I was never good at starting again, but i'll try...

The Amazing Maize in Queens, NY!

Sherry with her pole and puzzle map

i'm blazing ahead like a directionless pioneer

we spotted a prime pumpkin in the patch

Swiss Artist, Ugo Rodinone, and his Inuit mask. The gf sees a resemblance. I don't.

Tom Otterness and his bronze statues. I love the Chelsea art galleries!

Mostly 2007, except for Wilco and Daft Punk.

Music Salve Mix - beats, beauty, and blowing your mind.
Download Here - 80 megabytes, so give it a few minutes.

1. Jens Lekman - The Opposite of Hallelujah
Swedish indie pop that is just pure brilliant and perfect for those solitary moments when singalongs are not guilty pleasures but blissful yearnings to play the tuneful lead singer in your own 50's television commercial. (i.e. doing chores is another thought)

2. Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
California-based band indie pop set in Lake Michigan. I listened to this song incessantly when Sherry and I were driving around California. I think it was the amalgation of being outdoors, on vacation, and back home that evoked a sense of fresh nostalgia--to be reminded of the past but still plodding along through the unknown golden-tinted paths of the future.

3. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
She rocks my socks! I love her sound (brazilian funk, bhangra, hip hop, ragga, dancehall, electro etc.), her in-your-face messages and the guns. Try to sing the chorus. I dare you. Kala is a sophomore smash and one of my top 5 albums this year.

4. Menomena - Evil Bee
Oregon group that has an amazing sound with great instrumentation. Solid album. Check out "Muscle n Flo" or "Wet and Rusting" as well.

5. Wilco - Jesus, etc.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is an eargasm. One of those songs that I could still hear 50 years later and still be stunned. And that violin...

"Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around"

6. Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere
I just started listening to the Boss and yes it's "magic".

7. Kanye West feat. Dwele - Flashing Lights
I'm starting to really dig him now. An artist is at work, so let's sit back and behold.

8. Justice - Phantom (pt. II)
Dance music + heavy metal = total mindfuck. I love it!

9. Beirut - Nantes
Street Video
My musical touchstone of the moment. Zach Condon, 20-year old NY music prodigy with severe cases of stage fright. He's the artist i'm most excited about this year. The woozy voice, Balkan sound and gorgeous instrumentation are soulful and timeless.

10. Radiohead - Reckoner
Top 3 album of the year. You need to see them alive because YES it is life-changing as dorky/cultish as that sounds.

11. Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger Alive (Live)
Live Video (another life changing experience and why I respect electronic music)

12. Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost?
Just a great song.

13. Bon Iver - Skinny Love
This is one of the most beautiful things I've heard in a while. The voice evokes everything.