5.31.26 sunshine, sunset n' european hijinks

This month felt long! Luckily, that left a lot of time to check out new things, so let's review the month of May!

I found this to be a delightfully campy record that shines largely from its theatricality, though I feel like the vocal style used here left some lyrics hard to parse at times. For the most part, it feels like what Chappell Roan would sound like if she leaned a little more into musical theater and R&B, which makes for a pretty decent combination of styles.

Fav Tracks: moses, sense (is), set me free, be the girl!

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I remember trying to get into this album back when I was looking for music to play on my college radio show and I decided to try and get back into it recently. I like the uncanny vibe this album is going for, but I think its abrasively artificial timbres and textures can feel a little taxing on the ears. Still, its unpredictable structures and eerily emotive progressions make this a fascinating experience to return to.

Fav Tracks: Earther, Until Mirror, Mirror Guide, Pt. II (you and me)

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I tend to listen to a lot of very loud and energetic dance music, so something more calm and laid-back like this is a nice change of pace. The tracks that leaned more into garage and ambient influences are what I vibed with the most, but listening to the record as a whole is a pretty consistently tender experience all around. The light yet prominent bass tones especially give off the feeling of being submerged in water as does the cover!

Fav Tracks: Let It Go, On the Run, Contact, Fooley, Raven, Divorce, Enough for Love

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I was hoping that I would love this record more than I actually did, but the mixing really prevented a lot of this album from clicking with me. I did enjoy some of the more atmospheric tracks from the second half though since the more electronic and acoustic instruments blend a lot better when given more space to breathe. Nonetheless, it could definitely benefit from a remaster.

Fav Tracks: Nothing Really Matters, Sky Fits Heaven, Frozen, The Power of Good-Bye, Little Star, Mer Girl

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I've heard going into this that this album is Kate Bush at her most adventurous and while I have yet to get into her discography in full, I will say that this is probably her at her most raw vocally. The instrumentation on here definitely feels more like a live performance than some of her later work, though the iconic basslines and experimental structures that mark her best work are still at full display here. Another engaging work from a generational artist!

Fav Tracks: Sat In Your Lap, Pull Out the Pin, Suspended in Gaffa, Night of the Swallow, All the Love, Houdini

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While I don't listen to a lot of ambient rock, I was mainly driven to check this album out because of producer BJ Burton's contributions to it. His signature glitchy sound is definitely more abrasive here than it is on some of the pop albums that he's worked on, though I tended to prefer some of the spacier cuts from this album overall. I might check out more of Low's stuff sometime if I'm feeling up to it!

Fav Tracks: Fly, Always Up, Always Trying to Work It Out, Poor Sucker, Disarray

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The vibe of this record feels generally more delirious and sleepy compared to her Unlimited Ammo mixtape, which was a lot more direct and in-your-face with its production and melodies. While a lot of tracks here don't stand out to me as much, I do like the more fast-paced trance influences that pop up on here sometimes. It's still pretty decent party music all things considered.

Fav Tracks: Cola, Miami Crest, Heaven, Romeo Must Die

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I've always been aware of the reputation this film has among fans and critics alike, but I was still motivated to check it out because of its sheer campiness that made it stand out in the crowd of other bad superhero movies. The production design and the hilarious scenes with Mr. Freeze are honestly what hold this film up for me in spite of its shallowness and indecipherable fight scenes.

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This is probably one of the most fascinating portrayals of the human mind that I have seen depicted on film. To be honest, it was almost kind of scary to see the subconscious be portrayed in such a free-flowing fashion that it took me a second to adjust to how the film was telling its story. It's more proof that Charlie Kaufman is one of the most creative American screenwriters that's on my radar.

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This film could have very easily been like The Martian where its exceptionalist premise and quirky dialogue could have been enough for me not to vibe with it, but Ryan Gosling's performance and the film's use of puppetry were good enough for it to go down a lot more smoothly for me. I'm also impressed by how the film seemed to go out of its way to have the happiest ending it could possibly have when it could have turned out more bittersweet had it ended at any other time. Cool to see in the theater!

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Despite it being very reliant on dialogue and character interaction to drive its story, this character study feels very subtle in the way that it touches upon the contradictions between having fame define your life and realizing the limits that your fame has. Norma Desmond always wanted to be famous forever, but her obsession with having that fame on her own terms ended up having her deny herself of that chance in the first place. As entertaining as she is to watch, Desmond is a very layered character with a lot of baggage and sadness behind her that leaves me with a lot to think about after watching this film.

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While it holds on some scenes for a pretty long time, I like how this film's focus on atmosphere eases you into Parisian city life while whimsically commenting on modern architecture and technology using mainly visual staging and sound design. The restaurant sequence towards the end really stands out for how it demonstrates how much room there is for human error in a setting that demands machine-like perfection in an effort to appease tourist expectations. Very excellent use of color grading throughout as well!

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Pretty goofy 2000s comedy cheese; peaked at Vandersexxx, dropped off when they went to Italy.

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I'm blown away by how different this book was from the film! There's a ton of fascinating worldbuilding in this and a whole commentary on factory farming and class division that wasn't as present in the film, but is a pretty prominent focus here. Reading the book makes me appreciate how the film took a different direction with its concept since I'd imagine that some of the more shocking details and emotions from the book might have been difficult to portray without it being too gruesome for the medium. Some things are just more impactful when you portray them in print, I guess.

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All that and I still haven't completed the new Primal season yet! I'll get to it next month for sure... I hope...