the moments when you are just you.  those are the best.

thanks for letting go and having fun with us.  can’t wait for july.

xx

d + z

‘True art will always find its way.  This decade has been marred by a seemingly never ending confluence of douchebags with sonic the hedgehog hair and knockoff ’93 Jordans that emptied their mother’s checking account to get a Macbook Pro and some crappy EDM software so they could be the nineteenth idiot to mix “Call Me Maybe,” with one of Enrique’s songs (pick one, they’re all the same) and play it at some ear-splitting decibel at a dimly lit club ripe with Drakkar Noir and the overwhelming sense that, at any moment, you may see date rape right in front of your eyes.

Even if dance music isn’t your thing – art probably is – and Daft Punk is finally back to remind us that all is not lost.  The French duo’s latest album is Random Access Memories, their first release in more than five years and one that serves as a huge middle finger to the rest of the so-called EDM community.  It’s a homerun ball hit so deep to center the pitcher doesn’t turn around to look.  That deafening sound you hear is the adrenaline sickened hearts of all the wannabe DJs pounding through their ribcages.  See, they had been living under the illusion that they were on Daft Punk’s level but now have 74 minutes of brand-spanking-new, astoundingly explicit testimony that they were oh-so-dead-to-rights wrong.   In their defense, RAM may be Daft Punk’s masterpiece.  It is that good.  It is doing to the EDM community what my man Albert did to the physics community with E=MC² in the early part of the twentieth century.

In between classes earlier today, I listened to all 74 minutes-and-change of RAM and honestly felt like someone had spiked my Capri Sun with bath salts. (SINDENOTE: Is there any chance that the engineer that came up with the poke hole on Capri Suns ever got another job?  No way, right?)  It’s not just an album – it’s an adventure.  Go to iTunes (click here) right now and make the best eleven dollar and ninety-nine cent investment you’ll ever make.

Seriously, I’m waiting.

OK, good job by you.  Now go grab your drug of choice, whether that’s something I shouldn’t write here, a glass of Cabernet, or just life itself, and lets do this Henry and Mac style.  Love + Adventure . . . track by track.

• Give Life Back to Music – Studio 54 vibe at the open.  You just noticed that you are involuntarily nodding your head to the bass and the auto-tuned voices of the protagonists.  It’s the initial buzz; the first feeling that the alcohol is migrating into the bloodstream and you know it’s going to be a great night.  Let’s do this.
• The Game of Love – Damn.  I was ready to jam and all of a sudden Daft hit us in the face with some steel guitar and a slow jam that is so silky smooth it may have been specifically designed for non-violence-related-rated-R-situations.  I suddenly feel like I need a jacuzzi soak, STAT.  Love the contrast of an up-tempo overture from track one to the slowed down, beautiful melodic rhythm of track two.  Starting to feel it.  Ok, next track.
• Giorgio by Miroder – We start with an enchanting voice over by our man Giorgio.  Seems like very little tinkering by our boys from Daft Punk as they build the rhythm to several not-for-the-faint-of-heart crescendos.  WHOA!!  Quick switch to some major reverb!! And now drums and strings!!!  I realize in the moment that there are way too many exclamation points here but I can’t stop!!!  Here comes the record scratch.  This track is actually three songs in one, like “Golden Slumbers” from Abbey Road.  Some great early ‘90s video game effects and now I’m convinced someone drugged me.  But no one is here.  Starting to suspect the dog.  I wish I could hire Giorgio to follow me around for a day and narrate my life.  It would be super boring for him but the best day ever for me.
• Within – Open with piano chords and riffs.  Heart rate is slowing.  I think there are Quaaludes in this red bull.  What?  This is only track four?  All over the spectrum right now.  Daft is keeping us on our toes.  And I respect that.  This is the point of no return.  Either stop what you’re doing and go back to your regularly scheduled programming or stick around and lets see where this goes.
• Instant Crush – Thanks for sticking around.  You made the right choice.  Track 5 comes out of the gate like a Taylor Swift ditty.  What’s going on?  Definitely a disco-funk exploration with guest singer Julian Casablancas.  Not in love with this track but can see dancing to this after being dragged to a club I didn’t want to go to so I got super drunk and then ended up enjoying myself.  Such is life.
• Lose Yourself to Dance – HERE. WE. GO.  This is Daft Punk at their best.  Bass. Bass. Guitar riff.  You’re hooked.  Get on the dance floor.  Now.  Timberlake would probably give his life to do one album with these guys.  American heads would explode.  Crowd clap featured prominently here.  Never a bad idea. Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeoncomeoncomeoncomeon.  I’m getting another drink.  Shit is getting real real.  You may have noticed by now that despite your best efforts, you actually have lost yourself to dance.  Really want to play this one again but lets keep going.
• Touch – Tough act to follow and we’re buzzed on adrenaline and the human spirit.  Bringing it back down a little bit in the style of Shaft at first but then – what’s this? – a full on brass section and piano right out of Oklahoma!.  Another amazing unpredictable roller coaster ride.  The fellas never disappoint.
• Get Lucky – Undoubtedly the most pop-ready song on the album.  This one will probably get some airplay and make them some money.  Lets do that thing where we don’t bitch about the commercialization of music and just have a guilt-free ride through the beats.  Great transition song when the night is starting to turn for the better or worse – depending on your perspective.  All I know after this song is that I’m not making it to the gym in the morning.  Another pineapple mojito?  Why not.  We’re up all night to get lucky.
• Beyond – Sounds like intermission music, right?  That’s ok, we needed it.  Some serious strings to open before we get into another smooth funk sequence.  This is my second time hearing this but I’m pretty sure this is what plays in the background of every weird dream I’ve had since I was eleven.  This is a journey of the soul, indeed.  This may be the track the 15-year-old Daft Punk fans will play for their high school crushes when they’re pretending to be sophisticated.  Well played, young gentlemen.
• Motherboard – The opening almost sounds like the background music you would hear at a store that sells massage chairs and office-sized rock waterfalls filled with stale circulated water.  Not sure where this is going.  Now I’m starting to wonder if they recorded this in a room filled with the office-sized rock waterfalls.  Don’t know how I feel about this one but I have a tight buzz going and I’m ready to make some debatable decisions.
• Fragments of Time – I’m at a bizarre middle school dance.  The school board hired a creepy Huey Lewis/Hall & Oates cover band.  And they jam.  I went through the trouble of stealing a Gatorade bottle’s worth of my parent’s Tanqueray and replacing it with tap water so we might as well make a night of it.  I dance by myself while everyone makes fun of me.
• Doin’ It Right – HELL YESSSSSSSSSSS.  When the bass kicked in I did an involuntary Tiger Woods fist pump.  I may have yelped as well but can’t tell because my headphones are all the way up and I have no contact with the real world right now.  My ear buds are essentially connected directly to my brain stem at this point.  This song is Daft Punk.  We had a little too much to drink, smoked a little too much and hey, how did we end up on this roof deck?  Well, since we’re already here we might as well have a few more.  To me, this is the best track on the album.
• Contact – An initial wave of depression that this is the last track followed quickly by the unbridled joy of knowing I’m about to play this album back again immediately.  The night is winding down, the sun is peeking over the harbor, and I think we are now in outer space?  I couldn’t figure out how they were going to end their masterpiece but I am starting to understand now.  An outer space techno rock opera.  Of course.  This is building to a crescendo that I’m not sure we will ever recover from.  Suddenly have the feeling that the cops are going to show up.  I think robots are tearing each other apart.  And its over.  I don’t know if I should keep drinking or take a 17-hour nap.  Both seem incredibly appropriate.

True art found its way once again.  This was fun.  We should do it again sometime.

To music, love + adventure,

BC’

the forecast said rain.  but this is what happens when you take the risk and get married outside anyway.

thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us – and for being so courageous !

xo

this is what being together for twelve years looks like.

♥♥♥

you may remember these two from the love scroll jesse made for greta during their portrait shoot. (if you missed it click here)

you may have thought, ‘well how could their wedding get better than that?’

a wedding parade.

a full on, horns – drums – bubbles – streamers – dancing through cambridge – on to the t – into the venue kind of wedding parade lead by none other than greta + jesse.   jesse is a part of the second line social aid and pleasure society brass band and greta plays the flute a bit.  so there was no other logical choice.  as we jammed from harvard to porter square it felt like the whole community came out to see what was going on, to dance with us, and join the parade.  

that’s what the whole day was, really, a beautiful community coming together.   greta’s mom made her dress.  jesse’s mom wove her shawl.  friends potlucked dessert.   their ceremony was held at The Religious Society of Friends , where friends and family spoke candidly about what greta + jesse meant to them and where i cried for thirty minutes taking it all in. 

greta + jesse are truly special people.  there was an overwhelming love in greta + jesse’s wedding day.  and we will keep that feeling with us for a long time to come.

 …to think – we almost missed it.

xx

welp, this was supposed to be a preview.

i got a little carried away.  can you blame me?

best day ever.

xxx

d + z

if you made a list of days you felt the luckiest – this would be on top.

thank you for sharing your piece of the world with us.

xo, d + z

love is all you need.

♥♥

i’ve almost never been more excited to see three people.

lauren had just crossed the finish line last monday when everything changed.  luckily her family was beyond the finish cheering her on.

there are countless stories like this in boston this week.  it reminds us to hold one another a little tighter and appreciate this beautiful life.

we love you guys.

xx, d + z