So the weekend has once again come and gone.
I spent the majority of my time this weekend getting things done and crossing things off my mental check list. Some of it, like packing boxes and loading them in my truck, were very literal tasks that were relieving to have accomplished. Others, like seeing my family and adorable nephew, were more ephemeral and personally rewarding. No matter how it's counted, I feel great having come out the far side of the weekend with nothing written and tons accomplished. A novel (that was started just before NanoWrimo last year) is still spinning its wheels. A couple of short stories I'm cultivating are in the fermentation process at the moment - I have the bones, I'm just growing the connective tissue. In the meantime, I'm moving and looking forward to the adventure and change of scenery. As I pack up my current life with my better half I like to reminisce and reflect, marveling at elapsed time and forgotten events. When I do that I like to listen to music that adds to the contemplative mood. So I turn to Tycho.
Tycho is an electronic musician from the San Fran area in CA. Biologically known as Scott Hansen, Tycho is an artist whose music brings out the best in my mind, a sort of remembrance that stems from stirring up old dirt and letting it breath the air. It's the kind of music you put on to stimulate the mind but then forget you turned on. An hour into an album you realize you've been subconsciously jamming while going about your business, never pausing to reflect on why you feel so good about what you're doing.
I wrote in yesterday's post about a song I only tend to listen to in the fall - Dive by Tycho is an album I hope to return to many times throughout my life, especially on these cold, fading days of fall. There's something so magical and intangible that he's captured in the music he creates. It's like nothing else I've heard. It has these elements of pulsing electronic beats coupled with melodic bells and chimes that make your heart ache. He causes tension in your chest from drawing out long phrases and resolving them with clever structural choice and serene production. In short, it's an album that stirs something all too rarely touched in your heart, only to leave you wanting to hear more.
The days are getting shorter and we're always trying to pack more into them. I know that I can put on an album like Dive when I'm puttering around my condo, checking things off my list. Even if I don't get everything accomplished that I had hoped to, at least I can stretch that piece of my mind that needs the air when I put on Tycho's latest album. It's beautiful stuff - do yourself a favor and lighten your load. Listen in and loosen up.
I spent the majority of my time this weekend getting things done and crossing things off my mental check list. Some of it, like packing boxes and loading them in my truck, were very literal tasks that were relieving to have accomplished. Others, like seeing my family and adorable nephew, were more ephemeral and personally rewarding. No matter how it's counted, I feel great having come out the far side of the weekend with nothing written and tons accomplished. A novel (that was started just before NanoWrimo last year) is still spinning its wheels. A couple of short stories I'm cultivating are in the fermentation process at the moment - I have the bones, I'm just growing the connective tissue. In the meantime, I'm moving and looking forward to the adventure and change of scenery. As I pack up my current life with my better half I like to reminisce and reflect, marveling at elapsed time and forgotten events. When I do that I like to listen to music that adds to the contemplative mood. So I turn to Tycho.
