The Best Albums of 2018
A disappointing year as far as I'm concerned, but the three albums that I do like are outstanding.
The Best Books of 2018
The books of the year in a number of categories: biggest book of the year; best fiction; best book I wish I had read years ago; best book about dinosaurs; best physics; best book about Wittgenstein that is(n't) about Wittgenstein; most useful, most disappointing and more.
Rem Koolhaas: Elements of Architecture
Review of Elements of Architecture by Rem Koolhaas and co-authors.
Further Reading
How to be an artist. The Burgess shale. Spider silk is stronger than steel. Humpback whale songs undergo a cultural revolution every few years. The insect apocalypse. René Girard. The US opioid crisis. Understanding Russia’s two hybrid wars. Global warming will happen faster than we think. And more.
György Ligety: Mysteries of the Macabre
Superb performance of György Ligeti's Mysteries of the Macabre by the formidable Barbara Hannigan and the Gothenborg Symphony.
Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise
The Rest Is Noise provides an excellent overview of 20th century classical music. It is also a joy to read. I'm glad that I finally came around to reading it and now wish I had done so earlier.
