March shoutouts
Spring is springing.
It’s finally warming up, seasonal allergies are arriving and I’m starting to feel an itch for summer. I’m looking forward to April and I hope it’s a great month for you.
Here are some of the things I enjoyed last month.
The lengths people go to to belong is the idea at the center of Apple TV+’s latest comedy, “Palm Royale,” which premiered on the platform this month. As social climber Maxine Simmons, Kristin Wiig leads a large cast of star talent in this 10-episode period piece created by Abe Sylvia, writer of 2021’s “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”
While there’s something to love in every episode, the true marvel is Kristen Wiig, who you’ll fall in love with all over again.
“Palm Royale” is available to stream on Apple TV+. My full review .
While watching director François Ozon’s 2020 French-language romantic drama “Summer of 85,” it’s impossible to not be reminded of 2017’s “Call Me By Your Name,” but this story actually predates both that book and its wonderful movie adaptation. One summer day, on the waters of a Normandy beach, 16 year-old Alexis encounters 18 year-old David, whom he soon becomes enamored with. What follows is a beautifully soundtracked French countryside fantasy but there’s more happening, too. Viewers learn in the first few minutes of the film that David has died sometime in the future — and Alexis is on trial in relation to it. I won’t say too much more for fear of spoiling but “Summer of 85” is one of the most moving and realistic portraits of first loves and first real friendships I’ve seen in a while. I’ll be revisiting this for years to come.
“Summer of 85” is available to stream on MUBI.
I almost included Real Estate’s sixth studio album, “Daniel” in my February newsletter but I needed more time with it. Like much of the indie rock band’s work, songs can blend together if you’re not listening intentionally.
This was wise because I ended up falling upside down in love with it. Every time I think I have a favorite track, it changes. A running theme in this newsletter is the way musical acts I loved in college either fade away or keep on — and whether or not I’m still listening. Real Estate appeared poised to fade out for me, as their 2011 sophomore effort was the last time I sat down to listen to one of their albums. But “Daniel” has me wondering whether I need to go back to see how they got here: effortlessly sounding like they did back in 2009 but better, fuller, wiser. Standouts include “Airdrop,” “Market Street” and anthemic album closer “You Are Here.”
This YouTube channel, Turning the Tables, offers a wholesome enough premise: grown son Connor introduces his dad, musician Kevin, to his favorite music. Connor and Kevin’s taste in music is impeccable and I’ve learned so much more about music and the albums I love. But my absolute favorite element of this setup is how much it reminds me of the relationship I have with my own father. Music is something he and I talk about and bond over and it’s nice seeing that reflected in another father-son relationship. A few of my favorite reactions include their videos on Lana Del Rey’s “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” and Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.”
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, I spent the past few months slowly getting through Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” in anticipation of the release of Denis Villeneuve’s (great) “Dune: Part Two.” I can’t say I loved every moment of the experience (or that I intend to ever read it again) but I’m glad to have read it. It’s an odd book to be considered a classic and I admire that about it. Imagine if “The Lord of the Rings” ended with Frodo as a villain?
Also, it will never not be funny for people in the distant future to be named “Jessica” and “Paul.”
I had a moment with Neil Young’s fourth album, “Harvest” back in 2016-17 and have been meaning to listen to more. Late last year, I stumbled upon the closing track of the artist’s second album, “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” — the psych-rock-western “Cowgirl in the Sand” — added it to a playlist and kind of forgot about it. It came up in shuffle a few weeks ago and I decided to listen to the whole thing. I’m still feeling it out but adoring the intricate production and rich longing of Young’s voice. Standouts are the previously mentioned “Cowgirl,” in addition to “Down by the River” and “Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets).”
ODDS & ENDS
ARTICLES — In “The Friends Who Got Away,” New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni wonders about the friendships in his life that slipped into the past not because of any conflict but just because of circumstances, distance and time. Of one friend he’s lost touch with, Bruni writes: “We’re onetime confidants who never had a falling out, never said a proper goodbye, simply evaporated from each other’s lives like dew from a blade of grass.”
Do hipsters still exist? Late last year, Vice tried to identify ways to spot them in the wild these days.
VIDEO — “BookTok, Brainrot, and Why It’s OK to be a hater,” lays out why much of book content online is about having books, not about actually reading them. I don’t fully jibe with some of the creator’s points but really appreciate her view that the popular argument of “letting people enjoy things” is just an excuse people use to protect things they like from legitimate critique. In this video, the creator breaks down how popular music producers use vocal sampling in ways that make you hear what they want you to hear. Creator Navie D explains The McGurk Effect, which did in fact, fool me.
MINI MIXTAPE
I couldn’t be any happier that 1990s/Y2K house-style music is having a moment. This catchy euro-dance throwback features Aussie indie electronic group Confidence Man — whose female vocalist, Janet Planet, is serving Spice Girl possessed by Dua Lipa in the song’s kitschy music video.
Palladino’s self-titled debut album comes out this Friday and if “I Can’t Dream Anymore” — in addition to the two other tracks she’s released from the project — is any indication, listeners are in for something like if Wilson Phillips had released synth albums in the 1980s. “I Can’t Dream Anymore” is all glam and drama. It sounds like if a “GTA: Vice City” character were having a crying session inside a moving Ferrari.
A throwback selection I recently re-discovered. This no. 4 hit from 2003 deserved a no. 1 — the chorus is perfection, the back-and-forth between the male and female vocalists is perfection, and its behind-the-scenes story of why there are two versions of this song is such a time capsule of 2003 hip-hop/R&B names: Irv Gotti, Ashanti, etc. For the record, the Tamia version is superior. Sorry, Ashanti!
Back in 2022, I slowly started listening to Tori Amos’ catalogue for the first time. Having only completed her first two albums, I confidently say this woman is a musical genius. Earlier this week, I sat down to listen to her polarizing third album, “Boys for Pele,” for the first time.
“Beauty Queen/Horses” is the opening track and it’s as far as I got on my first listen because I loved it so much I just ended up listening to it on a loop. This odd 6-minute song is split into two parts, the foreboding and spooky folk-western ballad “Beauty Queen” is abruptly cut short and the haunting, wintry “Horses” begins. I can’t explain it but this song sounds nothing like a metal song and yet, as I was listening I couldn’t stop thinking that it reminded me of a metal song. It might be the lyrics, which border on absurdist fantasy — “You showed me the meadow/And Milkwood/And Silkwood/And you would if I would/But you never would/So I chased down your posies/Your pansies in my hosies…” or it might be her ever-ethereal voice and nature-witch aesthetics that are conjuring images of electric guitars. After doing a little research, I found that Amos actually does have a metal following. While watching a dozen or so live performances of the song, I stumbled upon a few — particularly male — metal fans in the comments raving about how much they love her. I may dig deeper into this quiet fandom I had no idea existed.