now I plan to finish the four book series after it and continue on. Neil Gaiman is a genius with plot and with imagery, and I promise that if you enjoy books that challenge what literature is, you will not be disappointed here.

Stay tuned for more!