On this cooler-than-expected Monday, I took a road trip to the Northern Neck to see the river and have lunch with the parental units.
And as any sane person knows, a road trip requires the proper music to enhance the experience, so I always spend a little time choosing a variety of CDs for the occasion, despite my car being fully stocked.
What does fully stocked mean?
It means that my newest music is already in the car; at the moment, that would be Yeasayer, BeachHouse, the new Shout Out Louds and the XX.
It means that the CDs that can sustain me through any eventuality and listen to endlessly are already there too: Turn on the Bright Lights. Antics, Alligator, Boxer, Summer Sun, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, and Our Ill Wills.
So when I look for road music, I generally choose with variety in mind. I want at least one, if not two, old and reminiscent CDS, something not-so-old but not often listened to and a guilty pleasure, that is, something I once listened to way more than I needed to.
Here's how it broke down today: Graham Parker's 1988 The Mona Lisa's Sister, Al Green's 2003 gem I Can't Stop, Autolux's Future Perfect, the Killer's Hot Fuss and for good measure I also brought Helio Sequences' Keep Your Eyes Ahead.
And would you believe I almost dipped into the regular car stash after listening to all the ones I'd brought?
Please don't judge me.
The trip takes me out Route 360 beyond Mechanicsville and after a while, there's not much on the road besides gas stations, storage places and farmland.
It can lull you into complacency, especially with great music at full blast.
Way out near Aylett with nary a house in sight, I saw an Exxon gas station's sign that read, "Best chicken and rice pudding in town!"
Town? I think what they meant was, "Best chicken and rice pudding in this desolate stretch of highway," but maybe they didn't have enough letters to spell that out.
I'd have stopped and suggested it to them, but I was in the middle of a really great CD and couldn't bear the thought of pausing my road music for even a minute.
Such is the musical beauty of choosing right for road trips.
Showing posts with label best of 2009 music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best of 2009 music. Show all posts
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Al Fresco at the Alamo
It's funny how you can randomly strike up a conversation about music with a pseudo-coworker in a coffee shop and the next thing you know you're planning to have lunch tomorrow for what he claims is the best barbecue in Richmond,
That's how today's lunch plans evolved and that's how I was introduced to Alamo Barbecue in Church Hill.
He warned me both yesterday and today that Alamo does Texas-style 'cue, which was fine by me because some (but not all) North Carolina-style 'cue is too vinegary-y for my taste, not that I wouldn't have still gone anyway.
Once he mentioned beef brisket, I was going whether I had company or not.
The choices were pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket and burritos with various sides like cowboy beans, potato salad, jalapeno mac and cheese and cornbread.
I broke bad and got the brisket combo (an economical way to fold in your drink and side) with the Alamo slaw. Two of my new friends got the chicken and the pro got the pork.
I wasn't expecting outdoor seating, so the canopy-covered tables were an unexpected treat. Since we'd arrived around noon, there was no wait to order, so we settled ourselves at a table to wait for our names to be called from the bowels of the little yellow building.
With every minute that passed, more people joined the line; there were neighborhood types, plenty of suits and definitely regular customers advising others in line what was good.
And my brisket was very good, tender and flavorful; it came dressed in jalapenos and onions with a side of sauce.
As for the slaw, I was seriously delighted that the cabbage had not been shredded within an inch of its life like so many places do.
I like to be able to recognize my cabbage for what it is.
Lunching with people who are practically strangers leaves the field wide open conversationally.
There was a fair amount of dog talk (several were lounging on the patio), music talk (with new friends you need to know what shows you both were at before you met) and, of course, barbecue.
In my friend's opinion, the very best barbecue in Virginia comes from a place in Montross, a town I actually know because it's not far from where my parents live on the Northern Neck.
He'd only discovered it because they'd had a cart at Herbs Galore; now a road trip is in the planning stages.
An al fresco lunch featuring brisket, music talk and new-to-me people, could there be a finer way to enjoy a beautiful sunny day?
The floor is open to suggestions.
That's how today's lunch plans evolved and that's how I was introduced to Alamo Barbecue in Church Hill.
He warned me both yesterday and today that Alamo does Texas-style 'cue, which was fine by me because some (but not all) North Carolina-style 'cue is too vinegary-y for my taste, not that I wouldn't have still gone anyway.
Once he mentioned beef brisket, I was going whether I had company or not.
The choices were pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket and burritos with various sides like cowboy beans, potato salad, jalapeno mac and cheese and cornbread.
I broke bad and got the brisket combo (an economical way to fold in your drink and side) with the Alamo slaw. Two of my new friends got the chicken and the pro got the pork.
I wasn't expecting outdoor seating, so the canopy-covered tables were an unexpected treat. Since we'd arrived around noon, there was no wait to order, so we settled ourselves at a table to wait for our names to be called from the bowels of the little yellow building.
With every minute that passed, more people joined the line; there were neighborhood types, plenty of suits and definitely regular customers advising others in line what was good.
And my brisket was very good, tender and flavorful; it came dressed in jalapenos and onions with a side of sauce.
As for the slaw, I was seriously delighted that the cabbage had not been shredded within an inch of its life like so many places do.
I like to be able to recognize my cabbage for what it is.
Lunching with people who are practically strangers leaves the field wide open conversationally.
There was a fair amount of dog talk (several were lounging on the patio), music talk (with new friends you need to know what shows you both were at before you met) and, of course, barbecue.
In my friend's opinion, the very best barbecue in Virginia comes from a place in Montross, a town I actually know because it's not far from where my parents live on the Northern Neck.
He'd only discovered it because they'd had a cart at Herbs Galore; now a road trip is in the planning stages.
An al fresco lunch featuring brisket, music talk and new-to-me people, could there be a finer way to enjoy a beautiful sunny day?
The floor is open to suggestions.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
My Favorite Music of 2009
I'm finally posting my Best Music of 2009 list, complete with justifications and occasional long-winded back stories. Five of the bands on my list I also saw live in 2009 (and three of them prior to that) and several others are on my wish list for seeing live in 2010. So here goes:
Fanfarlo: Reservoir because I think this album is flawless start to finish. There's not a weak song on it and it's an amazing debut for a band with the ability to play any and every instrument. I will always feel fortunate to have seen them with only 100 other devoted fans at the tiny Iota.
Passion Pit: Manners because no one reinvents 70s dance music so well. Also, for its back story; any band whose starting point is a guy writing a collection of songs for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day is a guy I want to listen to. A real shame that more people weren't at this show.
Neko Case: Middle Cyclone because she's Neko Case. Because she deigns to sing for us. Because she's had a hard time with her love life. Just because of that voice. I saw her twice this year, if that tells you anything.
The Decemberists: Hazards of Love because who else wrote a rock opera on this most intimate of subjects in 2009? Because even though seeing them in early 2007 was a far more transcendental experience than this year's show, they have a gift that no one else does.
Grizzly Bear: Vekatimest because of their unique acoustic sound and to-die-for vocal harmonies. Their combination of psychedelic, pop and folk is incredibly alluring to me, especially live, even if Norva crowds are obnoxious.
Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs because a band that can remain this creative after 25 years together is doing a whole lot right. Yes, you could call them shoegaze or noise pop and definitely experimental, but they never cease to impress me. And their live show in C-ville last year with its listening room environment is forever etched in my head.
Muse: Uprising because they make an amazing amount of sound for just three skinny Brits. Their symphonic (bombastic even) sound is unlike anything else I regularly listen to. I saw them back in 2007 at W & M and lamented that they were only the opening band.
Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion because someone needs to move the neo-psychedelic banner forward and these guys are just the ones to do it. Listening to this album is an exercise in pure sound and endless texture, no drug enhancement needed.
Great Lake Swimmers: Lost Channels because I love this whole folk resurgence going on now. GLS make pretty music and I mean that in the most complimentary way. Their incredible harmonies are the stuff of lost love and hope.
The XX: The Xx because of its spare sound, haunting male and female vocalists and because it's night time music. Listening to this album is like having an audio dream. I'd like to take it out of my CD player and give it a rest, but I can't bring myself to do it.
My only entry in the Best EP category is Bon Iver's Blood Bank and I include it for sentimental reasons. When I first discovered Bon Iver last year, it was the full-length "For Emma, Forever Ago" which took on a whole new meaning for me after the personal trauma of my life early this year.
Musician Justin Vernon created that album as a way of dealing with the breakup of his band, his relationship and being sick with mononucleosis.
Since I had been laid off, dumped and hospitalized for pneumonia, I could seriously relate to his pain.
He created heartfelt music in order to stay sane and I'm still trying to figure out what I can create to do the same. Blood Bank is his most beautiful song to date, hence the EP's inclusion here.
I know my list would not match another human being's on the planet and I'm okay with that. I took a lot of pleasure from these albums in 2009 and, god knows, I needed it.
Music and love are the essentials of life and since one was absent from mine, the other took on an even greater importance.
So thank you to these musicians for giving me part of what I needed in 2009.
Fanfarlo: Reservoir because I think this album is flawless start to finish. There's not a weak song on it and it's an amazing debut for a band with the ability to play any and every instrument. I will always feel fortunate to have seen them with only 100 other devoted fans at the tiny Iota.
Passion Pit: Manners because no one reinvents 70s dance music so well. Also, for its back story; any band whose starting point is a guy writing a collection of songs for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day is a guy I want to listen to. A real shame that more people weren't at this show.
Neko Case: Middle Cyclone because she's Neko Case. Because she deigns to sing for us. Because she's had a hard time with her love life. Just because of that voice. I saw her twice this year, if that tells you anything.
The Decemberists: Hazards of Love because who else wrote a rock opera on this most intimate of subjects in 2009? Because even though seeing them in early 2007 was a far more transcendental experience than this year's show, they have a gift that no one else does.
Grizzly Bear: Vekatimest because of their unique acoustic sound and to-die-for vocal harmonies. Their combination of psychedelic, pop and folk is incredibly alluring to me, especially live, even if Norva crowds are obnoxious.
Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs because a band that can remain this creative after 25 years together is doing a whole lot right. Yes, you could call them shoegaze or noise pop and definitely experimental, but they never cease to impress me. And their live show in C-ville last year with its listening room environment is forever etched in my head.
Muse: Uprising because they make an amazing amount of sound for just three skinny Brits. Their symphonic (bombastic even) sound is unlike anything else I regularly listen to. I saw them back in 2007 at W & M and lamented that they were only the opening band.
Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion because someone needs to move the neo-psychedelic banner forward and these guys are just the ones to do it. Listening to this album is an exercise in pure sound and endless texture, no drug enhancement needed.
Great Lake Swimmers: Lost Channels because I love this whole folk resurgence going on now. GLS make pretty music and I mean that in the most complimentary way. Their incredible harmonies are the stuff of lost love and hope.
The XX: The Xx because of its spare sound, haunting male and female vocalists and because it's night time music. Listening to this album is like having an audio dream. I'd like to take it out of my CD player and give it a rest, but I can't bring myself to do it.
My only entry in the Best EP category is Bon Iver's Blood Bank and I include it for sentimental reasons. When I first discovered Bon Iver last year, it was the full-length "For Emma, Forever Ago" which took on a whole new meaning for me after the personal trauma of my life early this year.
Musician Justin Vernon created that album as a way of dealing with the breakup of his band, his relationship and being sick with mononucleosis.
Since I had been laid off, dumped and hospitalized for pneumonia, I could seriously relate to his pain.
He created heartfelt music in order to stay sane and I'm still trying to figure out what I can create to do the same. Blood Bank is his most beautiful song to date, hence the EP's inclusion here.
I know my list would not match another human being's on the planet and I'm okay with that. I took a lot of pleasure from these albums in 2009 and, god knows, I needed it.
Music and love are the essentials of life and since one was absent from mine, the other took on an even greater importance.
So thank you to these musicians for giving me part of what I needed in 2009.
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