When discussing the making of Covers, Ronson once stated that his intent was to make music to DJ to. This album is a continuation of that. In some ways it is a set in its own right. Although it isn’t as blended as something like Madonna’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, moments like the bridge in Late Night Feeling or the constant of the bass throughout give the DJ feel.
Place between Stuart Price and Robyn
Marginalia
Review: Mark Ronson – Late Night Feelings by Peyton Thomas
Late Night Feelings is not the first recent record to treat the sadness of women as a healthy response to all manner of hurt. It is, however, a worthy entry in this still-developing pop pantheon, authentic and honest in its rendering of many shades of feminine sorrow.
The Big Read – Mark Ronson: “Amy Winehouse turned my song off after about five fucking seconds” by Jordan Bassett
Ronson and the Parisian actor Joséphine de La Baume divorced in 2018 after five-and-half years of marriage. “The entire period of a year – a year-and-a-half, maybe two years – was kinda like… it was just a bit covered with this grey cloud over it,” he says. “Some days it’s fine, some days it’s better – and there’s still good shit that happens. It’s the first time I ever put my own emotions, or what I’ve been going through, out there in a record. I almost didn’t have a choice not to make a personal album because it was so all-consuming going to the studio and trying to make something fun or groovy. As nice as it might have felt in the moment, the next day I’d listen to it and it would feel completely inauthentic.”
He co-writes quickly and tinkers with the songs for months afterwards (‘Uptown Funk’ took seven months).
“I think it’s the combination of being able to move to something that’s melancholy,” he explains. “Obviously having a dance beat and a really relentlessly upbeat song is kind of fun, but then you’ve got everything firing in the same direction. I like the rub between the upbeat rhythm section and the longing in the vocal. All American music, really – all soul, American R&B, everything – comes from the blues. And the blues was invented to express dissatisfaction, heartache and lament, so it makes sense that it would work in, like, a disco. There’s a sadness and melancholy in a lot of my favourite dance records.”
Welcome to another month of Read Write Respond, a newsletter of ideas and information associated with all things in and out of education, mined and curated for me and shared with you.
June is always an interesting time in the the school year. With end of semester, biannual reports and the cold and flu season. This year did not disappoint.
Due to a change of circumstances, my wife has stepped up in regards to her responsibilities at work. Along with being more involved within the leadership group, she has been organising replacements teachers each day. Along with study, this has left her with very little time for anything else. Subsequently, this month, even more than usual, I have been taking the ‘second shift‘ balancing meals, pickup, cleaning and general runaround.
On the work front, I was posed with a question: do you want to do on-boarding of new schools or consultation where I would work collaboratively with schools to solve their problems. Although I was torn with where I see myself long term, I said that onboarding was more of an imperative right now so that is where I needed to be. So I have been progressively moving to the PreFlight team, although in many respects I already was in that team. This is all while guiding a few schools through the reporting season.
Personally, I have continued to take Friday’s off on leave to stay home with Ms 3, which is a priceless opportunity in my opinion. (She is only 3 for one year.) I have been listening to quite a few records, including Art of Fighting’s Luna Low, Peter Gabriel’s Scratch My Back, Radiohead’s MINIDISCS and Kirin J Callinan’s Return to Centre. However, the album I keep coming back to has been Mark Ronson’s Late Night Feeling. I finally saw Dr Strange, which helped make a bit more sense of Endgame. I finished reading Mike Monteiro’s Ruined by Design. In regards to workflows, I finally got around to adding my social media feeds to Inoreader. I also wrote a couple of longer pieces. One a response to Austin Kleon arguing that blogging is about letting ideas into your world, not vice versa:
The second post about the importance of trusting teachers:
Learning and Teaching
Banning mobile phones in schools: beneficial or risky? Here’s what the evidence says
Neil Selwyn suggests banning phones overlooks the immediate measures to deal with cybersafety, ignores the digital distraction associated with all devices and misses the opportunity for a conversation.
Using debating and Socratic Seminars to improve my students’ critical thinking
Bianca Hewes documents her use of Socratic Seminars to support students in engaging with the critical frame.
How to study (for English)
Deborah Netolicky shares some strategies and suggestions to support the study process.
School Growth: Small Changes Lead to BIG Impact
Chris Wejr reflects on his experiences of using learning sprints as a means of making small and meaningful impact.
How (and why) to roll your own frameworks in consulting engagements
Tom Critchlow on co-creating a framework to inform decision making.
Technology
The “Privacy Policy” Policy – IRL Podcast
Manoush Zomorodi leads an exploration of what we mean by privacy by taking a dive into privacy policies.
Decades of history could be ‘erased from Australia’s memory’ as tape machines disappear, archivists warn
James Elton discusses the demise of tape machines and the memories kept on them.
#Domains19: Minority Report – One Nation Under CCTV
Martin Hawksey takes a look at privacy and security associated with our digital futures.
Why Most Marketing Emails Still Use HTML Tables
Ernie Smith discusses the problems with email and the need to move forward.
AirPods Are a Tragedy
Describing the Apple AirPod headphones as if from the future, Caroline Haskins breaks down the impact of the device on the world at large.
Reflections
I live-tweeted the raids on the ABC — and it was a first for the AFP
John Lyons reports Australian Federal Police’s raid on ABC and what this means for democracy.
Research: Women Score Higher Than Men in Most Leadership Skills
Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman discuss research into women in leadership. What was interesting was the influence of self belief.
After a near-death experience, Andrew Denton has a new intensity
Konrad Marshall provides a profile for Andrew Denton and his talk show Interview.
The mindfulness conspiracy
Ronald Purser argues that paying closer attention on the present is not revolutionary, but rather magical thinking on steroids
We Need a Data-Rich Picture of What’s Killing the Planet
Clive Thompson discusses the power of big data to support making clearer decisions around climate change.
Read Write Respond #042
So that is June for me, how about you? As always, happy to hear. Also interested if anyone has any thoughts on the changes I made. Rather than including a range lengthy elaborations, I have provided a short summary and linked to my bookmarks.
Cover Image via JustLego101
This album took a few listens to grow on me, but once it did, I was hooked. It was not the Late Night Feelings, but something a little more subdued and more intense.
I also enjoyed Olsen’s interview on All Songs Considered, discussing the process of recording the album. One interesting take-away was that the album was originally recorded as a solo project, only to be transformed with the help of John Congleton, Ben Babbit and arranger Jherek Bischoff.
Place between Beach House and Sarah Blasko.
A reflection on the music that represented my soundtrack for 2019.
I enjoy the exercise of looking back at the music that stood out to me across the year. Here then are my thoughts on 2019.
Better in Blak (Thelma Plum)
Produced by Alex Burnett and David Kahne, Better in Blak has the pop hooks and melodies to quickly drag you in. However, once there Plum users this platform to challenges the listener. In songs such as Better in Blak, Homecoming Queen and Woke Blokes, she opens up about race, gender and identity. Although she tells many stories of injustice and heartbreak, the album always manages to remains positive. As Caitlin Walsh explains,
Additionally, Cyclone Wehner captures Plum’s style suggesting that,
For me, Better in Blak is an example of what Damian Cowell describes as treating the listener to an anchovy. Maybe this is why she abandoned her original album? There were quite a few albums of this ilk that caught my attention in 2019. That is, they hooked in the listener, while also serving up some deep questions.They included Monaigne’s Complex, King Princess’ Cheap Queen and Banks’ III.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExMjEwymQ3A%5D
Lost Girls (Bat for Lashes)
Lost Girls is a soundtrack that stemmed from a script that Natasha Khan was/is writing telling the story of a vampire girl-gang chasing a mortal protagonist in Los Angeles. It is loosely based on the 80’s film, Lost Boys. Andrew Trendell explained that,
With these cultural references, the album’s palette of rich synth sounds is also deeply based upon the past. This can be interpreted as a case of using the past and nostalgia to make comment on the present. As Ryan Leas suggests
I think that Joe Goggins summarises the album best when he describes it as, ‘doomy disco for dark times.’
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm3Xg289qTM%5D
About Us (G Flip)
I remember first hearing (and seeing) G Flip (or Geor Flipiano) as a part of the the ABC’s ‘The Night is Yours Concert‘. She played with so much energy, I was hooked. I was also intrigued when her EP came out a few months later. Although the drums were present, the power and punch was made way for the emotion of the songs. The album continues with this balance. She could easily have gone overboard with the production, but instead holds back, providing what feels like enough of everything. Overall, it carries a certain pop subtlety. As Simone Ziaziaris describes:
Similar to how Lorde’s Melodrama captures a particular period of her life, many of the songs document a time in Flipiano’s life when she was falling in and out of love with her girl friend. She also received help from some big names, including Ariel Rechtshaid (‘I Am Not Afraid’), Justin Tranter (‘Stupid’) and Scott Hoffman (‘Two Million’). This reminds me of Missy Higgins talking about her experience of working with different writers on the Inspired podcast. I am going to assume that is how the music industry works?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CD0DggtZVk%5D
Norman Fucking Rockwell (Lana Del Rey)
Rather than hooking the listener in with sweet choruses and succinct pop songs, Norman Fucking Rockwell is an album which washes over like waves lapping on a beach. Before long, you are lost within a world. I think Sam Sodomsky sums it up best, saying,
In an interview with Joe Coscarelli, Del Rey provides some insights into the choice of Jack Antonoff as producer and why it is time for protest songs. There is something ironic about Antonoff’s inclusion. Some may call out another failure to present anything original, yet Del Rey’s attempt at raw honesty seems prime for collaboration with the ‘superproducer’ (what is a superproducer?) As Antonoff once stated in an interview with Zane Lowe:
Although Ann Powers questions her reference to noir and where Del Rey sits within the panteon of other female artists, such as Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, I think the success of the way in which is drags you into a world. As Powers’ describes,
Coming back to Antonoff, it is also interesting to consider that this album was released a week after his other significant production effort for 2019, Taylor Swift’s “evolutionary rather than revolutionary” Lover.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRjcajliHE%5D
Late Night Feelings (Mark Ronson)
Mark Ronson’s Late Night Feelings has the usual polished rhythm and feel that you would expect from Ronson, however gone is the sense of fun present in past tracks such as Bike Song and Uptown Funk. Instead we are left with a collection of ‘sad bangers’. As he explained in an interview with Jordan Bassett,
For Ronson, the contrast of the upbeat nature of the music with the melancholy of the lyrics is something that harks back to the blues.
Peyton Thomas also places it within the tradition of ‘Sad Girl‘ genre, where the portrayal of female sadness is actually a strength to be recognised.
Some critics have questioned the seemingly hit and miss nature of the album, however I feel it is one of those albums where the whole is greater than the parts. It can be easy to get confused at supposed fillers like Knock Knock Knock, but like Fitter Happier on Radiohead’s OK Computer, such tracks serve a wider purpose in creating a particular world.
I think this also touches on the reality that Ronson is first and fore-mostly a DJ. When discussing the making of Covers, Ronson once stated that his intent was to make music to DJ to. This album is a continuation of that. In some ways it can be heard as a set in its own right. Although it isn’t as blended as something like Madonna’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, moments like the bridge in Late Night Feeling or the constant of the bass throughout give it that feel.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5mlu5GPqyA%5D
I have completed this activity for a few years now. What is interesting is that a theme always seems to present itself. 2017 was Jack Antonoff, 2018 was musical reimaginings. This year it was about the female voice. Each of the album’s was driven by a strong female presence. What is intriguing though is when you dig into each of the album’s, there are still a plethora of men producing? Alex Burnett, Charles Scott IV, Jack Antonoff and Mark Ronson. Other than those who self produce, where are the female producers?
So these are my highlights for 2019, what about you? What were the albums that stuck with you? As always, comments welcome.
If you enjoy what you read here, feel free to sign up for my monthly newsletter to catch up on all things learning, edtech and storytelling.
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Music of 2019 in Review, or The Year Girls Ran the World by Aaron Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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A reflection on the music that represented my soundtrack for 2019.
I enjoy the exercise of looking back at the music that stood out to me across the year. Here then are my thoughts on 2019.
Better in Blak (Thelma Plum)
Produced by Alex Burnett and David Kahne, Better in Blak has the pop hooks and melodies to quickly drag you in. However, once there Plum users this platform to challenges the listener. In songs such as Better in Blak, Homecoming Queen and Woke Blokes, she opens up about race, gender and identity. Although she tells many stories of injustice and heartbreak, the album always manages to remains positive. As Caitlin Walsh explains,
Additionally, Cyclone Wehner captures Plum’s style suggesting that,
For me, Better in Blak is an example of what Damian Cowell describes as treating the listener to an anchovy. Maybe this is why she abandoned her original album? There were quite a few albums of this ilk that caught my attention in 2019. That is, they hooked in the listener, while also serving up some deep questions.They included Monaigne’s Complex, King Princess’ Cheap Queen and Banks’ III.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExMjEwymQ3A%5D
Lost Girls (Bat for Lashes)
Lost Girls is a soundtrack that stemmed from a script that Natasha Khan was/is writing telling the story of a vampire girl-gang chasing a mortal protagonist in Los Angeles. It is loosely based on the 80’s film, Lost Boys. Andrew Trendell explained that,
With these cultural references, the album’s palette of rich synth sounds is also deeply based upon the past. This can be interpreted as a case of using the past and nostalgia to make comment on the present. As Ryan Leas suggests
I think that Joe Goggins summarises the album best when he describes it as, ‘doomy disco for dark times.’
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm3Xg289qTM%5D
About Us (G Flip)
I remember first hearing (and seeing) G Flip (or Geor Flipiano) as a part of the the ABC’s ‘The Night is Yours Concert‘. She played with so much energy, I was hooked. I was also intrigued when her EP came out a few months later. Although the drums were present, the power and punch was made way for the emotion of the songs. The album continues with this balance. She could easily have gone overboard with the production, but instead holds back, providing what feels like enough of everything. Overall, it carries a certain pop subtlety. As Simone Ziaziaris describes:
Similar to how Lorde’s Melodrama captures a particular period of her life, many of the songs document a time in Flipiano’s life when she was falling in and out of love with her girl friend. She also received help from some big names, including Ariel Rechtshaid (‘I Am Not Afraid’), Justin Tranter (‘Stupid’) and Scott Hoffman (‘Two Million’). This reminds me of Missy Higgins talking about her experience of working with different writers on the Inspired podcast. I am going to assume that is how the music industry works?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CD0DggtZVk%5D
Norman Fucking Rockwell (Lana Del Rey)
Rather than hooking the listener in with sweet choruses and succinct pop songs, Norman Fucking Rockwell is an album which washes over like waves lapping on a beach. Before long, you are lost within a world. I think Sam Sodomsky sums it up best, saying,
In an interview with Joe Coscarelli, Del Rey provides some insights into the choice of Jack Antonoff as producer and why it is time for protest songs. There is something ironic about Antonoff’s inclusion. Some may call out another failure to present anything original, yet Del Rey’s attempt at raw honesty seems prime for collaboration with the ‘superproducer’ (what is a superproducer?) As Antonoff once stated in an interview with Zane Lowe:
Although Ann Powers questions her reference to noir and where Del Rey sits within the panteon of other female artists, such as Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, I think the success of the way in which is drags you into a world. As Powers’ describes,
Coming back to Antonoff, it is also interesting to consider that this album was released a week after his other significant production effort for 2019, Taylor Swift’s “evolutionary rather than revolutionary” Lover.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRjcajliHE%5D
Late Night Feelings (Mark Ronson)
Mark Ronson’s Late Night Feelings has the usual polished rhythm and feel that you would expect from Ronson, however gone is the sense of fun present in past tracks such as Bike Song and Uptown Funk. Instead we are left with a collection of ‘sad bangers’. As he explained in an interview with Jordan Bassett,
For Ronson, the contrast of the upbeat nature of the music with the melancholy of the lyrics is something that harks back to the blues.
Peyton Thomas also places it within the tradition of ‘Sad Girl‘ genre, where the portrayal of female sadness is actually a strength to be recognised.
Some critics have questioned the seemingly hit and miss nature of the album, however I feel it is one of those albums where the whole is greater than the parts. It can be easy to get confused at supposed fillers like Knock Knock Knock, but like Fitter Happier on Radiohead’s OK Computer, such tracks serve a wider purpose in creating a particular world.
I think this also touches on the reality that Ronson is first and fore-mostly a DJ. When discussing the making of Covers, Ronson once stated that his intent was to make music to DJ to. This album is a continuation of that. In some ways it can be heard as a set in its own right. Although it isn’t as blended as something like Madonna’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, moments like the bridge in Late Night Feeling or the constant of the bass throughout give it that feel.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5mlu5GPqyA%5D
I have completed this activity for a few years now. What is interesting is that a theme always seems to present itself. 2017 was Jack Antonoff, 2018 was musical reimaginings. This year it was about the female voice. Each of the album’s was driven by a strong female presence. What is intriguing though is when you dig into each of the album’s, there are still a plethora of men producing? Alex Burnett, Charles Scott IV, Jack Antonoff and Mark Ronson. Other than those who self produce, where are the female producers?
So these are my highlights for 2019, what about you? What were the albums that stuck with you? As always, comments welcome.
If you enjoy what you read here, feel free to sign up for my monthly newsletter to catch up on all things learning, edtech and storytelling.
A reflection on the music that represented my soundtrack for 2019.
I enjoy the exercise of looking back at the music that stood out to me across the year. Here then are my thoughts on 2019.
Better in Blak (Thelma Plum)
Produced by Alex Burnett and David Kahne, Better in Blak has the pop hooks and melodies to quickly drag you in. However, once there Plum users this platform to challenges the listener. In songs such as Better in Blak, Homecoming Queen and Woke Blokes, she opens up about race, gender and identity. Although she tells many stories of injustice and heartbreak, the album always manages to remains positive. As Caitlin Walsh explains,
Additionally, Cyclone Wehner captures Plum’s style suggesting that,
For me, Better in Blak is an example of what Damian Cowell describes as treating the listener to an anchovy. Maybe this is why she abandoned her original album? There were quite a few albums of this ilk that caught my attention in 2019. That is, they hooked in the listener, while also serving up some deep questions.They included Monaigne’s Complex, King Princess’ Cheap Queen and Banks’ III.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExMjEwymQ3A%5D
Lost Girls (Bat for Lashes)
Lost Girls is a soundtrack that stemmed from a script that Natasha Khan was/is writing telling the story of a vampire girl-gang chasing a mortal protagonist in Los Angeles. It is loosely based on the 80’s film, Lost Boys. Andrew Trendell explained that,
With these cultural references, the album’s palette of rich synth sounds is also deeply based upon the past. This can be interpreted as a case of using the past and nostalgia to make comment on the present. As Ryan Leas suggests
I think that Joe Goggins summarises the album best when he describes it as, ‘doomy disco for dark times.’
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm3Xg289qTM%5D
About Us (G Flip)
I remember first hearing (and seeing) G Flip (or Geor Flipiano) as a part of the the ABC’s ‘The Night is Yours Concert‘. She played with so much energy, I was hooked. I was also intrigued when her EP came out a few months later. Although the drums were present, the power and punch was made way for the emotion of the songs. The album continues with this balance. She could easily have gone overboard with the production, but instead holds back, providing what feels like enough of everything. Overall, it carries a certain pop subtlety. As Simone Ziaziaris describes:
Similar to how Lorde’s Melodrama captures a particular period of her life, many of the songs document a time in Flipiano’s life when she was falling in and out of love with her girl friend. She also received help from some big names, including Ariel Rechtshaid (‘I Am Not Afraid’), Justin Tranter (‘Stupid’) and Scott Hoffman (‘Two Million’). This reminds me of Missy Higgins talking about her experience of working with different writers on the Inspired podcast. I am going to assume that is how the music industry works?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CD0DggtZVk%5D
Norman Fucking Rockwell (Lana Del Rey)
Rather than hooking the listener in with sweet choruses and succinct pop songs, Norman Fucking Rockwell is an album which washes over like waves lapping on a beach. Before long, you are lost within a world. I think Sam Sodomsky sums it up best, saying,
In an interview with Joe Coscarelli, Del Rey provides some insights into the choice of Jack Antonoff as producer and why it is time for protest songs. There is something ironic about Antonoff’s inclusion. Some may call out another failure to present anything original, yet Del Rey’s attempt at raw honesty seems prime for collaboration with the ‘superproducer’ (what is a superproducer?) As Antonoff once stated in an interview with Zane Lowe:
Although Ann Powers questions her reference to noir and where Del Rey sits within the panteon of other female artists, such as Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, I think the success of the way in which is drags you into a world. As Powers’ describes,
Coming back to Antonoff, it is also interesting to consider that this album was released a week after his other significant production effort for 2019, Taylor Swift’s “evolutionary rather than revolutionary” Lover.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRjcajliHE%5D
Late Night Feelings (Mark Ronson)
Mark Ronson’s Late Night Feelings has the usual polished rhythm and feel that you would expect from Ronson, however gone is the sense of fun present in past tracks such as Bike Song and Uptown Funk. Instead we are left with a collection of ‘sad bangers’. As he explained in an interview with Jordan Bassett,
For Ronson, the contrast of the upbeat nature of the music with the melancholy of the lyrics is something that harks back to the blues.
Peyton Thomas also places it within the tradition of ‘Sad Girl‘ genre, where the portrayal of female sadness is actually a strength to be recognised.
Some critics have questioned the seemingly hit and miss nature of the album, however I feel it is one of those albums where the whole is greater than the parts. It can be easy to get confused at supposed fillers like Knock Knock Knock, but like Fitter Happier on Radiohead’s OK Computer, such tracks serve a wider purpose in creating a particular world.
I think this also touches on the reality that Ronson is first and fore-mostly a DJ. When discussing the making of Covers, Ronson once stated that his intent was to make music to DJ to. This album is a continuation of that. In some ways it can be heard as a set in its own right. Although it isn’t as blended as something like Madonna’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, moments like the bridge in Late Night Feeling or the constant of the bass throughout give it that feel.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5mlu5GPqyA%5D
I have completed this activity for a few years now. What is interesting is that a theme always seems to present itself. 2017 was Jack Antonoff, 2018 was musical reimaginings. This year it was about the female voice. Each of the album’s was driven by a strong female presence. What is intriguing though is when you dig into each of the album’s, there are still a plethora of men producing? Alex Burnett, Charles Scott IV, Jack Antonoff and Mark Ronson. Other than those who self produce, where are the female producers?
So these are my highlights for 2019, what about you? What were the albums that stuck with you? As always, comments welcome.
If you enjoy what you read here, feel free to sign up for my monthly newsletter to catch up on all things learning, edtech and storytelling.