Parts of a Whole: May 2021

By Christian Ortmann

I realized that this playlist series went off the rails before it ever really took off. The track selection was supposed to be random, or at least regardless of context. I began to wonder, like the Spotify shuffle algorithm itself, can I ever really pick something out of nothing? I have already consciously eulogized a couple of artists, and picked up themes for each month as I went along deciding how to fill out the ~hour length I would like these to be. Even in the very first month, I organized the songs in such a way to create a journey of sorts. I have no grand point to make other than the fact that this is all whatever and sharing cool songs are all I ever wanted to do here. In fact, imposing the expectation of frenzy on myself is really another constraint to toil over. So here we have arrived together in May and nothing has changed.

If there is any point I could think to make of this moment of introspection I think I would just have to say that at the very core of every decision, in life and playlisting, there is some subtle feeling that guides us from one butterfly effect to another. As I look at “May” now, I can pick out many intense emotions and opportunities for a cathartic shriek. Actually, that is probably every month so far. It also looks like an expression of myself in the world at large, a shifting and opening more like a sinkhole than an egg. The moments do not feel so significant as they pass but the months might. 

I do not have much to say about the songs this month, but they are longer than average. I have really enjoyed sinking my teeth into larger works and appreciating what it takes to put them together. Other than that yeah the songs are all good as always. Was this one long enough for you, dad?