#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”?

Andy Shauf’s album The Party -- or any of his work for that matter. His songs are captivating, the production of this record is AMAZING, it’s an all around great choice for any gosh darn situation. I love focusing in on a different part of the arrangement each time I listen, sometimes I’ll listen and focus in on the strings, then maybe the clarinets, the piano, drums etc.

Every part sounds so intentional and it’s fun to get totally sucked in by focusing on one aspect of the song... they’re all equally as captivating on their own.

#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 really enjoyed the show Ramy -- I think it’s on Hulu. It’s very funny and beautiful. Follows an American Muslim guy in his late 20s who lives in New Jersey.

It’s about his experience grappling with his faith on top of other struggles like romance, career stuff, family expectations, etc. Big recommendation!

#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)?

“Birds of America” by Lorrie Moore! My friend Stephen recommended this to me when I asked for suggestions of short stories that weren’t depressing/dystopian (was reading a lot of George Saunders at the time) and I absolutely loved her writing in this book.

#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?

Youtube, I guess. I recently found out how to watch youtube videos on the TV in my house (I know this is not new technology but new to me) and now I have way too much fun watching endless music videos in my living room with friends.

Recently re-lived the early 2000s through music videos, highly recommend.

#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.

Doing: organized games with friends (I like ping pong, tennis)

Using: the ‘do not disturb’ feature on your phone while you sleep

Watching: Lil Nas X getting interviewed by kids in the UK

Eating: kimchi

Thinking: nice things about your friends and telling them

Quitting: whatever comes to your mind when you ask yourself what you should quit

OK folks, there you have it. Things that Taylor Vick from Boy Scouts thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go eat some kimchi while thinking about nice things to tell your friends, make sure to follow Boy Scouts on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter and then also give latest release ‘Free Company’ a sample below…

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