Doing nothing (sort of).
This morning, I sat and listened to an album. An entire album. When something popped into my mind, I wrote it down. But for the most part, I just listened.
I chose the album For Emma, Forever Ago (2007) by Bon Iver because I had recently listened to an interview with him (Justin Vernon) on the Broken Record podcast.
I loved hearing Justin share about the creation of the album. The fact that he didn’t think it would go anywhere. That he was living alone in the middle of nowhere with only Northern Exposure dvds to keep him occupied. How boredom and solitude and freedom gave birth to the work.
I feel pure joy with my printmaking right now. I share some prints here and I text them to my friends and show them to my family, but it’s really just for me.
This morning, when I listened to For Emma, Forever Ago, I experienced the music in a way that I haven’t heard music in a very long time.
I highly recommend it, with an album of your choice of course. Just listen. Don’t check your phone. Close your eyes. And consume the whole album with all of you.
What album do you love from start to finish?
P.S. I was so happy when Justin Vernon mentioned his favorite artist—The Indigo Girls. Rites of Passage is one of my all-time favorite albums! I also love Amy Ray’s solo stuff.
So many albums - I recently listened to Jagged Little Pill all the way through, several times (after seeing the Broadway musical based on the album). It so captures a time in my life - I remember where I was, who I was with, what I was doing. And the lyrics - they all came right back to me. I had no idea they were all still stored away, waiting to be sung again.
REM Document is an album I come back to often. It feels like home.
Not a profound choice, but I love listening to the entirety of the Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force album.
Oh wow--there are so many albums I love complete. Listening to an entire album reminds me of childhood up through college when I could indulge in that luxury. Do you recall listening to a song on the radio and hearing the next song on the album in your mind after it was over?
To honor those high school days, here are some faves from my formative years:
Punch the Clock (Elvis Costello)
Peter Gabriel "Security" (Peter Gabriel)
Remain in Light/Fear of Music (Talking Heads)
Learning to Crawl (The Pretenders)
Ghost in the Machine (The Police)
The Golden Age of Wireless (Thomas Dolby)