Anti New Year's Resolution

Hallo hallo! How were your New Year's Eve Celebrations? Has anyone made a New Year's resolution?

Yesterday a snow storm rolled through my area and deposited about eight inches on the ground. At noon six inches had already fallen, the wind was blowing twenty miles per hour, visibility was one hundred and fifty feet and the temperature hovered near fifteen degrees fahrenheit--so I decided to go for a walk.

If you've never taken a stroll during a snow storm, you should try it sometime. It's exhilarating. The rushing wind and soft crunch of snow fill your ears. The biting cold accentuates the tingling touch of snow flakes falling. Blinding white fills you vision. You leave behind all those qualities of you which, day-to-day, seem important and are reminded of those parts of you which are vital. Only you and the storm exist, in a manner that's somehow peaceful and comforting. It's a nice way to be.

As I walked, it occurred to me that a New Year's resolution is about becoming something more than you current self. Standing at the heart of a storm is about being less. I wondered, if I resolve to loose five pounds or pay more attention to the news, will these attributes I gain actually enrich my life? Will I be better? What if, instead, I were reduced to a more elemental me? The self I find in the storm.

This year I've decided on an Anti New Year's resolution. Perhaps by attempting to be less, I will actually achieve more. At least it's food for thought...

Now for some music! Since I've been feeling rather contemplative, here's some tracks that might suit you if you'd like to do a bit of thinking.



Soldout, from Brussels Belgium, have been around for a while. These are they're newest tracks, and they're a little toned down from the almost Garbage-esque sound of previous albums. Definitely worth a listen. Check out their MySpace page too.

Soldout - The Call
Soldout - The Cut

Some other of my favorite old and new tracks for introspective listening:

Maps - Back + Forth
Nathan Fake - The Sky Was Pink (James Holden)
Boys Noize - Shine Shine (Apparat Remix)
Para One - Finale
Saltillo - Remember Me
Sebastian, Oizo, Tellier - Exploites
Bek - Broken Drum (Boards of Canada Remix)
Unkle - Rabbit in Your Headlights (ft. Thom Yorke)
Air - Run

love

neonguns