Favorite Albums of 2013

20. Ka

The Knight's Gambit
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19. Moonface

Julia With Blue Jeans On
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18. Neko Case

The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, 
The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

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17. Washed Out

Paracosm
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15. Sigur Ros

Kveikur
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16. Hawk House

A Little More Elbow Room

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14. Darkside

Psychic
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13. Bill Callahan

Dream River
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12. Pure Bathing Culture

Moon Tides
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11. Chvrches

The Bones of What you Believe
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10. Arcade Fire

Reflektor
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9. The National

Trouble Will Find Me
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8. Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels
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7. Kurt Vile

Wakin on a Pretty Daze
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6. Majical Cloudz

Impersonator
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5. Autre Ne Veut

Anxiety

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4. Rhye

Woman
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3. Chance The Rapper

Acid Rap
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2. Blood Orange

Cupid Deluxe

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1. Phosphorescent

Muchacho

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Le quatorze juillet: bleu/blanc/rouge (a mix)

I put this mix together a couple of years ago to celebrate Bastille Day (Le quatorze juillet). I figured I'd pull it back out again to celebrate once again. Vive la France!

Download full playlist here.

1. L'idole des jaunes / Stella (with intro by Steve Martin)

2. Comment te dire adieu / Francoise Hardy

3. Elle avait tout / Les Safari

4. Ça plane pour moi / Plastic Bertrand

5. L'anamour / Serge Gainsbourg

6. Ces bottes sont faites pour marcher / Eileen

7. Je danse donc je suis / Brigitte Bardot

8. Fou / Jacques Da Sylva

9. 7 heure du matin / Jaequeline Taieb

10. De temps en tempos / Bernard Estardy

11. Mademoiselle Marie / Coeur Magique

12. Cette chanson est pour vous / Django Reinhardt

13. Le vie en rose / Edith Piaf

14. Ces gens-la / Jacques Brel

15. Si tu n'etais pas la / Fréhel

16. Le soleil et la lune / Charles Trenet

17. Rue St. Vincent / Yves Montand

18. Comptine d'un autre ete: l'apres midi / Yann Tiersen

19. Né dans un ice-cream / Michel Polnareff

20. Les temps ont changés / Pussycat

21. Hellow Josephine / Les Witackers

22. Maintenant un voyou / Bruno Leys

23. Mais oubie pas / Les Pollux

24. L'espace d'une fille / Jacques Dutronc

25. La la la / Sylvie Vartan

26. La solitude / Catherine Ribeiro + 2Bis

27. Amsterdam: live at the Olympia 1964 / Jacques Brel (with outro by Steve Martin)

called by name

a broken bottle buried under
a mound of mud
dug
out by hands hardened, worked, full of calluses
and lacerations
from all the excavations
creating new creations
filling every nation
with branded bell jars of beautiful breathing bodies
fresh faces
polished and pure
washed of all dirt
no longer a broken bottle
but a song
sung
in perfect pitch
knowing that
there's a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in

but we watch our watches and wait for the inspiration to create
something worthy of time
either yours or mine
but nothing seems to rhyme
or flow as easily as it would if we weren't so severely damaged
flawed lazy selfish dumb
hungry for what never comes
because we fill ourselves with what won't sustain
from temporary treasure we don't
refrain
our best and worst
both look the same
through our eyes all we see is
[LAME]
transfixed upon the mound of mud
we still expect hides all the shame
of our brokenness and blame
while we make our mends
with the devil we all tote within
and do our work
to create something worthy of this life we've been given
art that motivates
music that resonates
words that procreate
but the one we should be doing
all of this for
says:
forget your perfect offering


(Inspired by Leonard Cohen's "Anthem" from his 1992 album The Future)

haikus

audrey and i spent part of our evening writing haikus. we would give each other a "topic" and spend the next couple of minutes composing a haiku. here were the results:

ice

slippery water 

blue time freezer moves slowly 

glacial paced glaciers 

homosexuality

i plug in the light 

no electricity flows 

love despite the shame 

les mis

one life turned around 

does the same to all others 

a ripple effect 

all is lost, all found 

you forgot the candlesticks 

silver salvation 

dogs

scruffy ball of joy 

you bring more to the table 

than most humans do 

unopened flower

wake up little one 

your time, it has almost come 

reveal your beauty 

a lightbulb that just came on

edison forgot 

to tell us about the hum 

fresh new current's spark 

garbage floating in the river

i don't belong here 

used useless good-for-nothing 

yet have many friends 

st. croix

unturned dirt grows hard 

chickens look for worms within 

finally! tilled earth! 

waterfall

roaring, splatter, mist 

steading dropping, constant reach 

powerfully graceful