Best of 2011

More than a reflection on the events that changed my life this year I enjoy sharing what sounds accompanied that particular journey

Enjoy

The Drums-Portamento

I absolutely hated this band when they came out but it just clicked at one point. I love listening to their music on warm sunny days in California. Pop music that isn't afraid to try unconventional arrangements



Dum Dum Girls-Only in Dreams

An introspective album about losing a family member or anyone close to you. Fun energetic album with lyrics that pay tribute to those lost



Explosions in the Sky- Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Always anticipating new material from EITS. Officially my favorite band for years now I loved this album and thought it was better than All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone. I saw them perform this album outdoors at the Hollywood Cemetery and hands down, it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.



St Vincent-Strange Mercy

Probably the second most anticipated album for me this year. I love how this album just has a raw feel to it. Annie Clark can do no wrong and this is her best album to date

We Took What We Could Carry

I carry on
I carry the state of California in me
I carry my 'hood
I carry the struggles of mi raza
I carry the burden of mi vida
I carry you
No matter where I go
I took what I could carry

It's Natural To Be Afraid

So it has been approximately 7 months since my last entry. I am not sure what stopped my frequent post. I suppose love was the culprit. I fell in love with a girl from Chicago 1-1-11 and since then have spent more of my time pursuing her than pursuing the adventurous care free life I was living this time last year. I thought she was it. I thought I was ready to settle down do the whole job thing, you know, be an adult. I still feel that to an extent. Mention of traveling sends small tingles down my back but never enough to pack up and leave...Well I guess I already did that for love too. Somewhere a long my whirlwind romance I decided on moving to Chicago, IL to be with my love to start life, to be an adult. Little did I know that doing so would shake the very core of my being. I became a wreck when I officially settled in August. I became volatile, mean and aggressive. I saw a side of myself I didn't know existed. I became aware of my cultural identity. A Mexican-American lost in his own country never feeling fully complete by his surroundings. I couldn't be both. Never was quiet American, never quite Mexican. This led me to the Education of Frankie B. I learned about my culture, my Mexican-American people. I yelled from the rooftops Yo Soy Chicano and I was proud of it yet I still longed for more, I was not content. Long story short, I live in Chicago now, a place I hated at first but has slightly grown on me. I found work, I found my own place and now I continue to find myself, 2,000 plus miles from my hometown, my family, my friends, essentially, me and I am accepting of it. I look forward to what and whom this new year brings my way.

Life always has its way of working itself out.

May Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door