My site has been pretty quiet for the past week. That’s because I just got back from an 8-day trip to Iceland (as my previous tweet hinted at). It was an incredible experience. The country boasts some of the most unique geologic features on the planet, including volcanos, geysers, glaciers, fjords, and waterfalls. I’ve posted a few of my favorite photos from the trip. Hopefully they convey the awesomeness of the landscape.

Before leaving I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, I watched Heima on the flight to Reykjavik. The film chronicles the homecoming tour of Icelandic band Sigur Rós. In 2006, the band toured Iceland, playing free shows in unique settings and tiny villages. The film features breathtaking scenery and, of course, beautiful music. It is a great introduction to Iceland. It also made me kick myself for not seeing them live when I had the chance.

During the trip we did an insane amount of driving. To pass the time, I listened to boatloads of music. Sigur Rós definitely provided the best soundtrack for this journey. The Icelandic landscape is unbelievably gorgeous, but also desolate and unforgiving. The band’s music perfectly captures this duality. “Untitled 8″ is epic and intense, like an endless field of lava. “Andvari” is serene and soothing, like a gorgeous sunset. Because I can’t understand the lyrics, I can assign to the songs whatever meaning I want (which is why I love Sigur Rós so much).

Should you ever get the chance, I highly recommend visiting Iceland. But if you can’t, listening to Sigur Rós is the next best thing.

[mp3] Sigur Rós :: Untitled 8
[mp3] Sigur Rós :: Andvari

Even though I haven’t posted new music in a while, I’ve been sinking a lot of time into my site. Much of it has gone into behind-the-scenes stuff, but some of it is visible. For example, I’ve reorganized my Archives and Links pages and redesigned the footer at the bottom of each page (also below for convenience).

I hope to roll out a couple new features relatively soon. The first will be a Twitter widget on the sidebar of my front page which should help me fill in the sometimes lengthy gaps between posts. The second will involve resurrecting (and rebranding) my monthly podcast. Stay tuned for further detail.

Regarding my recent lack of activity: I should be back to my normal self once the semester ends next week. In the meantime, enjoy the song posted below. There’s not much I can say about it except this: it will crawl under your skin with its simple, gorgeous melody.

[mp3] The American Analog Set :: Aaron & Maria

I can hardly believe it. This is the 100th post on my site. I never thought I’d make it this far. And to celebrate this special occasion, I’ve decided to do something I normally avoid at all costs: posting tracks without first writing about the artists.

The 10 songs below have dominated my speakers over the past few months. But for various reasons, I haven’t featured any of them on my site (until now, of course).

• [mp3] Peter Broderick :: And It’s Alright
• [mp3] Mark Farina :: Dream Machine (featuring Sean Hayes)
• [mp3] Lil’ Wayne :: Tie My Hands
• [mp3] Frontier Ruckus :: Dark Autumn Hour
• [mp3] Phosphorescent :: Wolves
• [mp3] William Fitzsimmons :: Find Me to Forgive
• [mp3] Spiritualized :: Sitting On Fire
• [mp3] Titus Andronicus :: No Future
• [mp3] The Gaslight Anthem :: Here’s Looking At You, Kid
• [mp3] Andrew Bird :: Take Courage

As the above track listing indicates, the mix is a little eclectic. Download all 10 songs in a zip file here. And as always, if you like any of the above songs, please support the artists!

In order to return my blog to its usual format, I need to clear out the backlog of music created by my summer hiatus. This post should bring you up to speed on some of my favorite albums released in the past few months. It won’t be poetic, but then again, housekeeping rarely is.

MY MORNING JACKET

After the massive disappointment that was Z, I expected very little of My Morning Jacket’s latest album Evil Urges. After several months of listening, I can honestly say Evil Urges doesn’t suck. In fact, it’s pretty solid. The band continues to distance themselves from the sound they perfected on At Dawn, which, at least for me, is disappointing because that’s the sound I originally fell in love with.

I think, however, I’ve come to terms with their new direction. Seeing them live at the Greek two weeks ago definitely helped. These guys put on an amazing show. One of the many highlights that night was an incredible version of “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2,” the epic closing track on Evil Urges. The studio version of this song is posted below.

[mp3] My Morning Jacket :: Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

THE WALKMEN

On You & Me, The Walkmen not only perfect their sound but finally feel comfortable with it. And they sound as if they’ve just shaken off an epic hangover: their new album contains a sense of weariness and regret not present in previous albums. Maybe The Walkmen have grown up.

If so, it’s for the better. You & Me is their most consistent, and ultimately, their most rewarding album to date. Ironically, its consistency might also be its biggest turn-off. Songs sometimes bleed too much into each other. It takes repeated listens before tracks distinguish themselves. After nearly two dozen spins, I’m finally there. Right now, “On the Water” is my favorite track, but this will probably change on a weekly basis.

[mp3] The Walkmen :: On the Water

SHEARWATER

Similar to The Walkmen, Shearwater sounds like they’ve finally figured themselves out. With the release of Rook, Meiburg and his band fully step out of the shadow of Okkervil River. I’m only disappointed it took so long.

There is a lot going on under the surface of Rook. The shear gorgeousness of the music often masks a strong undercurrent of anger and frustration. Which is part of the reason I like Shearwater so much: their ability to combine beauty and violence is striking. The title track from Rook, which is posted below, captures this balance perfectly.

[mp3] Shearwater :: Rooks

SIGUR RÓS

Sigur Rós has yet to release a disappointing album. With every new CD, they manage to explore new territory while at the same time maintaining their core sound (My Morning Jacket should take a lesson from them). The first few tracks on Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust, for example, can almost be described as joyous, which is definitely new territory for the band.

This mood, however, doesn’t last long. Soon the band retreats to familiar ground, slowing the flow of music to that of a glacier. “Illgresi,” the track posted below, resides on the slower second half of Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust and features the band at its simplest: a pretty acoustic guitar riff, some violin flourishes, and Jónsi’s plaintive vocals.

[mp3] Sigur Rós :: Illgresi

What do you think of the new website?

I love it. It’s way better than the old site.
It’s OK. It might grow on me.
I hate it. Bring back the old look.
I don’t really care.
View Results

Welcome to the new and improved Mike Went West! Version 2.0, if you will. I’ve spent that past month overhauling my website. In fact, I took my initial design to about 75% completion only to trash it and start over again. What you see is actually my second revision. It was a ton of work, but was also incredibly rewarding.

Needless to say, I love my new design. But that is beside the point. I want to know what you think. Please take a moment to respond to the survey below. For those of you who’ve already forgotten what my old site looked like, the image on the left should refresh your memory.

Also, feel free to browse the other tabs on my site. You might notice that some pages are still under construction. I’ll fill these in whenever I have spare time. The front page, however, should be fully functional. Please let me know of any bugs you discover.

Note: those of you still using IE 6.0 will experience problems viewing my site. More precisely, the layout will look like complete garbage. I recommend upgrading to IE 7.0 or switching to Firefox for optimal viewing.

You may also notice that my domain name has changed. I decided to switch the site over to mikewentwest.com to match the title of my blog. Please make sure to update your bookmarks!

So with the bulk of the redesign complete, I can finally write about music again. The fresh look should inspire me to post more frequently. Or at least that is the hope.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I want to share one of my favorite songs from the past few weeks. The first time I listened to it I experienced a moment of déjà vu: I could’ve sworn I’d heard the song before but couldn’t quite place where. After some internet research, I finally figured it out. But instead of just telling you, I think I’ll let you figure it out on your own (if you really want to know, check the comments).

Anyways, the song is “How It Ends” by DeVotchKa, a band from Denver that reminds me of Beirut. Or maybe it’s the other way around – Devotchka actually predates Beirut. Regardless, the song title is particularly fitting as I bid farewell to my old site. More importantly, however, the song itself is fantastic. Especially the violin ending.

[mp3] Devotchka :: How It Ends

Before closing, I’d like to thank my roommate Eugene for all the help he gave me over the past month. I couldn’t have redesigned my site without his guidance. I’d also like to thank Danielle and Verna for the additional feedback they provided along the way. You guys rock!

For the past year or so, I’ve felt the overwhelming desire to move up north for the winter and live by myself in a cabin. Kind of like Bon Iver, but not really (mostly because I doubt anything as beautiful as For Emma, Forever Ago would result). Also, I’d want to go somewhere more mountainous and snowy than Wisconsin. Probably either Alaska or western Canada.

The reasons for this are multiple. First, I want to experience the full intensity of winter (I love cold and snow). Second, I want to gaze upon the Northern Lights in all their glory. And third, I want to see how I respond to prolonged periods of darkness and isolation.

So when a good friend suggested I read North Into the Night, a story about a guy who spends a winter alone in the Arctic, I happily obliged. At the very least, it would be an entertaining read, and might even help me prepare for my adventure.

Without giving too much of the book away, the guy nearly goes crazy after spending over 5 months in complete darkness and isolation. He sleeps for days on end and often loses control of his temper and sanity. Even though my proposed adventure wouldn’t be as intense, his story filled me with apprehension. Could I really go 5 months without seeing another person?

All of this got me thinking about the nature of isolation. After some serious reflection, I’ve come up with two kinds (though I’m sure there’s more). The first type of isolation, as described in North Into the Night, is largely physical; the author (Alvah Simon) ventured to a part of the world that few inhabit, so quite naturally he was alone. The second kind of isolation is best illustrated by the story told in Justin Townes Earle’s heartbreaking song “Yuma.” The isolation he portrays is mostly psychological; the (hopefully) fictional character feels completely alone even when surrounded by scores of people in a city.

I think psychological isolation is easier to sympathize with and understand. Most of us live in populated areas. Yet somehow the constant presence of other people doesn’t always fight back feelings of isolation and loneliness. Especially with the rise in popularity of iPods and personal music players. Just pop in those little white ear buds and the surrounding world disappears!

Anyways, if you like the song posted below, I highly recommend listening to the rest of Justin Townes Earle’s EP Yuma, as well as his LP The Good Life. He has an amazing voice and a knack for penning gorgeous songs that perfectly articulate those universal feelings of heartbreak and loneliness. Which, coincidentally, sound amazing through the ear buds of an iPod.

[mp3] Justin Townes Earle :: Yuma

I knew this day would come. It had to. Dogs normally don’t live fifteen years. Especially fifteen years with three rambunctious boys.

Yet somehow Molly endured. Far beyond even our most optimistic expectations. Even towards the end, when she couldn’t hear and struggled up and down the stairs, she still kept doing the things she loved: lying in the sun at the front door, wolfing down her food as though she hadn’t eaten in weeks, and doing her best imitation of my mom’s shadow.

Reality still hasn’t sunk in. My beloved dog is gone. She won’t be there at the door to greet me when I come home next time. And I won’t bring back nearly 3 pounds of dog hair with me to California.

So here’s to Molly, forever my little puppy. Here’s to the endless stream of stupid nicknames that flowed in her direction, the sleepless nights caused by her innate ability to hog the entire bed, the cute way she flicked snow up in the air with her nose, and the countless scraps of food she pilfered from the kitchen (including a Christmas ham from the refrigerator).

Here’s to the good times and the bad. Here’s to my faithful childhood companion. I’m going to miss you Molly.

[mp3] Sigur Rós :: Andvari

First of all, thank you for all the responses to my survey. I apologize for being a little melodramatic. I’m not going to shut down my blog. If anything, I’m going to redesign and (possibly) expand it. Hopefully over the summer when I have more time.

I also apologize for my recent lack of activity. I’ve been extraordinarily busy with school. Specifically, writing papers about engineered system failures and national public policy. Needless to say, it’s difficult to follow topics like those with what I typically address on my lowly blog.

To make matters even worse, I’ve been struggling with the following question. How do you write about something so inherently personal? Subjectivity is, after all, part of music’s appeal. A song can be technically flawless, but that doesn’t mean everyone (or anyone) will like it. Music that makes some people “want to kill themselves” may, to others, serve as a crutch or an escape.

And while most critics try to remain objective when writing reviews, they do so at the expense of making sense. For example, when was the last time you read an entire write-up on cokemachineglow? I usually just check the rating at the top and maybe read the first paragraph. I find these types of reviews to be helpful only after I’ve listened to the music (and formed my own opinions). Only then do I care about what other people think.

All this may explain the rise of the blog. People aren’t looking for objective and critical analysis, they’re looking for guidance (at least when it comes to music). The best bloggers tend to be the most personal: they describe not only the overall sound or mood of the music (the context), but also their personal reaction to it (the opinion). Most importantly, they provide samples so you can listen and try it out yourself.

The context is the trickiest part. It usually involves potentially dangerous labels and associations. Defining the music’s genre or listing similar artists, while most times overly constrictive and sometimes marginalizing, provides crucial guidance. In fact, a quick check of the previous posts on a blog usually tells the reader all he or she needs to know about the quality of the site.

By now you might be asking yourself, “Where the hell are you going with this?” As it turns out, nowhere in particular. I actually may have gone in a giant circle. I started writing this article with the purpose of conveying the recent difficulties I’ve encountered writing on my blog. To that end, this post may have helped me overcome these difficulties. We won’t know for sure, however, until the semester ends in two weeks…

Until then, enjoy a couple songs that perfectly fit my current mood of apprehension and self-doubt.

[mp3] Ane Brun :: To Let Myself Go
[mp3] Nina Nastasia :: Superstar

I’ve been struggling with this question for a while now. Is music a necessity or merely a luxury afforded those who have their most basic needs met?

I know how I would answer it. As someone who’s scrobbled over 40,000 tracks on last.fm in the past 18 months, music would appear to be a necessity to me. If you do the math, I spend around 20% of my time listening to music. This is staggering, especially when you consider that approximately 30% of my life is spent sleeping.

The percentage calculated above, however, is misleading: I often multi-task while listening to music. It makes routine chores like homework and commuting tolerable. In fact, music makes my life in general much more enjoyable, which itself is an argument supporting its necessity.

But do we really need music to survive? Clearly it does not provide the nutrition of food or the safety of shelter. There are lots of people out there who never listen to music, either because they lack the opportunity or because they get no enjoyment from it. I’d like to think I could continuing living without ever hearing another song again.

The key word in that last sentence is “think.” I get restless if I haven’t listened to music in a couple days. It calms and soothes, stirs and inspires. It is intensely personal, yet can unite large groups of diverse people. Music offers an escape from reality, taking me back to precise moments in my life or forward to moments I hope to experience. The Album Leaf’s “Twentytwofourteen” takes me back to the winter I spent living in Truckee, while I can imagine playing Beirut’s “Postcards From Italy” at my wedding.

I guess I’ve been pondering this question because I often dream about making music my profession. Whether critiquing or creating, I seem to have a passion for it that most people don’t understand. At the same time, however, I want to be a productive member of society. And if music isn’t necessary, how can I justify working in the industry?

Maybe one justification can be found in people like me. Music has profoundly shaped and altered my life, and for that reason it is valuable. Maybe not necessary, but important nonetheless.

[mp3] Bon Iver :: For Emma

The song posted above, the title track from Bon Iver’s exquisite For Emma, Forever Ago, only reinforces the value and power of music. Despite having been recorded in a cabin in northern Wisconsin during the winter, the song exudes warmth.

Fans of Explosions In the Sky already know their new CD All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone comes out on February 20th. If you followed my advice and preordered the album online through the band’s website, you may even have it now (as I do).

What you may not realize, however, is that back in 2005 Explosions released an EP called The Rescue. Only available through a limited preorder on their label’s site, the EP was part of a series called Travels In Constants. Because of the somewhat secretive nature of its release, not many people knew about the EP until it was too late. After its release, I heard it was selling for over $100 on eBay. Despite the temptation, I held on to my copy.

Those of you who missed the preorder of The Rescue aren’t out of luck. Apparently you can buy the EP at their shows (which I’ve heard are amazing). Or you can download the entire EP on the band’s site, along with select songs from their other LP’s. I’ve provided direct links to the songs below:

[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day One
[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day Two
[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day Three
[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day Four
[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day Five
[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day Six
[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day Seven
[mp3] Explosions In the Sky :: Day Eight

I also stumbled upon another interesting find at The National website. When Clap Your Hands Say Yeah toured with The National in 2005, I remember reading concert reviews detailing how half the audience would leave after Clap Your Hands finished. The reviews then went on to mention how the people who left missed a vastly superior headlining performance by The National.

While I’ve heard a few of their live mp3’s, they did not prepare me for what I was to find at their site. A fan of the band has posted three live videos from their 2005 tour. One of the featured songs is “About Today” (from my “Late Night Drinking” podcast) and it is nothing short of amazing. An extended intro and intense final climax push the song over the 8-minute mark. The National has definitely climbed near the top of my list of bands to see (though they’re probably still behind Explosions In the Sky).

[video] The National :: About Today [live]

The other two videos can be found here.