"the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes, 'Awww!' " - Jack Kerouac
I can’t help but reflect on the year as it closes.2008 will always be the year that I did what I’ve wanted to do for 5 years: bike around Lake Michigan.Over 700 miles from Chicago through Wisconsin, around the Upper Peninsula and down into Traverse City in the lower peninsula.My wife Katy and I took 12 days to complete the painful, exhilarating, exhausting, and amazing journey.The bike tour was probably the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life, and it got me into the best shape of my life.Every once in a while when work and life seem to be closing in on me, I can picture those open roads … the crystal water, the cliff views, the insane hills … and I am set to keep going on.
2008 was also the year that we got our cat Elliott, beginning grad school, the beginning of our second year of marriage, the second birthday of my niece and nephew, fifth year of teaching, more holidays, more birthdays, and the loss of some very close students.
Nothing sums up the year for me more than my reflection of my favorite music released in the last 12 months.Its hard for I think this was more of mediocre music year than others.The last few years there has been a handful of albums that blew me away this year only a couple came close to blowing me away.I actually spent of the year listening to some favorites released the year prior: Sunset Rubdown – Random Spirit Lover, Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam, The Knife – Silent Shout, Jens Lekman – Night Falls over Kortedala, and others.
But of this year my favorite albums:
Honorable mentions: Girl Talk – Feed the Animals and Mountain Goats –Heretic Pride.
5. Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer.A couple months ago I wouldn’t have put this in my top 10, I probably wouldn’t have put it in my top 20.But that was when I was still comparing this to their first album “Apologies to the Queen Mary”.Once I let that go, I realized what a great album this is.Spencer Krug is the most talented singer song writer today and his songs show his infatuation with earth, fire, and death.These songs reveal more depth with further listens.Boeckner –the other singer of Wolf Parade –sings in more of the style of 90’s grunge.And although a full album of Boeckner would be too much for me the transitions between the two singers creates a sound that is uniquely and beautifully Wolf Parade.
4. TV on the Radio – Dear Science.I was hoping for a heavier rock album with some near dance songs weaved throughout.Instead the rock was more towards the pop side and the near dance became lets break out a dance party.Ok maybe that’s too far, but we recently did break this out at a dance party and had a hell of a time doing it.It’s easier to listen to with the tendency towards fuller brighter horns and less guitar fuzz.My only complaint is a mere 15 seconds of rap early in the album that reminds me of DC Talk in the 90’s.If you can get through that, the rest of the album and even that song is pretty great.
3. Vampire Weekend –Vampire Weekend.The first thing I always say about this album is: it’s a pop album.It is a pop album, but it’s a really good pop album.The songs are quick and catchy yet they are all different.From this clean clap along pop to new wave to the Paul Simon sounding Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.Its great music, especially if you’re into pop and not defending it like me.
2. Black Mountain – In the Future.Steve McBean’s second album under the heavier of his two bands is more complicated and darker than his last. The guitars at times sound classic rock – specifically Led Zeppelin and at times Black Sabbath.Though the darker arenas of 70’s rock is where Black Mountain spend most of their time.McBean’s voice contrasts with Amber Webber’s simple quite sound to produce an album of varying tonal spectrums.The simple haunting sounds and heavier guitar riffs play off one another as they take turns and Black Mountain shows that they are a master of it all.
1. Deerhunter – Microcastle.Its very much in the vein of My Bloody Valentine but with a little less shoe gazing and a little more rock.The songs are catchy to enough to make me want to listen many times over, but not simple enough to ever get stuck in my head.(I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing)But I do know this is the band I want everyone to hear, it is innovative, it grows on you, and it’s just enjoyable to listen to.This is the closest thing to blowing me away this year.
I am but I'm sure nothing has happened since I last posted. ... except for
getting married, having a great honeymoon, getting a new place and one or two
hundred other things.
As always this time of year I'm thinking about my favorite albums of the year
and although I didn't post it last year (Sunset Rubdown "Shut Up I Am
Dreaming" was my no. 1). I wanted to write it out somewhere and what
better place than my old forsaken blog. So in my interests in lists and
rankings as opposed to all the personal things I could say about myself, here
goes.
With a crazy busy year I didn't get to buy as much new music as I
usually do, but from what I have heard and what grooves my needle amplifies: my
favorites of the year.
First off two that were hovering above my top five were
Radiohead’s In Rainbows , which needs no introduction and Okkervil River’s
The Stage Names .I enjoyed them
both a lot but they never broke all the way through for me.
5. The New Pornographers Challengers – “We are the challengers of the unknown”
are the lyrics to the title track.I
wouldn’t call what they are doing here unknown.In fact they’ve done it before and once again, its really good.Catchy pop songs with the lush voices of A.C.
Newman, Neko Case, and Dan Bejar trapped in your head.Anything these three put out together or
alone will be a great album and this is no exception.
4.Jens Lekman Night
Falls Over Kortedala – Jens provides an instrumentation that’s as innocent
as a child.Trumpets, xylophone, chimes
all sounding as adorable as the girls that play them on stage and as his smile
when he hits the triangle.His songs harmonize
about young love and his first kiss.And
although this may sound cheesy and silly (I’ll admit it is) you forget about
this as you understand that is exactly what Jens is trying to portray.Its innocence and happiness and there’s
nothing wrong with that.
3.Sunset Rubdown Random Spirit Lover
– Just looking at the back cover of this album you might guess correctly that
this will be a strange/creepy album.The
creature on the back cover is a monster called Krampus who according to German
tradition takes your presents after Christmas and leaves you with a branch if
you’ve been a bad kid.The album’s creepy
moments grow when the cacophony slows to the sounds of a circus at night where
you can feel fright and evil (Krampus?) lurking around the corner.Creepiness aside this album has rocking
points from the opener “The Mending of the Gown” to chaos, to the celebratory,
to the solemn and back again.Only the
most prolific song writer of this age can pull this off and Spencer Krug has
made another amazing album.
2. The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse - "Baby I got some words
for you" are the first high pitched lyrics that rise above the entrancing
rhythms of dark bass and guitar that flows through this album like one
continuous song. This all enveloping music conveys a mood that the Velvet
Underground once could, where the lines of instrument and voice are blurred so
that the words wash over you with a warm glow. This band will do amazing
things in the future.
1. Arcade Fire Neon Bible - Fulfilling in every way. So much
truth in Win Butler's words so much beauty in the music. Particularly
"Intervention" the pipe organ rips off the vinyl and fills the room
like no other song can do. This album isn't quite as accessible as their
previous album, but listen to this enough and its grandiose eloquence cannot be
denied.
its been a nice summer, i don't feel like i've had a lot of time off b/c i'm always busy. i've made a little money by working for a crappy environmental group (that was a quick one), helping out at my parents house, and donating plasma. I am now literally trading plasma for beer, well i guess not literally they give me cash for my plasma and i buy beer or homebrew supplies. We have been brewing like the MAD brewers we are. We made a Cherry Porter last night with fresh crushed cherries and have made 8 other batches prior to that ranging from really damn good (the Metropolis Coffee Imperial Stout) to well its not bad (our IPA - 666 Mark of the Yeast) to our one bacteria bomb (Anarchy Pale Ale). Damn that one is bad (anyone want free bacteria beer?).
I've read some, not as much as i like (that's how it is every summer), but i spend most of my free time biking, cleaning the house, and reading about beer. Last weekend Katy and I were camping up in Wisconsin and tomorrow we are heading out to Seattle for a wedding and up to Vancouver for a few more days. The wedding is on this beautiful island called Bainbridge on this piece of property that's like the garden of eden with so many different fresh fruits and flowers, its amazing.
When we get back its straight into the school work. It's nice I'm doing the same classes as last year so I have most of the material, but I want to make it better. That's what life is about right? bettering yourself, till you get worn out and then you eek on by. hope all is well.
in case you've been one of the many i haven't contacted in the past couple months.
in exactly a year from today, i'll be married. the beautiful woman is to the left. (though not our most flattering picture)
a week after she said yes, my sister was going into early labor in the hospital and everything got crazy from there. she later had two beautiful babies robert john and emma rose, both of which i got to hold all day today.
right now i'm out for the summer: reading, biking, homebrewing, heading to seattle later on, and i have time to hang and talk. i'm obviously really bad at the xanga thing so if i haven't talked to you for a while email or phone me.
