Of all the western stars

"It wasn’t that I wanted, like Cook and Amundsen and Vancouver and Bering and all those other..."

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:53:06 -0600

“It wasn’t that I wanted, like Cook and Amundsen and Vancouver and Bering and all those other dead explorers, to turn terra incognita into terra cognita, the world into a map. Quite the opposite. I wanted to turn a map into a world.”

- Donovan Hohn - “Moby-Duck”

Artist: The Limousines Track: Very Busy People Bonus song...

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:08:00 -0600

Artist: The Limousines
Track: Very Busy People

Bonus song today. This isn’t from one of my favorite albums, but it was the song of my summer.

I first heard it in late spring, but it wasn’t until mid-summer when the realization of having graduated and being unemployed fully set in and this song came to summarize my life.

Unemployment got old by the end of the summer, but this song always reminds me of how great my life was for those few, short months at the end of school.

Artist: Kid Cudi Track: Up Up & Away Album: Man on the Moon:...

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:13:11 -0600

Artist: Kid Cudi
Track: Up Up & Away
Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day (#4 of 2009)

This is a great track, and highlights Cudi’s ability to make hip-hop sound fun, light and happy. Several of his tracks seamlessly mesh hip-hop and pop/rock. Sadly, as much as I loved some of this album, each track was very hit or miss, hence the lower position (#4) on my list.

Artist: Relient K Song: Outro Album: Forget And Not Slow Down...

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:04:38 -0600

Artist: Relient K
Song: Outro
Album: Forget And Not Slow Down (#5 of 2009)

This is kind of a lame pick for a representative song, as it is just an outro to another song, but at over 1:30 in length and with a markedly different sound, it’s an amazing track. In fact, I much prefer it to the song it concludes.

Top Albums of 2009

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:56:00 -0600

I’ve finally decided what my favorite new albums of 2009 were, and here’s the list. I’ll be posting a favorite track (I know better than to try and pick the favorite track) over the next few days from each album.

Paper Route: Absence
P.O.S: Never Better
The Appleseed Cast: Sagarmatha
Kid Cudi: Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Relient K: Forget And Not Slow Down

Albums that didn’t make the cut but were still awesome include Cycles (Cartel), Homesick (A Day To Remember), and The Fray (The Fray).

Artist: Kid Cudi Song: The Prayer Samples: Band of Horses -...

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:11:58 -0600

Artist: Kid Cudi
Song: The Prayer

Samples: Band of Horses - The Funeral

Image Date: 7/26/09 12:38:11 PM CDT Aperture: ƒ/9 Shutter...

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:26:51 -0600

Image Date: 7/26/09 12:38:11 PM CDT
Aperture: ƒ/9
Shutter Speed: 1/80
Focal Length: 22.0mm
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 100

Location: Wyoming

Image Date: 8/3/09 5:10:31 PM CDT Aperture: ƒ/10 Shutter...

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:26:52 -0600

Image Date: 8/3/09 5:10:31 PM CDT
Aperture: ƒ/10
Shutter Speed: 1/100
Focal Length: 20.0mm
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 100

Location: Canyonlands National Park

Image Date: 7/26/09 12:53:39 PM CDT Aperture: ƒ/9 Shutter...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:26:52 -0600

Image Date: 7/26/09 12:53:39 PM CDT
Aperture: ƒ/9
Shutter Speed: 1/80
Focal Length: 30.0mm
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 100

Location: Wyoming

Image Date: 7/31/09 4:10:36 PM CDT Aperture: ƒ/11 Shutter...

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:26:46 -0600

Image Date: 7/31/09 4:10:36 PM CDT
Aperture: ƒ/11
Shutter Speed: 1/80
Focal Length: 30.0mm
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 100

Location: Zion National Park

Image Date: 5/31/08 11:57:24 AM CDT Aperture: ƒ/10 Shutter...

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:05:00 -0600

Image Date: 5/31/08 11:57:24 AM CDT
Aperture: ƒ/10
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Exposure Bias: 0ev
Focal Length: 18.0mm
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 100

Location: Stillwater, MN

Artist: Arcade Fire Album: Neon Bible Song: No Cars Go Amazing...

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:50:00 -0600

Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: Neon Bible
Song: No Cars Go

Amazing ending.

Image Date: 5/28/09 10:09:26 AM CDT Aperture: ƒ/9 Shutter...

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:24:17 -0600

Image Date: 5/28/09 10:09:26 AM CDT
Aperture: ƒ/9
Shutter Speed: 1/125
Exposure Bias: 0ev
Focal Length (35mm): 45.0mm
Focal Length: 30.0mm
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 100

Here’s to making new friends, staying out way later than you should, and finding a group of...

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:42:00 -0600

Here’s to making new friends, staying out way later than you should, and finding a group of people who make you feel like you belong.

2009 is shaping up to be an amazing year!

The All-American Rejects: Sunshine Not their typical song,...

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:31:00 -0600

The All-American Rejects: Sunshine

Not their typical song, though. It’s awesome.

Weaver At The Loom

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:19:51 -0600

Weaver At The Loom:

I’ve been meaning to check this band out for ages, since I heard long ago they were amazing.

Turns out whoever told me they were amazing weren’t lying. And they’re local! But I see them going places.

Track: Greedy Bitch Artist: Grieves Album: 88 Keys &...

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:08:05 -0600

Track: Greedy Bitch

Artist: Grieves

Album: 88 Keys & Counting

Genre: Hip-Hop

So I’ve been listening to a lot of hip-hop the past week or so again. It comes and goes in phases. I stumbled upon Grieves (likely through last.fm) and absolutely love his latest album. This is just one of my favorite tracks.

Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty) The new single off of...

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:09:00 -0600

Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty)

The new single off of P.O.S.’ upcoming album, Never Better

" Come, my friends, ‘Tis not too late to seek a newer..."

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:10:00 -0600

“ Come, my friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die. (59 - 64)”

- “Ulysses” - Tennyson

Snowboarding in Winter Park was amazing. I’m not sure if I...

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:00:00 -0600

Snowboarding in Winter Park was amazing. I’m not sure if I liked WP or Big Sky better. Any recommendations for next winter?