#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”?

I don't know how I didn't discover her before, but I got introduced to Linda Perhacs this year and it has really enriched my life. She worked as a dental hygienist in California in the 60s and got discovered by one of her patients, who was a film composer. He produced her first album 'Parallelograms' which got released in 1970. When the album didn't 'do anything', she went back to her dental career. In 1998 the album got 'rediscovered' by music enthusiasts. If you listen to the album, you'll understand why.

I immediately fell in love with the mystifying sound, angelic vocals and unexpected harmonies.

#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'm gonna have to go for two cause I can't choose.. My first recommendation is Donnie Darko, which is the only movie that I have saved on my laptop, so I can watch it wherever and whenever I want. I love the weirdness of the movie, how it leaves you with a lot of questions, the performance of a young Jake Gyllenhaal and most of all... the soundtrack. Great, great movie.

The other one that I would recommend is called 'Jeux d'enfants' (Love Me If You Dare); a French movie with a very atypical love story and a terrific performance of one of my favourite actresses: Marion Cottilard. The movie is both playful and dark, which Yann Samuell (the director) balances extremely well. I won't spoil too much; just watch it and see for yourself.

#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) 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)?

I'm a bookworm so picking one is extremely difficult, but I'm going to have to go for 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini. I remember reading that while being on tour in the UK; it was autumn in Ireland and I was completely sucked into this heartbreaking book.

After I finished it I immediately read his other two books, 'the Kite Runner' and 'And The Mountains Echoed', which are also magnificent reads. Other authors that I'd recommend are Herman Hesse, Milan Kundera, Haruki Murakami & Khalil Gibran.

#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?

It's not online, but I'd be hopeless if I didn't have my 'voicememo' app anymore. I come up with melodic ideas for songs in the most random places and times and am completely reliant on my phone to record these ideas (I usually forget them immediately after).

My good intention for 2021 is to finally start naming these voicememos the moment after I record them, because at the moment they are called 'voicememo 5327' and it's quite difficult to find that one good idea I had on the bike the other day.

#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITTING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.

Get up an hour earlier, and start the day with a walk or run and writing down your thoughts. There's this thing called 'Morning Pages', which are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning, and they really help to start the day with a clear mind. I actually like getting up at 6, when the world is still asleep. In this darkness and silence, I feel like it's easier to hear my own mind and I can get into this great creative flow. But I guess not everyone is a morning person.

Furthermore; look around more often, talk to a stranger, do something you've never done before and look after the people around you. Remember; happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light (if you got the reference, we should be friends).

OK folks, there you have it. Things that Roos Meijer thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go to bed now so you can get up early, make sure to follow Roos Meijer on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give ‘Calm Me Down’ a listen below…

…and if you like what you’re hearing, go do some further roos-meijer-flavoured audio exploring over on the Bandcamp / Spotify.