Soundtrack: 2005

in no particular order, the songs that 2005 attaches memory and meaning to:

Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz)
a) whoever picks out the iPod commercial background music knows their marketing shit. Because I'm totally their niche. And I'm buying. Shoot, all that long-windedness about resisting materialism... out the window.
b) seriously, a cartoon band? I love the 21st century. My remaining question: do the cartoon band member get to go through angst and rehab and bad relationships, too?

Pump It (Black Eyed Peas)
Another song a commercial (Best Buy) introduced me to, about which I have consequently obsessed. I love the fact that some 60s guitar and mariache thing (think Wipeout) is happening on the background of this song while the Black Eyed Peas (who, yah I know, not indie rock, not even really my style, but I cannot help myself... they make me want to dance) do their thang. Hey, it's a great song to walk the dogs to, run to, work out to. What can I say? I'm only human.

Do You Want To (Franz Ferdinand)
God, I love Franz Ferdinand. I know that most 15-year-olds feel the same way. But that boum-boum-twang guitar thing, that catchy drum riff, the obvious early Beatles influence, that incredibly sexy Scottish accent... you know I cannot resist the BritPop. Guilty pleasures.

Stay (Blue Merle)
OK, guilty pleasures aside (for the time being), let's talk about good songwriting. And an amazing emotional conveyance that sends chills up my arms. I love Luke Reynold's voice. He makes me want to fall in love again and again til it hurts.

It's a Disaster (OK Go)
OK Go is one of my all-time favorite things from Chicago (Nordlund's and Fado being a couple of the other things...) John and I saw OK Go for the first time early this summer when they opened for Kaiser Chiefs. Their music is 100% pop-punk (just the way I like it). But what I really love about these guys: their performances. This band has a quirky, crazy, energy-laden stage presence like nothing duplicated out there (check their website for the crazy dancing skills these boys have perfected). I'd take my grandma to OK Go. I'd take my 2-year-0ld. I'd take anyone who'd allow me to drag them along. Long live OK Go.

Blow it Out (The Features)
Paige and I were driving home from work and day care one day when this song started playing on the radio. My perfect, darling, awesome little girl started dancing in her carseat, banging that blonde little head, looked me straight in the face, and said, "Mama, good song."

I have a 2-year-old rock and roll fan on my hands. Not precisely sure what I did right in life to deserve that perfect little package. But I'll TOTALLY take it.

Dirty Little Secret (All-American Rejects)
I love when friends introduce me to a genre that wasn't even on the radar (you rock, Keith and Sarah). Suddenly, I realize I have about 10 CDs that fall under what I would call pop-punk with a jaded attitude. I love this, the title track to All-American Rejects latest release. It's representative of their music, fun to sing, and the guitar absolutely sings and snarls in turn.

Get Myself Arrested (Gomez)
This particular song, while neither new to 2005 or to my repertoire this year, has an inside loop meaning on several levels and has been played at appropriate funny story, near-miss moments (for friends, not myself... of course...)

That, and I saw Gomez live for the first time this year. Cake headlined the concert, and while I love Cake (Chris and the boys make it on the list a little later, I promise), Gomez transcends genre and tastes to just be an all-star rock band. If you haven't picked up their live release, Out West, from early this year... get on it! The only thing better than Gomez on CD is Gomez live. And since these boys don't have any plans for heading back to the states in the next month or so (that I have seen), the live CD is as close are you are going to get.

An Honest Mistake (The Bravery)
Maybe it's because I am a child of the 1970s. I don't really know why, but something about disco-inspired music makes me involuntarily do that Night at the Roxbury thing with my head.

That leading into my favorite "new band", The Bravery. Yes, I know that they'll probably lose luster as fast as the Killers did for me this year (note: the Killers are the only band who didn't make it on this list in 2005 whose show I went to see this year -- it sucked that bad...) But you know what? Sometimes short-lived crushes are totally the most fun.

Sari (Nellie McKay)
Nellie McKay is no stranger on my best of/favorites list (she was on last year's mix too...), and in fact, she's probably my very favorite female artist at the moment. I got her first CD, Get Away From Me, for my birthday last year... and I've been in love ever since. I have had a whole year to memorize all 18 songs on the 2-disc release, and Sari is hands-down my favorite (as well as often representative of my experiences as a 20-something career woman, mother, wife, alternative-girl, liberal, forward-thinking, intellectual, urban dweller.)

In related years, mark your calendars for the first Tuesday of the new year, when Nellie McKay's next CD, Pretty Little Head, hits stores. To quote a certain blonde I know, "I so 'cited, I scream!"

(I Am) What I Am Not (Idlewild)
Idlewild is my "Crikey, what rock have I been living under?" band of 2005. On a whim (and mostly because I'd rather chill with friends than idol worship a big-named band from afar), I scalped my U2 tickets in September and instead dumped the profits into dinner and the Idlewild show at First Ave. Best decision I made all year. Seriously, Idlewild (by the way, another Scottish band... do you sense a theme here?) put on an amazing show, poked some good-natured fun at "the big show going on next store" and rocked the venue. (I Am) What I Am Not is off an older album, but it's the first album I have, and a great tune.

L.S.F. (Kasabian)
Hey, look, another band I was starting to dig on at the end of last year. Except that I haven't heard anything about Kasabian since about May, which I find a little disheartening. Kasabian's music is unclassifiable (in my world), but is a unique sound that makes me want to dance, drink a beer, and scream lyrics in turn. Their self-titled album gets the "Best album to clean house to" stamp from me. The hardest part of putting Kasabian on this list was choosing just one song.

Filthy/Gorgeous (Scissor Sisters)
OK, OK... I promise I'll find entirely new bands to talk about next year. Honestly, Scissor Sisters is another group that seemed to have one hit (Take Your Mama) and disappear. However, one track from their self-titled debut, Filthy/Gorgeous, singlehandedly takes #1 most played on my iTunes. 23 times. Oh, and I just got my play counter working in September. If I want to go out, get pretty, start a party, dance by myself, feel beautiful, or get into mischief, this is my theme song. Take a listen sometime and see if you can stop yourself from dancing.

Everyday I Love You Less and Less (Kaiser Chiefs)
Kaiser Chiefs hit airwaves this spring (can you guess? They jumped the pond... a bunch of football hooligans from Leeds...) and I fell in love. Surprisingly, when they hit First Ave this spring, not nearly as many people were in love with them as I was, and so I was able to treat John to a first-rate rock concert (his first... imagine that, only being 26 and all... OK Go also played this show... double my pleasure, double my fun!). Now, Everyday I Love You Less and Less isn't their big radio hit, but since I've memorized the CD by now, I feel safe saying that it's my favorite (mostly because it's the cheekiest of the lot.) They are touring Japan and Europe this spring -- but when are they getting back into the studio for a new album???

Carbon Monoxide (Cake)
"Too much carbon monoxide for me to bear..." A single wailed line announces the beginning of this overlooked Cake tune. Maybe best known for The Distance, Cake really isn't at all about racing cars, but about just being plain nonconformist. Gotta love that. And gotta love this song about traffic and expensive cars and urban sprawl. Go on with your bad selves, boys. I love ya.

Hell Yes (Beck)
I didn't manage to go see Beck when he was here (John hates him, and there were approximately 286,000 good shows in town over about 12 days in September), but I really love some of the stuff on Guero, his latest album. Especially Hell Yes. It sort of throws back to Where It's At, but it's got more attitude. Anytime I needed a dose of anti-establishment this year, I turned to this song. Bonus: it's got a decent beat, so it also played double duty when I needed bitterly to nail a deadline at work while still feeling sassy. Did I mention there's harmonica? You know how I feel about the harmonica, right?

Dance, Dance (Fall-Out Boy)
Dance, Dance kind of falls into the Dirty Little Secret/All-American Rejects category... but even angrier. Fall-Out Boy is another fabulous thing to hail from Chicago (someone explain why we haven't packed up our house and moved there yet???...), and has enjoyed a healthy explosion of popularity. As long as they don't turn into pyrotechnic fatheads like another very promising punk band (ahem... Green Day...) I'll be a happy girl.

She's Hearing Voices (Bloc Party)
How do I even begin to describe Bloc Party's sound? Hailing from south London, these boys are positively global. I love their sound; it's the stuff I love about music, generally (tight lyrics, driving drums, dancing guitar riffs, a unique lead vocal), fast-forwarded 15 years. Silent Alarm, their first full-length, released this year, has gotten all sort of critical acclaim... and that's gotta mean something. I can't wait til they get to my town. Sigh...

Busting Up A Starbucks (Mike Doughty)
Most of the world probably recognizes Mike Doughty's gravely vocals from his Soul Coughing years. Well, we all know Soul Coughing is no more (and the world a worse place for it, even if inter-band quibbling ate them alive... I need my quirky experimental music, man!), but Doughty's made a decent stab at solo goodness. Mike Doughty is truly one-of-a-kind (and while generally a big fat jerk, he's beautiful...) and I love the tongue-in-cheek Busting Up a Starbucks. So, experimental quirkiness, live on.

Two Sides of the River (Dar Williams)
Dar Williams, a perennial favorite, FINALLY got a new CD out there this fall (giving her what is due, she did get married and have a baby...) and I just love the soulfulness of Two Sides of the River. It reminds me of the fluid and dicey state of relationships (she reflected on this song following her out of New Orleans when she performed in St. Paul this fall.) I could give or take most folk music, but Dar is enchantment to my ears. Did I mention I got to meet her (squeal!) after her show? For the record, she thinks I'm a good mom. Aww...

Such Great Heights (The Postal Service)
Originally, I heard Such Great Heights as an Iron & Wine song... which in and of itself, was pretty fantastic (if not a little downtempo for my tastes). So when I heard The Postal Service's version, I had to remind myself to breathe. Take a beautifully penned love song, throw indie-rock edge at it, and double the tempo. Perhaps the best all-around song of the year. Unmistakable genius. 'Nuff said.

Let There Be Love (Oasis)
How I love to hate Oasis. They are arrogant, self-righteous, quarrelsome brothers and friends (at the best of times, it seems) who I would otherwise detest. But they make music that... well, you know. Sometimes music speaks about things that words cannot. And my sweet lord, the last song on this year's release, Don't Believe the Truth, is exactly what Oasis is best at: beautiful songs about the good stuff I cherish in human nature. Noel and Liam, quarrel on, but don't stop making music. I have a connection with that artist's deep love/deep rift cycle, too.

We want to hand down our craft, too! (right?...): A call to arms for alterna-crafters everywhere

Every year for the last couple of years, I have resolved to learn a new craft (this is the type of new year's resolution that I can be assured of keeping.)

In 2006, I'm thinking of learning how to weave. So, I'm doing some research with the help of a couple of friends, and I come across a bunch of fabulous local places, including the Weaver's Guild of Minnesota, the textile center, a couple of cool shops offering classes such as Creative Fibers. There's even a national guild for handweaving. Who knew?

A common theme amongst the mission statements of all these organizations is passing down traditional crafts to future generations. Often, because we buy clothes at Old Navy and get our socks from Target (guilty on both counts), we forget that not very long ago (less than 100 years, for most of us), your clothing was handmade. Grandma or mom knitted and darned the family socks. Not long before then, some artisan was hard at work hand-weaving the fabrics the women of the common classes (and tailors where money afforded) worked with to create garments for the entire population. These arts of necessity are not only time-honored traditions but are threads woven into all cultures (we all need clothing to stay warm/dry/clean, depending on your exact pinpoint on the globe) throughout time.

Cool, I think. To think that I am helping to preserve crafts that women have been passing down to their children and grandchildren for probably hundreds of generations...

Then I start to look at the staff at these organizations, the names and pictures of those on advisory boards and membership lists, and I have this creeping sense of dread, because I begin to realize that I could very well be the only person under 30 who has ever seriously considered bothering wht the Textile Center.

Why? The No-Coast craft show earlier this month was a rip-roaring success, and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single "old-school" crafter in the house.
We've got Bust's Girl Wide Web... Crafty Planet... and this, from a recent University Chronicle article:

"No Coast's target audience was anyone looking for a good time. Parker said she doesn't want anyone to feel excluded based on age."The majority of vendors are in their 20s or 30s, but we have a couple of people that are still in high school and some in their 60s," Parker said. "My vision is crafting as a full circle. It's not just about young people or grandmas. I think it's the neatest thing to have a variety of age ranges come together and be excited about the same thing."

OK... so, here's the rub: if all the closet craft-nerds are coming out, baring our knitting needles and weaving looms, why aren't we joining the ranks of those supporting the propagation and generational continuance of our various craft(s)? My mom and grandma taught me to sew. I learned to quilt from an ancient woman named Millie. I have a big, pulsating soft spot for the old passing on their knowledge to the young... and textile arts/general craftiness certainly should be no exception. Except: nearly everyone on staff at these craft guilds are post-retirement age. Since when do we have to be grannies to lead our trades? Take Crafty Planet's example, get out there, do whatcha love, live the craft, learn from the masters (yes, even if they do remind you of Great-Aunt Tilly) and pass it on to other generations.

Alterna-crafters of today, those (to quote a friend) 20-somethings with scenester haircuts: get involved! Why aren't you, the green, hip, vintage-recycling, innovative, trend-creating, future of our art representing at the official organization level?

Come on, crafty sisters and brothers! Seize the momentum of our handiwork's trendiness and make an impact on future generations!

(I admittedly do not belong to any of these organizations, but on my own admonishments will now be looking into memberships... if you craft, do your art the biggest favor you can and please look into supporting an organization of your choosing through membership, attending (or teaching!) classes, volunteering or any other number of forms of involvement.)

Santa, Baby?

A couple of saturdays ago, we made our annual trek to the Minneapolis Marshall Field's to see their holiday display and of course, visit santa.

The lines were long, and as we wove through the home department on the 5th floor, you could see the hyperactivity creep into every fiber of Paige's being. Ah well, I tell myself. She's 2 and a half... what can you do?

Finally, we get up to the holiday display line. By this time, Paige's patience has completely worn out. She's tired, hungry, and cranky. Even the pretty sparkly Cinderella display didn't wow her (though two middle-aged women without children who rudely budged through a veritable wall of toddlers to get through the display first just about got a knuckle sandwich from both me and the mom in front of me...). Finally, thankfully, Cinderella's dress enchanted her little girly self into submission and we began enjoying ourselves.

The stars seemed aligned in our favor again when the line to see Santa was half as long as it has been for the past 2 years. Moving quickly, Paige didn't cry - didn't whine - didn't drool down her dress or mess up her pigtails. Soon enough, we're face to face with Santa.

Now, this last fall, Paige has adopted a healthy fear of strangers (which secretly makes me happy. She was just a little to cosmopolitan for this mom's tastes.) So, instead of hopping on Santa's lap, she coyly sits on the little drum "seat" next to him. Then, with all the charm she can muster, she starts the following conversation:

Paige: "Santa, please Santa, please! I want real baby this year, please Santa!"
Santa: (chuckling) "Oh, I see, Paige. You'd like a dollie for Christmas."
Paige: (tsks; draws on every ounce of attitude she has available.) "No, Santa! I want REAL BABY."
Santa: (now audibly laughing) "Well, you'll have to talk with your mommy and daddy about that. Now, how about a candy cane and picture?"

At which point I can feel the blood rush to my face, ears, forehead. Thank God Santa's elf didn't get me in the picture. She couldn't have; she was giggling too hard anyway.

I just hope Paige isn't too diappointed when Santa doesn't leave a newborn under the Christmas tree Sunday morning.

i heart spellcheck

Writing my final paper of the semester (yesss....)

One citation I am using: Gina Hernez-Broome.
Spellcheck suggests calling this, I am sure well-respected theorist in her field:
Gina Herpes-Broom.

the quick and dirty list of things that made me happy this week

1) getting the pda in my phone to sync with my computer at work
2) stella
3) wednesday night shows at first ave
4) Paige dancing to Maniac like she's been casted in a Flashdance revival
5) getting christmas cards done
6) Fred Flare
7) seriously, my new job. Best. Career Move. Ever.
8) i heart huckabees
9) size 5 knitting needles
10) 1 of 2 final presentations - done!

maintenance-free

#1. There's no such thing as a maintenance-free marriage. Unless, of course, you are participating in the popular "practice marriage", "sham marriage" or "disposable marriage" so popular amongst celebrities. Then, feel free to neglect, as you aren't really planning for the long term at any rate

#2. It's a good thing that I bought an 80-something year old house, because its drafty windows and imperfect plaster have taught me an important lesson about life.
Not many people would be as enamored with my house as I am. The thought of leaving it, selling it, abandoning it, having a fire or disaster (I'm just being paranoid because of the fire reported on the news this morning) gets me a little shaky and blurry-eyed. I love every nook and cranny of my vintage shelter: its leaning garage, the sinking stoop, the poorly renovated kitchen (soon to be remedied, mind you), the terracotta-colored walls, the half-story bedrooms, the miniature bathroom.

Why don't other people get my fascination with the old home? Because it's old. It needs love, it needs constant attention and constant maintenance. Which brings me to another conclusion: I'm beginning to notice a trend, that as a culture, we want things maintenance-free.

• We don't want to paint the exteriors of our homes -- generalizing, I see a lot of people wrapping their suburban (and even -- gasp -- urban) homes in pvc siding and calling it a day.
• We don't want to change the oil in our cars -- hence, the new models that can go several thousand more miles between oil changes (as the daughter of an auto mechanic, I am terrifically skeptic about this...)
• We don't want to work to maintain our relationships. Somewhere along the line, I was fed a line about how relationships are "happily ever after". Now, I know that's not true. And I have for years. But how come we never hear about the ensuing battle when Cinderella cannot balance the checkbook? What about the big argument pursuant to Prince Charming's control issues?

My challenge to myself in all this is, you reap the fruits of your labors. Maintaining that which has staying potential, while more difficult in the short term, will longitudinally create a rich, deep, perserveringly meaningful experience -- in my home, in my Ford, and in my marriage.