In the End Rant I wrote for Tape Op #165, “The Joy of Discovery,” I asked the question, “How do we (as both artists and listeners) form a deeper, lasting connection to music?” It’s a question I keep coming back to. For instance, I’m big fan of Emily A. Sprague’s instrumental music, and I interviewed her for this issue. I’ve never met Emily, but I feel a connection to her music and, in a sense, to her as well. I was initially attracted to her music because of the cover art and title of her first album, Water Memory, and I later learned that we are both surfers. Her second album, Mount Vision, was recorded in a house not too far from my studio and is named after a mountain nearby.
In 2021, I had a traumatic brain injury that required surgery and the removal and re-attachment of my skull, leaving 42 metal staples in my head. Luckily, I recovered pretty quickly, but as part of that recovery I had a nurse come to my house to pull the staples out a few weeks after the surgery. She said it wouldn’t hurt that much, but that it might sting a bit here and there. She asked if I had some music I could put on that would calm me and feel meditative. I put on my vinyl copy of Emily’s Hill, Flower, Fog,and played side one twice while the staples got pulled out. It felt a little bit like I had a friend in the room, telling me that it all would be okay.
I also interviewed Liz Pelly in this issue, who wrote the book Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist. This book raises a lot of questions about how streaming has affected both how we listen to music, as well as how we create music, and I highly recommend it. I asked both Liz and Emily a variation of that same question, “How do we, as artists and listeners, form a deeper connection with each other in the age of streaming and algorithmically driven playlists?” They both had different answers, and I suspect anyone else I ask will have a different answer as well. But, as artists, recorders, and creators of music this feels like an important question to ask each other. The discussions can only bring us together in an era where algorithms, social media, and streaming playlists tend to isolate and divide us. Instead, music can be something that connects us, and help us form connections with each other. I hope you enjoy the interviews with Emily and Liz as much as I enjoyed talking to them, and I hope each of you can make a connection with another person whose music and writing speaks to you.
John Baccigaluppi, Publisher & Graphic Design
