Stay Down, Champion

I woke up this morning with light snow on the ground the song "Tall Saint" by The National in my head. I listened to it a few times on my way to work. Here's an excerpt from the lyrics that I find particularly significant,

"In my city, I didn't make a sound,
When I fell over and cracked my crown,
Heard a woman say "stay down,
Champion, stay down."

But I got up, got in a car,
Said "I don't think I'm gonna go very far,"
Just take me one time around the ballroom slow,
And take me home."

It made me think of the boxing paintings and drawings of George Bellows and in turn, re-examine his amazing landscape-based images:

George Bellows, "A Morning Snow: Hudson River", 1910 (Source: Wiki Commons)
George Bellows, "Pennsylvania Station Excavation", 1907

George Bellows, "An Island in the Sea", 1911 (Source: Wiki Commons)

Recommended New Music: The National "Boxer"

Great new album from The National that came out recently. Check them out on myspace and get a listen. You can order it here. It reminds me of Interpol, Radio Dept., New Order, and a few others - but it stands on its own. Solid album all the way through.