Reflection Pond #20

Zero7 - Yeah Ghost (2009)

I've always liked Zero7 but they've never been a favorite of mine. From their quick fame with the song Destiny through two more albums, their pleasant sound has wafted through our lives. Extremely enjoyable and effortlessly holding to that soundtrack of our lives sound, we've spent many a night drinking and chatting with their beautiful and lofty message in the background. Sounds great, right? But they always seemed to be a bit bland, floating about but never clutching beneath my skin. So it came as a surprise to discover that their latest, Yeah Ghost, was different. Something exciting grabbed at me whenever these songs bounced in my ears. Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, the masterminds behind Zero7, decided to experiment a bit and reach toward the edge of pop, refusing to stick to their distinctive downtempo sound. I'm glad that I went after this one, after neglecting it for most of the year. It now has become a regular role player on this year's discovery of myself.


Vitus - Fredi M. Murer (2006)

We decided to head up to the cabin in Big Bear earlier this year, so that we could get away from it all. Big Bear is a wonderful little retreat. There's hiking or skiing depending on what time of year that you go. There's the fresh mountain air and absolutely nothing at all pressing to do. It's up to you. Do whatever you want and just let life drift through the day. With so much down time it's easy to get sucked into being very passive. A nap is always enjoyable on these trips and watching movies fill the days. With satellite teevee, we have so many more options than we ever have at any other time in our lives. So we often end up watching the most random films available. Vitus jumped upon us one afternoon and though you might spend many days watching only a part of a movie before passing out on the couch, This movie turned out to be rather special. It's a tale of a young boy who is declared a genius at an early age and is immediately set upon a career toward pianist fame. Eventually he simply wants to live the life of a regular child, so he fakes an accident and propels himself into mundaneville. But no one can keep the light from shining when it's so brilliant. Probably the first ever Swiss movie that I've seen, Murer has created a gentle and lovable film. His young prodigy is endearing and likeable and every step of the way, you root for him to conquer the world, which he does of course. It was so nice to escape for the weekend in our nearby resort town and it was a pleasant surprise to discover this charming world on the other side of the globe.