Where highly-specific album reviews are concerned, Discogs is, as many know, the place you want to be.
One of the great challenges in this life—for me, at least—continues to be describing just what makes a record so good. Of course, it’s generally more about time and place than the music itself. Perhaps it’s easier, then, to prescribe a situation in which to enjoy it. For instance, as I’ve noted on this very blog in the past, I’ve had epiphanies while listening to Khruangbin on frosty cobblestones in Prague and atop windswept beaches on Phu Quoc Island. Royksopp’s ‘In Space,’ according to one of my brothers, is best enjoyed as the sun rises on a frigid February morning over Lake Michigan.
Anyhow, the other day I was running and listening to Metro Area’s self-titled debut from the early 2000’s and had a thought: “Hey, this is the perfect moment to play this record.” It was the tail end of Tet holiday and Saigon was nearly empty, the air clean and the weather temperate. I found a route that’s since become my go-to, which ends by crossing a massive bridge to reveal an unimpeded view of the skyline; a few barges underfoot gave long, lazy horns and the pace was just right.
But a guy named Mark, who evidently spends some or all of his time in Tokyo, has bested my momentary Metro Area bliss. You’ve gotta respect this type of detail.
Unfortunately, I’m not the owner of a small airplane. Even if I had one, I wouldn’t have any place to put it that would allow for Metro Area to play over the speakers. But, hey, a guy can dream. And for that piece of inspiration, my thanks go to Mark in Tokyo.