Soundtrack, 2010

I finished another year of compiling a list of songs that have stuck with me the most over the last 12 months. The criteria is usually a begins with the most played songs in my iTunes library, which reflects the music that has the strongest sense of place, situation, circumstance and memory for me. This past year brought a lot of good music that accompanied a lot of good and memorable experiences. Not all were comfortable, not all simple, not all I wish to have again, but many were the best I’ve ever had, and all were visceral, new and irreplaceable. These songs were there for the ride, or talking me on one of their own.

These archived collections of music have also seemed to be my chance at drawing some quick and figurative illustration that sums up both the mood of the music and my realizations of the past year. Many big things ended this year, and from what I can tell, bigger things have begun to take their place. This year has given me many experiences that have helped me to acknowledge who I am, what I bear, and what – and who – and how, I love, and to better define how I want to live with it all.

We all are what we are. The pain and adventure is often lies in simply seeing ourselves. Life seems to be one big block of wood; time the long work of sculpture, of chiseling and cutting away what I do not need and do not want. Some where among the grain I am making myself as I want to be – how I have to be. I find in myself and my friends the the good and bad, the desire and the reason, the comfort and the danger. For myself, I am finding that both are bound and each lead the other at different times in my life.

This year’s Soundtrack:

  1. Howlin’ For You The Black Keys
  2. The Tailor Blitzen Trapper
  3. Bloodbuzz Ohio The National
  4. Folk Bloodbath Josh Ritter
  5. Little Lion Man Mumford and Sons
  6. Mange Deer Tick
  7. The Wild Hunt Tallest Man on Earth
  8. Far and Wide Roadside Graves
  9. Early Spring Till Nathaniel Rateliff
  10. Down with The Shine The Avett Brothers
  11. Hold Your Head High Heartless Bastards
  12. Dancing On Our Graves The Cave Singers
  13. Santa Fe Samantha Crain
  14. Valley Roadside Graves
  15. Shelter From the Storm Gregory Alan Isakov
  16. Oregon Trail Joe Purdy
  17. Satisfied Mind Johnny Cash
  18. Big River The Secret Sisters w/Jack White
  19. + A Bonus Track, the semi-super-secret download link to this wonderful song is part of the CDs I send each to a small group of old friends.

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