The Details » Writings http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog I reside here. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:38:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Brazil, 2010 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/brazil-2010 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/brazil-2010#comments Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:43:56 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=686 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/brazil-2010/feed 3 USA! USA! http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/us-soccer http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/us-soccer#comments Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:19:06 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=676 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/us-soccer/feed 0 WIRED and the New Print http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/wired-and-the-new-print http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/wired-and-the-new-print#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:51:09 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=650 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/wired-and-the-new-print/feed 0 My Favorite Albums of 2009 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/my-favorite-albums-of-2009 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/my-favorite-albums-of-2009#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=608 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/my-favorite-albums-of-2009/feed 2 Chris Rushing is Better Than You http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/chris-rushing-is-better-than-you http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/chris-rushing-is-better-than-you#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:41:42 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=602 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2010/chris-rushing-is-better-than-you/feed 1 Christmas Reflection http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/christmas-reflection http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/christmas-reflection#comments Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:47:20 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=594 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/christmas-reflection/feed 2 Sorry so Quiet… http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/sorry-so-quiet http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/sorry-so-quiet#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:59:14 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=587 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/sorry-so-quiet/feed 0 Productivity Vs. Twitter http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/productivity-vs-twitter http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/productivity-vs-twitter#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:50:20 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=526 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/productivity-vs-twitter/feed 0 Directional Uncertainty in an Uncertain Blog http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/directional-uncertainty-in-an-uncertain-blog http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/directional-uncertainty-in-an-uncertain-blog#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:38:13 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=495 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/directional-uncertainty-in-an-uncertain-blog/feed 2 My Favorite Albums of 2008 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/my-favorite-albums-of-2008 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/my-favorite-albums-of-2008#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:00:12 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=369 Copeland - You Are My Sunshine I'm a really big fan of what Aaron marsh has been doing with Copeland over the last few years. "In Motion" and "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" have both been in heavy rotation, but not to the level that "You Are My Sunshine" has been lately. Marsh's vocals may be a bit too much for some people — at times very processed and ethereal — but I think the the combination of Marsh and Aaron Sprinkle made it a work worth of listening. "You Are My Sunshine" is a fairly even album in it's tone but has enough variance to give each song a unique attitude. This is an album that I tend to listen to all the way through, rather than individual tracks. Each song leads well into the next. It's a really pleasant and enjoyable album that has quite a few stand out tracks, but I have to agree with some reviews I've read that site Rae Cassidy (the female guest vocalist on several tracks) completely steals the show. Her Zooey Deschanel quality really takes over the songs she's on. "Not So Tough Found Out" is by far the best track on the album, with Rae's vocals really playing a big part in giving the 10 minute long track a solid marker to break up the perceived monotony of such a long listen. Overall, "You Are My Sunshine" really plays well in my ears. I expect to be listening to it often in the future.

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

I gave this album so much crap when it came out and I'm happily eating my words at this point. "Narrow Stars" totally captured me after the 4th or 5th listen. I typically don't stick around that long with albums that don't sit well with me, there's just too much good music out there for me to use up listening time to force myself to learn to love something, but Death Cab has a special place in my heart so I decided to give them more of a chance that any other band in the same situation. This album is one of my favorite Death Cab albums at this point. The detail in this album really takes time to rise to the surface, but once it does, it's truly a great album. "I Will Possess Your Heart" is one of my favorite tracks of the year, despite it's 8+ minute long length and it's ridiculously stalker-esque lyrics. But the lyrics on this album really stand out. Ben Gibbard has an amazing talent for weaving together great stories and pictures with minimal work on the listeners part. Several songs really pull together all of Death Cab for just great listens, "Cath..." being my favorite. If you're a long-time Death Cab fan, I can totally understand you not liking this album, but that's your loss (and mine, initially), but I really love this album. Go buy it.

The Duke Spirit - Neptune

Liela Moss' voice is enough of a reason to buy this album. She has come in second place to Feist on the list of women I would marry based strictly on their voices. Moss fits perfectly with the slightly dirtiness of the guitar and bass work on "Neptune". This is as close to a 70's girl-front band that we have come to producing. There is a metric-ton of passion on this record, in both the highs and lows of each track. I never buy albums based off of my feelings over one track, but "The Step and The Walk" was strong enough to make me consider it. After listening to the rest of the album, I was hooked.

The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath

The Mars Volta are messed up, I have no doubt in my mind that both Omar and Cedric need some professional help and a giant hug. That being said, they make some of the most amazing music being recorded today. Believe what you want about the Andy Kaufman-ish back stories of each album they release, it won't change how great these albums are. "Bedlam" is a giant, giant musical accomplishment the likes of which I would never be able to even dream of creating. Each song has a personality that seems larger than life. Cedric's vocal work is off the charts and Omar's guitar and production is some of the most amazing and complex I have ever heard. Each song on this album makes me want to dance around a room for imaginary music videos in my head. By far, this is my favorite album of 2008.

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Read all the reviews on this album, make up your own mind. All of those reviews aside, MGMT has put out an album that really blew everyone out of the water, like it or not. This whole album is good, but the best tracks are the ones you've never heard on a commercial or TV show. I'm amazed at the amount of variety this album has that gives each song it's own uniqueness but all at once retains an over all completeness and continuity. The amount of originality this album possesses is quite spectacular, and it has one of my top 5 favorite tracks in "Electric Feel".

Santogold - Santogold

This is the album I told the people about the most. Santogold manages to marry some great indie rock vocals with a really low key level hip-hop that really makes me think of M.I.A.. I love this album so much. I think the thing that excites me the most is what her next album is going to sound like. tracks like "Shove It", "Creator", "My Superman", and "You'll Find a Way" really get me psyched about the Santogold future. Toyota commercials are not the end for Santogold, but just the beginning. I really hope that more people get into this album, which won't be hard. She's already pretty huge.

Say Hi - The Wishes and The Glitch

If you've ever listened to Pedro the Lion or Headphones and thought to yourself "I really wish I could listen to this and not get so incredibly depressed" then Say Hi is for you! There are a whole lot of happy lyrics and up tempo beats that will make you glad you spent money on this album. This album is a great beginning to end listen, and I recommend doing that several times a day.

Starflyer 59 - Dial M

I love Jason Martin and everything he does and this album did not disappoint. Shoegazer rock never left my heart, even after Tooth & Nail gave up on most of it back in '97. I'll continue to buy everything Jason Martin touches. His ability to write songs that really touch and excite me is something that I don't have happen often over the lifetime of most bands. "Dial M" is just as strong as "My Island", which leads to a side point about Starflyer 59. While the music has grown significantly over the years, it hasn't changed an immense amount. The real treasure lies in Startflyer 59's ability to continually create music inside of a rather closed out genre that still reaches people and delivers quality, originality, and passion. I hope Jason Martin never stops making music.

Tyler Ramsey - A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea

I really am in love with this album. Tyler Ramsey just kills every acoustic guitar album you've ever owned. His vocals are perfectly rough and lovely. His guitar work is amazingly crafted. I can't say enough about this album. If there was one album I wish I could write what I truly thought about it, this would be the album, but I can't, I'm just not able to do that. This is the only album I'm linking to, just to show how much this album impacted me last year. I think that may be one of the reasons I love it so much, but that doesn't detract from it's amazing qualities. This is an album I wish I could listen to for the first time each time. I remember how great it was to hear it for the first time. I hope Tyler keeps putting out his own albums, even though he's now in Band of Horse...

Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

This album is all kinds of fun. Great pianos, great guitar licks, great bass and drum layers, super fun lyrics from a voice that doesn't sound like it should sing well at all, but it all works. I just wish it wasn't just 9 tracks, though "Call It a Ritual" almost makes up for the lack of additional songs. I still can't believe that this album came out of improv sessions. I wish I could write songs as well as Wolf Parade seems to just spit them out.

Honorable Mentions

Cartridge - Fractures

"Fractures" had to kind of grow on me, but the upbeat and happy nature of it made it easy for me to play often. The vocal work is super fun and fits well with the alternating nature of the music. Sometimes acoustic and at sometimes very electric and processed, it seems to work really well as a whole. I think what I love most about it is the airiness that it has. It's somehow feels like you have the windows down when you're listening to it. I'm really disappointed that I haven't seen these guys everywhere. It's such a great album, really accessible and fun, why it isn't used in commercials and TV shows is beyond me. I was also hard pressed to find any sort of press on it at all. This album is one of the most fun albums I got all year. Please listen to this.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Everyone loves this album, and everyone probably should. It's a really accessible album that doesn't offend too much, with some really catching bite size songs that are easy to sing along with. It's a fun album and I'm ashamed to say I listened to it a lot this year.

Imaad Wasif - Strange Hexes (With Two Part Beast)

I found Imaad Wasif opening for Jeremy Enigk at The Troubadour up in Los Angeles a long way back, and he blew my mind like very few open bands have (Mellowdrone comes to mind, who I also found opening for The Fire Theft in Orlando). The guitar work on this album is enough of a reason to give it a listen. It's amazing Imaad can play all this and still sing and lead as well as he does.

Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling

I wanted to have this as a favorite but I can't give you a reason why. It's a great background album, it's just too unassuming to have as the focal point. There are a few tracks that stand out really well though, "Batcat" being the one that comes to mind.

One Day As a Lion - One Day As a Lion - EP

Oh how I wish Zach de la Rocha and Jon Theodore would have stayed in the studio for another few months and had given us 5 more tracks to make this a full LP. I can only imagine how much that would have rocked my face off. Forget about all the stuff that's come out since Rage Against the Machine broke up, One Day As a Lion makes up for all of that white noise.

United Nations - United Nations

Geoff Rickly is back to his Thursday roots and screaming again. Who else is in the band besides Rickly? Who knows, and who cares. Contract or not, the anonymous members all work together well, giving me my favorite hardcore album of the year.]]> http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/my-favorite-albums-of-2008/feed 6 New Year Resolutions http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/new-year-resolutions http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/new-year-resolutions#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:03:33 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=406 My New Year Began in October I was recently in Nashville for one of my best friend's wedding, Adrian Santos, and I was fortunate to have a couple of great conversations with him and another good friend of mine Josh Smith. It being a hard few months for me lately, the conversations all had a general overtone of forward looking and contemplation for me, with each of those two great guys contributing a lot to my thinking — more than likely without them actually knowing it. Both Adrian and Josh are extremely focused and disciplined in a way that I typically just fake at being, but it was great to get some tips and advice from both of them. I'm grateful that I'm friends with both of them for many reason. I've decided that my resolutions this year were going to be categorical, rather than specific, so that I can apply each resolution to multiple aspects of my life, hopefully this will help me stay focused but not to become lost in the minutia and specificity of a singular goal, which although would be accomplished, would do less help to me as a person and be more of a list item that could just be checked off and forgotten about.

1. Save More

I've decided to set an actual amount this year of how much money I would like to save. Last year I was blessed to do better than I was expecting financially and I was able to save a bit (which became fortunate later in the year due to some financial things that decided to creep up unexpectedly). I was lucky to have done that, but it wasn't as purposeful as I wished it had been, and without a set amount that I was trying to reach, I wasn't able to judge myself at whether or not it had been a successfully attained goal. So, by setting a hard amount Along with a financial savings, I'm going to apply my goal of Saving More to other aspects of my life. Time is a big one that I spend and waste too much of. By becoming more efficient with how I decide to spend my time and life, it will allow me to spend more on the things that I do what. Time is valuable, and it's a cost that you can calculate. Some do it financially [sidebar], which makes sense to me if you're calculating work costs, but I prefer to look at it in a more abstract fashion, based on events and activities rather than money. Would I rather do this or would I rather have two extra hours to do this? By learning to save more of my time, money, and myself, I'll be able to spend every thing better: giving myself more bang for my buck.

2. Simplify My Life

I am way too complex with my life. Complexity does equate to having complex things though. I'm a total tech junkie, but that stuff isn't all that complex for me. It's not about a specific thing making my life complex, it's more of a mindset. Somewhere along the line I decided that complexity equates to a system that will deliver specific results, and there is some truth that can be found there, but not in a way that be applied to the whole. Yes, computers are complex working things, but that complex thing can be used to write a giant application to manage a to-do list, or a simple text file can be used and saved on your desktop to accomplish the same thing.
3 For acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young- 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. Proverbs 1:3-5 (NIV)
I need to figure out what aspects of my life are complicated because I've made them that way, which ones are complicated because they are complicated, and how I can simplify both of those areas. Life doesn't have to have a lot of things going on in order to be exciting and fulfilling. There is beauty in simplicity, and that is something I've lost along the way. When I started my blog a few years back, and even further back from there when I wrote articles for a design community website, I wrote it under the title of "The Details." I found all the beauty in the details, and I still do. The way a single letter "n" is designed in a typeface or how a image and text line up in a grid system, those details are amazing. But, adding details to something for the sake of having details doesn't make it more beautiful — it makes it more complicated! Simplicity can apply to so many things, but a real simplicity is a thoughtful paring down of something until it is exactly what it needs to be, and not a single thing more. Do I really need to have a super complex method for organizing my thoughts, or will a single Moleskine with list items written down and then crossed out when finished? This is a goal that will have hundreds of aspects for each area it's applied to, but over time, simplification will lead to a more calm mind and an easier outlook on life.

3. Stewardship of What I Have

This one is simple (see resolution #2). I need to be a better Steward of what I have been blessed with, whatever it is. Money, time, talent, friendships, family: you name it, more than likely I've taken it for granted. I need to fully understand and realize the value of things I have in my life and use them wisely and in a way that will justify their existence as well as the blessing that God gave me and put in my life.
"Stewardship, including financial stewardship, is essentially a faith issue… God calls us stewards as his beloved children, and promises his love and acceptance of us forever. Having incorporated us into his family, then God invites us to work in the world to foster God's purposes. Part of that call is to acknowledge in our hearts and lives that our very being and everything we have belongs to God, and we are caretakers using ourselves for his Kingdom." Dr. William O. Avery
By being a good steward of everything I have, I become more faithful to God's purpose for my life and His will for those elements He's given me. By acknowledging God's ownership of my possessions, I give Him more ownership of my life and more control over my decision making.

4. Study More and Sharpen What I Do Know

I want to learn more about so many things. Theology, typography, design, color, cars, learning other languages, people, so many things. I've been very lazy in my life lately in pushing myself to be more, and I miss that. In learning to do things better I become better, and I become more efficient in doing those things I have just learned and those things I already know.
Information is not knowledge. Albert Einstein
In the past, I have define knowledge as knowing a bunch of stuff. And although that has helped me in games of Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, it hasn't helped me in what really matters: living my life effectively and helping others to live their lives more effectively. I want to become more wise and knowledgeable, not an encyclopedia of useless facts, like I have bragged about being in the past.

5. Sustain

My last goal is more or less a cheater goal. I want to be able to Sustain all the goals I've set. I'm fully aware that it can't really be accomplished until the year is finished, but that is probably the truth with the other four resolutions I've set as well. Regardless of that, I still want to make it a goal of mine to keep my goals, as circular as that may be. I think I would be more wise (see resolution #4) of me to sustain my goals than it would be to just let them be a site I have my yearly eyes set on. By sustaining these goals, hopefully I'll become a better Chrisitian, person, friend, son, brother, etc. to everyone around me.

Conclusion

Hopefully I do good on my goals in the coming 12 months + 1 second. One thing I took great time in orchestrating was the ability for each of my goals to influence each other. I'm hoping that by learning to simplify things that saving will be easier. By learning to save more of my time, studying will be an easier thing to accomplish and sustain. Stewardship of my studies and saving commitments will make things simpler and more sustainable. All this will make my life simpler, as well as save me time and effort. I'm now curious of your resolutions or goals that you're setting for yourself for the coming year. How do you plan on keeping these resolutions? In the spirit of Simplicity are you going to just write a list and try and stick to it? Or, in the spirit of Sustainability and Stewardship, are you going to try some method of accountability, be it a friend or other means? Feel free to comment and let me know what your goals are or let me know what you think about mine. Happy new year, everyone! Here's to a fresh start and a successful ending.]]> http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2009/new-year-resolutions/feed 6 Jack’s BBQ http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/jacks-bbq http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/jacks-bbq#comments Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:12:08 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=313 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/jacks-bbq/feed 0 Note to Self: Never Live in Tampa Bay http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/note-to-self-never-live-in-tampa-bay http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/note-to-self-never-live-in-tampa-bay#comments Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:35:48 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=302 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/note-to-self-never-live-in-tampa-bay/feed 4 2-in-1 Cashmere Gloves http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/2-in-1-cashmere-gloves http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/2-in-1-cashmere-gloves#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:38:41 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=300 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/2-in-1-cashmere-gloves/feed 1 Revolutionary Computer Interface http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/revolutionary-computer-interface http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/revolutionary-computer-interface#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:52:54 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=296 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/revolutionary-computer-interface/feed 0 New Hosting, Some Issues… http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/new-hosting-some-issues http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/new-hosting-some-issues#comments Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:42:27 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=292 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/new-hosting-some-issues/feed 0 New Work at SuperWindy http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/new-work-at-superwindy http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/new-work-at-superwindy#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:08:05 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=289 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/new-work-at-superwindy/feed 1 What I Learned From My First Bath in 25 Years http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/what-i-learned-from-my-first-bath-in-25-years http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/what-i-learned-from-my-first-bath-in-25-years#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:15:04 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=287 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/what-i-learned-from-my-first-bath-in-25-years/feed 2 Another Design by Humans Submission! http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/another-design-by-humans-submission http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/another-design-by-humans-submission#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:16:15 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=285 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/another-design-by-humans-submission/feed 0 Santogold = Solid (Glitter) Gold http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/santogold-solid-glitter-gold http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/santogold-solid-glitter-gold#comments Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:29:44 +0000 Aaron http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/?p=278 http://www.iamaaronmartin.com/blog/2008/santogold-solid-glitter-gold/feed 0