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 will turn over an Oblique Strategy card and post a song or songs inspired by the suggestion.
Last week's card said 'Reverse'. My first response was one of The Stone Roses backwards tracks where with John Leckie they reversed the tapes to make new songs. I went with Full Fathom Five, Elephant Stone in reverse. There were some interesting suggestions in the comments, a range of different responses to the suggestion 'Reverse'. Ernie and C both went with King Midas In Reverse by The Hollies. Spanino's response was Missy Elliot's Work It ('I put my thang down and reverse it', Missy says, and the line is then reversed, twice). Walter suggested Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve re- animation of Midlake's Roscoe, a track filled with backwards guitar sounds. Jesse went for Bent's Comin' Back (Reverso 68 Dub), a 2004 electronic dub wonder. The Swede popped in with Mensforth Hill, a backwards delight from The Clash's Sandinista! and Martin said he'd have gone with The Roses too. These tracks look like they might be the starting point of a good Sunday mix.
Today's Oblique Strategy card says this...
Allow An Easement (An easement is the abandonment of a stricture)
I didn't think this would happen so soon. I was expecting at some point that I would turn over an Oblique Strategy card that was so gnomic and obtuse that I had no immediate response but somehow I didn't think it would happen in the second week.
I have no songs titled 'easement' or 'stricture'. My gut reaction sent me to this...
Strict Machine was a single from Goldfrapp's second album, Black Cherry, released in 2003. It is a glam rock/ electro stomp, a song that revels in abandonment and release, in 'wonderful electric', a throbbing synth pulse, S&M, sex and control. Strictures abandoned and easements allowed. If that doesn't get you moving on a cold Saturday morning in January, maybe nothing will.
Curiosity got the better of me. I typed Eno and Schmidt's instruction/ suggestion into Google to see what the internet suggested. Immediately I found this by Birge- Risser- Mienniel...
Allow An Easement (An easement is the abandonment of a stricture)
From an album called Game Bling, released in 2014, Birge- Risser- Mienniel recorded a three and a half minute track with the title Allow An Easement (An easement is the abandonment of a stricture). It's experimental, an improvisation based on Eno and Schmidt's card, recorded on 6 March 2014 at Studio GRRR. There are synth sounds from a Korg, some quick fire arpeggios and random bleeps, and Eve Risser talking, muttering and vocalising in French.
Jean- Jacques Birge is a French musician and filmmaker, composer, writer, blogger, sound designer and multimedia artist who has been doing those things, mainly with synthesisers, since 1973. The entire Game Bling album is made using the Oblique Strategy cards, each track titled and inspired by a card.
Feel free to drop your own responses into the comments box.
