First of all, I wanted to say welcome to all the new Words on Music subscribers. I can’t tell you what a nice boost it has been seeing you join. Launching something in the world, even on a small corner of the internet, felt strangely daunting, I have to confess. I knew talking about music writing was something I was interested in, but would anyone else be? It seems the answer is yes. So thank you for sharing your inbox and screens with me.
Second, I’m still playing around with what this space might offer. The interviews are in-depth, so here’s a pace-breaker. Three items of music-writing that I’ve really enjoyed recently, and which you might too.
Listen
Laura Barton’s Notes on Music
I caught the third episode of the Guardian writer’s new BBC Four Notes on Music series while I was driving, which felt apt as its title was ‘Cars and Girls’. I loved her meditative musings on the links between the open road and music, a fresh slant that I hadn’t really considered before. Two other episodes explore the baritone voice and bells.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gj4b
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Amy Key’s A Bleed of Blue
A friend recommended this essay to me back in 2021, just after it was published. It’s taken me a year to read it (that’s a reflection on me, not the piece) – and it was well worth the wait. Think Joni Mitchell’s Blue, California, romantic and platonic love.
https://granta.com/a-bleed-of-blue/
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Feed your soul: the 31-day classical music diet for January
Already fallen off the new-year-resolution wagon? Here’s the perfect antidote to all the ‘shoulds’ and promises. A thoughtful, ear-opening list of classical music, picked by The Observer’s classical critic Fiona Maddocks, with one piece for each day of January.
What have you been enjoying reading recently? Or are there any brilliant musical experiences that you’d like to write about? Do post in the comments.
Joni Blue - a whole article full of memories. Perfect.
You've absolutely got my number! Thanks for the reminder about Laura Barton, I have never listened to enough of her broadcasts ... and the essay on Blue looks fantastic. I'll save it for post-lunch reading. My university room-mate and her then boyfriend introduced me to Blue, which they played incessantly – and to lots of other beyond-pop (coining a phrase there for what I hadn't discivered previously on TOTP) albums. In those days though I think I really only listened to the music, and not to the words, so I should revisit it. Will do so today!