HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ SHATTERCONES
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Shattercones — a musical project out of London, England whose beautifully dark EP ‘Oppenheimer’ is out on Bandcamp now (and you can catch the track ‘Love on Repeat’ on 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”?
Personally, I’ve been spinning ‘Angel Eyes’ by A.M. Mills most days, because I’m a sucker for a reverb-drenched, drunken, baritone that sounds like it’s emerged from the bottom of a cold ashtray.
But hey, in these cold and distant times of lockdown feel free to listen to whatever eases your worried mind, or if you’re feeling brave, go searching outside your comfort zone and digest something radically unfamiliar… the choice is yours.
#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)?
If brain-bending conundrums float your boat, then I heartily recommend Dark. It’s a German tv series set in a small town called Winden, which is rocked by the disappearance of a young child. Things rapidly get weirder from then on, and to say any more would surely spoil your viewing pleasure. The main advice I’d give is to switch the language option back to original German with English subtitles, and avoid the very distracting (read: shit) dubbed version.
As a balance, then watch the frankly sobering ‘13th’, which is something the frequent chanters of “all lives matter” should digest before saying another word. Essential viewing.
#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’ve been slack with my reading during lockdown, which has been balanced by playing more guitar (I’m shockingly amateur at best, the other 3 are the professionals), but if I were to recommend a great read I’d say something by Louis De Bernières.
I was handed ‘Señor Vivo and the Cocoa Lord’ a decade ago, and it made a very deep impression. By turns comic, tragic and occasionally gut-churning, it’s hard to put down and even harder to forget.
#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?
Being in a long-distance relationship, it’s more the ease of communication that I’d greatly miss than any particular website, but if I had to choose one I’d probably say Instagram.
I’ve found many music recommendations on there over the past few years with much more ease of access than any other site. Also because pictures and shit.
#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.
I’d suggest people open their minds more to the recent events unfolding on our phone screens (if they haven’t already), try and be a little less selfish, educate yourselves for the better, and understand how we got to this point. If the thoughts and choices that originally flowed unobstructed now bring up red flags or hard questions, invest some time in trying to figure them out. We can’t go back to how it was. ‘Back to normal’ doesn’t exist any more. Embrace the change, it’s for the better.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Shattercones think you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go prepare yourself for embracing change, make sure to follow Shattercones on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give ‘Love on Repeat’ a listen below…
