2009 Enjoyed Part 2: Music

For some reason I disliked 2008's musical selection, and I have no idea why. The only album I can think of that I really liked was The Walkmen's You & Me. There were undoubtedly other albums that year, but when I try and think back as to which albums really hit me, that's the only one that really did. Right from the start of 2009, however, I felt like good things were afloat, and now, a year later, as I look back I believe that said good things continuously washed over me again and again over the course of the past 365 days.

There are so many good albums to name, Grizzly Bear and Phoenix were among the best, and they both came out on my birthday, which really meant something to me even if just coincidental. It made for one of the best days of aural pleasure in recent memory. It was a great year for Austin-based acts as well, with White Denim continually climbing the UK's hype ladder and newly birthed from the ashes of Sound Team's TV Torso made an immediate impact on my senses. The best new band with the capabilities of sticking around [Brazos] finally put out their first full length album and I haven't been able to take it out of my car long enough to rip it onto my computer.

Now, as is customary for year ends, there are lists that circulate, compromised of bests and filled to the brim with commentary. I myself normally put together lists throughout the year [when I'm of right mind/brain] and so combining the two seemed the perfect way to get across a section of what I really enjoyed about 2009. On top of this, I pooled together the remaining wherewith all I had from my college radio days and produced a little podcast [be gentle, it's the first ever] in order to showcase the aforementioned best of list.

What fun!

Indeed. So, here's the thing. The podcast has about 11 tracks in it and is just a little over 45 minutes long. It has 4 or 5 of my absolute favorite songs of the year and then a handful of others remaining on there to fill it out. I've left out the obvious tracks [I'm looking at you Phoenix] and regrettably so, because Wolfgang Amadeus was start to end a pretty perfect album. So this podcast is full of some of the others that you maybe didn't hear over the course of the year but should have, and those that I couldn't stop singing these past 12 months. The good news here is that if you don't like a song, theoretically you should be able to skip to the next song or "chapter" as defined by podcast law. Hopefully this feature works, if not, I apologize. Let me know. Thank you and Happy New Year!

PLEASE ENJOY!!!

[click the artwork for podcast]

[click the artwork for podcast]

Tracklist

Intro [over Steve Reich's "The Desert Music: III. Part One - Slow"]
Brazos - "The Observer" live @ WOXY.com
Foreign Born - "Vacationing People"
Local Natives - "Airplanes"
Commentary [over Thrillington's "Monkberry Moon Delight"]
The Streets - "Trust Me"
Bad Veins - "Crosseyed"
White Denim - "Paint Yourself"
Commentary [over AIR's "Night Hunter"]
Dappled Cities - "The Price"

The Soft Pack - "Extinction"
Thom Yorke - "All For The Best"
Commentary [over Django Reinhardt's "Django's Castle" and "Nuages"]
TV Torso - "The Days Of Being Wild"

Filling The Dance Card

My girlfriend has helped me plan my reading schedule for a good amount of time...


Jan Neruda's Prague Tales, Brad Matsen's bio about Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King, Geoffery Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd, and then Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation by Gregory Maguire. 1/3 of the way through the Cousteau bio right now. The man was incredibly cool. That stack is ripe with inspiration. Waiting for the intellectual to come out and play again.

Enjoyment of 2009: part 2 will be coming soon... in the form of a first ever Podcast!! At least I'm trying to do it. Whether or not it gets done in a listenable fashion remains to be seen, or I guess, heard.

- Kyle.

2009 Enjoyed: Part 1

So my absence from the internet hasn't really been felt, I'm sure. I'm not one that feels he absolutely has to be "present" on the web in order to live a fulfilled life, but I do absolutely feel that I have to be creative to live a fulfilled life. From this past summer to our current winter I've been busy creatively with what most would call a "band" but what I will forever call a part-time managerial position. It's been fun and it's been rewarding creating sounds and melodies with my writing partner, but the flip side has been the sometimes aggravating experience of working with new "creatives" (be they creative or not so). My enjoyment notwithstanding, I fully understand now why many musicians embark upon solo careers after stints with groups, famous or not. It can be exhausting, which is why I've not felt the need to post anything of length here. Until now.

One thing that has been consistent with me has been photography. There should always be a camera laying around your person (I never realized how much I used the camera on my phone until I got a new phone without one), because there is usually always something that will catch your eye interestingly enough to necessitate the taking of a photograph. And as much as I love words, Images have always impressed upon me more.

So I figured, in the first part of a 2009 recap, I'd start with some of my favorite personal photos of 2009. Personal in that I took them personally myself. With my own camera. There are some images I took at concerts, on vacation and just random images I thought were amusing/interesting. Anyway, hopefully you enjoy them, and hopefully they get you thinking of some of your own favorite instances of personal photography.

Away we go!

* * * * *

A joke at the heart of all Father's Day cards

speaking of Fathers. Here's mine lookin all Mormon... at a Carl's Jr.

Friend's cat, Herbie, in the tall grass.

My sweet lil lady

My sweet lil lady's amazing cooking ability

Summing up a summer's eve on the lawn @ Shady Grove

My gf has an awesome panoramic cam on her phone - Kauai

Ray-Ban took a photo of me at the Fort during SXSW

I bought a Motto Guzzi this year

My gf was attacked by crows Halloween night at our Hotel in Fort Worth...

...then again on the street! It was as if she were in The Birds.

Hard at work recording original compositions. That's Dan.

View from my bedroom window. That's Austin

My dad had a tree limb go all John Locke on his eye.

A trip to Scotsdale for sad reasons, but beautiful nonetheless.

Canopies in Kauai

Best show @ SXSW this year - Local Natives

M'lady awaiting a Cut Off Your Hands show @ Waterloo Park

Bad Veins SXSW show @ Dominican Joe's

Central Texas German Love during SXSW @ oldest beer garden in TX, Sholz Garten.

The Spirit of SXSW hard at work.

my loving setup

M'lady dressed as 'Strawberry Fields'

First show of 2009 for me, Brazos' barefooted Martin Crane @ Lambert's

Favorite road in Austin, Laurel Valley to Yaupon Valley Rds

First attempt at dual painting, me/gf. She's pretty AND talented.

Night shot in Kauai

Brit Daniel during SPOONX3 in July

my preoccupation with fog manifest. Downtown Austin

White Denim drummer Josh Block @ Mohawk in late October

my Moto Guzzi. you can see where I gave myself a nasty 2nd degree burn on the pipe

Brit Daniel @ SPOONX3, first time in the photo pit

M'lady

M'lady's pet Great Dane, Ferris. The Gentle Giant.

White Denim Vocals/Guitarist James Petralli @ Mohawk

Some species of plant in my gf's backyard

Dad taking a breather at my Grandpa's 90th Bday

Brit Daniel again, in photo pit, SPOONX3 @ Stubbs.

Hubert Dornak @ 90 years of age. We call him Pops.

War Stories from the South Pacific

Foggy night outside my house

First annual "Tent Pitch 08". Jorts were necessary.

Pops

Sister's Rehearsal dinner on Lake Austin.

TV Torso drummer Jordan Johns @ Mohawk indoors mid August

Pops

Dam on Lake Austin during sister's rehearsal dinner - mid September

Pops in profile

hi hat at home

A new found obsession with Nature's patterns - Tent Pitch 08 @ Krause Springs

A Mother and her Father @ rehearsal dinner cruise, Lake Austin

One of Austin's many cranes. First picture taken on my new camera, July

TV Torso's lead vocalist/guitarist, Matt Oliver @ Mohawk

More Nature patterns @ Krause Springs

First real self-portrait. Embarassing.

Krause Springs in the heart of the Hill Country

The week I ate healthy. Green/Yellow/Red/Purple

Songwriting core, probably not sober @ Fado's Pub

Typical of a snob, I'm skeptical during SXSW.

Finally joining a real football team, Chips & Guacagoalie

And finally... Whalers' first show @ Beerland in early October. I'm back there somewhere near the giant "N"