Instant(ces)

things change but it feels the same

2012-02-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

the very talented megan holmes lent me a medium format camera a couple weekends back for a trip to the oregon coast. when i got the film back, some of the images i made just seemed to so clearly fit together. i'm not even sure how it happened. i have a couple more that i'll get up soon.

i wanna bust free

2012-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

they both left me.

bordering on imperfection's license

2012-02-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

i have this stash of photos on my phone that i never do much with -- beyond occasionally looking through them and feeling nostalgic. for a while now, i've been wanting to do something interesting with the images. this is a first run at that: a triptych using three photos i took while i was in seattle last fall.

a hundred unions in the snow

2012-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

katie says her feet didn't get wet in the snow. i don't believe her.

everyday there's a way to do it just right

2012-01-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

polaroid portraits shot in vernonia, while snow was still stuck to the ground.

what compels me to go

2012-01-27T22:39:00.000-08:00

when we got to vernonia, we went looking for an old mill. we found it, sitting beside a lake, filled with graffiti and snow. it had no roof. i'll post more soon.

i knew right then that i'd been abducted

2012-01-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

camera pointed at the window as the car hurtled toward vernonia and then the coast.

better not to quench your thirst

2012-01-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

from that two

2012-01-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

it's been a long time

2012-01-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

are you free or are you tied up?

2012-01-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

meat.

back to where i've been

2012-01-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

i've been trying to clear away all the photos from last year, put them in their little digital folders for safe keeping and forgetting, and make room for new images and new places and all the new that a new year brings. i realized, though, that many of them never made it on here. so before i shut them away for good, i'm going to a do a few posts dedicated to these digital remnants.

you, you used to have all the answers

2012-01-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

while i was in arizona for christmas, i took a few pictures of the place where i grew up. these are softtone polaroids of my childhood homes. the house on the left is my dad's. i spent some time there, but mostly i lived in the house to the right, with my mom. both are pretty smack dab in the middle of suburbia, just a few twists away from major streets lined with strip malls and palm trees.

i see you on a dark night

2012-01-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

a few hours before new year's eve dinner, i ran out to the florida room, took a picture of the curtain in their photobooth and made two huge printouts. casey and i hung them up on her bookshelf and made friends take portraits. here are some of my favorites. (the whole set is up here.)

2011 soundtrack [songs 1 - 15]

2011-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

(cheat no. 4: there's a tie for my top song. download songs 1 - 15 here or click on the track titles to play them in youtube.)

1. 212 [azealia banks]
everything about this song is infectious, from the opening beats, to azealia's dirty-but-smart lyrics (seriously, pull 'em up, she fits a lot in and you hardly notice). banks tries a lot here, breaking 212 into, essentially, four different songs and attacking each part in a way that keeps you dancing from start to finish. i love the breakdown that she puts in the center so that when her last rap comes roaring back, it packs a hell of a punch. i don't know how many times i danced/listened to this song as the year came to a close, but ‘a lot’ hardly covers it. 212 never, ever got old. (also check out: liquorice.)

1. oblivion [grimes]
i'm not sure i would have been as impressed with claire boucher had i not seen her in person first. there's just something totally surreal about the way she's able to create sounds and beats and layer them so quickly to produce her sweet, beat-heavy, synth-filled pieces. this song, like her others, is all her. 'oblivion' is fun because she gets the contrast between the heaviness in her underlying rhythms and the lightness in her child-like voice just right. (also check out: vanessa.)

3. rolling in the deep (remixed by jamie xx, ft. childish gambino) + someone like you [adele]
rolling in the deep became a true anthem for the first part of this year, running well into the summer months. it's a beautiful song and amazing showcase of adele's talents. somehow, though, jamie xx made it even better by laying down a few more beats and really exaggerating some of the song's natural crescendos. childish gambino's rap was a brilliant add, too, underscoring the theme with smart lyrics and offering a nice counter weight to adele's more soulful form. once the winter hit, this song got replaced by 'someone like you.' the lyrics are universal and her ability to belt them out is just insane

4. nuclear seasons [charli xcx]
a lot of the songs in my year-end list this go around have a strong bent toward nostalgia. 'nuclear seasons' is a total throw back to the 1980s and the manufactured sounds of those time. i'm not sure i can articulate exactly why it is that i think charli xcx beats everybody else with this song (midgnight by m83 has a very similar vibe), but it worked it's way into my year in a way that the others didn't. it's partly, of course, her vocal range, which she keeps largely monotone through the bulk of the song but stretches just as it becomes necessary.

5. afternoon + 17 [youth lagoon]

there's something about youth lagoon songs that make them feel almost cinematic, but none so much as 'afternoon' and '17.' it's possible, and even likely, that a lot of their appeal has to do with the fact that they've both come on my radio at just the right time, just when i needed to hear what they had to say. even so, the fact that i can feel such a connection to them must mean something. 'afternoon' is lovely for its bright, fast sound (even if the lyrics are as sad as the others), and '17' wins for probably my favorite lyric of the year, a call to never forgetting the wonder of this world: 'when i was 17 my mother said to me, don't stop imagining, the day that you do it the day that you die.'

6. who am i to feel so free? [men + antony]
this song is such an awesome rallying cry for the disenfranchised and different. i caught men in person earlier this year and the crowd embraced the chorus with such energy that it was impossible to not to feel a little moved. of course, i'm sure, the euro-dance backing track had something to do with the excitement. this recording subs jd samson's voice with antony hegarty's. i'm a big fan of hegarty's out-of-this world vocals, but jd sings the song just as well in her own way.

7. countdown [beyonce]
beyonce has to be one of the most talented musicians of our time. 'countdown' is a perfect example of what she can do. she uses her voice to its fullest in this track, while, simultaneously killing some crazy complicated runs. (i didn't even realize the full extent of what she packs in this song until i heard it slowed down in a cover.) the countdown is my favorite part; i can't think of anything i've heard that sounds quite like what she does here. it's the perfect song to see the year out on. three, two, one ...

8. the future + beat & pulse [austra]
from the second 'the future' starts, with it's heavy beat and piano runs, it grips you. and then katie stelamanis enters in with her unique and surreal voice. the way she holds certain notes without letting them falter even a little is seriously impressive. here, her singing sets the rhythm just as much as the drums and the synth. her voice rises and falls, almost like a wave, only to give way to short staccato bumps when the song calls for it. 'beat & pulse' is slightly less impressive musically, at least to my uneducated ear. but what it lacks in that area, it makes up for with its immanently danceable beat -- the track title is no mistake, the rhythm really does find its way into your bones.

9. bad things (remixed ft. freddie gibbs) [cults]
i like the cult's original cut of 'bad things,' but on its own it never would have made it into my top 60 songs, let alone my top 10. the addition of the freddie gibbs' rap really boosts its appeal for me. there's something about the way in which the harsh rap and the sweet, melodic chorus mix that makes this such a pleasure to listen to. the heavy drum beats that were added to help connect the two musical threads really does the trick, too. it's a great sound for backing the rap, but, if anything, i like it more behind the pop sound of the cults original lyrics. somehow it anchors them, making them feel more substantive and less nice-but-forgettable.

10. keep you [class actress]
i put this song on a mix for a friend and a couple days later i got this text: 'track five is sexxxy who is??" that sort of sums it up, i suppose. elizabeth harper is playing the same 80s throwback game as charli xcx and m83, but she adds a slightly more sensual feel to her hommage. it's insanely effective. her vocals, too, are impressive. she plays a lot with staccato rhythms (keep. you. in. my. hea-art.) as she sings to help make the base beats as effective and catchy as possible. it definitely works. (also check out: weekend.)

11. my country + gangsta [tune-yards]
merrill garbus has a voice unlike any other musician i've heard. there are songs on her latest album, w h o k i l l, that sound as though man must have sung them, then there are others where she jumps up into a range that sounds more traditionally feminine. there are so many good songs on this album, but my heart belongs to 'my country' and 'gangsta.' in the first, i can't get enough of her smart lyrics (my country 'tis of thee/ sweet land of liberty/ how come i cannot see my future within your arms) and the way she mixes patriotic sounds with world beats in such a discordant fashion. with 'gangsta' she embraces loud, powerful sounds -- siren screams going off in the background, her signature tribal whoops and "bang, bang, bang, oi" -- and some more smart, albeit almost angry, lyrics (what's a girl to do if she'll never be a rasta/ singing in her heart but she'll never be a rasta).

12. sunlight [the one a.m. radio]
here's another ode to the neon-lit 80s. i find myself singing the chorus constantly (come on sunlight/ get me out of here alive). hrishikesh hirway's voice is so soothing, a perfect partner for the low, mellow -- but gripping -- instrumentals. maybe it's the fact that i really am waiting for sunlight to come save me from another portland winter, but i can't get enough of this track.

13. warm in the winter + beautiful object [glass candy]
i feel like i've waited forever for some new stuff from glass candy. i'm glad that they're sticking to their signature sound while mixing it up just enough. 'beautiful object' has some really lovely vocals happening with the breakdowns that you've come to expect from these two. 'warm in the winter' is fun because it's hardly a song in the traditional sense. it starts with their usual synthy beats and etheral vocals and then gives way to a sweet entreaty to love yourself: 'we want you to know, if ever you should look in the mirror and wonder who it is that you are, and wonder what it is that you came for, well, i know the answer, you're beautiful ... we love you.' cheesy? maybe. but i love it.

14. my angel is broken [atlas sound]
bradford cox is a genius. i love everything about this song from the opening progression with the deep, heavy bass (incredibly catchy) to his timeless, crooning voice (which he accomplishes without the reverb that so many musicians have been turning to these days). he switches up the melody and his own register, jogging between something that sounds almost happy to something that sounds just sad. but even with the shifting, the song manages to hold you. (also check out: lightworks.)

15. ritual union [little dragon]
i'm so happy i finally got wise to little dragon. this band does some really nice things with electronic sounds. the vocals, too, are super appealing. 'ritual union' was one of those songs that became an official anthem of almost any trip i made this summer. also i can't help but love this sentiment: 'love is not like they say/a lie/ it's hard to make it stay.' (also check out: little man, remixed by tycho.)

2011 soundtrack [songs 16 - 30]

2011-12-30T01:58:00.000-08:00

(download songs 16 - 30 here or just click on the individual track titles to play them in youtube.)

16. ungirthed [purity ring]
the way this song plays with ambient sounds is so much fun to me. the electronic noises that the band weaves throughout the track are just completely unexpected and, even in their oddity, almost calming. what the band does really well here, though, is adding some higher, sweet sounding vocals. somehow, the contrast between the heavy noise and the sweet singing lets both of them standout. i also really love the audible tug of war that happens now and again when a sound is played, only to be pulled back half a step and played again. such a nice trick.

17. i'll take care of you [gil scott-heron + jamie xx]
this song is just so illustrative of what happened so often this past year: somebody lays down a track, somebody picks it up and covers it or remixes it and then somebody else adds their own take on that initial collaboration, rinse and repeat. i was talking to casey about this, she said it reminded her of the 60s recording houses and how songs got passed around from artist to artist. whether its a shout out to times past or a new phenomenon, it seems like such a right and perfect use of the technology at hand. it also leads to some amazing results -- i think jamie xx has had a hand in at least 10 of my top 60. this song, of course, is a high point in all of this. scott-heron produced a truly beautiful track here and, if it's even possible, jamie xx was able to shake it up and make it even more enjoyable. i especially love the way that, around the two-minute mark, jamie plays with scott-herons single 'ah-ah-ah' line, looping it in a genius way. drake and rihanna moved this song forward a third time by adding to jamie xx's remix. check it out.

18. painted eyes [hercules and love affair]
a sick, dancey jam of the sort you've come to expect from hercules and love affair. that in and of itself is enough reason to get it on my list, but the addition of aerea negrot into the mix pushes it even higher on the list. i can't get enough of her vocals in this song.

19. midnight city [m83]
it took me a while to get into this song, but ultimately this hommage to retro time filled with neon charmed me like it has almost every music blog i read. there's something about this synthy tune that makes me think of 'bright lights, big city' or 'less than zero.' it seems so joyous in the remembrance of those lost times with the horns and building crescendos. it's a truly difficult song to describe. maybe that's what makes it so good, though.

20. streetz tonight [aarabmuzik]
i'm a sucker for pulsing electronic dance music that sounds just as good at a house party as it does in your car. there's no shortage of that sort of stuff floating around, but hardly anybody does it quite as well as aarabmuzik does here. they've got the staccato beat throughout, keeping the energy up, while letting other parts of the song pull back and then come rushing forward at just the right times.

21. video games (remixed by balam acab) + kinda outta luck [lana del rey]
i don't get all the hate that comes this lady's way. is she really the next nancy sinatra, ganster or otherwise? no, probably not. but she still makes nice music (even if she leaves a little to be desired in the lyrics department). 'video games' is a pretty nice almost-ballad with an immanently catchy hook. i'm not sure why 'kinda outta luck' hasn't got much attention. she picks up the tempo there and lays down a drum-along beat. it was the second song that initially prompted me to give her a listen.

22. into black [blouse]
i put this song on a summer mix i'd made and somebody told me this was clearly a fall song. i said they were wrong. 'into black,' i said, was a song for summer after you've had just enough beer to keep you warm and happy and you find a trampoline to lie on while you watch the sun sink and others jump around. i love the synthy, soothing beat in this song and far-away vocals that seem to compliment it so well.

23. balance [future islands]
there is so much happening in this song from the crazy, almost-horn-like sounds in the background, to the sort-of-surf-rock vibe and the rich, raw vocals. it all comes together so well, too.

24. wetsuit + family friend [the vaccines]
both of these songs are about growing up, sometimes without knowing it, sometimes without wanting it. they became anthems of a summer that came and went way too quickly. perfect hommages to the surf-rock era.

25. how can u luv me? + ffunny ffriends [unknown mortal orchestra]
unknown mortal orchestra is my favorite local-band discovery of the year. they have a truly interesting sound the ropes together twangy guitar plucks and far-away vocals. the songs catch you and hold you all the way through. there's something about them that makes me feel like they were discovered in a shoe box under somebody's bed and brought back in a time they weren't initially meant for.

26. we found love + drunk on love [rihanna]
sometimes a song is just OK and then you see the music video and you're not sure why, but suddenly the song takes on a new life in your eyes ... or ears. that happened with 'we found love' for me. it's a euro dance number at its heart -- penned by a brit, in fact -- that departs from rihanna's usual sound. initially i thought it was a simple dance jam, but after i watched the video, it seemed to be saying so much more. 'drunk on love' is almost the opposite story. jamie xx loaned rihanna one of my favorite backing beats from the xx album. it plays nicely, keeping the song moving while really letting rihanna showcase her vocals. this one you know immediately is good stuff.

27. polish girl [neon indian]
this song, for me, is a little reminiscent of passion pit and starfucker in terms of its electronic beeps and squeaks. that sound is something i've been missing so i was happy to find it resurrected here. the beats themselves actually steal the show from the vocals, though the vocals in their almost-monotone, breathy sound are, themselves, pretty enjoyable, too.

28. dirty paws [of monsters and men]
this is a sweet, folksy song that tells a sweet, folksy -- if not entirely comprehensible -- story. it starts off slow and quiet but builds, and a quarter of the way you get a pay off by way of some group shouting and inviting beats. good stuff all around.

29. i follow rivers [lykke li]
i didn't fall in love with lykke li's most recent album in quite the same way as i did 'youth novels.' still, she had some amazing hits this go around, too. 'i follow rivers' is hands down my favorite. i like the methodical beat -- and the fact that it's composed of so many sounds -- that breaks just about a third of the way through to give way to high-energy chorus only to find it's way back before too long. the song comes in waves and keeps you floating the whole way through.

30. never will be mine (remix) [rye rye + robyn]
i love both of these artists separately. together, they're a surprising, but incredibly strong, duo. here, they each do what they do best. rye rye provides the rap while robyn steps in with her slower and deeper chorus. you wouldn't think the two would blend so well, and yet, somehow they do. plus, of course, the lyrics are universally relatable. the remix is an improvement, i think, on an already great collaboration, accentuating the song's strengths.

2011 soundtrack [songs 31 - 60]

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

i need to start this list with a confession: i cheated. a lot. not only did i lump songs by the same artist together so i could fit more artists in, but i let the list balloon from 50 to 60. i'm starting today with the bottom 30. i have a hard time with superlatives, so i wouldn't necessarily call these the best songs of the year - they're just the songs that made up my 2011 soundtrack. i'm also no good at rankings, so the order is more of a general approximation. if i had to sit down and order them again tomorrow, i'm sure the results would be different. you can download these songs here all in one go, or follow the individual links to youtube tracks.

31. without you [rainbow arabia]
32. new theory [washed out - remixed by RAC]

33. work [1,2,3]

34. kill for love [chromatics]

35. fever dreams [nurses]

36. wood [rostam]

37. nodding off [wavves + beach house]

38. new work [jj]

39. creature [guidance counselor]

40. marathon + long boat pass [tennis]

41. helena beat + houdini [foster the people]

42. jam for jerry + wait & see [holy ghost!]

43. it's real [real estate]

44. hardliners [holcombe waller]

45. california sunrise [dirty gold]

46. no nostalgia + navy parade [agesandages]

47. bedroom eyes [dum dum girls]

48. east harlem [beirut]

49. rainbow + white nights [oh land]

50. the words that maketh murder [pj harvey]

51. sister wife [alex winston - remixed by star slinger]

52. need you now [cut copy]

53. os argonautas [mina tindle]

54. in the dark [dev]

55. one time [the roots]

56. true romance [citizens!]

57. climbing walls [strange talk]

58. lost in my mind [the head and the heart]

59. take off your shirt [bibio]

60. mother mother [the stand]

61. super bass [nicki minaj]

note: at the last minute i realized i left of 'super bass' by nicki minaj. i was too lazy to reorder the list, so i tacked her on at no. 61. i guess that's cheat no. 3, then.

in the parking lot, we're still waiting

2011-12-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

i went home to arizona over christmas weekend. it had been nearly a year to the day since i'd visited last. somehow, in that year, i'd managed to forget the way the suburbs of my youth looked, spread out over the valley floor, in perfect, infinite patterns under the bright lit blue sky. there is something about chandler that just feels so different from the place i call home now. not worse, necessarily, just different. i took some pictures. (third one down is the house i grew up in.)

ten albums for 2011

2011-12-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

i have a hard time committing to listening through entire albums. i'd rather make a mix of singles i love than have to sit through background noise while waiting for a hit. so take this list with a grain of salt. it is, by no means, comprehensive. these are just 10 albums, in alphabetical order, that gripped me from beginning to end:

alright you restless [agesandages]
more really is more for agesandages, a seven-member ensemble band. they hail from portland and definitely have that northwestern folk vibe going on. but they play with that familiar sound by layering voice upon voice, producing a really rich sound that hits you like a wave, over and over again. that quality is underscored by strong beats -- and occassionally some hand claps -- that'll get your feet stomping. the number of people in this band just adds to the sheer infectiousness of the music. check out: no nostalgia, so so freely, souvenir and navy parade.

cape dory [tennis]
there's something more than a little bit annoying about an attractive couple who spends months sailing around the seas, only to return with an album full of sweet sounds describing their adventures. the fact that i can get past that back story speaks to the album's genuine sweetness. tennis has embraced that far-away sound, but i've seen them in person, minus the haziness, and the music is maybe even more dreamy without that added layer of nostalgia. i will say, the songs on this album tend to run together. still, even as one extended song, it's something i'd happily listen to on repeat. check out: long boat pass, marathon, south california, cape dory and take me somewhere.

cults [cults]
the cult's 'go outside' became a huge rallying cry for me during early spring and into summer. it's simple indie pop, but i'm a sucker for stripped down, upbeat sounds. that song was just the first of some really great tracks to be found on this album. like cape dory, cults can start to blend together, but in way that doesn't get monotonous. still, the fun comes when you start to listen to individual tracks with some concentration. 'abducted' is one great example. Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin trade back and forth on some sweet vocals while playing with lyrical repetition in a really satisfying way. also check out: never heal myself, you know what i mean, and rave on.

feel it break [austra]
i've never felt quite the same way during a live show as i did when austra passed through town. i remember just standing in the middle of a crowd of folks, eyes closed, swaying and jumping to the music. it really felt like it had found its way into my bones. there's something about how katie stelmanis uses her voice in that quasi-operatic way, that really pulls me into her songs. she flits between simple notes and complex lyrics with amazing control. add to that the strong, euro-dance-club beats and you wind up with really catchy, if haunting, music. check out: the future, beat and pulse, lose it, spellwork and shoot the water.

my head is an animal [of monsters and men]
hat tip to amanda for telling me i'd love this band and being so damn right. i don't know what it is about scandinavia, but it always turns out quality sounds (see: 'oh land' below). i don't know that 'my head is an animal' breaks any new ground. it's some pretty standard indie folk -- reminiscent, maybe, of mumford and sons. but even so, the album is consistently good and surprisingly varied. the band does some great, slow burn bits that ultimately erupt, but they also embrace some simpler constructs that let the two lead vocalists play around. check out: dirty paws, kind + lionheart, love, love, love, your bones, and little talks.

oh land [oh land]
as i put this list together, i'd go through the albums' discographies and try to tease out four or five songs to feature. with this album i had a list of eight. that's not to say that this is the best album of the year, only that nanna Øland is really consistent. there's hardly a song on this album that i don't love listening to. she takes the record in several different directions: slow, synthy ballads and high-tempo, bass-heavy club hits. it would be a stretch to call her rapper, but she doesn't mind taking on a few lines of complicated dialogue in between her hooks. son of a gun and white nights were clear hits for her, but you should also check out: wolf + i, we turn it up, rainbow and human. (she also covered 'bloodbuzz ohio' beautifully.)

parallax [atlas sound]
this is probably the most varied album to make the list. bradford cox really stretches himself here, hitting notes both high and low, up tempo and down. it's probably that variety, which most of my other picks are lacking to a certain degree, that makes this album stand out for me. i love his timeless voice, and the way he plays on each and every word, holding some, clipping others. i also love the dreamy, ambient sounds that he weaves throughout his tracks. they never overpower his vocals, instead just adding to the general feeling of nostalgia, which, if the album cover is any indication, was his goal. check out: light works, my angel is broken, amplifiers, mona lisa and the shakes.

what did you expect [the vaccines]
i don't know if there's a single collection of songs that sound more like summer to me than this one. it didn't do very well with critics, who felt the vaccines hadn't hit on anything new with this sound. but even if that's true (and it probably is), they've turned out a perfect summertime tribute to the surf-rock era while incorporating decidedly more modern lyrics (post break-up sex, anyone?). the band also seizes on the theme of growing up, which i'd be lying if i said hadn't been on my own mind this summer. take their last track, family friend: 'you wanna get young but you're just getting older/ and you had a fun summer but it's suddenly colder.' also check out: wetsuit, all in white, if you wanna, and norgaard.

w h o k i l l [tune-yards]
i picked up 'w h o k i l l' on a whim at a record shop in seattle after having only heard 'bizness.' i'm glad i made the leap. merill garbus has an incredibly powerful voice and she uses it to really amazing effect. for a while i was little uncomfortable with all the press the album was getting for being so unique, when, in fact, she'd pretty much cribbed her signature whoops and beeps from Central African tribes. it's hard to hold that against, her, though, when she basically makes note of it in 'gansta' (what's a boy to do if he'll never be a rasta?/ singin' from his heart, but he'll never be a rasta). she feels it, so she uses it. it helps, too, that smart lyrics abound. also check out: my country and powa.

the year of hibernation [youth lagoon]
short and sweet, apparently because singer trevor powers had done some creative recording and re-recording of the vocals in a friend's garage and didn't want to add any songs that hadn't been subjected to that method. it lends a dream pop/ reverb sound to the album that might bother some, but i think it suits the wistful lyrics. more than anything, though, this album ranks as on of my favorites because i can remember listening to 'afternoon' while driving through the sunny, hazy streets of north portland the morning after an especially awful night and feeling like everything would be OK. check out: 17, cannons, daydreams and montana.

i'll grow ... i will grow

2011-12-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

i once read something about how it doesn't make sense, the way we act at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. we treat midnight on january 1 as the moment when everything gets reset. really, nothing's changed. there's no blank slate. but it's a hard urge to fight.

last friday night, somebody broke into my car and stole my black notebook. i can hardly remember what i'd committed to its pages. some collection of bad prose and lists and notes to myself. i do know that i'd written down a set of things that i wanted to do this year. maybe it's a good thing i won't have that to look at in these last couple weeks of 2011.

this was a good year. that's reflection enough.

for a while, things were cold

2011-12-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

these are that last few polaroids i took over thanksgiving weekend, stitched together as diptychs. the second one is a combo of softtone film (on the left) and 600 film (on the right).

come on, sunlight - a fall 2011 ep

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

fall's nearly over, which means it's about time i posted my seasonal ep. it's a little bit longer than ususal, and there are a few songs on here that'll probably overlap some with my year-end list (which'll be up here in the next few weeks), but i tried to keep them to a minimum. anyhow, hope these beats get your feet moving. (you can download the whole mix by clicking here, or you can grab it bit by bit by right clicking on the song titles.)

vanessa - grimes

nuclear season - charli xcx

212 - azealia banks

beat and the pulse - austra

mellow doubt - diamond rings covers teenage fanclub

sunlight - the one am radio

what becomes of the broken hearted - jimmy ruffin

nervous lonely night - jessica lea mayfield

love, love, love - of monsters and men

i'm wondering which way to go next

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

casey and i found some babies in a basement. so we made a video. the basement babies playing ooze:

believe me when i say it's real

2011-12-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

my last trip to los angeles happened to fall on the same weekend the basement babies were playing back up for james ferraro at the echoplex. (they were all opening for real estate, a band that'll probably make a showing in my soon-to-be-annual listing of the best songs of the year.)

anyhow, i got snuck back stage as the babies' 'manager' and spent most of the night clicking away. here are some of my favorite shots. i'll get a few more up tomorrow, along with the music video casey and i shot for the babes' song 'ooze.'

how do you make forever?

2011-12-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

a few more polaroid 'tychs from the weekend in rhododendron:

top image was stitched together from polaroids shot on softtone spectra film, the bottom from 600 film.

don't stop imagining

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

for a while now, i've been seriously into the song '17' by youth lagoon. there's something so genuinely earnest about it, it takes all the right musical turns in all the right places, and i can't get the hook out of my head: 'when i was 17, my mother said to me, don't stop imagining, the day that you do is the day that you die.'

a couple weekends back, casey and i decided we wanted to do some sort of choreographed video. all we knew for sure was that we would shoot it in and around a cabin we'd rented for thanksgiving. so, we started by picking '17' as our soundtrack and a really simple little narrative just sort of unfolded.

here's what we came up with:

surrounded by nothing

2011-11-30T12:37:00.001-08:00

while we were in rhododendron, casey and i shot some video for a sweet little narrative we plan to set to the song 17 by youth lagoon. here are a few stills:

walk the old way

2011-11-29T20:51:00.001-08:00

i came outside to find the covered spa covered in pieces of forest. in leaves and flowers and moss and branches and bark. then i watch as the pieces were reassembled. you probably can't improve on the way nature puts things together, but i don't think that's any reason not to spend a few sunny hours trying.

and we are far from home but we're so happy

2011-11-28T07:38:00.001-08:00

thanks and the giving of thanks

2011-11-27T19:45:00.001-08:00

i sat down and wrote out a list of things that i'm thankful for. a poem in the form of a list. but, for whatever reason, it just doesn't sit right. maybe i'm not done with it. that, of course, isn't to say that i'm not thankful for beautiful weekends like the one i just spent in a cabin in rhododendron full of truly great company and too much food and walks over fallen trees and movie making and lessons in dream-catcher weaving.

that is just to say that i'll leave it to a song that's stayed with me to finish this post:

i'm so blessed to
have spent that time
with my family and the friends
i love
with my short life i have met
so many people i deeply care for.
-- red cave by yeasayer

to the end i'll never know

2011-11-21T07:49:00.001-08:00

near kate's house, there is this ridge filled with palm trees that always pulls at me. it seems so right. it seems like i ought to live within walking distance. it reminds me of the way birds rest on telephone wires, all spaced out just so. anyhow, my diptyching continues, again with two softtone polaroids taken with a specrta system. if you look really hard, you can find kate, somewhere in here.

it's always good to see you again

2011-11-17T10:20:00.001-08:00

i'm not sure if it was the steely sky and the light it threw on everything, or if it was just the tug of nostalgia for a place the reminds a little bit of home, but last weekend, as i walked down echo park avenue in los angeles, i felt this need to take pictures of nearly everything.

pictures of palm trees and telephone poles, of mission-style homes and sloping streets full of bouganvilla. and also, apparently, of unicorns stuck to store fronts. (i spent the weekend wondering what sort of store pastes an angry unicorn head above its entrance. my last night there, i found out: a store selling 80s and 90s work out clothing. obviously?)

amanda's work with diptychs has been rolling around my head lately. both of these images were shot on softtone polaroid film with my spectra system.

i watched all afternoon

2011-11-16T10:32:00.001-08:00

a few weekends ago, while we were driving to st. johns under a blue fall sky, casey and i decided it didn't make much sense to do anything else besides keep driving until we hit sauvie island. we needed a couple pumpkins, anyhow. i made a quick stop for a roll of medium format film on the way. here's some of what was waiting for me at blue moon camera last week, pulled together in three diptychs:

(the right-hand photo of the first diptych will be in blue moon's december show. credit to casey for right-hand photo in second diptych.)

in the mornings i rest here

2011-11-15T08:22:00.001-08:00

portraits on softtone spectra film. (the last two are by kate and james, in that order.)

i have no idea what's going on lately

2011-11-14T15:11:00.001-08:00

early this morning, after my plane cut through three layers of cloud cover on it's final dive into portland, a lush green landscape specked with bits of red and orange and yellow revealed itself. it's fall. i mean, i've known this to be true for while now, but it wasn't until this morning that i fully felt it. and now it's almost gone. how'd that happen?

some pictures, then, for the season:

and we're standing side by side

2011-11-10T11:10:00.001-08:00

i made casey and amanda help me finish up the last of my 'image' film for the spectra camera.

your wisdom is older than me

2011-11-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

The people who were here before, they knew all this, too.

The silhouettes of motionless bikes and beer bottles being tilted toward mouths.

The smiles for the camera -- this really did happen, you know?

The blankets being laid down to separate us from the earth.

(As if we aren't separate enough as it is.)

the sky wasn't big enough for all of them

2011-11-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

they did the monster mash

2011-11-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

buckle up, we're wayward bound

2011-11-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

two sweet images from the last sweet washougal trip of 2011. the top image is actually going to be in blue moon camera's customer show this december, so that's fun.

down in the valley

2011-10-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

sun-eyed girl

2011-10-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

some people can't help but take good photos. my friend (and basement babe) kate is one such person.

less than zero

2011-10-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

'neath that california sun

2011-10-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

we used the video shoots as excuse to go to the beach. not that you really need one ...

just lay still

2011-10-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

in addition to power rangers, the video shoot for our friends the basement babies, wound up including some time in bed. the video will be for a song of theirs called 'ooze.' i can't get it out of my head.

they're still there, he's all gone

2011-10-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

last weekend i went down to los angeles with casey. we shot a music video. it involved a power ranger.

lookin' ahead, no turnin' back

2011-09-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

i keep a little notebook with me pretty much at all times. i go through phases where i put a lot down in it -- bits of ideas, scribbles of poems or prose, to do lists, sketches, song lyrics, whatever comes to mind, really -- and phases where i hardly touch it all.

last night, i was looking through my current book and realized it's been almost exactly a year since i started writing in it. i came across a list of things that i wanted to be sure and do. i'd put little boxes next to each item. i must have thought, back then, that it was a list i'd come back to again and again. only, as it turns out, i didn't. i wrote it and forgot it.

but as i looked through the list, i realized that i must have internalized the best parts of it. i wanted to make wheat paste posters (check), i wanted to do some sort of photobooth project (check) and i wanted to start collaborating with casey on video projects ... check:

i heard it was fun

2011-09-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

last night, i met seven of my favorite people at the back of the florida room. we spent three hours making signs and running in and out of a photobooth, drinking, eating, laughing, singing -- the sorts of things that have made this summer maybe the best of my life. it would have been a good time no matter the day. but last night, in particular, it felt especially right, maybe even necessary.

anyway, our memorial to summer 2011:

we'll all lay down, and we'll let it go

2011-09-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

just a small piece of the memorial to summer made this evening in the photobooth of the florida room.

sun drunk - a summer ep

2011-09-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

to celebrate the last day of summer, i thought i'd do something i haven't done for a while: post a seasonal mix. this isn't so much a full-on mix, as it is just a few songs that will probably always sound like summer 2011 to me. you can download the whole (mini) mix here. or you can grab them one by one by right clicking on the song names below. or you can just stream them. so many choices! enjoy.

a real good time - basement babies

ritual union - little dragon

thumbs off - the clean

pursuit of happiness - kid cudi + mgmt + ratatat

balance - future islands

all summer - kid cudi + best coast + rostam

i want to put my hands deep into feeling

2011-09-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

i've been unintentionally documenting my summer in textures; casey pointed out the running theme to me. in chronological order:

the cracked crust of a painted hill in eastern oregon.

the cracked crust of a different painted hill.

sand the way tide left it at cannon beach on the oregon coast.

the bark of a tree in the columbia gorge.

the ice of a glaciar just outside of palmer, alaska.

the ground near the bluffs of doe bay on orcas island, off the coast of washington state.

there is no hope for any sleep

2011-09-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

a photo taken from the bluffs of doe bay. if this picture were a song, it might be this one:

bedroom eyes -- dum dum girls

and the wild is the best

2011-09-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

i'm just about done editing the bulk of digital photos from oracas and alaska, but until then, i thought i ought to throw up a few last polaroids -- all of these were shot in that big beautiful state way up north.

warm in the winter

2011-09-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

on my last day in alaska, my brother and i made the six hour drive from valdez back to anchorage. the alaskan country side, at least along the roads we took, is one of the most beautiful pieces of earth i've ever seen. fall had started to set in some, so you had this incredible spectrum of color -- reds, yellows and greens of all gradations -- set against winding rivers and granite (at least in color) cliffs.
as if that weren't enough to make me say "damn" every few minutes (and it was), about an hour or so outside of anchorage, i took a detour off the main highway and drove about four miles to a glacier. there was a short path made of wood and metal planks that took you from a parking lot to the glacier itself.

i walked past the sign that told me to stop unless i knew what i was doing -- even though, of course, i didn't -- and scrambled and slipped over the ice. i just felt like i had to keep going, like this was the only chance i'd ever have to really experience this sort of immense beauty. finally, i came to a crest where i couldn't see a way forward. i stood there, just sort of soaking up the moment, hoping it would be a long time before i'd forget what it was like to be in that place. then i took two polaroid pictures and turned back.

what i have is right here

2011-09-06T23:16:00.000-07:00

it looks like i'm finally getting the hang of this new polaroid film from the impossible project. just in time, too, for my trip to orcas island, part of the san juan islands located just off the washington state coast. it's a beautiful place. hopefully these shots do it just a little bit of justice.

(clockwise from top left: the view from the bluffs of doe bay, casey on the docks,
amanda on the docks, allison on the docks, a paddle boat, buoys in one of the island's lakes.)

white salmon swimming under our feet

2011-08-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

here is a giant metal salmon. i think it speaks to the sort of place valdez, alaska is. (a good place.)

all year long we wait for sun

2011-08-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

a couple months back i helped a friend plant a field of sun flowers. they started blooming about a week ago. yesterday, i went out and took a few shots with some of the impossible project film. i'm still getting a handle on it, but i liked the look of a couple of them.

don't wanna miss out

2011-08-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

i'm really into these portraits that i've just started shooting. but i only have nine more exposures of this sort of polaroid film, so i'm choosing my subjects carefully. this go around: the lovely talitha luisa.

it's ok to fly low

2011-08-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

all of this exists within a three hour drive of where i live.

it's always just on the horizon

2011-08-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

painted hills in eastern oregon, shot on 600 film with my sx-70. the photos don't do the colors justice.

another sad-eyed stare before you disappear

2011-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

i heard it was a real good time

2011-08-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

there's something about overexposing film in the summer that just feels right. not sure why exactly. it just seems to me that summers should be washed out. whatever it is, it's only amplified when you set a polaroid frame around it. i took these shots of the always-surreal oregon coast last weekend while my mom was in town. they were taken on 600 film with my sx-70. to me, they look like summer.

the haystack.

the beach houses the face the ocean.

my mom.

meanwhile, some friends of mine have written a song that has worked its way into my head and now sounds a lot like these pictures look. if that makes sense.

a real good time - basement babies

we had a real good time. we had fun.

we washed up on messy beaches

2011-07-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

i like the way the distance from the camera became larger and larger over the few minutes these photos were shot. this is how, i told jessica, her friends looked on her 30th birthday.

megan

jessica

ryan (shot by jessica.)

the summer's getting older

2011-07-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

i imagine just about everybody in portland has a favorite bridge. this is mine. when you drive east over it, if the sky is clear enough, the arches almost perfectly frame mt. hood. i think it's mt. hood, anyway. then there's the park they built underneath the bridge, around its massive concrete supports. beautiful stuff.

i walk upon the river like it's easier than land

2011-07-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

the sun was golden and matilda's hair was red, so what else was there to do but take photos? all of these were shot on 600 film with my sx-70.

been dreaming of blue skies

2011-07-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

shot on tz artistic with my sx-70

tonight, i watched the sky explode from this bridge. hopefully that means summer is here.

come on, come on

2011-06-22T16:41:00.001-07:00

i just got this note from my mom: "you need to update your blog:) Rye Guy"

she's probably right; she usually is.

sweet things in the summertime

2011-05-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

mornin' - starslinger

hands off

2011-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

all the nothing that i do

2011-04-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

the images left over from that roll of 35 mm film ...

the world through gold-colored glasses.

oregon's capitol park as the cherry trees bloom.

i need some summer sun to come and wake me up

2011-04-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

i just got a roll of 35 mm film developed. on it, i found this lovely lady. more to come.

california sunrise - dirty beaches

run deep, run wild

2011-04-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

there's something about time. you always feel like you have it. and then, suddenly, you don't. while i was gone, i thought a lot about the things that i wanted to do once i got back to portland. i wanted to get a photo show up, i wanted to do more stenciling, i wanted to try my hand at some wheatpaste, i wanted to ride my bike more often, i wanted, i wanted, i wanted.

i wanted to go camping.

now that i might be leaving again, there's a new sense of urgency about these things.

wheat paste city, u.s.a.

2011-04-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

into the woods

2011-04-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

there's something about the northwest landscape that is just so humbling. all photos were shot near battle ground lake in washington.

oh, hey there, tumblr

2011-04-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

casey and i have taken to sending each other e-mails full of links to things we think are nice looking. it's been fun. but you know what's even more fun? filling a tumblr with pictures of them.

check out suitcase. (oh, and maybe follow us?)

honey wine and honey bees

2011-04-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

kate being lovely in ethiopia. (july 2010)

-i remember a bee finding its way into your pocket and that sound you made when you realized what had happened.

-i remember you slipping off you pants to show me the welt on your thigh. i remember thinking it looked like it hurt a lot.

-i remember having too much honey wine to drink and deciding that the stairs of a stadium were as good a place as any to take a rest.

-i remember you coming to find me.

-i remember sitting in the front of a van wishing you had a seat belt as the driver hit the breaks to avoid driving through a circle of vultures.

-i remember drinking too much coffee. and then drinking some more.

-i remember throwing books at a cloud of winged bugs and wishing we'd stayed in the nice hotel.

-i remember us trying to track down the kids that stole your camera and then resigning ourselves to the fact we'd never find them.

-i remember listening to ethiopian jazz, sort of like this song.

-i remember you taking pictures with your disposable camera and then handing it over to me. take one of me as i walk past this fence, you said. and i did.

my mother at her best

2011-04-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

i don't remember how old i was, only that i was young. it was early in the morning, i stumbled into my mom's bathroom. like i would most every morning back then, to watch her apply her make up, get ready for the day.

'morning!' she says.

i sat on the carpet, blinked the sleep away.

'what was that on your back?' she asks.
'what?'

i stood up and turn around.

'oh my god, are you ok? you don't feel it?'
'what?!'
'there's a huge hole on your back. oh wow, it looks really deep. we should call an ambulance.'

i crawl onto the counter, trying to catch myself in the mirror, running my hands over the parts of my back i could reach. i'm panicked.

'i don't see any blood!'

she smiles. (smiles!)

'april fools.'

you keep my secrets hope to die

2011-03-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

because i clearly have a problem; i bought a new polaroid camera. it uses the peel apart film, of which, also due to my problem, i've now built a small stockpile. here a few shots from its first day out on the town:

clockwise: casey, flan, casey and flan together, ryan. (flan was shot with sepia film, the others with black and white.)

young blood by the naked and the famous:

a mix for a winter spent in a friend-filled, snowless portland

2011-03-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

the lovely tape-playing radio that is no more. sigh.

1. no nostalgia - agesandages

2. helena beat - foster the people

3. rain on - woods

4. iraqi music - souad abdullah

5. arcadia - dirty mittens

6. if i had a little love - the majestic arrows

7. i follow rivers - lykke li

8. california sunrise - dirty gold

9. living in america - dom

10. last night - the strokes

11. off our backs - m.e.n.

12. lights & music - cut copy

13. all the weird kids know - built by snow

right click and 'save as' the song titles for a copy of the corresponding mp3. also, for more winter-themed music, check out the latest collaborative mix from 'would you jump rope?'

better run, better run

2011-02-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

i woke up sick today. awful. but, in terms of silver linings, i found this scene outside my bedroom window. so there's that. there's also this song:

pumped up kicks by foster the people

i get lost in my head

2011-02-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love

2011-02-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

shot on tz artistic with my sx-70

do you remember, when you were younger, how each year your teacher would dedicate an hour or two to having the class decorate brown paper bags with hearts and arrows and more hearts and more arrows? you'd do it in anticipation of feb. 14, the day when you would then tape the bags to the front of your desks and walk around the classroom slipping store-bought valentines into each others' bags?

well, i do. i also remember, at some point, i became really self-conscious about what it was that those valentines said. i can't say which grade i was in at the time. just that it had to have been elementary school. in any case, just like the year before and probably the couple years before that, i had gone to the store with my mom to pick out the perfect valentines. i thought i'd found them when i came across a box of x-men valentines. the back of the box looked promising: wolverine, gambit, cyclopse, storm, magneto. all the usual suspects. and they looked cool.

but when i got home and started addressing them, i ran into a problem. there weren't enough of the sort of valentines that a boy would give to another boy. you know, the sort that didn't imply love. the sort that were perfectly neutral. there was one in particular i remember. it had on it a picture of magneto and the words on the card said something like "i'm attracted to you." it was a play, of course, on magneto's magnetic superpowers. but to me, way back then, the idea of giving that to another boy seemed awful.

there were others like that, i'm sure, but that's the one that stuck out to me the most. so, i did what i figured any elementary schooler would do, and got out the whiteout. i started erasing the phrases that the card company had pre-printed on my valentines and began writing in new ones.

the next day, after all the valentines had been passed out, i started going through the stack. i opened up one from a kid named robbie (i don't know why i can remember his name). apparently, he, too, had settled on those x-men cards. but he didn't seem to have my same hang up. he'd given me the same magneto card that i'd stressed about the night before. only minus the whiteout.

it's weird the things you worry about when you're young and a bad valentine can seem like the end of the world.

anyhow, given that we don't make paperbags anymore, i'll post your valentine here, a song by edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros:

(for those who may have noticed, i'm using a new mp3 player on this blog, but i'm still uploading the files into my dropbox. that is to say, they're still available for free download. just right click on the band's name. otherwise, use the built-in player for a one-off listen.)

falling back on a better place

2011-02-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

these represent the latest of my polaroid snap shots. i'm taking a break from the impossible project color shade push! film, which has been driving me insane. it's just so fickle. anyhow, i loaded the sx-70 up with some of my remaining tz artistic film (by far my favorite polaroid film material). i'm not sure i was as judicious as i should have been with the pictures i took. oh well. the last two were definitely not what i hoped they would be. that said, i had some fun trying to distort the bottom-left image. i might dedicate a pack pretty soon here to polaroid distortions. i need some better tools first, though. anyhow, i'll leave you with a dixie cups song that i can't get out of my head. enjoy:

brush your teeth with the kitchen mop

2011-02-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

(shot with sx-70 on impossible project "color shade push!" film, the most finicky polaroid film ever.)

this is where the credits roll

2011-02-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

the view from my bedroom window on the morning of feb. 6, 2011:

(shot with my sx-70 on tz artistic film)

standing there lookin' so sweet

2011-01-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

(shot on the land camera using the blue polaroid 100 film i picked up while in new york city.)

take two

2011-01-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

i've been trying to get the new color shade film by the impossible project to work for me for a while now. it's pretty finicky -- completely sensitive to light and temperature. i think i'm finally getting there, though. these are the two best images so far.

also, i feel obligated to point out that this post is kind of a big deal. it's no. 100 on my little blog. exciting, i know. anyhow, i felt like i should do something extra special. sadly, i couldn't think of anything. so, for lack of a great idea, i'm just going to give you all a free song that has been keeping me company for the past few days: if i had a little love (rehearsal) by the majestic arrows. enjoy!

take me somewhere

2011-01-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

normally when i travel somewhere, i bring along three cameras -- minimum. my cannon slr always makes the cut and the other two (or three) spots are filled by some combination of my various polaroid cameras, my holga and my 35 mm mamiya. this past friday as i was packing for new york, i decided to do something a little different: i packed just one camera (the polaroid land camera) and two packs of film (color and black and white). the above images are the result, save the very last one on the right, which was taken in portland to test the color film. the others were shot either in new york or princeton, new jersey. (that spiral building would be the guggenheim.)

was she willing when she sat?

2011-01-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

my three (lovely) roommates:

carly.

jin.

jasper.

'we're pulling apart'

2011-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

for well over a year now, thanks to one thrift shop or another, there's been a 1970s-era polaroid land camera (super colorpack!) sitting in my room. i figured there wasn't much i could do to get it working, short of a full-on hack that would take several hours to finish. a few weeks ago, i found out i was wrong; fujifilm is still making pull-apart film, a friend told me, and the film is compatible with some of these decades-old models. i'm just about through with my first set of 10 exposures. there's something really satisfying about pulling the photo away from the chemicals and seeing what you captured. here are the three i like best:

three minutes

2011-01-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

these were all taken with the spectra system camera on soft tone film, except for the one on the bottom right, which, if i remember correctly, was shot on image film (which is to say, film without a particular effect). there's also a slight distortion in the bottom left image, but that's due to a bumped scanner. the original is perfect. naturally. all of these photos, it's probably worth noting, were taken within a three-minute walk of my house. oh, portland.

farewell, typewriter

2011-01-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

the typewriter sitting on my desk.

i've been doing some shooting with various polaroid cameras and films this past week, and i finally got around to scanning the results tonight. this is the first of the set, taken with my new sonar one step (a pretty nice thrift shop find) on fadetoblack film. i'm hoping future images might be a bit crisper. could be that the sonar isn't working or that the film is just really difficult to use. or both.

the city as a gallery

2011-01-03T17:58:00.000-08:00

'black pride' on alberta street and 17th avenue, painted by lewis harris in 1984.

i wound up working new year's eve day. somehow, sort of miraculously, i was left off of daily news coverage and handed over to our features department. hoping to avoid writing about country music-singing brothers, i pitched a story about african american murals in portland. that a local history club is releasing a book about the murals was my news peg. anyhow, i went on a small, four-mural tour before writing my story. these are some of the photos from that morning. (as it turns out, it's sort of hard to take good pictures of murals.) here's how the story starts out:

Isaka Shamsud-Din doesn't like driving south on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It's not the whole stretch that bothers him, it's just where that long drag meets Shaver Street, where his 21-year-old mural "Now is the Time, the Time is Now" comes into view.

What was once a bright, freshly painted tribute to the ideals of African American education, self-knowledge and history has faded over the years. People have written their names across the piece. There's a swastika underneath the central visage of Martin Luther King Jr.

"It's hard to drive down that street," he says. "It feels terrible. It feels hideous. It's an insult, the condition.

"It's a kick in the head, anyway."

If you know where to look, Portland is an art gallery. And somewhere amid this miles-wide showroom is a collection of African American mural art. But there's no glass or alarms to protect what artists have made here; no guards to tell people not to touch. So, while bits have survived, some have been defaced and others have been torn down in the name of development.

you can read the rest here. the story is a really interesting one and one that deserves many thousands of words. of course, that would take more space and time than the paper or i could offer.

'now is the time, the time is now' on northeast mlk jr. boulevard and shaver street, painted by isaka shamsud-din in 1989.

a mural painted by adriene cruz in the late 90s. she drew from her background in tapestry and fiber arts.

human diversity on mlk jr. blvd. and monroe street, painted by judy madden bryant and high school students in 1993.

'human diversity' from another angle.

2010 soundtrack (part three of three)

2011-01-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

so, here we have it, the last of my top songs of 2010. as i began writing and forming this list, other artists kept coming to mind and i regretted not including them -- best coast and rihanna and janelle monae and damien juardo -- but then i couldn't really find any songs that i had already included that shouldn't get a mention. so, i guess, all that is to say that this list is hardly comprehensive or immutable, but it is a fairly good representation of my year in music. as a reminder, you can right-click on and then download any of the highlighted songs. or you can just plain old click on them and they'll stream for you.

sprawl ii - arcade fire
i can't say that i have an absolute favorite song of 2010, but 'sprawl ii' is my absolute favorite song of the moment. régine chassagne has a beautiful voice, and as casey said, 'i wish, i wish (she) sang more often.' i like arcade fire, but this song, at least to my ears, is just a step above their other work on this album. the lyrics are full of meaning -- and based loosely on a haitian proverb -- even if they're not the most uplifting: 'they heard me singing and they told me to stop/ quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock/ sometimes i wonder if the world's so small/ can we ever get away from the sprawl?' and, of course, there's an epic and lovely beat that underlies the whole piece. amazing through and through.

go outside - the cults
more than a couple of the songs on this top-30 list came from a collaborative mix we put together over at 'would you jump rope.' jasper nominated 'go outside' for the mix, and i'm glad she did. the cults, who i'd never heard prior to this song, have a wonderfully earnest, poppy sound that lends itself to sing alongs. i love sing-along songs. 'go outside,' like a few other songs on this list, has nice dreamy vocals over a fast beat. i love the triangle and hand-clap sounds that show up from time to time. also, the song's lyrics are perfect for motivating yourself during a portland winter when it would be so much easier to stay inside and do nothing useful. 'i think it's good to go out/ cause if you don't you'll never make a memory that will stay/ i think that you should wake up.'

boxer - lovers
lovers is my favorite new band of the year, hands down. i saw them play live not long after getting back to portland. the whole band seemed to really love being on stage, playing together, getting the crowd excited. i love earnest musicians. anyhow, their newest album 'dark light' is listenable the whole way through; there's not a single song on it that i wouldn't be happy to listen to. that said, there are three songs that i just can't get enough of: 'figure 8,' 'barnacle' and, of course, 'boxer.' if i were going with lyrics alone, i might choose barnacle, which has simple but very astute lyrics. ultimately, though, 'boxer' wins. the synth beat in the beginning rolls into a catchy, forceful song. i should add that the lyrics here are similarly simple yet insightful: 'what a drag not to know how you are. what a drag not to know how you feel.'

clap your hands - sia
in the interest of full disclosure, 'clap you hands' came to my attention only very recently -- as in the last three weeks -- via another year-end list. that said, it totally deserves a place in my top 10. i think it's my favorite dance number this year. that might be due, in part, to the fact that some of my other favorite dance songs from this year ('dancing on my own' and 'teenage dream') were so overexposed its difficult for them to summon up in me the same excitement that this song does and that they probably did in their early days. i really appreciate sia's deep (in some places), staccato vocals. they mesh really well with the underlying beat, which does a good job of keeping you tapping your foot the entire way through. the video, too, is worth a look; it's one of my favorites in recent memory.

arcadia - dirty mittens
i cannot wait until the new dirty mittens album drops. until then, i have 'arcadia,' an early release from the album. i guess, technically, this song belongs to 2011, but this is my blog, so i'm bending the rules. chelsea morrisey's voice is exquisite. you know i mean i like a voice when i use that word, which i reserve only for the best because it just sounds so damn pretentious. anyhow, i absolutely love her voice, the slight shake in it, the way it's light but still substantial. yes, please. also, i love the way dirty mittens is able to find places in its pieces for saxophones and strings and guitars and drums. it all comes together to make really beautiful sounds. arcadia is a great showcase for everything that makes dirty mitten my favorite local band.

julius - starfucker
if dirty mittens is my favorite local band, then starfucker comes in at a very close second (or maybe third, given lovers) place. there was a time in my life, not long after i moved to portland, that i was listening to nothing but starfucker and passion pit. starfucker's electronic, synthy sound and echoey vocals are just, well, great. i can't think of a better, more descriptive word. sorry about that. i like their sound so much that on my way out of portland in 2009, i left a day early to catch their show in phoenix. i jumped up and down to their music with a room full of 18-year-olds. i felt like a chaperone, but their performance was so good that i didn't much mind. starfucker is slated to release a full album this march. if 'julius' is any indication of what they have in store for us, then i'm sure they'll be back on this list come next january.

howlin' for you - black keys
i remember, a couple years back, asking my friend holly (who is much better at digging up new music than i) to give me the name of a new band i ought to listen to. black keys was her response. i listened to five seconds worth of their music and decided it wasn't what i was looking for. idiot. somehow came across my radar again. this second time i was hooked. like most of the albums that a lot of these songs are from, i can listen to brothers the whole way through. i chose 'howlin' for you' because it does a good job of capturing the black keys' soul sound and upbeat, foot-stomping rhythms. really, the drum just catches you straight away, pulls you into this song, and never lets you go. i also can't get enough of the twangy guitar sound that runs through this song. (runners up: 'tighten up' and 'ten cent pistol')

rill rill - sleigh bells
this is another album that was graciously interneted to me while i was away. a big part of the reason i love sleigh bells is that their sound is very unique, very much their own. they play a lot with loud, angry electric riffs and loud, angry vocals. their music has a very intense energy that makes this album a pleasure to listen to. 'rill rill' is a bit more subdued than some of their other pieces, 'tell 'em' for instance, but it still fits nicely with their overall sound. i enjoy the deep drumming in the background and the layered percussion in general. the lead singer's sweet, feminine voice offers a really nice contrast. there's a place in this song (around 2:30) where the background drops out out and the lyrics are left virtually alone. the vocals sound good alone as they do in the context of the rest of the song. all around goodness.

we fell off the roof - seabear
i fell in love with this band under some pretty unexpected circumstances: while lost and cold in the middle of the sudanese desert and in need of some calming, contemplative music. seabear was exactly what that night needed, and it's what it got. again, this is an album that i can listen straight through, so it's difficult to pick a favorite. 'lion face boy,' 'in winters eyes' and 'i'll build you a fire' are all lovely. the reason i went with 'we feel off the roof' has a lot to do with the way the lead singer plays with the word 'off' holding it there, letting it stretch to really nice effect. i also love how it occasionally builds to this fast, exciting instrumental solo only to die back down leaving room for vocals once again. it's a slow one, to be sure, but sometimes something slow is just what you need.

i think i like u 2 - jamaica
the fact that i can get past the title of this song and include it in my top 10 should speak to how much i like this band and its sound. my friend jeff sent me their album, 'no problem,' calling them a phoenix knock-off. not in a bad way - they're also french and have a very similar sound. but if they're a phoenix knock off, and they probably are, they're a pretty great one. the guitar riff that runs through this song is pretty catchy and so is the refrain - 'i think like you, too/ i think i like you, too.' basically it all comes together in a way that makes me want to get up and dance a bit. ok, a lot. you should check out the music video, too, which indicates that band has a certain level of self-deprecative humor, which only serves to make me like them more.

2010 soundtrack (part two of three)

2011-01-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

ambling alp/ o.n.e. – yeasayer
i almost forgot to include this band in my wrap-up, which is ridiculous considering just how much i listened to this album over the past year. funnier still, when i finally remembered that yeasayer deserved a place on the list, i couldn’t decide which song was my favorite. i listened to ambling alp more than is healthy, but still have not overdone it. the lyrics, at the time i found the song, just really resonated. similarly, i can listen to o.n.e. on repeat. so, i'm taking the easy way out and picking them both.

cpr – typhoon
this was a late addition to the 2010 soundtrack. typhoon is an amazing local band that i wish i had discovered earlier, but, as they say again and again, better late than never. i like this song in particular for the calm, even vocals and beat that runs through it, it’s almost meditative, but still lively in a certain way. and then there’s the really great reversal at 3:30, where they strip everything except for this ‘oh ah oh ah’ chorus and then start building back the song all over again. (runner up: ‘starting over’)

bullfighter jacket – miniature tigers
this song starts strong and never lets up. i always find myself obnoxiously singing along to those first ‘yah yah yah yah yah.’ the lead singer’s voice is nice and i like the dreamy echo that the producers added to it. there’s a nice contrast between his somber sounding voice and the excitement of the rhythms that make up the song’s foundation. it was a close call between this song and ‘japanese woman.’ really, though, the entire album is a nice listen. it was my carving-pumpkins soundtrack this october.

10 mile stereo – beach house
right or wrong, i find beach house to be a smarter version of best coast. that's not to say i don’t like best coast; i exhausted their album nearly as much as i did beach house’s. but i also made the mistake of reading their lyrics. anyhow, both of these bands do that great dream-pop sound that seems to be coming back with a vengeance. i'm not complaining in the least – i really like the dream-pop sound. i had a hard time choosing a best for beach house, i also really enjoyed ‘zebra’ and ‘used to be.’ ultimately, ’10 mile stereo' was the winner, mostly for it’s forward-looking lyrics, lyrics that i found comforting while i was gone: 'they say we will go far, but they don’t know how far we’ll go.'

dancing on my own – robyn
i remember casey sending me this song before i got back to portland. i just kept hoping that it would last long enough as a hit so that i could greet it on a portland dance floor. seems silly now, considering i don’t think i've been to a dance party yet where this made an appearance. this song is an addictive one – i find myself humming the chorus all the times – and so is its singer. i can’t really separate the tune from her crazy dancing in the video. of course, this song deserves some crazy dancing. in case you’re over the original, here’s a nice, slowed-down remix.

vesuvius – sufjan stevens
i first heard this new album through npr’s first listen. i was at work and just needed some background noise. i remember liking bits and pieces of it, particularly ‘too much,’ but i didn’t go back and listen to the album in earnest until a month or so a good, on the prodding of a friend. i still love ‘too much.’ it's catchy and fast-paced. but, vesuvius beats it easily for best song of the album. i love the melancholic, slow-moving rhythyms blended with the tambourine and electric sounds. and then, the speed-up about two-thirds of the way in, really surprises you – or it did me – in a very nice way. i also have to encourage you all to listen to ‘impossible soul,’ the 26-minute song in this album. it takes a while, but around 15 minutes (i think) your investment totally pays off.

crash years – new pornographers
i hadn’t given the new pornographers much of a listen until my friend jeff included them in mix that he sent out this summer. that first song, ‘moves,’ is still one of my favorites of this album, but ‘crash years’ is the song that has stuck with me. i like the sound of the layered vocals in this album. you don’t hear that too much, at least not in the music i've been occupying my time with. i'm also a sucker for the little whistly bit at the three-minute mark.

home – edward sharpe
i am such a sucker for this band – and for this song in particular. there's something really beautiful about the dueling vocals and the accent in their speech. whenever i hear this song, i just imagine two people, really in love, smiling at one another. i love where they slow the song down and talk to one another. so cute. then they pick up again with some epic sounds. plus how can you not love lyrics like this: ‘well, holy moly, me-oh-my, you’re the apple of my eye’? answer: you can’t. i should probably confess that i first heard this is sudan when i was feeling more than a little homesick myself. (runner up: ’40 day dream’)

dance yrself clean – lcd soundsystem
from the very first couple beats, this song gets me tapping my foot. it starts off very slowly and calmly but builds up to a really gripping techno extravaganza. maybe i’m alone here, but i defy anybody to listen to this and not start moving – even if with just a slight head bob. it's the perfect song to listen to when you just need to move, to empty your head and, well, without being too cute, ‘dance yrself clean.’

down by the water – drums
embarrassing as this may be, i first heard this song on gossip girl, which, i will happily tell anybody, has an amazing soundtrack. anyhow, i couldn’t get the chorus out of my head for the rest of the day. the drums had been on my radar since sudan, where i saw their music video for ‘let’s go surfing’ on mtv arabia. i like their sound, and this song is definitely the best of it.

2010 soundtrack (part one of three)

2011-01-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

i like to ask people about their favorites (color, flavor, children's book, smell, sound), but i don't much like figuring out my own. i have a complicated, conflicted relationship with superlatives. still, i'm a sucker for a good end-of-year list, and my dear friend casey recently posted her top 50 songs of 2010. she's a list maker; i'm not so much. nevertheless, her list inspired me to think up my own. after i got done listing my top songs of this past year, with a few cuts and additions, i was at 31. these aren't necessarily the most musically impressive songs, but they are the songs that, for better or worse, came together to create my soundtrack of 2010. a quick note: i've broken the list up into three parts (10 songs a day), giving a general sense of how the songs rank, but i'm not numbering the songs beyond that. it'd be too hard. i'm starting today with the bottom of the list. be warned: i'm not great at describing/ dissecting music. click on the song for a free download or stream. oh! happy new year.

block after black – matt & kim
i heard matt & kim for the first time not long after i moved to portland in 2008. my friend randi took me along to the show with the promise that we were about to see ‘the cutest band ever.’ she did not disappoint. matt and kim look ridiculously happy and excited whenever they perform. that translates to their music, which is, by and large, fun and poppy and fast-paced. anyhow, i think their style has definitely grown since their earlier stuff, they’re experimenting with new sounds and rhythms in ‘sidewalks.’ the best example of all this comes in ‘block after block’. (runners up: i also really enjoy ‘cameras.’)

believer – goldfrapp
i'm a sucker for a good electro-pop-dance number. believer satisfies all of that. plus, this song reminds of randi and bree. anything the does that makes me happy.

i feel better – hot chip
this entire album hooked me. i like how they turn out solid, techno beats with lyrical substance (usually). i had a hard time choosing the song from this album that i liked the most. there are a lot of great contenders – among them ‘brothers’ and ‘one life stand.’ ultimately, i went with ‘i feel better’ because i really appreciate the orchestral beat that runs through the song.

flash delirium – mgmt
this album wasn’t received so well. i can understand why; its sound was a pretty significant departure from their earlier album. that said, there’s a lot to like about a few of the songs. i like flash delirium in particular because it takes you in about eight different directions in just four minutes. and most of those directions are good.

giving up the gun – vampire weekend
vampire weekend has appeared on nearly every year-in-music list i've come across recently. initially, i was a little surprised. i didn’t dislike the new album, but it didn’t leave me with much of a lasting impression. so, i gave into the critics and went back and gave it another listen. i'm glad i did. giving up the gun includes a lot of what makes their music good, but it’s clear (at least to my ear) they were stretching themselves a bit. (runner up: horchata. probably, in part, because i really do love horchata.)

lost in the world – kanye west
this is one of the best collaborations of the year, i think. before hearing this song, I’m sure a bon iver-west duo would have seemed very strange. it still does, to a certain extent. and yet this song does a great job of melding their two styles. as much as kanye annoys me, there’s no arguing that he’s incredibly talented. (runner up: power. it reminds me of dancing with jasper. and i really dig the chanting in the background.)

the cave – mumford and sons
this band was a lock for a place on this list. the vocals aren't overly produced. it's a good, natural voice. i also love me some banjo. this year, especially, i've come to appreciate stripped down music. just nice voices, nice instrumental work and a slight twang. mumford and sons – and the cave, in particular – does all of that to great effect. also, though sad, the lyrics are pretty wonderful. (runner up: ‘little lion man.’)

new favourite moment – northern portrait
i came across this band while living in sudan, thanks to one of my roommates. “new favourite moment” quickly became an ipod staple as i'd walk to the bus stop every morning, sweating along the way.

teenage dream – katy perry
this song is a given. i don’t love katy perry, but there really is no avoiding the fact that “teenage dream” is infectious in the best possible way. it reminds me of rocking out with casey and randi and jasper. if you haven’t come across it on the radio, turned the speakers up to max and danced like an idiot while waiting for a light to turn green, i suggest you do so immediately.

boy – ra ra riot
not long after i got back to portland, i saw ra ra riot play live. they were a little disappointing. and, somewhat unfairly, that performace has stuck with me and sort of poisoned my initial fondness of this band. still, that night was a pretty damn good one, and this song reminds me of the excitement of just getting home and how possibilities seemed infinite in that way they sometimes do.

bonus non-2010 song: baibaba bimba – tenniscoats
a friend of mine submitted this song for a collaborative fall mix we made over at ‘would you jump rope.’ i quickly over-listened to it. still, it’s a beautiful, sweet, meandering song. perfect for the fall. i love the singer’s voice and the quirky sound her instrument (i wish i knew what it was called!) turns out. this list wouldn’t have been complete without this one.

i really want to go outside and make it light all day

2010-12-30T00:53:00.000-08:00

i've been trying to force myself to use my 50mm f/1.8 more often. i always see beautiful pictures being made with it, but i'm much more reliant on my 28mm. anyhow, while i was home, i tried to shoot almost exclusively with the 50mm. here are some shots of family over christmas weekend as the sun was setting:

this would be my very own dad.

dad and zack (one of two brothers).

logan (two of two brothers).

from left to right: zack, dad, logan and caitlin. (zack and caitlin are twins, for those who are curious.)

make it perfect and real

2010-12-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

i don't take many photos of family. one of the reasons being family is so far away. another reason being my mom really does not like me to take photos of her. this quick polaroid, snapped christmas morning, got a reprieve. my mom is on the left, my brother logan on the right.

life down southwest

2010-12-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

i took my trusty new spectra system with me to phoenix over the christmas weekend. i forgot how much i missed a big, clear, blue sky. and homemade tamales. anyhow, the results using 'image' film:

new camera on the block

2010-12-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

these are the other shots from my first pack of softone film with the spectra system. the new camera lets me play around with double exposures. well, you can double expose with most any polaroid camera, but it's super easy with the spectra system. i tried a few of them (the last three images in this post). they didn't turn out as well as i'd hoped, but i sort of looked at this pack as a test pack, more or less. since i've been in arizona for the past 24 hours, i've taken some more photos with the spectra system. i'm pretty happy with the results. i'll post them when i get back to portlandia and my trusty scanner. until then, happy christmas!

note about the post title: on my way up to seattle (where a good half of these polaroids were shot!) last weekend, i noticed that new kids on the block was playing in tacoma. they were hooking up with the back street boys. really.