I’m back!
The past week has seen absurdly cold temperatures where I live. For six days prior we were not even above zero degrees. Some days the high did not get above negative ten degrees and at one point the air temperature was approaching negative twenty-nine degrees. I know where I live and that I should not expect different, but that’s still a bit colder than necessary methinks.
Sun Dog captured by Jesse
The Consumption
My musical tastes move all over the place. The time of year and my internal moods will dictate what sounds good to me in the moment. However, when I sit down with the volume up, the one commonality amongst almost all the music I listen to is that the performers and engineers took great care in its recording and production. I’ve invested some dollars into my playback systems, and I think that naturally leads to highlighting those recordings that were put together by folks at the top of their game.
Yesterday I texted my friend Luke telling him I was surprised at this Mariah Carey cover of “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On”. I’d never heard it before and didn’t think it half bad. While this Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Minnesota represent!) song was a hit in its original form from Cherrelle, I’m actually most familiar with the song from Robert Palmer’s Riptide; an album I’d have worn out if I listened to it on vinyl. It turns out Luke had been on a Robert Palmer kick of late as well.
We messaged back and forth a bit. About how smooth Palmer sounded. About how weird we are to both be listening to Riptide at the same time, an uncoordinated twenty-five years after it was released. About how very old we thought Palmer was when his music videos hit repeat in the 80’s. I recall actively hating “Simply Irresistible” and it’s music video at the time. I still don’t know what I think about that video, but I’ve wholly come around on Robert Palmer since.
I mean look at this guy
Two more albums I have been listening to on repeat:
The Motels All Four One. “Only the Lonely” is what you remember, but the whole album is good from start to finish.
Yello Point. Yes, it is that Yello, a band whose lead man is a “millionaire industrialist and gambler.” I don’t recommend that you listen to this album, but since it had a Dolby Atmos release I gave it a try. While that Atmos mix is excellently done, the album is wholly ridiculous. Yet the kids and I seem to keep enjoying it.
Seems Calmer
I have noticed that my political reading has ebbed to a reasonable level. It feels good. I hope you all have been able to drag yourselves from the muck and focus on other things as well!
The snapping of this unreasonable cold has me looking forward to springtime. For the sake of my and my family’s sanity I do hope it is an early spring. We’re looking forward to outdoor hangs with friends and family, some hikes, and general fresh air. With a bit of luck that might barrel into a summer and fall of finding a new normal in the world at large.
We are planning a spring break drive down to northwest Arkansas at the base of the Ozarks. We’ll do some disconnecting and hiking and feeling of the warmth of sun upon our skin.
What do you have planned to break this monotony?
Calm Spring in Jiangnan by Takeuchi Seiho