The new year always presents itself as a celebration but one with hidden challenges, some self-imposed and some still unknown. The present asks a question and the future holds the answer. I’m holding up my resolutions for the most part. I write something every day, I am eating generally clean (save for my weekly respite to Popeye’s, upholding a cultural culinary experience in the name of Saint Anthony Bourdain), and I’m meditating.
Meditating takes all forms. Sometimes it’s the traditional one depicted in emojis 🧘♂️, but for me, it’s usually through walking. I am walking and for the most part, not thinking about anything. I’m naturally in motion and at ease. I’m actualizing goals and reminding myself what’s important. The murky bog of life becomes clear as soon as I’m putting one foot in front of the other and going.
It’s not always long walks, either. Sometimes it’s just a quick spin around the block, or taking the long way to get coffee around the corner. Other times, it’s a three mile sojourn that begins and ends at my house, or it’s a 2.5 mile trek to Williamsburg to get coffee at another cafe that has another outpost less than a mile away from my home. The destination isn’t the point, it’s the trip itself.
This playlist is music to walk and muse to. It’s music you don’t have to pay a ton of attention to, but you might find something you really love if you do listen close. To riff on an old Lungfish album title, it’s Walking Songs For Walking.
Some insights about the title/song selection: “Burning the offering” is a line in “Babylon” by Oneohtrix Point Never. To burn an offering was to burn an animal, save for its hide, as devotion to a god. Making a sacrifice, in the same way that so many New Years Resolutions do. We’re all burning some sort of offering, whether it’s our joy, our suffering, or even our old life. The song itself is about New York City, sure, but it does remind me of how morning in the city feels. It feels slow, but in three minutes, it’s up and at full tilt, as loud as it ever gets.
“Buffalo (East Blue Mix)” by Charade is a classic by a band who is sorely underappreciated and I hope makes new music, but I doubt it. Their Twin Ring EP was my favorite release of 2020 and I go back to it to this day. It’s this indie shoegaze post-punk masterpiece, confined to a digital release that I might have been the only one screaming about, and this is a dancier version of a song left off of that EP.
I don’t think Crushed will meet the same fate. The new project from Weekend’s Shaun Durkan and Bre Morell from Temple of Angels is my lock for Best Debut this year. I know it’s early but their trip-hop-inspired dreampop is exactly what I needed for 2023. “Waterlily” is an inspired take on what some might see as a tired trend. Personally, the river Shoegaze and all of its tributaries flow through me at any given moment, so I’m pleased.
Enjoy the playlist. Take a long walk while you listen. If you’ve got your own walking playlist, drop it in the comments. Be well.