Pause

That moment where you have to slow yourself to a near-halt and try to grasp the fleeting feeling of shifting tracks as things move decisively onto a new course. It's probably not possible to bring your mind to a full stop, but you might get close enough to glimpse a coherent past, present, and future all at once. Here's 5 minutes worth of music to accompany the effort.

Ryuichi Sakamoto — Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Moonwalk

It's good to see bands one admired in college days sound even better with more mature ears. The idea of indie rockers doing chamber music may have seemed like a novelty back then, but the quality of the playing is not only more impressive now, but seems possessed of a dignity that allows an even better aging process. This track comes from an album that took its title from the geology of the moon. It does a nice job of evoking the slow, slightly melancholy walk over its cratered surface.

Rachel's - Kentucky Nocturne