6 Random Things I Was Into This Year

Figured I would do an end of year list like everyone else. This stuff is in no real order, just a list of things I enjoyed at some point this year.

Heima (Sigur Rós DVD)

I'll start with the most recent thing I saw that really blew me away. It's the new DVD that just came out documenting a 2006 tour of Iceland by Sigur Rós. They visit a lot of remote parts of Iceland and setup in very unusual places (indoors and out). There are some quiet intimate acoustic moments mixed in with their full blown stage setup. Anyone who saw them perform at the Atlanta Symphony last time they came through probably remembers the cool screen/lights/shadows setup they had going. It's filmed beautifully and the look of the whole DVD is gorgeous, vivid colors, great editing and superb sound. I highly recommend this. View the trailer here.

Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem

I'm not even a huge LCD fan, but I have to admit that I was compelled to listen to this on repeat constantly throughout the year. It's one of those songs that connects everything perfectly to me, from how it builds musically to the way it unfolds lyrically. It details a break up better than anything I've heard in a while, and at the same time concedes to the fact that life must go on. I would love to hear them do a whole album of this kind of material. Don't get me wrong, I love some of the dancey/party type tracks they do, but this song just connects on a whole other level.

MP3: LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great

I wish that we could talk about it,
But there, that's the problem.
With someone new I could have started,
Too late, for beginnings.
The little things that made me harassed,
Are gone, in a moment.
I miss the way we used to argue,
Locked, in your basement.

I wake up and the phone is ringing,
Surprised, as it's early.
And that should be the perfect warning,
That something's, a problem.
To tell the truth I saw it coming,
The way, you were breathing.
But nothing can prepare you for it,
The voice, on the other, end.

The worst is all the lovely weather,
I'm sad, it's not raining.
The coffee isn't even bitter,
Because, what's the difference?
There's all the work that needs to be done,
It's late, for revision.
There's all the time and all the planning,
And songs, to be finished.

And it keeps coming,
And it keeps coming,
And it keeps coming,
Till the day it stops.

I wish that we could talk about it,
But there, that's the problem.
With someone new I could have started,
Too late, for beginnings.
You're smaller than my wife imagined,
Surprised, you were human.
There shouldn't be this ring of silence,
But what, are the options?

When someone great is gone.

We're safe, for the moment.
Saved, for the moment.

Disclosure: Military and Government Witnesses Reveal the Greatest Secrets in Modern History
I didn't mention this in my post on books the other day because I didn't technically read it on tour, but I did read it this year and found it quite fascinating. This book was actually published in 2001, but I only discovered it recently. Basically, this is the testimony of a bunch of former military, government and corporate types regarding UFOs, extraterrestrials and the alleged cover up of zero point energy technology. I suppose this could fall in the conspiracy theory realm, except that it's all highly credible confirmed ranking officials talking about a lot of this stuff, and even if only half of what's in this book is true it's enough to frighten and disgust. Much of the testimony foreshadows the current deteriorating state of our planet today and suggests that technology derived from extraterrestrial origins, which could provide free clean energy to all parts of the world, has existed for decades. I know this kind of stuff can sound a little out there, but when you have so many credible sources telling virtually identical stories you really start to wonder about the true reality of our situation. There was a press conference held this year by all of these individuals and it even received coverage on CNN. If you are the least bit curious about this type of stuff I highly recommend reading it. If not, it still reads like some of the scariest science fiction out there.

The Boy With The Incredible Brain

Again, here is something older that I just came across this year. It's a documentary that aired on BBC television a while back about a guy named Daniel Tamment. He's an autistic savant who can do incredibly complex mathematical computations, as well as learning foreign languages in a very short amount of time. He can provide answers to decimal points that go even further than a computer or calculator can go. What separates him from most other savants is that he isn't inflicted with many of the autism symptoms that render other savants unable to communicate, making research on them difficult. Tammet can describe in detail what's going on in his mind and the process that takes place as he's forming the numbers. He gained notoriety for a record breaking feat that's documented in the video in which he recited the infinite Pi to 22, 514 decimal points. It took him a little over five hours to recite every single digit and he didn't make one mistake. Over the course of the documentary he travels from the UK to America where he meets up with researches in California to see what they can learn from him. Along the way he stops off in Vegas to test his skills in a casino and visits Salt Lake City to meet with Kim Peek, probably the most well known savant and the inspiration for the character played by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man. A similar documentary about Peek produced by the same BBC channel can be viewed here. All of this is an extremely interesting look into the untapped capabilities of the human mind. Check it out above if you have some time to kill.

The Past is a Grotesque Animal - Of Montreal

This song really came out of left field. I think it's Kevin Barne's finest songwriting achievement. A near twelve minute sprawling confessional from a guy that sounds like he's at his breaking point. A sinister sounding progression that just keeps repeating on top of itself, slowly growing to the point of desperation. It all comes together perfectly and leaves you with the sense that this guy is someone who is truly suffering for his art. I'm very curious to see what direction he goes next.

MP3: Of Montreal - The Past is a Grotesque Animal

The past is a grotesque animal
And in its eyes you see
How completely wrong you can be
How completely wrong you can be

The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday
Makes you wonder why it bothered

I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met
Who could appreciate Georges Bataille
Standing at a Swedish festival discussing "Story of the Eye"
Discussing "Story of the Eye"

It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too
How can I explain, I need you here and not here too

I'm flunking out, I'm flunking out, I'm gone, I'm just gone
But at least I author my own disaster
At least I author my own disaster

Performance breakdown and I don't want to hear it
I'm just not available
Things could be different but they're not
Things could be different but they're not

The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
The mousy girl screams, "Violence! Violence!"
She gets hysterical because they're both so mean
And it's my favorite scene
But the cruelty's so predictable
It makes you sad on the stage
Though our love project has so much potential
But it's like we weren't made for this world
(Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was)

Do I have to scream in your face?
I've been dodging lamps and vegetables
Throw it all in my face, I don't care

Let's just have some fun
Let's tear this shit apart
Let's tear the fucking house apart
Let's tear our fucking bodies apart
But let's just have some fun

Somehow you've red-rovered the gestapo circling my heart
And nothing can defeat you
No death, no ugly world

You've lived so brightly
You've altered everything
I find myself searching for old selves
While speeding forward through the plate glass of maturing cells

I've played the unraveler, the parhelion
But even apocalypse is fleeting
There's no death, no ugly world

Sometimes I wonder if you're mythologizing me like I do you
Mythologizing me like I do you

We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic
Perceive me in the radiance of terror dreams
And you can betray me
You can, you can betray me

But teach me something wonderful
Crown my head, crowd my head
With your lilting effects
Project your fears on to me, I need to view them
See, there's nothing to them
I promise you, there's nothing to them

I'm so touched by your goodness
You make me feel so criminal
How do you keep it together?
I'm all, all unraveled

But you know, no matter where we are
We're always touching by underground wires

I've explored you with the detachment of an analyst
But most nights we've raided the same kingdoms
And none of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical
None of our secrets are physical now

New Moon - Elliott Smith
Although he's been passed away for a number of years now, I still gravitate to his music more than any other artist I can think of. I would say I have gone through moments of even being obsessed. Because of this obsession I've heard most of these unreleased tracks in some form or another, albeit in rough or bad quality. Having them all put together for one release in remixed/remastered quality is quite nice though. He could have easily picked and chosen from this group of songs and released an album as good as some of his best work in my opinion. My favorite stuff from Elliott Smith has always been the stripped down acoustic numbers, which really show off the true genius of his songwriting, and that's exactly what this release is comprised of. The highlight by far is the early version of "Miss Misery", with alternate lyrics. "New Disaster" is also a favorite. It's a genuine emotional outpouring from an artist who definitely left the world far too soon. It's so obvious from his lyrics what a desperate state he always seemed to be in, but he always left a glimmer of hope in his music, even if he didn't leave enough of one for himself.

MP3: Elliott Smith - Miss Misery (Early Version)

MP3: Elliott Smith - New Disaster


There's plenty more stuff I really liked this year, but the list could go on forever, and I really don't feel like typing that much. So this is just a handful of things I was into. I realize it's all pretty random, but that's just the way my brain works.