Then a miracle occurs . . .

Oneida. In particular, their song “Sheets of Easter,” which has been described as “testing the listener’s patience by repeating a single brain-pummeling riff for over 14 minutes” (Jason Nickey, All Music Guide) and “Unless you have a taste for self-abuse, you would be wise to dodge the noise-drone cut “Sheets of Easter” (Yancey Strickler, eMusic.com).

I LOVE this song.

My guys Tim and Reeve slipped this track onto my iPod a couple of years ago—as a joke, I guess—and I shocked us all by really connecting with it. I find the repetition soothing—kicks me right into a focal zone where I can concentrate. I tend to listen to the song on repeat for hours at a time while working.

A while back, I contacted the band’s Fat Bobby (a.k.a. Bobby Matador or Robert Thacher) to tell him how much I appreciated “Sheets of Easter.” He wasn’t at all surprised to hear how calming I found it and said that his wife, Erica, had recently had a baby and had found rhythmic, repetitious music to be helpful during labor. Check out her list and his comments on the tracks here.

OK. Just got to lay out the TOC now, and we’ll be done with Jan-Feb! Am giving thanks right about now for Oneida (among many other things, of course) . . .

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

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Photograph: Lisa Corson

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