After The Noise
Everything Is Equal
Monday 16 March 2026
Justin Timberlake – Let’s Take A Ride (2002)
Oh my word, I’m knackered as I type this. The kind of knackered that could lure me to the dreaded depths of the biscuit box.
And the biscuit box always brings misery and mental carnage, despite BB (Before Biscuits) me somehow thinking they’re going to majestically lift me from the slump.
A late finish (3 AM) and an early start (12:45 PM). Not much rest between shifts. A beloved dog needed a wander. I had to fix some food.
Just the right moment to escape the woeful realities of life and listen to some random tunes in my lug phones while my furry friend cuddles up beside me, showing the kind of love only dogs can give.
Justin Timberlake to get us going.
Right, confession time. I don’t mind Timberlake. There it is. He’s even been decent in a couple of films, which already puts him ahead of most pop stars who try acting and fail loudly.
I’m not an expert on his work by any stretch of the imagination, but what I’ve heard hasn’t offended me. Which, for any pop star in the history of pop stars, is quite a feat.
This one does bang on about morning light, which has to be one of the most overused phrases in pop music history. Right up there with tonight, forever, and anything involving stars in eyes. It also flirts with that whole “we can spend the night till the morning light” nonsense, which loses a few Listening Log house points for lyrical laziness.
And while we’re here: I hate the word proper. Proper drink. Proper crisps. Proper this, proper that. Social media did that to us. If I used it, I’d say this is proper pop music. But I won’t. I refuse.
All that said… this is actually really good.
It works perfectly as I get some precious time staring into my notepad, pondering the meaning of existence. Timberlake doing exactly what pop music should do without pretending it’s anything deeper. He knows his lane and stays in it.
Lyrics aside, this is a nice little thing. Uncomplicated. Pleasant. No harm done.
And from one solo male artist to a female who’s on a completely different planet…
Patti Smith – Wicked Messenger (1985)
I’ve never really listened to Patti Smith properly. I feel I should have done, but haven’t. While Patti croons away in that unmistakable Patti style, Bowie the rascal Labrador turns onto his back and demands belly rubs.
I duly oblige. A weird experience, but his belly-rub needs must be fulfilled.
I digress. Back to Smith.
The temptation is always to start with Horses, because that’s what people tell you to do. But I deliberately went elsewhere. Somewhere later. Somewhere less obvious.
No one talks about Patti Smith’s mid-80s work. And it’s high time they did.
The first thing that strikes my hallowed ears? Confidence. Absolute confidence.
She knows what she wants things to sound like. No fuss. No apology. Music that breathes. Music that isn’t trying to be anything cleverer than it already is.
Why didn’t I get into her earlier?
Simple answer: I didn’t make time.
Now I don’t have time either, which is why this playlist works. It lets artists turn up when they’re ready, not when I’ve scheduled them.
My day’s better for this.
I doubt hers is affected, but mine definitely is.
Patti Smith, I need to make more time for you.
From Smith to TV soundtrack music. This playlist holds no bounds.
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Love Bunny (2025)
When the TV adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel The Death of Bunny Munro came out late last year, Matt Smith’s face was everywhere. Heavy promotion. Doctor Who trying to break the shackles of Doctor Who. They all try when they leave the role.
I got into Nick Cave relatively late. People had been raving about him for years, but I let him pass me by.
Warren Ellis is one of his Bad Seeds. Has been since 1997. He’s also part of the Cave side project Grinderman, so there’s plenty of history between the two.
I haven’t watched the show. But it does look quite watchable.
Doesn’t matter.
This sounds exactly like you’d expect Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to sound. Moody. Controlled. Purposeful. Short. Sharp. Does the job.
Typical soundtrack music. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Anything Nick Cave touches is worth listening to, even when you’re only dabbling.
And another good one for chilling on the couch with my furry freeloading friend for company.
Speaking of a good one for chilling…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bo Skovhus, Cheryl Studer, Sylvia McNair, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Carlo Allemano, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo, Lucio Gallo, Wiener Philharmoniker – Le Nozze di Figaro, K.492, Act II, No.16 Finale: “Voi Signor, che giusto siete” (1994)
Oh my God. I’m loving this.
A cast of important high-brow opera people fuelled by Mozart’s masterpiece.
I’ve never really listened to opera properly, but Figaro has always felt rousing. And it is. Completely rousing.
I know bits, but never really appreciated its worth.
I get these instant visions. Austria in winter. A grand hall. Everyone in dinner jackets. Or Italy in blazing sunshine. Wine. Stone steps. Open air.
No idea what they’re singing about. Doesn’t matter. You don’t need to understand the words. You feel it.
I’ve learned today that Mozart wrote Figaro. That feels like a good thing to learn on a Monday morning.
When I see people wandering around Manchester with headphones on, I’d like to think one of them is listening to Figaro.
What a bunch of jolly fine tunes today.
I am ready to tackle work head on.
END OF LISTENING LOG
The Listening Log 