Imogen Heap released “Last Night Of An Empire” in 2020, and I assume she initially imagined it would encapsulate the global chaos of that pivotal year. But from the perspective of the present, its story is starting to sound timeless, as if it will come to define an era, rather than a single year. The […] More
When Tori Amos’s 1996 album Boys for Pele was first released, she explained that after she broke up with her partner, Eric Rosse, she started “stealing fire” from the men in her life. The fire she described was a kind of energy, primarily in the form of admiration. When Amos recognized she was vampirically feeding […] More
The following article contains spoilers for Episode 8 of Nine Perfect Strangers, “Ever After.” If you haven’t already read them, be sure to check out the previous articles about this series. Fairy Tale or Fantasy? In “Ever After,” the story of Nine Perfect Strangers is wrapped up in a surprisingly positive manner. The title is […] More
The following article contains spoilers about Episode 7 of Nine Perfect Strangers, “Wheels on the Bus” If you haven’t already read them, be sure to check out the previous articles about this series. Decisive Action and Psychedelic Potions As its name implies, “Wheels on the Bus” is an episode of action. Momentum has been building […] More
The following article contains spoilers about Episode 6 of Nine Perfect Strangers, “Motherlode.” If you haven’t already read them, be sure to check out the previous articles about this series. Mining the Motherlode At the end of my article about Episode 5, “Sweet Surrender,” I said that I hoped the narrative progression of the next […] More
The following article contains spoilers about Episode 5 of Nine Perfect Strangers, “Sweet Surrender.” If you haven’t already read them, be sure to check out the previous articles about this series. The Influence of Time In “Sweet Surrender,” the smoothies of Tranquillum House continue to work their magic: the psilocybin softens the barriers between the […] More
This article discusses the issues of choice and consent in Episode 4 of Nine Perfect Strangers, “Brave New World.” It contains many spoilers, so be sure to watch the episode prior to reading. And if you haven’t already read it, check out the article discussing the first three episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers. Truth and […] More
Note: Although this article is a broad, thematic discussion of the first three episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers, it does contain some spoilers, so I recommend watching the first three episodes before reading it. Nine Perfect Strangers The Hulu original miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers is about nine people attending a 10-day wellness retreat in a […] More
Fire & Water Tori Amos is an elemental being. She writes about fire, water, earth, and air in all imaginable forms. When she performs live, she transmits and channels these energies through sound, light, and imagery. During some songs, she is grounded and earthy, while in others, she is fiery, even volcanic. And at other, […] More
In this article, I tell the story of how I came to love Patti Smith’s song, “Summer Cannibals,” which became an ongoing presence during a particularly challenging period of my life. In writing this piece, I realized that even though the song is filled with foreboding imagery, it is ultimately a song about rediscovering your […] More
In this article, I explore 10 songs that depict how I have understood the development of Sia’s voice and music. The lyrics and themes of each songs are briefly analyzed, and some aspects of my life experience are intertwined in the discussion. Sia has a large catalogue of music, including a plethora of collaborations, contributions […] More
The Album: Improvisations and Textures 1 Improvisations and Textures 1 is Jonathan Alvin’s debut album. Alvin composed, performed, recorded, and mixed the album himself, and he released it independently in May 2021. Alvin’s album is both accessible and difficult. It is evocative and polarizing, spacious and claustrophobic. In terms of genre, the words “ambient” and […] More
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