Quick Post: Albums That Own My Life Right Now

I don't pretend to be the type that's an expert on music. Usually, I'll love something for its lyricism, or I'll say something stupid like "and then there's this part where the strings go wraaaaaaaaah and it's awesome!" The truth is, for those of us who aren't really musicians (I play guitar, but that's it, and I'm not even remotely good), all we can say about music is what we like, and damned if we can say anything smart about technique or composition. That doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm talking about, just that I don't have the know-how to say it. In any case, here are three albums that are owning my shit, for no other reason than I like them. Look them up, listen for yourself, I doubt you'll regret it. And with the exception of Knives Don't Have Your Back, they're pretty new.

Edited out the parts about France and husbandry.

GIve thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar;
The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade. Beware
of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement.
Costly thy habits as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparent oft proclaims the man.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be;
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Hamlet, am I right? Even if it is from the dumbest character in the play, the words themselves are more or less helpful. It seems contradictory at first: do all these things to please people, but be true to yourself! And yet, at this point in my life, it makes a sort of sense to me:

"Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion'd thought his act": Keep your thoughts to yourself, and don't act rashly.

"Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar; The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade.": be nice and open to other people, but not too casual, keep your old friends close to your heart since they've been there for a long time and can be trusted, but don't waste your time with new friends who don't know you yet.

"Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in, Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.": Don't fight, but if you fight, you win! I like the phrase "the opposed may beware of thee." Don't beat them, but let them know that you don't appreciate your shit being fucked with.

"Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement.": pay close attention to people, but don't make yourself very well known, size everyone up, but don't judge them immediately. A lot of this makes me think of the "every time I meet someone I think of how I could fight them." idea. Listen closely but don't be too loud, don't get into fights but by all means finish them, don't judge people, but size up their weaknesses anyway.

"Costly thy habits as thy purse can buy, But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy; For the apparent oft proclaims the man." : Don't be tacky. Clothes make the man. Buy LOTS of them.

"Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.": So this is the best-known and most often quoted thing that Polonius ever does in the play. "To thine own self be true" is a pretty heavy mantra, in any case, but I totally dig it. The hard part here is reconciling being true to oneself while also being more or less a spy to everyone else. I think it's perfectly possible.