HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ MAX BLANSJAAR
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Max Blansjaar — a music-maker out of Oxford whose lovely single ‘Life’s Too Easy’ might make you feel like an underachieving capital Old once you realize Max is just 16 years old (ps - you can also catch that latest single in the HI54 Mix CD ‘U…KAY?’).
#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”?
Oh, man. So many great musical things everywhere. Everyone I know is probably tired of me recommending this to them, but the new Mitski album is really amazing. It’s pop music, but also harmonically really interesting and there’s lots of really clever lyricism on there, too. I’d probably recommend that to everyone, just cuz it works for everyone, whatever musical background they come from. Be The Cowboy. It’s objectively amazing. In my opinion.
But to be honest, listen to anything as long as it’s new. I really hate those radio stations that only play songs from, like, the olden days, and people who are telling everyone they were “born in the wrong decade” or whatever. It’s not true. We live in the golden age of music - there’s so much good music out there, waiting to be found. Listen to any of it. I don’t care what. Just support an artist, any artist.
#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)?
I saw this amazing film recently called Emo: The Musical, which is up on Netflix. It’s so good. It’s about this Australian emo who falls in love with a Christian girl called Trinity, and then they sing together about things like Christianity and whether Jesus could have maybe been an emo (“he felt the pain of all mankind, but emos do that all the time”).
It’s kind of the best thing ever. I’ve considered getting a Netflix subscription just to watch it again. Best line: “No-one would have dated Jesus. Because who wants their boyfriend crucified at the formal?”
#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)?
Everyone should make sure they’ve read Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It’s not a fun read, but it’s very important, all about institutional racism in America and how that affects its citizens. It’s written in this really frank way and draws upon loads of personal experiences, so it’s quite shocking, but it’s very accessible and very relevant, too.
Sorry to go all serious. Whoever’s reading this had better be taking these recommendations on board, cuz they’re golden.
#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?
Oh my god, okay. There’s this video on YouTube of a cat speaking French which has the power to make my day. It’s sitting at the back door and it wants to get in, and it’s like “humain, humain, ouvre la porte” and it’s genius. The cat’s not actually talking, it’s been overdubbed. But still.
Part of me thinks I wouldn’t even get upset if that video were to disappear, just because I’ve watched it so many times I pretty much know it off by heart anyway. But I think everyone else needs to have seen it.
#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.
I have special socks with days of the week on them. Four pairs of each weekday, plus two of Saturday and Sunday. I believe everyone should buy/make themselves day-of-the-week socks. There’s nothing like that feeling of waking up in the morning and putting on socks that fit the moment you are living in. And your foot.
It’s Wednesday morning, which research has shown to be the most depressing time of the week, and you pull your Wednesday socks from your drawer and put them on. There’s a feeling of near-completion that you don’t really get anywhere else. Meditation doesn’t do it. Love doesn’t do it, either. I’m not saying socks will lead to true happiness, but I think they probably help. Sorry, and also love yourself and carpe diem and all the rest of it. But mainly the socks. After all, socks last longer than thoughts ever do.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Max Blansjaar thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go start sewing the day of the week into all your socks, make sure to follow Max on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter and then also give ‘Life’s Too Easy’ a listen below…
