The Mossletter 25
Hey Friends,
Well look at that — we’ve reached issue #25! I have no idea what that means, but it sounds impressive!
Did you know that today is the "International Day of Friendship"? (Me neither!) I had something else prepared for the intro of this newsletter — but I scrapped it because this timely coincidence felt … right (if you haven't noticed, I seem to start this newsletter the same way every time). 😉
What can I say about friendship that hasn’t already been said? I’ll just go ahead and let the pros handle it best:
Thank you for being a friend.
Travel down the road and back again.
Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant.— The Golden Girls
📸 Pics Or It Didn’t Happen
How cool is technology? (Seriously?) My five year old son was able to build his own game level on an iPad and publish it for anyone to play, using this awesome low-key adventure game called “Wonderbox” (which is great for younger kids, pretty fun & has gorgeous graphics). I can’t imagine what I would’ve done with this tech as a kid! 🤓
🔥 Hot Off The Blog
Book Spotlight: Atomic Habits — An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Lately, I’ve been taking some time out to hone my habits (writing & exercise in particular). If you want to nurture a good habit and make it rock-solid (or if you want to get rid of an unhealthy one) — I can’t recommend this book enough. 💪
🧠 Muse From Around The Way
If I Could Turn Back Time
Are you as smitten as I am with the retro 60’s-ish vibe of the TVA offices in Loki? Well then by golly — you need to read this interview with Kasra Farahani, the Production Designer of the brilliant series.* 📺
(*ps: some light spoilers ahead, if you aren’t caught up …)
Do You Remember The Arch Deluxe?
I vaguely remember the Arch Deluxe, but nonetheless — here’s the fascinating marketing story behind it. 🍔
Super Domino Bros.
Robots + dominoes? Sign me up! 🤖
🎧 On Repeat
Secret confession time … you ready?
I listen to Jakob Dylan more than I listen to Bob Dylan.
Yeah, that’s right. I’ll say it.
The Wallflowers had me at “hello.” The hooks, the wordplay, the oh-so-subtle / not-quite twang and swagger ...
Their newest album is crisp, playful and has all the textures one might expect from a Wallflowers joint (organs, slick guitar work, harmonies, tambourines, other delicious things) — but there’s something a bit ... I don’t know ... breezy about the whole affair this time around (in a good way)?
Maybe it’s a touch “Eagle-y”, a wee bit “Steely Danny” — but not in an ironic way and by way of an impromptu railcar jam session passing by a hidden cove somewhere in the Southern Gulf? In other words, I feel like this could be a “Margaritaville” album that you won’t feel guilty listening to. Break out the salt and the lime wedges ... 🍋
Hooray, it’s a new self-titled album from Twin Shadow! It feels like what would happen if Lenny Kravitz & The Weeknd took a sprawling vacation somewhere down in the keys and setup a recording studio in a shipwrecked boat ... It's not all flips flops and Coronas though. At times, there is some truly naughty guitar work going on here.
Perhaps most of all, this album definitely has a "point of view" — one that can only be delivered by a mature artist hitting his stride. How Twin Shadow isn't blowing up record sales is beyond me (well, maybe it's not — he is an independent artist after all), but you can say you knew him way-back-when! ♊
🍿 Popcorn Break
You know I’m always down for a good docuseries on music creation … (2:24)
🖋 Parting Words
You can’t let praise or criticism get to you.
It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.
— Coach John Wooden, Ten-Time NCAA Championship Winner