Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Crossing Man
While at a stoplight in downtown Kansas City I saw this man cross in front of me. On impulse I grabbed my smartphone and snapped this picture. I wish I had been a couple of seconds quicker so the photo would have more balance, but I like his silhouette regardless.
Date: November 15, 2010
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Camera: Motorola Droid X
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
SOTD: Daniel G. Harmann & the Trouble Starts - 'The Horse & the Sistine Chapel' from Risk (2010)
I've always believed various artist samplers offered the opportunity to discover great artists. I rarely like everything I hear on a sampler, but then again, rarely are they completely without merit. Some of my favorite artists have been discovered via the sampler, so I generally like to give them a shot. Thus it was that I recently discovered Daniel G. Harmann & the Trouble Starts on a Burning Building Records sampler.
Apparently I'm late to the party on Harmann and company due to the fact their new album Risk is their sixth release. This Seattle-based band has been doing the circuit for a number of years, but if their earlier work is anything like Risk I'm going to be doing some catching up quite soon. While their bio says others have compared them to Jeff Buckley or Elliott Smith I hear many other things in their music. Part of it sounds a bit similar to Band of Horses, other parts remind me of early Slobberbone, and yet at other moments I'd swear I'm almost hearing Sugar, though I'm sure nobody else hears that and I can even convince myself I'm nuts. The bottom line is that Harmann and his band The Trouble Starts have an instantly familiar sound, yet don't sound just like anyone else.
'The Horse & the Sistine Chapel' is the lead single off Risk. Though a brief tune at 2:05 the song lingers with you. The guitars chime in all the right places while the drums are nice and crisp. And before you know it the song is over. I dare you to try and not hit repeat.
The version of 'Dee' that appears on Risk is a slightly reworked version from the one that appeared on the May 2009 Our Arms EP. The excellent animated video below is mesmerizing.
I suppose it's something few might find interesting, but when I heard 'Dee' it reminded me of another song but I couldn't place what it was exactly. Only later did it come to me: Holland (not the same as the band hollAnd or the metal group of the same name) had a song on their 2003 album Photographs & Tidalwaves titled 'Goodnight Texas.' Though there are many differences, the quiet/soft dynamic works for me in both cases. Once the song works into it's full glory past the 3:30 mark the comparison may make more sense.
I was lucky to catch Holland on tour in 2003 while they were opening for The Elms (who were promoting their excellent Truth, Soul, Rock & Roll album). Needless to say, 'Goodnight Texas' was the highlight of their set for me.
In any case, you should check out Daniel G. Harmann & the Trouble Starts as Risk is an excellent release. Here is the band performing 'The Horse & the Sistine Chapel' at the Comet Tavern in January 2010.
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Watchful Gaze
I'm still getting used to my new Motorola Droid X smartphone and the installed eight megapixel camera, though I'm really enjoying it so far. By far, the best Android application I've found so far is Vignette for Android. I've tried FxCamera and RetroCamera and while each have their place neither app takes full advantage of the great camera.
It's handy to have pets to use as test subjects while exploring settings. Kaya was intently looking out the door when I took a couple of photos of her today. This certainly isn't a classic, but I like it well enough.
