Best of 2010 - Beach House to Court Yard Hounds

I'm sharing my favorite songs discovered in 2010 - 6 songs a day - I'll post the entire set in a YouTube playlist on December 31.

Beach House - Zebra
"Anyway you run, you run with poise."

This song makes me want to hit the road for a summer road trip.  The opening riff sucks me right in.  Their voices are gorgeous together, the entire song feels as if it is made of layers that are beautiful alone but magical together.

Belle & Sebastian - I Want the World to Stop
"Let me step out of my shell."

Admit it, you've had those times when you've wanted the world to stop so you could catch up - I have at least one of those moments every day.  Aside from loving the concept behind this song, I love the way it feels like a conversation.

The Black Keys - Tighten Up
"Living just to keep going, going just to be sane."

Another bearded singer who rocked my world this year, his voice is raw and powerful, anytime I hear it I have to stop what I'm doing and just listen.  As a bonus this is an adorable video.  There is a reason this album is showing up on Best of lists across the web and in print.

Brandi Carlile - Before it Breaks
"Let it bend before it breaks"

I just love her, she's got a powerful that can break my heart.

Broken Social Scene - All to All
"You'll always find the lonely ray."

There are so many layers in this song I feel like I could listen for days and still hear something new.

Court Yard Hounds - Fear of Wasted Time
"I watch every frame of this life I've made
Take a picture but I miss the moment now."

Oh, how I've missed the Dixie Chicks.  When 2/3s of the group released an album this year I couldn't wait to hear it - and I wasn't disappointed.  While I missed the power of Natalie Maine's voice, the quality of the songs on this album more than made up for it.  I fell in love with this song before I heard it - the title alone speaks to me, but I fell head over heals at first listen.

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No Wasted Time

I'll admit, before my trip to Shaker Village I knew very little about the Shakers - with the possible exception of their reputation for well-crafted furniture.  I enjoyed learning more about this interesting group and I loved seeing the live craft demonstrations.  My favorite stop was the weaving room where I saw women spinning wool into thread in the first room and in the second a woman using a loom to turn that tread into fabric - how glad I am these arts aren't being lost.

Woodworking - this artisan is retired and comes to Pleasant Hill in the summer

This broom maker is a retired postal worker

This woman was working on a weaving of her own design -

she moves 4 foot pedals, to bobbins and the bar to weave the fabric

Can you tell I'm experimenting with Photoshop?

In the Shaker community everyone worked for the benefit of the community.  They rotated tasks so that no one felt their job was more important than any other.  From the elders and eldresses (how cool is that word) everyone took their turn weaving, cooking and doing laundry (or for the men woodworking, gardening and caring for the animals) - they worked hard and believed that work was part of their worship.

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