Archive of 2020-02-01 00:00:00

The one hundred ninety-first album: #191 Nick Drake - Bryter Layter

Nick Drake's folk music may need the feeling of a grey, wet Thursday more than a sunny July like I had for the previous album. The melancholic vocals get a good counter point in the music, with the different instruments often adding some optimism to the thoughtful songs. The instrumental help set the mood, creating a natural atmosphere that helps create that setting. It's a lovely, magical album, with Northern Sky being the peak of that atmosphere.


The eighty-first second comic: #654 Tekkon Kinkreet: Black & White

It's hard to say sometimes to what extent lofty ambitions should count versus the execution. Tekkon Kinkreet: Black & White creates an interesting world in which two orphans, called Black and White in the translation I had, live a violent existence in their attempts to survive a brutal world. It's clear normal life goes on around them, but they sleep in a car, surrounded by junk they gathered, and deal with the seedy parts of the city. This gets heightened as the yakuza moves in to get its own control on the city. They have to change as their environment changes.

It looks good, with a harsh and artificial art style, but the writing isn't quite there. I don't quite care enough about the characters, but that feels undercut anyway by the rapid cuts between characters and locations, which means you never get quite enough time to get to know them. It's unclear quite what they want, especially for anyone other than the main two. Sure, it comes together in the third act, but the build up fails and the pay off isn't quite satisfying enough for that reason. It's a good set up, but it feels like it's missing a step somewhere.


The one hundred ninetieth album: #190 The Grateful Dead - American Beauty

Restarting the sequence, I come back to some friendly folk rock with the acoustic sound of the Grateful Dead - avoiding the lengthy jams from before, instead focusing on shorter, to the point songs that have meaningful lyrics reflected in the music. There's something melancholic about a lot of them and even Truckin', the closest to a jam, still feels a bit sedate. It's good, but it does feel like a quiet morning, not necessarily sad but not something loud if that's what you want.


The eighty-first comic: #318 Mickey Mouse Meets the Air Pirate Funnies

Some comics are on this list not because they are the pinnacle, because they are the first or because they achieved something special - some are on here for their notoriety and influence outside their immediate reach. We've had several crude comics before, but they never used existing characters in the name of satire. The Air Pirate Funnies though went after Mickey Mouse and other Disney properties and stood out all the more because of it. It tried but, tied up in legal proceedings, got two issues out. The thing is, they're not that funny. The jokes are drawn out and crass humour doesn't really connect with me. It's a decent attempt at satire, but for that to work there needs to be more of a point to it - drawing Mickey and Minnie Mouse having sex doesn't really make one. It's notable, but not that worthwhile.


The eightieth classical recording: #767 Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Concerto no. 1

While other concertos often have a soloist that gets followed by an orchestra, in this concerto they are not quite synced and it feels like the piano is almost overlaid on top of the rest of the orchestra. They flow well together, but there's something off about the way it sounds. The trumpet, too, plays into the idea of two independent instruments supported by an orchestra, though not following entirely along with it, and the independence of it feels like a commentary - it makes for a lighter piece, even in the more sombre movements, which feels enlightening on its own.


The one hundred twenty-ninth TV show: #692 Hustle

I've been looking forward to my partial rewatch of Hustle. The premise is interesting already - you're following a group of con men in London, taking money from rich scum. Obviously, you need to feel on their side - not just because they're targetting bad people (innocents do get caught in their wake), but because they're charismatic enough so you stay on their side - flawed and funny, with enough smarts to pull everything off in the end.

The show explores a lot of con options and styles, focusing on long cons but using shorter ones as well. There are plans and backup plans that interact, with enough improv as needed to avoid the perfection - one episode partially hinging on them being too perfect, which is also an interesting direction. Even when rewatching it, it's a delight as even knowing what happens the plan still works out nicely. It stays light enough, which makes for a good, watchable sequence - whether you get invested in every step or sit back and enjoy the ride.


The seventy-ninth classical recording: #563 Jean Sibelius - Pelleas et Melisande Suite

The movements of this suite are mostly slow, not bombastic but big and impressive. They hit that mix of moods, as parts of the bigger work these belonged to, and while the thematic through line may be missing a bit in comparison, it's a good, inspiring piece of music that gets you through the day in a way.


The one hundred eighty-ninth album: #189 Van Morrison - Moondance

The folksy and jazzy rock of Van Morrison again hits a different part of my brain, as the titular track of Moondance manages to hit the right points to work for me. Following the jazz with a ballad works well, both imbuing the previous song with more energy while Crazy Love becomes a sweeter love song for it. Moving on the edges between blues, folk rock and jazz, a bunch of these songs turn up a lot of depth while still working as a casual listen. You need to dig to really get everything out of it, but it's a surprisingly upbeat set of songs without it.


The seventy-eighth classical recording: #929 Henri Dutilleux - Metaboles

When I was reading up on this piece before listening to it, I got intrigued straight away - this is a piece that plays with transforming elements of the usic, taking in the basic parts and playing with it. It sounded like an interesting idea and the work delivers on it, with a busy piece that runs through a lot of variations of - well - everything, it seems. As a piece it's on the shorter side, but aside from interesting in its setup, it's also nice to listen to, an energetic, more modern work that creates something well.


The one hundred twenty-eighth TV show: #303 Cosmos

Cosmos, initially, presents itself as a show about space. Talking about how we explored it, learned about the Earth, the solar system and galaxies, while teaching about what's there and how it interacts. It's simple if you've read up on it, and at times a bit outdated, but it explains it well, giving you some things to think about, with things we discussed afterwards and in between. It reflects on the Earth too, the dilemmas we face with things like climate change, an issue even in the seventies, and war, which was an even bigger threat at the time.

As the show continues though, that later part starts to overtake. While there might be life on other planets, they're unlikely to reach us unless we reach out, and only if we survive for long enough. It ends up preachy, but at the same time uses science and reason to promote a better, more conscientious earth. It paints the spreading of science as political and makes points that still ring true today - even if it feels we progressed a bit. I miss the space talk - it's the best bit - but Carl Sagan stays engaging throughout.