in which music abruptly and with great skill changes from Friend to Maybe Slightly Less Friend.

i am an outspoken fan of electronica, techno, ambient, and the other 48 or so categories of music that are defined by the fact that they are made primarily or somewhat with the assistance of machines. no, really. i like it. if you are feeling the familiar twinges of a disclaimer, you are right. you deserve a gold star for your Astuteness and Clever-Thinking.

the interesting thing about music is the unique anti-music qualities it acquires when it travels through ceilings, walls, and floors of architecturally suspect apartment buildings. in its brave trail through decaying wood, concrete, lead paint, and mouse poo, it disintegrates into a muffled mass of monotone bassline. music made primarily or somewhat with the assistance of machines takes frequent criticism for being Repetitive, Annoying, and Demoralizing specifically in the area of basslines and/or beats. so, while i'm sure the mmmmpp-suh mmmmpp-suh downstairs is very complex, emotionally resonant, and gripping, up here it is interrupting my famously steadfast and unbreakable Train of Thought. by steadfast and unbreakable i mean that i am the easiest person to distract ever.

but while i am an asshole in many arenas of life, i'm not when it comes to music. i understand the need to listen to music, and to listen to it loudly, because most music, especially music made primarily or somewhat with the assistance of machines, sounds better when it's loud. i celebrate the downstairs music listener's love and appreciation for sound. but the vibrations are shaking the laptop, and i can't pump amy goodman's voice loud enough through the tinny speakers that were included free of charge with said laptop to compensate. she can scream all she wants about condi rice, but she just can't compete with the mmmmpp-suh mmmmpp-suh. so we'll learn to coexist. the mmmmpp-suh mmmmpp-suh will continue with all its muffled slathering of monotone bassline, and i will continue to be easily distracted, choosing to redirect any feelings of inferiority arising from my inability to work into a blog post full of disclaimers and whining. how fortunate for us all.