From my email inbox today:
Thanks, LinkedIn.
They Say Your Friends Won’t Tell You
Vollllllllll-caaaaaaaaaano
From the Guardian:
Chinandega, Nicaragua: A man sweeps ash after the eruption of the San Cristobal volcano. Photograph: Mario Lopez/EPA
There’s just something about the mundane nature of the image compared with the enormity of what happened before it – A volcano erupted! – that appeals to me so, so much.
366 Songs 362: The Price I Pay
More proof that the greatest love songs come from the least likely sources at times, Billy Bragg’s “The Price I Pay” is one of my favorite relationship songs, in part because of the heartbroken lyrics (“There’s something inside/That hurts my foolish pride/To visit the places that we used to go together”) and in part because of the wonderful arrangement that pushes Cara Tivey’s piano to the fore, and lets her backing vocals provide a gentle counterpoint to the ungainliness of Bragg’s own singing. This is a beautiful song, despite an accidentally ugly lead vocal and awkwardly loping, looping melody; it’s all because you can tell that the whole thing is heartfelt and honest, and that always wins the day.
What Happens Before The Thaw
From the Guardian:
Moscow, Russia: Semi-frozen water droplets on a spider’s web. Photograph: Andrew Osokin/Rex Features
One of those “Ain’t nature grand?” moments.
366 Songs 361: New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
All is Calm, All is
From the Guardian:
Lisbon, Portugal: A homeless man listens to his radio in Figueira square. Photograph: Rafael Marchante/Reuters
There’s something about the composition and colors in this that I really appreciate; it feels like a painting in some way.
366 Songs 360: Jesus Christ
This may be my favorite Christmas song, and it’s almost entirely devoid of all the cliches that have built up around the genre (There are sleigh bells in the mix here, but that’s about it). Instead, it’s just a song about what Christmas originated as, performed in a sly but sincere way. There’s little as fun about Christmas music as when Alex Chilton drawls “And we’re gonna get born now.”
Merry Christmas, whoever is reading this.