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A New Direction

Time for a change.

A thought that I have had for some time now is that it might be time to step back from the blog for a little while to pursue a different writing project. Infact, I mentioned this in the three year anniversary post for the blog. This feeling that has been quickly gathering momentum inside of me for a few weeks, actually a few months is one that I feel excited about. It does feel like it is time to move my writing in a different direction and one that it has forever been my dream to pursue. I don't know how long this break in the action will be for as I don't know how long the new writing project will take but I think thats okay. In a way, this is a step into the unknown as I am not really sure what the path forward will be but as I say, I am looking forward to beginning this new journey. A journey being exactly what it will be.

As for the blog, I have greatly enjoyed writing for A Moveable Jake and I feel that in a way it is fitting to take a break now. There have been three full years of the blog and in a sense to me they are serving as a trilogy. The blog was born out of lockdown and has grown back into the world as it shifted with the times. It has provided a space for me to share my thoughts on oh so many things but primarily the music that I have been listening to. The blog has been an invaluable writing experience for me and even though this new writing project will be in a very different direction, the skills and disciplines that I have learned from writing for the blog will definitely be coming with me into what is at present the great unknown.

As I write this I realise that it feels like a goodbye and I suppose that for a time it is. It is not the end of a Moveable Jake and I believe that it will return in some form down the line but for now, it is on hiatus. This new writing project is something that I feel that I need to undertake. It feels that as I enter my twenty sixth year it is the right time to really get going on this project and to see where it goes and what happens. I am nervous sure but also rather excited. It is the first step on what I hope will be a long path ahead and we'll see where it goes. Thank you for reading and spending your time with a Moveable Jake, it means so very much and I hope that one day sooner rather than later you will get to engage with the next project.

Believe. Thats more for me than anyone else. Believe.

-Jake, a man who is a Moveable Jake, 20/08/2023

Album of the Week: ‘All I Need’ by Air featuring Beth Hirsch

Stand out song: ‘All I Need’.

This evening I got back from my trip and so today’s album of the week piece is going to be a bit shorter or quite a bit shorter as I am a rather worn out from the travels but happily so. Very happily so. It’s funny, whenever I seem to travel somewhere a bit further afield I always tend to want to listen to Air. Actually, not tend, thoughts of listening to Air are always on my mind as I am travelling. I mean sure, the French duo are always on my mind but it is even more the case when I am off on an adventure. Why that is, I’m not so sure. It could be down to Air’s ‘Alone in Kyoto’ featuring in ‘Lost in Translation’ which I do often picture myself in. Then again, it might be due to how hygge Air feel to me and how comforting I find their music so listening to them as I am travelling is a source of comfort. I think really, it’s probably both and of course the fact that Air are one of the key players on my roster and as I listen to ‘All I Need’ now, whether I am home or abroad, there is no question whatsoever about Air’s place on my roster and nor will there ever be.

-Jake, a man definitely ready to sleep, 14/08/2023

An American in Paris.

This weekend’s longer piece may have to wait as at present I am travelling through Europe or actually as of right now I am at Disney Studios Park for what will be a long day of the mouse and his friends. As I’m writing this, I can hear the sounds of lots of very excited people and really, it is infectious. Not that I needed it, as being in the parks is always a real treat. As I hope the buffet lunch that we have booked will be. Am I nervous, whose to say. I hope the mouse will look after me when I’m full.

-Jake, a man all in on Bayern Munich, 13/08/2023

A view from the road.

Whilst I have only been on the road and travelling for about twenty seven hours it feels considerably longer. I took the above photograph yesterday not too long after the sunrise and looking back at it, it feels like an age ago. Such is how time passes as you’re travelling, the days fall away and it all becomes one time, one flowing memory that goes on and on through photographs and the stories that will be told again and again.

-Jake, a man who can’t believe the Kane news, 11/08/2023

Album of the Week: 'get a job' by Lush Crayon

Stand out song: 'L I S A'.

One of my earliest memories is sitting on my Dad's lap at the screen of his Mac computer. Apple as a company is incredibly powerful and influential but in ways that are perhaps unexpected or rather aren't focused on as much anymore. Apple now, in 2023, is an all consuming technological behemoth that is reaping the rewards of years of expansion and development. But, it wasn't always like that. Apple used to be the underdog, the weird 'other'. Well, I say weird. It was weird, always was and really, should always be when it comes down to it but more than that Apple was cool. Its designs were, and are but we're focusing on days gone by for now, cool. Its ethos, was cool. Its technology was cool. But cooler than all of that, were its advertisements and its through those adverts that Apple really gained its cultural resonance. Those Apple adverts of the past can now inspire true nostalgia for a different time. They are key aspects of our memories and our cultural makeup. Those early days of Apple have inspired films and oh so many books but alongside them, I have recently found that they have inspired an album. A record called 'get a job' by Lush Crayon and what an album it is.

After the last couple of years where I have listened to my music across a wide array of platforms, I felt that for my digital music at least, this year I would focus on one inparticular to try and bring some cohesion to my listening experience and so my Spotify wrapped would be, hopefully, a little more accurate. The downside to that is that on Spotify, there is not as much Vapourwave music as I would like and 2023 has been a year that so far has had considerably less Vapourwave music than in 2021 and 2022. But, when I have found new Vapourwave albums on Spotify this year, they have been heavy hitters and none more so than Lush Crayon's 'get a job'. As I was on the train on Saturday morning I stumbled across the record and it immediately clicked. This is not the sort of Vapourwave album that forces you up onto your feet, but rather the sort that should soundtrack you as you take the train somewhere and look out at the city approaching you, as you read or as you dream about wandering the streets of Japan. I was looking for an album to serve almost as an ambient one for me, whilst not actually being ambient music this time around, and 'get a job' does just that. It is calming enough that it can exist in the background but it also contains moments that draw you back to it to then lose yourself in the music. It is a great example of how diverse and rich the Vapurwave genre is.

The relationship that I have with Apple as a company is one that does mean quite a lot to me. Its funny to say that as Apple is ofcourse a huge, world dominating company but I do have this relationship with it which came from my Dad and his love for the California based tech giants. Apple always make me think of him and this record 'get a job' does too. It reminds me of the days of Apple before it became what it is today. When, dare I say, it felt even cooler. Or as some harsher critics may say, when it was cool, when it was different. The samples that are used on this record and the audio recordings of Steve Jobs are time capsules that serve as much needed reminders of Apple's journey and how we as users have traveled along the road with the company. I honestly have no idea how Apple will continue to expand and how it will inevitably grow and innovate but I am thankful that 'get a job' exists as it will always act as an anchor in my mind for the company that I knew and what I hope will always be at its core.

-Jake, a man still trying to find a copy of 'Shin Ultraman', 07/08/2023

No Pressure

Another entry in the incredible true story.

Every now and then I like to write a piece for the blog which is about what I am particularly enjoying at that time of writing. In fact, those free form pieces that I try and fill with excitement and positivity about the things that I mention are some of my favourite pieces to work on. I was thinking that as this is the start of a new month, it might be fitting to do one of those sorts of round ups today but instead, even though I do love writing them something else was on my mind even more or rather someone else. Logic. It is no secret that I adore the Maryland born rapper but I thought that I would write a little something about why I keep returning to the rapper or I suppose to be more accurate why I never go away. Over the last twenty four hours I once again fell into one of the times where rather than only listening to a few Logic songs throughout the day, I instead listen to all of them, over and over again as the deep dive into his work feels like I am centering myself. A reminder of an intangible thing that Logic's music never fails to provide and that I am oh so thankful for.

One of my favourite things about Logic is that as visible as a man as he is an artist. Ofcourse, he chooses what to share with his legions of fans as should be the case, but the fact that he chooses to share at all does mean a lot. I was watching a video yesterday evening of Logic walking around his house as he pointed out different things he had which were in most cases posters from different films. And the thing is, seeing Logic point out the references to films that he loves and them being the same films that occupy my favourite film lists, that natural connection does make when I listen to his music feel that much stronger. I think I see a lot of myself in Logic or perhaps that should be the other way round, and when I see Logic talking about the things that we like it serves as a valuable reminder to keep be yourself and that being yourself and liking the things that you like can help you get to where you want to be. Because as well as being a creative inspiration Bobby is a real role model and although we have never met, it feels like we have and that there is a connection there and one that I draw a lot from as I take further trips around the sun.

Three years ago when Logic announced that he was retiring I wrote a piece about how happy I was for him that he was calling it a day as it was the right decision for him. Then, when he did return I wrote another piece about how incredibly excited I was that he took to the stage and airwaves once again. And ofcourse, inbetween that I have written many other pieces about his albums and his songs and how much he means to me as an artist. I think today though, the different thing that I wanted to touch on is how much he means to me as a person. As I watching this video last night I was struck by the realisation that I think that it is Logic the man, Bobby Hall, who means more to me than Logic the rapper. It is the role model and seeing someone just be themselves that strike an even stronger cord than when I hear Logic's music which is saying something as he continues to be my artist. As I approach my next birthday, I ofcourse have been reflecting on a few different things and one such thing is that I am going to keep on being me and in large part that is down to a certain musician. Maybe one day we'll meet, just so I can say thank you. And to talk about 'Cowboy Bebop'. Ofcourse.

-Jake, a man days away from his next escapade, 06/08/2023

Today, tomorrow.

Today I was in the big smoke which was being bathed in torrential rain. Really though, as long as you’re dressed for it and hell even when you’re not, seeing London in the rain can be very fun. For instance, today there were lots of tourists running through the rain somewhat excitedly and even regular Londoners seemed to be less angry with the downpour. It was one of those days where the rain seemed to be a shared experience which brought everyone closer together, at least for a little while.

The above photographs were taken in Paris last summer, mere moments apart. And you better believe that I am oh so relieved that they ended up being on the same split frame shot.

-Jake, a man who does love the rain, 05/08/2023

Album of the Week: 'The Day the World Went Away' by Nine Inch Nails.

Stand out song: 'The Day the World Went Away'.

One of my favourite things about the now cancelled series 'Westworld' was the music choices. The HBO series that perhaps should have ended after series two on what would have then been one of the strongest finales in television history in my eyes, always used its score to the absolute best of its ability. The score of 'Westworld' was almost a character itself as certain tracks really commanded that you listen to them or rather focus on them as the scene played out in front of you. Within the score, the greatest strength for me was that Ramin Djawadi would take well know songs and then rework them to fit the 'Westworld' brief. The new interpretations of these songs would elevate them to a whole new level as they would often take on a new ethereal quality. Sometimes with these tracks you might not even realise that the song was lifted from somewhere else as it seemed so at home within the 'Westworld' score and that was the case for me with the track 'The Day the World Went Away' which I had no idea was a Nine Inch Nails song before I heard it play in 'The Bear' last week and felt an immediate rush of excitement at hearing the original version. Well, okay, a take on the original version. The 2.0 version and oh boy, is it a hit.

I say the 2.0 version because when I was trying to find 'The Day the World Went Away' on Spotify I found the original (please let this be the actual original) version from 1999's 'The Fragile' album. Now, whilst this version does feature some of the components that I adore it is not really the one for me. Out of the three versions that I have come to engage with it is at the bottom of that list, no competition. That to be clear, is not because it is a bad take, I mean really it is the take as it is the (I think) original one. The reason it is my least favourite version is because the 'Westworld' take, which is my second favourite is masterfully worked and is what I know to be a very interesting and thoughtful take of the song. But, the thing is, that both of those versions pale in comparison to the version from 2002's 'Still' record which is, breathtaking. The guitar work that features in this version is beautiful but it is the occasional piano riffs before it launches into the seminal moment of the track that make this song truly sublime. It is a song that contains raw power and is simply awaiting the opportunity to burst forth from your headphones and to take its place in your mind forevermore. A place that it very much deserves.

Often when I find a track that I fall head over heels for, or in this case am completely infatuated by, I do a deep dive on that artists' discography but with the Nine Inch Nails I'm not entirely sure that that will happen. And really, I think that is okay. Yes, I am going to try out a few more of their songs but I'm not sure that as a whole their music will be for me. That being said, I am going to listen to 'Still' which I believe to be the band's take on a slower, gentler album and reworking some of their own songs such as 'The Day the World Went Away'. And in a way, that feels rather special. I like the idea that maybe I will only share this one album with the artists or who knows, only the one song. It makes that connection a little more intimate in a way, as the relationship has a clear parameter which makes the bond rather different to that I have with other musicians whose entire discographies I am constantly dipping in and out of. I don't know. I haven't even listened to 'Still' fully yet and so it might be that I only have a relationship with 'The Day the World Went Away' and if that is the case then I am okay with it. More than okay with it. This track, it is something else. It feels cinematic and yet as if it is being played only for you as you listen to it. Its the sort of track that invites you into, to give yourself to it so it can in turn become a part of your life and a key one at that. This song is special, truly and completely and I am all the better for finding the original version. In this case 'Westworld', a replicant just won't cut it.

-Jake, a man still waiting on his invite to Westworld, 31/07/2023

My Five Key Songs of July 2023

Into the second half.

The song choices that will soon follow for July are a bit of an odd selection. The tracks themselves aren't odd but rather this time around there wasn't a clear front runner to be the key song of the month. In fact, all five songs seemed to have stumbled their way into the list as July was one of those months without a clear musical focus which meant that instead of five key songs, it probably should have been more like twenty. However, that is not the format and so five it is, and whilst we're here I suppose we should probably find out what those five are exactly so as a certain Italian journalist says, here we go.

First up for July, 'Angela' by Bob James.

I am starting this month's picks with what is actually the most recent discovery on the list. I had heard 'Angela' about a month ago in a show that I was watching but then in the last week or so as I have been listening to quite a few scores it seemed to crop up unexpectedly and I am so very glad that it has done. Now, I have not seen the show 'Taxi' however, I would very much like to so I think that I will need to try and track it down on DVD as it seems like the sort of show that I would really get along with. Its musical choice for the title has all but confirmed that for me as this is perhaps one of the strongest title pieces that I have ever heard and bare in mind that I am saying that without any emotional connection to the show itself, as of yet that is. Bob James' gentle 70s classic never fails to help me to relax and settle and I have found that I have been listening to it quite a lot over the past week particularly as I have been walking back from working at a few events in the city centre. It won't be the key song this time around but I think give it a few more weeks in my headphones and perhaps a viewing of the show attached to it and soon it will be one of the key players on my roster.

Second on the call list, 'Run from Tears' by Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Usually when I turn to Crosby, Stills and Nash I head straight to 'Just a Song Before I Go' which is one of my favourite songs, but over July it has been more of the case that I have been listening to 'Run From Tears'. Now, as 'Run From Tears' is also from the self titled album with one of my favourite photographs of musicians on or actually one of my favourite photographs ever adorning its cover, it makes it all the more attractive as putting this song on does mean that I get to look at that album cover again. But 'Run from Tears' is more than that. It is a track that manages to encapsulate what Crosby, Stills and Nash are as a group. It has their harmonized vocals, it has the moments of peace and gentle romanticism whilst also being able to pick up the pace and display their always stellar guitar work. The song in many ways feels funnily enough like a Neil Young track and I would very much like to have heard a version of it with Young singing the lead lyrics however, the trio still manage to make it a truly wonderful number even without their missing fourth member.

The third song for July is 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' by Donovan.

At the end of February, over the course of a couple of days I watched David Fincher's 'Zodiac' film for the first time and then a second time. Whilst ofcourse the subject matter is very disturbing and dark, I found 'Zodiac' to perhaps be Fincher's most underrated film and I think my favourite of his titles. My love affair with the 'Zodiac' film has continued as I have listened to various podcasts about it and have been thinking about it a great deal but the real legacy that it has for me is its soundtrack which features hit after hit that feel like they are the zeitgeist song of that moment within the pursuit of Zodiac themselves. Over July I have been working through the entire soundtrack so to single out one track from it is rather difficult but really I think that this time around it does have to be 'Hurdy Gurdy Man'. The sound that Donovan creates here to surround the song with this ethereal air from the outset is quite something and I don't think that I have ever heard anything like it or really ever will. It's use in 'Zodiac' is perfect, well, actually the entire film is so perhaps that isn't as strong a compliment as I want to give it but I think the point still stands.

The penultimate song for this month is 'Coral Reef' by Shigeru Suzuki.

Really, I think that this is the key song for July but this time around I have gone with a more emotional choice which we will get to in a minute. Also, I don't feel that there is any pressure to choose 'Coral Reef' now as I am sure that it will claim the top spot at some point down the line. When I stumbled across 'Pacific' it was Haruomi Hosono's name that caught my eye but now that I have listened to it again and again, it is Shigeru Suzuki who is my stand out from the record and that is most apparent through 'Coral Reef'. 'Coral Reef', I don't know what it is, there is just this quality to this song that really hits me. Its the sort of song that makes me actually stop typing as I look off into the distance to try and work out exactly what it is that I would like to stay but I'm not quite sure. On a practical level, it sounds a little like what may have inspired Dan Mason, the artist who is often floating around the top spot for my artist of the year over the last couple of trips around the sun. But really, it is more than the similarity to Mason's work. It has this quality to it of something that feels very unique, it feels of its time in Japan in 1978 and listening to it takes me to that time or rather that my vision of it. I don't know, I suppose 'Coral Reef' is my version of the beach paradise that adorns the album 'Pacific's cover, it is paradise and words can't really do it justice but the feeling that it inspires, that is enough. More than enough.

And finally, the key song for July 2023 is 'Germany, 1944' by John Williams.

'Germany, 1944' is the song that hits me the hardest from the 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's score. Going into the film, I was aware that hearing the 'Raiders March' musical sting would be rather emotional as the whole viewing experience itself would be. The thing is, 'Raiders March' never truly made a full experience, instead it worked itself into a few of the tracks as a gentle nod to Williams' iconic cinematic score from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. And really, I think that I preferred this use of the song, it meant that on one hand 'Dial of Destiny' could be its own thing and that it was looking back at its predecessors in a respectful way rather than in one that was solely using its previous adventures to propel the story forward. When 'Germany, 1944' played and when I first heard that sting from 'Raiders March' it felt truly heroic, as Indiana Jones always does, and more than that it served as a reminder that whilst a song may not be playing all the time, it is never really gone and is always there when you listen for it out there in the Universe.

So there we have it, the key songs for July 2023 and with one month of summer left it feels like there has not been a true 'summer' pick as of yet to be the key song of the month. Maybe August will change that, we shall have to wait and see and I for one am excited for the month ahead and for the adventures it will have in store and the music that they will inspire.

-Jake, a man still looking for his own Indiana style hat, 30/07/2023

Pacific.

Two visions of London are pictured above with a shot of the National Theatre and the Southbank centre, both taken back on a crisp autumnal day last October. As I am starting to see more and more autumnal wares creep into the shops my anticipation for my favourite season is building quite a bit but hey, I’m not rushing through summer as there is still a whole month of summer left and I’m still going to soak it in with all of its escapades. Planned and otherwise.

-Jake, a man who won’t be able to stop thinking about how good the new ‘Mission Impossible’ is, 29/07/2023

Album of the week: 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' by Vince Guaraldi Trio

Stand out song: 'Christmas Time is Here' - Instrumental.

I have been thinking a lot about what the three year anniversary album of the week piece should be because believe it or not, it isn't an easy decision. A Moveable Jake is largely based around music, in part as I am always listening to something as I tap away on my keyboard but also because every week for three years I have written an album of the week piece and those musings have been very important to me. The album of the week pieces do cover the album of the week ofcourse but also, they look beyond that. At times they have led to talking about all sorts of thoughts and feelings and whilst yes, I do greatly enjoy when I get into more specific thoughts about the record itself I would be lying if I didn't say that my real favourite thing is when I pick an album and then wander down a meandering path of thoughts vaguely connected to it which then somehow all link to the musical choice of the week at the end. So with that in mind, how could I possibly decide on an album to have feature as the marque record pick for this three year milestone that actually does mean quite a lot to me.

When I write the pieces for the blog there are always two types of pieces. There are the ones that I think about and I often take moments to gaze out of the window whilst I am writing to let me thoughts ruminate a little more and then there are the pieces where my fingers are typing so quickly on the keyboard that I'm surprised that there isn't smoke coming from them. The album of the week pieces often alternate between the two. Often I feel like I really need to consider all of the angles of a record before I write about it in order to do it justice and to make sure that I can get my thoughts across and other times, I think there is a little Miles Davis inside of me telling me to riff and I just let it rip and see where the feelings take me. That's just it actually, no prizes for guessing which one today's piece is leaning more towards, my album of the week pieces are either my head or my heart and occasionally some albums do lead them to overlap. Because of the sort of person that I am, I think I do tend to lean towards the heart pick albums as they feel the most organic and so again I felt that I had to go with an album for today that fit that quota. Then again, I did second guess myself a little bit because I thought was that not being respectful enough of this anniversary, should I instead go with something that encapsulates what this past year has been on the blog and for me. Again, it has not been an easy decision to make until well, you guessed it, it all became so easy.

I have been thinking about certain albums and tracks that could fit the bill of being both a pick from my head and my heart and really, there was only one album that I knew that I had to go with. That album, if you're a regular reader, will come as no surprise as it is the Vince Guaraldi Trio's 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. At this point, I have lost track of how many times that I have listened to this record over the last three years and see thats the thing, this is a sensible album to pick as I have been listening to it for the duration of the blog so far. My listening experiences with the record have grown in line with the blog as has my relationship to the album and again, the blog. I mentioned a moment ago how I often feel pressure to do an album that means the world to me justice and that is why there are a couple of albums out there that I just can't write about as they are too, too special. Maybe I will one day but I haven't got there yet. The thing is, with 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' it seems to have gone the other way. I used to be able to write about this album without any pressure and now as I type away I do feel it seeping in as I want to convey how much this album means to me. How I use it to breathe and to centre myself. To remind me that my feet are on the ground and that I'm present as I take things one day at a time. If there was an album that encapsulated all of the thoughts and feelings of my journal and countless notebooks, this is it. I think that really, this is my album. It is in its entirety my desert island disc and whilst I do reserve the right to change that choice throughout the years, somehow I don't think that I will. No matter what is happening, when I listen to Guaraldi's work here, I feel calm and I feel like Jake. It is a feeling that I also get when I'm writing for the blog or writing in any format actually. It is a reminder of who I am and I let that feeling flow through me as I breathe in and out.

'A Charlie Brown Christmas' is not only an album for Christmas, it is an album for all time.

-Jake, a man daydreaming, always, 24/07/2023

From 2020 to 2023

Three years at the desk and on trains.

On the eighteenth of this month, in other words last Tuesday, a Moveable Jake which is the blog that I have been writing for every week and the one that you are reading now turned three years old. It was a bit of a surprise when I received the notification reminding me that it was the anniversary as it feels like I have been writing for my blog for considerably longer than three years as it has become such a part of my weeks. I begin my week with the album of the week post where I then often spend the rest of the week thinking about what the next record that I am going to share is going to be only for something to come along at the final moment and blow it out of the water. I then will share a photograph that I have taken with either a few words about the photograph itself or something completely unrelated and really, it is often more of the latter. Then, when it gets to the weekend I work on my weekend reading piece which is actually how the blog started back in 2020 and so with that in mind I thought that today it might be fitting to look back at the beginning of the blog and maybe ahead at where it may go.

2020 now seems like an age ago. Although ofcourse there is still an awareness of Covid-19 and the overhang of always being cautious will remain indefinitely, the days of lockdown and monitoring the developments about the virus do seem like days gone by. The blog was a lockdown baby as in July of 2020 I decided that I wanted a space to write some pieces about everything and nothing. What started off as me sharing more of my photographs quickly became longer form pieces as I would look forward to sitting at my desk in Bournemouth and tapping away on the keyboard as so often was the case, the rain would be rattling my window. After a little while, the blog gained the rhythm and the structure that it has now and really there has been no looking back. I always ensure that I write the three pieces for the week and yes, sometimes they may be a little shorter if I am otherwise occupied being on an adventure but the posts always are present and have come to the blog from all over the place now. Actually, let me think about where I have actually written the blog from. Obviously, the main place that I have been situated is on this little island and in Bournemouth and then either the forest or the city where I am writing this from. Then for further afield, I do often find myself writing on trains but lets see, what specific places have there been; Edinburgh, Oslo, Berlin, Paris and various locales in Belgium. A Moveable Jake has been on the road a fair few times and I have enjoyed writing in different settings but I think that really I like my regular writing set ups whether that be where I am now or in the forest and it is there that I feel most hygge when I am writing away. My own little writer's nooks, that I've been carving out for the past few years.

So, three years. As I say, really it doesn't feel like three years. Not because they have flown by but because actually it feels like it should be even longer. I actually quite like how the three years feel much longer as it makes them feel even fuller and it reminds me as I look back of all the things that have happened over that time and how it has impacted the blog. The question is, as we enter the next year, how will the blog continue to look. I think that maybe, at some point there may be some slight changes to the formatting and posting of pieces to the blog. That is not to say that I will stop posting, far from it, but rather that I think I may need to dedicate my writing time to another project that I am working on but more can be revealed on that when the time comes. For now though, A Moveable Jake will continue as it is and I think really, its getting more into its stride all the time. I have had different monikers and projects that I have posted under previously and when I look back on them they seem to encapsulate different times of my life but there is something different about A Moveable Jake. It has something about it, perhaps a longevity that the others didn't and I do feel rather proud of it. When I started writing I wanted to create something that felt like the sort of reading that you would pick up as you enjoyed a gentle weekend and I think that really, that is what the blog is. Three years in and I still greatly enjoy writing for A Moveable Jake and I will continue to do so as the blog stays a key part of me. Thank you for staying with the blog and for reading these pieces, I hope that you enjoy them and you can feel the enjoyment that I get from writing them. Here's to the future and what further adventures we may go on.

-Jake, a man behind a keyboard, 23/07/2023

Pharmacy.

The rain has returned to my neck of the woods and today felt decidedly autumnal however, as much as I adore fall it is not quite time for my favourite season. No, there is still quite a stretch of summer ahead and more adventures lined up for it. And after all, there isn’t any rush, it’s all about taking things one day a time.

-Jake, a man who loves water picks now, 22/07/2023

Album of the Week: 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Score by John Williams

Stand out song: 'Helen'a Theme'.

It is hard to think of film composers' works that have been more iconic and seminal than that of John Williams for not only as Williams provided the scores to some of the most beloved films of all time, he has done it again and again creating imaginatively and well considered works for many of cinema's most notable titles. There have ofcourse been other film composers who have made what would become iconic pieces but I would argue that it is the sheer quantity of Williams' work that puts him at the top of the pile and that not only is he created such a cataolgue of scores but also ones that all hit. It is quality and quantity running alongside each other and really when you look through his discography to see the scores and the songs that he has composed, it is staggering. Whilst now at ninety one years of age, you may think that Williams would not still be creating scores but ofcourse the master is still at work and has most recently composed the music for 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny', a score that should perhaps be present in any discussions about the composer's best work.

One of the greatest challenges as I see it for William's for film series that he has already provided music for is to create a new score that pays reference to the previous compositions whilst still being original. It is, I imagine but I am pretty sure that I'm safe in saying it, incredibly difficult. But, time and time again Williams has done it. With 'The Dial of Destiny' Williams has faced the challenge of creating a score for what is Doctor Jones' final outing and as such, it could be assumed that the score would heavily feature the iconic 'Raiders March' that first came roaring out of cinema speakers in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', the 'Indiana Jones' would be added to the titles later. Williams has in 'Dial of Destiny' expertly woven Indiana's iconic music into the score in a way that never lets it overstay its welcome. Rather than making it the focus of the song, Williams uses it as a brief nod or tonal reference point and allows for his new work to drive the song forward. When 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' was released it was discussed how one of the strongest parts of the film and the biggest challenges in making it was the use of Darth Vader. The filmmakers were allowed to use Vader as much as they liked and instead decided to limit his appearances so that when he did appear it had a bigger impact, this all culminating in what I would consider to be the defining Vader fight scene at the end of the film. That in a way is how Williams has used 'Raiders March', when it does appear in a song it does hold such power because it is a fleeting moment of excitement which also as was the songs original intention, drives Indiana Jones' adventure ever forward.

It is very hard, again this is an assumption from myself but one that I feel that I am safe in making, when faced with your incredible back catalogue to make something that audiences will consider in the same realm of brilliance as the iconic pieces that have come before it. I do think that Williams' work on 'Dial of Destiny' should be considered among his very best. Yes, the score itself is a masterpiece of thematic and character studies but also when you take into account the pressure that would have been there and how Williams has not chosen the easier paths to walk down with the score, it makes it all the more impressive. I once heard Tarantino say that he listens to film scores to relive the moments of the film and as he listens to them he truly places himself back into the film, breathing it in. That is what I am doing with the 'Dial of Destiny' score as I listen to it again and again. I am breathing it in along with all of the other wonderful and special memories that are associated for me with Doctor Jones, both the one on screen and my own version of him.

-Jake, a man looking for an explorer's jacket, 17/07/2023

Pulp Fiction

No, not that one.

With the release of 'Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny' and it reportedly being Doctor Jones' last outing cinema is seeing the end of one of its greatest heroes but alongside that, another nail in the coffin of pulp fiction. No, not Tarantino's 1994 film which is, you know, okay I suppose (I hope you can feel the wink) but rather the pulp style fiction that existed in days gone by. Indiana Jones himself is an homage to the sorts of adventure, explorer characters born out of serialised pulp stories and those sorts of adventure stories seem to be going. There are ofcourse still stories that will have at one point been inspired by pulp ideas and character templates but as a whole cinema has moved away from these ideas, themes and archetypes. The stories that we see on screen now are often more developed than classic pulp stories and that can often be to these films detriment. Yes, there is ofcourse a space for the 'Inception's and 'Tenet's of the cinema world, Nolan I am really sorry for picking two of your films there to single out, but sometimes movie goers want a film with a clear beginning middle and end. One where you are cheering for the main character and really, even though they do get themselves into all sorts of scrapes you know that they will somehow find a way to make it out okay and to ride off into the sunset. The days of these films have been numbered for some time and 'Dial of Destiny' is a much needed reminder of why they are so special.

There are many types of pulp stories and it perhaps would not be feasible to cover them all today so instead as I have mentioned Indiana I will look at the adventurer, explorer pulp ideas. There is a desire for these sorts of stories because not only have there been 'Indiana Jones' imitations on the silver screen, 'The Mummy', but one of video games' biggest hits both critically and with fans the 'Uncharted' series is one big love letter to George Lucas' creation. And if we take 'Uncharted' as an example, it is a series of games that does not shy away from its love for Indiana Jones and adventure stories in general as its main character Nathan Drake often finds himself searching for lost gold in forgotten kingdoms as he travels all over the world. The stories that arise from these games are wonderful because they are just that, stories.Sure, they touch on different emotions and are at times vehicles to examine other feelings and themes but at their core level they are adventures and human ones at that. This is not humankind venturing out into the stars but instead exploring every corner of this world and as a result, even though when we engage with these stories we are not in the same lands that the main characters are we can feel most definitely that we are as we can take the same steps that they do or run away from the same boulders if the need arises.

The question is, have pulp stories died off or have they simply evolved. As I mentioned a moment ago we do still get the pulp adventure stories even if they are more few and far between. Furthermore, what is a pulp story. Can superhero films be classed as an evolution of pulp. Many people would say that they are and with the amount of super hero films it certainly seems that they are. For me though, I think the most pulp like stories out there on the silver screen at the moment, not including Mr Tarantino's work ofcourse, are the 'Mission Impossible' films. What Tom Cruise (lets face it, its Tom) has done is managed to create the sort of spy, espionage films that I think cinema needed once again. Yes, there have been a fair few 'Mission Impossible' films but each one does try something new and whilst they have the same core elements as each entry into the series they are all their own thing. At their hearts, all pulp stories should be able to exist on their own and 'Mission Impossible' certainly does fit the brief even if it is better for both the over arching narrative and your personal enjoyment that you watch them all. I think that really when it comes down to it, what I'm looking for in the films that I like the most is a character that I can really get behind and feel true excitement to see everytime they're on the screen and whilst I do feel it for Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, there is no one I feel it more for than Indiana Jones and any adventure that he goes on, I will be there.

-Jake, a man thinking about a very lovely weekend out in the forest, 16/07/2023

Visions.

The above photograph was taken somewhere in Paris, where exactly I don’t know. I know it was taken last summer, with the August sun bathing the city in its golden light. I know that the street was quiet and that you could hear the person walking as their feet moved ever further along the road getting closer to where they needed to be. I know it felt calm both internally and externally. Perhaps more than the actual location it is the memory location and the paths that form from it that matter the most.

Paris, forever on my mind and in my daydreams.

-Jake, a man ready for his Indiana Jones style hat, 15/07/2023

Album of the Week: 'For McCoy' by Eiko Ishibashi

Stand out song: 'Ask me how I sleep at night'.

Today, as I was cycling back through my city, it suddenly dawned on me that yes, I had a flat tyre. And whilst a flat tyre is easily fixed and it isn't actually that much of a headache, a puncture does always throw me. Don't get me wrong, I don't get punctures all too often, but when I do they do throw me for a loop. I think thats because really, its trying to fit in getting the tyre fixed and replaced and working out how I will get around for the day or two that I don't have my bike. Really, truly, not end of the world stuff. But, sometimes when some things can be a little bit up in the air, a little something like a puncture can, for a moment, feel somewhat larger than it is. As I say, I know really that it is okay and it will be sorted tomorrow but for a moment it is such a drag that it slightly disrupts the rhythm and within that can throw off some other aspects too. One of those being that as I so often do, I turned to my music library to find a fitting album to help but I didn't really find one and this is something that happens with my music library every now and then. Despite having what I would refer to as my key songs, albums and artists it feels like I come up against a brick wall of what to engage with. I thought that I found a couple of tracks that felt like they were getting me back but they didn't quite click. So, I did what I always do in these circumstances and turned to Eiko Ishibashi's work but this time, it wasn't 'Drive My Car' that I pressed play on but instead 'For McCoy' and its masterful work within.

According to Spotify, my song of 2022 was 'Ask me how I sleep at night' from 'For McCoy' by Eiko Ishibashi and really, I don't think they were wrong. Because even though I listened to my music across different platforms and mediums throughout 2022, whether it was Bandcamp or Spotify, 'Ask me how I sleep at night' always was what was playing in my headphones. It was the defining song for me for 2022 and yet, it does not feel like the track is grounded in that year. The soundtrack for 'Drive My Car' which was my album of the year without a doubt, whilst I do still listen to it all the time, always feels very much 2022 which I suppose is more down to the memories associated with it of that initial discovery and those cold early months of the previous year. 'Ask me how I sleep at night' though has transcended this and rather than having immediate memories attached to it when I listen to it, it instead conjures up feelings of, well, feelings that help me to centre myself. To have my feet put back down on the ground again. It is, as far as songs go, priceless and invaluable to me.

'Ask me how I sleep at night' is a song of two halves. Its first half, whilst still being more down tempo, feels like it is building to something with its ongoing repetition and slight variations on its theme. It is good but it is not until the track evolves into its second half, as it truly is an evolution with how its sound grows and develops all of a sudden, that it becomes the beautiful tapestry of creativity within the jazz genre that it is. It is a song that for the most part feels like it is looking for its destination and when it does find it, it is at peace. There is a calmness that arises from it that is infectious. It is a song that teaches peace, and once it is in your system it is nigh on impossible to shake and really, why would you want to. When I get to the second half of this track, I do feel that wave wash over me, that reminder to be still and to be calm. It is a song that says, this too shall pass all the while reminding you to be present and to enjoy the peacefulness of this moment. Whilst, for me, it is the defining song of an artist, it still feels very pedestrian. It feels like it is a song for the everyday and one that I often picture everyday scenes in Japan unfolding to. With some of the finer things in life, whether that be iconic pieces of furniture, the good china or a highly collectible action figure, we tend to keep them at arms reach and look at them from afar. Not really engaging with them in the way that they deserve because afterall, they were designed for a purpose. 'Ask me how I sleep at night' is a song that could be kept at arms length. It could be kept for special occasions and to not fully engage with but truly, it deserves so much more. It deserves, no, needs you to enjoy it, to rip it from its box and to live with it. There are some songs that I know I would play on desert island discs, there are other songs that I know I could rattle off if someone asked me what my favourite songs were. But when it comes to 'Ask me how I sleep at night', I'm not sure if I would include it in either list. Not because I don't love it, but because I love it so much it feels more like a part of me and putting it on a list like that in a way would trivialise it. It would be like trying to put a feeling on those lists, you can't quite quantify it.

I'm listening to the second part of the track now and, well, quite simply, there are no words.

-Jake, a man forever listening to Eiko Ishibashi, 10/07/2023

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