i've been seeking out the coziest winter albums that suit the gloomy weather.

1. the microphones - the glow pt. 2. ace album that's essential for wrapping yourself up in a blanket and drinking hot cocoa. melancholy and moving; it's my favorite album of the moment.

2. electric president - electric president. a 2006 release that is SCARILY reminiscent of the postal service; they incorporate the same dramatic synth swooshes, cutesy-lonely lyrics, and indietronica elements. beautifully arranged album. check it out this insant if you're a fan of tps.

3. the antlers - in the attic of the universe. ITAOTU is a comfy, quiet little concept album. it's slow and nuanced; it might be my favorite album by the antlers.

4. lorde - no better. no better is a new single lorde released a few days ago that didn't make it onto pure heroine. i like the clean hip-hop style of the song. it's short, but infectious and sweet.

i was frantically refreshing the page yesterday at 10:00 waiting for this list to go up. I'M SO HAPPY THAT MODERN VAMPIRES IS THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR. vampire weekend deserved the hell out of it. i've seen some people criticize the choice because it's "too pretentious" or "too safe", but i don't agree with that. it's the band's most mature release to date, and it was beautifully produced and assembled. it was clearly made with a ton of labor, effort, and love.

that said, i can't understand why majical cloudz, chvrches, and haim made it onto the list, but albums of tim hecker quality didn't.

man, i hate that. it's aggravating. it's a sign that they think that they know what you're going to say. HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW?! don't assume things for me!

london weather sounds dreamy. gloomy weather breeds sentimentality.

let's do this, dudes.

1. bon iver - for emma, forever ago; so insanely perfect and fitting to the shivery weather outside. accompanied with a tea, sweater, and fluffy comforter, it is buh-liss.

2. kanye west - hold my liquor & on sight. funnily enough, can't get these two out of my head. YEEZY SEASON APPROACHING

and it's distilled to those, only. i'm faced with the curse of the "same old same old". it's becoming tiring, but unfortunately i lack the patience/presence to come upon enjoyable new music. TRYING. endeavoring.

the ghirardelli square is heaaaaven. san fran is ~6 hours away from me. i should take a road trip there soon.

animal collective - sung tongs. listen to the entire album, perfect for fall. my personal favorite is kids on holiday.

arcade fire's new album reflektor leaked this week so that's been on repeat, too. i despised it upon first listen, but it's grown on me. notable mentions: awful sound (oh eurydice) & it's never over (oh orpheus). i've been listening to funeral a lot this week, too.

being aware of what will happen in the future is certainly going to shape the opportunities one jumps at in the present moment. if one knows that situation x is going to end situation x way, he or she will be burdened, relieved, etc. by the awareness of what is going to happen.

having a mental forecast of the future can change one's mindset and approach, because he or she is AWARE of striving towards (or against, or whatever) some goal.

is this an example of schrodinger's theory? essentially, you do not know the possible outcome of something until you solidify the theory in your mind. it then reduces the idea of a surprising outcome / decreases the idea that something can be chalked up to free will or fate.

i can't. stop. listening. to in the aeroplane over the sea (the entire album).

neutral milk hotel - in the aeroplane over the sea / the king of carrot flowers (all parts) / two-headed boy are favorites. oh my gaaah. next time NMH is around i'm so down.

ALSO. lorde is freaking fantastic and i'm addicted to ribs. for full effect, listen to this in your car or with headphones on. amazing 360/binaural riffs that you can't feel with tinny laptop speakers.

lastly, i got back on p!atd. yeah, i know, don't laugh at me. something about pop-punk was really appealing to me, so... my favorites off of fever you can't sweat out (right now) are but it's better if you do -> i write sins not tragedies. listen to it in that order, g-reeeat transition.

yeeeah. good music week!

i absolutely adore ezra koenig. it's not creepy or anything. i swear.

my favorite part of the review:

"FLASH FORWARD ABOUT TWO HOURS:

Me, Panda and Nathan are walking to the show after getting some BBQ in the East Village (NOT MY IDEA). Panda and Nathan won’t stop talking about guys from their college frat. I smile and pretend to follow their rando stories. They keep saying “Oh, this is probably so boring for you. You don’t know anyone from our college.” BUT THEN THEY JUST KEEP ON REMINISCING."

goddamn it.

i'm reading a couple at a time, lol. i hope i don't sound like a right ass saying that.

1. we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver

2. here kitty kitty by jardine libaire

3. the pleasure of my company by steve martin

4. the beautiful and damned by f. scott fitzgerald (a short story, i think)

i guess all of them are psychological stories. all pretty damn good.

1. broken social scene - anthems for a seventeen year old girl

used to be one of the rotten ones, and i liked you for that...

2. lorde - ribs

the intro is fucking ace. listen to it in your car and let it envelope you in amazingness. thank you, lorde's producer, for utilizing binaural/360 technology. THANK YOU. it makes so much of a difference. also, she references broken social scene.

3. arcade fire - neon bible

i love the instrumentals in this, holy crap. i'm not so big on the lyrics/vocals - they're alright.

4. panic! at the disco - but it's better if you do & i write sins not tragedies

they transition effortlessly into one another. don't roll your eyes at me and act like you're too good for p!atd. everyone can admit to praying for love in a lap dance.

A large part of Reddit's following comes from the viewership of images (obvious popularity of image-based subreddits). Hubski is far more geared towards text and writing as opposed to visual stimuli - that isn't to ignore all of the awesome articles and photos that are posted. I guess it's apparent that Hubski values a textual community over, essentially, an image-based gallery, maybe?

That last statement was definitely an oversimplification.

Travel is at the top of my list. However, as selfish as I know this is, I hate speaking about my plans with other people. The topic is almost a sacred one. Weird?

You might like CHVRCHES. They just released their debut LP, The Bones of What You Believe. It's fun synthpop with catchy hooks.

OOH. Do tell. What were your favorite dishes?

Forever ago, I found a site listing the world's best tiramisu, and I remember that a tiny little place in Sicily was given the highest rating. I've been wanting to try that out.

That sounds fun nonetheless. I've never been to Italy. The food sounds like it's worth visiting alone.

I had to resist because I knew I'd eat it all and it'd be gone. Update, btw: I DID END UP DEVOURING THE WHOLE BOX

I'm sitting at home, trying not to eat the entire box of cut-up pineapple in the fridge, lol. I'm listening to music right now (Ohnoetrix Point Never - Americans) and um, I dunno. I don't have any plans today. It's just a chilled-out summer day for me!

Italy, whoa, awesome! What are your plans?

I'd agree with this. I associate home with family - it's a place that's close to me and intimate. I guess I'd also think of home as being a place of stability (somewhere I can always depend on).

I don't remember small actions (going to the fridge, turning on the television, pouring myself coffee, et cetera), but I'd recall routine or momentous events (piano lessons or going to the theater with friends) - by title, and not by feeling/environment/the people I was with/how my mindset was on that particular day.

I'm torn when it comes to wanting to keep a log of daily activities because there's little to a day that's worth recording. On the other hand, it's frightening to think that a few thousand days have passed, but they're forever gone from my memory.

Don't worry, you're not alone, lol. Hi, fellow new person!

Ellis sounds like an essential, and that genre has caught my eye over the past few years. It'd be great to build up a foundation of serious, devoted authors with a knack for voicing opinions on that sort of writing.

Are celebrity-culture/fashion-related books (well-written ones, that's to say) generally not found in the #hubskibookclub? I'm new to Hubski, and that tag sounds intriguing (if a little bit intimidating).

Hannah Hunt is my favorite song off of that album, as well. It's nearly otherwordly-sounding and so quiet and delicate.

Some backstory behind that song: Hannah Hunt was a college friend of the band's. Ezra Koenig (the lead singer) met her in a Buddhism class about seven years ago. The song's been in the making ever since - reportedly because he liked her name.

I'm interested in that. I like reading writing that has echoes of (or is centered around) critiquing those self-absorbed (typically, anyway) characters. Thanks!

I did. I don't think I can eloquently describe it, but reading these kinds of books makes me feel like I'm a detached observer scoffing at their lifestyle all the while getting caught up in the trappings of it.

You're right on the nose with what I'm going for, by the way:

>bread and butter is hip, rich twenty-somethings with too much free time.

Thanks.

Damn, it scares me that I can't remember life on a day-to-day basis. Even though that shouldn't come as a shock - it's not like I live a particularly exciting life. Still...

The first building is stunning!

I've always associated those frosted glass blocks with shady, sketchy buildings, lol.