Albums

The first album I put on when I'm doing work that requires sustained, undivided attention. There's no drama in Kind of Blue — it moves at its own pace and doesn't demand anything from you. I've noticed that albums with strong melodic hooks pull attention toward the music; this one somehow disappears into the background while still being present. I don't fully understand how that works, but it does.

I put this on when I'm writing, not when I'm calculating. There's a quality in how the album is structured — nothing resolves cleanly, things shift underfoot — that keeps me in a slightly unsettled state that's useful for first drafts. First drafts shouldn't be comfortable. Blonde doesn't let you get comfortable.