Album: Loaded

I have been listening to a Wood Brothers Pandora station for some months now, but never got around to purchasing an album. I finally broke down this weekend and purchased "Loaded" after I thumbs-upped six songs off of it. I figured that was enough for me to make it worthwhile. I must say it is a new top favorite. Every once in awhile I can't get into an entire album - the artist only has a gem or two - but Chris and Oliver Wood deliver with every tune. http://www.thewoodbrothers.com/

~Favorite Tracks~

Twisted - this was the first song to catch my ear. For just a guitar and bass it keeps your toes tapping and listening for more. The live recording doesn't quite sound as full as the studio version, but this particular video is pretty true to sound. Mad respect.

Why do I dream/of holding you down?/who knows?/'cause I'm missing you so



Fall Too Fast - this song caught me off guard with its brutal honesty of lyricism. I couldn't say it any better. This video recording is pretty weak compared to how the song sounds on the album, but hopefully you get the point. They keep it simple, clean, and folksy with their rhythmic instrumental pairing.

I have been to close
to that flame of desire
I have spoken too soon
words full of fire full of fire

I have fallen too fast
from the top of the tree
bruised by every branch
never landing on my feet on my feet

like a fool im willing
to take that fall again
dont let me fall too fast
I want to fall slowly
I want my fall to last
I want my fall to last

Walk Away - an easy tune to listen to with an undercurrent of bass and addition of harmonica and gentle picking.

Time used to make me wait/now time just makes me late



Buckets of Rain - an old Dylan tune, this version is a bit less on the depressing side of things.

Buckets of rain
Buckets of tears
Got all them buckets coming out of my ears
Buckets of moonbeams in my hand
You got all the love honey baby
I can stand.

Push Play. Repeat All.

Time for music that is new to me...and maybe you. One of the benefits of meeting a person from another country is the diversity of music they have to offer. In addition to living across the pond, person from said place also worked at a music store. Result? Lindsay learning about artists that span all reasonable and unreasonable genres. I am still discovering my new additions.

Artist: Rusko
Album: O.M.G!
Favorite tracks: Woo Boost, Rubadub Shakedown, and Got Da Groove

As I venture into the realm of dubstep I find that I am not a fan of most DJs. Rusko breaks the mold with amazing melodies, guest artists, and diversity of sound. The bass lines are addictive, and the wub wub wub of the dub is not so overwhelming that you get bored.

Woo Boost:



Rubadub Shakedown:



Artist: William Fitzsimmons
Album: The Sparrow and the Crow
Favorite Tracks: You Still Hurt Me, Just Not Each Other, Find Me To Forgive

If you dig on Iron and Wine you will love this artist. Simple melodies, bare instruments, and delicate harmonies create an easy listen with a heavy message. Most of his songs are lyrically heart-wrenching while sounding deceivingly light and sweet. I keep looking for a track full of hope, but I think his message stays the same throughout the three albums I have heard - a hurt soul. While I am not quite in this state of mind right now, I still appreciate his honesty in both sound and word.

You Still Hurt Me:


Just Not Each Other:



Artist: OneRepublic
Album: Waking Up
Favorite Tracks: Good Life, Secrets, All the Right Moves

Talk about a surprise of an album. I am not usually all about pop rock, or radio played tunes, but this band has me hooked. 'Secrets' is on regular rotation, and I dig it, but as usual the tracks not on the airwaves are what caught my ear and kept me listening. The entire album has a nice flow, upbeat sound, and a nice mix of tracks that speak to all kinds of mood. I will let the songs speak for themselves.

Good Life:


Secrets:

til the end of time

I am constantly looking for new music - and have a reputation of being a source of new music suggestions. However, if no new music came along, and someone told me I had to pick just a few albums to spend the rest of my life with they would be...

6) Imogen Heap - Ellipse
Unlike most artists, Imogen's sophomore album is a win in my book. Even more unique mixes of captured sounds, lyrical beauty, and a nice ebb and flow in tempos. It isn't as melacholy as her first album, so in a sense it serves more emotional variety.













5) Sade - Soldier of Love
I know that this is a really recent album, but Sade has stepped up her game in her latest release. Full of the chill that I love, but with more depth and texture. The lyrics hit home, the instrumentation is diverse, and it is effortless to imbibe her rhythms.













4) Sigur Ros - Takk
When I hit play everything else disappears. The flow of the songs are in perfect order to practice yoga, enjoy a book, or simply cloud watch. Introspection is the muse of this album.













3) D'Angelo - Voodoo
Everyone needs a good 'get down' album. This spans the years for me regardless of how much I love Robin Thicke, or Marvin Gaye. I don't listen to it quite as much as before, but if I am not quite sure how to get in the groove I hit play on "The Line" and it all syncs up.













2) Ray Lamontagne - Trouble
Enter my love of folk music. Subtle lyrics with simple melodies, Ray captures the tender heartaches that with which we are all too familiar. I discovered this album while living in the Blue Ridge mountains of NC. When this album hits my ears all I can see are winding roads , falling leaves, and sweeping mountain views.













1) Radiohead - In Rainbows
This album is it for me. End all. Push play. Repeat. I don't care what mood, location, or mode of operation I exist in, I can listen to this album in it's entirety and be completely satisfied. I have had Radiohead on my list of favorites for many years, but when In Rainbows entered my collection I have to say they are now Number 1.

Explore. New. Music.

More music. Some is brand new to me (today), some is new in the past month, some is old music that has been revived in my playlists. Let's do this!

Macklemore x Ryan Lewis
Song: Vipassana
~I dig the simplicity of this unique blend of indie-hip hop. I am not an avid listener by any means - I found them on NPR, but I think I am going to dig further to see if I like more of their stuff. Like the article says, "It works".



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Head and the Heart
Song: Lost in my Mind
~Classic singer/songwriter sound. Catchy, mellow, and easy to get lost in. Summer road trip with the windows down kind of music.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kanye West
Song: Lost in the World
~ Sampling Bon Iver's "Woods", West makes a huge leap between the indie genre and hip hop. His entire album is brilliant, but this song makes me the happiest due to the sample. I really like where hip hop is going right now in terms of blending sounds and embracing other instruments. Choral and symphonic sounds are really popular right now. Some of the combination's just give me the chills. Oh, and don't get me started on the dialogue at the end. Seriously, give it a listen.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plastician
Song: Japan
~I have been getting into a little DubStep thanks to a certain friend from Holland. I am not much of an industrial music fan, but this genre catches my ear every few tracks. This one in particular has a beautiful melody on top of soul grinding bass. Love. It.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
N.E.R.D
Song: The Man
~ Again, a unique cross-over of genres. You take your pick of what they are though. I just like the line "All my muffins!!"



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Feist
Song: That's what I say, It's not what I mean
~ I acquired some not-so-popular Feist albums awhile back and just recently started to listen to them. This song is so freaking dead on. Classic emo female indie tune. Slow and mildly depressing.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Olive
Song: Smile
~ Portishead meets Massive Attack. Epic swells, female vocals, and lyrics to tear at your heart strings. A reminder that sometimes if you just keep smiling and saying the right thing eventually you will feel ok again.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End.

Blindsided

the broken clock is a comfort
it helps me sleep tonight
maybe it can start tomorrow
from stealing my time
~Broken

A sense of floating somewhere in limbo pervades the back of my

Emotion and Action

~Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior - Chapter 4: The Sword is Sharpening ~

"Nothing wrong with anger or any other emotion. Just pay attention to how you behave...Anger is a powerful tool to transform old habits...and replace them with new ones....Fear and sorrow inhibit action; anger generates it. When you learn to make proper use of your anger, you can change fear and sorrow to anger, then turn anger to action. That's the body's secret of internal alchemy."...

"How can I control my habits if I can't even seem to control my emotions?"

"You don't need to control emotions," he said, "Emotions are natural, like passing weather. The key is to transform the energy of emotion into constructive action."

We humans tend to live in a soap-opera existence, letting our emotions run the show. Believing that we have encountered problems, we seek ways to experience more positive emotions (like confidence and courage and compassion and motivation and passion) and to rid ourselves of so-called negative emotions (like fear and sorrow and anger) so that we can live well and behave better and accomplish more.

There are two basic methods to effect this change. Method One is quite popular: We quiet our minds and create empowering beliefs, practice positive self-talk, sharpen our focus, and affirm our power in order to free our emotions and visualize positive outcomes to develop self confidence and generate the courage to find the determination to make the commitment to feel sufficiently motivated to do whatever it is we need to do.
Method Two reflects the warrior's way: We just do it.

The caterpillar doesn't become a butterfly overnight. Some transformations take a little time.

Let's be gentle with ourselves as we turn from knowing into doing, and as we learn to use our emotions (instead of the other way around). As Mahatma Gandhi said, "As heat conserved becomes energy, our anger can become a power which can move the world."

~~~

While I didn't copy all of the passage, I tried to hit the main point. What a great rounding-out to my current train of thought these days. I embrace the thoughts given to me while sweating and shaking in various uncomfortable poses on the solitude of my yoga mat. "Embrace the stressful parts of your body. Breath through the tension. Take your practice into the rest of your life." I am slowly becoming more and more conscious and self-aware than ever before. Less judgment this time around.

As a recovering 'anger addict' I am coming to terms with the fact I use anger to manipulate those around me. A pattern I learned at an early age from parental figures (that are not longer in my life). Being upset at someone does not make them want to change - instead it instills fear and distrust. In the short term it creates strife, in the long run it pushes people away. Only the strong survive in my circle of friends. Only those who have stuck around long enough to realize (or care) that I am not an angry person...merely one who has allowed this emotion to run my life.

Being able to voice one's own opinion with grace, accept a change in plans, to allow life happen outside of expectations, are all decisions that are growing me into a much more content (happy) individual.

Red wine. Two bite brownies. Sade - Solider of Love. Life simply, is.

Snap! Crackle! Hop!

Highlights and reflections from this weekend...

My first real foray into teaching at a regional event since, oh say, 4 years and it was a great time. I must admit that I was bummed to be missing my Fearsome Threesome of Michelle and Mead, or the fun of downtown Decatur - but in the end I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Here are my highlights.

~Dancing in an old brothel on Friday night. Creepy and intriguing.
~Reminding myself why I don't particularly enjoy blues dances.
~Teaching aerials with Sosh and being super sore afterwards.
~Awesome students willing to be awkward and silly to learn safety and partnership.
~Tasty breakfast food.
~Amazing host with themed rooms. I slept in the 'Disney Princess' room.
~Decorating the halloween shaped cookies with non-halloween designs ranging from dirty to other holidays.
~E-Sparkle!! We were missing JoSparkle - but we broke it down either way.
~Dressing up as "Zombie Day at the Races Girl". My first year as a 'scary person'. It was also very fun to randomly chase Evita around making zombie noises.
~Taking a hip hop lesson on Sunday afternoon from a professional dancer. He just started to lindy hop in March and is freaking amazing already. We traded knowledge, dance for dance. I am pumped. MJQ this weekend for sure.
~Discovering new music. Slum Village Radio is my new jam.
~Meeting more people from the region, and meeting up with old friends.
~Sugar Glider of awesome.
~Still having blood stains from my zombie wounds. Sigh...the cheap stuff is hard to scrub off.
~Costume contest instead of J&J to win passes to dance events. I think this should happen on a more regular basis. Travel Gnome ftw!

The entire team of Red Hot Lindy Hop put together a very well-run event. It was small, personal, and full of enthusiastic students. I have found that I enjoy those kind of events more and more these days. The huge ones have a great energy, but the intimacy of only seeing the same 70 people all weekend can have it's bonuses too.

It was fun and challenging to teach big classes again. I dig it and hopefully will be able to travel around the SE more often.