(03.19.07) Recommends:

Of Montreal, "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" from "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" (Polyvinyl, 2007).

2007 has been a very strong year for new music releases. Nearing one-fourth of the way through the year, it seems like a good time to stop and reflect on all this goodness. Today, I put forth my front runner for Track of the Year. Of Montreal really puts it all together on this track. The song is a Dylanesque effort: a lyrical bender that clocks in at 11:53. And the lyrics on this thing are just fucking incredible. There are at least a half-dozen lyrics that are now in competition for Greatest Lyrics Ever. Including:

"I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met
Who could appreciate George Bataille
Standing at Swedish festival discussing the 'Story of the Eye'"

"Things could be different but they're not" (repeat)

"It's so embarrassing to need someone like I do you
How can I explain I need you here and not here too."

"But you know, no matter where we are
We're always touching by underground wires"

But none of those compare with the song's greatest line:

"But it's like we weren't made for this world
Though I wouldn't really want to meet someone who was"

And then there's the music. It's some kind of psyche-techno-synthe-disco-indie rock. It could equally track a great dream or a nightmare. I imagine it's the preferred party music for German scenesters and robots. In fact, it could be played at a German scenester/robot party that took place in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and neither the German scenesters nor the robots would be able to tell that the song was released in 2007. Timeless, is what I'm getting at.

Talking about this song does it no justice. Listen to it; you'll be mesmerized:

Of Montreal-The Past Is a Grotesque Animal

Cabo Surf Hotel

Since taking photos has always been such an integral part of my vacations, I thought I'd share a few snapshots of the great little hotel we're staying at in Mexico. The Cabo Surf Hotel is located on Playa Acapulquito (Costa Azul) just outside of San Jose del Cabo. It's a small hotel with about 24 rooms that is located right on one of the areas best surfing breaks.

The hotel has great food with a dining room that's perched right over the beach and offers spectacular views of the Sea of Cortez. You can see the city of San Jose del Cabo to your left and the very exclusive resort, Palmila, to your right. Except for kids of all ages that are taking surfing lessons, the 300 yard long beach is protected at both ends by cliffs, which are only passable at low tide. The ambience here is extremely relaxed and the hotel staff is very friendly and accomodating. The hotel has become very popular for small, destination wedding parties, and I've included two photos at the end of this post so you get a sense of how these weddings look. All photos, except the two wedding shots, taken with the K10D and the 21mm "pancake" lens. Exposure in AV mode with EV compensation as needed.

This is our third time staying at Cabo Surf Hotel, and I can highly recommend it to anyone wanting a small, private and relaxing vacation if you're planing to a trip to Cabo San Lucas.