Monday, February 19, 2007

Some Reasons Why Montana is a Pretty Nice Place


Jackson Creek


The Bridgers


The Ridge (Bridger Bowl)


Me and Gregg and Hidden Gully (Bridger Bowl)


The Tobacco Roots

Thursday, February 15, 2007

The Kid and the Mountains





Haaken takes his first ski trip with Dad.
Behind his grandparents' house.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Another Freakin' List!

My access to the internet has been somewhat curtailed for the last month as a result of our (relatively) rustic (and temporary) living situation in the mountains of Northern California. Hence the apparent abandonment of this blog since December. And hence the belatedness of this best-noise-of-2006 list.

I've begun with my favorite albums that were actually released this year. I was going to take the more dramatic approach of ranking them in order of their (at least perceived) merit, but, after a brief attempt at doing so decided against it due to my inability to actually form such permanent qualitative distinctions (i.e., I've found my opinion as to which album, uh, beats the most ass tends to change rather frequently). All that said, here's some of the more pleasant music of 2006, in alphabetical order. Please enjoy.


Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go. This is melancholy and melodic indie folk that is guaranteed to put its listener in a pensive, sentimental mood. While beautiful, it is not good workout music. Rather, it is better as a soundtrack for a rainy day, or a sad evening, or just an hour of introspection.





Band of Horses: Everything All the Time. This debut album is reminiscent of The Shins (but, I think, better). Full of cascading guitars and echoing vocals, Everything . . . is beautiful pop music of a shimmering, ethereal quality that is particularly fitting for road trips (among other things).






Califone: Roots and Crowns. Roots and Crowns consists of bluesy- folksy- rootsy- experimentally music that rewards repeated listening.









This is a quirky album whose artisic merits I concede, but whose sound I admittedly have yet to fall in love with completely. Perhaps this is at least in part due to the fact that I picked it up in the middle of an unbearably hot, interminably long St. Louis summer during which I was studying for the debacle that was the National Board Exam, and its sound is still evocative of that memory. I still enjoy Ships, however, and am holding out that it will be one of those albums that I someday connect with a bit more viscerally.




The Decemberists: The Crane Wife. Any fears that Colin Meloy et al. would compromise the quality of their literary, narrative-driven indie folk pop by signing to Capitol Records have been dispelled by this release (although I suppose by definition they have compromised the descriptor "indie" by signing to a major label). With the exception of "The Perfect Crime #2," (whose unending chorus I find insufferable), this is their best release yet.




Destroyer: Detroyer's Rubies. Already wrote about it (see November 13th post). I still like these Rubies.










Joanna Newsom: Ys. Yes, I still like this quite a bit as well (see December 8th post).










The Mountain Goats: Get Lonely. John Darnielle writes lots of really good, quiet, music with a minimalist aesthetic (though not so minimalist as when he used to record his albums with a tape player). Get Lonely is no exception to The Mountain Goat pattern (of really good, quiet, music, etc.). Put it on the playlist with Bonnie "Prince" Billy, however. As is intimated by the title, it is a bit sad in nature, and is not well-suited to either dance parties or working out.




Finally (in contrast to the above-listed albums), some rock and roll. If I ran on treadmills, I would do it while listening to these Norwegians. Heavy, driving beats are contrasted with (and complemented by) more melodic guitar lines and understated vocals. If the music sometimes degenerates into chaos, it always resolves into something beautiful (thus making the beauty all the more noticeable). In that sense, Serena Maneesh is sort of like life.



Tapes n' Tapes: The Loon. Nothing too innovative here, but what Tapes n' Tapes do, which is to create fun, indie pop-rock, they do well. "Insistor," in particular, makes me happy.









Thom Yorke: The Eraser. If it was suspected that Radiohead's genius was driven completely by Mr. Yorke, such suspicions prove unfounded with this solo debut. And yet, even if The Eraser does lack the epic, classic status of each of the last four Radiohead albums, this album of pensive, electronic music is nonetheless quite solid (and better, I think, than most reviews gave it credit for being). The final song on The Eraser, the haunting "Cymbal Rush," has been one of my favorites this year.




TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain. In contrast to The Eraser, I've found that most people who listen to this album like it more than I do. It is however, a fine bunch of songs, and I whole-heartedly recommend playing "Wolf Like Me" when in need of being pumped up (i.e., for a boxing match, or a NASCAR, uh, event).





Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. This album would make my list solely on the strength of its title. But the music is very nice as well. . . . I Will Beat Your Ass is an eclectic album, with everything from driving garage rock to bouncy 60's vintage pop. Listen especially to song number one, "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind."




Next, some found sound--a few more albums that weren't new this year, but were new to me. No helpful descriptions here (I grow tired of writing), just a hearty recommendation that you listen to them.

Andrew Bird: Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Lift Your Skinny Fists, Like Antennas to Heaven
The National: Alligator
Silver Jews: American Water
Songs:Ohia: Magnolia Electric Co.


Alright, there it is. If anybody is reading this, and they care, and are perhaps interested, a compact disc with a nice selection of the above-mentioned artists is available for their listening pleasure. Just send an e-mail my way.