Sunday, November 8, 2026
AWOLNATION - Sail
Music Appreciation
“Sail” by American alternative rock band AWOLNATION was released as a single on November 8, 2010, first appearing on the band’s debut EP, Back from Earth, before being included on its 2011 debut album, Megalithic Symphony.
Written and produced by frontman Aaron Bruno, the song grew from an intensely personal expression rather than an attempt to write a conventional hit. Its sparse lyrics portray a narrator struggling with self-doubt, isolation and feeling different from those around him, repeatedly attributing his behavior to ADD. Bruno has described “Sail” as coming from an honest emotional place, while the song can be interpreted as a desire to escape expectations and the problems weighing on its narrator. The repeated one-word chorus functions almost as a command to break away and find somewhere else to belong.
Musically, “Sail” stands apart from much of the alternative rock of its period. Rather than relying on a prominent guitar riff, the recording is driven by a dark, distorted synth-bass line, electronic textures, piano, percussion and Bruno’s forceful vocal performance. Its combination of electronic rock, alternative rock and industrial influences creates a slow, heavy atmosphere that builds tension without following the formula of a typical pop chorus.
Commercial success came gradually. “Sail” eventually reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 on Billboard’s Rock Songs chart and No. 5 on Alternative Songs. Its unusually long chart life helped turn it into a sleeper hit, and the recording eventually earned Diamond certification in the United States. The song also gained exposure through television, advertising, films and online videos, becoming AWOLNATION’s signature recording.
The official music video, directed by Cameron Duddy, matches the song’s unsettling atmosphere with a mysterious science-fiction narrative. It begins with Bruno desperately running toward a house, entering it and immediately shutting the blinds as though something is pursuing him. Inside, he discovers a tape recorder and begins singing before a strange green beam of light starts scanning the house. Bruno attempts to escape the unexplained presence, even hiding underwater in a bathtub, but an invisible force eventually drags him through the house and pulls him outside, where he is lifted into the night sky. The video never fully explains what is happening, allowing the threatening force to serve as a visual metaphor for anxiety, alienation or circumstances beyond one’s control.
Sources:
Wikipedia
https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-sail-by-awolnation
https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/422478211/sail
https://music.apple.com/us/music-video/sail/980445016
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33304059
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Album Cover: Pink Floyd – Ummagumma
Album Cover
Album: Pink Floyd – Ummagumma
Released: November 7, 1969
Cover Photography and Artwork: Hipgnosis
Models: Roger Waters, Nick Mason, David Gilmour, and Richard Wright
Sources:
Wikipedia
https://www.discogs.com/master/20692-Pink-Floyd-Ummagumma
Friday, November 6, 2026
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Anna Maria van Schurman
Art Appreciation
Anna Maria van Schurman was a Dutch painter, engraver, poet, and scholar born on November 5, 1607, in Cologne, Holy Roman Empire (Germany). Born into a prosperous Calvinist family, she was the daughter of Frederik van Schurman and Eva con Harff. Her family later relocated to Utrecht in the Dutch Republic, where she received an extensive education, largely under the father's guidance.
Recognized for her intellectual abilities, she studied Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and several other languages, along with philosophy, theology, literature, and the arts. In 1636, she became one of the first women permitted to attend university lectures in the Netherlands, studying at Utrecht University under theologian Gisbertus Voetius. Because women were generally excluded from university education, she reportedly attended lectures from behind a screen that separated her from male students.
Van Schurman established herself as one the most accomplished intellectuals of the Dutch Golden Age. She corresponded with prominent European scholars, theologians, and philosophers, earning an international reputation for her linguistic abilities and scholarship.
A strong advocate for women's education, she published Dissertatio de Ingenii Muliebris ad Doctrinam et Meliores Litteras Aptitudine (1641), arguing that women possessed the intellectual capacity to pursue advanced studies. Her writing challenged prevailing assumptions about women's education, although her arguments remained rooted in religious and social expectations of her time. During the 1660s, she became associated with the religious community led by Jean de Labadie, eventually joining the Labadists and dedicating much of her later life to religious devotion.
Van Schurman's artistic career was distinguished by her versatility and experimentation with different techniques. Although largely self-taught, she studied engraving with Magdalena van de Passe, daughter of the engraver Crispijn van de Passe. She worked in oil painting, pastel, drawing, engraving, etching, calligraphy, paper cutting, and miniature sculpture using wax and wood. Her artistic achievements earned her honorary membership in Utrecht's Guild of St. Luke in 1643, an unusual distinction for a woman of her time.
She is particularly remembered for her self-portraits, including her engraved Self-Portrait (1633) and Self-Portrait at the Age of 33 (1640). The latter demonstrates her command of fine lines, delicate shading, and spatial depth, depicting herself in elaborate clothing framed within an oval. Her artistic approach combined the precision of Northern European printmaking with the careful observation associated with Dutch portraiture.
Beyond her self-portraits, van Schurman produced portraits of intellectual and religious figures, including a 1647 engraving of theologian Gisbertus Voetius. She also became known for intricate paper cuttings, decorative calligraphy, and small-scale sculptures. Her work reflected an interest in craftsmanship, detail, and the relationship between artistic expression and intellectual inquiry.
Self-portrait, 1640
Sources:
Wikipedia
https://nmwa.org/art/artists/anna-maria-van-schurman/
https://nmwa.org/art/collection/schurman-self-portrait/
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/node/Anna%2BMaria%2Bvan%2BSchurman--2ecfc1277ed7ba32ade26863aa8f3549
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG45611
https://www.uu.nl/en/background/anna-maria-van-schurman-an-academic-multitalent
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