2010 music, part two

Weekend

Sports

OK, I just discovered this one, so I haven’t had much time to reflect on it, but I’m already mesmerized. The album is Sports and it’s by a San Fran band named Weekend. The first listen struck me as few albums do, which is why it’s already become a fav of 2010. It’s hard not to fall in love with an album that opens with the devastating “Coma Summer” (never mind the title -- this is a dark, winter day’s soundtrack). I love the wallowing guitar that phases in, out and over Shaun Durkan’s lyrics. It’s hypnotizing stuff. “Monday Morning” glumly shimmers like an undiscovered gem from Joy Division. And "Veil" will break your heart. Its lyrics are cloaked in reverb; a rattling bass forces circulation; and at the 3:45 mark the guitar bursts through. Just as "Veil" begins to burn, its ashes fade in a wash of hazy sound.

As I age, this time of season becomes more bitter, sweeter. Ghosts from the past seem to weave in and out of the cloud swollen sky. The sun is gone by 5. A glaze of ice catches my face in the cold breeze. It’s harsh, yet strangely comforting. Sports offers an accompanying dose of solace.