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Friday Pick of the Week

Happy Friday, friends. This week's selection has been all the rage on the internet. Fort Atlantic's "Let Your Heart Hold Fast" was number two on Spotify's list of Top 10 Most Viral Tracks for the week of December 23. The track got a boost from its contribution to CBS's How I Met Your Mother, riding a wave of Google searches for "what was that song on how I met your mother last night?" Fort Atlantic is essentially a project of Birmingham-tied singer-songwriter Jon Black, who incorporates digital production into folksy rock-pop. You well might recognize Black's voice and styling from his contributions to Birmingham-based Red Mountain Music. Without further ado, I present to you the Friday Pick of the Week.

Friday Pick of the Week

It is still Christmas season here at the wondering roots, as we celebrate the full twelve days. However, as the new year is upon us, we didn't want to send you into the next week without this lovely sampling from Andrew Bird. His interpretation of the New Year's classic "Auld Lang Syne" is far and away my favorite version of the song, and it serves as a lovely cap to the impressive multi-artist Holidays Rule compilation released in October. So may 2013 bring you and yours better than you hope for, and may you welcome the year with this Friday Pick of the Week.


Auld Lang Syne

Friday Pick of the Week

Let's not let the Mayan apocalypse overshadow the fact that it is the Advent season. Today's pick gladly welcomes the coming Christ, and the artist is no stranger to the Apocalypse. "Star of Wonder" made it's appearance on Sufjan Stevens' first Christmas album, a five disc masterpiece that is a staple during the yuletide. Rachel and I love this song so much that it was the tune to which she walked down the isle at our wedding. Sufjan recently released his second Christmas epic, Silver & Gold, another five disc set that beautifully captures the gravity, expectation, terror and whimsy of Christmas. From the wondering roots to you and yours, Merry Christmas.

Star of Wonder from Russell Strauss on Vimeo.

Back for one day only!

And again we are back, this time for one day only... perhaps. That is if the Mayans were right about there being no need to fill out calendar dates beyond December 21, 2012. As apocalypse predictions are a favorite here among the wondering roots, we couldn't pass on this last opportunity to mention the end days as described by the Mayans. It turns out lots of folks have predicted the end of the world, and some have even predicted multiple dates in the face of repeated failures. Our friends at The Economist have compiled a fun chart of of predictions.









































 Hoards of experts have refuted the idea that the end of the Mayan calendar was intended to predict the end of the world, but that doesn't mean that lots of folks are counting on this prediction to be the one. When interviewed, actual Mayans (yes, they still exist) suggest that the date indicates the onset of a new era. We here at the wondering roots agree, and today are making a new era resolution to begin blogging again. At least until tomorrow.

Friday Pick of the Week

Happy Friday, friends. I love weddings. I also love new places. That's why I am so excited for this weekend, when we get to head to Chicago to celebrate the Bahratkins nuptials. It will be my first visit to the Windy City, save for an delayed layover en route to Seattle, coincidentally only a few short hours before I proposed to my wife. So with a trip to Chicago on the itinerary and love in the air, what would be more appropriate for a Friday Pick than a love song by Chicago?