Wednesday, December 31, 2008

so this is the new year...


It's been a long time since i have been
motivated
to move

not my feet or my hands
but to move my mind to find
new dreams
and new passions
and a new breath in my lungs

I don't know what the new year will bring
i don't know what 2009 will provide

but 2008 has a single finger raised to it's calendar page
and i wave fond farewell
and I don't look back
so that you may see my eyes one last time.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

a strange.

I had this strange experience yesterday where my life currently went and intermingled with my past. I was thinking of a record and a friend called and mentioned that he was listening to that record right at that moment. It wasn't something that I have listened to for quite some time and it was a strange coincidence.

To be honest I love strange coincidences. Usually that is when my lazy mind recieves a signal that something is happening that you are not in control of.

The strange coincidences continued to happen throughout the evening.

I like knowing that we are not alone.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Top Ten Records 2008

This year as I had mentioned earlier came with so much change. I spent just as much time finding old records as I did new records. This was a good year for me and music. I found many songs that comforted and just as many that made me dance. But it is now time for the coveted top ten records. Many years I check out other websites top ten and usually there is a sense of cohesion. Not this year! So here is my list. There are records missing. About half way into next year I will feel more caught up. You might not see your favorite...these are just some of mine. Take it as you will.

#10 TV on the Radio: "Dear Science": I like this record. Not the best TV on the Radio Record by far but of all the records that I heard it's a lot better than lets say The Jonas Brothers or She and Him! I think the drums are amazing in the record. I love the lyrical flow, and I like that they took chances. Did it work perfect? Nope but that's ok I still like the record....It has indie, dance, and hip hop element strung together like a necklace around your neck.

#9 The Cool Kids "Bake Sale": This hip hop record throws down the fattiest beats. The production is hot and the lyrics are even hotter. The record is tough from beginning to end. My favorite jam is Black Mags...The record is not over hyped or over produced. It's just a SOLID hip hop jam from beginning to end.

#8 M83 "Saturdays=Youth: This record is throw back 1986. If 16 Candles could have a soundtrack this would be it. I love the synth pop 80s feel. I love the 80s and I love this record. It's like Popples and Punky Brewster all over again. Sign me up twice and find me boyfriend before the record ends!

#7 Anathallo "Canopy Glow": Granted my bestie is in the band but I wouldn't just put it on there for that reason. That would be wrong. But I really like the record. At first it seemed simple and Sufjans kin but the more I listened the more it grew and more I heard a new direction from a band I have heard and listened to almost as much as Wilco. The backing vocals of Erica are so beautiful!! The tracks of Canopy Glow and Bells are so beautiful and I really enjoy the lyrics focusing on the natural life and the earth. It's a beauty.

#6 Dosh: "Wolves and Wishes": I am a fan of great instrumental records. I happened to hear them live when Anathallo opened for him. Dosh is better known to being part of Andrew Bird's band. This is a great record with stylish layers and thoughtful melodies. There is a lot going on but nothing that would be so overwhelming that you get lost in the noise or the consistent patterns. The record is smart and I like smart!

#5 The Walkmen "You & Me": The Walkmen are a solid, tight, well played, well produced band. They have great vision, they have sassy songs, they are fun, and the more you listen the more the record opens up to your ears. The lyrics are so beautiful. I wasn't a fan of the Walkmen in years past but something happened and I heard the tune The Rat off of "Bows and Arrows" and then I got the Walkmen...something clicked and I seemed to understand where they were coming from and what they were trying to tell me. After that stunning moment I knew the Walkmen would be a band I would love. This record sealed the deal!

#4 Fleet Foxes "Fleet Foxes": The album had a lot of buzz about it. It's good but not on the top of my list. The record throws it's reins around the americana/folk generation and holds on tight. The vocal harmonies are tight and the mix is well put together. I wasn't to into it at first and yet I felt like a second listen. It blossomed over time. I really like when records do that. I like it alot.

#3 Horse Feathers: "House with No Home" I found this band late one night and I knew it was love at first listen. I found "Words are Dead" a 2006 release and listened to that pretty frequently and the follow up to that record is this little ditty. Simple, sweet, dark, and beautiful. It must be the aura surrounding the record or lyrics that catch my attention after ten times listening to the record. I like the record because of the use of the piano and strings. The theme seems to be simple this year.

#2 Sigur Ros: "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust": The sixth album from Icelandic wonders, Sigur Ros, make my heart melt. My eyes and heart fill with wonder, and my spirit is often at rest or peace when this record plays. Is it there best record? I'm not sure. But it is simple, easy, happy and joyous. It's fun and beautiful. A rare combo!! The record in english is: "With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly"... I think I listen to this record endlessly.

#1 Bon Iver "For Emma Forever Ago": Hands Down my favorite record. Skinny Love was a track I found early on and the record itself I don't think was removed from the cd player for over a month. A simple record, ten tracks. The lyrics are profound expressing heartbreak, lost, and life. I am inspired by this record. The BEST record that whispers it's goodness on a regular basis.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

snow day.


Being away from the winter has done me well
when the sun shines i feel like there is a different sense of
hope

and yet I retreated back
to a place I once called home
the rain was loud against my window
and you sat and read and listened
as the pounding force of the rain
was it's own rhythm
in the midst of silence

and now the snow has begun to fall
and new clothing adorns my body
and my legs and arms
are consistenly wrapped in a variety of materials

the feelings of linen and wool against my face
as I try to beat the cold

and the snow is beautiful
so silent as opposed to it's counterpart
and you have to watch
with silence
in the dark
as the wind make it dance outside of the
freezing window pane.

and that is where i am at.
staring at the grace offered to me
as well as the silence.