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Happy 50th Birthday "Dancing Queen!"

ABBA's song "Dancing Queen" has turned 50 and it still soars. It remains a special song: the production values are unique, the string section is lovely, the ringing piano chords offer a noble counterpoint, and despite the upbeat lyrics the tune is actually somewhat wistful and melancholy. And the glorious, perfectly overlayed vocals and harmonies of singers Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad are heart-melting.

https://abbasite.com/

BEAUTY: Painting--Mittie Cuetara

East Coast-born artist Mittie Cuetara relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area years ago and now paints scenes of streets, houses, and parks in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley ... views and images of cityscapes and landscapes I know so well! Regular readers know how much I love a painter who really uses paint in a visceral way, creating Impressionistic feelings with globs and swirls of glorious color, and Cuetara does that in a loose, free, masterful way. So beautiful!

http://mcueta.otherpeoplespixels.com/home.html

Happy World Letter Writing Day 2026!

Happy World Letter Writing Day!

Observed every year on September 1st, World Letter Writing Day celebrates the timeless art of handwritten connection. In an increasingly fragmented and isolating digital world, a letter harkens back to a time when human connection was more valued. Writing and sending a letter to a friend, family member, or loved one is a meaningful way to slow down and share your thoughts or express gratitude.

I will sit down and write a few notes to friends and loved ones today. However, when I was much younger in my twenties, I used to send "art letters" to friends which was usually a larger manilla envelope filled with some combination of, among many things, old photographs I got at an antique store, magazine photos from old LIFE magazines, bits of my poetry, drawings, found papers or flat objects, sometimes even natural elements like leaves, flowers, or a small plastic bag of sand from a special beach. I would send these anonymously but of course they all knew exactly who it was from ... they knew me and it screamed "JEF."

"Oceanside (Monkey Safari Remix) by Eli & Fur

Hazy, trippy, trancey. This is the Monkey Safari remix of Eli & Fur's song "Oceanside."

https://www.eliandfur.com/

"Overchord" by Actress

I am mesmerized by this incredible track and video from Actress, the nom de musique of English electronic / Afro-Futurism-adjacent artist Darren J. Cunningham. The images to this song "Overchord" are arresting. The narrative takes place in a minimalist dream space layered with enigmatic systems and objects ... in short, dream logic reigns supreme. In many ways, it reminds me of the work of contemporary artist Matthew Barney. Kudos to Cunningham, director Anna van der Velde, DP Peter Bishop, and of course Production Designer Hugo Harris. Stunning work.

https://whoisactress.com/

R.I.P.

It often comes in threes...

https://www.dollyparton.com/

https://www.timcurry.co.uk/

https://yayoi-kusama.jp/

"new avatar" by Kelela

I am so blown away by this new album from alternative R&B / electronic artist and singer Kelela (previously here). Listen to the intriguing, powerful "new avatar" in its entirety here.

https://www.kelela.co/

BEAUTY: Painting--Miho Ichise

Painter Miho Ichise has a fasciation with light and shadow and the way they behave and appear. Her breathtaking Impressionistic images of sunshine dappling through tree branches or glinting off the surface of water capture the immediacy and ephemerality of it all ... ichi go ichi e...

https://mihoichise.com/

BEAUTY: Painting--Aron Wiesenfeld

I have been appreciating the unsettling work of painter Aron Wiesenfeld for some time now and can't believe I have not shared him with you yet. I love his eerie narratives of a single person in a lone desolate spot, probably in some form of peril ... ... his unease with tunnels and what they mean psychologically is a recurring motif, as is the imagery of people (often adolescents or children) in snow wearing clothing clearly not meant for cold weather. They work like film stills, asking more questions about the spooky circumstances we are seeing than they answer.

Top to bottom: The Wedding Party; Turning Back, Tunnel; Transfer; Train Tunnel; Shell; The Settlers; The River; The Return; The Oathbreakers; Night Grove; Limbo; The Lesson; Hackers; The Garden; Entrance; Border: A Late Arrival

https://aronwiesenfeld.com/