OK Go!

2012-01-31T07:22:00.002-05:00

The End... For Now...

Today I'm bound for Greenwich and Stamford, the last five customer visits of the 21 I've done in a two week span.. This includes lunch and dinner, and leaves no time for a trip to the gym...

My birthday was lovely, a shower of greetings from near and far, hither and yon..

Ruth's memorial service was very moving. Well over 200 friends and colleagues were there at St Bartholomew's to pay respect. Remembrances from close friends and her parents, her husband's eulogy, celebrating her life, grappling with loss, recounting her final days, her final hours... Thoroughly touching, unspeakably sad...

2012-01-30T06:58:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday To Me!

I spent most of the weekend celebrating my birthday! It was fairly warm here, in sharp contrast with last year's snowstorm. Here's the inner courtyard of my office building a year ago, as viewed from the common area outside my office...

Here's the 8th Avenue side of my apartment building in the snowy dawn...

Expect my birthday party pics during the week, it was a lovely night.. And here's the 23rd Street side after some rudimentary shoveling...

Indolence and unstructured time are on today's docket. Greyish tones of unpure snow In front of my office building on a chilly afternoon...

2012-01-29T18:46:00.002-05:00

Horrors!

Today's Song of the Week, 'I Can See Through You,' reminds me of my early-80s New Wave glory days, and in particular, of the Bowie-inflected 'New Romantic' subgenre.

It's British quintet The Horrors, who began in 2005 as a 'big haired, black-clad garage punk outfit' but morphed into something considerably more experimental...

Here's the groovy video for 'I Can See Right Through You' - all those pretty lights!

2012-01-25T07:24:00.002-05:00

Gone

I hate to report a death, and my heart goes to my late former co-worker Ruth, who lost a long battle to cancer yesterday, and to her husband and very young sun.

Count your blessings, smell the flowers, cherish the people you love... In the end, that's really all we've got...

2012-01-24T07:11:00.000-05:00

Imitating The Inimitable?

We found 'My Week With Marilyn' to be quite worthwhile - an interesting period piece driven by the terrific acting of Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh aging well as Sir Laurence Olivier. Kudos as well to the adorable, Tony-winning Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark, the young film assistant whose week-long friendship with the icon led to two memoirs and this film. 'My Week' wisely doesn't attempt to answer the unanswerable or imitate the inimitable, but Michelle Williams does manage an interesting emotional and physical portrayal of the fragile and lusted-after actress, even more impressive considering the lack of resemblance. But, hey, I like period pieces, movies about movies, biopics, and one-event biopics. I like the cast. Glad to see Michelle get her 3rd Oscar nomination, though it would be shocking if she won over Viola Davis of The Help or Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher...

2012-01-23T11:34:00.003-05:00

The Marathon Continues

After a lovely, quiet Sunday with JP, the onslaught, the marathon that is my typical work day arrives with a thud. Just two days in the office to finish weeks of unfinished work! Wednesday and Thursday I'm tied up with more customer visits, in NY and Boston, respectively.

Since I must in Boston for a 7:30am meeting Thursday, I get to stay overnight, and to take my friend Erik for dinner on his actual birthday. My actual birthday is next Monday, but my actual birthday party is Saturday night. I can't wait! I try to host 3-4 parties a year, it's a terrific way of making sure you see your friends more frequently, despite one's full and busy 21st century life...

So quiet, yesterday. JP and I saw the 4:15 showing of 'My Week With Marilyn,' which was quite worthwhile, reviews notwithstanding, and more on that later. Made the mistake of Catfish sandwich for brunch, a mound of batter and grease that stayed with me all afternoon; you can be sure I won't do that again...

2012-01-22T20:31:00.002-05:00

Neon Lightning

Today's offering, 'Polish Girl,' comes from Neon Indian, a Brooklyn-based indie electronic quartet formed in Texas that bathes its catchy, perky but bluesy songs in electronic bleeps and bloops. Led by 23-year-old Alan Palomo, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, they're kind of a southern border Junior Boys, minus the Steely Dan fixation. Palomo's father was a Mexican pop star in the 80s.

It was Palomo's ex-girlfriend who inspired the band name 'Neon Indian;' something to do with a musical apology for a missed date...

Here's the video for 'Polish Girl', our Song of the Week. This tune goes down easily, like neon ice cubes on a some futuristic hot summer day; it's kind of a torch song and is certainly devoid of ethnicity, Polish or Mexican American.

Neon Indian burst on the scene in 2008 with 'Psychic Chasms,' a critical smash that made many year-end best lists. Here's their memorably trippy and poppy debut single, 'Deadbeat Summer..'

That album's other signature tune is '6666 (I Don't Know If You Know', here's the clip:

The band perform 'Mind Drips' from its new album, 'Era Extraña,' live on KEXP...

The band talks about its new album, 'Era Extraña,' which it recorded in Helsinki...

2012-01-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

Brrrr

The New York area is covered with snow, for the first time since late October. It's also frigid cold, for the first time in what seems like ages...

Happily, the frosty weather couldn't keep us from Andrew and Michelle's open house out in Rahway... Michelle made three kinds of chilis, one of which was green-hued chicken pozole!

A cheerful gaggle of kids took over the basement and the adults enjoyed sangria, shrimp, and salami...

2012-01-20T20:52:00.003-05:00

Transposed!

Happy to report that Yamina Reza's brilliant, biting, hilarious play, 'Gods of Carnage,' not only survived but thrived in its film adaptation, simply titled 'Carnage..' It's about two sets of parents who meet after their sons fight in a schoolyard.

JP & I saw this on stage and were bowled over by the all-star cast of four; we laughed until our stomachs hurt.

Well, I laughed plenty watching the film, as another four master actors (Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christopher Waltz and John C Reilly) quickly made me forget the four master actors from the stage version ((James Gandolfino, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis).

Don't miss it. And don't let Polanski's name keep you away (he directed it); this is essential viewing.

2012-01-19T01:37:00.001-05:00

Make Friends With Jens!

Jens Lekman is a charming, quirkly, and sardonic 31-year-old singer/songwriter hailing from Angered, Sweden, who has enraptured indie pop fans around the globe for nearly eight years, and who I've sorely missed since his 2007 masterpiece 'Night Falls Over Kortedala...'

Lo and behold, he's back, for the first time since I launched Song of the Week back in September 2007, with a delightful 5-song EP called 'An Argument With Myself,' whose title track is this week's offering.

'Argument,' is an infectious delight: a twangy, witty, and light-hearted uptempo travelogue of a backpacker with a hyperactive inner dialogue. Even the song's sole expletive manages to be sweet - in a three year old's cadence of 'Be quiet / No, YOU be quiet!'.. Here it is, live in Seattle.

Below, we stroll through Lekman's highly entertaining back catalogue... Who else could write the droll, languid balald 'You Put Your Arms Around Me,' in which, while he's cutting vegetables, his girlfriend gives him a surprise hug from behind, causing him to slice off his finger? Here he is on Swedish TV

'The Opposite of Hallelujah' in Cleveland with an oompah band..

'Black Cab' in Gothenburg, 2003...

2012-01-18T13:27:00.002-05:00

Dark Day

I'm positively lost without Wikipedia! It's going to be a long day... :-) Of course, it's a long week for a short week, with about 7 days of work to finish in 4 days, after my Cancun conference. Also, I have to visit 7-8 customers tomorrow and Friday. My company informs me the power will be shut down on Saturday, but that's fine, since we'll be at Andrew's open house down in Rahway...

Tonight, dinner with Bart. Maybe, when I arrive home, I can resurrect Song of the Week...

2012-01-18T13:03:00.001-05:00

Eight Years of Blogging (and Still Alive...)

I'll celebrate my Blog-iversary by reposting my 'maiden entry' from January 18, 2004...

"Entering the Off Off Off Zone....

Off Off Off Broadway can be amazing. In a beat-up old office building, today my friend Christi Aguiar and I saw "Clash by Night," a rarely-staged Clifford Odets gem from the 1940s, produced on a shoe-string and showcasing excellent acting all around, especially Abby in the title character of Mae. The Shins, in contrast, make tuneful indie rock in New Mexico

This is Clifford Odets on the left, and The Shins on the right:

I lost my new headphones in the slush. Uggh "

2012-01-17T19:44:00.002-05:00

Another Notch On My Suitcase

So... we got back last night from our romantic weekend in Mexico City, my gift to myself for all my hard work at the Cancun conference, which went off very well. Hard to believe it was my 31st trip to Mexico, still my most frequently visited country - Brazil's a close second with 29 visits and counting. For those who care, that was my 79th trip to Latin America, my 85th foreign business trip, and my 131st foreign trip overall. Most of my travels, by the way, happened after I turned 30: before that, I'd only been outside the states 7 times (though twice for an entire summer...)

2012-01-05T06:07:00.000-05:00

Dubstep Poster Boy

Twelve days late, here's the SOTW I meant to post on Christmas Day - the mournful, bluesy, and spare 'Limit To Your Love' by James Blake, the 23-year-old British singer-songwriter-producer who's become the poster child for 'dubstep,' an electronic music subgenre described as 'tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals.'

The very photogenic Mr. Blake first caught the music world's attention with a series of singles, notably 'Limit' and 'The Wilhelm Scream,' see videos below. Blake's eponymous debut album reach the top 10 in the UK and all over Europe, and sold modestly in the US by word of mouth...

Enjoy the 'Limit' video clip;

Blake's other single, the equally spare but utterly scream-less 'Wilhelm Scream..'

Here's Blake performing 'Unluck' at the Big Apple's HMV Music Festival back in October, after the audience shouts its love for a minute or so, much to the bashful Blake's bemusement..

2012-01-03T12:34:00.002-05:00

Time Flies

I'm back to work, and the week is intense, with the final preparations for next week's massive conference. I am up to my eyeballs in loose ends, and must write a presentation... The 'Meeting of the Noses' of JP and I below is from our rehearsal dinner all those months ago...

2012-01-02T10:37:00.002-05:00

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

SOTW charges into 2012 with the fast-paced and but melodic and wistful 'Maniac' by a band I've greatly missed, Brooklyn-based quintet Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (CYHSY), back in form after a five-year absence.

CYHSY is hard to describe - off-center and energetic but pretty and fun, quirky indie-rock and pop tunes with an odd, adenoidal lead vocal and an oft-symphonic sweep, quite a trick for a stripped-down quintet.

The band is a true 21st-century success story: 'self-produced, self-released, self-promoted, and self-distributed - right down to licking the stamps,' they quickly caught the fancy of the 'grassroots-indie-blog machine.' By 2005 they were the hottest unsigned band in indie-dom. Another CYHSY trick: always evocative of a barrage of indie bands, but never derivative: 'enough to flick a switch somewhere in your head, without any direct comparison...'

Enjoy their excellent live version of Maniac '@ Google:'

Debut brilliance: 'Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood:'

Here's the 2005 Clap song that won my heart, 'Gimme Some Salt...'

From their sophomore album in 2007, ' the seductive hyper murk of 'Satan Said Dance...'

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Renewed!

Aaron's New Year's Resolution: nearly daily blog posts from now on. I've missed it - it's a creative outlet, a journal, it's communication with loved ones.. It's very 21st century... I'm back (I think).

Just got back from a week in Arizona with my family. It's been a lovely break from work, and I'm bracing myself for a harsh re-entry week, leading up to that annual marathon, the Santander Cancun Conference....

I saw lots of movie in this most movie-oriented of seasons. More on that later...

2011-12-18T20:26:00.002-05:00

Les DJ Sont De Retour

This week we conclude our gallic sonic one-two punch with the pretty, futuristic, near-instrumental 'Audio Video Disco' by critically-acclaimed Parisian DJ duo Justice, aka Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay.

The thirty-ish pair that form Justice blend French house and electro rock into something into rich sonic landscapes, and are back, three years after their debut, with an impressive sophomore album, of which 'Audio Video Disco' is the title track..

Watcj the 'Audio Video Disco' video...

And here's 'D.A.N.C.E.' the song that put them on the map three years back...

2011-12-11T21:12:00.004-05:00

So I'm Told...

The Gourmet Bubble Gum Whiz Kid is back... I refer Mika (pronounced MY-KAH) is back , who supplies today's Song of the Week. That would be'Elle Me Dit,' a highly infectious romp that likely to brighten your day even if you speak not a word of French. Mika, who spent 8 years in Paris on the way from Beirut to London, gives a shout-out to his Francophone friends, with witty lyrics that epitomize, in his words, 'everything a mother should NEVER tell her son.'

Why I love Mika: let me count the ways...

a) a prodigious singer-songwriter-producer with the vocal talent of a Freddie Mercury or a George Michael;

b) a 'post-gay' poster boy who acts very gay and camp, embraces all sexuality, and rejects definitions;

c) a Lebanese-American-British-French 28-year-old teen idol;

d) a brilliant musical dessert chef who may yet give bubble gum a good name; and

e) yet another UK musical phenomenal as-yet unappreciated in the USA...

Mika's 'Elle Me Dit' video is quite a hoot, with French cinema legend (and gay icon) Fanny Ardant hamming it up as the complaining mother in question...

Here's Mika's wonderful live performance of 'We Are Golden' at the Sweden's Malmöfestivalen in, where else, Malmö, the country's third-largest city, just a stone's throw from Copenhagen across a very, very long bridge..

Here's 'Grace Kelly,' the irresistible song that put Mika on the map to begin with! Every part of this song dazzles the ear! It's also laced with dialogue from 'The Country Girl,' the movie that won Kelly her one Oscar.

Here's another great Mika song from his first album, 'Relax, Take It Easy...'

And here we have Mika living it large in his 'We Are Golden...' video

2011-12-04T20:17:00.005-05:00

Come Back Stronger

Today's song, 'Never Meant To Know,' is pretty in a late-60s fashion, the melody so memorable an acoustic version would work fine. It's from an album so solid that any random song could be a 'single'..

The group is Ann-Arbor based indie rock quintet Tally Hall. To their credit, they keet on plugging, undiscouraged that their brilliant 2008 debut album never caught fire and that Atlantic Records dumped them last year. Hard to categorize, Tally Hall combines '60s pop harmonies, garage and indie rock with a playful sense of humor in their videos. They each wear a different color tie.

Their best wasn't enough, so... they came back stronger with the quantum leap that is their sophomore effort, 'Good & Evil,' released in June on a shoestring by Quack! Media. .. Here they are singing 'Never Meant To Know' at the Rugby Store in NYC in October 2008...

Here's the single '&,' pronounced 'and.' Can't find a real video, but the song is great. Irresistible melody for 2 1/2 minutes, but I think they they should have left off the last 45 seconds.. Just my opinion... I did almost use THIS as Song of the Week - again, so many great cuts, hard to pick....

That's what I offer you via today's Song/Video of the Week, 'Good Day' by the melodic delightful quintet from Ann Arbor known as Tally Hall (pictured left).

'Good Day,' like the Beatles on Abbey Road, is several complementary songs that shift and shimmy through 3 1/2 joyous minutes.
Just listen and watch!

Their album, recorded and released in 2005 on a shoestring budget, got a proper major label in 2008 from Atlantic Records. Thanks again to John Wiske for digging up this gem three years and many eons ago.

Another great Tally Hall song and video is 'Banana Man':

2011-12-02T06:54:00.002-05:00

I'm Still Here!

...and still catching up with Song of the Week. This time I feature New Orleans-based indie pop duo The Generationals, and the bouncy guitar pop of their 'Goose & Gander.'

Others describe it better, and I'm sleepy:

Allmusic: 'hook-filled indie pop that draws liberally from rock and pop's 50s, 60s, and 70s heydays, but maintains enough modern sensibilities to remain relevant in the MP3 age."

NYT: "shimmers with the music of the British Invasion, Stax soul, Wall of Sound production, 50s doo-wop, and California dreaming jangle filtered through a contemporary indie-rock lens'.

Here's 'Goose & Gander' live in Cleveland:

Here's a terrific neon psychedelic video for the group's single, 'Twenty Ten,' and its 'Adam-Ant-sounding '80s dance-oriented low-fi sweetness'

Here's 'Trust' live on KCRW...

2011-11-24T05:58:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T19:48:00.004-05:00

My Morning Thanksgiving Shuffle!

Our song/video of the week is a bluesy horn-inflected shuffle called 'Holding On To Black Metal' by the ever-fascinating My Morning Jacket (pictured right). I love how the song stops cold 2/3 of the way in and then resumes..

What began in 1998 as an indie jam band from Kentucky with roots in Southern rock and psychedelia has morphed, gaining a sweet soulfulness, and tinging their roots rock with r&b and even reggae.

Their songwriting skills grow leaps and bounds each time out, and their latest outing, 'Circuital,' is terrific, brimming with life and tunefulness.

The group's name was inspired by a discarded coat lead singer Jim James found while sifting through the remains of his favorite bar when it burned down.

The coat was embroidered with the letters "MMJ" on it, and the rest is history.

James is the singer/songwriter/guitarist at the core of MMG, and his bassist goes by 'Two Tone' Tommy.

Circuital is their 6th album- they release about every 2 1/2 years.

Here's their unassuming clip for 'Holding On To Black Metal,' really just concert footage to accompany their studio version...

Here's the clip for 'I'm Amazed,' a song which sounds sweeter each time I hear it...

Here they are live in Texas performing the spare, haunting title track of 'Evil Urges...'

From 2005, their 'breakthrough single,' the reggae-inflected 'Off The Record' performed at Shoreline last year...

Cartoons du Jour:

2011-11-15T09:48:00.002-05:00

Forbidden City

Our China tour started in Beijing. Though still somewhat jet-lagged during our Forbidden City visit, that sure didn't dampen our enthusiasm...

It really does seem to go on forever, in a maze of symmetric and similarly spectacular chinoiserie...

Here's Mom in one of the City's many courtyards..

2011-11-14T07:06:00.000-05:00

Ethereal But Muscular

'Peripheral Visionaries,' this week's terrific musical offering, is about equal parts ethereal pop, rhythmic synths, and indie intelligence, transitioning in its final minute from a melodic glide to an anthemic finish. It's by Canadian indie rock/dream pop/dance quintet Young Galaxy, formed in Vancouver six years back with influences as broad as Galaxie 500, Pink Floyd, and Spiritualized - believe me, that's broad... The band's warmed up for such acclaimed indie bands as Arcade Fire, Death Cab For Cutie, and Peter Björn and John, all of which I've featured here at one time or another..

Young Galaxy turned to a Swedish producer for their latest, best album, aptly titled 'Shapeshifting,' and they even shifted themselves over to Gothenburg, Sweden to record it.

First up: the cartoon clip released for 'Peripheral Visionaries...'

More cartoons and great songs... Here's 'We Have Everything'... the vocal reminds me a bit of Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan, but infinitely livelier, prettier, and more richly produced than that band's work...
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Here's some earlier work, 'Come and See' from 2009's 'Invisible Republic' album...

2011-11-13T19:02:00.002-05:00

Choosing A Toy

..is a happy errand indeed, as Karl and Bruno saw last week...

once again, Bruno goes with Star Wars....

2011-11-12T06:57:00.000-05:00

He May Be Married Now

For nearly 22 years, I've been supporting a series of Indonesian schoolchildren and their villages through The Children's Fund, very similar to Save The Children. TCF is especially good at developing an economic infrastructure in each village so that they prosper and grow independently. Once a year I get a picture and a lovely progress report. This is Nus, and it was sent a decade ago, so he's likely all grown up now...

2011-11-11T08:50:00.000-05:00

Picturesque Ålesund...

I visited this gorgeous Norwegian coastal town back in 2000, a treasury of buildings of Art Deco and classic 18th and 19th century styles spread over a peninsula at the foot of mountains.. Ålesund also boasts a midsummer jazz festival...

2011-11-10T20:03:00.002-05:00

Thick and Thin

In one year - 2003 - I reached my high and low weight of the last 20 years.. I gained 10 lbs eating my way through wintry Europe with my family, but ten months later I had lost 30 lbs and visited my Mom in Arizona, thin as a rake.

Thin in Arizona (with Mom), December 2003...

Thick in Switzerland, February 2003...

2011-11-09T20:07:00.000-05:00

Structures of Beijing

My Mom and I went to China in 2002, here are some sights from our first day, I'll be damned if I can remember what this first one is..

This pagoda is near the Forbidden City complex...

And here's Red Square...

2011-11-08T20:11:00.000-05:00

In A Balinese Forest

Here I am in 1997 in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia... I'm 37 in this picture, and I look like such a kid!

2011-11-07T02:59:00.000-05:00

Welcome Home, Mom!

It's so nice to have you back where you belong! Hi, everyone - with Mom back on line, I resume daily postings! And to celebrate Mom's return to form, we'll be revisiting our awesome 2002 China trip in the days to come... Here's Mom at a typical meal on that trip, in an elaborate gilded setting with a dozen delectable dishes before us....

We mostly moved about Chinese cities by bus, so I have no mental map in my head.. This was the entrance to a beautiful park...

2011-11-06T19:38:00.002-05:00

Blue-Eyed Soul, In Shades

Today's treat is 'The Walk,' a brand new midtempo delight. from geek/retro soul man Mayer Hawthorne. This infectious number belies its 2011 birthdate with its pitch perfect Motown/Stax melody, falsetto, groove, and horn section. Hawthorne channels Smokey Robinson in a smooth-as-silk vocal that's light years away from the Prince inflected guest vocal he contributed to SebastiAn's 'Love in Motion, ' which was Song of The Week just nine weeks ago...

Hawthorne hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and he has deftly sung, written, arranged, produced, engineered, and even rapped his way through two very convincing albums to date.

Here's 'The Walk,' live on Letterman..

Again live, Peforming 'Mr Blue Sky' on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic...

2011-11-05T11:06:00.002-04:00

Snow On Green Leaves

When you see snow on green, the green is usually pine needles.. Not so last weekend in the odd snows of October...

From our slow car ride on a Westchester highway...

2011-11-04T11:05:00.000-04:00

Bruno Haunts The Earth...

Beware!

2011-11-03T11:10:00.003-04:00

Bacon and Egg

JP and I in Halloween garb, for those who missed it. We celebrated his birthday and Halloween a week in advance this year, with a daytime bagel party.. The following weekend was all booked by a bar-mitzvah and special work at JP's soup kitchen...

2011-11-02T11:14:00.001-04:00

Think About It

2011-10-30T19:10:00.003-04:00

Genetics and Sunshine

I first learned of this week's song, 'Colors' by LA-based indie quintet Grouplove, via a great instrumental remix rendered by Foster The People, whose terrific hit I featured back on August 29.

Turns out the great instrumental also has great vocals - it's a peppier update of that early 90s grunge sound - smiling through the tears... a band can't be too dark when its principals met at an artists' residency on the sun-drenched isle of Crete...

Besides sunblock, the fivesome also has good genetics - Ryan Rabin's dad hails from the legendary 70s art-rock band Yes, and Sean Gadd's dad was in the acclaimed UK indie band Stray...

Without further ado, it's 'Colors,' as performed live on a Halloween Booze Cruise...

And here's the follow-up single, 'Tongue Tied,' live on KCRW...

2011-10-24T05:29:00.001-04:00

Man Behind The Curtain

We're bowled over by our first listen to the melodic Spector-gone-hippie vibe of 'Awake,' by unknown LA-based duo Electric Guest (pictured, far left), whose early 2012 album is being produced by Danger Mouse, aka Brian Burton (pictured, near left)

We know very little about Electric Guest, whose lead signer Aca Taccone wrote Justin Timberlake's Saturday Night Live parody 'Dick In A Box,' and whose brother writes for SNL and is a friend of the Mouse-ster. But we're a huge fan of Danger Mouse himself, thatubiquitous music genius and visionary producer of Gnarls Barkley (with Cee-Lo), Gorillaz (with Blur's Damon Albarn), Broken Bells (with the Shins' James Mercer), and Shortwave Set.

Danger Mouse's signature accomplishment was 2004's 'The Grey Album,' a virtuoso mash-up of the Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album. We're also fond of Danger Mouse's own brilliant work, 2008's 'Dark Night of The Soul, a cornucopia of brilliant collaborations,' and 'Rome,' which recalls Spaghetti Western pastiche music of the 60s.

Here is 'Awake' and (at the bottom) 'Amber,' two great Electric Guest tracks released this month to the web and posted to YouTube...

In the same vein as Electric Guest, Danger Mouse produced one of my favorite songs of 2008, 'No Social' by Shortwave Set..

Here's a former SOTW by Danger Mouse with Broken Bells, 'The High Road...'

Here's Electric Guest's 'Amber'...

Here's 'The Man Who Played God,' the Danger Mouse/Suzanne Vega collaboration that's my favorite track off of 'Dark Night of the Soul'...

From 'The Grey Album', Danger Mouse mixes Jay-Z's 'Dirt Off Your Shoulder' with the Beatles' 'Julia'..

2011-10-21T06:26:00.002-04:00

The Oldest Person That Ever Lived...

Jeanne Calment of Arles, France, 21 February 1875 – 4 August 1997 - she lived 122 years and 164 days! That's old enough to be my Mom's grandmother....

2011-10-17T05:41:00.000-04:00

Yes, You May!

Today's Song of the Week, 'Pulling The Rug,' is a rockabilly rave-up by Imelda May, a very retro Irish singer heavily influenced by early rock, blues, and jazz, but whose vocal timber recalls new wave tough girl Chrissie Hynde. Imelda plays the guitar and the 'bodhrán,' an Irish frame drum. After six singing and playing, her 2009 debut won wide critical acclaim in Ireland and later in the UK. Her sophomore efforts is even more interesting, and includes a killer rockabilly remake of 'Tainted Love..'

I chose to highlight 'Pulling The Rug,' an album track that struck my fancy, eschewing the equally fine singles 'Mayhem' and 'Psycho,' which you can check out in the videos below..

Here she is on live TV ripping through 'Pulling The Rug'...

'Mayhem' does rock...

and 'Pyscho' does roll...

2011-10-11T20:51:00.003-04:00

Head Music Torch Song?

This week's Song/Video of the Week, the sad, swaying 'You' by New York's own TV On The Radio, manages the rare hat trick of being both wistful and invigorating. Imagine Peter Gabriel singing a torch song, and you have a hint of what a treat awaits you.

TVOTR is surely among this past decade's best, most critically acclaimed independent groups. They are both relentlessly ambitious and musically alluring, as Tunde Adebimpe's odd timber electrifies the group's mix of post-punk, jazz, soul, electro, shoegaze, a cappella and even doo-wop..

The quintet is driven by the plaintive, soulful vocals of Nigerian-born actor-director-singer Tunde Adebimpe and the haunting atmospherics of NY-born guitarist-producer-mix David Andrew Sitek. I've loved them since their first song, the Peter-Gabriel-esque 'Young Liars' from 2003. Guest musicians abound, from glam godfather David Bowie to members of critically acclaimed indie bands such as Blonde Redhead, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Antibalas. Check out their website.

The 'You' video finds Adebimpe dressed like Sly Stone with some odd conversational interludes.. Enjoy...

Just listen and look... The 'Golden Age' clips underscores that TVOTR's video work is as memorable as their music...

To this day I find TVOTR's 2003 debut, 'Young Liars,' to be compelling, haunting, and cathartic.. Here's lead singer Tunde Adebimpe doing it live, and
nearly unplugged, last year at Glasslands in Brooklyn...

TVOTR's style and composition is very unusual, left-field, but always compelling... Here's 'Dreams' from their first album,,,

Here's a good fan video of another TVOTR classic from 2003, 'Satellite'

2011-10-03T05:39:00.000-04:00

Suburban Psychedelic Pastoral

Finally, I'm spotlighting Deerhunter, an Atlanta-based quartet that's hard to categorize; its brooding, dreamy, melodies and poetic lyrics fuse elements of pop, art rock, shoegaze, and post-punk. Deerhunter has delivered five great albums in ten years, and their latest, 'Halcyon Digest,' has warmed my heart over the past year or so. But what song to include - each is so different, and they all seem too short or too long. I settled on the slowly swaying suburban psychedelia of 'Helicopter,' which happens to be the single anyway, and which I hope you enjoy as todays' Song of the Week.

Leading Deerhunter is Bradford Cox, an outsider's outsider born with Marfan's Syndrome, a connective tissue ailment that left him unusually tall, with a long thin stretched face, arms, and limbs. A friendless teen, Cox was drawn to how music can sound 'heartbreaking or nostalgic or melancholy.' Cox founded Deerhunter with drummer/keyboardist Moses Archuleta, then a transient sleeping on Cox's friends' doorstep. I also like Cox's side project, Atlas Sound... Cox had identified as gay, but lately says he's non-sexual.. I hope this is just a phase...

Watch Deerhunter's awesome video clip for 'Helicopter:'

Lovely and all too short, sweet and jaunty beyond words is 'Revival' - fan clip is terrific!

From 2007's lovely 'Crytograms' album, check out 'Strange Lights'...

Even earlier, from 2005, the very ambient but kinetic 'Oceans'

2011-10-02T10:39:00.001-04:00

This Blog's For You, You Know..

I love you, Mom. Get better soon....

2011-10-02T10:12:00.004-04:00

Was Busy

This week. I'm retroblogging, though... I need to forward-blog and add pithy comments as I go on.. Let's see if I do any better this week. Pictured below, buried up to his neck in sand, is seven-year-old Mitt Romney, in 1955...

2011-10-01T10:22:00.000-04:00

Fleeting Intimacy

I saw an excellent, naturalistic story from Britain about two very different gay men who meet and form the spark of intimacy just two days before one of them will leave for the US, perhaps forever. Slow pace, but subtle, insightful, and very worthwhile...

2011-09-30T10:17:00.000-04:00

My Childhood Read

My parents would read to me, and I would learn to read, 'The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew,' by Margaret Sidney about a struggling widow and her five children... I never knew it was a whole book series written from 1881-1916, dozens of them...

2011-09-29T10:33:00.000-04:00

Does Anbody?

...really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? Look at my love beads! Ah, Chicago, 1971... Here they are live in Germany, in 1982...

2011-09-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

Running Along The Shore

At age 7, it's Mitt Romney again.. He might be President one day... He's one of the less frightening Republicans..

2011-09-27T10:29:00.000-04:00

Where There Aren't Any Troubles...

Or at least very few... My Dad got me this wonderful Dr Seuss book when I was just a tot; the surreal creatures and colors harbor a very time-honed homily: you can't run away from your problems. My favorite line concerned a notice at a bus stop, in which the tired hero learns service is suspended, and he'll have to walk a long, long way.. It's signed by the bus company president, Horace P. Sweet. The couplet: 'That Horace P. Sweet / almost ruined my feet.' It brought 8-year-old Aaron cascades of hilarity...

2011-09-26T05:01:00.001-04:00

66 and Smokin'

Pioneering punk/new wave-cum-top 40 band Blondie is back after a 7-year hiatus with a very solid album, 'Panic of Girls.' Deborah Harry's voice - and presence - are as captivating as ever, not a bad trick for my 66-year-old neighbor (London Terrace, 23rd and 9th, one block west).

Oddly, I passed over the album's two solid singles to feature, as Song of The Week, the album's most charming song, a remake of (and huge improvement over) 'Sunday Smile,' originally by art-rockers Beirut.

'Sunday Smile' is a distant, more mature, cousin of 'The Tide Is High,' sharing its south-of-the border horns and Caribbean lilt - minus the xylophone and the camp. As with 'Tide is High,' they have lifted a unpolished gem from obscurity and rendered it shiny and effervescent.

Blondie is a sextet built around the songwriting and musicianship of Deborah Harry and her then-boyfriend Chris Stein. Though they never grew rich, Blondie's role as pop visionaries in music history cannot be understated. They were the first to mix new wave and disco with 'Heart of Glass', 'Rapture' was the first rap song many Americans had heard, and 'Tide is High' was fairly novel in mixing pop with reggae. They disbanded in 1982 when Stein fell gravely ill and Harry semi-retired to care for him. Harry never got far as a solo act, despite being role model for Madonna and a bevy of other tough-girl female singers. But she did re-group Blondie in 1997 with the apt argument: 'We have this incredible legacy, we'd be fools not to cash in on it..' But, not content to tour a nostalgic revue, the band cut a very credible comeback album in 1999 and followed it up with another in 2004. Like Blondie's current album, they work mostly in the genres they know, make an album that, while not cutting edge, is great on its own terms...

The lead-off single is 'Mother,' a song and video that rocks:

And here they are live, with their second single 'What I Heard...'

And here's Blondie way, way back when singing the tuneful and under-heard 'Sunday Girl'...

2011-09-25T19:41:00.002-04:00

Green Numbers

Aaron's clock, 2008. The 2011 weekday version is '6:15'...

2011-09-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Where Credit Is Due!

Wednesday's autumn picture was, of course, rendered by my sister Deena, who was visiting. Sorry for the omission! Deena also snapped this slice of autumnal urbanity:

2011-09-23T07:35:00.000-04:00

Guilty Pleasures

The oily, caloric glory of PF Chang. Arizona, March 2008...

2011-09-22T05:41:00.001-04:00

Me, A Thumb, and Jersualem

In December 2006 I visited my late Aunt Eleanor in Israel, accompanied by my late Cousin Richard (they are departed now, but were certainly alive then). We took a day trip to Jersualem, whose ancient panorama can be seen below... As you can also see, I was five years younger and thinner. Richard was an excellent photographer, but that appears to be his thumb on the lens..

2011-09-21T11:52:00.002-04:00

Now, Autumn

Last weekend I wore a coat...and was a bit hot... Still, it was 60F in mid-afternoon, and today is the first day of autumn. This is no guarantee of foliage anytime soon. Exhibit A: this photo of Central Park from late October, 2008...

2011-09-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

Taxco

Church towers over the dusty, parched, steep streets of Taxzco, a perfectly preserved 19th-century mining town about 3 hours southwest of Mexico City. I was there in 1996and revisited in 2006 with Thomas. My family vacationed there in the late 1970s and I think Deena and Dave took a day trip there on their 1988 honeymoon...

Taxco rooftops...

2011-09-19T05:24:00.001-04:00

Borrowed Nostalgia

Today's musical offering is 'Live These Days Tonight,' a frenetic, nostalgic, left-field slice of dance-pop by UK trio Friendly Fires (pictured left), who formed five years ago as school chums in St Albans near Hertfordshire.

It's the lead single off 'Pala,' the very solid, atmospheric sophomore album, named for a Utopian island from Aldous Huxley's novel 'Island'...

I'm told by our friend John W that the group's live show is total dynamite...

Here's the clip for "Live These Days Tonight'...

I could have just as easily gone with 'Hawaiian Air,' the new album's energetic but breezy second single..

The group's first album had a fast beat, lost of energy, and atmosphere melody, though the songcraft on 'Pala' is a big leap forward. Check out the group's debut song, 'Jump In The Pool'...

Also from 2009, 'Skeleton Boy..'

2011-09-18T19:47:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, Denis !!! / Bon Annif !!!!

Three days late, but from the heart: Here's wishing the happiest of birthdays to my dear friend across the water...Denis is aging like fine wine! Here he is five years ago on our trip to historic Sintra, Portugal..

This is the Peña National Palace in Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that sits up on a hill; on a clear day it can be seen from Lisbon, 30 miles away.

Views from the castle are almost as lovely as views of the castle...

Here's that aerial view I could have never snapped myself...

2011-09-17T15:04:00.001-04:00

Sudden Upgrade

One pleasant honeymoon surprise was our first night outside Kruger National Park in South Africa; the usual guest houses were booked up, so we were upgraded to a particularly lovely, brilliantly decorated B&B run by a German lady...

They gave us the honeymoon suite!

Our suite opened up on to the house pool, but the weather was too chilly for a swim..

2011-09-16T15:10:00.000-04:00

Trek

Herds of elephants roam the shores of the Chobe River in the afternoon sun....

2011-09-15T15:12:00.001-04:00

Elephant Chill

Mud really helps them cool off...

They weigh 4-6 tons, so there's a lot to cool...

2011-09-14T15:14:00.000-04:00

What's It All About?

Our favorite safari companion was 7-year-old Alfie from the UK...

2011-09-13T15:15:00.000-04:00

Lion Sighting

As carnivores, they don't hang much with other species. Late one afternoon, we spotted this lion headed to the river shore for a drink of water...

2011-09-12T05:48:00.000-04:00

Take Five!

Happy Birthday to Song of the Week, which I started four years ago this weekend, on a lark. Today, it's practically an institution : - ) SOTW roars into its Fifth Season with The 'Call Me,' a creamy dance-pop number that gallops like a race horse and is as sweet as Pecan Pie..

It's by The Pipettes from Brighton, England, an indie take on girl-group pop that wear polka dot dresses and performed in synchronized choreogrpahy. This self-described 'experiment in manufactured pop' landed in 2008 with their endearing debut, 'We Are the Pipettes,' and avoiding sophomore slump with the even lovelier 'Earth vs The Pipettes' last fall..

It's basically an album full of singles, but 'Call Me' is the surest dance-floor filler, total joy..

The Pipettes are quite consistent in quality and each single - and video - is a bit different. Here's 'Stop The Music..'

Yet another one: 'Pull Shapes..'

From their earlier, more retro debut album, here's 'Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me..'

2011-09-11T11:37:00.002-04:00

Variety Is The Spice

The advantages of a South African Safari include more varied scenery than the endless bush and savannah that characterizes much of Southern and Eastern Africa... Mountain cut through the landscape, providing vistas reminiscent of the great national parks of the American West.. One such view is captured below.

2011-09-10T06:29:00.000-04:00

Most Skyscrapers Are..

Freaking spanking NEW! Of the world's 200 tallest buildings, 58 were built during this decade! Yes, I mean since January 1, 2010! Over 100 of the 200 tallest were built after 2005, 130 were built in this millenium, and a shocking 171 of the 200 tallest were built since the 1990s. Here's Nanjing's Zifeng Tower, finished in April, 2010, 89 floors, the world's 8th largest building and China's third tallest!

Meanwhile, over in Dubai, 23 Marina, finished last month, has 90 floors, 1,296 feet, and is the world's 16th tallest building and the absolute tallest residential building. It has 57 swimming pools!

Also opening this year, the Kingkey 100 Finance Center in Shenzen, 100 floors, 1,449 feet high, world's 10th tallest building and China's fourth tallest. On floors 75 to 98 is the St Regis hotel, the third highest hotel after Saudi Arabia's now-finishing Abraj Al-Bait Towers (see yesterday's post) and the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong (see final photo, below).

Finally, late 2010 saw the opening of Hong Kong's International Commerce Center, 118 floors and 1,588 feet tall. It's the world's 4th tallest building and China's second tallest. It has the world's second highest number of floors. Floors 102 to 118 are occupied by the five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel, which features the world's highest swimming pool and bar on floor 118!

2011-09-09T15:26:00.003-04:00

Huge and Coming Soon

The Arabian Peninsula, by next year, will have the world's two tallest buildings, as Saudi Arabia's Abraj Al Bait Towers (under construction, left) will be almost as big as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (see yesterday's post).

I will likely never see the Abraj Al Bait in person, as it will be located in Mecca! This marvel will be the world's tallest and largest hotel, with the largest building floor area and the highest clock tower. All within a stone's throw, literally, of the most sacred mosque in Islam, the Masjid al Haram.

2011-09-08T07:16:00.000-04:00

Unfathomably Big!

With 163 stories and standing 2, 717 feet high (that's half a mile!), Burj Khalifa is by far the world's tallest building and tallest structure. It's located in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai.

By next year, the Arabian Peninsula will have the world's TWO tallest buildings - more on that tomorrow.

But the UAE now has a shocking 25 of the world's 100 tallest buildings, behind only China, which has 32. Trailing at third is the US has a mere 22.

China is the world skyscraper leader, all around, with 4 of the 10 tallest buildings, 20 of the tallest 50, and 61 of the tallest 200. (the US has 2, 8, and 44, respectively).

2011-09-07T06:25:00.000-04:00

Brusha Brusha

This vintage 60s cartoon commercial tickled my funny bone...

2011-09-06T06:27:00.002-04:00

Our Tabin

Is it a tent? a cabin? It's both, with the solidity and comfort of a cabin and the breeziness of a tent... quite comfortable... From our African honeymoon, here's JP in front of our digs at Elephant Valley Lodge in Chobe Park, Botswana...

2011-09-05T14:42:00.003-04:00

The Odd Couple

Hey all - we close out the summer with 'Love In Motion, ' a spare but catchy Prince-inflected acid funk chugger by the improbable pairing of French electro-house DJ SebastiAn (below, left) and Ann Arbor, Michigan-based blue-eyed soul man Mayer Hawthorne, aka Andrew Mayer Cohen (below, right).

SebastiAn, a Serbian-French music prodigy raised in Paris and Belgrade, just dropped his debut album, 'Total', and was previously best known for remixes of top dance bands such as Daft Punk, The Rapture, and Cut Copy, all SOTW alumnae.

Though not the album's single, 'Love in Motion' grabbed my ear with its swap-funk grind and very Prince-esque vocal stylings, rendered almost sample-esque via sequencer.

That voice belongs to Mayer Hawthorne, who sings, writes, arranges, produces, engineers, and sometimes raps his way through some hard-to-pin down music with many influences and a generous dollop of Hawthorne's blue-eyed croon.

When I spotlight a non-single like 'Love in Motion', I take whatever video I can get, in this case from a (headless) fan who adds some guitar:

Hawthorne's best-known song is 2009's 'Just Ain't Gonna Work Out'...

SebastiAn's actual single, 'Embody,' is pleasant enough, but less remarkable in my view:

2011-09-04T08:05:00.000-04:00

The Smartest Monkeys

That's a song by 80s new wave melodicists XTC, with the title witty referring to human beings. We saw plenty of man's closest relatives throughout our African foray. Here's a vervet monkey on the path to our lodge at the Zambesi Waterfront hotel in Victoria Falls, Zambia...

And there's that sharp XTC song - with no video, just the song.. ' well man created the cardboard box to sleep in it/and man converted the newspaper to a blanket/well you have to admit that he's come a long since swinging about in the trees/we're the smartest monkeys...' it's actually from the early 1990s... under their highbrow Anglo wit and 80s production values, you can feel a glimmer - just a glimmer - of Beach Boys influence..

2011-09-03T06:02:00.000-04:00

Snout

After our Elephant Safari, the tour company allowed us to observe, pet, and feed the elephants, which was much fun...

JP got very friendly with our elephant!

2011-09-02T05:58:00.000-04:00

Up Top

In Botswana we went on an Elephant Safari, definitely a honeymoon high point. We rode domesticated elephants several miles through the brush, watched them rip whole branches off trees to eat the leaves while we sat up top. Elephant must literally eat all day due to their size, the sparse nutrition of the grass and leaves they eat, and their relatively inefficient digestion - they only absorb 60% of the nutrients...

2011-09-01T11:56:00.002-04:00

Tunisia on The Jersey Shore

Still sick here, and working... Slept 11 hours to fight it off before Labor Day. Happily, though life is short, art is long. Our favorite 4-year-old, Bruno, recently discovered pastels and proceeded to ornament his Mom's legs, very much like a bridal party at a Tunisian wedding!

Then, he painted himself!

Bruno and his brother Karl improvise an outdoor studio. Rahway's Vincent and Theo? :-)

2011-08-31T12:01:00.000-04:00

The Ever-Present Impala

Embark on an African Safari, and you are just about guaranteed to see a wealth of impalas; this is one species you need not worry about. I first heard of this delightful antelope-like critter from the Ford model that has shared its name since 1958 (see below). Southern Africa is home to over 2 million impalas, typically about 3 feet tall and 100-150 pounds.

Ed Cole, Chevrolet's chief engineer in the late 1950s, defined the Impala as a "prestige car within the reach of the average American citizen."

2011-08-30T10:14:00.003-04:00

Labor Shortage

I am suddenly that rarest of all birds; an employer with a vacancy. My right hand person (my only employee!), Matheus, is returning to Brazil and I am scrambling to find a replacement...

2011-08-30T10:07:00.002-04:00

Use What You Got

Resourceful and ecologically minded, these South Africans in Pilgrim's Rest, Mpumalanga province, own a gift shop consisting almost exclusively of paper products made from elephant dung. I found a Thai site explaining why this is a good idea. Mpumpalanga, by the way, is on South Africa's eastern edge and its name means 'the place where the sun rises' in Swazi, Xhosa, and Zulu.

2011-08-29T05:16:00.000-04:00

Left-Field Hit

It isn't often that I feature a Top Ten song, but it isn't often either that something this quirky, smart, and infectious reaches that pop stratosphere...

I refer to 'Pumped-Up Kicks' by LA-based indie pop trio Foster The People, led by Mark Foster's vocals, keyboards and guitar.

'Kicks' is a deceptively uptempo and breezy song about an isolated, distrubed kid with a weapon :'all the other kids/with the pumped-up kicks /better run, better run/ outrun my gun.' It's an unlikely crossover and sleeper hit, to be sure; first released last September, it slowly gained pop momentum over the summer.

Mark Foster originally named the band 'Foster and the People' but it was often misheard as 'Foster the People,' and the band dropped the 'and,' liking the seeming exhortation to nurture the populace...

Here's the clip for 'Pumped Up Kicks':

'Helena Beat' will be the band's follow-up single:

Here's the band performing the lovely 'Houdini' acoustic at 91X in San Diego;

2011-08-28T20:01:00.002-04:00

Now, That Wasn't Too Bad

Irene came and went, and New York City got off pretty easy, with some low-lying exceptions (the car pictured left is in Staten Island).

Since Bloomberg wisely erred on the side of caution, it was ironically not the hurricane, but the closing of all transit, that brought the city to a grinding halt... Tomorrow's transit will likely be spotty as the city completes its safety checks..

Most stores went dark and shuttered in our area, with some notable exceptions, including New Venus Diner and the lovely Royal Siam Restaurant, where we had a Thai lunch yesterday as a 'farewell to non-home cooked food.'

2011-08-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

Ready Or Not

Here comes Irene! We provisioned up last night and JP has cooked two days worth of meals (in case we lose gas and electricity, unlikely in my view), including Italian and Asian frittatas and pork chops with beet-grapefruit salad and asparagus.. I used the gym last night and this morning, while I could..

Pictured left: water lapped over the seawall down at Battery Park City, which Bloomberg ordered evacuated, reportedly with about 80% compliance... We know 'refugees' from Williamsburg and from Atlantic Beach out on Long Island.

2011-08-26T15:21:00.003-04:00

Mandatory Evacuation

New York is taking no chances with a possible landfall by a Category 2 hurricane. Over 250,000 people will be evacuated from areas on or near the waterfront! This includes my West 23rd Street neighbors west of 10th Avenue (see map, left! Moreover, flood waters are possible up to 9th Avenue in a Category 2 hurricane, and up to my doorstep in a Category 3 hurricane; good thing I live on the 10th floor. Excellent weekend to stay indoors!

2011-08-25T05:40:00.000-04:00

Look Alive

This little feller is a Central American red-eyed tree frog...

Today was a great day (it's Wednesday night), hitting on all burners, with perfect summer weather - sunny, mid-70s and breezy - that belies news of earthquakes and hurricanes...

I finished a good potboiler, Walter Mosley's 'Devil With A Blue Dress On,' about a black detective in 1940s LA - maybe I'll check out the 1994 film version with Denzel Washington.

That was in Spanish, audible.com version. I love audible because, among other things, it remembers your place. Look alive!

2011-08-24T10:22:00.003-04:00

Forking Paths

Google today honors the 112th birthday of one of my favorite writers, the Argentine poet, short story writer and surrealist Jorge Luis Borges. Another reminder of summer 1979, when I commuted 90 minutes each way to my warehouse job in the city, while learning to read Spanish literature in the original, dictionary in hand. The Borges 1941 classic 'Garden of Forking Paths' really sticks out, involving an infinite maze of multiple paths and futures that, as Google notes, is not unlike the hyperlinks of our information age and is reflected in the form and structure of computer games.

2011-08-23T07:14:00.006-04:00

RIP Nick Ashford

Sad to hear Nick Ashford passed at 70... He was 1/2 of Ashford and Simpson, the brilliant singer-songwriter husband and wife duo that penned 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' and many other Motown classics before launching their own career in the 1970s... Their memorable soul/disco work in the late 70s reminds me of my earliest days in New York, as a starry-eyed and newly out kid of 19. I actually met them both on the street in the 1980s, they are lovely people with a good, generous vibe.. From 1983, enjoy 'High Rise.'

The duo's signature song is 1984's 'Solid', a huge crossover hit and a testament to their marriage.

I love their smoking 'Nobody Knows,' from 1979...

I was won over by their charming 'Found A Cure', from 1979..

2011-08-22T06:27:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, Bruno!

Bruno turns four today! Yesterday's family party celebrated with much mirth, truly scrumptious chocolate cake, and a vast panoply of Star Wars-themed presents... Here's Bruno, delighted with his new light saber...

The coolest gift, from Bruno's older brother Karl (pictured right), was this terrific reversible stuffed pillow that doubles as an igloo or a penguin, and, I think, snores... It's made by Happy Nappers®, which also offers a dragon/castle, ladybug/house, and cow/barn... Check out their link.

Here we are with the birthday boy!

Mom and Dad

Bruno's birthday, August 22nd, is also my parents' anniversary... here they are in 1990, with my then-partner Andres, in Chinatown...

2011-08-21T19:41:00.003-04:00

In His Old Room, He Found Chillwave...

I'm fresh back from my honeymoon, my jump into the cold waters of work has been soothed by Washed Out's 'Amor Fati,' perhaps the summer's prettiest song, awash in dreamy, summery synths.

Washed Out is the stage name of Ernest Greene, who ,unemployed and broke, moved back with his parents in 2009 amidst the peach groves of Perry, Georgia and began to compose dreamy synth landscapes in his bedroom and post them on YouTube. Music blogs took notice, and a trickle of song videos led 'Within and Without,' the atmospheric debut album released in July.

This new genre is called 'Chillwave' or sometimes 'Glo-Fi', and is the marriage of 80s/retro and indie/ambient, combining heavily filtered vocals, beautiful but simple melodic lines, and heavy use of synths, looping, sampling, and effects processing. I'll feature more Chillwave artists in the final weeks of this waning summer...

Here's the DIY clip for 'Amor Fati'

Washed Out's actual single is the equally lovely, stately, 'Eyes Be Closed,' and the clip is even more washed out and dreamlike..

2011-08-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

Mozam-beachcomber

JP enjoys downtime on the beaches of southern Mozambique, with protective headgear and sunblock 50... The combined shape and hue of his head-garb suggests, perhaps, Yassir Arafat on Earth Day... : - )

2011-08-19T19:17:00.000-04:00

Aloe and Coral

While Africa's spectacular fauna steals the thunder of flora, we saw many lovely plants as well. Here's a lovely aloe all a-flower with yellow buds. But it's not wise to touch the plants; some thorns carry potent poisons...

Deep red blooms characterize the coral plant...

2011-08-18T15:59:00.004-04:00

Both Sides Now

Imposing and massive, Victoria Falls is nested on the Zambezi river, dividing Zambia and Zimbabwe. Both sides have national parks, each with their distinct vistas.. We started on the Zimbabwe side.. The Zimbabwe side is simpler, with a path along the edge then through the woods..

The rainbow is omnipresent and scintillating..

The Zambian side is more elaborate, with three highlights: watching the river right before it goes over the cliff, facing the falls at the top of the gorge, and viewing the massive waters from the shore of the canyon floor... Here's JP standing in front of 'Knife Edge Bridge'..

Cross the bridge is its own thrill.. The railings, steadily splashed by spray from the falls, are lined with algae!

2011-08-17T06:28:00.000-04:00

Greetings From Victoria Falls

2011-08-16T04:47:00.000-04:00

Places I've Been (So Far)

I'm up to 63 countries and 49 states...

2011-08-15T08:21:00.004-04:00

I'm Back! (Over But Not Over)

Hey there all - arrived this morning on a 16-hour flight from Johannesburg - our exotic but delightful and relaxing honeymoon trip has drawn to close, though the honeymoon is certainly not over : - ). But work we must, and work we will today... Miss you all and look forward to reconnecting as we slowly regain our normal rhythm...

Pictured left: The Waterberry Lodge at Livingstone, Zambia, near Victoria Falls, one of many dreamy oases in which we were fortunate enough to stay...

2011-07-28T04:56:00.001-04:00

Gone Honeymoonin'

It's vacation time, getting away from it all, shooting the moon with my honey in the deep into the southern and eastern hemispheres.

Next stop: Johannesburg (that's the Apartheid Museum pictured left), beginning a 15-day foray through South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana and (probably) Zimbabwe - all countries I've never been to...

It'll be my 130th foreign trip, my 46th foreign vacation, and my 2nd trip to sub-Saharan Africa (was in Kenya in 2002). More importantly, my first and only honeymoon...

Have a great mid-summer! See you August 15!

2011-07-27T11:23:00.003-04:00

Doubles As

Bruno's LED ball doubles as a grenade : - )

2011-07-26T15:12:00.003-04:00

You'll Never Starve In The Desert

Because of the sand-which-es there (sand which is there). Yuck yuck yuck. Seriously, to survive in the desert you need an occasional oasis, see below. But first, look at Rub al Khali, the Empty Quarter, among the world's largest sand deserts. It covers the southern 1/3 of the Arabian Peninsula, that includes the Saudi Arabia's bottom and nice chunks of Oman, Yemen, and the UAE.

For your pleasure, a Libyan oasis.. Control of Libya's oasis belts was and is hugely import for trade and transportation in the region. Caravans must travel via oases for food and water...

and a Peruvian oasis, Huacachina, population 115, near the southwestern city of Ica.. The 50 Sol note of Peruvian currency features this oasis's picture.

and finally, a Utah Oasis.. Middle Spring at Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, in the Great Salt Lake Desert..

2011-07-25T11:14:00.004-04:00

I Do, You Do, We All Do

Left, Damian Ross and Gary Cosgrove embrace on the steps of the Manhattan City Clerk's office while waiting in line... Right, Inside the City Clerk's office wait Melissa Barsamian, in white, and Dorothy Kim, who have been together for more than four years.

Left, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiated a wedding ceremony between his Chief Policy Advisor and Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt and the Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz. The ceremony was held at Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side. Right, Judges wait to marry couples in the Manhattan City Clerk's office..

2011-07-24T20:01:00.005-04:00

When There's A Burning In Your Heart...

If you feel like a tourist in the city where you were born....

Summery musings in the lyrics of today's Song/Video of the Week, 'You Are A Tourist,' the latest by a Very Important Group: indie pop-rock stalwarts Death Cab For Cutie.

Don't let their name scare you! DCFC, a quartet hailing from Washington state, are mellow and melodic, with lyrics that are clever, imaginative, and incisive.

Bandleader Ben Gibbard recently married singer/actress Zoey Deschannel (herself an SOTW alumna via duo She & Him), which seems to have to cheered him up substantially...

Before we video-walk through DCFC's impressive career, watch the clip for this week's song, 'You Are A Tourist is their latest, and it's subtle but infectious..

Here's the wonderful clip for 'I Will Possess You Heart..'

DCFC's last album had two wonderful singles, 'Soul Meets Body' and 'Crooked Teeth,' the latter imagery refers to a skyline... First, 'Soul'...

Now, 'Crooked...'

2011-07-23T13:32:00.004-04:00

From Here To Eternity

Sadly, the talented Amy Winehouse checked out of this world, the sole artist no longer with us of the 201 Songs of The Week I have shared...

Here's Amy live, singing 'Rehab', the song she'll be most remembered for, which was lamentably portentious.