some of us can only live in bubbles

norway norway norway

This song has been out for a while, as a precursor to the release of 'Teen Dream' several weeks ago. This video mixes the song with live clips of the group and shots of 'Valerie and Her Week of Wonders.' The upbeat tempo of this song doesn't wuite match the quiet strangeness of this film, but it makes me smile nevertheless.



Also, this is a Czech film, not Norwegian. But who is keeping track at this point anyway?

pressing

I never update with newly released music. So why should today be any different? It has been a difficult week. And a difficult week deserves a difficult composer. I don't feel that this song is 'difficult,' though. It is soothing and sad. (For the record, I find all composers difficult.)

It somehow fits both my snow flurried drive home from work on Tuesday and the cold but sunny commute today. Why must winter be so hard? Even small peeks of sunshine that should be refreshing have a melancholy quality to them. Night will fall and the cold will soak back in.



Here is a song by Nico Muhly. When your hot little baby tears get the best of you, try to add an air of sophistication to them. Maybe you are crying for a reason, something bigger than just being frustrated and overwhelmed. Maybe not.

Nico Muhly - A Hudson Cycle

Love keeping busy, love keeping busy at any old cost

Needless to say this blog has been a ghost town for the past few months. I could attribute it to working or all out laziness... Or a combination of the two?

There have been many things I have wanted to share in the past few weeks. But today I have to post this new Fiery Furnaces video for 'Even in the Rain'. It has John Oliver of the Daily Show in a cameo portraying Rip Torn. And Matt and Eleanor do a sweet high five in the midst of a piano break down. Yeah!

The Fiery Furnaces - Even in the Rain from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

I'm Going Away is out now on Thrill Jockey Records.

I found the P

It's finished!



I found the P is a 56 page black and white handbook on making art, finding inspiration and fighting doubt and despair. It is finally finished and available for sale now. It includes 18 black and white illustrations that showcase my work from the past three years.
Click here to buy from Etsy.com

I found the P is almost entirely hand written in my writing and thus is difficult to read at times. A print version will be available at some point in the near future.

plain and simple, in that order

Little Wings - So What?

I moved to this new city. "So what?" you might say. Still, I haven't found a job. And I get lost on city buses but love to take the trolley. It is easier and I ride backwards everywhere watching everything get smaller and sucked into the distance. Woosh woosh so what!

I went to an interview downtown and changed into dress attire in a broken down McDonald's. I ate a sandwich after the call simulation and interview was completed. I drank chocolate milk and watched people wait for a bus. So what.

I went to a sports bar and drank gin and tonics where they told me "hey, it's always happy hour here!" and I said uh-huh so what, so what. We ran to the T before it got dark so I wouldn't get lost. We made it! Sarah fell asleep on the train and we almost missed our stop and the operator said $2. I shoved it in the little machine thinking "so what..." but I had spent $6 total taking the T that day.

I walked down to BP or AM/PM to get a half gallon of milk. The first time I left the house in two days! I could not find my keys. Tearing apart my room, I emptied all of the bags and purses I had used in the past four days... No sight of them. Finally I went to my front door and opened it. There the keys were, jingling in the deadbolt. I laughed and thought 'so what'.

i'll mess up my color just to feel you correct it

Recently I read a way to make a simple home air conditioning system. It involved one large bag of ice, a powerful fan and a tray to empty the bag of the ice into. After placing the ice in the container, turn the fan on high. The coolness put off by the ice rises into the air and is blown into your face by the fan. This can be pretty messy and only lasts a short while.

If you are searching for other ways to cool down this summer, I suggest Melbourne, Australia's The Crayon Fields. Forming in 2002, the band put out their first LP in 2006 called Animal Bells. In September they will release their second full length called All The Pleasures of the World.



Reminiscent of The Beach Boys and The Zombies they are a great way to shake down this summer. Click on the links below to download your own 1960's pop cool. No fan required.

Crayon Fields - Voice Of Paradise from Geoff O'Connor on Vimeo.

The Crayon Fields - All the Pleasures of the World
The Crayon Fields - Living So Well