Welcome to the thirteenth edition of Ephemerata, a weekly-ish digest of links, ideas, learnings, and sounds that I think are worth sharing.

I’m doing this to stimulate discussion around what I find interesting, and also to share things before they disappear into the void of my journal.

LANGUAGE

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a beautiful Tumblr documenting made-up words describing difficult feelings. My favourite “Pâro: The Feeling That Everything You Do Is Somehow Wrong”. (via Tani):

agnosthesia
n. the state of not knowing how you really feel about something, which forces you to sift through clues hidden in your behavior, as if you were some other person—noticing a twist of acid in your voice, an obscene amount of effort put into something trifling, or an inexplicable weight on your shoulders that makes it difficult to get out of bed.

midding
v. intr. feeling the tranquil pleasure of being near a gathering but not quite in it—hovering on the perimeter of a campfire, chatting outside a party while others dance inside, resting your head in the backseat of a car listening to your friends chatting up front—feeling blissfully invisible yet still fully included, safe in the knowledge that everyone is together and everyone is okay, with all the thrill of being there without the burden of having to be.

Altschmerz
n. weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had—the same boring flaws and anxieties you’ve been gnawing on for years, which leaves them soggy and tasteless and inert, with nothing interesting left to think about, nothing left to do but spit them out and wander off to the backyard, ready to dig up some fresher pain you might have buried long ago.

HUMANITY

I am pleased to see the Birds Aren’t Real movement gaining momentum—there is a documentary in production featuring their Springfield rally.

❤️

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TECHNOLOGY

Our first Zero Data Swap was a wonderful exchange about schemas, interoperability, and Cambria. To hear about the next gathering, watch the forum or subscribe to the new Zero Data mailing list.

MUSIC

All the following items can be accessed as a one-click playlist via Joybox without accounts or sign up—just open and play.

Yesterday’s salon was fun as we listened to a range of different styles; a great dose of healthy serendipity to my music intake. Two songs stuck with me.

Lingua Ignota’s PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE from SINNER GET READY (2021) is filled with dark piano textures, and a strong, pure vocal tone that manages to create this deep and expansive intensity with just a few parts. Reminds me of how powerful the acoustic piano can be. You can hear the pedals of the piano triggering overtones… (via Zsolt)

Lil Jon and LMFAO’s Drink from The World’s End soundtrack (2013) is a body-shaker, head-banger, wall-breaker—100% energy using cues from techno song forms. I have some nostalgia for Lil Jon’s general screaming and expletives. Moving! (via Jeeva)

Azymuth

Light As A Feather (2012) is a complex yet danceable mix of jazz, fusion, and disco. Makes me feel like digging into Azymuth’s entire collection. Partido Alto has a funky offbeat rhythm that’s actually in 4; Avenida Das Mangueiras stomps along—driving pulse with funk sixteenth note solos; the second section of Light As A Feather mixes jazz and bossa nova brazil with an uber-tight drum foundation; Fly Over The Horizon reminds me of Weather Report; Jazz Carnival goes full on disco; Young Embrace is a bouncy, swaying electronic biological thing, obviously from Brazil.

The drummer from their band joined with Madlib to form “Jackson Conti” and release Sujinho (2008): jazz/hip-hop instrumentals mixed with pandeiro and all sorts of Brazilian instruments and rhythms, Coltrane-era sax solos, synth riffs, flute melodies—I’ve never heard anything like this.

Albums

Joyce Moreno & Toninho Horta’s Sem Você (2007) features two of my favourite artists in Brazil (or perhaps the world) on the same disc. Two masters playing samba, bossa nova, jazz, sublime guitar.

Check out last week’s edition for more music.

(I heart music)

I always love receiving music. Send me recommendations anytime, anywhere!

That’s all folks!

Feel free to reply and share any reflections you might have, or just say hello. Have a great week 🙂

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