I really wasn't in the mood for designing the obituary for yet

another

family member today  (which is supposed to appear in the local newspaper in a few days, the term 'deadline' seeming ridiculously appropriate), so I decided to go for a

second

walk instead.
 
I like walking through the snowy fields at night. All human sounds are muffled, and even on a moon- and starless night (probably thanks to the light-spill from the distant streetlights) it is still bright enough that you can almost read a book. Well,

almost

.
 
I was in a strange mood when I went out. I still am to a certain degree. Not depressed (which is rather nice for a change), just ...

contemplative

... (though

confused

is perhaps more like it).
 
Since my fabulously fluffy

Princess Leia ear-muffs

went the path of all earthly things earlier this year already (on my

birthday

, no less), I wrapped myself in scarves and shawls, plugged in my earphones and trampled off into the night ... trying my best not to slip on the ice and break my neck, because some lazy people apparently couldn't be bothered to salt or otherwise clear the pavement in front of their houses.

Because of all that whiteness, I didn't really need my

blinking reflectors

(which I tend to strap around my ankles these days, after a bunch of drunken assholes, too pissed and/or stupid to turn on their damn headlights, almost ran me over with their bikes about three years ago), but their semi-chaotic signaling reflected in the snow (one row of LEDs blinks a lot faster than the other) has something strangely comforting. Plus, it always goes nicely with the music.
 
For me ...

there is a certain kind of music that is strictly reserved for walking

(if only because it really gets on my nerves, if I listen to it at home) ... - and that's "ElectroPop" (for lack of a better term). Tonight I took

ASSEMBLAGE 23

with me.
 
I first encountered him (or rather his music) in ... oh, me and time ... well, let's just say it was a few years back. I was in the studio (Nachtschicht) recording an album, and found on of his CDs lying around, as I was about to pack my things and return home for the weekend. Apparently, an ex-bandmate of Austria's "Porno Thomas" (fans of "imperial" poser-music probably know who I am talking about) had brought it along and left it there as some sort of reference material, and since Toby didn't mind (knowing that I am trustworthy and always extremely careful with whatever I borrow), I wrapped the CD in velvet (yes, I'm goth, deal with it) and put it in my bag.
 
The CD in question was "

FAILURE

" ... and ... I didn't like it much. Some tracks, I thought, were OK, but as a whole there was too much going on of what I used to refer to as

»

ProletenDisco

«

. I found the lyrics to be

above

the average genre stuff though, which, I guess, made me make some kind of vague mental note. The other thing that really irritated me about it was the fact that there was no picture of the "band" anywhere in the booklet, because I can always tell whether or not somebody's lyrics are

authentic

(as in honest), simply by looking at a photo.
 
Not long after this I came upon an interview with

ASSEMBLAGE 23

in some magazine (most likely because

SOPOR

was featured in it as well), in which he mentioned that the song "Disappoint" was actually about his father's suicide. That didn't make the album any better for me, but the self-therapeutic element of his music was something that I could absolutely respect!  (For obvious reasons).
 
After that I didn't really bother about his music until "

META

" came out, which happens to be the album I was listening to tonight. Even though there is a bit of

bad

DEPECHE MODE

going on here and there...

...it is still a very good pop-album. And the overall vibe is entirely different too. I wonder, if he got married around the time he was writing the material. If so, that would explain a thing or two, like ... well ... the

weight

he has gained.  ;)
 
I still can't listen to "

COMPASS

" at all, because, despite its title, it feels kind of directionless to me. A bit like a collection of B-sides, if you wish.
 
The latest one, "

BRUISE

", is much better. Again, a good pop-album. Depeche Mode is still lurking behind every damn corner, but hey, it's OK to have heroes (or simply preferences).
 
I first stumbled over this album after he had uploaded previews of it to ... oh, I can't remember where. Anyway, I clicked on the song "THE LAST MISTAKE", skipped to what I believed to be the chorus, but when I heard him singing "

we'll be a family again

", I just thought »

OH, FUCK OFF!!!

« and immediately hit the stop button! (The lyrics actually have a twist, but I only learned that later).
 
I know, it's a bit of a bitchy thing to say, but ... honestly ... my initial thought was, now that he's a happily married man and all, he's got nothing of substance to sing about anymore. (Sorry. Did I mention I'm goth?)   ;)
 
After the album was released, I downloaded it (illegally). I listened to it when I was in the studio (for recording a new

SOPOR

album), which, these days, seems to be the only time I can do this. Probably because I am so vibrating with my own material then that other people's music cannot influence me (or get on my nerves for that matter). Well, be that as it may, I listened to "

BRUISE

" once while taking a walk, and for a second time in my hotelroom, where I decided that I liked it enough to actually keep it ... - meaning: I would have to BUY it, eventually.
 
Which I did. (Of course!)
 
In fact, I purchased it directly from his own online store. I didn't tell him who I was, though, because ... a) that would be tacky as fuck ... and

b) I was curious, if he was going to sign it, if I asked for it ... - which he did:

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 

OK, that was a longer entry. Interesting, I didn't intend to write that much. Well, I guess, I might just as well do that obituary now...  :/