So here’s a rundown of the albums that I’ve enjoyed that were released this year:
The National: High VioletI never would have thought this album would become my #1 of the year when it was first released back in May. Even though they are my favorite band, it just didn’t grab me like their previous work has done. The first single, “Bloodbuzz Ohio” is such a frantic piece that I expected the album to be filled with that vibe. But it’s a little slow, a little quiet, a little more lyrically abstract. But with each listen, I loved it more and more. The songs are huge. They are sprawling. They are intense. They encompass every part of your head as you listen. “Terrible Love” has shot up to my Top 5 Songs of All Time list (not that I have an official list anywhere. Just in my head). They released an expanded addition of the album a couple of months ago and there is an alternate version of “Terrible Love” on it that blows my mind. This album is one that will be remembered years from now.
Top Tracks: “Terrible Love”, “Bloodbuzz Ohio”, “Runaway”, “Afraid of Anyone”, “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”
She & Him: Volume 2This is the album I thought would be #1 for the year. It’s not that it did anything wrong to drop down to the #2 spot. The National just won me over in the end. But this album is summertime. This album makes me want to sing. This album makes me want to get in my car and drive and sing at the top of my lungs. This album makes me want to sit in my back yard with a beer on a beautiful sunny summer day and annoy my neighbors by singing along at top volume, which wouldn’t really be all that loud because it’s a pretty mellow album. Not mellow in a sad way, but mellow in a lazy summer day way. This album kicked off a girl-crush on Zooey Deschanel that only grew stronger after watching (500) Days of Summer (go see this movie!). Her voice is so soothing and the songs are adorable.
Top Tracks: “Lingering Still”, “Home”, “Gonna Get Along Without You Now”, “Thieves”
Jenny and Johnny: I’m Having Fun NowLike She & Him, Jenny and Johnny is album made for summer. Bummer it wasn’t released until September. This is an album filled with upbeat, delightful duets between boyfriend and girlfriend Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice. Though, lyrically, some of the songs come across as being a bit bitter, the melodies and music help to keep it playful. It’s short. It’s poppy. It’s fun – just like the title suggests.
Top Tracks: “Big Wave”, “New Yorker Cartoon”, “Just Like Zeus”, “Switchblade”, “Scissor Runner”
Mimicking Birds: Mimicking BirdsIf mellow is what you’re looking for, than this is the album for you. These guys first caught my attention when I had a “driveway moment” with the song “Burning Stars” on 89.3 The Current. I assumed it was a new Modest Mouse song, as the lead singer sounds just like the guy from Modest Mouse, only to find out that Isaac Brock was singing back up and produced this album, but these aren’t his songs. They are sparse, simple, acoustic, dream-like songs. Nate Lacey sings almost under his breath. He whispers strange imagery to you as acoustic guitars duel in the background along with the constant thump of a bass drum. If it were a movie, it would be what they call a “sleeper hit”. It’s just kind of there, but it’s so good when it is.
Top Tracks: ”Burning Stars”, “Remnants and Pictures”, “Them”
Sufjan Stevens: The Age of AdzI’m going to be honest, I’m still in the process of this one. I bought it because I really enjoy what Sufjan has done in the past. I think he’s an amazing songwriter and just incredibly talented. I had heard so much negativity surrounding this album that I held off on purchasing it for the longest time. Then one day I just thought, what the hell? And I bought it. And I wasn’t sure what to think. So I put it on my iPod and let the songs just come to me as they (or my iPod) wanted them to. One by one they each began to grow on me and now I think this album is pretty amazing. It suits the weather around here perfectly. Sufjan’s albums always seem perfect for the long, cold, dark winter months and this one is no different. I look forward to having it around in January.
Top Tracks: “Futile Devices”, “Now That I’m Older”, “I Walked”
Royaume Des Morts: Royaume Des MortsI saw this band when I went to Montreal in October of 2009. I thought they were fantastic-ly weird and hunted them down on the internet to pick up whatever they had out there. They had nothing. I friended them on MySpace and kept tabs on what they had going on and then, finally, they announced they were releasing their self-titled album. I bought it right away. I was concerned that my memory of them was stronger than what their actual output would be. But it wasn’t. This is a fun album only marred by the vocals being placed so far back in the mix. Not sure why they did this, but it is the only thing that stops this album from being placed higher on the list. When I do catch the lyrics, they sound incredibly fun and catchy and I wish to sing along. But straining to hear them just lessens the listening experience, so I choose to just enjoy it for what it is. And it is highly enjoyable.
Top Tracks: “The Tape Deck Ate My Hit”, “Motherless Kids Have Eyes”, “Miracle Whipped”
Cloud Cult: Light ChasersI love Cloud Cult. I love how earnest they are. I love the epic-ness of their songs. The cellos, the horns, the guitars, the voices all swirling around to create this amazing swell of emotion. Each and every song created with such detail that you would think it would take years and years to put together, yet they have no problems releasing albums in a rapid manner. Light Chasers is a concept album. Being so, I was a little put off at first because it sounds like a concept album. There are interludes and noises and chapters. It just seemed a little too serious. But, like with Age of Adz, the individual tracks are what hooked me. The lead single “Running With the Wolves” is one of the best songs this band has ever done.
Top Tracks: “Running With the Wolves”, “There’s So Much Energy in Us”, “Forces of the Unseen”
Middlepicker: Your Machine is My BastionI know this band personally, so it makes it feel a little weird to put them on the list. I don’t know why that it is. I’m just weird that way. They put out a great album that I find is stuck in my head most days. Kyle and Kristin Koseracki’s vocals blend so perfectly together. The lyrics are fun. You can’t help but bop along as you listen.
Top Tracks: “USA Up All Nite”, “Kitchen”, “Feelin’ French”
Girl Talk: All DayThis isn’t really an album. It’s a mash-up of songs everyone knows. But it’s a whole lot of fun. If you are having a house party this New Year’s Eve, download this album and press play. Also, it’s free.
elson: EverybodyThis is a girl’s album. I don’t want to put such gender roles on it, but it is a girl’s album. It is just girly girly girly. It’s not going to change your life. But it is pleasant to listen to. Pretty pop songs sung by a pretty voice. Sometimes that’s all you need. I am a girl and I approve of this album.
Top Tracks: “The Chain”, “Sort Of”, “So Long”
But it’s almost over. And it will be January. And it will be cold. And there will be snow. More snow. Not that there is anywhere to put it. Another winter storm is on it’s way and expected to hit over the New Year weekend, which means another weekend stuck indoors. This weekend was probably the first weekend in a long while where it was warm and dry enough to actually go do something. But it was Christmas, so there was nothing to do.
But, if it does storm, I have plenty to do at home. You will find me curled up on the couch with my DVDs that I received as gifts.
I also received the Keith Richards biography and a book of poems by Lucille Clifton. So I will have plenty to do to keep my sanity. Hopefully.
I could also spend the weekend songwriting. And learning to play the banjo. This I must do.
Murray, my dog, went in for his annual check up this weekend. I was very nervous. Over the last few months, he’s visibly changed. He’s slowed down. He stares at walls. He barks at nothing when he’s outside. He gets lost in the house. He has accidents.
I was certain they were going to tell us to put him on all sorts of medication and to stop giving him treats and that he doesn’t have much time left. But they didn’t. They did say he most likely has early dementia. Brain age. They told us not to punish him when he goes to the bathroom in the house, because he honestly doesn’t know he’s doing it. They told us to make sure to walk him at least twice a day in order to get his bowels emptied somewhere other than the house. They are doing blood work to make sure his kidneys and liver are still good. They are supposed to call us today if they are not and I haven’t heard anything yet. But, if they are good, then we are supposed to put him on a high protein diet to help his brain. This means he gets eggs, or chicken, or hamburger with his dinner. So tonight we are making a scrambled egg dinner and he gets to have his very own scrambled egg. He’s going to be the happiest dog in the world and I cannot wait.
I just think it’s so funny that he hates the vet. I hate taking him to the vet. Yet, what I thought would be the most devastating trip yet turned out to be great for Murray. I mean, he’s been pooping on the floor and what are we told to do? Take him for more walks, feed him more, and feed him eggs, chicken, or hamburger with his dinner. How did he get away with that?
Due to not wanting to freeze in negative temperatures while waiting for a bus that was sure to be at least 20 minutes late, I asked if I could work from home yesterday. I can access everything on my work computer through my home computer via our VPN. But, being that I’m an hourly employee, it’s a little tricky. But, my boss said it was okay. So I stayed home and worked.
Honestly, it has both its positives and negatives. On the plus side, I got to roll out of bed and work in my pajamas. I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to wear or making sure I was dressed warm enough for the bus wait and ride. I was able to openly surf the internet in between getting things done and not feel like a jerk about it. I got to have my stereo blasted and could sing along while posting jobs instead of quietly listening to headphones and occasionally mouthing along to the words. I got to hang out with my dog.
But, on the negative side, you really feel you have to be on your toes, more so than usual. I felt that if I didn’t answer every email immediately, everyone would assume I was slacking off watching daytime soaps or something. All the physical paperwork I needed I couldn’t get to (of course, this would be taken care of if I would have planned ahead to stay home and work). The VPN screen only fills up less than a quarter of my computer screen, so staring at the tiny box can put a lot of strain on the eyes. But, mostly the negative is the stress of assuming that everyone else is assuming that you are just slacking off.
But, I probably got more done yesterday than I do most days of being in the office. It was nice not to have the constant parade of people stopping by or having to have a 20 minute conversation in the kitchen every time I filled up my water bottle.
It was just nice to be home. Cozy and warm.
Whatever you want to call it, it happened on Saturday. We got about 18 inches. It’s as miserable as it sounds.
You start to question why you would live somewhere that puts you through this every year. It makes you miserable. It’s awful. It’s negative something degrees out (do actuals really matter once you throw the negative sign in front of the temperature?), snow drifts are taller than me, sidewalks are treacherous, roadways are treacherous. It is dangerous to go outside. For real. Yet, we all do. We have to get to work. We have to get food. The dog has to go to the bathroom. We all keep living. Life goes on even when everything outside tells you to pack it in and never leave your house again.
Everyone is late for work. And everyone who has made it in is retelling their story from the blizzard. It’s getting old. It has gotten old. Yes, we all had to dig ourselves out of massive amounts of snow. It sucked. That’s what it is. Suck.
If you are not watching Community, you are so missing out. I’ve been watching it since the first episode because I love Joel McHale and had to see how he handled really “acting”, and, admittedly, it started out a little slow – as most new shows do. But the characters were good and you could see it had promise. Although, even I was unsure how they could make a show about adults in community college hold up over multiple seasons.
