Sounds & Sights of Silva – Vol. 3
Taiwan Weekend Two: Temple Run
My first two weeks as a visitor to Taipei has been nothing less than a whirlwind.
Last night I attended a performance at Dingbao Fude Temple (頂保福德宮), dedicated to the Earth God who deemed March 20th an appropriate day for the gathering. It was a celebration of diverse music, the community where the land is located, and ultimately the sanctity and pure craftsmanship of Taiwanese temples.
Speaking of temples, the day before I took a long, precarious (but totally safe) cable car ride to the top of Maokong, famous for both its tea cultivation and the many temples nestled into the ridges of the mountain. One in particular is Chih Nan, a masterpiece founded in the late 19th century and home over the years to a variety of religious practices.
Taipei is effortlessly alive, to borrow a term that a friend coined over the course of what was also their first week in the city. There’s so much to explore in landscape and in history, communities willing to accept you if you have a genuine interest and respect, a place for you to settle regardless of where you come from, within the islands or elsewhere in the world.
Water From Your Eyes – “Quotations”
This song is a trance with its blooming flower soundscape.
Jens Lekman - “Your Arms Around Me”
Swedish musician Jens Lekman announced this week that he was laying to rest his acclaimed record Night Falls Over Kortedala on its 15th anniversary.
Fleet Foxes – “I’m Not My Season”
A beautiful rendition of this cut from the latest record by Fleet Foxes, performed at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, NY.
Follow the full playlist of Sounds of Silva featured tracks.
Listen to Zach’s radio show archive for Friend From A Big City on Deadbeat Radio. Listen through the most recent episode.