music in motherhood. so far.

lately, i sing to el, or we listen to instrumental music on our drives. when he's not in the car, that's when i turn it up. 

i cannot wait for my little man to discover music.

for now, turn these up.

faith in reason

sufjan stevens blew me away on this tour. the opening musician said sufjan is his favorite listen while having a good cry. yep. sufjan's new album, carrie and lowell, is hauntingly beautiful. definitely tear-worthy.

if you have the opportunity to see him, do. either way, listen to this whole album.

voice of quiet spring

running towards spring. nearly time to emerge. but until then, songs i've been listening to while under a warm blanket...

get up on some sunny day and run

patty griffin. i had forgotten how much i love her. we saw her at acl live the other night, and i remembered. she is spectacular. her last album was written in honor of her late father.

and so, i think this song is a fitting tribute to my grandfather, "bumpy," who lost a long, mean battle today. bumpy was a dignified man with staggering one-liners and the best habit of adding a -y or
-ie to his loved-ones' names. he inherited his tender heart from my great grandmother, margery, and he nurtured that same heart in my dad. i will miss him dearly.

"go wherever you wanna go", by patty griffin

going home

i had such a lovely time in ohio. i was able to have qt with some of my dearest people. i visited one of my favorite places on earth, the cleveland museum of art. i was thrown a gorgeous, low-key, low-pressure shower. i got to do yoga with my mom! and yoga with scott! and yoga instructed by my best friend--she is amazing! i am so stinking proud of her. i could cry. again.

i am always blown away by how beautiful my home is in the summertime. oh, ohio.

i even had a little time to explore music...

i was looking forward to the perfume genius show. and now, i am even more psyched. he is killing it with this new release. "queen".

try flowing to this. seriously. chris is the man. (scott: thank you!!!) "wicked game," chris isaak/soul clap edit.

my friend, npr, told me about this track. it's the bassist from future islands. lovely ditty. the peals, "lonestar" (like texas. how apropos.)

i was "going home" by ásgeir. i came back with a full soul.

'98! "1998" by chet faker.

might as well

looking forward to the new release! always easy to mellow out to real estate.

music's playing so loud

here is a playlist with--a random number of--my 2013 favorites. disclaimer: not all of these songs are on albums from 2013, but 2013 is when i played them on repeat.

here's to a magnificent 2014!

what do i look like to you?

darkside is nicolas jaar and dave harrington. if you like jaar's haunting voice and harrington's accompaniment, i recommend you check out their fall album, psychic.

"heart"

trust me, you can dance

in spite of the sweltering heat by day and bitter winds at night, we rallied to hear some impressive music. we also enjoyed the smaller two weekend crowd size and soft green grass. if you're going next weekend, here are some bands that killed it:

bad luck lose you at your best

heading to new york city to see one of my most favorite people tie the knot. congratulations, coxys! may you always bring out the best in one another.

i have your will

true story: one time csj recognized the dodos at lollapalooza. they were hot, too, so they borrowed gold bond from our buddy. sweat confidence. here's a song from their latest album, carriers:

"confidence", by the dodos

still surprised

my fiancé thinks he's funnier than i am...i'm not so sure. but i do know that he is a wonderful gift-giver. besides the magnet and other treats, he gifted me the new washed out album for my birthday. yessss! i sure do love ernest. and i like what i am hearing.

here's a track from paracosm, "don't give up":

my heart is wild

in "song for zula," the lyrics speak of heartbreak, but the music is so lovely, the listen is light. one of matthew houck's previous projects was a willie nelson tribute, which makes sense, i hear a likeness. looking forward to seeing him live at acl.

"song for zula" by phosphorescent

fiesta forever

lionel richie, depeche mode, the cure, atoms for peace, tame impala, local natives, wild nothing, cat power, and more! oh, man. pumped for acl 2013!

time passes

i have decided that the hardest part about getting older is watching those that i love get older, too. especially when they are far away.

i am very thankful for the time i had with my grandparents this weekend.

wishing my parents peace and relaxation.

james blake's new track: "overgrown"

compassion it waits

i have been a grump! when it rains, it pours, i suppose.

a few weeks ago, the eldest of ten, my mom's brother, michael, passed away. simultaneously, my parents, aunts, and uncle were urgently trying to find a new home for my grandparents. and then one of my sweet aunts found out she had a brain tumor. 

i scheduled an impromptu trip home, and then i was struck with a four-day stomach virus and could not make my flight. 

my personal sadness, not to mention the horrific explosions here in texas and in boston, have put me in an foul mood. 

thankfully...
my big loving family will be together in july to remember michael. my grandparents are together. cindy's doctor was able to remove nearly all of the tumor and discovered it is a slow-growing form of cancer, which means with treatment they expect a full recovery. and i am headed to ohio next weekend.

"we all know the truth" by banco de gaia

little buddy

in honor of this sweet little buddy (his "angel-versary" is march 7th) and his family, here is a song from one of his favorite movies:

this american life

we dicksons had dinner with ira.

listening to this american life while i eat brunch reminds me of my childhood sundays. for the past two weeks, tal visited harper high school in chicago. the series was incredibly poignant. please listen.

you'll find it in the archives (#487 and #488): www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives

and to add a musical touch... this song is often played during acts on this american life. i find it to be lovely and motivating.

"perpetuum mobile" by penguin cafe

the sun will stay

what a beautiful day to run a marathon! (you go, amart!)

opened up my mind

i swear i tried to make sure that my favorite tracks from 2012 were actually released in 2012. but i blew it. 11 out of 13 isn't so bad, though.