40 Records in 40 Years (36/40 - 2009)

My workload has reduced to a normal mass this year and I was mentally able to stabilize again. I was very busy with myself that I didn't noticed what really happened around me. So I didn't realized that C. wasn't happy in her job any more. Surely we talked about these things but we were not able to find a final solution for her problems. Looking back from my my today's point it seems that something has gone lost in these period. As normally we have pushed it on the general strain in the occupation and have fled in the next vacation. In hope that we afterwards again enough strength will have to master around the upcoming problems. We both weren't willing to take a round-trip anywhere so we decided to go tho Goa, India, again. Just to have a quiet beach life with sun, swimming and some good times. We found a nice apartment in immediate beach nearness which was pursued by an older English lady. It was wonderful. And for the first time in our life we met Russian people during our vacation. Unfortunately, became all prejudices we have belonged confirmed. Very loud people who have no respect to the culture of the host country. Many have behaved like small dictators and have treated the locals like personal slaves. So I kept distance to them. Anyway - these days were peaceful at all and we got the power to pull up again. Not knowing what the next year will bring. More next week

When I was looking back to this years music I have to admit that I didn't got my eyes on longplay records. I was more into electronics and dance these days. But anyway, here are some records that are worth to be named again:

• Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest: Fine mixture of folk and experimental rock
• Fever Ray - same: It would be my record of the year if The XX wouldn't appear
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - same: Clever indie pop
• Element of Crime - Da wo du bist bin ich nie: More hooks this time
• La Roux - same: The evolution of 80s synthie-pop

In addition to this: here are some songs I like to play again.

Seems like I watched different kind of movies this year:

• Sherlock Holmes: Guy Ritchie makes an old story new - awesome
• The Hangover: If only for the first sentence 'We fucked it up'
• The Hurt Locker: Great movie during the war in Iraq
• Crazy Heart: One more fantastic movie with Jeff Bridges
• Inglorious Basterds: The breakthrough for Christoph Waltz
• Taken: Great thriller
• The Boat That Rocked: Back into the early 60s

Some headlines from 2009:

Horrible bushfires in Australia kills nearly 200 people // Swine flue outbreak - the influenza spreads from Mexico and the United States to other countries // Sri Lanka announces victory in its 27 year war against the terrorist organisation Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

It's not purist. A short band name, the same time album name is and, of course, a cover which only by a 'X' is decorated. As highlighted in the treasure hunt, as it were, the X is the body. And if you're going to dig this music turns out this album as an incredibly minimalist but it is precisely this incredibly stirring dream. The quartet from London unfolds into a dark beauty with the simplest of means. 2 Guitars a bass and drum computers, as well as triggered beats from a few slight electronica rich from. It is like as if the dark despair and mood of the early Cure and Joy Division experienced an amazing reinterpretation in this form in the outgoing decade sure a few bands have succeeded. The music is melancholy sad but is always allowed moments of hope again. Especially if Romy Madley Croft with her wonderful voice and thus the micro takes a fragile soul and an honest warmth in the music as you would expect at first glance. Particularly in a cheering chorus with band mates Oliver Sim makes this incredibly fun because he is, so to speak, the dark counterpart to his teammate. So the songs sometimes almost like dialogs. Introverted love songs in dark times. Ideal for the autumn some may also write for the financial crisis' but the other should decide. This album is so incredibly great and wonderful to listen to them that it almost brought tears to the eyes. Long would despair isolation and darkness not so good anymore in music packed as here. The xx is an honest emotional and incredibly good album full wonderful soft sounds.

The XX - Bood Red Moon
The XX - Teardrops
The XX - Intro
The XX - Crystalised
The XX - Shelter