I have always been quite a chronic procrastinator, and I’m sure I must have referred to that here at some point. If not, I just haven’t got round to it yet. Anyway, what that means is that occasionally, I need some kind of cattle prod to get my backside in gear in the morning, and I’ve recently found that music works well. You’ve probably gathered that from my playlist updates earlier in the year, but some of my choices – made on my days off – don’t make it to that list. Let me give you an example.

I’ve found myself returning to the stylings of Pink Floyd of late, and more specifically their lengthier tracks. There’s nothing like 70s prog rock to set you up for the day, I can tell you. It becomes like a challenge – you see if you can get up, get dressed and do all your ablutions before the music finishes. It works, too. Try it yourself if you feel so inclined, with any prog bands or songs of your choice. This week, I’ve used “Dogs” (17 minutes, from Animals, 1977) and the “Atom Heart Mother Suite” (closer to 24, from Atom Heart Mother, 1970). I reckon “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” might have snuck in as well, but at a paltry 13 minutes, that’s small fry – don’t you think?

Mason