A small insight about a famous Paul Simon song. The bass line in Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al was improvised by bassist Bakhiti Kumalo. In the control room, the engineer reversed the notes, from descending to ascending. And that is the sound heard on the record. Graceland
Wandering wanderers in Wisconsin. Hidden in the Southwestern corner of Wisconsin, far from any major city, you will find the region (confusingly) known as the “Driftless”. You could say that Viroqua is the capital of the Driftless, but the region is more authentically defined by its distributed hamlets, farms, ancient
As a representation of nearly perfect geometric balance, I recall that Paul Rand once claimed that roosters have an ideal graphic profile. This is many years ago, so the details are a little pixelated, but I remember the great designer making this claim and thinking that it was an odd
49 Songs. Link directly to Spotify right here. Includes: Rosalia, Leonard Cohen, Caroline Shaw, Welsh-language pop, Ethiopian jazz revival and, of course, Jamaican reggae, dub, & revival. April highlights — the sparkly, rhythm heavy track by Kishi Bashi, the Rosalia remix featured in the British Music awards, the 80s bedroom
A highlight of my week is often running with my local run club on Saturday mornings. We wake up with sunrise, align with each other’s tempos, and then talk for about two hours. This article makes the point that Ethiopian endurance training is distinguished not by tracking, diet, or
Synth and drum machine songs rarely have heart. Yet, with a constrained palette, Tirzah is expansive and expressive. It’s minimalist, but holds a room. I’d like a hundred more songs like this one. I’ve poked around her catalogue but haven’t found anything similar. They call it
If you want to transform any space into a cozy den, just platter Nat King Cole. This song in particular, but you could also play the entirety of the Complete Capital Recordings. I Must Be in A Good Place Now. Few songs evoke a pleasantly lazy afternoon or fondness for
I read a book to my kids last night called, Learn About Strangers. The book is from an illustrated series with moral themes, famously portrayed by a family of bears that live in a treehouse down a sunny dirt road. My kids love the series, I don’t really understand
Peter Finger, Homecoming. I first started listening to this song on a road trip to Kentucky. Towns and streets were hushed — it was late era Covid. We had driven to western Appalachia from Chicago and it felt like driving into a new season. Trees were blooming. In Chicago, the world
How do I get invited to this mellow samba dinner party? I am very fond of the samba street dancing that emerges towards the end of the video. Raw as a bleached bone, this might be the best version of the Saints Go Marching, a song I’ve never enjoyed,
Sardinian folk, Jeff Tweedy side project, Beyonce live, Diplo + adjacent, Serbian produced Brazilian music, Finnish music for air travel, Caroline Shaw (and friends and influences), 80s Manchester-esque, Midwestern choral music, late Renaissance choral music. 68 songs, 4+ hours. Preview image of the blog is my handlettering homage to one
Pack fast, move fast. When I travel, I’m often in several different environments. I need to be prepared for cities and trails, street food or table service, clear skies or soggy streets. Here are a few insights to make your packlist fast and functional. Start by pre-packing. If