Biking an Album

Today I found that my brother's bicycle was not, as I believed, beyond repair. After pumping air into the tires, and fiddling with the broken seat, my dad was able to get it working. This was great news for me, since I don't really enjoy running, and my inline skates have 5 of 8 wheels remaining. (Note that it is indeed possible to use inline skates with 6 of 8 wheels, and probably 5 of 8, if you've got the right 5).

Thus, I was able to enjoy the free-roaming, neighborhood dominating exercise that my rigorous gym routine lacks. Also, since bicycling (recreationally) doesn't require the mental focus of weightlifting or timed running, I can listen to my iPod whilst doing it. I decided I would ride for the length of one album. This would let me listen to some new music and get exercise. Multitasking is a plus.

Of course, I managed to pick an unusually long album, Absolution by Muse, clocking in at 52 minutes. I successfully biked the whole time, with a few brief stops atop hills. When I returned, my legs were quite jelly-esque, a nice feeling (to know I really worked the muscles).

The album was definitely well above average. I had previously listened to Butterflies and Hurricanes religiously (it's currently my most listened track since my harddrive crash in January), but hadn't gotten a chance to listen to the album straight-through. There's a lot of coherence here, with riffs and chord progressions foreshadowing entire songs (the beginning of Time is Running Out and the bassline of Butterflies and Hurricanes, for example). Of course, Butterflies and Hurricanes stands out, but so do Hysteria (for a sweet guitar riff), and Apocalypse Please. The subject matter gets a bit repetitive, but it's forgiven for the great balance of tones and styles, and some really genius melodic and rhythmic structures. Recommended.

All in all, a nice (if tiring) experience. I'll try to increase my biking frequency (possibly to include all my non-lifting days), both for exercise and music-listening purposes.