Spring

© Joel Thomason

Spring has sprung here in Austin.

- Joel

The Walkmen

I've always been big fan of The Walkmen. It appears they have a new album coming out in June. They've released a trailer for the album, which is trendy these days (but still unusual if you ask me). They sound as good as ever, and the trailer is visually compelling. Take a look/listen below.

- Joel

Best Coast - "The Only Place"

In advance of their sophomore album, Best Coast is offering the single "The Only Place" as a free download. It's a sunny ode to their native California. The album, set to release in May, sounds like it will set the musical tone for a great summer.

- Joel

Best Coast - "The Only Place"

West Texas

© Joel Thomason

I went camping on a friend's land near Brownwood, Texas over the weekend. The day was spent rope swinging into the creek. The night was spent around a campfire. And in the morning, the sunrise over a foggy creek was incredible.

- Joel

Ben Howard - "Old Pine"

I feel like I've posted this song before, but maybe not. So I'm posting it again. Here's a pretty little number from Ben Howard.

- Joel

Ben Howard - "Old Pine"

(notes on) biology

I'm back in Austin after spending part of my spring break in Kansas City. SXSW is in full swing here. This clever little film, (notes on) biology, just won Best Animated Short Film at SXSW.

Check it out.

- Joel

Beach House - "Myth"

I'm a big fan of Beach House. Check out a track from their new album Bloom, which drops May 15.

- Joel

s / s / s

Sufjan is back and is still in love with auto-tune. This time he's collaborating with Son Lux and a rapper named Serengeti in the form of s / s / s. Check out a track from their forthcoming EP below.

- Joel

Zilker Park Kite Festival

Another reason to love Austin, Texas. The Zilker Park Kite Festival. The picture just doesn't do justice to how many kites were flying this afternoon.

- Joel

Malice at The Palace

Jonathan Abrams of Grantland.com put together a compelling oral history the 2004 brawl between the Indiana Paces, the Detroit Pistons, and Pistons fans. I can still vividly remember this fight; it was horrifying. It will go down as the most disappointing event in NBA history. The article is long but a fascinating read. If you don't remember the fight, you can watch the video below.

- Joel

Jonathan Abrams - "The Malice at The Palace"

Hospitality - "Friends of Friends"

Here's a track from Brooklyn pop-rockers Hospitality. It's a catchy tune. From what I can tell, Hospitality released an EP a few years back, but their debut, self-titled album just dropped Tuesday.

- Joel

Hospitality - "Friends of Friends"

Andrew Belle - "The Daylight"

Andrew Belle released some new tunes yesterday in the form of The Daylight EP. Check out the title track below.

- Joel

Andrew Belle - "The Daylight"

Fanfarlo

I don't know much about Fanfarlo besides the fact that they're from the U.K. I really like their sound though - low key but upbeat. Check out a track from their newly released album Rooms Filled With Light below.

- Joel

Fanfarlo - "Replicate"

Photographer of the Day

© Andreas Feninger

Andreas Feninger. Feninger has some great long exposures of Coney Island rides at night. These were taken back in the 1940's.

- Joel

© Andreas Feninger

© Andreas Feninger

Kansas vs. Missouri

If yesterday's basketball game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers is the last for awhile, the teams picked a great note to end on. I'm a Jayhawk. I was born in Kansas. My parents are from Kansas. My grandparents are from Kansas. Kansas is in my blood. So naturally, I blame Missouri for wrecking the rivalry and bolting to the SEC. I support Kansas' decision to decline Missouri's invitation to continue to play each year. Still, I would be lying if I said I won't miss the rivalry. The games are great. The gloating when the Jayhawks win is fun. But more than anything, I'll miss what these games mean to my family.

I realized it more than ever as I sat on my couch (more like paced around my living room) in Austin, Texas watching a game being played 700 miles to the north. My dad and I kept a running text conversation as the game progressed. My brother and I, who both suffered as Jayhawk fans attending high school in Missouri, did the same towards the end of the game. I used more "!!!!!!" in texts to him than ever before in my life. I thought of my uncle who was flying back to Kansas City from Orlando and would miss the entire game. I read a tweet from my cousin, studying abroad in Spain, who had watched the game on a pirated feed from a McDonald's in Portugal. I read tweets from my cousin-in-law in Oklahoma City who, though already a Kansas fan before entering the family, has caught the same Jayhawk fever the rest of my family enjoys. Literally, from across the country and around the globe my family was tuned into this game. And that is what I will miss - the connection to my family over a silly basketball game. Watching KU overcome a 19 point deficit to win yesterday, knowing my family was tuned in as well, made the geography that separates us seem not quite so vast. I'm blessed with a tight knit family, but KU-MU makes us tighter. And now that I live in Texas, I'll miss that extra bit of connection more than ever.

- Joel

PS - Here's a good article about the rivalry written by Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski.

Ben Rector - "I Want To Dance With Somebody"

My friend Ben did this Whitney Houston cover back in January. The song has taken on a bit more significance in the wake of Houston's death. It's a lot of fun to Ben continue to get better and better. Big things are ahead.

- Joel

Mount Bonnell

© Joel Thomason

We've had some great weather in Austin this week. Mount Bonnell is quickly becoming my favorite place to go on sunny days.

- Joel

David Ramirez - "An Introduction"

I'm a big fan of David Ramirez. I had a chance to see him play this song at a house show last fall. I'm happy to see he's getting around to recording it.

- Joel

Red Bull

Every time this Red Bull commercial comes on I stop and watch. Something deep inside me longs for the thrill of the adventure those athletes must experience. If you like the song in the commercial, it's called "Outro" by M83.

- Joel

Bon Iver

Check out this stripped-down (only pianos and vocals) performance from Bon Iver. Or I should say Grammy award winner Bon Iver.

- Joel