. . . a one, two, three, four

Welcome to Gathering Evidence. If you’re reading this, you probably already know me and Alice. If not, quickly: I’m Jake, she’s Alice, I live in New York City, she in Los Gatos, California, together we’re 45, 263 lbs, 11′6″, reddish blond with dark brown roots and of better-than-average intelligence.

Not sure what Alice has planned, but I hope to write mainly about music. As the playlist demonstrates, my tastes are not especially unique or up-to-date, but I listen constantly, variedly, and will hopefully have something useful to say.

At a friend’s suggestion, I titled the blog Gathering Evidence to remind myself that good listening and criticism is something like detective work - addressing concretely those things one admires or dislikes, and avoiding such red-herrings as hype, fashion, and the other fun stuff I tend to fall for on blogs like these.

We’ll see how I do. Meantime, welcome again, and stayed tuned. . .

Playlist (after Steve Smith):

Stereolab - Oscillons from the Anti-Sun (Too Pure)

Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse (Elektra)

Various - American Primitive Vol. 1: Raw Pre-War Gospel (Revenant)

Various - Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution in Sound (Soul Jazz)