I am a first child and thus fall into the category of people pleaser and list maker. Although, that being said, I am not a list maker in a classical sense. I think I’ve made one to do list in my life (and never finished it). Maybe I’d be more productive if I made these kinds of lists… but my brain was made for more colorful things.
My lists are generally more like
Top 5 songs about heartbreak
Top 10 doo wop albums
All time favorite children’s movies
Favorite songs to listen to on sunny days
Favorite movies to watch during a storm
and so on…
I’m not sure why I always need to have lists like these on file in my brain, but maybe in case someone comes asking me to rate every Beatles song from best to worst I’ll be prepared.
So today’s list: Things that I am currently obsessed with
- DRY THE RIVER: Last week I won tickets to see Bowerbirds at the loft (from Indieverse, seriously follow them on twitter it’s ridiculous the number of shows I’ve seen for free because of those lovely people). I figured I’d catch the free head and the heart show downstairs and then run upstairs afterwards to catch Bowerbirds but I got there a little early and caught the end of Dry the river’s set. THANK GOD FOR THAT because it was rapturous! Their sound is so full of harmonies and rich instrumentation that it felt like there were 30 people on the stage, all of them singing/shouting at the top of their lungs. I looked them up on spotify after the show and listened to their ep for days! Their full length album Shallow Bed came out today and it is beautiful. Seriously talented guys who have taken their background in hardcore and mixed it with folk and classical and turned it into a huge anthemic sound! In fact I’m listening to them as I’m writing this (at starbucks) and I can’t sit still, I just realized I was head banging and tapping my feet pretty hard… oh what I must look like to those around me… If at all possible see these guys live, the energy of this band is not to be missed! Dry the River “weights and measures”
- NEVERMIND THE BUZZCOCKS: A British pub quiz show featuring team captains Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding with celebrity teammates (most of whom I’d never heard of because they are British pop stars). For some reason I can watch this show for hours (again, not the best use of my time, I know). I like how the Brits are all game for being made fun of and don’t take themselves too seriously. One of my favorite episodes is hosted by Mark Ronson and features comedian Paul Foot. Nevermind the Buzzcocks
- “JUST KIDS” BY PATTI SMITH: I had heard about this book for a while, it seemed like anytime I saw a “currently reading” column in a magazine someone I admired was reading this book. While on a trip to Austin, Kelley and I stopped by Book People (my favorite book store in Austin, seriously great selection and great vibe) and I decided to finally pick this up after reading a staff recommendation for it. The recommendation stated that this book was to people in their late 20’s/early 30’s what On the Road was to those in their late teens. Well I am in my late 20’s and I ADORED On the Road in my late teens so I thought “Why not?!” So far this book is amazing, absolutely beautifully written and haunting. Just Kids chronicles the relationship between Patti Smith and Robert Mappelthorpe, their childhoods and upbringing and their foray into the world of art, music, and poetry as they made names for themselves and turned the world on its head.
- THE GLASSES JOHN LENNON WORE WHEN HE WAS SHOT: I recently saw this photo and it broke my danged heart! This photo, alongside the bloody bag of clothing that was returned to Yoko after his medical examination were included in an exhibit of Lennon’s New York years. This exhibit was wrought with controversy (I mean really? his bloody clothing?!) but Yoko Ono insisted she included the items to help start a discussion about gun violence.
- LOOPER: I will see anything Rian Johnson makes… anything… seriously. Rian is the writer of Brick and The Brother’s bloom, two of my favorite movies. He has a way of taking a genre and doing something so completely out of the ordinary with it. In the case of Brick it was taking a film noir and setting it in High School. The man, alongside his talented siblings Nathan (scores/music) and Zachary (artwork) creates these incredible worlds that are beautiful and fully realized. I have been reading about Looper and following its progress through Johnson’s twitter and tumblr and was super excited to finally see the trailer on the big screen! I can’t wait to see this film! Looper Trailer
So these are just a few of the things I am obsessed with… alongside BBC’s Sherlock (watching it AGAIN from the beginning) and Of Monsters and Men’s “My Head is an Animal.”
What are YOU currently obsessed with?!
-Nicole
flannelfriction 