Cutting grass with scissors, whilst the great leader’s reclining
I’m a tad late on my November playlist. I’ll probably switch to every other month after this. I considered making a yearly playlist, but it’s essentially redundant since I’ve been doing them all year. I will note though – my top played track of the year was Momentary Bliss (below). Every time in enters my ears, it leaves me in the right mood.
My most played song of the year, and for good reason. It slaps. And the album it began was their best in a decade
As for this month – new Avalanches (from the dreamiest album of the year), new Voidz, a new-ish Strokes (from a few months back), some other bits and pieces. BC Camplight opens with a really cool slow builder and a favourite Christmas tune closes the year in music.
I’ll never pass a lonely railway line without snapping a shot. They have an old-world romantic mystery to them which gives me a strange sense of calm, hope and wonder. I’m also really just an 8 year-old-boy who loves trains.
Well, I made it back. Six months of isolation (save a handful of exceptions in July and August), two months of sleepless nights and stress, six cancelled flights and 37 hours in a face mask later, I made it to Perth. There, I spent two further weeks isolated in a hotel. Ordinarily such a challenge may be met with anxiety. But when I received the regular mental health calls on my hotel quarantine phone I couldn’t help but scoff. Baby, this part is a breeze. I’m happy to be back.
I’d never spent so much time on my own as I have in the last year. Some of it was helpful for reflection. Some was helpful for learning new things (Unreal), and getting in touch with old hobbies (drawing).
But I really missed people. And it wasn’t until I was back here that I realised how much.
So I was released from quarantine, got in a car, and hit the road. I spent six days exploring north of Perth soaking up the Australian landscape and a Covid-free world with full pubs and none of the pretension I’d become so drained by in Vancouver. Red dirt, wildlife and sunsets over turquoise waters.
Driving around the Peron Peninsula gave an incredible sense of freedomThe Pinnacles. Just myself, the desert and the wildlife.Turns out Pink Lake is actually pinkSomething as basic as this could be the template for a better Aussie flag
I then moved on from Western Australia to Adelaide where I spent ten days exploring the surrounding area soaking up wine and good friends. The biggest surprise was the Adelaide hills – a feature far underplayed in their marketing. It may be my favourite feature of the place.
Sunsets in Adelaide really are something elseClassic mammalian play behaviorThis trail was magic
In spite of ourselves we’ll end up sittin’ on a rainbow
Abigail Goldman makes beautifully morbid “DIEoramas”. Check this out.
Some new tracks, some old, and some rediscovered deeeeeep cuts this month – with a big crunchy opener from some kiwi legends who gave awesome live shows back in the day – and a chaotic closer.
I had to include a John Prine classic, rest in peace.
Little bit of digital art I made on my Surface Book in iso
If countries were people at a party, Canada would be a delightful, pretty girl in the corner, who smiles and politely says hello, but is so afraid to express an opinion or offend that shows no personality at all. She doesn’t swear. You make a sarcastic joke and she takes it literally, and you decide that’s a perfect time to walk away. If you’d left after five minutes you’d only remember her beauty, but the rest of the conversation has clouded that.
Her older brother USA is in the next room loudly telling stories and grabbing everyone’s attention. Perhaps he’s the reason Canada is afraid to rock the boat. You stand there listening. Some things he says are hilarious, some fascinating, some brilliant – all very charismatic. But every now and then he says something clearly not true. Nobody challenges him on it because he’s far too confident in himself – and you’re pretty sure he just grabbed someone else’s drink right out of their hand and nobody said anything. You hope that he can be reasoned with, because of the side of him which is good. He has a lot to offer if he loses the attitude.
