The Year of the Goat

This Is Albie and He Is Awesome.

As I mentioned the other day, I had a birthday last week. That of course makes me a Capricorn, as if it weren't already obvious. Though there's some funny things going on in the astrology of my birth date, I'm a goat at the core.

Signs have always played a part in my books. Catherine in The Heights was into astrology. Anytime I mention when a certain character's birthday, it's because I want the reader to connect them to their sign. It's something I often think through with characters. Partially because it was always an important signifier to me as a child. I didn't have religion, so these kind of things, along with making wishes, seemed meaningful. It's also been my experience that the majority of people behave according to their zodiac.

Naturally, I've always felt an affinity with goats. They seem to sense it to. I've never encountered a goat that didn't come right up to me and want me to pet it between the horns. So when I opened my birthday present last week, I was thrilled. The Missus had sponsored me a goat at the wonderful Woodstock Animal Sanctuary.

Above is the goat I now sponsor. His name is Albie. Albie is a sweet and remarkable goat according to the card. He was found in Prospect Park after he escaped an animal market. He lost a leg, but he's getting fitted for a fake one.

"This year-long sponsorship goes toward feeding dear Albie and keeping him safe, well cared for and loved. It also allows him to be an ambassador for other goats who need help in the world."

Capricorns...we stick together. I can't wait to see him in the spring and spoil him with treats.

The Marsupial Strut

Sprinkle it on.

Sprinkle it on.

Alligator...was a quater.

My marsupial strut.

(c) ben burdick 1994

This Story Time Tuesday memory is brought to you by the insanity of the south tower resting on the corner of 11th Street and Third Avenue. A piece of paranoia folklore kept alive with retellings over time. One perfect stanza and then no more, but one I will always enjoy.

Restarting the Mind

Hurry up, please. It's time.

Every so often it's important to change your mindset. Attempt to see things in a different light. Reevaluate and restructure. I'd say three years is a good estimate.

Of course, you can always renew your old one if you come to the same conclusions you've come to previously. But I find it usually doesn't work out so well. That old mindset being more than a little spent. It's like a leased car, you never hang onto it after the expiration date.

As I've just had a birthday pass, these are the thoughts that weigh on me this day. It will take a bit of time to reboot the mind thoroughly. The process is just beginning to update itself. But the early install has completed and I think I will be a bit more spontaneous this cycle. I'm starting a novel today that I only just thought of three days ago. Working in an old style of seeing where it takes me.

Weekend Music Roundup...Rest of the Best

I swear to you all that this is the last list before I begin new reviews. I have some extremely good choices for you in the upcoming weeks, but I would feel incomplete without first sharing with you my favorite albums from the past that I first heard in 2010. Listening to music from the past is a huge part of my musical life. I love to dig into the roots of what inspired something current or sounds that have long been fogotten. I do the same with books. I don't understand people who only read contemporary fiction. You need a frame of reference in order to evaluate. Here's the nine best discoveries from the past that I found this year. Enjoy.

The Wooden Sky - If I Don't Come Home, You'll Know I'm Gone: (indie folk) This first one comes from way back in 2009. When I first reviewed this on here, it didn't quite stand out. It was simply one of many folk rock records. But over the course of last year, I kept returning to this album. During car rides with the iPod on shuffle, almost always when an amazing song came on and I checked to see who it was, it was The Wooden Sky. Fantastic album.

Bonnie Prince Billy - As Forgiveness: (singer songwriter) I'm a big fan of Will Oldham and his many musical incarnations. 'I See A Darkness' is one of my 25 most favorite albums of all time. But with so many releases, I missed this 2007 gem. An incredible collection of sad Midwestern folk.

Pink Floyd - The Man & The Journey: (space rock) In 1969, Pink Floyd was a band trying to find their identity after the departure of Syd Barrett. They played a series of concerts called The Massed Gadgets of Auximenes, which was divided into two parts, The Man and The Journey. These mostly instrumental tracks would later become parts of other songs while others faded away. Available only in bootleg form, this is one for every fan.

Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band - Jug Band Music: (jug band folk) This 1965 album is a prologue to the San Francisco sound of the years to come, developed in Boston and Greenwich Village. An amazing psych-folk record.

Brenda Lee - All Alone Am I: (pop) This 1963 album sees 19 year old Brenda Lee moving away from the rock-a-billy roots of her previous 7 albums and into a more traditional pop sound. Her vocals, as always, are beautiful and the songs are laced with a delightful sadness that keeps me coming back for more.

Spirogyra - St. Radigunds: (Canterbury folk) This 1971 freak folk album is a lost masterpiece. In the spirit of The Incredible String Band, the quartet's debut album is one of the landmarks in the progressive folk movement that has recently been revived. This is one for anyone digging the new sound of folk of recent years. NOTE: This band is not be confused with the craptastic jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra from Buffalo.

Grateful Dead - Wake of the Flood: (psych folk rock) I was never a fan of this band. I wrote them off mainly because of the joke they had become during my youth. But recently, I've been rediscovering some of the early work, this 1973 album being among the best I've heard so far. It's just an epic album that I've been listening to way too much. Look for more to be on this same list next year.

Fleetwood Mac - The Original Fleetwood Mac: (British Blues) Another band that I've rediscovered, having never realized that their pre-horrible stage was as a blues band lead by Peter Green. This collection of outtakes from that era (1969-1971) is one of the finest examples of the British blues hey-day. Amazing riffs, perfect vocals; it's a shame Peter Green self-destructed. Even greater shame is the what this band became in the '70s.

David Bowie - Hunky Dory: (rock) Part of Bowie's best period, this 1971 album was a glaring omission from my collection. I knew most of the songs from other Bowie releases, but never heard this album in it's entirety. From start to finish, easily one of the best Bowie albums.

BONUS: My favorite Songs of 2010

1.Yeasayer - O.N.E.: Modern nu-wave infectious sound. Love it.

2.Quadron - Slippin': Somewhat late '80s radio revival, but done perfect.

3.Lifeseeker - Sammy Hagar Rules: Hip-hop masterpiece. Every time this song comes on, I'm feeling it.

4.Kanye West - Power: One of the best hip-hop tracks in yonks.

5.Holly Miranda - Ex-Factor: I listen to this Lauren Hill cover constantly.

New Ghosts in the Snow

Standing among the flakes as the first snow of the year fell,

looking up as thousands of newly hatched ghosts took their first flight.

As well I was able, I gathered the ideas they whispered.

The opening lines for a new novel on one.

Six verses for a picture book on others.

The promise of good fortune from the ones that touched upon my head.

As always, thank you snow.

When Bad Books Do Good

Poorly written books have always had a place on bestseller lists alongside truly great books. There's no accounting for taste among some people. Other people simply look for books to provide baseline entertainment that they could easily find during the day by watching reruns of crime procedurals on cable.

As I grow older and wiser, I've learned to stomach this affront to my art. But the one thing I really can't seem to accept is when really average writing is celebrated as exceptional literature. Authors with little talent or vision, who essentially should be writing novel adaptations of movies like Yogi Bear are being hailed as the second coming of J.D. Salinger simply because they've tapped into the right trend or connected with the right blogger.

I'll simply never understand how a book with an unfocused story, zero emotional depth, and the artistic level of language equivalent to a magazine article can be so adored. Honestly, isn't it time we stop celebrating mediocrity simply because we may like the person who produced it?

Weekend Music Roundup...BEST of 2010

Happy New Year! It's time for one last look back on the year in music. This was an odd year for me. I listened to close to two-hundred albums that came out this year, and though I liked a great many of those, there were few that felt truly amazing. However, I'm aware that often that kind of attachment to an album comes only after years of listening. That said, I still believe it was a great year in releases. Folk was definitely the big winner of the year, with most of the albums I loved falling into that category. On the other side, this was the worst year I can remember in terms of straight up rock records. Thankfully, there seems to be some on the horizon for next year...after all, rock and roll can never die.

Here is my list of the top 25 albums from this year. So enjoy, debate, or tell me I'm crazy for some omission or horrid inclusion...though I can't promise I'll hear it as my ears will already be filled with albums for next year.

1. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me: (folk): In a year where few albums felt legendary to me, this one did. A rare triple album that feels as though every song is necessary. Though on this album, my literature bias is surely a part of it. It's poetry set to music.

2. Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn: (dark cabaret) A concept/ story album about Siamese twin sisters who narrowly escape being murdered at birth to be raised in a chicken coop until they are sold into child prostitution, only then to become circus performers and ultimately Internet music sensations. A brilliant and twisted story with perfect musical accompaniment.

3. Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks: (folk) Jack White's wife delivers a fantastic Americana folk album. Her voice is beautiful, the songs are outstanding. This is a timeless album that I'm sure to enjoy for years to come. I only wish I'd been able to get the peach-scented vinyl before it become ludicrously expensive.

4. Portugal. The Man - American Ghetto: (indie psychedelic pop) Another gem from a band that had two albums on my list last year. This Alaskan band (now Portland) is easily one of the best bands of this just done decade with a consistently impressive and ever-evolving catalog of albums. Not to mention that this one gets my vote for the best album cover of the year.

5. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs: (Bruce Springsteen revival) I was shocked that I liked this as much as I do. The band's first album is probably one of my top ten or twenty of the 2000's but I found Neon Bible to be average at best and Eddy and Cruisers Season in Hell at it's worst. But this album is pretty brilliant, tapping into the emptiness felt by those of us who grew up in the sprawl of North American cities over the past twenty-years.

6. Wu Tang vs. The Beatles - Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers: (mash up) Combining the band that revolutionized the power pop and the band that revolutionized hip hop made both sound incredibly new. Absolutely brilliant in every way.

7. Menemona - Mines: (hipster trash): A late entry onto my list as I just got this for Christmas. It's an album I've been fiending for since it came out months and months ago and I'm sad I waited so long. Another band that has to rank up there with most impressive outputs in the 2000s, this album brings together all that they do best in a glorious indie psych rock album.

8. Midlake - The Courage of Others: (folk) in a year with a lot of albums like this, this one stood out for me. There is a Wordsworthian strain running through this album, making it sound like a manifesto of Romanticism principles instead of one of many other melancholy folk albums. A rich, full sound also helps it to rise above.

9. Holly Miranda - The Magician's Private Library: (singer/songwriter) Sounds to me like a female version of Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago". Holly's voice is the heart of this record around which the swirling electronic folk swirls. Simply beautiful and a close contender for best album cover of the year.

10. Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man: (socialist mass communication) One of my favorite bands of all time, the lads from Cardiff return to the big sound of "Design for Life" in this album about how the ideals of our youth slowly fade away. This album was a grower for me. First few listens, I enjoyed it. Next few listens, I caught the thread of shattered idealism that runs through it and discovered how truly moving it can be. The Manic's strength has always been their ability to add so much meaning to songs that can also fill arenas. "Golden Platitudes" ranks as one of their best songs ever.

11. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: (transcending masterpiece) Only the semi-annoying John Legend track kept this from my top five, but this album hits on every level and shows what an artist pushed to the limit can do when given the space to create without concern. This is the most ambitious hip-hop record in year and years. As he says, he's going after whoever who has it, and he plain took them down.

12. Natural Snow Buildings - The Centauri Agent: (space drone folk) Known for their hours long drone folk masterpieces, the French duo returned this year with another 2+hour record and for the first time exploring the realm of space rock. A beautiful listen that certainly fits with some of their best work.

13. Sparrow and the Workshop: Crystals Fall: (indie folk rock) Glasgow trio creating one of the best Americana albums of the year. A fantastic sound that rises and falls within each song. This is one that I've been listening to a ton in the last month or so.

14. Moonface -Dreamland EP: (indie experimental) Bored genius Spencer Krug (of Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes) treated us with this 20 minute experimental track that works on the same level of his regular bands to produce a meaningful journey worth taking.

15. Lightspeed Champion - Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You: (indie pop) Expanding on his stellar debut, this album infuses blues guitar into his clever Beatles-esque power pop tunes of modern observations. Just a wonderful collection of songs.

16. Smoosh - Withershins: (teen sadness) Now in their late teens, the girls from Smoosh created a near masterpiece on their third album. As with their last album, this one captures an honest look at the kind of hopeful despair that can only come from the voice of youth. Beautiful.

17. Electric Wizard - Black Masses: (stoner metal) Heavy, heavy, heavy as usual, but with an acquired sense of melody, making this one the band's most complete releases to date.

18. Samantha Crain - You (Understood): (folk country) My favorite new discovery from last year returned with another great album. One of the best voices I've ever heard singing over simple acoustic indie folk guitar, Samantha Crain writes deeply moving songs that never fail to find their way into my heart.

19. A Silver Mt. Zion - Kollaps Tradixionales: (indie experimental) One of the first albums I heard from 2010, this one never strayed too far from my mind. A hard album to define, it crosses genres and ranges from soft to heavy. A very original album.

20. Angus & Julia Stone - Down the Way: (indie folk pop) The duo from Down Under released another impressive album this year. The two voices blend beautifully on this album, singing sad songs that stood-out in a year when there were many albums trying to accomplish the same thing.

21. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - (Acoustic Sessions): (indie folk) Sean Lennon's new direction shines brilliantly. Along with girlfriend Charlotte Muhl, the couple have created an album of modern fairy tales that feels fresh while continuing the whimsical side of Sean's father. Amazing songs created out of isolation.

22. Jakob Dylan - Women + Country: (americana) Another son of a legend, I've never been a fan of Jakob Dylan's solo work or his work with Wallflowers, but taking a detour on the road of americana songs, he really soars above his previous output. These songs are meaningful and memorable.

23. Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou - Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou: (British Folk) Formerly known as Indigo Moss, the couple returns with another gem of old-style british folk music. Clever lyrics and rollicking rhythm providing insight on our world.

24. Those Poor Bastards - Gospel Haunted: (gothic country/ death folk) One of the best in the genre, another great album of hellfire hymns about damnation and temptation. A fiery sermon that shouldn't be missed.

25. J. Tillman - Singing Ax: (singer/songwriter) A minimal acoustic sound with a voice that reaches inside of you, J. Tillman is a preacher in the same sense Leonard Cohen is a preacher. Deeply moving.

#?. HIM - Screamworks: (acoustic rock) This one needs to be on here, but I'm not sure where. The official studio album is nothing more than OK, never wandering from the band's recipe for success. HOWEVER, the deluxe edition of the album includes a bonus disk of Ville Vallo's acoustic demo for the album. That bonus disc is what I'm really including on here. If that had been the official release, it would easily have made it into my top 5 for the year.

(Honorable Mentions: Albums that in most cases are equal to the last ten album on this list and I would feel amiss in not mentioning them.)

The White Stripes - Under Great White Northern Lights

Bobby Bare Jr. - A Storm - a Tree - My Mother's Head

The Black Keys - Brothers

Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart

Dead Meadow - Three Kings

Tina Dico - Welcome Back Colour

Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs - Medicine County

Wolf Parade - Expo 86