Review of Strangers Vol. 2 - Derek Porter

I recently got a hold of my friend Derek's new album Strangers Vol. 2.  (you can get it here).  I loved Vol. 1 and I was really excited to see where Derek would go with its companion.  The album picks up where Vol. 1 ends.  A mix of sounds that slowly become melody in The Rabble part 2.  This up paced start gives way to upfront piano, distorted vocals and chorus.  All of these will be recurring themes in Vol. 2.

On Derek's last album the guitar was the center piece, but it is the piano that stands out on this album.  If Vol. 1 was wilting and dreamy then Vol. 2 is a staccato and scary dream.  Dreams and memory were the focal point of Vol. 1.  There was a contemplative take on these themes in Vol. 1 but this album demands more.  It is not a rhetorical question but one that needs answers.  (look at When I Forget my Name).  In Vol. 1 these questions seemed personal, often through the voice of Derek, but Vol. 2 features more choruses.  It seems that these questions are to be asked by all of us.  Vol. 1 used multiple vocal takes to make a disjointed feeling.  In Vol. 2 Derek distorts his voice, cutting out bits and adding a creepier feeling at times.  The songs on this album build quite a bit, much like a Sufjan track.  Again always placing the piano at the front.    The piano is the driving force, especially in the the hits on songs like When I Forget my Name and Tongue in Cheek.  The lyrics are a bit more playful in this album, and more interesting.  Sometimes Andrew Bird-like.  Make no mistake this is obviously a Derek Porter album.  This may be easy for me to recognize.  I heard Roger the Engineer for the first time almost three years ago, but could not have guessed how the song finally worked out.  And songs like I've Been Walking seem like a bit of a change for Derek.

So what did I think of the album?  Well, up until the final track I was forced to settle with the fact that I liked Vol. 1 just a bit more.  Then the final track came on.  Chestnut Tree is the perfect end for the album.  Not just Vol. 2, but for Strangers as an album.  A song that has the slow and melodic attributes of Vol. 1 and a stronger, more epic chorus in the middle from Vol. 2.  This is all tied up beautifully when the build and repetition of "love I feel you pulsing in the tree" breaks.  There is no need to listen to this album as competition to Vol. 1 but completion.  Strangers is a great album and Derek has really stretched himself sonically.  If you haven't listened to Vol. 1 get a hold of it and listen to both of these albums.

Christmas in Dublin

I was lucky enough to spend my Christmas with my friend Paul.  His family lives about 45 min. outside of Dublin in a town near Drogheda.  Paul's family was very nice to invite me, and I was very excited to visit Ireland.

The Journey,
As most people read, travel in Europe around Christmas was nuts.  The snow meant that most flights were being cancelled.  I was taking a train and a ferry, so I knew I would be fine.  This did mean that the train stations were packed.  At about 8 pm I had a train out of London to the ferry port in Whales.  I was shocked by the method for catching the train.  An announcement is made, and everyone runs.  It is crazy, and truly survival of the fittest.  I was lucky enough to get on the train and leave (roughly) on time.  My train had some problems so we switched to another train at Wolverhampton.  That made us about 15 min. late for our ferry, but luckily there was another one waiting for all of us that were late.  The ferry ride was nice, and lasted about 3 hours.  I arrived in Dublin at 6 30.  After taking a bus from the port I found a train out to Paul's house.  45min. later I saw Paul waiting for me at the station, and I knew Christmas was beginning.

Christmas time,
Being at Paul's was great.  His family welcomed me and I really felt at home.  Most of the time before Christmas was spent relaxing.  We did some last minute shopping and ate tons of food.  Paul and I went for a walk on the beach when I first arrived, and spend our nights playing Mario Kart with his friends.  I was pretty much doing what I would want to do if I was back in the States.  On Christmas Eve we visited Paul's aunt and her family.  After visiting for a while we then went for mid-night mass.  The church was amazing and it really put me into the Christmas spirit.  After mass most of us went to bed, and Paul woke me up in the morning to see if Santa had come.  He had come, and the morning was spent opening our gifts.  There was even a stocking and a present for me.  It was a great Christmas morning.  Paul, his sister, his father, and myself went for a walk on the beach after opening presents.  Paul and his sister even jumped in (with their feet).  I could not be persuaded.  It was cold.  That night was Christmas dinner, and I have never eaten more in my life.  There were a lot of potatoes, ham, and turkey.  There were tons of deserts that were all new to me.  It was great food.  We took a break after eating to relax, and watched "The A Team".  It was a terrible movie, but we had a great time laughing at it.

My last day in Ireland was spent in Dublin.  Paul showed me around town, and I was able to check out his old university (Trinity).  It was a beautiful campus and I see why Paul loves it so much.  Dublin has a really great feel.  Everything is very close, but there is still a bigger city feel.  Not as busy as London, but not a tiny town.  After checking out his uni we stopped by the Guinness brewery.  That was a great tour with lots of information.  It ended with a pint on top of the building.  On the 9th floor Guinness has a bar with one of the best views of Dublin.  I was able to see almost all of the city and I could see the mountains outside of town too.  It was very nice.

At 8 I said good bye to Paul and set out for my ferry.  I thought the trip home would be easier than the trip out to Dublin.  The ferry was alright, but when I got to the station in Whales(12:30 AM) I found out the next train wasn't until 4:48 AM.  It was cold in the station, but I made some friends and we chatted for a bit.  I was even able to get about 2 hours of sleep on the floor.  I got the train, and after about 4 hours of drifting in and out of sleep I was back in London.  It was great to be back after the long journey home.

I am so thankful for Paul's family opening up their house to me and making me feel so welcome.  It was one of my favorite Christmases yet.  I can not thank them enough.

(it was hard to decide what photo's to include.  Here are two.  One from Dublin and the other of Paul on the beach by his house.)

The End of the First Term

So my first term in grad. school is over.  The lectures at least.  These past two weeks have been crazy.  I have been going to work, classes, and tons of parties.  There were parties for the end of term, and Christmas parties.  All around, a very busy time.  I now have about a month off from school, but unlike in the states, I still have work to do.  There were no finals, but I have two essays to write over break.  I hope I can get motivated.

London is covered in snow today, which is bad news for most of my friends who are trying to travel home today.  A lot of flights got cancelled, and when we ordered a pizza it took 2 and a half hours.  I don't think there is a single plough in London, so the whole city kind of shuts down.  This is strange because it normally snows once or twice every year.  You would think they would figure it out.

For the next few days I get to work and then come home and work on essays.  I leave for Dublin on Wed.  I will be there for Christmas and about two days after.  I will use that time as my break, and come back to London ready to work on my essays.

That is all for now.  I am sure I will post some pictures of Dublin when I get back.  Merry Christmas.

Trip up North.

Last weekend my friends Sam and Mike and I went up to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Sam used to go to school there and she had some friends that let us stay in their flat.  We took an overnight bus up on a Thurs. night. The bus ride was very long but we survived.  Edinburgh is beautiful.  It had snowed that week and the entire city was covered in about 6 in. of snow.  I mean the entire city because they don't shovel anything.  It feels really small, but there are a lot of places to check out.  It is a very old city and it has a wonderful character.  We walked all through the city and found some really nice art museums.  I guess I would describe Edinburgh and "cozy".  One of the highlights of our weekend was a church we stumbled into.  As we checked it out choir practice was being held.  We got to look around with some wonderful music filling the chapel.  The trip ended with another overnight bus trip.  This one was awful.  There was no heat in the bus and no one slept.  It was one of the worst experiences of my life.  All I can say is that I am glad it is over.  I won't let the chilling bus ride ruin that weekend though.  It was filled with wonderful sights, Sam's even more wonderful friends, and a small break from the goliath that is London.

Thanksgiving abroad.

So about two weeks ago was Thanksgiving.  This was my first major holiday outside of the states.  (I did spend New Years in Tokyo, but I think Thanksgiving is more important).  Some of my ex-pat friends and I decided to cook a dinner ourselves.  Since we did not have time to cook a turkey we just bought some chicken and cooked some of the rest ourselves.  It actually turned out pretty well.  We had rolls, cornbread, asparagus, green beans, mashed potatoes and of course pumpkin pie.  We invited some non ex-pats as well for their first Thanksgiving.  All and all it was really great.

Something I am very thankful for, besides my family, is my new job.  Along with the Thanksgiving pic (minus Mike, he was taking it) there is a shot of my new shop.  Dose Espresso.  I have been working there about two weeks and I love it.  I am sure there will be more about that in the future.

Getting into the flow of things.

Here is a quick update. My reading week was a success and I finished my essay and turned it on time. It was a lot of work, but it feels great to get it done. I have been looking for a coffee shop job, but nothing has worked out yet. I have found some good shops near my school. There is hope for coffee in my life.

My knee is getting better after my ACL surgery. I have been working out and trying to get back into form. The Doctor released me to start running on a tread mill. Today was the first time I have ran since Jan. It felt pretty awesome. I will be back to playing soccer soon. On my way back from the doctor I walked through Hampstead Heath. It might be one of my favorite spots in London. On the edge of the park I found this wonderful door in a wall. More to come. Enjoy.

Autumn and Guy Fawkes Day

Most of the leaves have fallen here. Autumn took longer to start here than in Central IL, and it lasted for about 2 or 3 weeks. I am now over half way done with my first term at UCL. I just finished my first essay and I have 4 weeks of lectures left before the winter break. I really missed my Autumn rituals of corn mazes and haunted houses, but I was able to celebrate my first Guy Fawkes Day. That was a lot of fun and about 8-12 or my fellow Human Rights colleges meet in a park to watch the bonfire and fireworks. Now that Halloween is over everything is starting to turn to Christmas here. I am not sure what I will do for Thanksgiving, but a few of my fellow ex-pats might try to cook something traditional up. Well, after a week of working on my essay I am exhausted, and ready to go back to just attending lectures. Enjoy these pictures of a park by my campus and the bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day. Laters.

Quick review of the month.

Well, I have not been that good of a blogger. My first month as flown by. I have been very busy with school, but I have been able to have some fun too. I am include some images of what I have been up to during the month of Oct. I made sushi for the first time with some of my flatmates. That was great. I was able to go see Mark Ronson and the Business Int. one weekend. I have included a picture of his stage set up. There were about 6 Keyboards and a lot of drum pads. It was a great show. I was able to interview with Monmouth Coffee. The interview went pretty well, but there were no permanent positions available. I am waiting to hear back from them about seasonal work. Well, that is it for now. I hope to have a little longer of a post up soon. I have some pictures from Guy Fawkes day to show off. Until next time....

Travel to London

So my posts might be a little delayed while I am settling in / don't have a computer. Just for anyone who has not heard I arrived safely in London on Tues. the 21st. The entire trip took somewhere around 18 hours. I flew from Chicago to New York first. That was painless, and Geetha met me at the airport so my 5 hour layover was a lot of fun. The next leg was not so good. I could not sleep or get comfortable on the 5 hour flight to Iceland. We landed at about 6AM local time. The airport in Reykjavik was beautiful, but not handicap accessible. I was able to watch the sunrise. Iceland looked amazing, and I will have to go back there soon. Then came the 3 hour flight to London. I slept for most of it. At Heathrow I had a difficult time with my luggage and huge bike box. I somehow made my way to the express train that took me to central London in 15 min. I then got in a cab and in about 20 min was in front of my dorm. Hawkridge House (where I live) is pretty hidden. It is on a tiny street that comes to a dead end. I live on the 6th floor with 5 others. All of my room mates seem to be pretty cool.

So that is my account of the first few days. There will be more entries to come (hopefully with pictures, once I get a phone) about my neighborhood and my campus. Look for entries about British culture, not just queuing, but also signs are receipts. I am sure all of you can barely wait.

FOR---EV-----ERRRRR

That is how long it has been since I have last updated this. A couple of months ago I thought I would post the best albums of 2009, but after being made fun of by Nick and Brittany I decided not to. Last night I was hanging out with Angie and I remember that I had a blog. Taking her advice I am going to try to update this thing more often. Reason why coming up...

So what the hell has been going on with me? Well, after a long process of deciding where to go to graduate school (one that took me out to Seattle) I have decided to attend University College London in the fall. It is about 95 percent certain that I will be there. I was accepted into their program last summer but I decided to defer my enrollment until this year. I am just waiting on the official letter that should be arriving soon.

To waste time until then I am back to working at the Coffee Hound in Bloomington, IL. I live in Bloomington as well (Franklin Park, what what). If you are a friend from far away, still call me if you are going to Chicago. Sometimes I can make it up there to meet you. Also I have started attending a house church. It is very loosely based on Neo-Monasticism (see older posts) and I think it is a great step in my personal faith. Please talk to me about it sometime. I would love that.

Part of why I am starting this blog up again is for my friends who do not live near me. This will be a way to keep everyone posted, as well as my usual rants. I think this communication will become more important next year when I move to London.

I guess that is it for now. I am sure there is some kind of rant brewing, so stay tuned.

Best Albums of 2008

I break my silence to give you my favorite albums of 2008. You do not have to agree with me, but this is what I liked. So let's get this going...

I will start with number 10 and count down.

10. My 10th fav. album of 2008 is Oracular Spectacular by MGMT (pronounced management). This album beat out all the honorable mentions I will list later. I just recently started to listen to the album, and other than maybe 2 tracks I love all of it. It has all the synth I could ever want and the lyrics are witty. This album is great to play at a party and makes a wonderful headphone record. I appreciated the subtle things they do while listening to this album while on the train. Tracks to Listen to: Time to Pretend and Kids.

9. Number 9 is The Stand Ins by Okkervil River. I loved The Stage Names and this album was a continuation. Okkervil River is one of the best bands playing right now and this album was amazing. It is definitely a huge step musically from previous records, but I still think Black Sheep Boy is their best. Never the less great album. Tracks to Listen to: Lost Coastlines and Pop Lie.

8. This one goes to Max Richter. He is a classical composer that makes beautiful instrumental music. He is heavily influenced by Brian Eno and adds many different sounds to his already complex and awe inspiring arrangements. Tracks have additional white noise and radio static added to give a very different feel. The really neat thing about this album is the concept. He wrote these short, between 1 to 3 min., songs to be played on cell phones. That is right, songs meant to be ringtones, and these would never ruin a movie. This is an album I can listen to anytime of the day. Check out his older albums too, they are just as good. Tracks that would be my ringtone: In Louisville at 7 and Lullaby from the West Coast Sleepers.

7. Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket is my pick. A lot like Okkervil River I liked their previous albums more, but their new one is such a great step forward as well. The mixing of styles they provide on this record is amazing. They sound tighter and more representative of what a live show is like. Very solid record, and who can beat Jim James' voice. Some can imitate (more on that later) but there is no other frontman like him. Tracks to Listen to: Evil Urges and Highly Suspicious.

6. Rounding out the bottom half is a great band from portland called Portugal, the Man. Their album is Censored Colors and has a wide range of feels from song to song. I love the gang vocals that are in almost every song and the huge sound that is on this record. I heard of this band from the Song of the Day on NPR and I am very happy that I got the album. I think it may start stronger than it ends, but it is an album you can get lost in. Tracks to Listen to: Lay Me Back Down and Colors.

5. The first album in the top half is Furr by Blitzen Trapper. This is a really fun band that Derek saw open for Iron and Wine. According to Derek the front man is very Bruce Springstein like. I love delivery of the lyrics and the fun jam sections. It uses some great organ parts and just seems very complete. I expect great things from this band in the future so look forward to seeing them in 2010 or maybe even 2009. Tracks to Listen to: God and Suicide and Gold for Bread.

4. Coming to the business end brings Fate by Dr. Dog. I am a huge Dr. Dog fan and I love their sound. It is very classic 1950's sounding at times maybe even 1920's, like vaudeville. The lyrics are great a catchy, this spells success in my mind. There songs change as they progress and they are one of the few bands consistently making interesting music album after album, and even song after song. One of their best albums to date, if not the best. Tracks to Listen to: The Old Days and The Rabbit, The Bat, and The Reindeer.

3. Bronze metal goes to Fleet Foxes and their self-titled debut. The front man has a very similar sounding voice as Jim James, but the way it mixes with the lush orchestration on this album is what sets it apart. A great album for sure with great track after great track. I love when albums have a general feel from song to song (a theme you will notice with the top 2 as well) and this albums has a great feel. They are going to have to great things to follow this album up. Tracks to Listen to: White Winter Hymnal and Oliver James.

2. The first loser is 3 Rounds and a Sound by Blind Pilot. Another Portland band that is making great music. I found this album in late 2008 but it is an instant classic. Earlier I had been listening to the Dodos a lot and for Blind Pilot is a better version of the guitar and drummer band. They add other sounds when needed, such as keys, horns, and strings, but the base is acoustic and drums. It has a very loose feel but every song hits me. Great song writing and style overall. There are so many songs to choose from for this album but, Tracks to Listen to: One Red Thread and The Bitter End.

1. And the Best Album of 2008 is by far Bon Iver. One could argue that For Emma, Forever Ago is a 2007 album but I count it as 2008. I saw him play at Pitchfork and it was completely moving. The story of this album is Justin Vernon (the man that is Bon Iver) moved to a cabin in Wisconsin following the break up of his band. The plan was to just take some time off and live for a while. While living alone he wrote nine of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard. The sounds is very bare bones and honest. This is what sets this album apart from the rest, the sheer gut wrenching feelings one gets from the beginning. Bon Iver takes you to a place instantly. It may not be healthy to stay there for a while, but it is magic that he can take you there. Everything he does is perfect on this album so please take a listen if you have not. Tracks to Listen for: Skinny Love (and amazing song) and For Emma.

So if you take my Tracks to Listen to and mix them up anyway you like you get my mixtape for the year. Honorable Mentions (or albums just not as good as MGMT's) are I Can't Go On, I'll Go On by The Broken West; In Ghost Colous by Cut Copy; Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie; Visiter by The Dodos; Re-Arrange Us by Mates of State and Parc Avenue by Plants and Animals.

Feel free to disagree with me, but this is what I think.

Who is he really?

Here is a video of Barack Obama explaining who he really is at a fund raiser. I loved this. I can't wait until he is our next president.

Raping our Churches and Burning our Women

This is the best argument for gun safety laws ever.

Just an idea.

Dear Apple,
I am writing you to request a favor. I have a suggested business venture for your company. If you could, I ask that you become the jersey sponsor for the San Jose EarthQuakes. They are a terrible team and are in great need of good news. So what is in it for you one might ask. Well, there would be the tons of advertising. Your logo would be in every MLS game that is shown on t.v. Not to mention the jersey itself. anytime someone bought a San Jose jersey they would be a walking billboard for your company. There would be the bigger ideas of having MLS games on itunes. There is some added revenue. Plus, you must respond to Microsoft. They are sponsoring their home team, the Seattle Sounders FC. Why should you not be guarding your hometown? The main jersey colors are already white and black, so that is consistent with your image. Let's look at the target audience as well. A soccer fan is a possible apple fan. Most soccer fans are upper-middle class. They are either sub-urban families or urban young adults. This is already your audience. Why miss an opportunity to advertise to them as well. Let's think about the future as well. Buying the space on the jerseys would be cheap right now. Very cheap in fact. But there is so much possibility for growth. An apple sponsorship could make San Jose the "cool" team. Your logo alone could lure a superstar like Luis Figo, or someone else. How could any player turn down a free iphone? Hell, I would practice to make the team just to get one. And lastly, it would just look good. If these arguments are not convincing you, just photoshop your logo on their jersey and see how bad ass it looks. Well, thank you for your time, now make it happen.

Nathan.

Book Review: Starbucked by Taylor Clark

This was a fun and educational read. Clark is a young author (this is his first book) from Portland. He has a dry wit that had me laughing while reading. His book goes into many in aspects of Starbucks, as well as coffee culture here and around the world.
I enjoyed the telling truths about Starbucks as a company. There are many reasons not to like this coffee chain, but many of the reasons you hear every day are BS. Towards the end of the book Clark makes the a comment, really more of a questions, is starbucks a global homogenizing force, or just a product of global homogenization. The fact is Starbucks is not forcing anyone to drink their coffee. People are choosing to do that. We can mourn the loss of culture in places like China and London, but people there are still buying starbucks.
Another key point I took away was the false idea that Starbucks is bad for the mom and pop coffee house. The opposite is actually true. Starbucks is a gateway coffee company. A person begins with a vanilla latte, but will later branch out. Also their coffee is not that good. So when drinking coffee is socially "cool" why not drink good coffee. Starbucks needs the milk in lattes so no one taste what their coffee really is. This leads many to find a local coffee shop and enjoy coffee how one should. (A side note for anyone in Normal, do not seek out Coffee House, its name is misleading. It should be called "Hang out of Patchouli wearing vegetarians that are anti-everything and elitist, but despite how well educated they want you to think they are, can still not tell that they are drinking horrible coffee, House". That place has the worst coffee I have every had, second only to instant). So basically this was a great book for a coffee nerd like me, and Clark writes in a way that even a non-nerd would enjoy it. Check it out if you have some time.

Whoring out the Faith. (reposted)

I originally wrote this for my other blog.

You know I don't think people ever learn. After being fully embarrassed to call myself a christian as the Creation Museum was being built, I now find another reason to blush. In Tennessee there is a Bible theme park proposed. This would be "historical" as the men in charge of the project say. I just say this is ridiculous, and I think all the readers know why. The article even quotes the supports as comparing people who do not support the project to telling a bookstore to stop selling the bible because they are making money off of it. This is crazy. Selling a manuscript that is a crux to a faith is very, very, VERY different than a million dollar theme park that will probably be poorly done, and a financial disaster. I say wait ten years, and if the creation museum has not been turned into the headquarters for an insurance company, or the largest strip club in Ohio, then talk about this. But even then I say this is a stupid idea.

As if Owning a Moleskine didn't Make Me Pretentious Enough...

This is one of my favorite pieces from the website 'skine art. There a lot of different styles, so I am sure you will find something you like. I mainly use my moleskine for writing things down; ideas, lists, directions, but I wish I used mine in this way. Check it out.

Frontline on healthcare.

Tonight on PBS is a frontline report on healthcare. I watched the reporter on Charlie Rose today and it interested me. He makes points that Japan and Germany do not have "socialized" medicine, but they have much better healthcare than here in the US. I hope even you right aligned readers take time to watch this and learn that there are ways to have functioning healthcare here in America. Here is a trailer. There are multiple air times, so check your local listings, and I think you can watch it online after that.

Marrying for Love is Not the Whole Story.

I found this article in The Star very interesting. It essentially says that in mixed marriages someone of a minority ethnicity "marries down" with a white partner. I don't know what group this is most offensive to, but either way it is a little offensive. The article also talks about how little romantic love actually plays into marriage choices, instead suggesting that a better indicatior is social class. This makes sense when one thinks that a person is normally attracted to someone who has similar experiences to themselves. Being from a social science background, I can really point out that there are too many factors interacting with one another to really say anything concrete, but again I though this was interesting.

So much Faith.

After having a great conversation about some specifics of differing worldviews with a friend, I decided to post somethings on the blog I contribute to. I posted a review of a book a read and a link to a long, and very thought provoking, article about evangelistic atheism. Check them out.