However, I was only really thrusted into the entirety of the record recently, after finding a secondhand CD copy at Dr. Freecloud's Last Record Store Standing in Fountain Valley. I was totally missing out on what the rest of it has to offer; tight production, really great organic samples, hella groove, and cool flash-animation music videos... and every track is distinctly its own.  Give it a listen!

Favorite Tracks: "Never the Same," "Ain't Got Nothin," and "Strangelove Addiction."

While purusing, Emily turns to you and says, "I'm going to find a cool looking CD and we're going to listen to it on the way home." Okay! On this day, Fingerprints just happens to have a plethora of publicity-only copies of Formica Blues having just come in. The vibrant cover, reminiscent of Vaughan Oliver's work with 4AD, caught both of our attentions. Thus, on our drive home down PCH, we listened to Formica Blues with no prior knowledge. It was to become my obsession for the following months --- what a lucky pick!

Being Mono's first and only album release, Formica Blues takes a sophisticated spin on the Trip Hop genre, infusing classic break beat grooves with cinematic instrumentation and jazzy harmonic ideas. Siobhan De Maré's vocals are dreamy and hauntingly beautiful, and the use of harpsichord samples on tracks like "Life in Mono" and "Silicone" are like nothing I've heard before. Definitely worth a listen!

Favorite Tracks: "Life in Mono," Silicone," "Disney Town," and "Hello Cleveland!"

I'm a little biased when I say that, however --- Viva! La Woman is among my favorite albums of all time, trip hop or not. It's a concept album, with each track having to do with food (the name Cibo Matto itself literally translates from Italian to "love of food.") It's equal parts stunning orchestral samples, groovy breakbeats, and disturbing experimental lyrical elements. You gotta give it a listen!!!!!

Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda - call me ;)

Favorite Tracks: "Apple," "Beef Jerky," "Sugar Water," and "Birthday Cake."

Here'a a non sequitur about playing solitaire:

About a week ago, I had nothing to do. I was turned off by or unable to partake in everything I normally do. So, I paced about my living room, searching for a clue on what I was to do that evening. I didn't need my activity to be particularly enriching or mindful --- just something to pass the time. In the corner of the room, I became aware of my mom playing Animal Crossing for the Switch at a moderate volume. Games. Before I knew it, I was distributing cards in preparation for a game of solitaire.

I set up for round two.

Round two was looking up. I had found all of the aces nearly immediately, every move compounded on an existing stack... It was all coming up my way. But that glimmer of hope was no sooner shattered by another humiliating LOSS.

Now I was mad. Round three.

This one started out fine --- no better than round two's beginnings. I made moves with the same amount of intention, but this time around I wasn't fooled by hopeful moves. As I played, time seemed to move slower and slower... until suddenly, it stopped: All of the cards were lying in front of me in numerical, alternating red-black order. Visually, it was a mess; I hadn't given enough room at the bottom of the table for the stacks to be fully realized, they were all smushed and at various angles. Yet through the disarray, I understood that I had won the game. I had done it! 

But my work wasn't finished --- I had yet to order the piles. Every piece I needed for success was right in front of me, the only thing left was to complete the task. It was a beautiful moment.

Anyway, I wrote all that because I think I had a proleptic dream about writing a blog post about playing solitaire. So, I'm writing it now! I guess the moral of the story is let go of expectations and you can't lose ? or something lol

Catch u l8r

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