Forté #16
A few things that have inspired me lately and what I've been working on..
Hi you, I’ve been sick as a dog recently so spending time on writing has taken up most of my time to be honest. I’m enjoying it deeply though and using this time to get a little bit ahead of my schedule and write posts for the next few weeks in advance. Hope you’re all doing much better than I am!
Here's another fortnightly collection of things that have caught my attention:
🍃 Music “created for relaxed home listening” is exactly what Steve Rosborough has achieved beautifully on his latest record Golden Pear. Dreamy and lush in equal measure, there’s some moments here that remind of Rei Harakami’s albums, albeit a lot calmer.
🍃 This fascinating video from the factory of Baikundo Co., a company that have been making incense on Awaji Island, near Osaka in Japan since 1850. Incense is such a deeply rooted part of Japanese culture, so it’s no surprised to see it being crafted here with such skill and care. Incense was introduced to Japan around about the same time as Buddhism, so their history is tightly linked. Recently, I released an album that comes bundled with my own incense, created in collaboration with Japanese incense maker BRANCH. Please check out the bundle here.
🍃 Loads of articles on how the downfall of Bandcamp seems imminent and the thought of that makes me really sad! I’ve been using the site for about 14 years and hope that only good things come from the Songtradr acquisition but other people don’t seem so optimistic. They can and will ruin everything you love goes into detail over everything that’s happening and Bandcamp support is faltering links to a great browser extension that downloads all of your purchased music easily, just in case. Please don’t let Bandcamp go the way of Myspace.
🍃
is having a read along of Tolstoy’s War and Peace right here on Substack in 2024. 1 chapter a day for the whole year. One thing I had already planned to achieve next year is to read one of the great Russian novels, so I am absolutely joining along with this. It landed in my lap at just the perfect time! Find more information below 👇
🍃 R.I.P. Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, who died yesterday at the age of 65. Here’s a wonderful performance of Fairytale of New York over on YouTube to sing him out with.
Thank you for being here, let me know what’s inspiring you recently. Hitting subscribe is always welcome and please do share with someone who might enjoy it. If you'd like to support this newsletter please buy one of my albums over on Bandcamp, or consider becoming a paid subscriber here on Substack.
SJF
Perfect timing! Great that you're joining us.