§ Wow, this February felt 3.57% longer than normal.
§ I found three eggs when checking on my quails Monday evening. By the end of the week, I filled up a carton with eleven more. This must mean spring is close, right?
§ James Blake’s new(ish) album Playing Robots Into Heaven is an interesting listen. It is more playful than his beautifully rainy self-titled debut and more upbeat than his melancholy follow-ups. Listening to Playing Robots feels like weightlessly floating through steamy neon-drenched alleyways. He shares a lot of new ideas, mixing in fresh voices, dipping into glitch. “Big Hammer” could pass for a wacky passage of a Kelman Duran DJ set, “Tell Me” is, like, 150 BPM, and “I Want You To Know” is just straight up Burial. It all feels very free and experimental while never dipping into the discordant. Blake rewards careful listening but I also wouldn’t think twice about putting it on during a party. I want more music like this. A big masterpiece of a painting is impressive but looking through a sketchbook can be exhilarating.
§ I’m digging the new Apple TV drama Constellation so far. It’s got “snowy mystery” vibes interspersed with deep space claustrophobia. The acting can be a bit kludgy at times but hey, it’s got Johnathan Banks so I can’t complain too much.
My biggest critique is the length. It all feels unnecessary drawn out. Too many characters weaving too many threads. I think they’re going to have a tough time wrapping everything up neatly. It could easily be a two hour movie instead of eight fifty minute long episodes.
I’m working on a pet theory that the show is connected in some way to the Calls universe.
§ For those keeping track, I’ve caught my first cold since October. I think my career choices have all but ruled out being one of those people who only gets sick once a year.
One more Apple TV recommendation: if you’re looking for some good, old-fashioned, mindless TV viewing for a sick day on the couch, Earthsounds is about as good as it gets.
§ My recent trip to the nature reserve has got me thinking about the horizon.
I’ve never traveled west of the Mississippi River. There is something alien and alluring about the desert landscape. Head out far enough and it’s just two colors, maybe a gradient. A blue and beige Rothko. I can only imagine sound travels differently out there in the expanse.
Here in the Midwest the horizon is all trees. Even in the winter, after they have dropped all of their leaves, it’s a challenge to see more than a mile out in any direction.
