Music, Podcasts and Everything In Between
I've been stuck in the habit of being very passionate about a piece, and then leaving it to rot in my drafts for the rest of eternity. It's a great pattern and makes me feel even better. So, I'm writing this to hopefully help fix this and jump out of the funk. I'm going to dive into things I've been listening to, watching and digesting.
Music
Suki Waterhouse (I Can't Let Go)
In the past month or so, I have been obsessed with Suki Waterhouse and her 2022 album, I Can't Let Go. I never really listened to her music previous to the past month, but the album popped up in my suggested and gave it a try. I love this album so much that I'm expecting her to be one of my top artists in my Spotify wrapped at the end of this year. The whole album feels like a smooth dream and longing for something more, whatever that is for you. My top songs from the album are Melrose Meltdown, Devil I Know and Wild Side. This album is one of those that you need headphones for and time to listen to it all the way through. It's a delicious treat and a daydream.
Credit: Spotify
Daisy Jones & the Six (Aurora)
There is a funny connection between the 2023 album AURORA and Suki Waterhouse. Daisy Jones & the Six is actually an Amazon Prime show that follows a band in the 1970's and their experiences in an interview style. The pianist of the show's band is played by the actress/musician, Suki Waterhouse. I listened to AURORA a lot in the spring and I think that's why my Spotify recommened Suki's music to me.
AURORA is an album that was produced for the show, Daisy Jones & the Six. The show is based on the fictional novel, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid in 2019. Although I have yet to actually finish the show, I love how the album and the meaning behind each song is unraveled as the plot of the show develops. The show itself is inspired by the famous 1970's band, Fleetwood Mac and many of the character dynamics can be connected to those in the show. This album gives you everything from the raunchy sounds in the first track, Aurora, to the easy melodies of No Words. My favourite songs on the album are More Fun to Miss, Regret Me, Let Me Down Easy and You Were Gone. Just like Suki, this album will for sure be on my wrapped this year. It's versatile and easy but so layered. It's everything.
Credit: Spotify
Taylor Swift (Midnights (3am Edition))
I don't even know where to start with this wonderful album besides my experience with it. The 2022 album came out last fall and I had first listened to it on FaceTime with two friends. Considering the pattern and overall feeling of her last two albums, we were very shocked to hear that Midnights has a backbone of pop. When I first heard the album, I was a bit disappointed and confused. How can you produce something like Folklore and Evermore and then just release something as pop as Midnights? But, as time went on and I spent more time listening to each song, I've actually fallen in love with each one. I think that this album is even more special because it's a bit of a breakup album, but it's also so positive and is all about growing and changes. My top songs on the album are You're On Your Own Kid, Karma, Would've, Could've, Should've and Sweet Nothing.
I've found that this album is not one that should be listened to in order, but it should be listened to depending on the vibe that you're feeling. For example, you wanna cry it out for a minute? Cosy up and sink into Bigger Than The Whole Sky, Anti-Hero and Midnight Rain. You're mad at your ex? Don't worry just scream Would've, Could've, Should've (this one is therapeutic), Vigilante Shit and Karma. You're happy and feeling yourself? Dance around in your room to Bejeweled, Lavender Haze and especially Karma. Take this album apart and pick each piece out. Listen to it in order, fully, only the first time and then never again.
Credit: Spotify
Songs On My Rotation
- End of Beginning, DJO
- Say Hi, Medium Build
- Red Wine Supernova, Chappell Roan
- Rose Coloured Lenses, Miley Cyrus
- Always, Babygirl
- Thoroughfare, Ethel Cain
- I Am Not the Sun, Maude Latour
- Four Leaf Dream, Matilda Mann
- Can't Help Myself, Alexandra Savior
- Dancing In The Courthouse, Dominic Fike
- Tell Me What You Want, Caroline Rose
- Letter To An Old Poet, Boygenius
- A&W, Lana Del Ray
- Lovegod, Sarah Kinsley
- Red Moon, Big Thief
- The Man with the Axe, Lorde
TV Shows
Sex and the City
Although I have written a piece just about the different elements of the 1990's hit HBO show, Sex and the City, I have yet to actually finish it. The show is one that needs dedication to watch it as the six seasons are long and dramatic. Currently, I'm watching season four and just finished the episode where Carrie and Aidan get back together after she cheating on him with Mr. Big (ew). I love watching a few episodes every once and a while because I find it comfortable, similar to the way many people love Gilmore Girls due to the way its colours, plot and characters are cosy and loveable. I love the characters in Sex and the City because the four main characters all provide a different perspective regarding relationships and lifestyles. I think that the different ideas about relationships between the very traditional Charlotte and loose Samantha give so much to the plot and dive into the differences between friends. I also love Sex and the City for the overall vibe that translates through the screen. It's shot in a clear way that is so 90's, from the camera to the fashion. The fashion is delicious, in the same way that Carrie Bradshaw said that sometimes she would buy Vogue for dinner because she felt it fed her more.
Credit: Vogue
Good Girls
Just two nights ago I started watching Good Girls on Netflix. My favourite part of the first episode was picking apart how the robbery that they committed wouldn't have worked, but I still enjoyed each second. The show follows three mothers who commit a string of illegal acts for money for their families. The writing and the acting maybe is not the best, but I enjoy shitty shows so I will probably keep watching it.
Credit: Rotten Tomatoes
Beef
Beef is a new 10-episode show on Netflix that follows the story between two main characters and how their issues intertwine. It starts in a parking lot when one of the cars is backing out and the other speeds on by. This soon turns into a dramatic scene of crazy road rage and erratic driving. The strangers later find each other online and begin to take revenge on each other. After watching Beef, I think I told as many people about it as I could. The patterns in the struggles that both characters face in their private life are tragic, but also connect to each other. There are elements of family, class struggles and pure anger. The acting is stunning and the casting was perfect. I watched the show when it first came out on Netflix in early April this year, but I still think about it every once and a while. I loved every moment of watching it.
Credit: Rotten Tomatoes
Arrested Development
After I finished watching similar shows like The Office during university, I decided that I should still be watching light shows like Arrested Development. I had tried watching this show a while ago, but just like Community and Parks and Recreation, I wasn't interested after a few episodes. But, I knew that a lot of people like the show so I just decided to keep watching and I'm so glad that I did because it's such a good show! I think it gets more special a few episodes in because as a viewer, you can slowly begin to understand the characters and the jokes more as a lot of the quirks of the show build on each other and it just gets better and better.
The only downside of the show comes in at season 4 when there is a time jump that takes place. This is because for a few years, the show was canceled. After a while, it was picked up again and instead of the season starting at the same time where season 3 stopped, there was a time jump in the plot. This meant that the cast was nearly 6 (ish) years older in season 4 than in 3, but the plot continued to reflect that. Although I didn't really mind this, I found that the writing and the plot was worse and I didn't enjoy it as much. To be honest, I only watched season 4 and 5 just to see what would happen. But, season 1-3 is so good.
Credit: Rotten Tomatoes
Mindhunter
Mindhunter is a 2 season series from 2017 about the history of how a serial killer profile was developed in the late 1970's. As someone who likes the legal side of true crime, I found this show to be super interesting and very well done. Although the show can be gory at times, I found it not too violent and watchable. I really enjoy a good show/movie that is a thriller, but isn't gory and bloody. I found that Mindhunter did a really amazing job at this and showed the cases in a way that they build on top of each other. I loved being able to see the investigative side of the stories and how they talked to serial killers to solve an ongoing case (at the time). I found the producers and writers did a wonderful job at creating a slow burning plot, but in a manner which kept you watching the next episode.
Credit: Rotten Tomatoes
Podcasts
Miss Congeniality with Eli Rallo
I've listened to a few podcasts in the past, but never been able to truly stick with one. But, Eli Rallo is someone who I could listen to all day. You might know her as 'the Jar' on TikTok or you could have seen one of her to-do/rule lists. I do love those videos, but her podcast covers any specific feeling that you're experiencing. I started listening to her podcast during the late winter/early spring at school, and it was when I was still feeling out of place and I found it really helped. Most of her episodes are guest episodes, my favourites being when her close friend Ronnie is featured. But, when I started listening, I found I enjoyed the episodes where it was just Eli chatting about a certain subject or just catching up on her life. Even in her guest episodes, she always starts off the first few minutes just talking about what she's been up to before she introduces the guest section of the episode. She has covered topics from 'Elevate THIS GIRL instead of becoming THAT GIRL,' to 'Peaking in college is so 2012. Peak in post grad instead,' to 'New Year, Same Us' to 'Karma is our Boyfriend & Julia Fox is our Idol' AND 'There's a time & a place for boxed wine' (featuring her siblings and their partners).
I find that when she does an episode with just herself, the content is so understandable and I relate to a lot of it. But, I find the same when she also has people featuring in an episode as well. Either way, you can't go wrong with any episode. In addition, she went to school for journalism (my dream) and I love when she talks about her career and her schooling. She's currently in the process of publishing a book for this fall and I've loved listening to her talk about it in her podcast and how it works. I gain so much from listening, even if it's just feeling connected to a certain way I'm feeling or something I've experienced, or just learning about her life and the topics she covers. I eat everything up that she says.
Credit: Apple Podcasts
Emergency Intercom
I haven't listened to Emergency Intercom in a looong while, but this is my personal reminder to get back into it because it's so funny and light. It's based around two good friends in LA, Drew and Enya, who just talk about random things and their lives. Some of their episode titles include 'McDonald's in Paris is dangerous,' 'women should cheat more' and 'Drew Still Doesn't Shower.' You have probably heard a few of their clips on TikTok because a lot of sounds stem from their podcast. If you want something light and easy, start an any episode.
Credit: Spotify
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is Emma Chamberlain's podcast. I have a feeling that many of you reading this have probably listened to it at one point in time, I found myself listening to her a lot in the winter. Some of my favourite episodes have been 'the feminine mold,' her advice session series and 'growing HURTS.' She has been podcasting for a while so you will for sure be able to find an episode that fits how you're feeling. Her voice is comfortable and smooth and makes you feel cosy. Listen to her while drawing or on a nice walk.
Credit: IMDb
You're Wrong About
You're Wrong About is a podcast that dives into the truth about certain situations/people that have been misconstructed by the media or the general population. I've loved this podcast for a while and it does an amazing job at covering stories (which are well known to most people, like Princess Diana for example) and picks apart how that topic has been reshaped like a phrase during a game of telephone. I really love the way that the host(s) talk about ethics and the personal lives of the people they cover. It's also super shocking when you hear a story that you were confident in, but turns out most of it has been a lie.
Credit: Spotify
Movies
Everything Everywhere All At Once
If you've seen this movie, you might be wondering how I'm going to explain the plot of it. I have no idea so this is where I pull something from google and quote it! Yay! So fun and creative!
"Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Quan Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant who, while being audited by the IRS, discovers that she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent a powerful being from destroying the multiverse" (Wikipedia, 2023).
This movie is so fun and the visuals are amazing. The way that it covers social issues like immigration, class and family structures is so interesting and very thoughtful. If you have a few hours and a few days to spiral about it after, please do yourself an act of self care and curl up to watch this.
Credit: The California Aggie
Knives Out
Even though I have not seen Knives Out in a while, I still think about it a lot. I first watched this movie with my dad and since then, it has become an important comfort watch. It's one of my go-tos because even though I'm watching the same movie every time, I still find that I catch new, little details. I'm obsessed with the colours that they use and the way that the story is told. The way that the plot unfolds is amazing and it feels like you're solving the story as you're watching. Although I would recommend this move at any time of the year, it's an especially good watch during the fall months. If you like a good murder mystery (without the gore), this is one that you'll love.
Credit: Wiki Fandom
Books
Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton
I seriously can't recommend this book enough because it is such a comforting and helpful read. If you read my last post about my first year in university, you know that it wasn't easy. In the spring, I was finally able to get a copy after looking for a few weeks and it was so grounding and helped me understand my feelings. It made me realize that many of the things I was feeling and experiencing were due to my age and my situation and it gave me perspective about the light at the end of the tunnel. Dolly explains her experiences with love, growing up, female friendships and changes. I found it so comforting to read about the difficulties she experienced, and how she worked with them and made her situation better. It made me value my female friendships more and made me open my eyes to all of the good that surrounds my day. It was easily one of the best $25 I ever spent. Since being home, things have been a bit different and there are new things to adjust to, so I've been thinking about giving it another read. Anything for my love, Dolly Alderton.
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Although I haven't read The Secret History in a long while, it's my favourite book so there is an unsaid obligation for it to be on this list. The story takes place in rural Vermont at a liberal arts university and the narrator is a new student. He wants to study Latin, but the program that they provide is very small and he only gets in due to his persistence with the professor. After this, he meets the other students in the program and as he gets to know them more, he learns about how strange they all are and what they're hiding. It's a long read, but I love every page.
Credit: Goodreads
Although I'm sure there are a few favourites that I'm missing, these are the pieces that I'm currently loving or have loved for a while. Thank you for reading to the end of this lighter piece, and remember to only consume the media that feeds your mind and heart <3
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