The next best of 2009 blog challenge topic I felt compelled to write about was actually last Thursday’s topic. Album of the year: What’s rocking your world? For whatever reason, Thursday got away from me and I didn’t get a chance to write the post. But, this blog is called Natalie’s Wire and I do what I want; so here it is, a few days late, but right on time in my world… the album that rocked my 2009.

Actually released in 2007, In Our Bedroom After the War is the fourth album from Canadian band Stars. In an interview with MTV Live, Stars frontman Torquil Campbell indicated that one of the goals of the band was to create an album that came across as a unified whole through careful sequencing and thoughtful storytelling instead of simply sounding like a collection of tracks.

Mission accomplished. This album went with me everywhere for nearly half of 2009 and I don’t know if I ever skipped over random tracks to get to a favorite song. The album as a whole is just too damn good. The story is captivating and the juxtaposition of male and female vocals carries you along through an enchanted journey.

Following a mostly instrumental first track, The Night Starts Here kicks off a trip that has sucked me in time and time again.

Honorable Mention – Other artists who rocked my world in 2009:

Bon Iver - Having gone to college in his hometown, frontman Justin Vernon has been on my playlist since his Mount Vernon, Black Pirate days. But, it is his latest venture with band Bon Iver that has grabbed the rest of the world’s attention. The story goes, after a breakup with both band and girlfriend, Justin came home and spent three months at his father’s remote cabin in northern Wisconsin. It was there that he wrote most of the music for Bon Iver’s debut album For Emma, Forever Ago; and developed the concept of Bon Iver, derived from the French “bon hiver“, or good winter. Anyone who has ever lived through a northern winter and came out a better person will be able to relate to Bon Iver’s songs and sound.

At the suggestion of my good friend, Kristin Gast, I have decided to participate in Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. The basic deal is that Gwen encourages bloggers to reflect on 2009 by providing a different topic each day to ponder and write about.  I will not be writing on each of the 31 topics, but rather picking those that resonate the most with me.

Today’s prompt asks what was your best moment of peace in 2009.

Last year my family and I decided to skip the hustle and bustle of the holidays and head south to Ixtapa, Mexico. The entire week was amazing, but there was one moment of the trip that took the cake in terms of peacefulness. I decided to leave my family at the beach and head back to the condo to relax before dinner. After making myself a drink, I settled in to watch the sunset on the patio overlooking the ocean.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so rather than try to describe the scene I want to share a couple photos I captured during this moment of serenity. But first, I must explain that I have an intense spiritual connection to the ocean. Something about the massive size, powerful strength and the fact that so much of it remains a vast mystery, I never feel more connected to the world, or at peace with myself, than when I am near the ocean.

Feel free to leave a comment and share your best moment of peace in 2009. I would love to hear it!