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The best work soundtrack? Soundtracks.
Great music makes even the dreariest work more bearable. For manual labor, anything catchy can do the trick. But what about knowledge work?
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Spoiling The Civil War for my wife
Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary boasts a beautiful, nineteenth-century-inspired soundtrack. One particular piece, “Ashokan Farewell,” serves as the miniseries’ de facto theme song. It’s gorgeous: a plaintive string band ballad with a a heartbreaking melody. I’ve spoiled this song for my wife. Every time we hear “Ashokan”, I provide an impromptu voiceover, modeled on many…
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Bugler’s Nightmare
More often than not, when NBC played Arnaud’s “Dream,” they cut out a whole measure of the timpanic intro. Why would they short-circuit their own spectacle?