What says you

If you asked most people to describe their CD collection, they probably would balk at the degree of simplification necessary to get it down to a paragraph, let alone a sentence. But I’m willing to go shorter, only a fragment: a collection of disappointing follow-ups to critically acclaimed albums. I’ve got tons of them. You liked Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell – I’ve got Show Your Bones. You were digging Jurassic 5’s Quality Control – try out Power in Numbers. How ‘bout The Strokes – I’ve got First Impressions of Earth, but everyone wants Is This It? I can’t seem to jump on a bandwagon until it’s already bounding out of town with me choking on dust. And knowing this fact hasn’t changed my selection – or luck – to any obvious degree. And that brings me to my latest purchase – Wincing the Night Away by The Shins. I wasn’t cool enough to be on board for the Braff-approved Oh, Inverted World or even Chutes Too Narrow. But knowing the reputations of those records led me to try WTNA. My point isn’t about whether this record is good or bad (I think it is OK, but nothing great), but if I’m even qualified (in reality, cool enough) to make a determination. Obviously, my CD buying track record wouldn’t lend much credence to my opinion. This is part of my recurring pet theory: I never feel that I am qualified to do anything. I don’t feel like I’ve listened to enough B-sides by obscure Nordic bands to say whether any band is actually good. And this extends beyond music. There’s a lot I don’t know – and I’m fully, nearly overly, aware of it.

Despite that, I’ll give you my take. I most enjoy Australia and Turn On Me. Many of the other tunes are good, just not in an in-your-face way, such as Spilt Needles, which takes a Frostian turn at the end.

You're old enough, boy,
Too many summers you've enjoyed,
So spin the wheel,
We'll set you up with some odd convictions,
Because you're finally golden, boy

I wish that I felt more confident about my ability to know good from bad, but I don't. But know this, if you do something lauded as good, I'll probably be interested in what you do next.