Make it Inconvenient

On the other hand, there is an increased reckoning that more technology-driven convenience does not necessarily improve life quality. For example, you cannot walk on the streets of New York for long without having a delivery bike – gloves and phone mounted to the handlebar and a big padded branded cube to the back – zipping through your field of vision. What used to be a once-in-a-while treat for rainy days is now a mainstream lifestyle. The convenience of home delivery has replaced the experience of dining out or the joy of a fresh home-cooked meal for so many that it already affects how living spaces are built. We saw apartments where the kitchen is merely sufficient for warming up delivery leftovers. “Who cooks anyway?” the broker would comment.

Something similar happened with music. When the first DSPs arrived at the beginning of the last decade, it was a music lover’s dream. That was finally the opportunity to catch up on some albums you never had the opportunity or money to buy and dive into the deep cuts of artists that have always fascinated you. All from the comfort of your own home or, even better, while traveling in the subway or in your car.

Then things got even more convenient: Why bother to make the decision about what music you want to listen to if the streaming services offer tailored, ready-to-listen playlists? Even outspoken music lovers like Elke and I often take the shortcut of putting on an algorithmic playlist instead of actively deciding on an artist or album.

But with more convenience, by optimizing every task in life down to a minimum, a lot gets also lost. What do you want to do with all this extra time? Consume more or do nothing? The effort to accomplish something and to get something right is actually often most of the fun.

You don’t need to cancel your Spotify subscription and go all analog, one vinyl record side at a time. But you can pause for a moment and think about which artist you want to listen to and give a new album or an old favorite the time and attention it deserves. Now that we live in a new place, it is a good opportunity for Elke and me to change our habits and to do this, too.

For a start, we have two gorgeous albums for you right here.

Thanks for reading glamglare! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Out last Friday: Jodie Nicholson - Safe Hands

I learned about Jodie Nicholson last Sunday when listening to Spotify’s Discovery Weekly playlist (see above, guilty as charged). Her second album, Safe Hands moves effortlessly between acoustic singer/songwriter and indie pop, and you never know where a song goes. She names Warpaint as a reference, and their brand of dream pop is somewhere in there, too.

Out tomorrow: J. Bernardt - Contigo

J. Bernardt is the solo project of Jinte Deprez of the Belgian band Balthazar. His new album Contigo is hard to pin down: I would call it a futuristic interpretation of a classic crooner record.

Nine Photos: Art by Carole E. Feuerman

Who is the artist behind the all-female sculptures that currently bring color, beauty, and joy to the South Street Seaport? It’s American artist Carol E. Feuerman, and I am fascinated by her work. Clearly, her style has evolved over the decades since she’s been active, and maybe how she creates her sculptures now resonates with me most. However, an infectious vibrancy, yet at the same time, calmness has (always) been present in her hyperrealistic creations.
If you’re in New York, come down to the Seaport and see for yourself.