Windy & Carl - Dream House/Dedications for Flea (2005)

winter is undoubtedly the season for drone. Windy & Carl, a duo from Michigan, have been one of the best acts in the genre for almost 2 decades. this double album is one of the most beautiful albums of the 2000s. written partly as a dedication to a family pet, the album evokes all the warm, peaceful reflective feelings that a proper eulogy should embody. crank it up loud and take a walk around in the snow.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ymmmhnicyx4

music from a film

Throbbing Gristle - In the Shadow of the Sun (1984)
the music of industrial founders throbbing gristle hasn't always translated well to recordings. there's a disorienting sense of doom and unrest here that must be experienced in person. luckily, i was able to catch them earlier this year on their reunion tour and was not let down by their show. although decidedly nostalgic, there were moments of striking force. arguably their finest moment came in the first set when they preformed In the Shadow of the Sun, a film score that was preformed, in full, alongside the companion film. below i have linked a download of the album, which works well on its own. here we find a creeping ambient piece which projects sinister vibes as it meanders for almost a full hour. on par with some of the best works of the genre, In the Shadow of the Sun is required listening for anybody with more than a passing interest in ambient music.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/rib2zn

cold weather music

Beach House - Teen Dream (2010)

On their third album, Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House have released their loudest and most captivating album yet. Draped in a warm, engulfing sound, these 10 songs are capable of warming up the coldest winter night. Providing an introspective, catchy dreamscape, Teen Dream is sure to be among the best releases of early 2010. Try listening to it and not falling in love with Victoria Legrand. The opening track 'Zebra' is among Beach House's best tracks yet. Highly recommended! As always, link below:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SEI284OA

listen to this music

Neokarma Jooklo Experience - Peaceful Messages (2009)

one of the main purposes of this blog will be to share music with those of you fortunate enough to stumble across my little corner of the internet. from time to time, i'll post an album that's particularly impressive or meaningful to me. yesterday i had the pleasure of listening to this gem from the Neokarma Jooklo Experience. NJE is an Italian collective of musicians who create cosmic jams rooted in the traditions of improvization and experimentation. bombarded with a convergence of ethnic sounds ranging from soaring flutes to soulful saxophones, Peaceful Messages is 33 of the most enjoyable minutes of music i've heard all year. check out the link to the album below:

http://www.mediafire.com/?g3jy1ym2dz2

another reason to move to norway

if you use the internet (heh), you've probably noticed all the fuss about the extraterrestrial light show in Norway that's depicted just to the left of this post. i guess it's lost some of its mystique since Russian officials deemed it a 'failed missle launch', but i always find stuff like this fascinating. first of all, how does a failed missle launch create such a an amazing spectacle of color and symmetry? now, i'm not in any position to imply a conspiracy theory or anything of that nature, but doesn't this look just like something from outer space? anyway, more than anything, this post is merely an excuse to post this amazing photograph. check out the link below to see a contrived explanation for the event: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1234773/The-answer-mystery-Norways-spiral-light-display-Was-failed-Russian-Bulava-missile-test.html

winter meetings

every blogger has to start somewhere. being that it's the middle of december, it made the most sense to start with a baseball post. well, not really. but the fact of the matter is that baseball was my first love, and around this time every year something very important happens that reignites this flame. enter: the winter meetings. for the last 3 days, Important Baseball People have been congregated in Indianapolis to discuss potential trades and stoke the hot stove. i would call the events that have unfolded at this year's winter meeting 'moderately eventful'. there haven't been any blockbuster deals yet, but the Curtis Granderson trade is pretty close. and this is where i'd like to begin.
if you follow baseball at all, you know that Granderson is an athletic, high-potential center fielder. also, everybody loves saying that he's one of those 'high character' guys. whatever. point is, there's a lot to like with this guy. i would go so far to say that those of us that don't follow the sport as religiously as i probably think the yankees got a huge steal in this transaction. not so fast. let's look at the Curtis Granderson of 2007 vs. the Granderson of 2009. in '07 he had, by all accounts, a stellar campaign legging out an unreal 23 triples while hitting over .300 and compiling an OPS of .913. great stats. now let's look at this year: .249 batting average, .780 OPS and he's still in the top 10 in the league in strikeouts. now, i'm not saying i wouldn't love to have him on my team (see: Atlanta Braves), but there's something troubling about giving up prospects for a guy in the prime of his career experiencing such a precipitous dropoff. and here's what really bugs me- he's gonna hit 30+ homeruns next year and all of yankee nation will think he was worth every penny. ugh.
now, i haven't gotten into the other players involved in the deal, and chances are you probably have no interest. but let me close by saying that Detroit really pulled off a smart move. they not only shed significant salary, but they got rid of two guys (all-stars!) that, in my opinion, were both overrated and picked up a couple young arms that will help them immensely. remember the name Max Scherzer.
Arizona, you lose the trade. sorry. i just don't get why teams jump into these kinds of deals sometimes. maybe i'm completely wrong about Edwin Jackson. but, as i see it, Detroit pulled off a savvy deal and set themselves up to be much better in the future. well done.