It's The Time Of The Season

Oh springtime in Jacksonville. I hate it! When I lived in Miami life was easy. Because South Florida has no seasons nothing ever dies. In addition to that because South Florida was also sub tropical, the vegetation is completely different from North Florida. No one has maple trees in their yard in Miami and Oak's are just as rare. Because of the all this, it meant that there was no pollen in the air. This, my friends, was a good thing.

When I moved up here, I had no idea I had allergies. Then the Spring of 2000 came. Holy Bejesus. It was Mother Nature saying, "Welcome to Northern Florida." Now every spring I feel as though I'm going to die for about three months. It's agonizing to say the least. If it weren't for my little friends Claritin D and Allegra I would shuffle off of my mortal coil.

So as a tribute to spring, pollen, and Mother Nature I give you these erm...seasonable tracks...

Pulp: Weeds - Some say Pulp lost the plot on their final album. I disagree. We Love Life is a brilliant album that is just as subversive and pervy as any other Pulp record. The difference here is that Jarvis is not as directly open as he has been in the past. As for weeds...nothing says spring more than weeds busting out of every crack in the sidewalk spreading its dreaded pollen everywhere.

Rush: The Trees - Probably the most philosophical band on the planet. The Trees is from their masterful Hemispheres album. You either love this band or you hate them. I happened to have grown up to these guys and outside of indie circles they are probably my favorite band of all time. As for the trees...they're all kept equal by hatchet, axe, and saw. What a nice thought as I go through a box of tissues.

Belly: Feed The Tree - I remember this video. All 4-5 feet of Tanya Donnelly surrounded by huge trees. I remember seeing them in Miami when this came out. They were so huge in 92 and some band called Radiohead opened for them!!! As for the tree...Here's a frightening thought allergy sufferers, "big red tree grew up and out, throws up its leaves." Oh god, the horror!

Submarine: Pollen - Just a little late to be lumped in the Shoegazing movement and to early to be Britpop, Submarine sound like pre-Spiritualized in a head on collision with perhaps Dinosaur Jr. Joyful noise that goes on and on. As for pollen...one word says so much! Ugh.

Divine Comedy: The Pop Singers Fear of the Pollen Count - Leave it to Neil Hannon to put a comedic spin on all of this. He truly is a genius. As for the pollen count...today in Jacksonville the Oak count is HIGH. This means pass me another Claritin D and lets ride the dragon baby!

Until next time...stay indoors..keep your house airtight...and stock up on allergy medications. We still have two months to go.

Paul(len) the Anglophile