If three-dimensional shapes were a family, the sphere would probably be the favourite child.
From ball bearings to ball sports, the sphere can seemingly do anything. It’s found in everywhere in nature, too, from the simplest atom to the most massive stars . The sphere is useful, good-looking, and wildly popular.
Meanwhile, the pyramid is the mysterious middle child. Enigmatic. Sharp. Intriguing. Knows a lot about ancient civilizations, but refuses to talk much about it.
The cylinder, while lacking the vivacious personality of the sphere or the mystic charm of the pyramid, makes up for these shortcomings by sheer utility. Pragmatic and efficient, it does all the behind-the-scenes functions of piping and tunnels that are necessary for a functioning society.
And then there’s the cube. The chunky, boring cube. He’s so square he’s literally six squares put together.
The poor cube doesn’t get its fair share of credit, so I’m here to stick up for it today. In honour of this humble six-sided shape, here are six cubes that deserve a round of applause for their contributions to our world:
- Dice. Because board games wouldn’t be the same if you had to roll a sphere.
- Sugar cubes. Because who wants to shovel sweetener into a hot drink with a spoon, like some kind of grave-digging savage?
- Ice cubes. Because I bet you didn’t know that they were likely invented by a doctor working with patients who had yellow fever.
- Rubik’s cubes. Because who would’ve guessed that a 1970s Hungarian toy would still be going strong in the age of VR and video games?
- Boxes. Because cats and toddlers need something to play in.
- Cubism. Because if cubes are good enough for Picasso, they’re good enough for me.
New York’s Oli Chang (AKA Animal Feelings) probably named this wonderful and whimsical song with the intention of making the title sound like a noun, as in, “here, have some love cubes.” But I like to think that he’s using the word “love” as a verb, as in, “c’mon everyone, let’s love cubes, because they’re worth it.”
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Hidden within the sparse percussion, just before beat three of each bar, is a very quiet finger-snap.
2. Speaking of fingers, how about that album art? Regardless of how you feel about the colour scheme or claw-like nails, it’s hard to look at it without trying to mimic the way the fingers come together to create a square. See? You’re doing it right now, aren’t you?
3. The higher notes played on the piano flutter beautifully, while the lower notes play in octaves, creating a de facto bass line. This provides both of the textures of a cube; the sharp corners, and the smooth sides.
Recommended listening activity:
Making home fries.