HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ SMALL ALBUMS
* This Q&A is being re-broadcast from August 2016, but don't worry: top notch recommendations have a long shelf life.
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
Every person should be listening to DM Stith, because he is writing music like no one else. His voice travels around you like you're standing in a haunted mansion in Mario and all those ghosts are sneaking up behind you. His decisions in production vary from feeling like you're lost in a gray rainforest to quietly sitting next to a giant candle on Thanksgiving in the middle of the night. His lyrical decisions are like wandering through a maze of library books and all four chambers of the heart.
When I first heard "Heavy Ghost," an album that if you don't have in your music library then you don't have a music library, I felt like I was sitting in a garden of gargoyles and the most vibrant flowers the desert's ever produced. And I waited year after year for another album. Every year when I would start listing out my most anticipated albums for the year DM Stith would always be on the top of the list and always shifted to the next year. By the end of July I will have a new DM Stith album and so will you! Pigeonheart is out July 29th!
Also: Willie Nelson's 1978 album "Stardust" is my absolute go to ever. My Grandpa gave it on vinyl to my Dad who gave that same vinyl to me.
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
This is the only comedy type show that's on TV right now that is brilliant. Plus I'm a huge Will Forte fan. I also really wish I could do an impression of Will Forte's voice but it is impossible.
#3 - I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE BOOK STORE (OK, PROBABLY AMAZON) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
Right now I'm reading The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics.
I think C.S. Lewis is a genius and his approach to Christianity is at once highly creative and also deeply caring and intelligent. The book contains many of his works including The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity and just the diverse way between these 2 books that he is able to capture so much about the truth and basics of what Christianity is, and who Jesus truly is, is a wonderful read.
I love Jesus, and I think Lewis opens opportunity through his writing to never shove anything down the reader's throat, but rather through creativity and humility offer his thoughts in a way that allows for deeper thinking, discussion and prayer.
I am also reading the Smithsonian's Handbook on Mushrooms and Fungi. I find the world of animals and plants (and Fungi) to be absolutely captivating and my studies on the world of Fungus have been highly interesting. It's such a mysterious world and very little is actually known or discovered in the realm of Fungi.
Did you know that all Mushrooms or "Fruit Bodies" are simply an outer growth for a fungi to be able to spread its spores?! Amazing!
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
Since Small Albums is almost entirely Twitter based my favorite Twitter account is @Strange_Animals. Someone with a vast knowledge of unique and interesting creatures posts pictures and short facts that are really cool!
It's nice in the midst of music tweets all day to take a few minutes and learn and research animals I've never heard of! Learning about animals is one of my ultimate hobbies.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
Things I recommend:
Root beer floats
Believing in the Loch Ness Monster
Dogs
Going on walks
Drawing
Salt and Vinegar Chips
Super Smash Bros
Ice Cream
Jean Shorts
