Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
“Shanah tovah” is a Jewish, well Hebrew saying, used this time of year. It’s wish of wellness in the wake of Yom Kippur, a somewhat somber holiday. The saying means “Yo, have a sweet and good year.” Be sweet (like a Greg Duli song). I love that.
Let’s face it, I look pretty Jewish. It’s an “identity” I will never shake. Over the years, I’ve grown comfortable with the rituals and practices of religion, but by nature have never been a church goer. Spirituality however, comes to me with ease, and this week what us Jews call “the high holidays,” do feel spiritual.
My high holiday playlist was sparked by a new review on Pitchfork for the reissue of the 1987 R.E.M. album Document. The review, like R.E.M., was rich in thought, so I set out to do a thoughtful mix. Maybe I’d riff on songs like “The One I Love” or the amazing “It’s The End Of the World As We Know It?” Somehow the song felt ripe. I love the concept, but is it deadly serious or a goof?
A couple of days of digging through crates and I had no answers. R.E.M. and their 1987 hit album has served as muse for this “spiritual” Idelic Hour if only in title, “The Document.” The truth is I don’t often know what the fuck I’m doing, just as we really don’t know what will happen this coming year. My wish is for sweetness.
In the end, this playlist is spiritual and psychedelic. From Twink to Tame Impala, Dylan LeBlanc to Westerberg. Yes, sweetness.
The Idelic Hit of the Week:
Paul Westerberg – My Road Now
