I’ve decided to record a new solo album during 2012. More details and an announcement video can be found on my label’s site, chromedecay:
http://www.chromedecay.org/2012/01/03/new-bill-van-loo-album-announcement/
This record will be composed, recorded, and produced during 2012, with monthly updates to be posted. I’m really excited about this project; I intend it to be deeply personal, spiritual, and to be a true reflection of my wide-ranging musical sensibilities.
As in many years past, I’ve compiled a list of what music really grabbed hold of me this year. 2011 saw me spending much time working on one musical project (company 7) to the exclusion of much else, but this is what I listened to the most.
Gungor: Ghosts upon the earth
An absolutely stunning record from start to finish; it is, by turns, melancholy, hopeful, dense, orchestrated, and deep. See also my notes (below) on their live performance.
Owl City: All Things Bright and Beautiful
A wonderful bit of synth-pop; this was the soundtrack to much of my summer.
Foreign Exchange: Leave it all behind
Thanks to the well-stocked collection of the Ypsilanti District Library and Spotify, I never actually bought this, but still managed to listen to it a ton. Such smooth and soulful stuff, almost perfect modern R&B.
Sara Groves: Invisible Empires
Sara Groves writes amazing songs, and this record is no exception.
Black Dub: Black Dub
A stellar piece of work from Daniel Lanois, Trixie Whitley, and the rest of the players Lanois assembled for this.
United Pursuit Band: Found
This is a more atmospheric, ambient release from United Pursuit (a favorite for several years). Excellent stuff.
Josh Garrels: Love & War & The Sea Inbetween
I came across this thanks to Josh’s contribution to the Mason Jar Music Presents series of live videos performances and his album being released free on NoiseTrade. Highly recommended. (See also the whole Mason Jar Music Presents and Serialbox Presents series for a take on what the future of music looks like – independent bands, careful and artistic use of the revolutionary new HDDSLR filmmaking gear, and a DIY ethic and aesthetic. Inspiring).
I managed to see some amazing live performances this year, happily by some of the artists who made my favorite records this year as well!
Sara Groves (Muskegon, MI)
Sara Groves writes the songs of my married-with-kids life. She is a remarkable performer who invites you to become part of her family for a time while she’s on stage. My heart was filled with joy at the chance to see her again in the same small venue that my wife and I saw her at in 2005. Truly a special night of music and worship.
Gungor (Royal Oak, MI)
Even though Gungor was technically an opening act for David Crowder*Band (who put on a great show in their own right), Gungor really was what stood out for me from this show. Tremendous musicianship, and a masterful performance.
Vitek (Ypsilanti, MI)
My band, Company 7, had the opportunity to open for Vitek, and we were all blown away by what great performers they are. Amazing musicians.
Black Dub (Detroit, MI)
This was truly a treat: a chance to see Daniel Lanois at the helm of his own live band in a small setting (Magic Stick in Detroit). Heart and soul music.
I’ve read a lot of books this year, thanks in part to the joy of tracking things through GoodReads (see my profile on GoodReads). For some reason, keeping track of what I’ve read and want to read in the future has spurred my reading on in ways I didn’t expect.
Here’s the list of what I read in 2011:
In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat in Iraq, by Rick Atkinson
The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point’s Class of 1966, by Rick Atkinson
Rick Atkinson may be my favorite writer covering military issues – he brings a fantastic balance of experience and objectivity. I’m greatly anticipating the third in his “Liberation Trilogy” about the Allied forces in Europe during World War II.
The New Cool, by Neal Bascomb
A great story about a high school FIRST robotics team. Inspiring.
Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II, by Stephen Budiansky
Triumph and Tragedy, by Winston S. Churchill
Finally finished the last of Churchill’s World War II memoirs. It was a long slog, but worth it.
Soul Mining, by Daniel Lanois
A beautiful, impressionist look at the work of my favorite music producer.
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, by Michael Lewis
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, by Michael Lewis
I got slightly obsessed with Michael Lewis’s writing this year; he has the rare talent of taking things I would never be interested in (the financial meltdown, valuations of football players by position, etc) and making them incredibly intriguing.
Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway, by Walter Lord
American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964, William Raymond Manchester
Manchester is a fantastic biographer whose work I first read when I tackled his biography of Winston Churchill. This is another excellent piece.
Roosevelt’s Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage, Joseph E. Persico
Not recommended; this is a strange and scattered accounting of the USA’s World War II espionage and codebreaking. Battle of Wit, by Stephen Budiansky, is much better.
Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945, by Evan Thomas
Spare Parts: From Campus to Combat: A Marine Reservist’s Journey from Campus to Combat in 38 Days, by Buzz Williams
Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery (Billy Boyle World War II, #1), by James R. Benn
Pacific Glory: A Novel, by P.T. Deutermann
Enigma, by Robert Harris
Los Alamos, by Joseph Kanon
Lots of WWII-era fiction here; “Pacific Glory” may have been the best among them, but none are really essential. This was basically light summer reading.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
I finally read this after years of gentle (and not-so-gentle) suggestion by my lovely wife, and I regret not having read it sooner. A masterpiece.
Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, by Neal Stephenson
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Stephenson’s new work, “Reamde”, spurred me on to re-reading “Cryptonomicon” for the fourth or fifth time. “Crytonomicon” is still my absolute favorite of his books, but “Readme” was entertaining; it’s more a thriller (think Bourne Identity) than a piece of historical or science fiction.
The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
Spring break is almost over, and it was filled with behind-the-scenes work, the kind of stuff you never really think much about but which need to get done. (As an aside, the idea that I get an entire week off for being a teacher is still a little foreign to me, but certainly appreciated).
By way of explanation, I did a lot of laundry, dishwashing, house cleaning, e-mail responding, social networking site updating, kid hanging-out with, photo-taking, and planning for the next few months. My wife and I even got a start on cleaning our garage.
All that to say: spring has certainly started with a lot of refreshing and looking forward to the new seasons.
At some point soon, I’ll post an actual update here, but for now I just wanted to say this:
Merry Christmas to all!
May this holy season be a time of peace, love, and wonder, for you and your family.
As I’ve done for many years now, I present you my top records for 2006. Since my days of buying massive amount of vinyl and other recorded music are gone, my lists tend toward “records that were important to me in the year gone by”, instead of trying to list the best music released that year. Most years there have been 10 on the list, this year there are only 9.
Therefore, most of the records in my list were not released in 2006, but instead this list is about what mattered to me this year. I hope you enjoy it.
Sara Groves – Add to the Beauty
This is probably the record I listened to the absolute most in 2006. I got a preview of it at the Sara Groves performance I attended in the summer of 2005, and for whatever reason didn’t pick it up when it was released in October 2005. I finally got a copy via LaLa, and it was pretty much a permanent resident in my CD player from that point on.
Procussions – 5 sparrows for 2 cents
“5 sparrows…” has its ups and downs, but when it’s up, it’s fantastic. The opener, “Shabach”, is probably my favorite hip-hop track of the year, seeing all 3 Procussions emcees trading verses off over a ridiculously good beat. Mr. J hits hard as always on the closer, “American Fado”.
Deadbeat – New World Observer and Wild Life Documentaries
Wild Life Documentaries was on my top 10 list the year it came out, and I returned to that material in a big way this year. I finally got New World Observer, and am also really enjoying that, though at this point I think Wild Life Documentaries is still my favorite of the Deadbeat full-lengths.
David Crowder*Band – A Collision [or, 3+4=7]
I got this in the last few days of 2005, so it got the vast majority of its play in 2006. It’s really all over the map stylistically, which I like, and has some great songs.
Sleeping at Last – Ghosts
I got to see Sleeping at Last live in the summer of 2005 and finally got “Ghosts” this year. It reminds me a lot of Hum, whose “You’d Prefer an Astronaut” record wowed me back when I first heard it. That’s not to slight Sleeping at Last, just to say that the influence runs strong. “Currents”, the second song from “Ghosts”, is phenomenal.
Denison Witmer – Philadelphia Songs
Such sad, sweet music. This record took a while to grow on me, but I went through a phase where I listened to it a ton over a few weeks in 2006, and have come back to it several time since.
Fognode – Porch Music EP
A free download offered by Fognode, this set of gorgeous ambient guitar pieces was a definite influence on my own “6 strings for a winter’s day” that I released at the end of January 06. I had these tracks going a lot during studying or reading this year.
Paul Simon – Surprise
A new Paul Simon record? With tons of help from Brian Eno? Sounds interesting, and it is. It seemed like Paul Simon jammed a few too many ideas into one song during the first half of the record, but the production is great, and there are some wonderful lyrical bits in there, too.
It’s snowing in Ypsilanti…and I am overjoyed. Happy beyond all reason. I get like a little kid every time the first real snow of the season falls (just ask my wife or former co-workers). It’s snowing steadily right now, only two days past Halloween, and that familiar blanket of white is back again – steadily, slowly descending on us.
That right there is one reason why I’ll always love Michigan: I love the change of the seasons too much, as summer fades into autumn and then winter quietly wraps the mitten in its embrace. When spring comes, I’ll be ready for it…but right now, I’m watching the snow fall.
Oh, and I’m also listening to Christmas music, getting in the mood to record a Van Loo family Christmas record in the next weeks leading up to Christmas. Can’t wait!
Apologies for the blatant politicking here, but I had to drop a link to my former neighbor, Kristine Mucher, who’s running for a spot on the Ypsilanti District Library board. Kristine has a great blog going that clearly communicates her stance and ideas, and it’s excellent to see a candidate using this blogging medium to not only communicate but also solicit ideas. I think she’ll be a great asset to the YDL, one of my favorite community gathering places in Ypsilanti.
Is it just me, or is the drum part from Tortoise’s “Seneca” one of the absolute best drum tracks ever? So raw, so funky, so noisy and restrained and over-the-top, all at once. The rest of “Standards” is kinda so-so, and their last record, “It’s all around you” kind of left me cold, but that’s OK, I still have the drum part from “Seneca”…
And “DJed” off “Millions now living…” still sounds pretty great after all this time, too!