A reading of “As I Walked Out One Evening” by W. H. Auden. Beautiful reading.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Mayer Hawthorne - “The Ills”
The most striking aspect of my “favorite albums of 2009” is, unfortunately, how little of it I posted to Tuneage! Sure, I posted numerous tracks on my personal Tumblr and another music blog I run and I swore I put at least a few tracks from these albums on Tuneage. Nope. I think I was always planning on posting this or that, but always put those posts on the backburner. Shame on me. I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions, but I will definitely post more tracks that are close to the heart in 2010. Hell, I’m not one for “best of” lists either, but making a list of personal favorites is a much more desirable task.
Greg’s favorites of 2009:
- Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
- Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - HBE
- Little Dragon - Machine Dreams
- Paul White - The Strange Dreams Of Paul White
- J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
I never would have thought that Mayer Hawthorne’s debut could end up a favorite like it did, but there’s something undeniably catchy and cool about it. The idea was always interesting: a DJ from the Detroit-area (Ann Arbor) writes, plays, and sings album of straight throwback Motown. But the execution was beyond any expectations I had and he deserves any end-of-year accolades that come his way. Chicago’s Hypnotic Brass Ensemble crafted an album totally worth of their name: brass-only and full of hypnotizing grooves. Little Dragon’s sophomore effort was an enticing affair, to nobody’s suprise. London’s Paul White straight up blew my mind with his debut. He’s emerged as one of the best of the A.D. (After Dilla) generation of beatmakers with Donuts-style bursts of samples condensed into sounds brand new. Jay Stay Paid? Almost four years after J Dilla’s passing, we’re still hearing why he’s the G.O.A.T.
Here’s a happy song for those going through the ills :-)
A male boxer became a surrogate mother to an abandoned baby goat. The bond between the two animals started after the dog’s owner began hand rearing the little baby goat.
They became best friends. The dog sleeps with the little goat, licks her clean, and protects her from any dangers at Pennywell Farm wildlife centre at Buckfastleigh, near Totnes, Devon, UK.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
- Four Winds
Four Winds
Oh Conor Oberst. Any time you come together with those other guys you play with, magic happens. Something happens that allows you to capture the heart of folk music. I know that every Cool Indie Hipster already has an extensive knowledge of you, but sometimes it’s nice to remember. Your soulful lyrics and catchy riffs will never been forgotten.
I can relate to the line “they’re poring over sanskrit on the ivy league moons while shadows lengthen in the sun.” I know I’m not in Ivy League but I do pore over ancient languages as the day passes by. Nice song!
Just watched Up for the first time. I am constantly surprised at how wonderfully creative the folks at Pixar can be. I must say, this is the best movie I have ever seen in which the entire plot could be unraveled if the main character had never bought a garden hose.
I luvluvluvluvluvluv this movie!!!
Famous movie quotes as if written by a proper Englishman
“We must acquire a larger vessel.”
- Jaws“I’m growing impatient with these malevolent slithering reptiles on this bloody aircraft.”
- Snakes on a Plane“Toodeloo you ghastly miscreant.”
- Die Hard 1,2,3,4“Please remove your simian appendages from my person, you unwashed gorilla man-thing.”
- Planet of the Apes
“There is a herptile in my western footwear!”
- Toy Story“I shall return.”
- Every Arnold Schwarzenegger movie“I am now fully versed in the combat stylings of “Kung Fu.”
- The Matrix“I do wish I could cease committing acts of sodomy unto your delightful buttocks.”
- Brokeback Mountain“My dearest apologies Captain, I have configured this vessel to it’s maximum efficiency. Alas, if you wish me to attempt to defy the laws of physics, I shall increase my efforts.”
- various Star Trek movies and episodes“Does Marsellus Wallace match the appearance of a female canine? Then why is it, good sir, that you are attempting to have coital relations with him, as if he were a female canine?”
- Pulp Fiction“I do not believe that is an orbiting planetary body, but in fact a massive facility constructed exclusively for use in space.”
-Star Wars: A New Hope“Oh dear. I do believe that when we dined on this soylent green, the main ingredient was in fact human beings. In its defense, twas better than English food.”
- Soylent Green“I say to thee honestly milady, I am an indifferent.”
- Gone With the Wind“It’s an elaborate ruse!”
- Return of the Jedi“Miss Scarlett, I regret to inform you that I am uneducated in the field of obstetrics.”
- Gone With the Wind“Fare thee well, infant.”
- Terminator 2: Judgement DayDid you get them all? Have any to add?
“Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Simon Bolivar Orchestra at the Proms. Arturo Márquez: Danzón nº2.
(Get up and dance, you know you want to.)
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, part 1. A very beautiful animated version.
Here is part 2
