2016 in Reading, Watching, Listening
So many things shape our thinking and planning at Amour. Here are a handful of readings, videos, and songs that have inspired us recently. We hope they inspire you, too.
- Sunday Candy by Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment - Chance the Rapper's tribute to his grandma in a fun, single-shot video of dancing, props, and singing
- Certain Age - A conversation on age, women, expectations, and perceptions from the April 2016 edition of Harper's
- Love Style Life - Garance Dore's behind-the-scenes stories from the world of fashion.
- Woolf's Darkness: Embracing The Inexplicable - Rebecca Solnit explores darkness, language, women, and not following plans from the April 24, 2014 New Yorker
- Sinnerman - Nina Simone's spiritual-cum-jazz epic feels like a 10 minute crescendo
- Mona Lisa Smile by will.i.am - Art, animation, music - a fun tour of great works of art in a crazy music video with too many images of will.i.am
- Brooklyn by Colm Toibin - the story of an immigrant coming to America, working in the lingerie section of a department store and finding love
- Starfish and Coffee by Prince - this video is a collaboration with the Muppets to capture how it's ok to be the odd one. We grew up in Minnesota during the 1980s; the death of Prince affected us more than we'd thought
- How To Email with an Old Friend After Falling Out of Touch by Paul Ford - Never be afraid to keep the line open to an old friend
- The Czar of Love And Techno: Stories by Anthony Marra - interconnecting lives across different eras and geographies of Russia exploring love and memories altered by propaganda - expansive and beautiful
- This Is What You Came Forby Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna- Four-on-the-floor dance beats featuring Rihanna's powerful vocals (and Maison Close lingerie!)
- Beautiful Ruins by Jessica Walters - aspirations of building an Italian coastal resort combines with Hollywood stars - a funny cast of characters
- Wow by Beck - a set of psychedelic visuals and simple lyrics that will make you go, well, 'Wow!'
- Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett - Public radio host Krista Tippett uses her years of conversations to enlighten five aspects of wisdom: words, flesh, love, faith, & hope.
- Holding Back (ft. Gallant) by SG Lewis - did we tell you we love roller skating music videos? Well, we do! Plenty of tricks and skills on display in Atlanta for this one.
- Marry Ya by The Maytags - solid crooning and soul from Dustin Smith and the gang in The Maytags. See them on Friday at Wooly's!
- Until I Find You by Jessica Semaan - a short poem/meditation intertwining the natural world with waiting for your love.
- Patagonia's Philosopher King by Nick Paumgarten in The New Yorker - a profile of a role-model company and leader in the world of clothing and retail.
- Tilted by Christine and the Queens - a fun, dance-filled video from a French singer-songwriter.
- How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sohpie Mas - four Frenchwomen write about how to dress, work, and have fun like Parisians.
- The Dressmaker trailer - a fashion-filled movie coming this fall that examines small-town revenge through clothes.
- The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan - a better-than-expected set of reflections on how gratitude can change your daily perspective.
- Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson - a hilarious account of opening an American-style diner in Paris. Full of laugh-out-loud anecdotes and insights.
- #whereisthelove by The Black Eyed Peas - our mantra at Amour is "Love More" and this refresh of their 2003 song is a much needed message this week.
- Cranes in the Sky by Solange - the visuals alone in this video are amazing, but the song's power is in working through the melancholy.
- The Power of a Dinner Table by David Brooks - we are a family of five who almost never miss a dinner together; David Brooks captures what a family can do when it adds more chairs to the table.
- Miss You by Trey Anastasio (of Phish) on Prairie Home Companion - a live rendition of this calm, yet rolling, song about the memories of someone long gone.
- Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino - an imagined conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo exploring cities as metaphors for language, meaning, memory.
- What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? by Kacey Musgraves - from Kacey's Christmas album this year come the classic song about dates on New Year's Eve.
- Purple Snowflakes by Marvin Gaye - a song we stumbled upon this year. How did we not know about this before?!
