Casual Reviews of Movies, Music, and Literature

Sunday, December 31, 2023

2023: A Year in Books

As another year winds to a close, I'm happy to present to you the books I read in 2023 - starting back on New Year's Day and stretching all the way around to another New Year's Eve. I always try to conquer 25 books in a year, but it seems I rarely manage to pull it off. But that's alright. 24 books for the year averages out to 2 books per month, which is a pace that suits me just fine. Below you'll find the books I read this past year, presented in the order I finished them. I've dropped a silly little letter grade next to each, which indicates my overall enjoyment. My favorites of the year are highlighted in blue. 

Read and enjoy. And happy 2024! 

1.) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros ... B+ 
2.) The Word Kingdom in the Word Kingdom by Noah Eli Gordon ... D
3.) The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides ... B 
4.) Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda ... B+
5.) Educated by Tara Westover ... A 
6.) Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen ... B+ 
7.) Anthem by Ayn Rand ... B+
8.) Beyond Order by Jordan B. Peterson ... B
9.) In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park ... A 
10.) While Time Remains by Yeonmi Park ... A
11.) The Outsider by Stephen King ... B
12.) Run River by Joan Didion ... A- 
13.) Politics and the English Language by George Orwell ... A
14.) The Complete Calvin and Hobbes: Book Two by Bill Watterson ... A-
15.) The Regulators by Richard Bachman ... C+ 
16.) My Misspent Youth by Meghan Daum ... B+ 
17.) If It Bleeds by Stephen King ... B- 
18.) The Crossing by Gary Paulsen ... B 
19.) Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri ... D+ 
20.) Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos ... B 
21.) Last Chapter and Worse by Gary Larson ... B
22.) Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca ... C
23.) East of West: One by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta ... D+
24.) The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka ... B+ 

Friday, September 22, 2023

Terrific Tracks: 70s Edition


Last year, I posted the first entry in a series of what I consider to be 50 fantastic songs from past decades. These can be from any genre, although my biased brain definitely prioritized some over others (sorry, country fans!).  

For our second list, grab your bellbottoms and your 8-track tapes, it's time for the sumptuous 70s! As a kid growing up in the 90s/00s, there was always a certain chicness to the 70s, and artists like Led Zeppelin and Queen were on infinite repeat for me and my friends. We grew our hair long, bought vinyl records, and regressed ourselves back to the Ford administration. This means that it was tricky for me to winnow down this list to a mere 50 songs, but I gave it my best shot. Read and enjoy! And if you're adventurous, make a playlist and give these a listen. They're presented below in alphabetical order. 

PS: To my hardcore music nerds, or to anyone reading who actually lived through the 70s, this list might seem a tad basic. Many of these are absolute classics, and although I have a warm adoration for deep-cuts, I want these lists to be at least marginally acceptable to the uninitiated. 
  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon (1975) 
  • 2112 - Rush (1976) 
  • Baba O'Riley - The Who (1971) 
  • Barracuda - Heart (1977) 
  • Bitches Brew - Miles Davis (1970) 
  • Black Diamond (Live) - KISS (1975) 
  • Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (1975) 
  • Carry On - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970) 
  • Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas (1976) 
  • The Chain - Fleetwood Mac (1977) 
  • Cherry Bomb - The Runaways (1976) 
  • Dancing Queen - ABBA (1976) 
  • Don't Stop Me Now - Queen (1978) 
  • Double Vision - Foreigner (1978) 
  • Easy - Commodores (1977) 
  • Eruption - Van Halen (1978) 
  • Feeling That Way - Journey (1978) 
  • Heart of the Night - Poco (1978) 
  • Hotel California - Eagles (1976) 
  • I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King (1971) 
  • I Got a Name - Jim Croce (1973) 
  • Into the Mystic - Van Morrison (1970) 
  • Jolene - Dolly Parton (1973) 
  • Just What I Needed - The Cars (1978) 
  • Let It Be - The Beatles (1970) 
  • Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull (1971) 
  • Make Me Smile - Chicago (1970) 
  • My Sweet Lord - George Harrison (1970) 
  • Mr. Tanner (Live) - Harry Chapin (1976) 
  • Night Moves - Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (1976) 
  • No Quarter - Led Zeppelin (1973) 
  • Part of the Plan - Dan Fogelberg (1974) 
  • Peace Train - Cat Stevens (1971) 
  • Precious Lord, Take My Hand / You've Got a Friend (Live) - Aretha Franklin, Southern California Community Choir (1972) 
  • Run with the Wolf - Rainbow (1976) 
  • Shambala - Three Dog Night (1973) 
  • Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire (1975) 
  • Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin (1971) 
  • Starman - David Bowie (1972) 
  • Superstition - Stevie Wonder (1972) 
  • Symphony for the Devil / Sympathy for the Devil - Blood, Sweat & Tears (1970) 
  • Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen (1975) 
  • Time - Pink Floyd (1973) 
  • Tobacco Road - Edgar Winter (1970) 
  • Use Me - Bill Withers (1972) 
  • What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (1971) 
  • Woman of the Dark - Chase (1972) 
  • You're No Good - Linda Ronstadt (1974) 
  • You Got to Funkifize - Tower of Power (1972) 
  • Your Song - Elton John (1970) 

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Favorite Albums of the 2020s (so far...)

So far, the 2020s have given us some of the most engaging, most inventive albums I've ever heard. If you've retreated into the infinite repeat of your favorite bands or songs, then I encourage you to branch out! Any of the entries presented below will do. At this point in the decade, they are the 20 albums I've enjoyed the most. I tend to be a formalist, so my picks are often informed by composition, arrangement, and performance - but other metrics like innovation and "relisten value" were also taken into consideration. For what it's worth, my taste in music has gotten real weird as of late, so please garnish this list with as many grains of salt as you like. Read and enjoy! 


20.) An Evening with Silk Sonic - Silk Sonic (2021): This throwback album is as fun as it is funky, with blistering vocal performances, velvety productions, and effortless charm. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are at their best here, delivering soulful melodies and clever lyrics in every song. Standout tracks: "Fly as Me" and "Smokin Out the Window" are as groovy as music in the 2020s has ever been. 


19.) Welcome - Daði Freyr (2020): If Silk Sonic recreates pop music's past, then Icelandic/Danish songster Daði Freyr reflects its future. This is a phenomenally funky EP, one that is both inescapably European and universally renowned. Standout tracks: The tune that hooked me was "Think About Things," but "10 Years" is a perfect portrait of my marriage at this point, so it's definitely a highlight for me.  


18.) Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar (2022): Like all Kendrick albums, I was slow to appreciate this 79-minute hip hop odyssey. But the deeper I dug, the more I enjoyed. This is Kendrick at his most versatile, his lyrics and flow running the gamut from contemplative to chaotic. But best of all are the recurring motifs - the jazz piano, the elegiac vocal melodies, the human percussion, etc. Standout tracks: I prefer the first disc - Big Steppers - in its entirety. 


17.) Pictures of Mountains - Cody Fry (2021): In an era of pop music supremacy, it's frankly astonishing that this album wasn't more popular. On Pictures of Mountains, Cody Fry has crafted an intensely personal record, one with lyrics sharp enough to slice to the bone. The entire album is effervescent in a slick, hyper-stylized way - like a luxury car fresh off the production line. Standout tracks: The sumptuous arrangement and groovy epilogue of "Wander Anymore/Dunes" are absolutely incredible. And "Make It" is just...ugh, it's heartbreaking. 


16.) Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (2021): Elegant and melodic, trancy and avant-garde, simple and sophisticated - all words that perfectly encapsulate Happier Than Ever, Eilish's sophomore release. Standout tracks: The pop hits really do slap ("Therefore I Am" and "Lost Cause" are the post-breakup bangers to end all post-breakup bangers), but the album finds its footing in quieter moments, like the shimmering vocals of "Goldwing" or the meditative calm of "My Future." 


15.) five seconds flat - Lizzy McAlpine (2022): You may not know Lizzy McAlpine, but you should. She's a singer/songwriter who reminds me of Eva Cassidy or Suzanne Vega - a voice clear as crystal, lyrics casually cool, and melodies that are simply divine. Standout tracks: The first three songs ("doomsday," "an ego Thing," and "erase me") are some of the most unique songs of the 2020s, particularly thanks to daring arrangements and heartrending vocals. 


14.) Plastic Hearts - Miley Cyrus (2020): Say what you want about Miley, but Plastic Hearts is one of the best pop-rock records of the decade. With features from artists like Joan Jett, Billy Idol, and Stevie Nicks, a certain degree of late-80s aesthetic was bound to seep into this thing. But its identity extends beyond tribute, as Cyrus mines cliche to find plenty of gold all her own. Standout tracks: I love the punky angst of "WTF Do I Know," the sultry smolder of "Prisoner," and the throbbing synthwave ache of "Gimme What I Want." 


13.) IMPERA - Ghost (2022): Although the lyrics are sometimes a bit cheesy, Ghost always manages to deliver fun, headbanging goodness. On IMPERA, the boys have forged a metal album that somehow balances catchy ear-worm hooks with soaring rock & roll instrumentals. I think of this as a counterpart to Plastic Hearts, like it's the next installment in a series of albums dedicated to recreating the anthemic stadium hits of yesteryear. Standout tracks: "Call Me Little Sunshine" is sinister and slick, while "Spillways" is diabolically dancy. 


12.) 400LB BACK SQUAT - Bilmuri (2021): This 25-minute album is a lightning rod of creativity, one that delivers a fresh, frenetic experience. Genre-wise, I'm not sure what to even call this thing. Is it pop-punk? Aggressive dream-pop? Maybe it's psychedelic post-hardcore? However you want to define it, it's awesome. Standout tracks: the dubstep fury of "LORDFARQUADZILLA" must be heard to be believed, while the telecaster-style guitar solo of "ACOWBOYSHEAVYLOAD" is wonderfully unexpected. 


11.) IDES - Dessa (2021): I've been a fan of Dessa since about 2015, and although I think she's an inarguable talent who deserves a slot on everyone's "top 5 dead or alive" hip hop rankings, IDES is particularly impressive. If you're a fan of flirty yet ferocious rap, especially songs with razor-sharp writing and dynamic rhythms, then this is required listening. Dessa's got flow and soul to spare, with every verse oozing charisma. Standout tracks: Check out the badass bravado of "Terry Gross" or the champagne bubbliness of "I Already Like You." 


10.) SAWAYAMA - Rina Sawayama (2020): Awash in synthesizers and electric guitars, buoyed by magnetic lead vocals, Rina Sawayama's self-titled album is one of the decade's best. Honestly, each song holds a surprise, be it the Weezer-esque guitar solo of "Dynasty," the nü-metal chugging of "STFU," or the inexplicable crowd that appears for "Who's Gonna Save U Now?" Somehow these disparate parts weave together perfectly, a tapestry born of a thousand different colors. Standout track: I honestly cannot get enough of "Akasaka Sad."


9.) <COPINGMECHANISM> - WILLOW (2022): Who'd have thought that one of the best punk albums of the decade would come from Willow Smith? Not me, that's for sure - and if you don't believe me, you have to give this thing a spin. The production is great, the instrumentals are thunderous, but the best part of the record are Willow's melodies - they are some of the most unique, inventive, eccentric hooks I've heard in recent memory. Standout tracks: The breathless, stream-of-consciousness chorus of "Curious/Furious" is exhilarating, while the nimble melody of "ur a <stranger>" is, in a word, genius. 


8.) Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen - Red Hot Chili Peppers (2022): It might be cheating to put both of these albums into one slot, but this is my list, right? So who cares? 2022 was a big year for the Chilis, as it saw the release of these two monstrous double-albums, featuring the return of fan-favorite John Frusciante on guitar and backing vocals. Unlimited Love came first, and with its fuzzed-out acid guitar and energetic vocals, is a raw rock & roll record. But its successor, Return of the Dream Canteen, is funkier and more polished, emphasizing mellifluous basslines and virtuoso drumming. Standout tracks: From Unlimited Love, my favorites are "Black Summer" and "It's Only Natural." From Dream Canteen, it's "Afterlife" and "The Drummer." 


7.) GLOW ON - Turnstile (2021): I've never really liked the thrashy, full-throated power of punk. Sure, as a millenial, I have a fondness for emo/pop-punk, but I never really embraced the sweaty anarchism that's elemental to the genre's core. So really, it's this album that's helped ease me into the ethos. GLOW ON is as dreamy as its name and album art suggest, yet still manages to throwdown with the best of them. All the essential punk flavors are present, from high-energy bashers to gigantic riffs. But so too are pillowy puffs of soft electronica and shoegaze, unexpected and divine. Standout tracks: The opener, "Mystery" is gorgeously ethereal; "New Heart Design" has a bouncy guitar lick and a scintillating triangle groove.  


6.) CAPRISONGS - FKA twigs (2022): This art-pop mixtape by English singer/songwriter FKA Twigs might just be the most intriguing album in my top-ten. Why? For starters, her voice is unlike anyone else's in modern music. It's textured in all the right ways, with a honeyed timbre that elegantly expresses every emotion she wishes to convey: trepidation, infatuation, love, lust. Twigs once described this as a "going out" record, which is perfect. It somehow contains all the elements of an adventurous night in a big city - bombastic beats, drizzling ambience, chatter with friends. A thread of self-confession strings together each song, and by the end, you feel like you've been with Twigs and her mates as they traversed the busy streets of London. Standout track: "Ride the Dragon" is a hallucinogenic odyssey you need to hear to believe. 


5.) POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR - Bring Me the Horizon (2020): Again, I'm not the biggest fan of metal, but it's impossible to argue with the hellish roller coaster that is POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR. In many ways, this is a throwback to the nü-metal sounds of the early 00s, with gnarly guitars and percussive assaults. A bulk of the album was recorded during the lockdowns of 2020, and the panic is palpable - so too is rage, fear, and loss. There's a helpless-bug-trapped-in-a-glass-jar quality to this that really resonates, which without the pandemic, would be impossible to replicate. Standout tracks: While "Parasite Eve" is the tune that earned some notoriety, I prefer the obsidian aura of "1x1" or the stratospheric strains of "Kingslayer." 


4.) Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa (2020): What's the biggest lie that baby boomers ever told us? "Disco sucks." For anyone who doubts me, please give Future Nostalgia a listen - I'll be waiting for your apology when you're done. Yes, this gargantuan pop album by Dua Lipa is a neon dream, one chock-full of bubblegum grooves and hypnotic hooks. Yet beneath its glossy veneer are oceans of depth, with countermelodies, harmonies, and instrumental flourishes that elevate the whole affair far above top-40 frivolity: the woodblock fivelet in "Don't Start Now," the inverted expectations of "Physical," the sassy strings in "Love Again." Standout tracks: "Hallucinate" and "Break My Heart" are cooler than cool, and on "Levitating," Lipa refers to someone as her sugarboo, and I'll spend the rest of my life wishing it was me. (Yes, my wife is aware.) 


3.) Vaxis II: A Window to the Waking Mind - Coheed and Cambria (2022): Coheed is undoubtedly one of my favorite bands of all-time, and while I'm ignorant of the overarching narrative connecting their albums, the music more than makes up for it. On this album, the sequel to 2018's Unheavenly Creatures, each song is a stunner, from bard-like ballads to powerhouse pop. But don't worry, the band's trademark prog remains in tact, with time signatures aplenty, guitar heroism, and cascades of melody. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this might be my favorite Coheed record ever, although nostalgia might argue otherwise. It makes me incredibly excited about where the band is headed in the future. Standout tracks: As an aspiring novelist who beats himself up everyday for not "making it big," songs like "Comatose" and "Ladders of Supremacy" are cathartic and captivating.  


2.) Djesse Vol. 3 - Jacob Collier (2020): I've said it a billion times before, but I'll say it again: Jacob Collier is a musical mad scientist, an auditory Jackson Pollock splattering your soul with unhinged abandon. While I enjoy his other albums, there's just something to Djesse Vol. 3 that I find irresistible. Collier is a musician's musician, and he revels in sonic eccentricities. If you know what a hemiola is, or a polyrhythm, or semi/microtones, then you'll definitely enjoy this. There's a spark of alchemy at work here - making dissonance beautiful, turning synthesizers into symphonies. I understand that his style might not be for everyone, particularly as he hurls you into the proggy, jazzy abyss. But it's this dedication to ingenuity, how breathtakingly different he is, that makes the journey worthwhile. Like one of those 3D magic eye pictures from the 90s, if you're able to relax your mind and slip into Collier's dimension, it'll be an unforgettable trip. Standout tracks: God, there are too many to count. But if I had to narrow it down to one song, it would be the whirlwind bloom of "Count the People." 


1.) Antimai - The Dear Hunter (2022): If anyone actually reads these goofy little posts of mine, then you might roll your eyes at The Dear Hunter once again claiming the number one slot on a favorite music list. But how could I resist? This thing is phenomenal, a sweeping and ambitious concept album with songs just as multifaceted as the ideas explored within. Set in the dystopian nightmare of a far-flung future, each track is an exploration of a different level (or ring) of Antimai, humanity's last city. But more importantly, the album is a meditation on power, and as the band takes you from poverty to middle class to high society, you see the dehumanizing impact unrestricted power may yield. Thankfully, this doesn't seem preachy; although there are parallels to be drawn between Antimai and the present day, it's done with care and evenhandedness. Concept aside, this is an unbelievably impressive effort. Every song has its own distinct, fully-realized persona, with movements and motifs and characters throughout. This is grandiose stuff, yet it somehow retains a delicate touch. I am, and will no doubt continue to be, in awe. Standout tracks: While every track is great, the only one I'd recommend to a casual listener is "Ring 7 - Industry." For fans of Broadway, you should try "Ring 6 - Lowtown." But for my money, this album shines brightest on its opener and closer. "Ring 8 - Poverty" is notable for interlocking rhythms and engaging melodies, while "Ring 1 - Tower" is grimy and groovy, with brassy horns and overblown opulence. 

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

2022: A Year in Books


Happy New Year, everyone! As is tradition, below you'll find the list of books I read in 2022. They are presented in the order I read them, with letter grades for each one indicating overall enjoyment (and my personal favorites are highlighted in blue). As you can see, I really ran the literary gamut this time around: contemplative sci-fi, adventurous YA, classics from the Western canon, nuanced nonfiction, and of course, 3 novels by the incomparable Stephen King. 

I read slightly less than usual in 2022, only completing 20 novels instead of my usual goal of 25. Am I disappointed in myself? A little. But I'm taking comfort in the fact that 2022 was one of the busiest years in recent memory, and now that 2023 is here, I'm going to seriously buckle down. Will I hit my goal of 25 books for the new year? Maybe, maybe not. In the meantime, I strongly urge you to set a reading goal of your own! Even if you turn up short - perhaps way short - you'll still have read something, right? And reading is always a win. 

1.) Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen ... B+ 
2.) The Running Man by Richard Bachman ... B- 
3.) Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes ... B 
4.) Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar ... B- 
5.) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel ... C+ 
6.) Forward by Andrew Yang... B
7.) I'd Like to Play Alone, Please by Tom Segura ... B 
8.) The Silence by Don DeLillo ... C 
9.) A Man Without A Country by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... C- 
10.) Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos ... A+ 
11.) Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe ... B 
12.) Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake ... A- 
13.) South and West by Joan Didion ... A 
14.) The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway ... A+ 
15.) The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson ... A+ 
16.) The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin ... B 
17.) The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht ... A 
18.) America, A Redemption Story by Sen. Tim Scott ... A 
19.) The Pearl by John Steinbeck ... B 
20.) The Dark Half by Stephen King ... B+