ROLEY

Month: May 2025

  • LINK: The History of Album Art

    Matthew Ström:

    The invention of album art can get lost in the story of technological mastery. But among all the factors that contributed to the rise of recorded music, it stands as one of the few that was wholly driven by creators themselves. Album art — first as marketing material, then as pure creative expression — turned an audio-only medium into a multi-sensory experience.

    The Fujita covers are old friends; my parents and my grandparents had many albums with that kind of artwork on the cover. Maybe they were all Fujita or inspired by him. I’ve been thinking about buying a turntable and starting a new collection, and it’s only because the convenience of digital media doesn’t afford you the experience of the art and the liner notes. Even the vinyl gives you that experience now. Back in 1981, the Styx album Paradise Theater had the Styx logo cut into the vinyl and at the time, I thought that was pretty awesome. Now they’re making all sorts of color pressings that could be framed on your wall, never mind listening to it. I miss that. In other news, I’m old and my back hurts.

  • The Verbs: May 2025

    Watching: 1923, Paramount+

    I am completely invested in Yellowstone. It doesn’t hurt that Sam Elliott was in 1883, 1923 is just loaded with actors I like, and Yellowstone was one of the best shows on TV at the time, with characters who were both horrible and compelling. Costner made a huge mistake leaving, but Kevin is going to Kevin.

    Reading: A Peoples’ History of the United States, by Howard Zinn.

    History is usually written by the victors, not the vanquished. As such, there are things you may not know. This book is not a definitive source for the side you aren’t taught in school, but it’s a damn good starting point. A lot of people consider this to be a heretical book, and Zinn to be too leftist and American-hating. I don’t. Your mileage may vary.

    Jamming: Pink Floyd, Meddle thru The Final Cut

    Deep diving into the Floyd for the period that most people will tell you is the correct era to be listening. I was on a podcast a while back that asked me to select the Rush Tracks I think people should listen to as a jumping off point. This is my return trip. There’s one more I really want to do, that I don’t think they’ve done yet.

    Podding: Call Jonathan Pie, S2

    If you don’t know Jonathan Pie, you need to correct this. He’s a satirical character who skewers the news, news broadcasters, and politics. More UK driven than anything else, but he lowers the boom at the EU and USA very well.

    Working: I’m still having a hell of a time with that video project, I’ve started it and junked it several times over the past two months. I’m still on it, but I’m going to set a goal of having it done by the end of the Summer. So, Labor Day?