One of the parks I've dreamed of visiting for years is Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. THe main feature of the park is a dormant volcano that created a caldera lake, the deepest lake in the USA. The lake features the impressive Wizard Island, a cinder cone from the volcano. This summer on my epic adventure roadtrip I knew I had to get it off my national park checklist. Unfortunately, even in June much of the park was still snowed in. I could not take a boat to Wizard Island as I had always dreamed, but I did get to hike down in to the caldera to the water. The natural startling blue color of the lake made for excellent photographic foder. Read more about my Oregon adventures in the On The Road journal entry, Day 15: Crater Lake National Park .

Fans of The Books have been waiting for many anxious years to hear new sounds from these avant-garde, found sound maestros. Earlier this year when a new album was finally announced, expectations were high and anticipation a buzz. Last month they delivered, and I for one am of the opinion that The Way Out was well worth the wait. The Books have expertly orchestrated a cohesive aural journey of an album. From the opening track, Group Autogenics I , to the closing track, Group Autogenics II , your ears are led through strange and wonderful soundscapes that probe your psyche to introspective reflection. This is unlike any previous album from The Books. It is more dynamic and more complete, featuring a broader range of tones and moods while generally maintaining pace and direction. The Way Out has an unprecedented level of purposefulness, a clear intent to be more than a collection of songs, perhaps even aspiring to be as much as an illuminating path for listeners. Maybe this is a cop ou...

Sorry for the lack of updates last week, dear readers. I was busy moving to a new home, celebrating hallow's eve, and being rather sickly. As the new digs are disconnected from the interwebs, future updates to this fine electronic publication maybe sporadic or have a different sort of format. Heads up. But, for now: ears open for our regularly scheduled music review, Tuesday Is For Tunes. I've enjoyed Les Savy Fav for many years, but I'm happy to report their fifth and latest album, Root For Ruin , may just be their best yet. It presents a new sound for the band, merging their noisy beginnings with more recent leanings towards dance rock. Root For Ruin is a concise album with enough variety to still keep my attention after a week of nonstop repeated play. Track three, Sleepless In Silver Lake , was the first song to enamor me with the album. It was a clear win within the opening forty five seconds, a catchy single with a solid dance beat and a near perfect bass line. In a...