Plutonic Rainbows

I really need to stop purchasing all these small fragrance samples just to try them out. They’re becoming expensive, and most of them have been quite disappointing lately. I live far away from most big cities so this is my only option to avoid expensive mistakes. I have probably bought about ten or twelve in the last month alone. The most recent one, Frédéric Malle's The Moon, turned out to be yet another rose and oud combination — something I’ve encountered countless times before.

After browsing various blogs and Twitter posts, it seems highly likely that o3 will be released soon. I’m curious about how long it will take before OpenAI begins rolling out agents. There’s certainly a lot of discussion surrounding this, so I suspect it might happen in the near future.

I’ve downgraded to the Plus account as the Pro tier didn’t seem to offer good value for money. Additionally, a significant VAT has been added to an already costly subscription. I’m still uncertain about the financial viability and value of the Pro tier, so I’ll wait for further updates before reconsidering.

A decade is a long pause… how the world has changed since…

There's a shock in the opening moments of 'Aurora Terminalis', when we're blasted with saturated, reverb-soused synth arpeggios - the sort of cloud-punching neo-cosmic gear you'd expect to find on the tail end of a Caterina Barbieri LP. But in a matter of minutes, old friends Basinski and Chartier isolate the decaying notes and extend them into melancholy, echoing whines that move slower than a Scandinavian sunrise. Going by the title alone, this one's a sequel to the duo's beloved second album, 2013's 'Aurora Liminalis', but there are few aesthetic similarities. Where that record sounded like tracers against a night sky, all gaseous, barely active textures and ASMR churr, this new LP has a mistier, more wistful presence that feels sober and humanistic. The illusory elements that surround the gentle pads are particularly striking: faint, processed insect sounds (the murmur of crickets, the distant croak of frogs) are formed into frothing waves that barely crack through the netting ferric hiss that's draped across the entire recording. And it's these cryptic asides that help focus our attention on the movement, as Basinski and Chartier animate their elegiac soundscape with fluttering delays that, in time, envelope the track completely.

And the second half of 'Aurora Terminalis' is significantly shifted. Here, the sublime harmonies are submerged underneath tottering, blanched rattles that loom in the half-light. It's Chartier's expertise that's placed under the microscope now, with almost undetectable high-frequency microsounds that dance gracefully with Basinski's omnipresent saturations. More formally structured than their previous releases, but packed with so much fine detail that you'll need repeat listens to illuminate all the filigree cracks, this is advanced minimalism from two of the scene's towering figures.

The Moon by Julien Rasquinet has been generating significant buzz within the fragrance community for the past few years. It's part of Frédéric Malle's desert gems collection, which certainly piqued my curiosity. While I'm generally wary of overly hyped perfumes, the consistent praise for this particular scent made me wonder if it might actually live up to the expectations. I've decided to proceed cautiously, though, and start with a small 2ml sample before making any commitments. I'm eager to see if it truly resonates with me or if it falls short of the considerable hype.

In the Middle East, the pace of life is marked by the moon. Veiled, unveiled: its clear halo signals the beginning and end of all festivities. The Arabic language also calls on the moon to speak of love. There's no sweeter, more subtle way to declare your love, to talk about the beauty of your beloved and to confess your eternal devotion. A sumptuous, warm and refined blend of rose, oud and incense, The Moon can still bring a surprise — a profusion of blackberry and redcurrant. The magic of these red berries, with their soft and colourful fragrances, evokes the fruity scents of hookahs and the sweetness of eastern nights.

Frédéric Malle's description is richly evocative, bordering on the excessive. It romanticises Middle Eastern culture and the moon's symbolism, while emphasising the luxurious and exotic aspects of the scent.