When's the last time you listened to Bloc Party's Silent Alarm? I think 2005 was an amazing year for indie music. That's when I really got into it and met Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Regina Spektor, MIA, Sufjan Stevens, Mike Doughty, Okkervil River... seriously massive year of music. And Bloc Party is right at the top of that list. Silent Alarm is a phenomenal album. The energy and pace and drums and vocals are just... they're all there from start to finish. It's one you just start at the beginning and let run. It's up tempo British indie rock at it's absolute best. I mean, talk about incredible driving music! It's so energetic and persistent.
Anyway, it's one of those you listen to from time to time and it never ceases to amaze you. I randomly decided to put it on this afternoon for my drive home and it changed my life. Again. For like, the 6th time.
I guess if you know more than three things about me you know that I have a huge passion for music. And while I post a lot of hip hop and pop and dancehall, I listen to far more than just that. I listen to pop and dance when I'm happy, but when I've got a lot on my mind it just doesn't fit (Well, dance always seem to fit. I love a good beat!). I've also never thought of myself as "good with words" or "able to properly express my feelings" so music and art really helps me there. A lot of times the best thing I feel I can do is hand someone a CD and say, "Here I am. Please listen with headphones."
Something I find interesting about music is the timing of it and how we receive it. Ten years ago I wouldn't have been ready for most of the music on this mix. It's amazing music, but I had to grow to where I am to receive it with open ears. It just wouldn't have happened before now. I think when an album hits you at the right time or you come back to something you weren't ready for at the time, it sticks with you forever. This James Blake album is what Bon Iver's For Emma was for me. It just couldn't be more appropriate for me... for right now. Bon Iver rocked me emotionally when I heard it. I don't even know how many times I listened to Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane when I was finally ready for it. This is why when I think something has potential but I don't love it right away I always keep it for later. You just never know when that time will come.
As for the songs on here... Don't you always wish you could explain why you picked every song on a mix? Like why it's important to you? Suffice it to say all of these are big to me. It's what I've been listening to lately. A lot. Many of these are electronic... based. Regardless of the beat, I love tension and intensity in music. That's why there's a Mumford & Sons song and a Deadmau5 song on the same album. They both have wonderful intensity. Hearing that loudly helps me release tension (which is one of the reasons why the neighbor thing was such a bummer; it wasn't just an inconvenience, it was stifling.)
I've also really been enjoying this guy, Starslinger. His mixes are hazy and nostalgic with fantastic, laid-back beats. Which brings me to another type of music I've been loving that I wouldn't have before. I know when most people hear "electronic music" they think of Fatboy Slim or Tiesto or something. Most wouldn't think of Caribou or Baths. So much is done "electronically" nowadays. It's expanded to so much more and I've been loving the influx of this style of hazy, lo-fi, warm musicians.
Some randomness on there... The Punch Brothers song is phenomenally beautiful. The chords are dark and warm and Chris Thile's voice just floats right over them. It's flashbacks of the darker side of Nickel Creek. A couple of great Iron & Wine songs. If you like Bob Dylan you'll love the Tallest Man on Earth. The Ceo album is terrific. I love the joy in that song. I bought the Teen Daze album on a whim and loved it. It's like the soundtrack for the greatest kid's party ever. Jónsi's album, Go is also one that's just so quirky and full of joy. Listening to it, it just sounds like love translated to music.
I don't want to say this is the greatest mix I've ever put together. I won't say that. I would, however, disagree strongly with me not saying that because it's true. It is the greatest mix ever. I don't know if it will translate what's going on in my heart, but it's a good effort.
So here I am. Please listen with headphones. Download Here
(ps. There is no hiphop or dancehall of any sort on this. It is 100% safe for women and children of all ages.)
Like there's something really great ahead of me, but all I can see is the mud blocking my view. I know good is out there, but stuff just kind of sucks right now. It's been cold as balls here this past week. We've had several pipes freeze and bust. We spent a few days without heat and now a pipe on the other side of the bedroom busted leaking water down our wall and into the carpet. So we're currently sleeping in the living room. There's not enough room to sneeze without bumping into something. It's enough to drive me out into the snow to freeze to death. Not that I don't love sleeping in the cat's nightly playroom, but the place is barely big enough as it is and this is just beyond... You can't carry out a normal life living in 10sqft. It's maddening.
So we're looking at other places. Things out here cost a lot. Food, living, everything. So we need more space but it costs more. However, if I had an engineering job (that paid me the appropriate amount) we could move out tomorrow. We'd have plenty to get a 2br place maybe with a garage. And we found one and it's awesome, but we have to decide whether or not it's worth stepping out and holding it or to wait till I find a fulltime job and keep looking. It's frustrating and everything would settle down and we'd get to living life here rather than just scrimping and waiting to run out of money if something would just pan out soon.
I'm sure it will. I know it will. But until it does, it's like wandering the desert. Then boom, someone calls you with a glass of water.
I wonder how many people love driving. I mean, really get a kick out of steering and accelerating and shifting. I do. I love driving. I also love not having to drive, but that's a different story. Driving is so fun me. I've been particularly enjoying driving around Denver. There are lots of stop signs and lights, but there are tons of corners and curves and cool over/underpasses. While I don't like driving in stop and go traffic with the manual transmission, I absolutely love shifting through the gears throughout town. On top of that the street lanes in Denver are much skinnier than TN's which you'd think would make it worse but I think it makes you have to pay attention more and therefore focus more on just driving. I'm sure if I wasn't scooting around in a little Civic I'd be singing a different tune, but I am, so whatever. I don't get as good of gas mileage out here. Probably a combo of the cold and city driving. So what if driving it like a rally car yields me 30mpg instead of the usual 33mpg. Seriously.
I just started a temporary job doing some stormwater plans and general CAD work for an environmental company. There are so many routes to get there! Commuting is an odd thing. It can be a daily drain on you or it can be a fun few minutes you get to enjoy being alone and listen to music as loudly as you want. I know anything get's old after a while, but there are so many ways to travel through Denver. I find that on the way to work I want to take the fastest way possible regardless of how many cars will be on the road with me. However, on the way home I'm up for taking any which way as long as it avoids me sitting in traffic.
And another thing! Since I'm trying to avoid anymore interactions with my funbag of a neighbor, I don't listen to music very loudly at home. It get's old but I'd prefer never to speak with funbag again. (Although I did pass him the other day coming in the entrance. I said, "What's up, Mike?" in the friendliest tone possible and he responded with a very cheery (seriously) "Hey! How's it going, pal?" I don't know if he actually knows what I look like. Maybe he just gets angry and blacks out and comes and yells at me. Either way, it was odd.) So anyway, because of all that, the car has been my stereo for jams. And I must say, it's a good one. A sub is about the best investment I can think of for a car stereo. My 12" is like an instant pick-me-up for me. I get in the car, away from everyone who can complain, and start shaking the mirrors. So combine that with the joy of driving and I feel like I'm in Need for Speed every time I commute. It's like a club on wheels but I don't have people all up in my mix everywhichway. It makes me so happy. There aren't a lot of things doing that lately. I'm really getting tired of not having a "direction," so to speak, in life. Temp job is working out fine, but it's only for a month and everyone else I call, it's just, no one is hiring in the Civil Engineering field right now. I know something will work out. It has to eventually. I know. But it's still stressful and disheartening.
I think Radiohead, Chemical Bros, Baths, and The Field are good morning commute soundtracks. In the evenings it's Dancehall or Swedish House Mafia or something of that nature. Those dancehall mixes by Kalibandulu are absolutely mad. If you check out one Dancehall mix your whole life, get Jugglin' from Mars, Vol 3. This guy makes killer mixes.
That's all for now I guess. I got a new lens for $192. Quite possibly the best deal for an amazing lens ever. The 35mm f/1.8. Big thumbs up. Also got a printer because it's really annoying to go to Office Max to print everything. I've also cut white carbs out of my diet and started doing kettlebell swings everyday. I guess that's pretty fun. With that diet I've been cooking a lot and have discovered my two favorite additions to any meal: lemon or lime juice. Either one literally transforms anything into pure tastiness. Lemon Juice: The New Salt.
Saw this on Photojojo the other day: Make a Color Mashup. Pretty cool looking and not that hard in Photoshop. The bowling example is pretty fun. Any three shots will work (preferably with all with the same framing).
Not sure if you've heard this new song Walking Far From Home by Iron & Wine on his upcoming album. It's really fantastic. Kind of chorale-like with nice variations every verse/chorus. It sounds beautiful. What a great evolution of his sound.
I'm reading this "book" right now called Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far by a guy named Stefan Sagmeister. Jesse got it for me for Christmas (she's so creative). It's basically a collection of twenty "ideologies" he has learned and used throughout his career as a designer. The title above is one that currently stands out to me: Everybody (always) thinks they are right. It makes so many things make so much sense and still opens up more questions. Hitler, Obama, my neighbor, and me. We all do what we do because we think we are right. He writes...
"Every human conflict throughout history, every war and every dispute, traces back to this one sentence. I think I am right when I cross the street as the light is changing... The bus driver blaring his horn thinks he is right to blow me out of his way..."
The presentation of the book (it's actually ten or so little books) is really interesting. There are a bunch of openings on his face that let all the different color inserts show through.
Which brings us to... this thing with my neighbor. It's really bothering me. If you don't know, the past two friday nights (both around 7pm) my neighbor who I've never even formally met has come over (after banging on the wall between us) and told me (in an aggressive manner) that he's going to call the cops if I don't turn down the bass. He won't stop to talk with me about it, only at me. It looked a lot like this...
(and he wasn't discussing his passion for !!!with me)
I've spoken with and talked down so many angry/crazy/drunk/etc Jamaicans in the last two years. Even the maddest of them was my best friend after 3min of talking. Now I realize there are some cultural differences with JA and CO, but this guy won't stop for 20sec to talk to me, so he's perpetually angry about the situation. He will not calm down. We could work out hours of listening. He could explain how I'm really interrupting his unusual schedule by playing music at 7pm on a Friday night. Maybe his kids can't sleep. But I can't make any accommodations for him other than complying with his banging on the wall because he won't talk to me. I can't tell you how angry he is. When's the last time someone was so pissed that no matter how calmly and plainly you responded and asked questions they still ended every (declaratory) sentence with a huge exclamation point? It's so bizarre to me.
So do I reward his bad behavior by turning it down? Or do I just go on doing what I think is appropriate for the hour of the day and potentially talk to the cop who responds to the noise complaint? Quiet hours start at 10pm in our building. Would a cop even respond to a noise complaint at 6:30pm on a Friday?
I left him a note requesting an grown-up conversation because the reality is, this is going to happen again. I guess he thinks if he's mad enough it won't? INSANE. I think I was cordial in the note. I realize that no one wants to hear bass from a neighbor all the time, however, is it fair to completely restrict the volume of said neighbor's bass or is a compromise in order? Isn't that what 'quiet hours' are for? Because at a certain point what's more imposing on the other person: his hearing my bass or me not being able to ever listen to music (mildly) loudly during appropriate hours of the day? I would say it's equal any given day.
Jesse thinks that even if he'd come to me politely and maturely (I can't stress enough what an infant this guy comes off as) and asked me to turn it down I still would've had issues with it. I strongly disagree. While I'm certainly more used to constant noise than the average American (see Jamaica) I also realize how frustrating it is hearing a neighbor's music till 8am. I don't want any neighbor of mine to be unhappy because of something I'm doing. I'm thoroughly happy to accomodate someone who shows me even an average level of respect. But the way this guy comes across? It really brings out the Todd Burka in me. It makes me want to learn him a lesson that I feel is necessary for his personal growth. Hard. At all hours of the day.
So anyway, this whole issue has been stressing me out since last night. I mean, it's not like I'm arguing with someone on the internet. The guy lives next door. I guess I don't have to worry about him coming out and talking to me when I'm not in the mood. All I have to do is turn my music up and it's like an invitation to him. So next friday when he bangs on the wall what do I do? I could... (a) also bang on the wall and not turn the music down (b) not turn the music down and then when he comes over be extremely polite and tell him "No problem. Sorry about that. Won't happen again." and proceed to not turn music down or (c) comply and turn it down whenever he bangs on the wall (encouraging his behavior).
I don't know if I made the connection with the book very clear. The connection was that my neighbor thinks he's right (he's not, of course). We all do. I do.
I quite randomly came across this album several months ago. His name is DJ Nate and the album is Da Trak Genious. It's... really different. It's like this minimalist cut up hiphop/dance. I don't know how to describe it. But I really dug the album, but I had no idea if this guy was some 15yr kid or a legit DJ out there. Well, I came across his name in some Top 5 Artists You May Have Missed thing from SPIN magazine and he was right at the top. So I figured I should share it. It just such weird, cool, completely cut to pieces dance/r&b. I posted one of my favorites below. The horns in it are so cool.
04 JAN 2011: So my original post actually got taken down. Apparently just LINKING to files get's you a big copyright take down. However, Blogger was really nice. They just took the post back to draft stage. I thought that was pleasant of them. So anyway, I've left all the albums on there, just no links to them. Would you like to know more about the DMCA? Click here (digital copyright laws is actually pretty interesting stuff).
Man, a year is an insane amount of time. This year in particular seems long; like a day you woke up super early and it just seems to last forever (in a cool way). What a year. I can remember sitting on the beach or riding in a cramped taxi listening to so much of this. And some I just heard last month cementing it's place in my 'Denver time.' Music is a great way of marking time in my life. Music makes my heart and brain turn when sometimes nothing else can. It works like smells for me (like I remember where I was when I burned "that" album into my brain). It's just really fascinating stuff.
So I put together a weird mixtape. The weirdest? No, but all of the songs won't be for everyone. Some rap, dance, electronic, R&B, and Hip Hop. Some you may have heard on the radio a bunch and some you'd never hear anywhere else. Most of it from the latter part of the year since I've put earlier stuff on previous mixes. The only songs I left off (in this genre) were songs from these I've put links to below. The Robyn, Kanye West and Girl Talk albums were all too dense with awesomeness to single out one for a mix. I highly (highly) recommend listening to a sample below and getting the whole thing (one way or another*).
*All of the albums below I simply found by Googling "artist album mediafire." Please don't shoot the messenger. I just want to share. Obviously, I would encourage supporting any artist that adds enjoyment to your life. But if it means the difference in hearing it or not... well, I just really want you to hear it.
UPDATE: Well, Blogger didn't shoot me, but it did slap me on the wrist so I've removed all the links.
I’ve watched a lot of great TV shows this past year. I think maybe TV has gotten better over the last few years. Maybe enough time has passed since the writer’s strike or maybe with the advent of DVRs there’s a justification to produce better shows with more rewatchability. Either way, there have been some great one I’ve seen this year. (All of these I’ve watched from beginning to current.)
Battlestar Galactica is really enjoyable. It’s nothing like the connotation that the name implies. It tackles some really interesting human struggles and ethical dilemmas through the near extinction of the human race. I love the way officers always paint people in the most optimistic light regardless of their errors. Plus it’s in space which is awesome. It get's a little weird in the latter part of the series but I think it's a really quality addition to the world of sci-fi.
Mad Men. “It’s like watching poetry” I read once. It is just a dynamic, beautifully fluid show. All the characters have such high and low points. So many grey-area issues.
Glee. I think the pilot for Glee is possibly one of the greatest pilots ever made. The series is funny and touching (sometimes overly dramatic (I guess typical of high school?)), but the pilot is an amazing work of high school drama, finding one’s place in that time of life, the confusing peer pressure and being who you are. The whole thing ending in the greatest cover of Don’t Stop Believin’ ever made. I think the show does an awesome job recontexualizing pop songs into everyday struggles and celebrations. They don’t always line up perfectly, but they definitely tend to link emotions with songs in an interesting way.
Glee - Any Way You Want It (Journey)
Here are some of my favorite examples. Teenage Dream and Hey Soul Sister are by another school and their songs are more in the style I’d like hear on a show called ‘glee.’ Just because I think a lot of the songs have too much back up instrumentation and not enough vocal support. Which is a shame because everyone does sing really well. I think several of the people are off broadway. They have amazing voices.
(I love the enthusiasm in this one. In the episode they're on a cold medicine that's clearly an 'upper.')
Glee - Teenage Dream
Just realized this was a Florence + the Machine cover. Rad.
Glee - Dog Days are Over
Breaking Bad. Amazing drama. Really intense show. (If you don't know, the premise is he's a high school chemistry teacher who finds out he has cancer and wants to provide for his family in case he dies.) It starts off good in season one, but really hits it’s stride in season three. It was great season. Although it’s weird when a character displays a trait or characteristic(s) you have but never really realized you had. Other than cooking Meth, I see a lot more of myself than I’d like to in Walter White. Most characteristics are more exaggerated (I hope) but they’re there. Pride, poor communication, stubbornness, and the last one, the one that’s new to me is his need to work on anything and everything except for the real issue. In one episode he starts doing house repairs because it’s basically the only thing he can successfully repair at the moment (as opposed to his marriage or job or cancer). He just goes all out repairing a water heater. As soon as he finishes he realizes that the floor underneath the old water heater is rotted from leaking water. Repairing the floor leads him to the mold problem underneath the house. What starts off as one minor hill ends up being this mountain range. He finishes, but it’s takes a toll on other things that need his attention (family).
I don’t know what causes that, but I’ve got it. Sometimes I feel like I can’t control anything and so I pick something I can control and just hit it full steam. It makes me feel better but it doesn’t help with the issue that pushed me there in the first place. And it generally involves a physical project whether it be cleaning or constructing. Sometimes it’s a project I started out working on but in the process I lose all perspective. The other day i got a new bike (well, and old bike, but new for me). It was really really dirty and had a flat tire. So I thought, “I’ll just look up ‘How to repair a flat’ and go get the parts and do it!” So I went out and got the stuff and came home to fix it up. After starting I realized I had to take the wheel off. It was the back wheel so it involves the chain and gear changing mechanism and everything. In taking that off I realize every part is getting dirty black grease on everything, so I figure I’ll just pull the bike in the shower, spray it down with Mean Green and brush off the grease. Well I did that. I put my bathing suit on, drug the bike into the shower and started washing. An hour or so, a full bottle of cleaner, two bathtub brushes, and shower walls and floor covered in grease washoff later I was done. I would’ve taken a picture or shown jesse, but I was scared I wouldn’t be able to clean up what I’d produced. A half hour scrubbing the shower and things were good as new. I got out, dried off and finished repairing the tire. Amazingly, I was able to reassemble the bike without too much trouble (and an extra set of hands from Jess). The only thing I didn’t put enough time into was tightening the nuts back on sufficiently because on my ride the next day the back wheel came undone and I bent the wheel. Oh well. Another project awaits.
But I do that stuff all the time. We’d be cleaning for company in Jamaica and I’d get sidetracked defrosting and chipping ice out of the freezer or disassembling the fan to clean off the dust. What causes that? Should I see someone?
I was disappointed when Cranston and Paul won Emmys for their performance in season 3 because I was watching Mad Men at the time and thought they should’ve been rewarded. However, after just finishing BB season 3... rightly so. Their performances were phenomenal.
Anyway, I’m not sure what the point of this post is. I have other things I could be doing but instead I’m writing about TV shows that have had an impact on me this past year. Regardless, I highly recommend all of these shows. AND I think that the character of Walt White is interesting. He's so motivated and driven to power through and succeed. He makes so many mistakes, especially regarding friends and family. And he always ends up in a really bad situation and just when you think he's truly done it this time, he reminds you that he's really quite ingenious. And while he's a pathological liar (he's working on it) you always feel that he's trying to be honorable. He's messed up, but I like him.
