Soundtrack
Os Mutantes and the Beautiful Chaos of Tropicália
Os Mutantes, Jorge Ben, and the Beautiful Chaos of Tropicália
Latest
Soundtrack
The Psychedelic Universe of Gong
Cosmic gnomes, pirate radio from deep space, and the strangest psychedelic band of the 1970s.
Leaving the US
The Quiet Politics of Leaving America
On leaving the U.S., moving abroad, and discovering that daily life matters more than ideology.
Soundtrack
The Safety Dance Was Stranger Than I Thought
A Montreal synth-pop band, Quebec language politics, and a very strange trip to a Neolithic stone circle
Soundtrack
Dead Kennedys in Bossa Nova (and Why It Works)
What happens when Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the Dead Kennedys are rebuilt as quiet café music?
Soundtrack
The Strangest Roundabout I’ve Ever Seen in France
Late-70s disco optimism meets a pastry-themed space roundabout decades later
Table & Foraging
That Patch of Wood Sorrel in the Lawn (Yes, You Can Eat It)
Wood sorrel, the easiest wild plant to recognize—and the one that turns grass into food & has a long French history
Soundtrack
David Bowie in Berlin, in French, in the rain
The same Bowie song, three languages, and the strange way a place can get inside the music.
Soundtrack
How Persian Music Keeps Reappearing in Jazz
An old Iranian melody travels from Tehran to Paris to the algorithm
Newsletter
What Changes When You Leave/Find Home
On adaptation, slow roots, and the invisible work of belonging abroad
Soundtrack
When the Band, Song, and Album All Have the Same Name
The Catchy Hubris of the Triple Titled Band, Song, Album combo
Soundtrack
I’d Be Happy to Be Jackie, O
Jackie O, Human Sexual Response, Boston, 1980