Thank you for the Music (2024 Version)
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US, and a very happy start into the holiday season, which I believe is pretty global by now.
I already used the newsletter title “Thank you for the music” last year, but it is even more fitting today. We will see an ABBA tribute show on New Year’s Eve at the Paramount Theater in Peekskill. I’m more excited about this than I probably should be: ABBA is not only one of my first musical memories but also the first band that I remember becoming “uncool.”
A few days before that, we will see a family version of Mozart’s Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera, kind of as a follow-up of our piqued interest in the Austrian composer earlier this year. It is the first opera we will see since we were invited to a dress rehearsal of La Traviata many years ago.
Did we finally grow up and turn our attention to age-appropriate music? Not really. This is all part of taking better advantage of the vast cultural offerings in New York City. Because enjoying life and spreading that joy is a good, maybe even the most sustainable way to create a better world.
We’re not alone with that. As the onslaught of disturbing news keeps coming, more people are considering how to deal with it. The apparent way, consuming as much news as possible and hoping to find some relieving wisdom, is futile. News is designed to suck you in and potentially click on the ad next to it.
Coincidentally, last Saturday, two newsletters dropped in my inbox that echo this sentiment. The British writer Katherine May writes in her Substack The Clearing:
And in the meantime, I write posts and books that suggest we go outside and look at the moon, that we pick up stones for long enough to feel them grow warm. I know that seems pointless to a lot of people, but to me, it’s a vital part of the picture. If we want to be good - if we want to resist the uprising of selfishness and hate - then we must learn to still ourselves. We must make space in which we can listen, contemplate, and sometimes reconsider. We must come into contact with the world around us. We must foster wisdom.
More surprisingly, German industry music writer Norman Fleischer (yes, he’s back), who is usually known for his darker outlook, also calls for keeping your calm:
Instead I decided to remain relaxed. Kill them with kindness, be gentle and soft. Like I said earlier in this mailout - you need to spread love instead of hate and show that to others. Protect your loved ones and your communities, take political action in your home base. Make political activism fun again. Or at least normal. Maybe by that we will also learn again to talk to each other, move out of our bubbles and make progress as a society. That has to come from us folks because I don’t think the political elite will change anytime soon. Things might look dim right now and it will even get bleaker before it gets better. But if we as individuals don’t fall for the patterns of that downward spiral we might even have a chance.
In that spirit, we want to do our part to help you have an enjoyable holiday season. Expect stories and photos from NYC, which can be magical in December. In two weeks, we’ll travel to Germany to visit families and hope to capture Christmas cheer in Munich and the mountain resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where Elke grew up.
Naturally, the musical programming will be lighter, with the industry taking a break. But you can expect one new song per day, as always.
glamglare favorites
Listen to glamglare favorites on Spotify or below on YouTube.
Why not start a little year-end list now? I didn’t have to think long about my five favorite Song Pick of the Day features of 2024. I am grateful to these artists for having created these songs.
little luna’s “fool” is the opening track of her fabulous EP the wildflower woman. It also includes “garden, a 26-minute guided meditation that is as wonderful and highly recommended as her music.
The one artist I might have featured the most is Tragic Sasha: each new release is gorgeous, like “Die Trying,” “Plastic Chandeliers” or “Prototype.” I not-so-secretly hope to see Sasha in Brighton at the Great Escape Festival next year or maybe even in New York for the New Colossus Festival? A girl can dream!
Nurturing my electronic music-loving heart beautifully are L.A. duo Eli & Fur with “My Reflection” from their fab album Dreamscapes.
Another artist I am a huge fan of is Art d’Ecco, who is gearing up to release his new album Serene Demon in February, and “I Feel Alive” and “Traveller” are part of it. If this is also your gem, check out his 2022 album After The Head Rush, which is my current go-to album.
Giungla is an artist who is very dear to glamglare and has recently released her debut album Distractions. “Something” is one of the twelve fantastic songs on the record.
Song Pick of the Day
Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Pick of the Day features or subscribe here to receive them into your mailbox in real-time. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.
Nine Photos of Very Special Moments
As human beings, we never know how the future unfolds and what challenges and chances a new year will bring, but 2024 certainly turned out differently than I could have ever imagined. So many fantastic moments and memories to choose from, and I know I cannot possibly include them all here with a limitation of nine. That’s why, without further ado, nine very special moments of 2024. Enjoy!
(1) Lovely little trips via the MetroNorth to Peekskill, our little nature retreat.
(2) Our one-week vacay in Lisbon, Portugal. Admittedly, the entire trip is a plethora of beautiful moments!
(3) Getting priced out of our 2 1/2 BR rental in Ridgewood was a blessing. No disguise here. When I first saw this apartment, I knew, this is where I want to live!
(4) Living in our new studio makes me so happy.
(5) Every sunset is magic, and so are sunrises.
(6) My second year in a row as Rella’s Spielhaus Summer Camp counselor, and more. Thank you, Barbara.
(7) Celebrating my big birthday this year was fabulous and magical.
(8) I am an American citizen without losing my German passport. Big thanks to both countries.
(9) You make me happy! Happily married for 26 years! Thank you, Oliver. <3
Photos: Elke Nominikat & Oliver Bouchard