Best Albums of 2005

Here they are. Overall, 2005 was a great year for music. I'll write more about these eventually, but I have to get it posted before the year officially ends.

1. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
2. The Decemberists – Picaresque
3. Stars – Set Yourself on Fire
4. My Morning Jacket – Z
5. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
6. The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
7. Sigur Ros – Takk
8. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
9. Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better
10. Ryan Adams – Cold Roses

Do You Realize??

Arcade Fire

Funeral

Merge, 2004

http://www.arcadefire.com


Iron & Wine

Our Endless Numbered Days

Sub Pop, 2004

http://www.ironandwine.com

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. A lot has been going on. Most of my next posts will likely be inspired by the drastic changes in my life recently. This one is no exception.

Last year, I noticed that my two favorite albums of 2004 had themes somehow relating to death. This struck me as an odd occurrence. Was it just a coincidence that the great songwriting and music of these two albums were about the same issue, or was this issue what made the songwriting so good? I don't think of myself as a morbid person, death is not a major concern of mine. Because of my faith, I'm not even afraid of my own death nor of the death of most of the people close to me. So what is it that makes the end of life such an important issue while living?

These albums, Arcade Fire's Funeral and Iron & Wine's Our Endless Numbered Days, seem to say that death is important because it shows us what life and love really are.

Funeral shows a band cathartically working through the death of four family members of its members. It took these deaths to inspired them to make a powerful, moving, and ultimately hopeful masterpiece. "In The Backseat" closes the album with the metaphor about riding in the back of the car and watching the scenery pass by until the driver we've had all our life is gone, and we finally have to accept responsibility and have the courage to drive.

Our Endless Numbered Days mostly contains songs about couples that have been in love their whole life, and must deal with the thought of losing the person who has meant the most to them. This may sound sad, but songs such as my favorite, "Naked As We Came," find joy in getting to spend one's last moments in the arms of the person they've loved the most, and having their ashes spread around the yard after they're gone.

I've seen these emotions recently. Sadly, it seems like my Grandma Roy won't be around much longer. I went home this weekend to say what will most likely be our last goodbye. While there, I saw what may be the purest form of love I've ever witnessed. Love is watching Grandma tell my girlfriend its her job to take care of me now. Love is overhearing my Aunt comfort her dad telling him how we're all there for them, and how Grandma is bound for a better place. Love is seeing Grandpa sitting next to the woman he's been married to for over 50 years and just being there to hold her hand.

It's so beautiful it breaks my heart. I hope and pray that you have people in your life that you care about this much. I hope that those of you who are close to me know that I love you this much. And I'm thankful that I have so many people in my life who love me this deeply.

The Album of 2005

Sufjan Stevens

Illinois

Asthmatic Kitty Records 2005

http://www.sufjan.com

When you think about it, The United States of America is a pretty dumb name for a country. It's not some cool word that has a deep meaning, it just describes what we are. Really, it sounds more like a corporation than a nation (some would probably say that description fits after all).

However, sometimes something comes along which helps us find beauty in our country. This album does that. Sufjan Stevens is a musician with the goal of making an album based on every state in the union. Now, when you hear this, you probably think he's just going to sing about what that state's bird is, or give it's political history. But that would be boring and cheesy. Instead, he writes character sketches of people, historical or imaginary, who live in the state. Through this, you get a broad picture of what people in that state are like and what it's like to live there. I don't know many more specific details about Illinois than I did before, but now whenever I see someone with an Illinois license plate, I feel like I'm a little closer to them than I normally would be. Most importantly, this album reminds me that I really do love this country despite it's problems. America isn't defined by it's leaders or politics, it's the people, like the ones Sufjan is singing about.

This album wouldn't be that great if it wasn't filled with well-written songs. The music is folk-ish, with lots of complex instrumentation and arrangements. The instruments Sufjan plays fills up a paragraph in the liner notes. So basically, you won't get bored with the music, but at the same time it never sounds like there's too much going on.

Song Highlights:

"Casimir Pulaski Day" - A heartbreaking song about a struggling with love and death and why God doesn't answer prayers how we expect.

"Decatur" - This song will always put you in a good mood. I think his main goal in writing it was to see how many words rhyme with 'Decatur.' This includes alligator, emancipator, operator, and congratulate 'er.

"John Wayne Gacy, Jr" - Sufjan's attempt to humanize the inhuman; a serial killer. Gacy killed 27 people in the 70's in Chicago. Despite this, Sufjan shows how a normal person could end up that way, and how none of us are that different from him.

"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" - Most of the song titles are this amazing. This is a beautiful song about remembering being young and in love. The lyrics can be slightly vague, but the mood of the song makes clear what the song is about.

Really, every song is good. You many not think you'd like a 22 track concept album about Illinois, but you're gonna have to trust me on this. You won't regret checking out one of the best songwriters working today. He has 50 albums to make, and I can't wait to continue the road trip through the United States with him.

if you want to hear or see him perform live, go here: http://www.kcrw.com/cgi-bin/db/kcrw.pl?show_code=mb&air_date=7/14/05&tmplt_type=show

cover me

Is anything ever original? I'm sure we'd like to think so. Many people go out of their way to do things that have never been done, especially those in the indie rock scene which I so dearly love. I guess I have heard songs or seen films that are truly bizzare and different, but those are usually the ones I don't like.

So I suppose the real question is whether or not people actually want originality. Two recent occurances in my life have proven the latter is true. First, the night after I began this blog, my beloved roommate was inspired to start his own, which you can check out here: http://evanblake.blogspot.com On his first post, he states that his purpose is to do the same thing I'm doing, only better.

Now is my blog better just because it was first? If originality is best, then there's no way for him to surpass my blog's greatness just because I began mine a few hours before he did. But really, how original is mine? This is just a website talking about the stuff I like and dislike. I don't think it would be that hard for you to find another website where someone is doing that.

The other way I know that people don't care much about originality comes from my experience this weekend in a band. When I say "band," I use the term in the loosest possible sense. It was really just me and two other guys poorly playing any song we could think of. But the reason people liked us (or so they seemed to) is because we were playing songs they knew. Most people would rather hear crappy versions of songs they already like than good original material. You don't have to worry about whether or not you like the song, you just have to like the people playing it.

Really, you're only reading this site because you have some connection to me, and if you were privileged enough to hear The Uglies performance at Kappa Float Trip this weekend, the only reason you liked it was because you got to see your friends acting like idiots. Entertainment is most easily enjoyed when you have a personal connection to it.

On this site, I'm going to be recommending some music by people with strange names that you've never heard. Some of it would seem kind of different or original compared to what you're used to. However, I hope the fact that it's recommended by someone you know will at least make you interested. Originality doesn't really matter, just whether or not you like it. And I think you will.

what's it about?

I finally have a blog. I know you're wondering why it's taken so long, since you're probably wondering what kind of humerous or insightful reflections I have about everyday life, and about all the incredibly fascinating details of what I do everyday.

well, too bad. that's not what this is about. just thinking about about the amount of web space has been occupied by those two things kind of frightens me.

I told myself if I was going to have a blog, it would have to have some sort of focus or theme or point. I don't want to write something that I wouldn't read if it were written by someone else (I promise I read your blog though, really).

I spend most of my time listening to, reading about, or thinking about music, and to a lesser degree, movies and video games. pretty lame, huh? well, I would have to agree with you, unless I could find some way to prove that those things are actually incredibly meaningful.

so that, faithful reader, is the purpose of this blog: to justify the amount of time I spend entertaining myself. typically, I'll just review albums and such, but I'll try to make some point with it, because we all know the last thing the world/internet needs is another critic. along the way, if I can convince a few of you to check out an album or film I discuss, I will feel successful. hope you enjoy figuring out what it's all about.