The Epistolarium @ Macalicious.net

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O Brave New Layout

26 Mar, 2006
Posted at 19.17 PST

You know each time I wade into CSS, I feel an overwhelming urge to pull my hair out. It’s not that Cascading Style Sheets are so difficult to grasp, it’s just that so much time goes between my forays into CSS that I have to teach myself how to use them yet again.

It’s enough to chap your ass, you know?

Regardless, I’ve now finally begun unifying my written blog with the layout and apperance of the main graphics site. Some things still don’t work correctly, mainly the permanent links at the bottom of each entry. For whatever reason, they’re failing to make use of the new CSS. Eventually I suppose I’ll figure out why. Fixed.

So why the changes? I was pretty pleased with the old layout afterall. The old one didn’t fit in with the main site’s layout though. It was my first attempt at a page design suitable for blog entries, and I liked it, but it was pretty much a ripoff of a WordPress or Movable Type layout, I don’t remember which. I later took what I learned and rebuilt the graphics end of the site using the same principles, but with my own design sensibilities rather than someone else’s, tweaking the layout to suit my needs better. And that was a design with which I was extremely happy. Happy enough with it that I haven’t bothered with any significant changes in a year and a half, a new record for the site.

I’ve been meaning to backport the design to this blog ever since I finished with the graphics site, but have repeatedly put it off. Mainly this is due to the odd chimerical nature of Macalicious.net. The graphics end is driven by hand coded pages, but the blog is driven by Blosxom, an open-source plug-in based perl script that generates pages on the fly. Marrying up the two halves is something I didn’t have the patience for until recently. My interest in pulling the two halves together has grown though, and so I’ve finally begun the process. Now that I’ve gotten this half up and running I’ll soon propogate the new layout back to the graphics end. That’s gonna be a whole lot of fun, I can tell. Sigh.

Errata | Permanent Link

Belle and Sebastian, Redux

26 Mar, 2006
Posted at 01.03 PST

Just got in from Belle and Sebastian’s last show of their North American tour here in Seattle, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It’s remarkable how much they’ve changed over the years. They’ve been tagged with the “twee” brush rather heavily, and I guess I’d have to say it’s been somewhat deserved, what with the violins and harpsichords turning up here and there in their songs, but the sound to which they’ve evolved is a far cry from the days of “The Model,” or “The State I Am In.”

I’d go so far as to say their sound has become more mainstream, if I felt I could make that argument. They haven’t really, but it’d be fair to say the band’s sound is a bit more standard pop than it was. There’s rather a strong 60s garage band/gospel influence going on that I find really interesting. And while the electric guitar wending its way through their recent offerings is somewhat startling given the band’s past musical history, I can’t say I dislike it. It’s wielded well.

At any rate, as any fan can tell you, it’s not Belle and Sebastian’s music itself that sucks you in, it’s the lyrics. Lead Stuart Murdoch delivers wicked keen turns of phrase that you don’t really notice till you begin paying attention to the lyrics. And I’m pleased to say that wry sense of humor is still present in the group’s music, and provides a welcome continuity to a sound that has been evolving at quite the unsettling pace for the past two albums. And more power to them. I wish more bands would take the time and effort to push back at the boundaries their fans expect of them. It has to be a bit frightening to strike out so strongly in new directions, and I admire the gumption.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise tonight was the group’s song set for the evening. It was nice to see them pulling some of the more obscure songs from their back catalogue, such as “Electronic Renaissance” (not something I’d ever have expected to hear in concert), and “Slept the Clock Around.” It would appear, according to Mr Murdoch anyway, that they try to avoid repeating songs they’ve played before in the same venue—even though it’s been over a year. Rather thoughtful.

Opening for Belle and Sebastian tonight were the New Pornographers, out of Vancouver. I’d seen them last autumn at the Showbox in downtown Seattle, and I hate to say it, but the lack of Neko Case this time was evident. While they certainly proved they can hold their own without her, her presence does lend a certain energy to their performance that is otherwise missing. Ah well, she’s just released a solo album of her own, and I suppose she can’t be blamed for needing to focus her attentions on it. At least I’ve now gotten to see them twice in concert. Given the slapdash nature of the group, I keep expecting to hear it announced they’re going to call it quits, though I keenly hope they keep getting together periodically to record new albums. They’ve got a sound that is wildly infectious. Check ‘em out if you’re not familiar with them.

Music | Permanent Link