Month: February 2010

Even the best bloggers get the blues

sad baby.thumbnailI’ve noticed that some of my favorite higher ed bloggers haven’t been what you would call prolific lately.

This is not so uncommon, especially around this time of year. There’s something about the winter that tends to make even the best bloggers spend some time in hibernation.

If it isn’t a sort of seasonal affective disorder that keeps some of us from posting regularly to our blogs, then there’s the other issue: the too-busy-to-blog syndrome. This can hit at any time, even in the very merry month of May.

But sometimes what keeps us from blogging is the fear that we really don’t have much to say. Or that we are straying too far off topic, and our readers will leave us in droves. To which I say, let’s get over ourselves. It’s our blogs, right? We can blog if we want, say what we want, use incorrect grammar like “It’s our blogs” if we want.

Most of the pressure to blog is self-imposed. If we do not blog, the world does not end.

So, to those of you bloggers who aren’t blogging right now, I say: take the pressure off yourselves. When the blog is ready, the blogger will appear. Or something zen like that.

Photo found at Ed2010, or more specifically, this post.

Friday Five: #NowPlaying

From my perspective, 2010 is off to a pretty good start in terms of new music. Here’s a sampling of what I’ve been listening to — five new albums released this month and last, plus a bonus album from the archives.

1. Basia Bulat, Heart of My Own. I discovered this lovely Canadian singer-songwriter in 2008, one year after her debut album Oh, My Darling. I was awestruck by her throaty but ethereal vocals, and by the beauty and simplicity of her compositions. Heart of My Own is her second album, and it’s even better than the debut. While the melodies are still spare and spacious, she incorporates more instrumentation in this new album. Highly recommended for any lover of folk, Americana or just plain great music.

Listen: Basia Bulat – Go On

2. Yeasayer, Odd Blood. Yeasayer is an odd band. Their last album, All Hour Cymbals, didn’t quite resonate with me. But Odd Blood is different. It’s poppier, catchier, more accessible. The tunes are danceable, even. It sounds as though Yeasayer has been listening to a lot of Passion Pit and has smoothed over the rougher edges of their previous efforts. Odd Blood is good stuff.

Listen: Yeasayer – O.N.E.

3. Spoon, Transference. This Austin band just keeps cranking out solid stuff. But fans who went ga ga for their previous release (the awkwardly named Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga) may be disappointed with Transference, because with this release Spoon returns to their roots. No Memphis horn section in this album, and very little noodling and dubbing. Just clever lyrics delivered in painful earnestness by lead singer Britt Daniel, underlaid by straightforward foot-tapping rock with high reverb.

Listen: Spoon – Written in Reverse

4. Field Music – Field Music (Measure). This just came out on Tuesday, so I haven’t had time to absorb all of this 20-track effort yet. But on first listen, I’m impressed with what the brothers Peter and David Brewis have accomplished. The tunes are artfully arranged. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this album in the coming months.

Listen: Field Music – Them That Do Nothing

5. Vampire Weekend – Contra. Yeah, I know. We all thought the over-hyped music blog darlings of 2009 would fold their tents and fade away, a la Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Instead they reinvented themselves in the mold of Paul Simon. Seriously. They sound like Paul Simon’s The Rhythm of the Saints.

Listen: Vampire Weekend – White Sky

Bonus: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Deja Vu. OK, who released my inner hippie? I don’t know why, but for some reason I decided to listen to this album last Sunday. It’s been a long time, maybe even four and twenty years ago, since I last listened to this in its entirety. But I have been listening to it again and again, and I’m struck by the wonderful melding of four unique talents into a single, cohesive statement. I forgot how wonderfully the harmonies were on this album.

Listen: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Carry On

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So, that’s what’s on my playlist. How about you? What’s catching your ear these days? Any recommendations for me? I’d love to hear them.