The Game - The Documentary 2 (2015) / The Documentary 2.5 (2015)

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LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening (2010)

It's too much for me. Today I listened to this and Joanna Newsom's Ys. It was music to my ears, for sure.

I wonder if I got a different listening experience from This is Happening compared to most. Happening stands as LCD Soundsystem's farewell album, but as someone who hasn't really given them much of a listen, Happening didn't have that bitter-sweetness attached to it.

But I could tell that Happening was emotionally charged. It's a dance album first, and a goodbye second. Lyrically, James Murphy and co. aren't very complex, but they say a lot with simple words. I love the opening to "I Can Change" for example.

Tell me a line make it easy for me/
Open your arms/
Dance with me until I feel all right/

Juxtapose this desperation with the active, pulsating beats, and you've got great music. This is Happening works as something to dance to, but there's also a thoughtful, mature side. Not many artists can get away with seven, eight minute long tracks, but LCD Soundsystem pulls it off in stride. Surprisingly, This is Happening never gets repetitive. With every passing minute, it only gets better.

9.5/10

Joanna Newsom - Ys (2006)

On Friday, indie Joanna Newsom will release her fourth album, titled Divers. She's certainly in my good books due to her collaborations with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, but after listening to Ys, how high does she rank in those books now?

Very, very high. Ys is incredible. Clocking in at a little under an hour, the album only has five songs, the longest one near sixteen minutes. Yet all five songs are marvels of storytelling. No artist I've heard sounds quite like Newsom. Somehow, her shrill voice is refreshing. Her harp never sounds like anything less than magnificent too... even with bare instrumentation, Ys sounds massive and masterful. I think what might make Ys so great is the songwriting, which is simply transporting.

Say "yes" to Ys. It's certainly too soon for me to say for sure that it's perfect, but it's a masterpiece.

9.5/10

Over the Garden Wall (2014) (miniseries)

It's not often I find myself watching cartoons (though I do love Rebecca Sugar's Steven Universe, also on Cartoon Network), but I stumbled across Garden Wall last week via a reddit recommendation, which said to watch the series "this week". I however forgot to, but then remembered the week after.

Over the Garden Wall is proof that episodic storytelling can be both short and sweet without it feeling cinematic necessary. Patrick McHale's story of two lost brothers in a mysterious wood is emotional, mature, funny, and adorable, often all at once. Visually, Garden Wall is splendid. The overall arc of the story doesn't entirely work when spread over ten twelve minute episodes, but each episode proves entertaining in its own right.

Some odd reason, the show's villainous beast reminded me of True Detective's first season. Is that weird?

8/10

The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969) by N. Scott Momaday

I had to read this book for my literature class (not like that's a bad thing). Momaday's chronicle of the Kiowa tribe is a unique experience, and deservedly a cornerstone in Native American literature. The unique mix of myth, true history, and memoir makes the brief book massive in scope, yet intimate. I'm not quite sure how it all works, but it's a rewarding read, for sure.

9/10

Beach House - Depression Cherry (2015) / Thank Your Lucky Stars (2015)

The music industry is so fricken weird these days. Who would've thought that in 2015, we would get not one, but two Beach House albums? Thanks Beyoncé for starting this surprise album drop trend, I guess. Really though, it's hard to be upset about this though. Two albums by one of the most distinct and quality indie bands working today has never hurt anyone (except maybe my feelings, cuz Beach House does that to ya).

Deerhunter - Fading Frontier (2015)

The more I think about it, Deerhunter's highly acclaimed Halcyon Digest doesn't always feel inspired. But that doesn't mean it's bad, in fact, it still remains as quite an excellent record. "Desire Lines"? You know I still play it. There's something magical and eerie about Halcyon Digest that makes it unforgettable.

And considering that Fading Frontier is Deerhunter's latest record, I should expect something good, right? Fading Frontier is quite good, but its greatest sin is that it's very forgettable. Clocking in at a brief thirty-six minutes, Frontier unfortunately has no standout tracks to speak of. The music all sounds fine, but once the record stops, there's only a feeling of "that's it?"

Unfortunately, that is it. Fading Frontier sounds like something that's been done before, and done better. Frontier lacks Digest's gravitas, the pull that makes Digest an arresting listen. I hope Deerhunter's next record is something less safe and more inspired than this.

6/10

Travis Scott - Rodeo (2015)

Why should one listen to Travis Scott? Lyrically, he's pretty lackluster. But the production is fantastic- Exhibit A: the Days Before Rodeo mixtape. Rodeo, the debut album, makes for a fine Exhibit B. Rodeo has some of the best and most-unique sounding tracks I've heard this year.

We begin with T.I.'s voice as our narrator telling a story of sorts, a la Common on Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon. Opener "Pornography" doesn't really stand too well on its own, but it's a solid opener. "Oh My Dis Side" and "3500" are both bangers, but also a little lengthy. It's not until "90210" where Rodeo really takes off though. It's a mish-mash of influences, but it's fantastic. I was reminded of Kanye West's 808s and Heartbreak, Drake's "Marvin's Room", and Scott's own "Don't Play".

Beasts of No Nation (2015) dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga

Who's the best new director to emerge from the past decade? Ask me today, and I'd say Cary Joji Fukunaga. I've heard great things about his debut Sin Nombre and his Jane Eyre adaptation, but I can testify that the first season of True Detective was masterfully made, many thanks to Fukunaga.

The Martian (2015) dir. Ridley Scott

There's a lot to like about The Martian, and it's certainly tremendous that it all works. The ensemble, led by Matt Damon, is enormous, Ridley Scott has stunk so much in recent years, and the playful style of the source could possibly fail to translate well on-screen. But fortunately it works.

Drake - So Far Gone (2009)

There's no doubt that Drake is one of the hottest artists in the business right now. "Hotline Bling", a fantastic track that feels a bit like a throwaway, is charting at #2 on the Hot 100, right behind Drake  The Weeknd's "The Hills". Not only is Drake himself present, but he's influential too.

2009's So Far Gone is Drake's latest free mixtape, because honestly, because even though I love this year's If You're Reading This It's Too Late and the Future collab What a Time to Be Alive, one should not have to pay for mixtapes. Hell, those two don't count.

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

"Where's the cardboard sleeve for this Wilco CD?" -Fletcher (Adam Horovitz) While We're Young

What more can be said about Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? It's certainly one of the defining indie-rock albums of the decade preceding. It's one of those rare, elusive albums that earned a 10 score from Pitchfork, which hardly doles out perfect ratings. Is it great? Oh baby it is.

Dogtooth (2009) dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

Yorgos Lanthimos is an acclaimed Greek filmmaker, who most recently directed The Lobster, which, by many accounts, is very good and very weird. Many share the same sentiments about his 2009 breakout, Dogtooth, too. However, I will admit that it's very weird, I can't admit to it being very good.

Beach House - Take Care (2010)

This is Beach House at its finest. I think anyone's first Beach House album is destined to be their favorite (there's a lack of variety between their albums, I think). Anyways, this is my favorite Beach House album, by a large margin too. Teen Dream sounds wistful, psychedelic, and beautiful. Standout tracks include "Silver Soul" (which was sampled on Kendrick Lamar's "Money Trees"), "Used to Be", "Better Times", and "Take Care".

9/10

Fargo (2014) - Season 1

What's more amazing: that True Detective Season 2 would be a steaming turd, or that an anthology series based off Fargo, one of the most respected movies ever, would turn out to be just as good as its source? If you asked me this question in March of last year, after TD's first season wrapped up, and before Noah Hawley's Fargo would premiere on FX, I would definitely pick the second option. There's no way this should work. But it does. And the world is a better place for it.

The Game - The Documentary (2005)

Since the first disc of The Game's hotly anticipated The Documentary 2 is releasing tomorrow, I felt it necessary I give The Game a serious listen. After all, he was fantastic on Dr. Dre's Compton.

The Documentary totally seemed right up my alley. The Game's debut record was made in collaboration with the hottest artists at the time (50, Kanye), and was mostly produced by Dr. Dre. There's so much collaboration in this album. In fact, excessive collaboration is what makes The Documentary so likable, but also might be its crux.

The Edge of Heaven (2007) dir. Fatih Akin

By watching Fatih Akin's (I swore his name was "Faith") The Edge of Heaven, I satisfied some major cinematic blindspots: cinema of Turkey and Akin's movies himself. I was not disappointed when I heard The Cut was received poorly in Venice last year because I knew nothing of Akin and his movies. But to me, now, Akin can do no wrong. This is probably the best Turkish film I've seen too. The Edge of Heaven is a smarter and more concise film than Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and Winter Sleep.

I went into The Edge of Heaven totally blind and you should too. There are two main plots that converge quite beautifully in the third act. However, the first two acts at times do feel dreadfully aimless. But it pays off, trust me. (what credibility do I have, though???)

The Edge of Heaven is a lovely entry in current world cinema. It's a mature film not only about religious conflict, but human desires and humanity in general. Akin's never heavy-handed; he never lets politics dictate his story. He lets it speak for itself. That is marvelous.

8/10

Julia Holter - Have You in My Wilderness (2015)

I love this. Before, Julia Holter is a name that would not have rung a bell. But her album, Have You in My Wilderness is one of this year's standouts.

It's thoughtful. Right from opener "Feel You", you can tell this album is different. The compostions are complex. It's like nothing I've heard before. Holter swoons and croons her way through vague, personal stories. "Silhoutte" is dynamic, and the back-to-back of "How Long" and "Lucette Stranded on the Island" work especially well together.

Jamie xx - In Colour (2015)

If you ask anyone who had heard the track "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" what their song of the summer was, they would say that was it. I know it was mine.

Jamie xx's In Colour is certainly one of the best albums of 2015. It's classified as Dance/Electronic music, but it's much more than that. Often I find music of that genre to be frantic and thrown-together. There's not much her lyrically, but this isn't Aesop Rock. Right from the first track, "Gosh", a voice announces "...Keeping the vibe alive!" and Jamie xx does.

What makes In Colour great is its minimalist sound. No track is quite alike - if you had to stick a color to each track, you'd have yourself a rainbow. Of course my favorite tracks would include the Young Thug / Popcaan featuring "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)", but I also have to give special recognition to the steel-drum heavy "Obvs", and probably the closer "Girl". In Colour is almost entirely instrumental, but it speaks volumes.

9/10

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)

I have no idea how to review this type of thing. Do I even do reviews? Hell, what do I know. Anyway, here's the lowdown on this: Miles Davis' 1959 record, Kind of Blue is kind of great. It's only five tracks long, but it feels like one massive track of sweet, sweet sounds. I have no idea how to review jazz, really. But it sounds great. More on this some other time, maybe.

10/10

Sicario (2015) dir. Denis Villeneuve

One of the best movies of 2012 was Kathryn Bigelow's epic and brutal Zero Dark Thirty, which was massive in scope and short in hand-holding. So, if like me, you happened to dig ZDT, you're in luck. Denis Villeneuve's latest, Sicario, offers many of the same pleasures.

Sicario (Spanish for "hitman") follows Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), an FBI woman that volunteers for a Department of Defense task force looking to bring down men responsible for violence on the US side of the border. But Sicario is not really about Macer. We follow her, but it's really about the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).