April Grab Bag
Music, spring fruits and urbanism, oh my!
Coming to you from the first week it’s actually felt like spring with a bit of housekeeping – next month’s review will be a week late. Hope you enjoy this month’s grab bag in the meantime!
Lots of music recommendations in this one. Have you guys found any fun new bops or interesting artists? Share them below!
Baby I’m a Pitt girl now (no not that one) – I love melodrama and I love watching people be good at their jobs so Max’s show about ER doctors (with each hour of the show dedicated to a single hour of a shift) is right up my alley and I’ve watched the first season in a week
I love the fantasy of a functioning health care system I’m really interested in the new documentary Secret Mall Apartment (haven’t seen it yet though!) and appreciated Alex Sujong Laughlin’s reflections on watching it in the titular apartment the documentary is about
As someone who is primarily on Buy Nothing Groups for the weird drama or items that occasionally pop up on them, this article from the Gothamist spoke to me
I was shocked when Todd in the Shadows described the Veronicas as not that big in the US, only to realize that I’m 1. half Australian and 2. gay, which probably explains the outsized influence they had on middle school me. But anyway! His little history about the Veronicas and their song Untouched really took me down memory lane! Also reminded me of how much I love their later song Cruel, which I’ve re-added to my listening rotation
Look, I know that the reason movies from the 90s just “seem better” by default and put me in this calm little no thoughts trance is because I was a 90s baby, but I really felt that way about The Net – a clearly very silly movie with a very retro version of the “computers bad” premise, but still found it so much easier to enjoy than comparable modern films
I’ve been a fan of Wet Leg since ~2021 when their single Wet Dream was released (still think that “what makes you think you’re good enough to think about me when you’re touching yourself” is simply one of the most devastating lines to casually throw in a song) and really liked their debut album. And they have new music out! Yay! Enjoy catch these fists, like I have
My favorite genre is “what if girls are friends, but it’s fucked up” (see my love for Yellowjackets even when it kind of sucks) so I had a great time with Tara Isabella Burton’s Social Creature, a sort of modern Talented Mr. Ripley story. I also really, really loved her earlier novel The World Cannot Give which is in the same genre, but adds in my other favorite element “and it takes place at a boarding school”
I love urbanism YouTube and have been a City Nerd fan for a while (finally someone who loves scrolling through google maps street view as much as I do!) and he recently did videos on cities he visited while in Australia and New Zealand. Love how applicable some of the lessons from Auckland and Melbourne are to the US, also it made me miss those cities a lot
I’ve been singing “baby What. Was. That!!!” to myself all week. Lorde is back, baby!!!!!! Couldn’t be more excited for new music from her, honestly
Every spring I rediscover the existence of fresh fruit as if it’s the new best thing to exist – fruit is good you guys! Had some blackberries for breakfast the other day and they were perfection
Realizing there were three Australia and/or New Zealand things referenced in this list…hmmm…much to think about. See you in a few weeks with a review of some sort! And comment below any new music you’ve been enjoying. Always on the lookout for new stuff.
Each month I will try to highlight an organization that’s important to me, in a small attempt to help out In These Trying Times. While financial donations are great, there’s also other ways to get involved in community building work — volunteering, building relationships with neighbors, offering up skills and services you might have.
This month I’m shouting out your local public library! I recently have started volunteering at mine and have found it a rewarding experience so far.
as always, thank you on updates on culture points that I didn't even know existed!