underneath the waves
blinded by the blue

By camden
 


By camden
 


end of another year...

By camden
this is the time of year i start getting into 'what did i hear this year that is worth remembering?'

i will have my top 10 albums in a few, but i thought i would note some singles i really liked first, since the album is almost a dead concept to me now.

1. the shins- australia
this is the best single i have heard all year, hands down. complex melody stucture, no familiarity, and all of the good components in place- refrain, solo, etc.

2. the decemberists- the crane wife 1 and 2
yeah, they signed to capitol. can i fault them for going after the money? they are harvard grads, after all. and geniuses of this victorian melody thing- longing and sadness with an unnatural restraint.

3. hem- not california
ok, i will be honest. i am not really remembering all of the single songs i liked this year, just the recent ones. i have always liked this group, and in this song, they take a van morrison-type of turn. it's relaxing, pretty, and pastoral.

4. killers- bling(confessions of a king)
i first listened to sam's town on a cross-state trip with my upgraded iPod headphones. that is the perfect setting for this record, with their bruce springsteen-leaning abandon. this song offered me the most intriguing quote i have heard in a while- 'how do you know that you're right; if you're not nervous anymore?'

5. guillemots- made up love song 43
this is a fractured song- and in the beginning, sounds kind of dumb. but as it goes on, you start to feel the warmth, and by the time you hear 'i love you i dont think you care' you are hooked. then, after the soaring harmonies and dancing bassline, hearing them sing 'i can't believe you care' echo your sentiments exactly.

6. +/- leap year
i've been hearing about this band for a while now, and this is the first song i heard, which happens to be the best one. building drums, awesome breakdown and rebuild. adding the female vocal at the end was a nice touch.

7. death cab for cutie- transatlanticism (live)
probably the most moving moment musically i have had all year. they played with intensity and fervor; almost seems like they knew what it was doing to me. it was brilliant.
 


rao

By camden
 


By camden
It is interesting to note that the philosopher Kant in The Critique of Judgement (1790) comments that there is a brand of ugliness that is incompatible with the aesthetic stance. "One kind of ugliness alone is incapable of being represented conformably to nature without destroying all aesthetic delight and consequently artistic beauty, namely, that which excites disgust."

I think we have seen an unbelievable amount of it this year.
 


By camden
 


so desolate

By camden
 


big sur

By camden
 


miami 2012

By camden
 


wake me up when december ends

By camden
it's late, and i can't sleep. i think too much. i guess i should write more on this blog, the 'artistic' pictures are probably not that compelling. i second-guess everything i write, which is perhaps why i don't often do it. but, i was inspired by someone else, so i am making the effort.

this year has been full of change.

the beginning of this year i committed myself to something i did not believe in. i did it for many reasons, most of all because what i wanted didn't want me back. things were eventually repaired, in a typically dramatic fashion, but it was a hard lesson for both of us.

i had major issues with employment. this year, i have been a sales rep, customer service rep, fragrance/skincare expert (!), and finally, a programming coordinator which will be changing to an online content coordinator, director, or whatever it is.

i am in love. truly. it is the first time i ever felt like this. and it feels good. love is inspiring.

i believe 2007 will be the year i have been waiting for.

let's get on with it...
 


By camden