August Worthwhile Stuff

🎶 Music
When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, Luke Hemmings: This album sounds like what would happen if you crossed Harry Styles' Fine Line with Bon Iver's self-titled album from 2011. The opening track, "Starting Line", is a beautiful pop-rock song backed by a symphony of guitars that create an appealing sense of momentum. It's directly followed by the smooth 80s synth-filled vibes of "Saigon" and "Motion", which are echoed later on the album with "A Beautiful Dream". "Baby Blue" would be right at home on Fine Line, and "Diamonds" is another pop-rock jewel. Overall, the songs on this album evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, as if written to capture the pure vibes of a hazy end-of-summer golden hour.

"Skate", Silk Sonic: This song is dripping in decadent 70s Curtis Mayfiled vibes, delivering the same infectious optimism of "Move On Up", with an added layer of sly, cheeky romance that only Silk Sonic could deliver.

mono., RM: I mentioned last month that I've gotten into BTS and that RM is my favorite member – for so many reasons, not least because he is an incredibly talented songwriter, producer, and rapper. From what I can tell, he is heavily influenced by 90s hip-hop, which is a very good thing because that is one of the only eras of hip-hop that I truly love, having gone through a whole phase of obsession myself back in 2008-9, thanks to the 90s NYC-set movie The Wackness and Q-Tip's 2008 solo album. RM's 2018 solo mixtape / "playlist" mono. evokes a sense of introspection and loneliness (and Lost in Translation vibes) through gentle raps and melodic choruses (in Korean and English) that show off RM's sexy voice and flow over slow, dreamy beats, pianos, and synths. The continuity of the tracks makes this mixtape feel like a concept album, and the whole thing is gorgeous, but my favorite tracks are "tokyo.", "seoul", and "forever rain".

"STAY", The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber: Speaking of RM, he recommend this track on social media, and since I've found his taste in music to be excellent so far, I had to check it out. "STAY" is indeed a great track, full of 80s synths and manic, earnest, yearning vocals. I'm not mad at all that 80s and 90s influences are permeating most of my favorite tracks and albums this year; I love the comfort of nostalgic sounds blended in fresh and exciting new ways to keep things interesting.

CIRCLE, Mind Combined: Rounding out this month's RM Venn Diagram, we have this Mind Combined album, another RM social media recommendation, and one that shares the laidback vibes of RM's mono. mixtape, while adding delicious layers of upbeat optimism via a fusion of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, soul, and funk, a la Jamiroquai; it's right up my alley. Standout tracks include "Can You Understand", "Purple Sky", "Swiss Gold", and "Multiverse".


🎤 🎭 Performance
Isaac Mizrahi at City Winery: In addition to be a notable fashion designer, Isaac Mizrahi is a fabulous cabaret performer, serving up show tunes, standards, pop hits, and absolutely delightful patter. Mizrahi has a great singing voice and is backed by a talented six-piece jazz band. His jokes and observational humor had me laughing harder than I have in a very long time. The show was perfectly balanced between great music and hilarity, and – at 90 minutes – it was the perfect length. If only all shows were as good as Isaac Mizrahi's, we should be so lucky.

Ni Mi Madre: This one-man show is a moving and vivacious return to live (indoor) theatre. Arturo Luís Soria channels his larger-than-life mother Bete through pop music, humor, and personal tragedy. Soria gives a powerhouse performance that clearly comes from his heart and soul; it left me completely charmed and in awe of both him and his mother. The set, costumes, make-up, and music are all perfectly executed to complement, but never overwhelm, Soria's performance. The show is also available via streaming for those who aren't ready to return to the theatre, or aren't in NYC.


🎬 Film
CODA: This movie made me cry – twice. While the beats of the story can feel a bit cliché, the hearing child of deaf adults angle and the excellent acting from Emilia Jones in the lead role elevate this movie beyond other coming of age films and turn it into something truly special. There are many emotionally powerful moments throughout the film, driven by Jones and the rest of the superb cast (including Marlee Matlin), and their ability to elicit empathy to an impressive extent. The open captioning of the entire film drives home its message of inclusivity.