Finds: Spazzy dancehall, Skyscraper soundtracks, Gaff tape, Droopy the Dog

Sardinian folk music: Maria Dolores Biosa with polyphonic choral backup. Rare and beautiful. 17 monthly listeners on Spotify. 

Spazzy, minimalist, frantic dancehall - Pon de Floor, Major Lazer (Diplo). Beyonce later lifted the beat (brilliantly) for Single Ladies. Eric Wareheim directed the strange and explicit video for the song, which is inspired by Jamaican daggering (dance sequences that many people will find hard to believe). 

Short, dubby, U-roy with backup lady singers. 

I listen to this song while walking among the fog-encased skyscrapers. There’s a section with a drum flutter that reminds me of a flock of birds suddenly taking flight. Spacious, vertical, three dimensional music. 

A soundtrack for taking flight. Finnish composer Lauri Porra, member of metal band Stratovarius, great grandson of Sibelius. The obvious correlation is Music for Airports, but this is really nothing like it. Much more narrative, orchestral. 

Deep dive into R&B, hip hop production, and celebrity in the early 2000s. Nicely done writer Jen Vafidis. Entire article has interesting takes and information on the music production. Apparently Marilyn Manson called the album “a work of genius,” according to Mr. Timberlake. It is believable and Manson later covered a Timberlake song.  

We are the Champions, documentary series. The narrative script is much better than average, I watched it with my kids. The episode on UK cheese rolling is fun. Me: “She’s wearing a white sweater?” My son: “That sweater is cooked.” 

The Champion T1011 heavyweight shirt series is the best mass market T-shirt, made in the USA, and easily purchased vintage and cheap on Ebay. This is durable, heirloom clothing.

Gaff tape is an exceptional invention. Sturdy, clean tears, far superior to all other forms of tape. Conventionally used for film production, it’s a tool every household should carry

Joan Mitchell was not married to Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the fed, she was married to another man from Canada, with the same name. 

The “cool S” was a 90s cultural phenomenon in North America. If you grew up in the US, you likely recall the omnipresent, slightly Germanic looking “S” found in every students notebook. No one knows how it started or what it means. It is simply called “the Cool ‘S’ “.  

The voice of Droopy the Dog entered my awareness the other day, entirely out of context. He’s one of the great Loony Tune characters.