one good thought. (best of 2016)

Here are a few reasons to hate 2016:
Zika.
Terror attacks in Brussels and Istanbul.
Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Keith Lamont Scott, Terrance Crutcher murdered.
Five Dallas police officers murdered.
Brock Turner.
Attack at Pulse Nightclub.
Trump.
David Bowie dies.
Glenn Frey dies.
Phife Dawg dies.
Merle Haggard dies.
Prince dies.
Muhammad Ali dies.
Prince Be dies.
Gene Wilder dies.
Arnold Palmer dies.
Leonard Cohen dies.
Sharon Jones dies.
Brexit.
Trump.
Attack at Ohio State.
Standing Rock.
Tennessee burns.
Trump.

I'm sure that I've missed something. 
Lots of sucking happening in that list, huh? But you know something...when I stood on the banks of the Currituck Sound, days after the attacks in Brussels, holding my four-year old daughter and watching the sun gleam off of the water the only thing I could think about was how such beauty could never be taken by terrorists. 

In October, when I stood in a crowd at the feet of Kelsey Lu, whose name I had never heard before, and listened to her voice and her cello I was not thinking of any of the terrible things that happened this year. In that moment all I could think was about was how such beautiful sounds could transfix a room full of strangers.

We need these moments. They give us life and hope and strength. Angel Olsen has reminded us that "some days all you need is one good thought strong in your mind." This year seemed to provide a never ending stream of loss and suffering. But when I really reflect on it I can see the beauty and joy and love sprinkled into it.

Music always helps. I have my favorites. Here are some that helped me through.

Kelsey Lu - Church

DIIV - Is The Is Are 

Angel Olsen - My Woman 

Anderson .Paak - Malibu 

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service 

Mary Lattimore - At the Dam 

Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein - Stranger Things, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 

Ty Segall - Emotional Mugger 

Thee Oh Sees - A Weird Exits 

The Men - Devil Music 

Parquet Courts - Human Performance 

Kevin Morby - Singing Saw 

Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial 

Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition 

Solange - A Seat at the Table 

Quilt - Plaza 

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - I Had a Dream that You Were Mine 

Isaiah Rashad - The Sun's Tirade 

James Blake - The Colour in Anything 

Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered 

keeping it real (best of 2015)

A few months ago my iPod classic (160GB), which held my entire music library with room to spare, finally gave out on me. It had been my trusty companion for years of road trips, backyard barbecues and house parties. Perhaps more significant, it was also what I relied on for my daily commute. No WiFi. No streaming. Just a tiny computer that fit into my pocket and could call up any of the thousands of songs I was in the mood for with one click of a wheel. The good news is that I had my library backed up. The bad news is that nothing will ever be the same. 

Now I am forced to navigate the wilderness of on-line streaming services. I must choose sides in the "streaming wars." This is completely unsatisfying. At the moment I cannot get my Beach House and my Bonnie 'Prince' Billy in the same place. I'm sure that if I worked hard enough or paid enough money I could correct this problem but I have neither the patience nor the resources. So instead my listening library is drastically reduced. This is, however, not without its benefits.

I have found myself spending more time with fewer records and as a result have gotten to know them in a way I probably wouldn't have before. I started compiling a list of my 50 favorite albums of 2015 and quickly realized that this is a bit inauthentic. The truth is that I haven't spent enough time with the 50 records I think I like to know if they are really my favorites. So, let's be real. There are maybe 15 albums that I've been able to really get to know remotely well this year. Some of them better than others, but all of them enough to know that they are great.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy other records this year. There were some from mainstays like Wilco, Bjork, Battles, Deerhunter, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. (I secretly love The Weeknd) And there were break outs from the likes of Dilly Dally, Viet Cong, Bully, All We Are, Ghost Culture, Jessica Pratt...and on and on...I wish I had spent more time with them. But for now I will stick with what I know. These are those, in alphabetical order.

Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit 

Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear

Knxwledge - Hud Dreems

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

Low - Ones and Sixes

Lower Dens - Escape From Evil

Oddisee - The Good Fight

Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass

Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect

Joan Shelley - Over and Even

Vince Staples - Summertime '06

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell

Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside

Kamasi Washington - The Epic