The Other Stuff http://darrenprince.posterous.com assorted randomalia by darren prince posterous.com Sat, 19 Feb 2011 10:52:00 -0800 mom is out of town, so yeah, we're playing with our food http://darrenprince.posterous.com/moms-out-of-town-so-yeah-were-playing-with-ou http://darrenprince.posterous.com/moms-out-of-town-so-yeah-were-playing-with-ou

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/186485/DP_Headshot_2009.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4bmN3mk0JZkZ Darren Prince darrenprince Darren Prince
Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:08:00 -0800 Best of 2010: Music Discoveries http://darrenprince.posterous.com/best-of-2010-music http://darrenprince.posterous.com/best-of-2010-music

I'm going to close out 2010 with two more "Best Of" posts, if I can manage.  Part two is a longer one on my favorite productivity workflows on the Mac, but for now, how about one that's a bit more lighthearted and fun?

One of our favorite things to do in the Prince household is rock out to some good tunes.  And every now and then we shove the furniture aside, tidy up the toys and have a good old-fashioned dance party. (For my more conservative readers, what else would you do with energetic kids in the cold of winter?!?!)  Some of the kids' latest moves include stage-diving off the coffee table and incorporating various living-room accessories as dance props. Very cool.

Some of this music is perfect for the family dance nights - others of it is for solitary listening either while on the bus, walking the dog, or relaxing at my desk in between conference calls and project work.  2010 was another year of great music discoveries, so I thought I'd share a few of my faves here!

In random order . . . I'll share music by bands/albums and in some instances reference specific songs.  Links are to iTunes web previews.

1) Owl City

This was probably a late 2009 discovery, but it became the family theme music for much of 2010.  The whole family officially adopted "Fireflies" as the soundtrack for our big road trip across the US South back in April.  The music is catchy, the lyrics clean and creative, and it basically just makes you want to bust a move, even if you've been strapped into a car seat for six hours.  "Ocean Eyes" might be my favorite album of the year in fact.  Interesting side note: the music is basically written and performed by a guy named Adam Young whose work reminds us an awful lot of what our dear friend Todd Kennemer would have produced from his bedroom keyboard.

2) Matt Tinsley

Okay, it's easy to recommend this guy - he's the worship leader at our church!  So aside from being a great guy and a blogger for TUAW he's a terrific songwriter and recording artist in his own right.  His soulful croonings were the soundtrack for a turning point in our year this year: that beautiful moment back in March when the sun came back out, our UKvisa issues were all sorted out, and I finally replaced my stolen bicycle.  (Sorry, a bit off topic there I guess, but you know how music comes to represent a clustered set of memories for a specific era of life?)  Anyway, Matt's music is great and since he was definitely a great 2010 find for our church, I thought I'd nudge a few of you to discover his music as well.

3) Jake Armerding

Here's a fellow Wheaton grad who was a freshman the year we were seniors - but even then his music was stunningly good.  (He opened for David Wilcox when Wilcox came to campus in 1997 - and has since landed on at least one if not two of DW's recordings.)  Jake's got talent for writing country music I can actually tolerate, maybe because it tilts more towards folk than country anyway.  He's creative, witty, and a musical genius.  I fell in love with his 2009 album "Her" and pretty much listened to it on auto-repeat during a solo drive all the way back from North Carolina to Nashville on my way to T4G in April.  That's right - picture me listening to folk/country on a lovely spring-time drive through the Smokey Mountains. Bliss!

4) Mumford and Sons

While I'm talking about folk I'll go ahead and mention these guys: I realize I was kinda late to the party on this one, but they still ended up being one of my favorite music discoveries of 2010.  They're a London-based neo-bluegrass/folk band with some of the most achingly poetic lyrics I've heard this century.  (How's that for a statement!) If anybody can make banjo and mandolin playing sound amazingly hip, it's M&S. They know how to craft a song like nobody's business, and their 2010 album "Sigh No More" is EP storytelling at its best.  Some of their lyrics are not safe for family dance parties, mind you.  And if you want to know how to knock my socks off for my 2011 birthday just find a way to help me see these guys live.  I'm sure they're amazing.

5) Phoenix

It's amazing the music you discover just by following a few culturally savvy friends on Twitter.  I have @lumpyjuice to thank for this one.  Phoenix is the kind of band I never would have come across on my own, but they're just so much fun.  They're a French indie-rock group with immensely singable tunes that are perfect for cycling on a sunny day.  (Hope my mom doesn't read that one - she hates hearing about me riding my bike with earbuds on!)  If you want to get started with them, definitely go for their 2009 release "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix".  It's a simple recipe: bass, drums, keyboard/guitar, odd lyrics = dance party or bicycle accident, take your pick.

BONUS PICKS:

EMBARRASSING BONUS PICK:

  • While we would never publicly admit to watching Glee, cough-cough, does anyone else agree that sometimes the Glee Cast musical covers are actually better than the originals? Seriously!

Alright that's it for me - what were your best musical discoveries of 2010?

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/186485/DP_Headshot_2009.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4bmN3mk0JZkZ Darren Prince darrenprince Darren Prince
Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:28:00 -0700 Fun With A Box! http://darrenprince.posterous.com/fun-with-a-box http://darrenprince.posterous.com/fun-with-a-box

Movie on 2009-10-18 at 16.12.mov Watch on Posterous

Jesse would like to say: "Please Do NOT tell Darren Prince's wife or his daughter about this secret thing."

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Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:07:32 -0700 Jesse's love of learning is infectious these days. http://darrenprince.posterous.com/jesses-love-of-learning-is-infectious-these-d http://darrenprince.posterous.com/jesses-love-of-learning-is-infectious-these-d

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Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:22:16 -0700 Samuel is 6 months! (almost) http://darrenprince.posterous.com/samuel-is-6-months-almost http://darrenprince.posterous.com/samuel-is-6-months-almost

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Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:54:14 -0700 Bouquet of Autumn Leaves http://darrenprince.posterous.com/bouquet-of-autumn-leaves http://darrenprince.posterous.com/bouquet-of-autumn-leaves

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Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:31:56 -0700 Posterous Debut http://darrenprince.posterous.com/posterous-debut http://darrenprince.posterous.com/posterous-debut
Movie on 2009-09-19 at 12.17.mov Watch on Posterous

This is pretty much how it goes in our family . . .

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/186485/DP_Headshot_2009.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4bmN3mk0JZkZ Darren Prince darrenprince Darren Prince