Just in Time: Best of 2010 in Music

I took my sweet time this year making this list. Around the first of December, I realized that I had missed a few album releases this year that I wanted to check out, so I ended up listening to a lot of new stuff in the last few weeks. In order to give them a fair shot, I wanted to listen a few times, which, of course, delayed the whole "Best of 2010" list thing.

A few things about this list. In years past, I have only made a "Best Tracks" list, meaning that the albums themselves may not be that amazing, but for whatever reason, I loved those particular songs. This year, I planned to do the same, but I realized that there are a few albums I liked that don't have a song that stand out. I thought, "eh, I'll just pick a random song," but that didn't work either. Basically, I would add a song to the track list, and it just seemed like that song was a let-down in the mix of great tracks. So I've included a short list at the end of my track list of albums that I really liked this year, but that didn't really have any standout songs.

As usual, these songs are not in any particular order. I take that back, they are in a particular order, but it has nothing to do with which is the "very best." Instead, I try to make it flow like a playlist.

Also different from prior years, I allowed 2 songs from 1 album. I usually don't do that, which means that some songs don't make the cut that would have if they hadn't been on the same album as an even better song. I broke the rule one time this year because the Eclipse soundtrack had 2 songs that I couldn't choose between. It's not a huge rule-breaker since each song is by a different artist, and neither of those artists had any other songs on the list. That Eclipse soundtrack, by the way....say what you will about Twilight, but the music is great...

You can listen to the playlist here.

1. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp: This song was released as a single in 2009, but the album Odd Blood came out in 2010. When it did, I listened to the whole album over and over for quite a few weeks. I guess I start the list with this one, since it's sort of how I started my 2010.
2. Sufjan Stevens - I Walked: This entire album is so phenomenal. Sufjan basically abandons the world (other than random side projects) for a few years, and then blows us away with an EP and an album released a month apart. The EP was good, but the album, The Age of Adz, was another one I could listen to on repeat.
3. Beck and Bat for Lashes - Let's Get Lost: This song is from the Eclipse soundtrack. It's just beautiful. I also love musical collaboration, and Beck has been doing that a lot lately. I approve.
4. Beach House - Norway: It was a serious toss-up between Zebra and Norway. I kept going back and forth, but in the end, I think the vocal back-up in Norway won me over.
5. CocoRosie - Lemonade: This album, Grey Oceans, was only so-so, in my book. But this song, was too beautiful not to include. It just makes me smile and want to seriously go get some lemonade and have some innocent little picnic somewhere.
6. Broken Bells - Sailing to Nowhere: Broken Bells came out of nowhere this year, and their album seemed so perfect. Then I stopped listening to it because it seemed annoying for some reason. Maybe it's too perfect? Regardless, this album got a ton of playtime on my iTunes this year. I saw them in May, and it was a really great performance. James Mercer seems like a total perfectionist, but it pays off because his voice never falters.
7. The Morning Benders - Excuses: I saw these guys in March, and the performance of this song was fabulous. I wrote about it here. That alone pretty much secured the song's spot on my year-end list. They weren't as great when they opened for Broken Bells a couple of months later, but I'll forgive them for that one.
8. Jonsi - Around Us: I had a lot of trouble picking a song from this album. I had Sinking Friendships on the list for a while. But this song really stood out from his concert last October. I wrote about that concert, too. These songs all feel really powerful, yet relaxing for some reason. I love listening to the album straight through, but most of the songs can also stand on their own.
9. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains): I wrote about this album when it came out, and it all still holds true. I love this album, and I'm sort of surprised it wasn't on more people's Best of 2010 lists. Maybe they're too mainstream, so it's not "cool" to like them anymore? Oh well. I'm not turned off yet. Their concerts are still up there on my best of all time list. And Regine Chassagne sings this with so much energy at the shows, it's definitely a stand-out.
10. Caribou - Odessa: I forgot about this album (Swim) for a lot of the year. Then, when going through 2010 stuff, I started listening more. The album is good, but not great. This song, though, catches my attention whenever it pops up on shuffle.
11. The Black Keys - Everlasting Light: I've never liked The Black Keys. Everyone raves about them, but each time I try to listen, I am disappointed. So much so that I didn't even want to give this album a shot. The album is good, although I didn't love it. I did love this song, though.
12. Efterklang - Modern Drift: I downloaded this album on a whim. They were playing LA, and my roommate at the time mentioned that I might like them. They released an album in the spring (Magic Chairs), and it was good. Again, not great, but good. I really like the vocals on this track, though. Apparently enough to make it to the best of list.
13. Janelle Monae - Cold War: This album was good. Everyone seemed to be talking about her this year. I liked a few songs, but when I saw the video for this song, I was sold. She toured with of Montreal this year, which seems like an odd match in some respects, but it worked.
14. Florence + The Machine - Heavy in Your Arms: This is another one from the Eclipse soundtrack. I have a bit of a crush on Florence Welch. Mostly because her voice is so consistently smooth and unwavering. I saw her at The Wiltern this year, where she sold out 3 nights in a row. She definitely has a presence on stage, which makes her sort of mesmerizing to watch. This song was one of her encores.
15. Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill: I kept going back and forth with this band. Did I like them? Or were they too abrasive? I'm still not sure how I feel about them overall, but I'm sure that this song just puts me in a good mood.
16. Hot Chip - Take It In: I wasn't sure whether I would like this album or not since their last one was only so-so, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. The crazy video for I Feel Better probably helped get my attention. This is my favorite song on the album, though.
17. LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change: It was between this song and Dance Yrself Clean, but that song is 9 minutes long, which really makes for a long playlist... Seriously, that was my only deciding factor. I saw them live a few years ago, opening for Arcade Fire, and they were "eh." But I saw them on their headlining tour this year at the Hollywood Bowl, and they were awesome.
18. Best Coast - The End: I usually dislike lo-fi music. The droning noise sort of irritates me. But for some reason, it doesn't bother me with Best Coast. I don't love every song on this album (Crazy for You), but I like it.
19. Robyn - Dancing On My Own: This was one of the albums that I just started listening to. I kept reading about her new stuff and decided to check it out for myself. I have tons of guilty pleasures when it comes to music, and I often listen to Top 40 crap on the radio, not because it's good, but because I like cheesy dance riffs. Robyn is like the best of both worlds. It's pure dance pop. But it's so much better quality than the crap that gets played on the radio. (Note: I know she WAS typical Top 40 crap in the 90s, but her stuff is different now that she's, you know, not 17 years old...)
20. Kanye West - Runaway: Ok ok. I just said I listen to Top 40 sometimes. I also have a thing for celebrities who go a little crazy and write absurd things on their Twitter accounts, yet also produce really great music. I loved this song from the first time I saw the video. I also figured it was fitting to end the list with a toast. Happy New Year, all. Let's have a toast for the douchebags. May they be relatively absent from your 2011!

Albums that didn't have standout tracks, but were still pretty good albums of 2010:

• Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
• Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
• Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
• Gayngs - Relayted
• Laura Veirs - July Flame
• Menomena - Mines
• Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
• The National - High Violet
• The New Pornographers - Together
• Wolf Parade - Expo 86

One more Christmas video

I had to put up the Jingle Bells video, too. Maggie's medley is pretty epic, but the reason we started filming in the first place was because her Jingle Bells rendition was great in its own right.

Downtown LA

A few weeks ago, I spent a day downtown with my friend, Zach. He knows pretty much everything about LA, so he makes a good tour guide. We had free passes to the Grammy Museum, so the goal was to (a) take the subway in LA, (b) go to the Grammy Museum, and (c) use these $20 coupons we had for Border Grill downtown. Everything else was bonus. Here are some of the highlights:

This is actually not downtown, but from a recent hike. Proof that fall exists in LA, too. At least in this one spot.

I took this photo for David Camacho because, even though Camacho is actually a common name, I only think of David...

The Bradbury Building - site of many movies, including Bladerunner and 500 Days of Summer.

Grand Central Market downtown.

Angels Flight. According to the plaque, it's the world's shortest incorporated railway. It just goes up the hill, but was a pretty entertaining use of a quarter.

Christmas Past

Given the holidays and the omnipresent Christmas music, I've been thinking of a particular memory from Christmas dinner a few years ago. I thought I'd post the video so that you can either share in the memory if you've seen it before, or witness its splendor for the first time.

I present to you, my niece, Maggie, at age (almost) 3, performing her holiday medley.

Prop 8

I am so glad Ted Olson is on our side of this case. Also, this hearing is seriously hurting my productivity level today. (I'm currently watching the Prop 8 hearing live-stream through C-Span online).

Thanksgiving!

I was going to go on a day-after-Thanksgiving-hike, but turns out that my head is about to explode from all the mucus within (nice image, huh?). So instead I put up my Christmas tree and laid in bed all day. Sort of an ok way to spend a day off work. Would be better if I could breathe... I'm hoping to get rid of this thing by tomorrow, though, and take up the hiking then instead.

In the meantime, I will share my turkey day festivities with you. I hosted for a few friends, and everyone brought food to contribute to the day. I brined the turkey for the first time, using a brine recipe from Pioneer Woman. I also followed her roasting instructions, which made for way crispier skin that I usually end up with. I don't really like turkey, so I have no idea if this method was better than prior ones I've used, but my friends seemed to think the effort was worth it. I kind of think it's fun, so I'll probably do it this way again.

Anyway, here are some pics from the day:

Hair on Fire

Short post:

Friday night I went out with some friends to Bar Marmont. Adam Duritz was there. And a tall blonde woman whose hair caught on fire.

That is all.

Simplifying and Un-simplifying

Today I cancelled cable. I have never in my life not had cable. For the last 6 years, I've only had "broadcast cable" meaning that I get the basic broadcast channels plus things like CNN, ESPN, and Discovery, but it's still about $20/month for something that I turn on maybe 2 or 3 times per week. If that.

So today I bought an antenna and a converter box, and I cancelled the cable. A few weeks ago, I had switched my internet to something cheaper, too. So I used to pay $45/month for internet and cable, and now I pay $15/month for internet and $0 for TV.

Of course, as soon as I save money on one thing, I end up spending it on something else, but regardless, it feels sort of good. I got new dishes. Most of them were a Christmas present from my mother, but I bought a few place settings. I'm hosting Thanksgiving, and I'll have new dishes and silverware to use for the meal. The silver is old - a gift from my grandmother. The dishes are the Maison set from Crate and Barrel. I'll take pictures at Thanksgiving, mostly because my mom would be so upset if I didn't.

This is an incredibly boring post, but for some reason, these kinds of things just make me excited.

How to do your dog's laundry

What? Dogs have laundry? I thought that was just kids and babies... Nope. Dogs definitely have laundry; especially dogs who have blankies that they carry around, chew on, and sleep with. So here is how laundry goes.

Step 1: Make laundry pile on the floor. Include rug from under food bowls, both dog bed covers, blankie, and a couple other rugs to fill the wash load.

Step 2: Watch dog attempt to pull blankie out of the pile.

Step 3: Tell dog "no" then pointlessly explain that she can have it back once it's clean.

Step 4: Gather other laundry loads to take down to the laundry room (I mean, there are 3 washers; I'm certainly going to be using them for my laundry, too...).

Step 5: Bring laundry to laundry room - wash as you would any laundry.

Step 6: Come back to your apartment only to see your dog curled up on her blankie.

Ugh! Sneaky little bitch (I can call her that. She's a female dog). And people wonder why it's always gross!

Jonsi's Live Performance - 17 October 2010, The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA

I can't even call this a concert. It wasn't. I've seen some really great concerts, some of them quite recently, but this doesn't even compare. Not because it was so much better, but it was just different. It was an experience. An emotionally intense experience that has lasted for at least an hour since I left the theatre.

I kept meaning to write reviews of shows here, but I'd get home, feel tired, go to bed, and then the recollections would fade, making it tough to write. But tonight. I'm writing. Mostly because I can't get this show out of my head.

My view during the show was honestly not that great. I had floor tickets and ended up behind tall people. Mix that with the fact that Jonsi often leans over (bends over, really) when he sings, and I basically had little to no view of the actual musicians. I had occasional flashes of them - mostly Jonsi's head when standing and the drummer. But that didn't really matter. Jonsi worked with a team of visual artists to create an accompanying visual show to go with the music. My first thought when I heard of this was, "yeah, I see A/V stuff at shows all the time. What's the big deal?" Last week at Arcade Fire, they had visuals that went with their songs. It's cool, but it doesn't really set Jonsi apart from others. Wow, was I wrong.

The visuals for the Jonsi show are so stunningly beautiful. Animals and flowers and birds and rain and storms - manipulated nature scenes, but like I've never seen them before. Further, the imagery is so incredibly well matched to the songs. The visuals seemed to intensify every emotion evoked by the music and vice versa. The use of color and light was perfect. A friend of mine at the show cried, and I was on the verge of tears. My head and my heart just felt so full of.....something I can't explain in words.

I had never noticed the drums in Jonsi's songs quite like I did tonight. They are phenomenal, and I was happy to have a good view of the drums throughout the show. Jonsi's voice is so intense, and the richness of the music as a whole was so beautiful.

The show was streamed live by NPR tonight, and they are replaying it tomorrow (Monday), as well. I will be watching it again just so that I have the chance to experience it all over again. I highly recommend it to others, as well. And of course, if he is playing a show in or around where you live, please go. You will not regret it.

Or are you born that way?

I have a crazy Russian old lady neighbor. She lives below me. She is a hoarder, as evidenced by the things on her balcony, including but not limited to random raccoon tails. She takes her trash out in her underwear. She wears pink bathrobes with pink UGGs. And she thinks my dog needs to find a boyfriend (she always asks me if "Ava has found her Adam?").

But tonight beats them all. She was outside talking with a friend. I went outside to take Ava out to pee, and she stops me.

Russian neighbor: You have great body, you exercise a lot?

Me (confused and thinking maybe she is talking about my dog?): I'm sorry, what?

Russian neighbor: You (points to my stomach) you exercise a lot? Or are you born that way?

Me: Oh, uh....I just joined a gym actually. (Maybe this will change the awkward subject where this woman is pointing to my stomach and butt).

Russian neighbor: Oh, where is the gym? Is it a nice gym? Is it a big gym? How much you pay for the gym?

Me (answer her questions, although not sure where this is going)

Russian neighbor: You have boyfriend?

Me: No....

Russian neighbor: What?! Why not?!

Me: Uh, I guess I just haven't met the right person?

Russian neighbor: Oh, you and Ava. You need boyfriends.

Russian neighbor's friend: Oh, she is asking if you have a boyfriend because her son is single...

Russian neighbor (smiles and nods)

Me: Uh....ha, um. I have to go... BYE!

Homosexuality

I haven't written a post here in a long long time. I've been busy, but I also haven't had that much to write. But this week I have been inundated with all the news and commentary about the recent suicides of gay teens after incessant bullying, teasing, and internet-outing. Tonight, on Glee of all things, the character Kurt, who is gay, was talking about his belief (or really lack thereof) in God, and said "[God] makes me gay and then makes His followers go around saying it's a choice, as if I'd choose to be mocked every day of my life." I've been saying that for years (the part about no one choosing a sexuality that results in such pain and ridicule), but not to the right people. This is probably because most people I know are already supportive of equality. I just don't understand why this isn't a logical statement to everyone. I've heard people get stuck on the "but it's wrong according to the Bible" thing. Fine. If you believe the Bible like that, fine. I disagree, but regardless, let God judge them for it, not you.

But bigger than a lack of acceptance and a lack of equality is the slippery slope that it leads to. Simply saying "I disagree with the lifestyle" (which I hate, by the way, because it portrays sexuality as a lifestyle choice) has greater harm than it sounds. Denying rights for marriage or serving in the military preaches to our children that there is something wrong with homosexuality. And really, that IS what they're saying. And when children hear that something is wrong, they think it is ok to act out against it. And kids being kids...I think you know where this is going. Sarah Silverman just posted a video that ends "They learned it from watching you." just like those old drug ads on TV. And it's true. Small acts of bigotry like denying equal rights based on sexuality will lead to bigger acts of bigotry like outing someone on the internet, making his life a living hell, or even physical assault. All of these things have occurred in our country, and they are not separate from the smaller instances of discrimination society accepts on a daily basis.

A patient today, struggling with sexuality himself, told me he was scared to come out because "homosexuality is the one thing that still has discriminatory laws against it." This is a teenager who is already a target of bullies for other reasons. He shouldn't have to go through this. This kid who has been bullied for years and knows what it's like would absolutely choose to be straight if he could - cause at least that would be one less target for the bullies. But it's not a choice. So instead, for now, it's a struggle. He has support as he goes through this, but not everyone does. This has to change. How many more people have to suffer, and some even die, before we get our act together? And how do we change this when those of us who are already on board with equality always hang out with other people who are on board...

I guess if you happen to stumble across this post, and I do not know you, and you are questioning your beliefs, please think about this. And if you are my friend and agree, but know people who don't, please don't stay silent. When we're silent we essentially allow the hate to be louder than us, and it leaves struggling kids feeling alone. And it's just not ok.

Updated apartment pictures

My mom was in town a couple weeks ago. For those of you who know my mom, this will come as no surprise. For those who don't, well, here you go. My mom is an interior designer, not by profession, but by talent and interest. She also has a touch of OCD when it comes to design not being "quite right" or quite finished. I have a tendency to want...things...right...now... And I come to it rightly.

So needless to say, my apartment had some updates and finishing touches while she was in town. I had already added the chair and the throw pillows to the living room. Mom added the shelves over the TV, rearranged pictures on the wall, bought me a side table, outdoor pillows/cushions, placemats, lantern, and planted flowers (which Ava promptly ate).

Here are the updated pics.

Ava

I went on a hike last week and encountered a fallen tree that Ava could not get over or under by herself. So I had to help. Thanks to my friend Zach for photographing because it looks pretty cute.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

I am in love with this album - in a completely new and different way than the way I love Arcade Fire's older albums. Honestly, I think this is the way a band should be. I should love each album for new and unique reasons, otherwise a band is just repeating itself over and over. I love when a band can retain their own sound, yet recreate it for each album. The latest from the Arcade Fire doesn't have the epic, larger-than-life tracks like "Wake Up" and "Rebellion (Lies)" or the overdramatic tracks like "Intervention" and "My Body is a Cage" but it doesn't need them.

Perhaps I am simply buying into their package, but it really fits as a whole piece titled The Suburbs. Listening to Funeral or Neon Bible sort of feels like when you're talking to your best friend about HOW THAT GUY WAS SUCH AN ASSHOLE or THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD JUST HAPPENED TO ME, but The Suburbs feels like your everyday best friend. It's the general conversation that makes life comfortable. There are some climaxes, but overall, it just...is.

In sports, if you play the sport perfectly, truly to perfection, there shouldn't be any "highlights" because there wouldn't be any "so close" moments. It would all be clean and smooth and appear like every moment was orchestrated just so. To me, that's how The Suburbs is. Played just right, so nothing stands out as a highlight. Instead, the whole thing is orchestrated just so, so that while you're listening, you feel as if life is supposed to be...just like this.

Scala and Kolacny Brothers

I recently watched the trailer for the new Facebook movie (ok, it's actually called The Social Network). The music fits perfectly, and is a beautiful rendition of Radiohead's Creep. So I looked it up. It's done by Scala and Kolacny Brothers, which despite the masculine name, is actually a Belgian girls choir. They have a few albums where they cover pop music, and if their version of Creep is any indication of what their stuff is like, I would like to buy their discography...immediately.

If you read my music posts much or ever listened to my radio show, you know there are some specific characteristics of music that will suck me in pretty assuredly. Beautiful, layered, choral harmonies are included in that list. So this is sort of a sure thing.

By the way, the movie actually looks really good. My first thought was, "A movie about Mark Zuckerberg, really? Who the hell cares about that guy?" But it really does look good. So I guess the answer is me. I guess I care...or at the very least am intrigued.

How to get ignored for a restaurant job

Please note that this may not apply to restaurants like Hooters or sports bars or other somewhat trashy establishments. But today at Coffee Bean, I sat next to a girl and her mother who were discussing the girl's attempts to get a job at a restaurant. She listed a few high class restaurants in LA and noted that they basically ignored her or made her wait a long time before talking to her. My assessment? Perhaps if you did not wear a shirt so low-cut that I could see almost all of your lace bra underneath your shirt you might get a little more respect. I realize that this could be a style thing - maybe she thinks it looks cute to show off the lace? However, she kept pulling her shirt up to cover the bra, only to have it slip down again 2 second later revealing the bra again. Brown shirt. Lavender lace bra. Not cute. Sorry chick. You better start applying to places that match your look a bit more.

I moved!

I posted the before pics. And here are the after pics. There are a few things on my "to get at some point" list, like a chair for the living room, and a few things on the "to do" list, like plant flowers and organize the balcony a bit, but overall, it finally feels like an apartment.

Ava loves the balcony

To do: do something with that microwave cord

Den or Study or whatever you want to call it...

I know those last 2 pictures were barely different...but the whole thing wouldn't fit in one frame!

Hall

Final 2

I am so sick of looking at rugs, so this is it. I'll explain my dilemma and then am open to thoughts.

I like this rug:

But it is expensive compared to this rug:

I worry that the first one might not go with my couch, and I worry about finding the right greens to go with the second rug. So neither one is perfect. When I started this whole rug thing, I wanted something that would give me a bright pop of color. Both of these will do that, I think, although yellow can sometimes come off like a neutral. But maybe that's ok? I really love the style of the pattern on the grey/yellow rug. Simple, modern, but with a natural feel. The green one feels more whimsical and not as sophisticated for some reason.

That said, this is a big price difference. $390 versus $564 (after a 25% off discount). If I was certain about the first one, then maybe it'd be worth it, but I'm not sure...

So - what do you think?

I don't own a rug...

Remember when I wrote about rugs? Well, I bought one. The first one. They shipped it to me. FedEx delivered it...to the "side door" according to their door tag. Of course, I don't actually have a side door to my apartment. The building has a side door, but that side door faces Santa Monica Blvd, which is much busier than my side street. So certainly they wouldn't leave it there, right? Well, I actually have no idea. But it's gone. Fortunately both FedEx and the company I bought the rug from were great and the company reordered a rug for me at no charge. Yesterday, I was notified, however, that in between the time that my first rug shipped, was stolen, and had to be reordered, the rug had been discontinued. I tried to see if any other vendors might have it in stock, but nope. It's unattainable. Even through eBay, which I thought was a goldmine for discontinued rugs.

So that's out. And it means I need a new one. So the old options are still on the table. Well, except I don't really like #2 and 3 anymore, so let's just focus on the green swirl rug and these new options.

1. Lulu rug

Apparently it's a brighter apple green than this picture depicts. They offer swatches for $2, so if this ends up being the front runner, I think I'll get that to be sure I like the color.

2. Safavieh Dhurries rug

3. Floral Yellow/Olive Rug

4. Stream Rug

5. West Elm Andalusia Rug

6. Argonne Rug

7. Pottery Barn Green Swirl Rug

I own a couch!

Ok, basically this blog has become a music/decorating blog. Pretty congruent with what's going on in my life lately.

To follow-up with the progress of my apartment decor, here is my new couch:

I had it custom made from Custom Sofa Design. It's a modified version of Jonathan Adler's Butterfield sofa. Mine is slightly shorter and with 2 instead of 3 cushions. Espresso wood finish and Linato fabric in color Cafe.