Day One in Rome

It was hot in Rome today.

We landed around 10:30 am, on time despite a late take off from Chicago. The flight was fine, but as I watched several families settle in to business class, I decided I never want to fly coach for a long flight like that again. It would have been a million times better to be laying out flat and sleeping, but no big deal, I travelled half way around the world in a small flying tube, that's a miracle.

The airport in Rome is nice, we didn't check any bags so we were outta there pretty fast.  They don't seem very interested at passport control either, not stamp, no chat, nothing.

Here's a little traveller note, it costs the same to take an Uber Black Car from the airport to downtown Rome; around 50 Euros.

We arrived at our hotel, about an hour after we landed, and we were happy to find that our room was ready early. I heard about the hotel, Leon's Place in the NY Times, and it was a good find. The rooms are small, but nice, with a nice bathroom. The closet space is minimal, but it has a balcony.  The breakfast buffet is also included, and the food is great and plentiful.

After we dropped off the bags, we set out to find Emma's pizza. This may not have been a great idea. It was a pretty long walk in the heat and we got a little lost. Once we finally found it, we both had an excellent Roman style pizza. The food was great and the prices were very reasonable.  

The walk home was a little bit of a death march. We saw some amazing sites, including the coliseum, which we will be touring on Wednesday, but it was still super hot and we didn't have our directions down very well. When we finally got home a cold shower was in order to wash off the plane and 90 degree day stickiness.  

We closed it out with a nice dinner at Restaurante La Pentolaccia, a local place that the hotel recommended. The waiters were very nice, they spoke a little english and don't seem to mind feeding Americans, but you should know, everything in Italian restaurants is good so don't ask for suggestions.

Our hotel Leon's Place in Rome

 

 You can swing from the chandeliers in the lobby

 Porta Pia

Best Records of 2014

I am sorry this is the only thing I every update on this blog, but for some reason music is the one thing I still feel inspired to share an opinion on, so here we go. These are the 10 records for 2014:

Lift Your Spirit by Aloe Blacc
Nathaniel Dawkins, aka Aloe Blacc, released an amazing follow up to one of my 2010 favorites Good Things called Lift Your Spirit. If you were listening to the radio, there is no doubt you heard  the huge hit "The Man"and you may also recognize a stripped down acoustic version of his even bigger hit "Wake me Up" that was originally released as a EDM single with Avicii.  There is a lot to love on this record beyond the hits, like "Love is the Answer" with Pharrell Williams. This is an easy record to put at the top of the list.

Metamodern Sounds in Country Music by Sturgill Simpson
Several critics called this record, country music for people that don't like country music. That may be true, but I like country music, old-school country that is, and I love this record. If Nashville put out more records like this everyone would love country music.  Not only is this one of my favorite records, "Turtles All the Way Down" is in my top three singles and to get even more granular this song has the best line I have heard in a  song in years, "There's a gateway in our mind that leads somewhere out there beyond this plane/Where reptile aliens made of light cut you open and pull out all your pain." I think we are done here.

Sylvan Esso by Sylvan Esso
Sylvan Esso is the debut album from North Carolina duo Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn; she is the singer/songwriter best known as a member of Appalachian indie folk trio Mountain Man, and he is an electronic producer and bass player for country-psych rockers Megafaun. This is a beautiful record, but somehow I am surprised every time one of their songs, pops up on the iTunes shuffle. I suspect you will love the lead track "Hey Miami" which got some radio play, and the sexy fun cut "H.S.K.T." Very catchy, enjoyable pop music, with a little bit of a dark edge.

Morning Phase by Beck
If I remember correctly this record won the 2015 Grammy for record of the year and there was a big controversy. Kanye West, who we all love to hate, said he should have given the award to Beyonce. Well I respectfully disagree Mr. West, but I am still amazed that an institution as banal as the Grammys finally recognized a genius like Beck. I think I have all his records and I recently went back and listened to them back to back. This is an amazing exercise I strongly encourage, the growth this man has shown us as an artist is truly amazing.  Thank you Beck for staying amazing.

Built on Glass by Chet Faker
I don't remember where I heard about this record, but it was in heavy rotation last year - I am a sucker for the white soul boys. Australian electronica artist Nick Murphy grew up listening to the jazz great Chet Baker, thus the name Chet Faker.  He writes, performs and produces all his own music. If you liked my Beck recommendation, this is a younger, slightly deeper version of that record.

From Scotland With Love... by King Creosote
I first discovered Kenny Anderson, AKA King Creosote, in 2011 with the release of Diamond Mine one of my all time favorite records. Mr. Anderson is a prolific artist, releasing over two dozen CDs on his own label, and playing in several bands. Unfortunately he does not seem to tour much outside of Europe, and the last time I was in Scotland I missed him by two days. This record is a wonderful compliment to his discography.  Commissioned by the BBC and arts initiative Creative Scotland, it is a unique collaborative work with filmmaker Virginia Heath where Anderson provides a sort of conceptual soundtrack to Heath's moving documentary comprised entirely of archival footage depicting Scottish history.

Soul Power by Curtis Harding
I really love this record and it stretches the offerings a little bit. Curtis Harding built his career collaborating with OutKast and Cee Lo Green as a writer, producer and back up singer. Then he met up with Cole Alexander, guitarist with garage punks the Black Lips, and they discovered they both had a passion for vintage Southern soul. After a a few independent releases, we get to his solo debut Soul Power, an old school soul record, with a a few tunes that rock out.  This record will take you back to the 60's and 70's, but it has a modern edge that keeps it fresh.

A Sea of Split Peas by Courtney Barnett
Courtney Barnett is another Aussie I fell in love with this year, although this record technically came out in 2013. In fact, this is a double EP that combines several previously released songs. Witty, simple songs that are very easy to like. I never imagined one of my favorite songs of the year, would be about an asthma attack, but "Avant Gardner" is great storytelling, and you'll be singing the line, "I'm having trouble breathing in" long after the song is over. Ms. Barnett already has a follow up record out, Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit, that will probably make next years list.

They Want My Soul by Spoon
Will every record Spoon put out be on my year end top 10? Yes. Because they still kick ass, and they are still putting out amazing records. After a four year lay off, Spoon are back with energy and a new keyboard player. In the interim primary songwriter Britt Daniels formed Divine Fits and the sound has rubbed off on this record. Daniel may sound a little paranoid, but clearly something is haunting him, as more than half of these songs are about people who want a piece of Daniels. Even though Spoon has moved to a major label, the indie sound remains, just a little tightened up.

St. Vincent by St. Vincent
I have saved the best for last, the album of the year for 2014: St. Vincent by St. Vincent. Before we get into the music, it's worth noting Annie Clark's transformation from guitar nerd to performance artist/guitar virtuoso. This is the best concert I saw in 2014, I haven't been that energized in years. Ms. Clark stayed in character the entire show, a show that would blow Madonna or Laurie Anderson off the stage. Meanwhile the songs rocked like we were at a Ramones show.  I was starting to worry that David Byrne had inhabited her body after their 2013 collaboration Love This Giant, but in a 30 minute NPR interview, I heard after the tour, the Texas girl we know and love came back to the surface.

Best Records of 2013

Here are my top 10 records for 2013:

Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
This is a record I was very hesitant to buy, it seemed like there was too much hype for this to be anywhere near good. I was wrong. An excellent record that was the hit of the summer. How could you not start moving as soon as you hear "Get Lucky" one of the several dance hits on this record. Sometimes great music can be marketed well.

Trouble Will Find Me by The National
Trouble Will Find Me is a great follow up to one of my favorite records of 2010: High Violet, maybe because it is not a million miles away artistically. Mat Berninger has an amazing voice that draws you in and fills you with sadness in the best way. For extra credit check out the documentary Mistaken For Strangers.

Overgrown by James Blake
This record is tied for my record of the year. London based producer James Blake hits it out of the park with his sophomore record, the follow up to his excellent 2011 self-titled release. Also, my vote for song of the year is "Retrograde." An amazing song with so many layers that builds and builds, feels like you hear something new every time you listen to it.

Southeastern by Jason Isbell
This is my other choice for record of the year. Jason Isbell, formerly of Drive-by-Truckers, has released several records, so I am a little embarrassed to say this is the first one that has stuck with me.  Isbell is a recovering alcoholic, who has put together a treasure trove of songs about the pain of living. "Cover Me Up" and "Elephant" are tied for runner up song of year.

Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend
This may seem like an overly obvious choice, as it was a critics favorite as well as a huge seller, but I think this band just keeps getting better. Some have called this a quieter or smaller record that the first two offerings, but it still feels powerful to me.

Moon Hoch by Moon Hoch
If you are feeling like there are too many well known choices so far, maybe this is one you have not heard of yet. I was listening to All Songs Considered and Robin Hilton told the story of a band he had just heard who had made a small name for themselves busking in the NY subway. They played the first track "Number 9" and I was instantly dancing. I'd love to see these guys live.

Repave by Volcano Choir
We didn't get a new Bon Iver record this year, so here is your security blanket: Repave by Volcano Choir. Started before Bon Iver was releasing solo records, Volcano Choir is a collaboration between Justin Veronon (Bon Iver) and members of Collections of Colonies of Bees. This is a beautiful follow up to their critically acclaimed first record Unmap.

Yeezus by Kanye West
Why do I keep buying and loving Kanye West records? They are like crack, you know he's bad for you, but you hear that damn song on the radio and suddenly you are sucked in, cruising iTunes, promising yourself you won't do it again, but then before you know it, you've downloaded the new Kanye record and you're yelling along to "Black Skinhead" or "Blood on the Leaves."


Woman by Rhye
Rhye is a collaboration between producers Mike Milosh and Robin Hannibal. I am probably saying the same thing everyone else is saying about this record, but you won't believe the lead singer is a man, but he is, and these are some amazingly beautiful songs.





Love in the Future by John Legend
What can I say, I am a John Legend fan. I was excited to see this new record out after five years, and it was worth the wait. If you are a fan, you'll love this record. If you don't know John Legend, go to iTunes and prepare to spend $40 to download all his records.