This week I am writing this postcard to you from a rather comfy bed in Basel, Switzerland, as I watch a small TV at the end of said bed play a loop of aquarium fish idly milling about. I’m part of a team of fellow palaeontologists who write packages (a bunch of code doing specific things) in the statistical programming language R—yes, it is as nerdy as it sounds—and earlier this year we managed to win a little grant to get a bunch of us together in person for the first time. It’s a wonderful opportunity, also because I’ve been able to visit my good pal Luke and his partner Julia, who live here in Basel. Hanging with them has made for a wonderful few days of exploring gorges, drinking many beers, and helping Luke with his duckweed experiments at FibL, a cool agricultural science institute in the town of Frick (which is also known for the discovery of some very important Triassic dinosaurs I might add).
We’re cracking on with the project bright and breezy tomorrow so I won’t be writing you a huge essay this time, but the journey here gave me the opportunity to ponder a subject of great importance: the plane playlist. The postcard dropping into your email inbox this week is there to accompany you on your airbourne travels, providing you a soundtrack to lull you into a drifting state suitable for cruising at high altitudes. Similar to the bath postcard, I can confirm that all these songs are tried and tested by yours truly on a variety of plane journeys, both long and short. And, I have to confess, by Megan too: I might have cheekily nabbed at least a few songs from her infamous “Plane Schleep” playlist, which I can also confirm works an absolute treat. Put those headphones on and let’s get you settled in for your flight.
The opening track on your postcard is one that I use to kick start pretty much every flight I go on. I’ve made a brief mention on a previous postcard of my love for Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes, the album in their discography I feel is most underrated and underappreciated. It was upon hearing this song in my old bedroom back in Camden that I knew it would be a record I would have a long and deep relationship with. Honestly I’m finding it hard to write about because of the nature of that relationship; it’s a song that is intrinsically woven into and through many joyous and deeply sad moments in my adult life, in both complex and beautiful ways. It is an ecstatic push of joy and fear, a rushing to escape the past through an almost unwilling propulsion into the unknown. I think it’s these combination of factors that fit with the liminal space of being on an airplane, of the anticipation of your travels and the fearful awe in trusting the physics of flight. Put this on during takeoff, be overwhelmed by that stunning violin line, and maybe what I’ve said will make a bit more sense (maybe).
Once I’ve gotten over that initial rush of takeoff and I turn my attention to looking out the window, it’s impossible to not get a little introspective. And who better to guide you into that line of thinking than Thom Yorke? ‘Open The Floodgates’ had been floating around as a potential Radiohead track for a good while, and I’d always wondered how it would sound fleshed out with a full band. Whilst I was surprised to see it debut on The Smile’s first record from 2022, A Light For Attraction Attention, any doubts I may have had about their ability to do it justice were quickly dispelled. This is a stunningly beautiful song. There’s something very special about the delicacy and depth to the textures of the instruments used here; the various levels of synths have an incredible grain and warmth to them, enhancing and complimenting one other with the appearance of each additional layer. Watch the columns of clouds drift by as you listen to this and it will feel like an ascent to another plane.
Finally, it’s time to get the eye mask on and attempt to get some sleep. A Winged Victory For The Sullen’s self-titled debut record of neo-classical wonder is another tried and tested plane album for me, and one that has never failed thus far in getting me to drift off (a bold claim I know, but one that is 100% true). Whilst I can’t include the whole record here, I can induce almost the same feeling by including the longest song on the album, the amusingly titled ‘A Symphony Pathetique’. I’m amazed by how Winged Victory manage to do so much with so little. They craft songs that are truly glacial; appearing static, but in fact moving with a raw power that slowly scours deep valleys of subtle moods and emotions. You would be pressed to find many chord changes throughout the almost 13 minutes of song here, but removing that variation only enhances the impact of the shifts that do occur, magnifying their intensity in a whole new way. And if you don’t quite agree with me on that, it’s still definitely going to get you nodding off.
Tidal link’s here for all you folks who need it. In the meantime, I’ll catch you drifting at 32,000 feet. And don’t worry; there’s no chance of turbulence on Dean airlines. It’s smooth sailing from here on out.
Postcard 18: 20/05/2024.
Fleet Foxes - I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar
MONEY - I’m Not Here
Thank You Thank You - Heights
The Smile - Open The Floodgates
LCD Soundsystem - black screen
William Doyle - I No Longer Knew What To Do
Brian Eno - An Ending (Ascent)
A Winged Victory for the Sullen - A Symphony Pathetique
Talk Talk - I Believe In You
AAESPO - 9