I want to dabble in new and exciting fields

In "Reset," Kurt Andersen talks about the lost art of amateurism, which I didn't think was a real word but which spellcheck didn't bust me on, so let's go. Nowadays, Andersen argues, being an amateur at something has a taint of poseur-dom or just a negative connotation to it, but back in the day people liked to try their hand at all sorts of things. Like you could be a mathematician and a baker and a connoisseur of fine linens, and these days you're kind of restricted to one field, it seems. In the spirit of exploration, I would like to develop my skill sets into the following areas:

Bees - I have long imagined how exciting it would be to help in some capacity with the raising and feeding of bees here in Austin, but google searches yield nothing and I'm pretty sure all the bees have gone from the town of Bee Cave. I have also never been stung, which makes me wonder if that will make me hate bees more of if I have a secret bee allergy a la "My Girl." Any information on bees in Austin? Pass it along.

Scuba Diving - I have donned a scuba diving suit exactly once, at the Jewish Community Center's pool in San Antonio. Seemed fun, though. Would like to try in an area without chlorine/with actual sea life.

DJing - I know there's a need out there for someone to play the best of bubblegum and experimental pop at weddings, on the radio and at other functions. I just need to learn the switches and everything and I'll be good. And get a goofy dj name.

Chainsaw - I'd like to use one more often.

Still weirdly ahead of its time

I Love You Mary Jane - Sonic Y...

Every Month I Read the Books - January

I'm going to keep track of the books I read each month. Dunno, thought it'd be fun, and friends can weigh in on what they think/what they've been reading.

A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings - David Howard
Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush - Robert Draper
Rolling Stone Magazine: The Uncensored History - Robert Draper
Hadrian's Walls - Robert Draper
My Custom Van: And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays that Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face - Michael Ian Black
Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection - Various Authors

Best of 2009 Mix

Hey friends, here's some of my favorite tracks of this year. Whoops, put two Neon Indian tracks on there. Oh well.

Here 'tis

1. Ah Holly Fam'ly - All Unfolding
2. Solange - Stillness is the Move
3. Drake - Best I Ever Had
4. Lullabye Arkestra - This is a Storm
5. Neon Indian - Laughing Gas
6. Sleepy Sun - Sleepy Son
7. Deradoorian - Weed Jam
8. Extra Golden - Thank You Very Quickly
9. The Field - Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime
10. James Husband - Little Thrills
11. Memory Tapes - Bicycle
12. Neon Indian - Mind, Drips
13. Passion Pit - Seaweed Song
14. Stuart Murdoch - Perfection as a Hipster
15. TV Torso - The Black Mask
16. Cryptacize - New Spell
17. Twista - Wetter
18. Vic Chesnutt - Flirted With You All My Life
19. Washed Out - Belong

And here's my album list, from MadeLoud:

10. Circulatory System – Signal Morning

It took eight long years, but Will Cullen Hart and his shapeshifting group The Circulatory System finally completed the sequel to their self-titled debut album. The band still employs the fuzzy pop framework that marked the debut, along with the refreshing dose of optimism that consistently marks Hart's lyrics. This time around, the group are a little more content to take smaller bites while expanding the sonic territory that is this Athens, Georgia's supergroup's mainstay.

9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Bursting out at the tail-end of last year, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's single "Come Saturday" was markedly catchy and promising, but the actual full-length was an even more pleasant surprise. The songs on their debut have the familiar appeals of dreampop and shoegaze but keep from sliding into the derivative.

8. Kid Sister – Ultraviolet

Not as delayed as Signal Morning or as hotly anticipated, Kid Sister's Ultraviolet is a smart, carefully orchestrated record of tight dance jams, playful rapping and a bit of techno balladry ("Daydreaming") to top it all off. XXXchange and A-Track add production, and guests include Cee-Lo and Kanye West. Listeners expecting some sort of pop opus will be disappointed, but for spirited and witty hip-hop, this is the joint.

7. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

A hot trend of 2009 that actually shows promise beyond the new year is something called glo-fi, or chill wave, or some other goofy moniker. Dumb name aside, this trademark combination of haze, machine-driven pop and a predilection for smoothness is legit. Perhaps the most talented "group" working within this framework is Neon Indian, a project featuring musician Alan Palomo and video artist Alicia Scardetta. Neon Indian's first album is entitled Psychic Chasms, a glittery but often indistinct meld of sleepy synthesizers and far-off vocals. Underneath the fuzziness is inspired songwriting, though, which Paloma pulls off here without losing atmosphere in the process.

6. Passion Pit – Manners

Last year's Chunk of Change EP was impressive, but the full-length Manners is even better. A collection of electronic-rock tracks that manages to feel full but never bloated, Manners is all at once hyper ("Little Secrets") and contemplative ("Swimming in the Flood"), resulting in a well-balanced and sturdy debut.

5. The Field – Yesterday and Today

Perhaps the best way to describe Yesterday and Today is as "warm techno." First and foremost an electronic album, this release has an organic approach and feel to it that fills in some of the gaps separating the often disparate worlds of rock and dance. The fantastic track "Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime" unrolls with minimal, pleading vocals and a lovely stretch of low percussive beats and staccato synthesizer bursts.

4. The Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

Finally shedding some of their less palatable quirks, on Bitte Orca The Dirty Projectors shine brightly without losing their edge. A combination of far-off influences and fine original songwriting inform this record, which is kept aloft by lead singer David Longstreth and his remarkable band.

3. Extra Golden – Thank You Very Quickly

This impressive collaboration between musicians of America and Africa is the third from Extra Golden, and it may be their best. Thank You Very Quickly is dense with sharp guitar, dizzying drum patterns and resplendent organ parts. It has been a year (or two years, really) of rediscovered appreciation for the African continent in the world of indie music, and Thank You Very Quickly is one of the best examples of this reawakening.

2. Sleepy Sun – Embrace

They impressed the hell out of us at SXSW, and it was no fluke - Sleepy Sun are thick with '60s jammy charm, but they do not lose focus. Every song on Embrace is carefully constructed, from the triple guitar workouts on up to the flirtatious dueling lead vocals. The track "Sleepy Son" works the Bret Constantino and Rachel Williams' voices into a trance - a towering, nearly seven-and-a-half minute treatise of new psychedelia.

1. Lullabye Arkestra – Threats/Worship

Weird - you'd think as powerful and loud an album as Threats/Worship would be harder to ignore, but far and away folks seem to have missed the boat on this one. A demented fusion of art-rock and RAWK!, Lullabye Arkestra are a hard-assed duo consisting of married couple Justin Small and Kat Taylor-Small. From the wicked shredding of "Voodoo" to the trembling blues number "Sad Sad Story," the songs center around the rhythmic interchange of bass and drums while Taylor-Small and Small swap acidic vocals. Powerful stuff.

Echotone

The First Echotone Teaser Trailer 1280x720 HD from echotonefilm on Vimeo.

Farewell, Pillow Queens

Flashback: it's either late 2006 or early 2007. I remember it was chilly out, and I was at the Carousel Lounge to catch The Booby Trap's second show. I missed their first house show/sleepover, and I was going to catch hell from my superpal Carolyn if I missed her new band's second show. So I'm at Carousel with some friends, and this new band starts their set with the odd, building "Regional Flute." I remember thinking one thing: "Thank God." Thank God this band - who I will no doubt see many more times in the future - is not only good, but even kind of fascinating. A tag-team operation of singers/songwriters Duncan Malashock and Will Slack, the set that evening was a mixture of endearing '60s garage and early indie rock. Duncan preferred the former and Will the latter, but their fusion obscured where one idea stopped and where the other began. It was tasty, cathartic rock and roll. It was the start of something incredible.

Over the years, I saw the Booby Traps - later to become the Pillow Queens - many, many times, and naturally, the instrumentation became tighter as the band became more comfortable with their songs. Eric Loftis played bass and Carolyn Cunningham hit the skins. Early gigs featured a penchant for dress-up, which included ski gear, face paint, and Duncan dolled up like Dracula. They played at my 25th birthday in my friend Jef's garage with my band (our first show - we were called Thumb Piano back then) and Peel, one of my favorites.

Their shows were always interesting. Duncan eyeballing the crowd and banging on his guitar or organ; Will was more inscrutable behind his beard but hopped and sang with an obvious thrill; new-to-the-bass Eric "Loftis" Loftis played smart and skeletal bass lines and did this kind of odd knee-bend thing; and Carolyn, banging on the toms, re-finagling her set for "Regional Flute," working up a sweat. I've said this many times about Carolyn's drumming but haven't written it before (I don't think), so here it goes: she's a great drummer partially because of her unique approach to the kit. She played percussion all through high school in band, but her experience with an actual drum set was limited. Therefore, when she began playing she took kind of an unconventional approach, and was less worried about filling space than being economical and right-on with her drumming. And as a veteran player, you knew she wasn't going to frustrate the drummers in the audience with off-putting and amateur playing. Nope - it was surprising, but always on.

"REAL COOL HEAD" by PILLOW QUEENS from Monofonus Press on Vimeo.

Changes came. The band improved and solidified a track list for an album they put out on Monofonus. They ditched a few songs from their repertoire (I remember one where Carolyn played piano and one featuring Will on trombone) and wrote excellent new ones. The band toured the east, but later Loftis left the band to concentrate on his other band, Corto Maltese. Trooper Katie B. came on board, joining the band for a west coast tour and the fabled Summer Slammer mini-expos. Once again, the band faced a line-up change when Katie was drafted to become "Bambi" with the Dum Dum Girls. Though continuously playing great sets, recording momentum had all but ceased after Loftis' departure. The band managed to cut a very raw and wily version of "Sofa Sex" for the Soda Pop Sounds compilation, but that was all. Things began to look up with the acquisition of Rachel Badger, formerly of Follow That Bird. An enthusiastic and skilled player, Badger fit the group perfectly but her tenure with the band would be ultimately short-lived. Duncan (kinda) announced that he was moving to New York to concentrate on his video art, and that pretty much ended things for good.

But it's okay. They had a great run, released a fantastic record, and played exciting and crazy live shows. I couldn't have asked for more from a friend's band, or really from any band I was lucky enough to see so often.

Epic Vocal Stimuli - More about the bands

Here's a little bit of information about the bands on my compilation.

1. Leisure Tourniquet – “Aid”



Leisure Tourniquet is the solo project of Henna Chou, who also works with around nineteen other bands in Austin, including full-time stints in My Education and Many Birthdays. I met Henna for the first time when I interviewed her for the A.V. Club. She is NOT doing a SXSW day party this year, so don't ask.

2. Nick Moulos – “Only Difference”



Moulos also records under the name Strong Silent Type and is part of the Attack Formation crew. In this picture you can see Nick on the left, and Butcher Bear, in full Bear regalia, tubing.

3. Gay Science – “Black President”



Gay Science is a great kind of dance/pop/r&b act who played at our house, which was neat. I know them through my pal and old roommate Mike, owner of the aforementioned house.

4. Cowabunga Babes – “Lydia Lunch”



D.I.Y. raucous trash-pop. Everyone in this band sings and plays everything, I think. If you listen carefully, you may here a little bit of Lee Hazelwood's "Some Velvet Morning" on this one.

5. Soft Healer – “Souer”



Will Slack and Marie Butcher. Slack was in the Pillow Queens and Butcher played with Brothers and Sisters for awhile. This is their new exciting project. I think Monofonus is promising a one-sided single from them pretty soon. I don't think they have any press photos yet, so here is Will with the guy from Pataphysics.

6. Hearts of Animals – “Sit Right Here”



Psyche, a Houston band! They really impressed me when I was researching bands for my trip to H-town for the Free Press fest. I've reviewed her record, and Houstonist did a nice interview with her.

7. How I Quit Crack – “ooo”



The most far out of the far out. Weird, neon, hazy. See this Vice interview.

8. Sunset – “Sunshine Hair”



Bill Baird's band. This is a nice track from their latest, Gold Dissolves to Gray.

9. Midget and Hairs – “Your Aim is the Same”



I'm especially excited to include this one on here. Paige Dearman did some fascinating work with her Elephant Six buddies back in Denver and Seattle, but we hadn't heard much from her since her move to Austin. I interviewed her for Optical Atlas and learned that she's not only still recording but was basically ready and willing to put out a full-length. So, Royal Rhino Flying Records later put out compendium of her past material, including some new stuff. "Your Aim is the Same" is previously unreleased.

10. Pure Ecstasy – “Easy”



I heard this and it knocked me on my ass. Thanks to Seth at Natrix Natrix, I learned that this guy is named Nate Grace and that one of his first shows may have been at their compound. Paige likes it too, and we both included it on our comps. Crossover!

11. No Mas Bodas – “Show Me”



Impressive experimental pop group. I saw them at the Salvage Vanguard during the Church of the Friendly Ghost's "Lady Friends" series, during which their lead singer was brandishing an axe. This song will be out later on singles and stuff, but hear it now to get pumped.

12. Geoff Reacher – “Almost Moved to Brooklyn”



Reacher plays country-folk guitar accompanied by a bevy of electronic accompaniment. Fun to hear and see. Reacher lived in Athens, where he put out a few records with Orange Twin. He "almost moved to brooklyn" but came here instead.

13. Literature – “The Prime Meridian”



Garage rock featuring dudes who also play with David Israel, Moth!Fight!, and even more bands.

14. The Hot As Shits – “Hot Bitches”



Fucking a, this is some righteous rock. Every time I try and see these girls something seems to go wrong (creepy guy hits on me at the Chain Drive, fer instance) but I will manage to see them live eventually.

15. Pillow Queens – “Original Bad Boys of Crime”



Oh, the dearly departed Pillow Queens, who had their final show last night at Trailer Space records. This is one of my favorite tracks, but I also love "Sofa Sex" and "Real Cool Head." I basically like all of their songs.