Lotus Plaza - Red Oak Way
"Red Oak Way" has the feel, to me, of the soft gray upholstered skin of a cubicle on the second floor of a university library. This is because I listened to this song maybe 25 times in the course of a couple nights of writing, when I was rushing to complete my thesis. Everyone who's done homework to music, or written something with music on, knows that there are only certain kinds of songs you can have on in the background that will help and not hinder what you're doing. If the music's too interesting, you end up staring into space for what feels like hours on end; too boring and you end up skipping around like a maniac, trying to find a stretch of songs that will mollify the guilt and panic of procrastination. Most of the time, I can't listen to anything brand new when I'm trying to do work, because I'll get sucked in and won't accomplish anything. Or I'll start jogging my leg in time to the drums. "Red Oak Way" was perfect at the time, because it's soft-focus, but still energetic, and Lockett Pundt sings in a way where some but not all of the lyrics are distinct, so it's easy to get lost in the feeling of the song without necessarily being involved in the song.[Buy The Floodlight Collective]___________________________________________________________________________________________The story I was working on (which is mostly about the Burj Khalifa, pictured above) when I first heard this song has recently been published in Big Fiction, a new magazine that specializes in long short stories. The very first issue is available now, and includes work by Mike Meginnis, Vincent Reusch, and Yuriy Tarnawsky. The magazine, which has a cool letterpress cover, looks and feels so nice.