Second half of February 2020 Roundup
Posted: 01 March 2020
Books
Mahabharata - translated by William Buck
The William Buck translation is a condensed retelling of the Mahabharata and I really enjoyed it. It took a little bit to get into it and understand what was going on and who was who and why things were happening, but once I settled in I found it really fun and engaging. I enjoyed the frequent diversions into fables and the way that almost everything that happened had its own rich sphere of lore surrounding it. A wonderful epic retold in a captivating way.
Weather - Jenny Offil
A friend suggested this and I enjoyed the book. I think it’s a difficult one to think about, the way that contemporary writing is difficult to find a foothold in. The beginning is really engaging and the fragmented narration draws you into a life through vignettes that tell you just enough, that reveal just a bit more about the narrator than you knew before. I found some parts frustrating, but I think they fit into a lot of the themes of the book. Different parts of the narrator’s life fade in and out of focus and we’re left handling her mental state as she goes from stability to anger to depression and back. The buddhist ideas interspersed resonated with me and left me feeling that this is a novel about how little difference there is between when you think everything around you is falling apart and when everything is fine. It’s a novel about questioning your personal responsibility to the world around you and the line between thinking and acting. I found it very human and comforting.
Movies
Miss Americana
I didn’t know much about Taylor Swift coming into this and I don’t feel like I learned much coming out. The documentary seems like a collection of random behind the scenes clips that jumps from topic to topic without offering much depth. It doesn’t feel like this documentary is more than the sum of its parts, and I feel like I could’ve learned more about anything included in the documentary with a quick glance at Taylor’s Wikipedia page. It does a great job of showing how she’s human like the rest of us, but again, it’s not explored in any meaningful way, and I don’t think we need an hour and a half feature just for that.
Music
Dan Reeder - S/T
I’ve only heard one of the songs on this album before, and a long time ago at that, maybe around high school, but it’s stuck with me. I gave it another listen earlier today (Feb 15th) and thought, why not give the rest of the album a shot as well, and I think it’s great. He sounds resigned, the lyrics are thoughtful, the songs are beautiful and sad and kind of funny and true.
Gorod - Leading Vision
I asked a friend for metal suggestions for the gym and this was one of them, and it indeed seems like it would be excellent for the gym. For more casual listening it seems alright but doesn’t hit the spots I like in my metal and doesn’t feel like it stands out too much from similar acts in the genre.
Blink-182 - The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show
Blink are one of my favorite bands and it was nice to see their live album finally get released on Spotify. They have a great energy, and it’s nice to see good live recordings of theirs (as far as I can tell they were a notoriously bad live band). That being said, except for their banter, I’m not sure this is a better listen than any of the album versions. It’s notable that one of my favorite songs of theirs, Man Overboard, was only released on this album and not on any non-live/compilation albums.
Eldritch Anisette - s/t 7”
Big thanks to my friend Max for sending me this, which led me down a path of discovering a whole bunch of really great late 90’s emo. I like the first track “Suckerpunch” a lot, the second track is ok, not quite my thing, and I think the third track is too long but the breakdown near the end of it is incredible. This 7” reminds me of a close friend’s band, funnily enough.
don martin 3/moonraker/hope springs eternal - split 7”
Transistor is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever heard, and I also learned that it’s likely based on the song Angry Son by Indian Summer - I listened to that and thought the Don Martin 3 song was better. The other two songs on the split are ok, but didn’t feel particularly notable.
Breakwater - Five
Continuing with 90’s emo that’s only really on youtube, we have the 7” Five by Breakwater. This EP/Single/whatever rules. The vocal mixing and the post- guitars hit a sweet spot that I love. Seven, the second track, is good but I don’t like it as much as Five. It would be great to hear these tracks with better audio fidelity/vocal mixing (they’re barely audible!) but there’s a charm to the lo-fi quality.
Nicki Minaj - Queen
I really liked the first track on the album, I thought the next few were pretty good, but by track eight I felt like I just wanted to skip through the rest. I came back to the first few after that and didn’t like them as much either. Not really sure what else to say.
Mannequin Pussy - Romantic
Hell yeah! It’s not often you find an album where every track is great, but Mannequin Pussy pull it off. It’s in your face and angry and doesn’t feel forced, and the songs are all short and punchy.
Ploho - Пыль (Pyl)
I like a lot of doomer music, and thought this was great. Doomer stuff is hypnotic in the same way I think anime hip hop beats are - you can pay attention at any point and enjoy it, but it doesn’t get up in your face or have any really jarring bad sounding moments.
Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now
Taking Back Sunday aren’t a band I got into when I should have (high school) and I’ve heard and enjoyed their popular songs like Cute without the E, but didn’t think that album was great and didn’t look too much further. Louder Now on the other hand! This album rules. I love screamy alt-rock and really love what they do with their vocal melodies throughout the album, although admittedly the middle half of the album is dull. I think Liar (It Takes One to Know One) is one of my favorite songs. I’ve listened to this album more than anything else this month.
Thingy - Morbid Curiosity
Not quite my thing but an interesting musical dip I’m glad I took, and a good album if it’s the kind of sound you’re into.