RECS #5

Music, words, and films from the month of July + the record of the week

Aug 08, 2024

Hello there. Below is my list of what I’m reading, listening to, and watching. I always appreciate suggestions via real live human beings as opposed to algorithms, so please send any my way.

MUSIC

If you’ve been following The Record Club sections at the bottom of each of my posts, you’ve got a pretty solid idea of what I’m listening to each week. When I’m not inside of the record of the week, I’ve noticed I tend to reach for the opposite end of the spectrum. The last few weeks were a lot of guitar music — Zach Bryan, Madison Cunningham, and Lucinda Williams. So, I found myself listening to a lot of Fred Again, Rosalia, and C. Tangana. I keep forgetting to listen to the new Action Bronson record, but I’ve heard it’s great, so that’s on the list. Also, I’m pretty obsessed with this new song from Porches. Aaron Maine’s voice and songwriting are just so entrancing to me. Plus, the video is great:

WORDS

Folks, I regret to inform you that it’s been a month or more since I’ve opened a book. I’m reading a ton, but I just haven’t found myself lost in a novel. I think my last few selections have been lukewarm, and because I’m the type who has to finish a book even if I don’t love it, I’m gun shy on selecting my next read. I also feel guilty buying a new book with a shelf at home filled with books I’ve never read–so many are those classics you want to love because they’re iconic, but you know won’t be easy reads. The one that keeps staring at me on the shelf as of recent is The Alchemist. The synopsis doesn’t feel like what I want at the moment, though if someone is to tell me, “Please, read that book,” I’ll dive in. So, if you’re that person, please nudge me. Otherwise, I’ll stick to my op-eds, newsletters, and interviews until the right book jumps off the shelf.

As far as my favorite reads outside of novels these past few weeks, there is a copy of Pablo Neruda’s Love Poems (an engagement gift from my friend Rionne) on my nightstand. I’ve enjoyed that a lot. I like to think that reading the English and Spanish versions of each poem, as they are presented side by side, is helping my Spanish so that I can one day understand what my wife’s family is saying about me, but it’s not doing much so far.

I recently discovered

daisy cashin

on here and immediately hit subscribe after reading Tuesday in Texas. I was also happy to see

blakeoftoday

return to Substack, as he’s one of my favorite storytellers/writers that I follow on the apps.

FILM / TV

I watched the original 1977 Susperia film for the first time, and holy hell, what an experience. The cinematography is incredible, and the score is both unnerving and unrelenting. I could actually feel my anxiety rising during particular musical moments. I then did the 2018 remake and can’t say I loved it as much. If you’ve been reading this newsletter the last year, you know this isn’t my place for critique, so I’ll leave it at that and add that, despite my overall feeling, there were some really insane scenes, amazing performances from the cast, and Thom Yorke’s musical contributions (while wildly different from Goblin’s approach to the score on the original film) were beautiful.

I’m now watching Impeachment: American Crime Story. I watched the first season, which detailed the O.J. Simpson trial, and this season serves as a play by play of the events leading up to Bill Clinton’s impeachment. I’ve had a similar experience watching both stories, as each season details massively historic events that I was too young to fully grasp at the time. But in both scenarios, I can still recall the echoes of the adult conversations that I eavesdropped on as a child. 8-year-old me watching my dad yell at the television, utterly disappointed in the American judicial system as a suspected murderer walked free. 11-year-old me overhearing the snide remarks and the inappropriate jokes told at deli counters and kids soccer games, all directed at the 22-year-old woman who grazed the face of every newspaper in America at that time. It’s been interesting to understand the gravity of both events, especially with so much more information available, and through the cultural lens of today’s world.

The LP is taking shape. Songs that I thought were shoo-ins suddenly get the boot, as unexpected outliers rise to the occasion. So far, the through line is that it’s about my voice. If I find myself hiding behind too many layers or production techniques, I step away. This year has been about my voice, literally and figuratively, and so I’m doing my absolute best to stay on course with that mission statement.

I hope you’re having a great summer. I’ve been surfing more than I have in years and the ocean has been my savior. Whether I’m in the water or not, the earlier I wake, the better my days seem to be. Below is a video essay I created as a love letter to the dawn hour.