HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ SOMEHOW
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Somehow — an indie pop project from France whose lovingly catchy album 'Hidden Memories' from 2017 still sounds lovingly catchy in whichever year you're now reading this.
#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 will go for a French artist: "Dominique A". His first record "La Fossette" (1992) is one of my favourite albums of all time...
It's lo-fi indie-pop, with cold and cheap instrumentation, deceptively joyful vocal lines and depressing lyrics. A masterpiece!
#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)?
It's really tough to choose one, but the first that came to my mind was "Incendies" by Denis Villeneuve. This film has a truly unique and memorable atmosphere, and a great soundtrack (including "You And Whose Army?" and "Like Spinning Plates" by Radiohead).
I hesitated a lot with "Tokyo Sonata" by Kiyoshi Kurosawa... A brilliant film about capitalism and contemporary Japanese society, through a dislocating family. Well, don't miss that one either! ;-)
#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)?
"A Short Course in Intellectual Self-Defense: Find Your Inner Chomsky" by Normand Baillargeon. A must-have about critical thinking, democracy and the media.
As a bonus, it's easy reading and fun! If you read French, then go for the original version: "Petit Cours d'Autodéfense Intellectuelle".
#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?
That would probably be this YouTube video:
It's a live session of the Drums on KEXP. I'm really addicted to this video! I watched it dozens of times when I came upon it a few years ago, and keep looking at it regularly nowadays... Their performance is outstanding and the sound is great.
#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.
If you have the occasion to come to France, I would strongly recommend you to spend some time in the Island of Groix. It's an incredible place in French Brittany, quite underrated and therefore not over-crowded (just avoid July and August).
The landscapes over there are just amazing and so diverse (red sand beaches, turquoise water, giant cliffs...). Once you step foot on this little island, you will literally feel disconnected from the rest of the world.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Somehow thinks you should somehow consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and start packing for a one way ticket to Groix, make sure to follow Somehow on Facebook and Twitter and go stock up on some Somehow tunes over on Bandcamp.
