The two hundred and thirteenth episode: #2 Hopalong Cassidy

Hopalong Cassidy is not the easiest watch for a number of reasons. It's from 1949, so there's an automatic disconnect. It's the follow up to a popular film series, so assumes a lot of information I don't have as a viewer new to the world. And it's a western, which isn't a genre I care for much, and which generally doesn't create episodic stories that have much you can latch on to. It's interesting how the show is gentle and feels more cerebral than other westerns I've seen, but I just can't say there's a lot that properly connects - not bad for its time, I think, but not something I really enjoy now.

The one hundred and twenty-first book: #92 Camera Obscura - Hildebrand

Having had to deal with older English before, here I got to contend with some old, nineteenth century Dutch writing. On the whole it was just that bit more challenging to follow, mostly having to remember some older meanings of words, but it gave character to the stories as well. A lot of these are stories of daily life, characters of the day and the amazement of the rise of the railways, preferred over travel by boat. They got very moralistic in places, more treatises on specific topics, but when it's more focused on the characters it got more interesting.

The five hundred and eighty-eighth album: #588 Dolly Parton with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris - Trio

There's some power in a different perspective of a genre. While the three ladies involved were all already great at the time, they put in a performance here that's even more masterful and makes the songs a lot more listenable than I often feel about country. There's something about the skilled harmonies and forward feeling that really benefits anyone listening to it who comes to it from outside the genre. It feels simple, but there's enough interesting music to listen to here.

The seven hundred thirty-fourth song: Three Days - Jane’s Addiction

A nearly 11 minute rock track about the affection for someone who died of an overdose - the lyrics feel overshadowed by the music, but there's something haunting playing through the track to the point where that barely matters. The long rock solos have a bigger impact and there's a lot of darkness in here that feels like it comes from somewhere deep.

The seven hundred thirty-fifth song: Dub Be Good to Me - Beats International

A love song of sorts, the musical style is what stands out. Dub evolved from reggae, and the broadening of the sound really helps this track stand out. The smooth sounds still have a lot of life to them, while Lindy Layton's vocals work really well with them. The hip hop breaks feel unnecessary, breaking the flow of the song, but it's mostly really effective.

The seven hundred thirty-sixth song: Kool Thing - Sonic Youth

The smooth punk feel of this track really lures you in and the ending of the track came as a surprise to me, it just flowed along so well. It's smooth, well produced punk that works its way in really well.

The seven hundred thirty-seventh song: Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Saint Etienne

It feels weird to get a dance cover of a folk rock track, but this feels like it works, the African folk influence adding to the ongoing beat and slighter vocals.

The seven hundred thirty-eighth song: Crazy - Seal

Reading that this song took two months together somehow makes sense. The hook is catchy, with Seal's vocal performance adding an extra twist to it. It builds and shifts, drum interludes and vocal samples interrupting that feeling but adding to a dreamlike feeling. It's all a bit off, but in a great way, and to me the lyrics still connect on some level. It manages to hit its high points really well.

The seven hundred thirty-ninth song: Mustt Mustt (Lost in his Work) - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

I haven't heard of Qawwali music before - this is one of those ways where the list is broadening my experiences - although it feels like its sounds made it into other places and feel in line with the Bollywood sound. The music under this track is sparse, the support mostly provided by a chorus while the vocals lie on top. While some are simpler, there's a bunch of vocal trickery that works really well to create that interest as you're listening to something, transcending language. The translation of the subtitle does fit in with it, the droning chorus in particular enforcing that impression.

The seven hundred fourtieth song: Diaraby Nene - Oumou Sangare

Another track from Mali, this is another that partially feels updated to Western tastes - the core of the music is there, the chorus and vocals feeling unchanged, but the underlying musical accompaniment, although in the background, adding a different sort of life to it. It's music that works.

The five hundred and eighty-seventh album: #587 Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me

The post punk rock boost continues, with a grungier sound developing here - hard guitars with softer vocals, simple lyrics that mostly seem to be quite like a love song, very much related to daily life. It's not a sea change, and I feel I need some refinement before it would really reach its heights, but there's still something compelling enough about these tracks.

The five hundred and eighty-sixth album: #586 Anthrax - Among the Living

Among the Living is a big pile of trash metal, loud with politically charged lyrics that will come through from time to time, but just as much exist to create that mosh pit feeling. It's pretty good at it - I quite enjoy listening to it, but the full album is a bit too much for me, with not enough different things going on.

The seven hundred twenty-seventh song: Painkiller - Judas Priest

We're kicking off the 90s with a fast running metal album, operatic vocals overlaying a mess of guitars. It's the large, chaotic atmosphere it creates that really helps out here, a bewildering mess of sounds that has a lot of structure to it still.

The seven hundred twenty-eighth song: Loaded - Primal Scream

Although my musical awareness only really started coming in in the mid-nineties, the patterns are already starting to show here. A remix - sort of - of a Primal Scream track, it has a heavy dance vibe, although not as focused on the beats per minute as some of that evolves to. Instead it retains some of the rock sounds, mixed with other samples that leads to a real mix of different influences.

The seven hundred twenty-ninth song: Iceblink Luck - Cocteau Twins

There's an ethereal pop sound to this track, from the light synthesizer to the soprano vocals. It's interesting, drawing you into something that feels more substantial than you'd otherwise expect it to be. For the most part, it just feels like a major success.

The seven hundred thirtieth song: Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants

I've enjoyed They Might Be Giants since I first heard them - happy rock with some quite different lyrics that give you a chance to think, whether or not they have as much meaning. They always seem like a friendly and welcoming band to listen to, which is what works here - there's something encouraging in the affirmations of the lyrics, even if they were mostly meant to be nonsensical.

The seven hundred thirty-first song: Energy Flash - Joey Beltram

I think we have our first techno song, again bringing in the decade. It's the genre that I really was familiar with around this time (even though it never connected with me) and this feels like the core of it - a fast beat, sparse vocals, little variation, just the background to dance to or, I suppose if you're wired that way, to engage your brain with sound without overwhelming it, it becomes oddly equal to focus with. I don't personally feel a need to look for it, but I can feel it working.

The seven hundred thirty-second song: Bonita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest

Putting aside the guitar riff - which I know more of the Fugees' cover of Killing Me Softly - there's something about the slow rap and relaxed music that does a lot of good work here. It's slow and lazy without sleazy, a contemporary love song that doesn't feel too saccharine or aggressive. Would it work? I don't know, but the sound is pretty good.

The seven hundred thirty-third song: Little Fluffy Clouds - The Orb

Another heavily remixed house track, the mix of samples is quite an eclectic combination. The sampled vocals are a bizarre, peaceful feeling that sets the tone for a slightly slower track (compared to what I think the standard would be?) while the music always feels a bit weird. Still, it's a surprisingly chill track for all that it brings.

The five hundred and eighty-fifth album: #585 Peter Gabriel - So

The pop rock of Peter Gabriel is very introspective, experimenting with its music while he covers some deep topics. It's all quite intellectual and focused, a sound and feeling that makes you feel you keep missing layers. It's masterful in that sense, not something that gets any hooks into you that really make you remember it, but instead creating some well crafted contemplative rock ballads.

The two hundred and twelfth TV show: #10 Sua Vida Me Pertence

I've covered partially missing shows before - Quatermass only has two of its episodes remaining while early Doctor Who is mixed as well - and I have more coming later, but Sua Vida Me Pertence is another step up: aside from some pictures, nothing seems to have survived. It's notable as the first telenovela, but without having more than a few pictures, it's difficult to say more.

The two hundred and eleventh TV show: #986 The Honourable Woman

There are some shows that you can only watch one at a time. The Honourable Woman is a tough watch on many levels, with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict it is involved with being difficult to follow up, the drama and feelings intense, and the sexual violence possibly happening a bit more often than the story really requires. It's a difficult exploration of a difficult topic and while it might have a few weak points, the strong performances and thoughtfulness of the entire topic is really interesting. It's often distant, but it's just as often incredibly real. Worth watching, but not something to binge.

The two hundred and tenth TV show: #651 Monkey Dust

I don't think Monkey Dust is for the faint of heart - it's a very dark comedy, the animation is fairly rough in places as each sketch has its own animation studio and style, and it doesn't avoid any topics they wanted to touch. It adresses pedophilia, as well as the attack on it, the war of terror that was happening at the time, and a number of other things. A lot of them feel like they still apply these days, to some point - at most swapping out some names and ideas. It's dark, but if you're ready for it they are so good to watch - I certainly had a great time watching this.