itting here, just finished mowing the lawn, and it’s starting to get dark outside. I’ve got the fan on, but it’s still damn hot in here. I think I’ll take a nap in a few minutes, not because I worked too hard or woke up too early but because the air’s right for it. Maybe later I’ll go to Lisa’s house with a few people to play video games. I’ll have to go and rent them first though, but I got no car. I’m sleepy.


If we all had such problems.


It’s summertime, and we, the kids, are off from school, which means exactly this sort of afternoon... sitting around with no shirt on, typing something or talking to someone, and worrying about little things only completes the essence of vacation. No pressure no nothing, boredom-cum-love and loneliness-cum-joy, procrastination that doesn’t hurt...


Luna’s Romantica is a remarkable distillation of this feeling. The songs are light, the production both relaxed and relaxing... the music breathes. Former Galaxie 500 star Dean Wareham sings with a cool slouch, showing a casualness and ease that he hasn’t been able to achieve in years. Dean’s a natural at this, and his singing has always been good, but here he just sounds loose. "Don’t you wanna know where this thing will go?" he asks on "Black Champagne." "I wonder how things became so strange." Total resignation, peace, and contentment. There’s an element of Pavement here, particularly in the production and irreverence of the subject matter... because even though Dean Wareham is singing about problems, they’re nice problems, concerning love and fun, and if nothing else, it’s comforting.


"Dizzy" is the album’s pearl. It’s the quintessential love song, and Dean doesn’t let anything touch its realism. It’s a song about him, not his lover, and that’s what makes it sound so honest... because truly, how much can we really know about another person’s inner workings? Not enough to understand their intricacies as well as we understand our own, and God bless ‘em, that’s what Dean focuses on. It’s selfish and hedonistic, but then, what’s love? "I want you to see just how good it can be," he sings. This isn’t a song about loving, this is a song about being in love- the bewildered point of view of the man who’s experiencing what everyone else wants...


I wanna help you understand
I wanna see you if I can
I’m loaded up and weighted down
And I’m surrounded by demons



The feel good hit of the summer! This here’s the spirit of the season, and no matter how much we ever want to accomplish with our day, this is where we’re gonna end up. Our problems don’t go away, we just realize that having them around is a blessing, not a curse. It’s a confirmation of our ultimate freedom, a reminder that goddam do we have it good.