one nonillion, sixty-six quadrillion, six hundred trillion one things going on
Back to somewhat regular programming. This week has felt insane; very little sleep, a lot of organisation, and a bit of international travel. I’m soon to become once more amnesiac to the heavy lifting of furniture and multiple runs to storage units.
I'm excited to start filling my mind with goodness and stuff to write about here, as my inner gears feel entirely gunked up with practicalities. Practicalities and ongoing rap beefs which have had the side effect of making me sound insane to coworkers at the wine bar as I try to explain it, as well as finally turning my Twitter feed less LiveLeak-like for the first time since the great Elon Takeover. At work I’m loving meeting people incessantly, and I’m loving overhearing snippets of conversations and imagining lives. It does a lot for the mind to feel competent, even at something as potentially frivolous as pouring glasses to people. Though I would, of course, argue that that can be significant… I’ve not worked a day job since 2017, somewhat miraculously, and have never studied either, so it’s true I do carry around some slight fear that, were music to fall by the wayside as it sometimes does for people, I’d be left without the ability to find meaning or methods to survive. I have more resources than previously thought; I discover that every day. It’s nice to be reminded that I am tough and chameleonic, less of a square peg than I think, or more accurately that the world is not such a tight, circular hole.
That being said, I’m nowhere near done with the sonic arts, as anyone would know. In fact part of my tailspin of a week was travelling to Belgium to open for Mount Kimbie. It can be hard to be an opening act, and sometimes feels like you’re a rescue at a shelter, pulling out your most Puss In Boots face in hopes of adoption. Luckily it went well, and I am getting more and more confident in my ability to present what the core idea of my project is in 30 minute bursts... I’m trying to plan a couple of nights to play in London this summer; alongside friends and fam, this letter will be the first to know, of course. On top of that, I’ll be moving into the recording phase of this new LP this month. I have pianos to go test, to find the right sound, many acoustic guitars to track too, a whole new blend incoming…
In other news, I got a pretty radical haircut, the first time I’ve cut my hair in years without it being an attempt at renewal – I do fall victim to classic girl techniques in that domain. I am waiting for the summer to kiss my nape… In other news, I’m sitting in Cafe Oto and they're playing Jim O’Rourke and Christian Fennesz’s collaborative album ‘It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry’, one of my favourite releases of all time. Which is to say, let’s start today’s recommendation there. I think first hearing this changed my sonic preferences forever.
I was then reminded of this song while discussing O’Rourke’s work with the barista here, as he has made a wonderful Burt Bacharach cover album. I randomly bring up Bacharach all the time as his writing approach greatly inspired mine. He always writes from a vocal melody and builds around that, making the centre of his songs all those unforgettable hooks. I often try to do the same, more than ever on this next album actually.
I also have to put you onto the new Amen Dunes song that came out yesterday. I toured with Damon in 2018 and always loved his work, but all the teases from this new record have made me feel so excited. There seems to be a new-found focus on texture going on here, and lyrically he’s still on top form.
Finally, since Kendrick did adopt his flow on that last track, I’ve been listening to Drakeo The Ruler (RIP) all morning. This track is testament to his actually inimitable swag, such a huge loss.
I haven’t had much time to read or watch anything of late, so this is mostly all I have to offer today. That being said, my mum, who sweetly reads these letters before they go out, and clearly knows my style and interests, did send me a link to a page about Belphegor’s Prime, a prime number that’s also a palindrome, named after a prince of hell. It contains two sets of 13 0’s, and a 666 at its centre. Belphegor being the demon known to tempt people with the gift of discovery and invention, I may have found a new little star to add to my constellation of figures guiding me forth. I am, indeed, always looking to FAFO.