December 29, 2014

Top 5 Albums (That I Bought) This Year: 2014 Edition

It's always interesting to look back at the music that I listened to in the past twelve months what overlaps stand out. As you might imagine, my choices aren't premeditated, but often follow some similar patterns. Indeed some things never change: lots of pretty loud, pretty fast, and slightly experimental music.

2014 was definitely a year for straight-up Rock 'n' Roll. Despite rumors of its death, the genre saw several releases come out this past year that felt really alive and interesting. They combined some of the best references to the past, with some new licks and new tricks; something that rock has always done really well. Most importantly, artists keep exploring the boundaries of the rock sound.

One major connection through most of my picks is this strong connection—and reference to—musical history. In all cases, however, it doesn't manifest in nostalgia, but really a celebration tempered by recontextualization. Taking that one element that was successful for another artist or prevalent at another time, and recycling it to work in a current context.

As in previous years, most of these albums are pretty loud, but I didn't really hit on anything particularly heavy that I fell in love with this year. For whatever reason, I didn't listen to much metal over the past year or so. The tempo stayed high though while the running time stayed short, with the average song length clocking in around the 2:45 mark.

The final interesting thing to note: all of these records are releases by relatively seasoned artists. It's harder to find those amazing début artists, but I'm having trouble recalling a new artist that really grabbed my attention this year.

With all that perspective, let's kick off the list of this year's hits with my absolute favorite:

tUnE-yArDs - nikki nack

As infatuated as I was their previous record, W H O K I L L, I'm really entranced by this record. Indeed, it is more polished, more heavily layered, and the end I think more enduring release. The loops and quirky lyrics are still there, but gone is the hipster ukulele and the super low-fi approach. Instead the band has grown both in number and aural range to create a more robust sound, adding in more of a Caribbean flavor to its African beats. It's a bigger album in all respects than previous effort, but thankfully it feels like an evolution instead of a departure.

Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Few bands of recent memory have grown in reputation so quickly as Parquet Courts. Taking the usual trappings of a garage band, they've really refined it the sound to a smoothly running machine that churns out catchy track after catchy track. They'll lure you in with stupid lyrics and hand claps, then the next verse drop pure poetry wrapped in a wall of sonic feedback static. A more magical recipe for success I can't imagine.

Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World

I couldn't be happier that DFA1979 didn't fall into the pit of other "One Hit Wonders", but instead of returned from their hiatus with a really killer album. It's still really loud and really fast, but sandpaper to the eardrums feeling has abated somewhat. Even though I loved that with their first album, I really don't miss it here. In its place is songwriting that has stepped up a couple notches. Sure, there's still the lyrics celebrating the fast life, but there's also a real attempt at narrative storytelling, such as on the track, "White is red."

Ex Hex - Rips

With an album title like that, it's not easy to avoid cliché descriptors, but this really is a tight collection of songs. While I haven't read any discussion of this band without the mention of their front woman Mary Timony, I can't help but feel that she's just one of the strong creative forces behind these tracks. Blending super catchy choruses with an unrelenting pace, it's hard not to tap your foot and bounce your head from start to finish.

Jack White - Lazaretto

To be totally honest, this last spot was a tie for a while between Lazaretto, Ty Segall's Manipulator, and Bass Drum of Death's Rip This. What tipped the scales was ultimately the feeling that I get while listening to this album: it's just plain fun. I think Jack White has written better songs, and I enjoyed Blunderbuss a bit more, but what is really on display here is his virtuosity. He jumps from traditional Blues licks to hard rock, from folk to country and everything in between. In the end, it feels like he's just playing for himself and letting us all hang out and listen, which it turns out is a really good time.

Wrap-up

That puts a bow on it for 2014. If you haven't listened to any of these tunes before, check out the full playlist of everything below. And by all means, if there's something that I should've checked out (and loved) in 2014, drop a line on Twitter and let me know.

[Rdio playlist is dead. RIP Rdio]

July 30, 2012

Freelancing: The Six Month Recap

Here it is: the doldrums of summer. The air is ripe with the hum of cicadas and the smell of charcoal. It also signifieds the first six months of my freelancing career, so this seems as good a time as any to take stock of where things are and what the future may bring.

Are you taking notes?

I'm sure that different people approach it in different ways, but I sort of jumped into the freelancing thing. I knew that I was going to do it, I did as much planning as I could, and just rolled with it once the beginning of the year came around. To help me keep track of how this whole thing is going, and what I need to do to keep on track, I started writing a business journal. It's not much of a structured thing, but I try to write in it every weekday while I'm drinking my coffee. I sum up any project developments, and usually jot down thoughts or feelings about how things are going.

I've never been much of a journal guy. I think that I had one for a while--maybe for a month in middle school--so it's a new thing for me. I'm going to try to do it for a full year and see how it goes. Many people have suggested it, so I'm interested to see what particular relevance it has to me.

Getting down to business

Finding things to do since the beginning of the year hasn't been too difficult. I've even done some work that I'm really proud of. As I tell people  what it is that I do, I'm getting more comfortable in talking about the things that I'm good at and the things that I like to do. It may sound weird, but that sort of thing is really difficult for me. Where I grew up, having a big ego is rarely the way to make friends, and talking about my work still feels like showboating to me.

As I start to find my groove with running my own business, I'm becoming more confident in the work that I've done. It certainly helps that I'm now more able to take on projects that appeal to me and that I am more invested it. It really does help to have a say in the type of work that you take on.

Like a Glove

There's a lot to like about the freelance life. I wouldn't say that it's an easy life, necessarily, from the standpoint of putting on the cruise control and taking it easy. It's a way of working--and living--that instills a need to be frequently re-assessing what you're doing. It also means that the walls between work and not-work start to blur noticeably. This is good for some people, no so much for others. I'm adjusting to it, but the main upshot is really feeling like this is a good fit. The way of working and the feeling of pride in seeing something that I've done makes up for the times of agonizing proposals or longer than normal hours.

One thing that has made this easier is the fact that I have forged some relationships with clients that have been really supportive of what I'm doing. They appreciate the work that I'm doing, and in turn I hope that I'm contributing to their projects in a substantive way. I also like that I don't always have to work in isolation, and there are times when I can bounce ideas off of folks pretty quickly.

It has also been really great to meet cool people who have started their own design businesses and have been really helpful with advice and guidance. Whether it's a networking event, or just meeting up in person, people in this field have been really generous and open.

Boldly Onward

As I continue along this little journey, I definitely have some direction in mind. The first thing I want to do is take it to the next level. I really enjoy branding work, but I want to keep pushing it. Where else can the logos that I've designed live? 3D? Motion? Retail? Installations? I'm not sure, but I want to find out.

I would also like to do more UI/UX work. I used to do a fair amount of it, but started working in some shops that focused on print work. Print is great, but I love the challenge of the web. It's a big problem, and it's a really exciting time to be working on those projects. It's great to tickle that part of the brain and I hope to do more of it.

Other than those two things, I'll take the challenges where I find them. It's certainly an exhilarating time.

Post script

Just a quick thank you to some of the people who have taken their time to talk with me directly. They're great individuals and extremely generous.