3.29.26 *thirteen drum fills stacked on top of each other*

It's the end of March, which means it's time to recover from sickness and write another logpost! Let's get into it...

While I enjoyed the range of styles that Frost Children displayed on their album SPEED RUN, I've always been more attached to their embrace of rowdy 2010s-era electro house that they displayed on that record. This album puts the focus more on the electronic side of their output, though I feel like it sacrifices variety a bit in this new focus. A lot of tracks on here have great hooks and drops, though I feel the impact that some tracks aim to have is lessened by the consistency of the album's style. Still, it's a very energetic listen with very high highs.

Fav Tracks: Falling, ELECTRIC, WHAT IS FOREVER FOR, Don't make me cry, Blue Eyes, 2 LOVE

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I honestly didn't know that Frou Frou was an Imogen Heap side project until I got around to hearing this album for the first time, so it was a pleasant surprise for me to hear a slightly more acoustic take on her sound. I like how the soundscapes on this album feel a lot more layered than on Speak for Yourself while still retaining her iconic sparkly synth work, though the layering also makes the record seem generally more laid back than her solo work. I'll definitely be coming back to this one as often as Speak for Yourself!

Fav Tracks: Let Go, Must Be Dreaming, Psychobabble, Shh, Hear Me Out, Maddening Shroud, The Dumbing Down of Love

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For the longest time, I've only ever associated this album with "In the Air Tonight," so I was partially expecting more tracks on here to be as atmospheric as that opener. A lot of this album actually features more big band arrangements than I expected, which are fun and charming but nowhere near the same level of quality that I was expecting from its opening track. I'm hoping I can find as much variety in a Phil Collins album as I do in a Peter Gabriel album as I get further in both artists' discographies.

Fav Tracks: In the Air Tonight, Behind the Lines, Droned, Hand in Hand, I'm Not Moving

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Between the lush acoustic instrumentation and heavenly vocals, this was a very enchanting listen that translates more retro-sounding balladry into a more modern indie rock setting. While I'm not usually as engaged with records full of slower songs, the feelings that this one conveys are fascinating to me, representing escapism as simultaneously comforting fantasy and dangerous delusion when holding onto hope in a crumbling world. The string arrangements are also very pretty, even if they don't pop up too frequently on here.

Fav Tracks: A Lot's Gonna Change, Movies, Wild Time, Picture Me Better

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It's been very interesting seeing underscores slowly evolve into an eclectic, confident pop artist in her own right and this album very much leans more into immediate, radio-ready pop bangers, effectively demonstrating her way around infectious hooks and inventive production. This album does a good job at having each sonic element interact in a meaningful way, though I feel like the mix is a little too soft throughout, putting me a bit at a distance from a lot of the details of each track. I can still recognize quality songcraft when I hear it though and I'll be coming back to a lot of these tracks frequently!

Fav Tracks: Tell Me (U Want It), Music, Lovefield, Do It, Bodyfeeling

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I was very impressed by how layered this film was in its depiction of the darker psychological consequences that come with being a professional dancer. While a lot of the contributing factors to Nina's psychosis come from her abusive instructor, the film also takes time to imply other factors, such as anorexia, that make her mental condition worse. In that respect, I feel that this is a more interesting depiction of creative 'perfection' nearly killing an artist that Whiplash was because of its more internal focus alone.

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My dad and I always love watching new Beatles documentaries and as someone who isn't as familiar with Paul McCartney's post-Beatles work, this was an interesting look into where his mindset was at around that time. It's especially interesting how pop culture occupied such a different place in the early 70s that allowed for prominent rumors to spring up about McCartney's death when he was really moving himself out of the spotlight. Thinking it further, I feel like it's kind of unfortunate that things aren't like that anymore... or were things even like that in the first place? Who's to say?

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I get that this film needed to reach a larger audience in order to become as successful as it is now, but I don't think that's a good excuse for the film's refusal to commit to its depth. It goes out of its way to establish specific backstories for each of its protagonists yet decides to focus exclusively on Rumi without bothering to interweave Mira and Zoey's backgrounds into her arc in a meaningful way, leaving them to feel flat as supporting characters. The film also touts itself as embracing K-pop, but I feel like it only uses the industry itself as set dressing, only bothering to show the songwriting process as it is relevant for Huntrix and not for the demons as if their specific backgrounds don't matter to the story at all despite them being the main villains. Maybe I'm just demanding more depth from this because it's the biggest thing in animation right now, but who could blame me for thinking the medium deserves better than sanitizing itself for the sake of marketability? I liked the slapstick tho, kinda wish the film leaned more into that expressiveness.

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One reason why I don't typically get into crime films is because they can sometimes get too complex and difficult to follow. Fortunately, a big reason why this film is more engaging than I thought it would be lies within Tarantino's ability to isolate each scene to a couple of characters at a time, leaving me more easily invested in their dynamics and motives throughout the film. The big money transfer scene that the film builds up to at the end also succeeds at displaying a complex series of events without making the viewer feel too lost since it hones in on each perspective very clearly throughout. Very solid watch even if I find Pulp Fiction a little more inventive with its format.

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I liked the atmosphere in this film and I respect its wholesome message on cherishing your life before its over, though I feel like it didn't really tie in its heavy themes of anti-Asian discrimination during World War I to the point where it kinda fades into the background amidst the other events of Robert Grainier's life. Nonetheless, it's still an engrossing watch when it allows us into his psyche to see how the various events of his life had affected him.

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A very fun watch with the family! The set design and cinematography are definitely worth praising for their level of detail, but the intentionality and context behind each of these shots is what makes the details matter, which is something that gets lost in translation when you just look at screenshots of the film and base your understanding of the director's style solely on those. If anything, the style is what helps to emphasize the often humorous chemistry that the characters have with the environment and each other, which makes Wes Anderson's trademark style all the more impressive.

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Well, that's all for this month! I gotta get back to waiting to play Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream on my Nintendo Switch™ system. See you next month!