A moment of reflection.

[MadPooter]

There's something about the act of listening to music and putting that energy out into the world. Even if it's just the simple act of pressing the play button, it's wonderful when we can give energy to the universe simply by pressing play.

And sometimes the universe answers back.

To say that I've been enjoying the album is an understatement, and there was a moment yesterday where it all sort of came together for me. I was in my car on the way to the office--it was afternoon and it was a late start to the day.

The sun was shining, the air was cool, but god damn there was some traffic. Thankfully, of course, I had the album on hand to listen to. Grinding through track after delightful track, I puttered along Harrison Street making my way toward hopping across the Bay Bridge to get to Berkeley.

Side by side in pairs the cars sauntered along to the onramp, and in between there was, as is usually the custom in large cities, a homeless man holding up a sign asking for money. And as is usually the custom, I saw him, and wished the best for him, but I did not give him any money.

As he made his way toward my car, I fully realized he could hear the thumping beats of Mad as Hell--my windows were open, and the music was as loud as it needed to be on a sunny day in downtown San Francisco. And in the next moments, it was like watching a movie where I already knew what was going to happen.

He started to groove. The rhythms hitting his body and his knees started to bounce--his head told the story of what was going on inside and out. That vocal starts coming up as the song starts to rise, and he started to rave.

He turns to me, "THIS IS GREAT MAN! WHO IS THIS?"

I respond, yelling back just as loud, loud enough to shout over the thumping beats and that dark rise, "THIS IS THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS!"

"YEAH, MAN I LIKE THIS!" he says, in a voice loud enough where I know the other cars around can hear, and at a level that I can barely even hear because the music is so loud.

"WHO IS THIS AGAIN!?!" he yells.

I shout out to the world, "THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS!"

And he smiled, laughing, dancing away with his makeshift cardboard sign.

And as I pulled away from him onto the onramp, that dark rise moving steadily toward a beautiful climax, gaining altitude onto the risen freeway onramp, picking up speed and heading over the bay, I felt this surge of absolute energy. I felt the universe bridging the gap between myself, the homeless man, the cars around me, the bridge, the sun, and the air between it all.

And I smiled, as I thought to myself--fuck me, this is one of the best god damn albums I've heard in a long, long time.

[kosek]

-fuck me, this is one of the best god damn albums I've heard in a long, long time.

You bet your ass it is!

[Biff]

Great post, but you should've really titled it "A Moment of Reflexion."

[MadPooter]

Great minds think alike. I debated it, but I wanted to keep the focus on the new album. :p