New music: Ron Sexsmith, The Vivian Line

I always look forward to a new Ron Sexsmith album—something that’s thankfully a regular occurrence. The Vivian Line is his 17th, and another gem. You often hear his music described with words like “effortless” and “unassuming,” and this album is maybe the purest example yet of that feeling. It’s a perfect dozen songs, none that stretch much over three minutes, and some that barely cross the two-minute mark.

The Vivian Line is the second album Sexsmith has recorded since moving from Toronto to small town Stratford, Ontario as part of a mini exodus of artists in recent years, and there’s a sense of ruralness to the album that extends beyond the cover photo and more obvious nods like the song “Barn Conversion.” The rich arrangements and instrumentation—Sexsmith and producer Brad Jones describe the sound as “baroque pop”— add a warmth to the record, and there’s a depth revealed on repeat listens, which the conciseness of it all invites you to do.

Reading list: February 16th

“I don’t know if you know this: I have played table tennis literally every day since October 3, 2012.” Will Shortz talks to The New Yorker.

“Back in 2013, the English Wikipedia page titled ‘List of cryptids’ had about 300 entries…Since then, a few Wikipedia volunteers have proceeded to take a hatchet to the list, developing a far more limited inclusion criteria for what meets the cryptid definition.” Slate columnist Stephen Harrison examines why Wikipedia is so tough on Bigfoot.  

“When the song was over, I exclaimed: ‘What was that?'” Carole King on Burt Bacharach.

“4. The antidote to procrastination is REHEARSAL, writing it in your head. 5. The antidote to writer’s block is lowering your standards. You can raise them later.” Roy Peter Clark distills decades of writing advice.

“Spaceship mechanic, Christmas angel, FBI agent, Paul the Apostle, Rip Van Winkle, Molly Ringwald’s dad. Plug him in anywhere and he works.” J.D. O’Brien takes a brief tour through Harry Dean Stanton’s always-rewarding filmography.

Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson has a new book coming out this fall. The Mysteries (pictured above) is illustrated by John Kascht, who’s said to have spent “several years” working on it with Watterson. “Both artists abandoned their past ways of working, inventing images together that neither could anticipate.”

Gediz Vallis, Mars

From NASA:

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its Mastcam to capture this mosaic of Gediz Vallis on Nov. 7, 2022, the 3,646th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. In the center of the valley in this image is a pile of boulders and debris that may have been swept there by flowing water billions of years ago.

Baseball approaches

Blue Jays spring training schedule

I think I watched more baseball than I ever have last season, and it all ended in crushing disappointment. And… I’m counting down the days until it all starts over again. Because baseball.

Apart from confirming the spring training schedule above, Sportsnet also announced that it’s making live radio broadcasts for every Blue Jays game available on its app and website for the first time this season. Hopefully that’s an indication of at least some renewed commitment to radio, after a brief dalliance with relying only on a simulcast of the TV broadcast.