And Also...

A little bit of information has trickled in about Chennai and the safety of the people I know there. The mandiram is okay, and I was wondering about Padmini and her family, and I was avoiding emailing her, not because I didn't want to, but because the thought of a response being anything other than "We're all okay" was terrifying. I know that sounds like a hide-under-a-rock sort of approach. I think it may be a post-9/11 coping mechanism. I know I post every once in a while about living in New York after September 11th, and the struggle to maintain some sort of normalcy. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but disasters are as good a time as any to evaluate and examine one's life. I just wish there was more I could do from here to help over there.

Soundtrack to My Life: 2004

I'm a wee bit overdue on the 2004 wrap-up. Here's the list of musical experiences that made my year:

A new Mascott album! I worried that recording would somehow alter the quality of these gorgeous songs, but this production, full and luscious, does them justice.

The Wrens. How did I make it this far without hearing them before? No matter. If the world seeks a concept album about post-college fucking up and crappy jobs and relationships gone sour and record labels screwing you over, then this is it. Except it's not a concept album, and it manages to be raw and honest without whining, emo-style. I would call it perfect. "Hopeless" makes me cry if I think about it too long.

Talib Kweli and Kanye West, for anti-bling anthems. Talib gives us "I Try" ("I have trouble tryin' to write some shit/To bang in the club through the night/When people suffer tonight/Lord knows I try"); oh yeah, and did I mention MJB sings on this track? Kanye offers "All Fall Down," calling bullshit on our affluenza obsession: "We buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom/We'll buy a lot of clothes when we don't really need 'em/Things we buy to cover up what's inside/'Cause they make us hate ourself and love they wealth." Sweeter still, they both manage to combine beats with a message.

I didn't do any prep work before seeing Joanna Newsom, and I think it's better that way, because I got the best kind of musical surprise: not expecting to be amazed, but being totally and completely so. She's a girl with a harp, but if you haven't heard her, that's all I'm telling you.

My very most favoritest song ever, "Caring is Creepy" (which I put on all mixes and first experienced way back when) gets a full-on moment in Garden State, which gives the Shins all sorts of love. Yay Shins!

I will save you the Arcade Fire blathering that I tend to do, and just point you to a post from Brian. He's better at these sorts of things.

"Drop It Like It's Hot," another Snoop/Pharrell production, is a supremely weird song. Tongue clicks and clacks? That weird "Snoooooop" sound? But the best part is the sparse black-and-white video, where Pharrell does his whole "Who me? A big star? No way!" schtick, and it's supercharming if not totally untrue. When you get a gig designing sunglasses for Louis Vuitton, I'd say you're doing a-okay.

We met Jack, our new radio station. He's corporate, yes, but he plays Toto and Elvis Costello, so we overlook such things.

I saw Sonic Youth twice. What more do I need?