Trends: Seems that the likes of Grimes has ushered in an age of female vocalist indie electronic pop. Like CHVRCHES, AlunaGeorge, and Phebe Starr, who was really boring when she was on Unearthed. They just wrapped that mess up with some trendy production.

Foxygen: Listened to the new album while going through BNMs and was shocked by how bad it was. Thank God for this review. Especially that 2nd paragraph!

The Drones: I wasn't going to freak over new music this year, but I heard The Drones on the radio and thought, "Wow, this is a really weird." It's a good album. I particularly like the last two tracks.

Spotify: Oh God, they changed it so you can see who people are following/who's following you. On the plus side, I can now unfollow that girl who listens exclusively to Glee covers.

Paul Kelly/Neil Finn: Watching the livestream was probably better than actually being there. It was alright, though I'm not really into Crowded House (gasp). I dunno, they were like one of those name-drop bands in high school, like Beatles or Pink Floyd. Felt a bit emotional during How To Make Gravy.

Hey, you know what I'd like to hear in new Australian music? Specific references to local stuff (like catching the 470 to Circular Quay) and accents that aren't pointlessly weird and definitely not Australian (Lisa Mitchell, Josh Thomas).

Should I audition for a choir?

This university is similar to my high school in several ways, the most important being: everybody is Asian, everybody does science, and the music department is kind of puny and nobody seems to care for it. There is an orchestra, but oddly enough there doesn't seem to be a choir. However, there is a music club that supposedly runs a vocal group.

Last semester, only eight people turned up for the audition (as far as I know) out of the eighty-something that signed up. My friend signed up, but couldn't make it to the audition. The club said they'd set another date, but she never heard back from them. I guess they gave up from lack of interest, because I didn't hear anything either. Friend wants to try auditioning again this semester. I'm not so sure.

It all reminded me of that debacle last year. (Long, personal story.) It almost single-handedly ruined my senior year. I don't want even the slightest possibility of putting up with that kind of thing again. Negative associations, you know?

But another part of me thinks I should try, because I might be able to replace the bad associations with better ones. After all, who the hell goes through life with a hatred of choral music? Christmas is already irritating enough for me.

Here comes the album release cycle! Ah, those lame things I used to listen to in 2009 because I didn't know any better. Those people are releasing new albums now.

Or some ideas that I will elaborate on at a later date.

I listened to the lab supervisor chat animatedly with a girl in a Rollins Band shirt about the time he'd seen them live. I knew that, regardless of what kind of shirt I was wearing, nobody would start a conversation with me about anything like that.

I closed the door and fell onto my bed. I was exhausted. Not from walking halfway across the CBD, not from sitting for half an hour on the bus, but from practically leaping out of my skin every time my phone buzzed. I knew I'd have as much luck getting a reply from JS Bach, but still.

It would be inaccurate to say that I want to go home. I'm not sure where that is any more. I just don't think I enjoy living next to a piano teacher's studio. Of course, there's the noise, but there's also those poor kids who just don't want to be there. I don't know why their parents insist on it. It certainly didn't do me any good.