so this little project of mine i think has served its purpose, insofar as forcing myself to write a certain number of words is good training for allowing the process to be one of self-revelation and imperfection, and also for getting some momentum with writing after a few weeks where i’d stagnated. i think i’ll keep aiming to post something every day, but as i’m getting back to work on stories, i’m less concerned with hitting some word count quota for blog posts. plus, all that stylistic experimentation i wanted to try here, that’s better suited to fiction, on things i can save to rework and sit with, rather than throwing them out here. also i’m getting the sense that posting screenshots from these posts on instagram has become obnoxious.
one lesson from the experiment: it’s very helpful to write about what i’m reading, and to think through what i’m trying to write by writing about it, so i’ll continue to do that here. but i should also maybe move the more reflective, personal writing into notebooks, mostly because notebooks are better records than a blog could be, and who knows, maybe one day some library will want my archive.
last few days i’ve fired back up the old NTS receiver to listen to music. i’m hoping to be a little more deliberate with my music listening. i’m not listening to podcasts so much these days, in part because it seems a bad habit to always reach for someone(s) else’s thoughts when i’m doing dishes or whatever. there’s a similarly bad trend to use music as wallpaper for those activities like housework that invite in dreaded boredom, but until i can build up the habit of sitting down to listen with close attention to music, i think putting on NTS dj sets while doing chores is a good place to start. here are some quick reviews of the shows i listened to this veteran’s day weekend:
Cherrytones w/ Nymity (Nov. 7, 2023)
the first half of this is mostly sample based, hip hop inflected electronic music. i actually followed up on one track i thought i really liked and listened to the whole album, but the album was boring, so boring i don’t care to look up what it was. oddball kind-of-experimental riff loops that might have been interesting if they seemed to be about anything other than their own cleverness. but this mix i rather enjoyed, perfect for driving on a lovely friday fall day. the second half my girlfriend thought sounded like it was breaking my speakers, so i switched to the next set on this list, even though music that sounds like it’s breaking my speakers is my favorite genre.
The Spectacular Empire Show w/ Gaika & Mensa (Nov. 3, 2023)
this we only listened to the first few tracks but they were fun, disco-y dance.
Arp – Autumn Mix (Oct. 4, 2021)
totally whiffed a wednesday-level crossword puzzle while listening to this mellow ambient mix with sunday morning coffee.
bleary eyed dream pop, subtly shifting soundscapes, moonbase bachelor pad tunes, plus a soporific a version of the pixie’s “wave of mutilation.” really enjoyed this one, hoping to dig into some of these artists more. will definitely keep an eye out for future editions of this show.
and for something completely different, a high energy, high bpm set to sweat in the kitchen to while the oven is preheating. lots of fun.
once dinner’s almost ready, gotta set the mood with some soulful post-motown slowjams that, were i focusing on my hip-hop production right now, would make for some killer samples.
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