Sufjan Stevens SEVEN SWANS [DELUXE EDITION] (2024)

 

my favorite of his, always puzzled why it got a backseat to the more gimmicky stuff. back in 04/05 I had Dress Looks Nice on You on a burned CD, think the MP3 was free on Pitchfork back when they posted those. absolutely insane that it has been 20 years 20 years ago we were starting senior, assembling the best damn lunch table the world had ever seen. i miss you guys. one of the best feelings in the world was walking into an after-dinner twilight, hopping in the car, cranking the music, and driving somewhere to go see my friends. 10/10 no notes

North Americans LOST TRACKS (2022)

 bathed in catalpa blossoms, bombarded by cicadas, their husks hugging every lily stem

The Templars: The Secret History Revealed by Barbara Frale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

wonder if she feels compelled to a Vatican-absolving narrative or is predisposed to an anti-French bias. nevertheless, a breezy read with nice historical context, though I would have liked to know what befell the banking network following the dissolution of Templars. Frale also doesn't go into the detail on their innovative cryptographic methods, curious how much state seizure occurred.

Harold Budd THE WHITE ARCADES (1988)

 

how strange not to hear churchbells, to go weeks and months, hearing more sonic booms from fighter jets than belltolls. a gentle reminder if not for penance, for wakefulness, a frisson that might remind us of a duty left lagging, a call unmade

  The Dog of the South by Charles Portis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

dogs don't get much shaggier

Loscil/Lawrence English COLOURS OF AIR (2023)

 

light snow on and off since Christmas. start work tomorrow. praying for peace in the new year.

Walkman by Michael Robbins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

favorites: "What They Mean" "Prayer" "John Says the Elders Came Over"

Hiroshi Yoshimura SURROUND (1986)

 

pray for your boy hanging out in an ambiguous state re: job offer, truly schizogenic way to live