Deserts are known for their spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
This is partly because pollution has a muting effect on the colours we see at dawn and dusk. Fewer people live in deserts, and fewer people means less pollution.
But even though pollution makes sunrises and sunsets less spectacular, what makes them more spectacular is dust. Which is strange, because to me dust feels like nature’s pollution. In fact, dust particles act like tiny filters, dispersing the sun’s light more effectively. If there’s one thing deserts have in spades, it’s dust.
If that dust is kicked up by particularly clean air, then you get some first-rate sunrises and sunsets. The western Sahara, with air coming in off the Atlantic, gets some especially great colours. So does the Australian desert.
But if I had to visit a desert – and to be honest, I have no immediate plans – I would probably pick the Sonoran desert in the southwestern US/Mexico. With its majestic cactus plants and spectacular colours painting the sky at dusk and dawn (and the fact that it’s much less remote than Australia or the western Saraha) it seems like the desert for me.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. It was unexpected. MJ Cole’s career took a sharp turn with this album. Originally breaking through in the UK’s garage / deep house scene and becoming a sought-after dance producer, Cole hadn’t released a solo album in 17 years when he told his label that he wanted to do something with mostly piano and strings, and to their credit they told him, “okay, go do that.”
2. The way the piano line creeps up by little steps, like a sunrise peeking over the horizon.
3. In the last twenty seconds, it kind of all dissolves into an echo, like a sunrise becoming morning before you can notice the change.
Recommended listening activity:
Checking what time the sun will rise tomorrow, and setting your alarm for that exact time.