Fait-divers: the massive web of probabilism

"behaviour is not specifically predictable from genes. The massive web of probabilism makes such prediction weak at best, just as we’ve seen for physical traits. Our mental activities feel as if they are free, and their unpredictability supports that feeling. But the reason is that the causation involved is so complex and deeply probabilistic that it is, in effect, unpredictable even if we were to try to enumerate all the contributing factors. In that sense, for all practical purposes, we are indeed free."

Hank Midnight - river song, 2023

"feels like a late-night drive with no goal in mind, just left with your thoughts and eventual peace of mind."

Pink Floyd - us and them album version, 1973

"The first verse is about going to war, how on the front line we don't get much chance to communicate with one another because someone else has decided that we shouldn't. The second verse is about civil liberties, racism and colour prejudice. The last verse is about passing a tramp in the street and not helping."

My Morning Jacket - bermuda highway, 2001

"This song gives me chills. Just came here wondering if it hit other MMJ listeners the way it hit me (...). This special song brings me to tears every time."

Young Moon - dance yer sadness, 2023

"Songs like “Dance Yer Sadness”, “Heart of Glass”, and “Say Young Moon” dive headfirst into this starker side of Young Moon, with Montgomery really shining in all the empty space that the music creates. Young Moon still knows how to create shining guitar pop or post-punk tunes, mind you–“I Laid on My Back with Death” strums its way toward being a side one highlight, while the soaring “September Youth” and “Take on Thee” rely on busy bass and jangly, melodic guitars toward the album’s end to give it a back-half kick."

Fanfarlo - luna, 2009

"I think “Luna” is my favorite song to play."

Cool Heat - harmless, 2023

"Harmless is a guitar-driven, particularly melodic song that showcases COOL HEAT's enchanting dreampop style and incredible production standards. The song's appeal is increased by the prominent use of attracting synthesizer elements. The musician's distinctive melancholic sound and introspective songwriting are prominently featured once more, creating an intriguing and well crafted piece of music."

Fait-divers on Love

"I recognize only one duty, and that is to love.” Camus (this could be a catholic quote)

Fait-divers on attitude

When something bad happens, ask yourself, “What would I recommend if this happened to someone else?” And then do that.

REM - beat a drum, 2001

"Beat A Drum” seems to hover in the air like a slight breeze on a summer day, and…well, not a lot much more than that. It’s pretty, comfortable, and almost freakishly contented. It was originally titled “All I Want,” which is far more straightforward in terms of conveying the general gist of the song and going with the standard mnemonic device of naming a song after the key line of its chorus, but I get the feeling that the band needed to do something to make the song more interesting. In this case, it means pointing the listener in the direction of a line from the final verse; the bit that seems to invoke the “butterfly effect,” and subtly implies that this moment of calmness will eventually trigger a more troubling event further down the line."

The Jesus And Mary Chain - april skies, 1987

"April Skies" is a song by Scottish alternative rock group the Jesus and Mary Chain and the first single from the group's second studio album, Darklands (1987). The song was released by Blanco y Negro Records in April 1987, reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 6 in Ireland, and No. 16 in New Zealand, making it the band's highest-charting single in all three countries."

Sea Glass - never right, 2023

"This song came along one emotional evening trying to tap into feelings surrounding misguided love lost to time."

Genesis - am i very wrong, 1969

"beneath all of the superficial weaknesses lie two of Genesis’ strengths, in just as full of force now as they would be later – incredible songwriting and incredible vocals from Peter. . . . [A]lmost a dozen of the songs on here (and yes, I’m counting the singles . . . ) are, at least in one aspect in each of them, absolute pop perfection. “Am I Very Wrong?,” for instance, may have a slightly awkward and Disney-sounding chorus, but how about that vocal melody in the verses?!"

REM - she just wants to be, 2001

"The song begins with a lonely acoustic guitar riff from Peter. It’s simple but bittersweet and makes you think you are in for a slower type of song like a ballad. But after playing the riff twice through, Peter stops and Michael’s stark vocals enter the mix. And when that happens, Peter starts this faster acoustic progression that is a mix of strumming and picking out the root notes."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - stay alive, 2009

"The Pains of Being Pure at Heart turned 10 years old the other day. I’ve listened to it three times in the past 24 hours, and I appreciate it just as much as I did when I was that strange teenager."

Fait-divers on Camus

“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present” (Albert Camus)

Fait-divers on C. S. Lewis

“The present is the point at which time touches eternity.” (C.S. Lewis)

Red Sleeping Beauty - we are magic, 2017

"Swedish pop trio, Red Sleeping Beauty had been dormant for 19 years before releasing Kristina, named after lead singer Kristina Borg who has been fighting breast cancer for the last few years. “We Are Magic” is the first single since Borg defeated cancer. The song continues the band’s perfect mixture of indie pop with vintage synthesizers."

The Go-Betweens - dive for your memory, 1988

“I maintain that The Go-Betweens write about love better than anybody else in the world.”

Velvet Trip - silly boy, 2024

"We’re lucky enough to be in the infant stages – we don’t have a super established audience base, so I don’t think people are going to be too shocked. Personally, I just try and think about making music as a way of expressing yourself, and I think it’s really important to grow and change with every release. As much as I can help it, the goal of Velvet Trip is to always expand and grow."