January 12, 2024

Getting ready for a family weekend. It's not without its challenges, but launch headlong into it we shall.

Couple new songs, couple old songs, Lots of favorite bands. Some new ones. An interesting mix.








Beautiful People (Stay High) - The Black Keys
One Eyed Bastard - Green Day
Sea of Love - The National

How Can I Make it OK? - Wolf Alice

Stadium Love - Metric

Kill You - Swim School

Electirc Blue - Arcade Fire

All The Children - The Airborne Toxic Event

Kyoto - Phoebe Bridgers

Rhythm & Blues - The Head and The Heart

Sleepwalker - The Killers

Chaise Longue - Wet Leg

Stuff - Sl0tface

Wide Eyes - The Big Moon

More to come...

October 30, 2017

It's been a crazy, busy year. Managed to do Firefly, for 2 days instead of all 4, and it passed without writing anything up. (Headliners were 21 Pilots and Muse. Best shows other than them were 30 Seconds to Mars, Judah and the Lion, and Missio) New Albums from Arcade Fire, The National, The Killers, St. Vincent, and a number more have meant a plethora of excellent listening that I have done alarmingly inconsistently. Here are some songs from these favorites that have my ear right now.





Creature Comfort - Arcade Fire
Chemistry - Arcade Fire
Good God Damn - Arcade Fire
Put Your Money on Me - Arcade Fire
Turtleneck - The National
Wonderful Wonderful - The Killers
Rut - The Killers
Run for Cover - The Killers
Masseduction - St. Vincent
New York - St. Vincent
Fear the Future - St. Vincent

March 5, 2015

The swelling tide of responsibility and projects that need to be done is rolling towards me. I feel like I'm swimming happily (more or less) along at the beach and on the horizon a huge wave is forming. Not a tidal wave or anything, but one large enough that I'm probably going to be tossed around for a bit. I don't know yet how large it will be nor how easy to ride it out, etc... from here it looks like it's going to be a rough go. But you still have to just get through it.

As per usual, these are some songs that struck my fancy. Some old favorites, some newly discovered. Music helps get through those overwhelming waves.

Fake Empire - The National

Next Exit - Interpol
Breathe Me - Sia
Blood - The Middle East
Calgary - Bon Iver
The New - Interpol
To Go Home - M. Ward
Bloodstream - Stateless
Evil - Interpol
Flume - Bon Iver
Jezebel - Iron and Wine
Hallelujah - The Helio Sequence

February 4, 2015

Pressure mounting at the office. Trying to drown myself in the familiar melancholy of sad music. A pretty dismal winter, up until my Birthday in late January. Up until then, the normal struggle with rejection was winning pretty handily. Since then a handful of things, elucidated elsewhere, although probably never published, surprisingly point toward what is at least healthy if not strong relationship. I've been thinking through the dichotomy of little things such as I crave actually occurring, but still feeling like any happiness is sure to crumble, and that whatever happiness I try to experience is unearned and short lived. Ah well. Much to deep for me. But it slightly informs this sad strain of music and how that feels comfortable to me.

Also on pins and needles for the Firefly lineup to come out. Could be today, could be any day really. Really hoping for St Vincent, Metric, and of course Arcade Fire.



Always Gold - Radical Face
How To Fight Loneliness - Wilco
Learning - The National
Broadripple is Burning - Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Love Vigilantes - Iron and Wine
Crown of Love - Arcade Fire
Michicant - Bon Iver
Gentle Hour - Yo Lo Tengo
Darkmatter - Andrew Bird
Shelter - The XX

October 13, 2014

I like ice cream a lot. I can eat ice cream about as fast as anyone I know. It is a talent / quirk / genetic predisposition. It is so tasty and creamy and rich, and sometimes gives you a headache. I've been listening to a log of EDM music lately, especially when I'm heads down working, concentrating on something else, Bass thumping in my brain and no need to concentrate. That's like ice cream - especially the headache part... It's tasty, It's enjoyable. but when you take in nothing but that for days on end after a while you start to get tired of it. I still like the lazy energy and catchy electro-sounds in EDM, I'll still enjoy it from time to time, but today I flipped over to a pandora channel spun from the National. As those first crunchy guitars, forlorn horns, and above all, lyrics with depth and meaning I realized again that this is more my speed / more of what it takes to keep my brain in the right place.

Here's a few songs, some new to me, some old favorites.



Take me to Church - Hozier
Satellite - Guster
Neigborhood #3 (Power Out) - Arcade Fire
For Emma - Bon Iver
Gospel - The National
Gone for Good - The Shins
Neighborhood #4 (Kettles) - Arcade Fire
Family Tree - TV on the Radio
1901 - Phoenix
We're Going to be Friends - White Stripes
Fiery Crash - Andrew Bird
Holocene - Bon Iver
Feeling Yourself Disintegrate - The Flaming Lips
New Slang - The Shins
As Tall As Cliffs - Margot and the Nuclear So and So's




Plenty more to come in the days ahead.

July 31, 2014

Tough couple weeks. Not getting as much music as I wish. Getting lost in music is important for me and when I don't have that chance things are harder. It's the way I lose myself for small bits of time. The songs that seem to be catching my ear today are unfamiliar songs by favorite and comfortable bands. Ready for the weekend!


Think You Can Wait (From the Film "Win Win") - The National
Anna Freud - The National
Little Faith - The National
The First Song - Band of Horses
Love Like a Sunset Part II - Pheonix
Lasso - Pheonix
Eyes - Rogue Wave
Phantom Limb - The Shins
When I'm Small - Phantogram
Under the Milky Way - Starflyer 59
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf) - The Pixies

May 22, 2013

Just back from Vacation. Good time in the hills of West Virginia. A little music, Lots of Family time. Mostly good, some challenging. Life.

The National today.
One lovely old tune, and then a few cuts from the brand new album that just dropped.


Terrible Love - The National
I Should Live in Salt - The National
Demons - The National
Don't Swallow The Cap - The National
Sea of Love - The National
Graceless - The National
Slipped - The National
Humiliation - The National




What a lovely, depressing, delicious experience. First and Second listens are done. I feel like I'll need about 10 more until some of this soaks in. Highly recommended.

More to come.

May 10, 2013

Yeah, on another kick listening to early albums by The National. Partly excited due to an unexpected opportunity to get to Bonaroo this year, where they are playing. Along with Mumford and Sons, Sir Paul, and a whole host of other exciting groups. Going to be an awesome summer.


Slipping Husband - The National
It Never Happened - The National
Murder Me Rachael - The National
Available - The National
Fashion Coat - The National
Lucky You - The National


Can't wait for Bonaroo... More to come.

April 26, 2013

Not good times. Betrayal. Silence. The dreaded specter of rejection. And yeah, I'm finding solace in depressing music and early albums by The National.



Pain - Sparklehorse (feat. Iggy Pop)
Everytime I'm With You - Sparklehorse (feat. Jason Lytle)
Daddy's Gone - Sparklehorse (feat. Nina Persson)
Dark Night of the Soul - Sparklehorse (feat. Vic Chesnutt)
Beautiful Head - The National
Cold Girl Fever - The National
John's Star - The National
Theory of the Crows - The National
29 Years - The National


More to Come