"To be loved like that makes all the difference. It does not lessen the terror of the fall, but it gives a new perspective on what that terror means. I had jumped off the edge, and then, at the very last moment, something reached out and caught me in midair. That something is what I define as love. It is the one thing that can stop a man from falling, the one thing powerful enough to negate the laws of gravity." Paul Auster (Moon Palace)

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Renaissance - love goes on, 1971

"The band recorded "Love Goes On", "Golden Thread", "Love Is All", and "Face of Yesterday" in between continued extensive touring in both the UK and mainland Europe, a schedule that was so physically taxing that McCarty became ill while on the road, leading him to announce in July 1970 that he was leaving Renaissance in order to focus exclusively on songwriting. Keith Relf was not immune to the stresses and personal conflicts of the band's nonstop schedule, and with McCarty gone, he shortly after announced that he was quitting Renaissance as well, though he continued to be present for the recording sessions in his capacity as producer. John Hawken recruited singer Terry Crowe and guitarist Michael Dunford (both from Hawken's previous band The Nashville Teens), as well as session drummer Terry Slade to replace Relf and McCarty. Louis Cennamo nonetheless was skeptical of the band's future in the light of the departure of both their primary songwriters, so when the band Colosseum contacted him with an invitation to become their new bassist, he accepted. Bassist Neil Korner, another former member of The Nashville Teens, replaced him."

Rilo Kiley - go ahead, 2001

"This song is ultimately kinder than I was 20ish years ago, and because we see things not for what they are but as we are, my 18-year-old self heard a much more sarcastic, sardonic intent underneath this track that pairs a breezy permissiveness with an absolutely astonishing willingness to accept whatever is best for the object of this song, even if that means losing them to distance, separate paths or the freedom to find somebody else that’s better."

Kitchens Of Distinction - oak tree, 2013

"Fitzgerald's impassioned, wordy, often bluntly personal vocals careened over what sounded like a mass of swirling guitars, though the band only had one guitarist."

Thursday, January 1, 2026

The Go-Betweens - that way, 1983

"The Go-Betweens' country of origin has been of crucial importance in forging their identity. Unlike many groups in this country, they still maintain an admirable idealism — an uncompromising belief in their music and a distaste for the manipulative moguls operating inside the major record corporations. They don't like Britain much, they're here briefly because their record company is Rough Trade. It has faults, but they feel it's been about the best option on offer."

Bom ano novo de 2026

Confio-Te, Senhor, o próximo ano.

Dá-nos sabedoria para apascentar os dias, paciência suficiente para suportar o que deve ser suportado, e um coração puro para acreditar.
Concede que saibamos colocar-nos em humilde relação com as grandes coisas de que a vida é feita.
Que nos sintamos como aprendizes e discípulos da revelação do teu amor que acontece no tempo.
Não nos deixes acomodar: que o conforto da estalagem nunca nos seduza mais do que a beleza da viagem; 
que o conhecimento acumulado de ontem não nos dissuada de sairmos para contemplar o novo orvalho que brilha, hoje, nos prados;
que o nosso olhar não esteja fixo no dedo que aponta, mas naquela flor silenciosa que é a lua.
Em cada estação ensina-nos a tomar, a decifrar a noite inteira, não a escuridão mas uma estrela.
Ensina-nos a considerar que não é o mal, mas um traço de bondade, que melhor reflete um coração.
Ensina-nos a prestar atenção ao rebanho de nuvens para compreender que sempre, acima de nós que pisamos o chão, os céus ficam extasiados.
Ensina-nos a não querer ser senhores de nada nem de ninguém, mas sim peregrinos conscientes de que a história a que atracam é uma terra sagrada.
Para quem o quer ouvir, o vento do teu Espírito passa como um assobio primaveril anunciando o degelo.

A nossa existência nunca é tão bela como quando nos olhas, Senhor! — Card. José Tolentino de Mendonça