Oblique Saturdays

A series for Saturdays in 2026 inspired by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's set of cards, Oblique Strategies (Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas). Eno and Schmidt created them to be used to unblock creative impasses and approach problems from unexpected angles. Each week I'll turn over an Oblique Strategy card and post a song or songs inspired by the suggestion. 

Last week's Oblique Strategy suggestion was Always first steps. 

My steps took me up to Snapped Ankles, The Flaming Stars, Bocca Juniors and The Boo Radleys. The Bagging Area Oblique Saturdays squad excelled themselves with a bumper collection of songs and responses- from the top, The Babies (via Disco Spider), The Ventures (from Ernie), Caetano Veloso (Mmmmmmbop), New Kids On The Block (thank you Al G), Joe Jackson and his KORG drum machine (from John Medd), NKOTB and Public Service Broadcasting (Mrs G), New Age Steppers (from C), Mogwai (Beerfueled), The First Steps (courtesy of Rol), Stereo MCs (cheers Jase), early New Order (danke Walter), Chris and Cosey and Andrew Weatherall (both from Macdiddly), Mary Poppins (an unexpected one from Jake Sniper), The Incredible String Band (via The Swede), Smith and Mighty (from Khayem) and Acid Klaus (Chris ZenArcade's contribution). Amazing stuff, thank you all of you- and the first time that New Kids On The Block have ever darkened these doorways. 

I don't have any Caetano Veloso but have followed up Mmmmmmbop's suggestion and listened to Caetano's 1973 album Araçá Azul online during the week, an experimental album blurring tropicalia, psychedelia, musique concrete and samba and folk, a record that, as Mmmmmbop said, shakes a fist at the repressive Brazilian state and passive consumerist muzak. I do have this Gal Costa song from the same year, co- written by Caetano Veloso and from Gal's 1973 album India. 

Relance

This week's card, which I turned over on Wednesday evening, says this- What are you really thinking about just now?

And I'll be honest, it caught me unawares and startled me a bit. What was I really thinking about? Rather than sit on the suggesiton for a while as I sometimes do the card demanded an immediate response so I started typing almost straight away. 

I'd been going round the blogs and catching up with the daily posts from other music bloggers and one of the thoughts in my mind was what an incredible thing JC is doing at The Vinyl Villain, an 800 song countdown of songs that are important to him, a huge undertaking as a celebration of the upcoming 20th anniversary of The Vinyl Villain. 

I was thinking about going and finishing marking some essays on the use of propaganda in Nazi Germany that I'd brought home and which had a rapidly approaching deadline. 

I was thinking about the songs on Short Stories For Pauline, the Durutti Column album I'd been listening to in the car and which I was about to start writing about (for a piece that I posted two days ago). 

And I was thinking too about the fact that November is bearing down on us, just under six weeks away, and bringing with it on the 23rd what would have been Isaac's 28th birthday and a week later on the 30th what will be the fifth anniversary of his death and the moment I turned the card over I acknowledged to myself that I've been able to feel it physically again in recent weeks, that feeling of being a bit out of sorts and a bit aggy, a bit narked. The dull thud of grief sitting in my chest again. At least, I think that's what it is. I can usually recognise it now. 

So writing this Oblique Saturday's post started there and then with this rundown of what I was really thinking about 'just now'. 

Here's The Charlatans in summer 1995, thinkin' things over, needing a set of vows. 

Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over

What are you really thinking about just now? And do you have a song to go with it? As usual, feel free to drop it in the comment box.