Remembering My Trip to Japan (2018 Edition)

 So I'm going to be trying something different here, something I've been wanting to do but just wasn't sure how good I would be at it since it's not something I've done before. I guess you never really know until you try, so that's what I'm going to do... try. I'm just going to go over my trip/memories and give some recommendations based on what I experienced. 

Travel is one of my favorite things to do, probably just below playing music which is my favorite thing to do. It's always been a dream of mine to see as much of the world as possible while I still can, a pretty expensive dream, but a dream nevertheless. I was lucky enough to have lived in Europe when I was younger and I was able to see a lot of pretty cool things in those years. I only wish I had been old enough to really appreciate the places I went to, not that I didn't find them fascinating but just that I feel like there are a lot of aspects I missed because I just didn't fully understand the position I was in. Moving back to the states, years would go by before I would be able to do that kind of thing again. In 2018 I found myself in the position to be able to travel again, and there was only one place I knew I had to go to. That place is Japan. A place I was fascinated by since I was a little kid. The flight was bought, and it was time to get ready. 

Japan is a truly amazing place, one that I recommend to pretty much anyone. I really feel like there's something for everyone in this country. There's a ton of history to explore in this country, literally thousands of years of culture and stories that are waiting to be seen. It didn't take long for this place to win me over, just a day or two into my trip and I knew I was going to miss it once I left. My first trip to Japan was in September, I used the extra day off I had with Labor Day so I could stay a day longer there. It's not the best time to fly out to Japan, the flights aren't going to be cheap. It seems like the cheapest time to fly out might be March and April, around the time the Cherry Blossoms in Japan start to come out. The good thing about going in September though was how cheap the hotels were. Even a really nice hotel was affordable for me at that time, while in March it was a little over double the price for the same exact room. Also, the location was perfect right in Tokyo just a walking distance from lots of tourist attractions, and right next to the subway. 

Tokyo has two major airports you'll be flying into, which are Haneda and Narita. Haneda is right in the center of Tokyo, so you'll have a lot less travel time to the city from there, while Narita is about 40+ minutes outside of the city and is a little harder to get to (but not too bad). I highly recommend getting a Japan Rail Pass which lets you ride a lot of the major rails in Japan (even the Bullet Trains) for 7,14 or 21 days as many times as you need. Also worth getting a Prepaid IC card for public transportation that you just scan and not have to buy individual tickets every time you need to travel around the city. It's also a good idea to carry around some Yen on you while you travel through Japan. Most places, especially in the cities, will accept cards but every now and then you might run into a situation where you need the physical currency. 100 Yen is equal to about 76 cents more or less, but I always just rounded up to 1 dollar to make it easier. 

I ended up staying at an APA hotel, which is a pretty popular chain in Japan. I will say the rooms in Japan are pretty tiny unless you want to spend a lot more to get some extra space. My room was for a max of two people, but I think if there had been someone else with me there, it might have been a little uncomfortable. Something to think about if you aren't flying solo. The area I stayed in was Asakusa, which I recommend if you want to stay in a part of Tokyo that's a little more chilled out. Plenty of fun things within walking distance, including the Tokyo Skytree where you can get amazing visuals of the city day or night. Also not too far from the Disney parks if you are going there. If you want a little more of the Tokyo madness then maybe check out hotels in the Shibuya and Akihabara areas. 

Day 1

Tokyo is a huge city with a ton of things to do. You could honestly spend a whole week in the city and have something new and exciting to do every day. Tokyo is separated into many different sections all with some awesome things to check out and different vibes. So naturally, my first stop was... just outside the city. Being a huge Studio Ghibli fan I knew the first thing I wanted to see was the famous Ghibli Museum on the edge of Tokyo. It's well worth the trip if you're a fan of the movies, though I'll; admit you'll probably only spend an hour there unless you plan on eating at the overpriced restaurant there with some long wait times. This is probably a good time to say that I used google maps a lot during my trip, it tells you exactly what rail lines to board and when as well as any changes you need to make. Public transportation takes some getting used to, but it's incredibly convenient and surprisingly clean and quiet. Japanese people are incredibly respectful and keep it quiet on the buses and trains at all times to not bother each other, so it's good to follow suit. Also, I got by with very little knowledge of the Japanese language. I knew a dozen phrases or so to get by, mostly common courtesy and a few questions if I got lost.  

*The internet on my phone was pretty hit or miss but worked well enough to get by. If you need something more reliable it's worth looking into renting a pocket wi-fi to keep with you on the trip. 

My next stop was Akihabara, which is a must-stop for any fans of Japanese pop culture. Lots of shops for anime, gaming, and music around this area along with some great arcades. I really recommend coming here at night if you want to fully experience the cool lights and sounds of the area, but still pretty cool during the day. I spent the rest of the day checking out shops and playing some arcade games. I was trying to save money on food, so I didn't go to a lot of the best restaurants in the area. There's a cool Final Fantasy restaurant in the area I hope to check out in the future. Thankfully there's plenty of good food around Japan that won't destroy your wallet. I stopped by Coco Ichibanya, which is a curry chain that's good and inexpensive. Also shoutout to 7-Eleven in Japan for lots of cheap meals that are actually pretty decent for a convenience store. If you're like me and want to save money on your food budget, stopping at a Japanese convenience store is great for some snacks and meals. They even heat the meals right at the store if you don't have a microwave in your hotel or want to eat right away. A convenience store named Lawson has some fried chicken that I couldn't stop eating, so there's that. 

Day 2

After my first day in Tokyo, I headed over to Yokohama for the day. Yokohama is a big city on its own, worthy of a day trip from the big city of Tokyo. I headed first to the big mall called World Porters which is a nice place if you like shopping at unique stores for some gifts and souvenirs. There are also a ton of choices for food there, no chains, all local. Right next door is a small theme park called Cosmoworld that has a few coasters and the famous Ferris Wheel that lights up at night, each ride costs less than 900 Yen a ride (around 3-6 dollars). Just across the street from the mall and park is the Cup Noodles museum, which is pretty popular with tourists. It's only 500 Yen for the main tour, free for kids. A fun way to spend 2 hours especially if you have kids.

The last thing I saw in Yokohama was the Chinatown there. Not too far from the area I was just talking about, just a 25-minute walk is all. Okay maybe that's a little far, but there are some nice views of the port along the way and the city is just nice to walk around. It's well worth the walk, but you can always take a cab if you need to save energy. Chinatown in Yokohama is a cool spot with lots of interesting vibes and views. You'll totally want to see one of the big gates at the entrance, depending on what direction you come in from. And of course some good food in the area that's pretty cheap. 

(Entrance to the arcade)

On my way back to my hotel in Tokyo I stopped at Kawasaki to check out one of Japan's biggest arcades Anata No Warehouse. It's a giant building, a little out of the way from anything else of interest, with multiple stories of arcade games, slots, cranes, and gambling. Sadly it closed a year after my visit so it's not a stop anyone can make anymore. Pretty sad because it had a really cool design and atmosphere, but I suppose it wasn't enough to bring in steady customers. 

Day 3

(Fish full of cheese. As fish normally are)

A day trip to Kawagoe, a small town less than two hours on the rail from Tokyo. A really cool place to spend a day, as it has a mix of Edo-period buildings with some modern businesses around. This is the kind of place you'll be taking a lot of pictures because of how interesting everything looks. Great place to shop with lots of little carts selling great street food. There's even a Starbucks in an Edo-period style in the center of the town, right next to an old clock tower. 

Day 4

Woke up early to walk around Asakusa where I was staying. It's a really nice area to stay in because for me it was pretty quiet most of the time and there's actually plenty to see around there. Mainly the famous Sensoji Temple that has a giant beautiful gate at the front called Kaminarimon. Right outside this gate is a long stretch of road full of shops that open up later in the day, really fun to check out and great for souvenirs and gifts if you're looking for any. From there you can cross the river where you can see the big Skytree tower and the Asahi Beer building and brewery. A good place to maybe stop by and rest, get a drink before you head to the Skytree to get the best views of Tokyo from above. Or if you're like me and don't really drink and are kind of a nerd, you can stop by the Kirby Cafe for some adorable, yet tasty meals right underneath the Skytree. 

Later in the day I headed to the center of Tokyo, Chiyoda City. Admittedly not the most exciting place in the city, but still worth a visit just to see the famous Hie Shrine. It might be better to come early to see this area when it's not busy and you can take good pictures alone. The rest of the area is a lot of government buildings including the National Diet and Library buildings. A 2km walk away from the Shrine is the Imperial Palace, which is a pretty area to walk around but not a place I spent very much time in. They do also have free tours if you want to head into the garden area. 

Day 5

 Headed south from Asakusa into DiverCity. Get it? Diversity? I Don't know. But DiverCity is a big tourist area across the Rainbow Bridge. I promise you all of these things are real. There you will find a couple different malls and the big Fuji TV tower. It's actually a really cool-looking area, not just for shopping but that is the main draw here. There are a lot of great photo spots here like the aforementioned Rainbow Bridge, a giant life-size Gundam statue, the Tokyo skyline, and the Statue of Liberty. Yep. There was also a free Toyota car museum that was pretty interesting, but it looks to be closed now sadly. Inside the mall though, there's a giant Gundam store that sells tons of replicas and models, I bought a few to take back home. 

Later on, I took the trains to the Shibuya area of Tokyo, where all the cool hip teens hang out, so you know... not me. It's a great place to feel the more modern culture of Tokyo, with more shopping and fashion around the area. There's of course the famous crosswalk and the Shibuya 109 shopping that's great for anyone who wants to get some Japanese clothing brands to take home. It wasn't my favorite stop, but still well worth visiting the area once. If you go further north of Shibuya you can also see Meji Jinhu, which is a really beautiful shrine surrounded by a nice park. 

Day 6 & 7

Leaving Tokyo and taking the bullet train to Kyoto. It's only a two-and-a-half-hour trip to get all the way to Kyoto, which is pretty amazing. This is where your Japan Rail Pass really comes in handy as it includes the trip to Kyoto, though I recommend booking it in advance at the Tokyo station (it was one of the first things I did when I arrived in Tokyo). The next day and a half was spent exploring the city of Kyoto. It's a totally different vibe than Tokyo, as you can spend more time here diving into Japan's history. There are a ton of temples and shrines in the area to visit, all just a walk away from each other. I chose to just walk the whole city, which was probably not the best choice since it ended up being many many many miles. I was dead at the end of it all. Most of the historical places you can visit require an entry fee but it's usually like 500 Yen or less. There's also a really nice art museum I stopped at to get a break from the outdoors, well worth checking out if you like that sort of thing. 

Kyoto is an amazing city, I only regret that I didn't put more time into seeing it. A day and a half was enough to see all the popular stops, but not enough to really take in everything I wanted to see. Sadly I missed out on the Monkey Park where you literally get to hang out with monkeys right next to you. I'll definitely go there next time. My hotel was right in the middle of the city, a HOTEL UNIZO. Not as nice as the APA chains, but still great for the price at the time. 

Day 8

Just a short 20-minute bullet train ride away from Kyoto is Osaka (Japan Rail Pass eligible), another huge city with tons of things to do. This is the place I want to go back to the most because I feel like I barely scratched the surface with just one day here. Right from the station, I headed to Osaka Castle, which is probably the most famous historical spot in the city. Not only do you get a lot of great history, but some fantastic views from the balcony of the castle. The area surrounding the castle is stunning to look at, I imagine even more so when the cherry blossoms are there. It costs 600 Yen to enter the castle itself and climb the tower. Sadly the inside of the castle wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. It's been turned into a very modern museum on the inside. It's still worth checking out as there's interesting history in there and as I said before, great views of Osaka. 

(That's a real crab)

My final stop was Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, which was one of the highlights of my trip. This is a long stretch of road full of what must be a hundred shops or more. It's got everything you could really want from great food to souvenirs. It's an amazing-looking place with lots of charm and great vibes. It all leads to this fantastic area full of quirky signs and shops selling amazing food and a great view across the river. It's one of my favorite spots in all of Japan for sure. One last stop at Don Quijote's to buy a bunch of Japanese candy to take back home with me, a popular chain store around Japan where you can pick up lots of snacks. This is a great area to try out some Kobe Beef or some Ramen like I did to not break the bank. 

There is actually an international airport in Osaka, so if you want to fly out from there instead of having to travel all the way back to Tokyo you can. Though I can never find any cheaper flights that go there myself and when I do they usually have an unappealing schedule (like a long really layover in another city). The one time I found one for around 700 USD, it had an extremely long layover in China. 

Finale

If I could change one thing I think I would spend a little less time in Tokyo and a little more time in Osaka and Kyoto both. It's pretty hard though because there's so much to see in Tokyo that even those extra days I spent there weren't enough to see everything I wanted to. But I got a great mix of historical and modern Japan. The thing about this country is that it's got so much to offer outside of the big cities that it truly needs a month of vacation time to really see it all. But if you're like me and only have about 8-9 days this was a great way to see the county for the first time. It definitely wasn't the last time. 

Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

 

Another month, another Marvel movie. To be fair it's actually been like four and half months since the last one, but time goes by so fast it felt like it was only a month. This time we have the first Marvel movie of the year Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness directed by the legend Sam Raimi. The movie picks up not too long after the events of Spider-Man No Way Home after Strange was able to undo the mess Spider-Man and himself made. Strange finds himself in another predicament when a young girl named America Chavez appears in his world being chased around by a giant monster. Turns out, this girl has the ability to travel through the multi-verse. Throughout her travels, she met an alternate Stephen Strange that tried to rescue her from the monsters trying to steal her powers. Things get even more complicated when they find out who's behind these attacks: an old ally. 

Going into this movie, it was highly recommended that you watch the "Wanda Vision" and "What If" Disney+ series. It's true they do help you understand the plot of the movie more, and a lot of the motivations of certain characters. I will say that I did not watch either of those shows and I still understood everything in the movie, for the most part, maybe a few things that would have helped a little, but if you haven't seen them it's not really a big deal. I can't say I'm a huge fan of constantly having to connect every little thing in the Marvel universe though. It's okay to make shows and movies that aren't all somehow going to be connected to each other. I guess I just don't want to have to watch two or three shows just to be able to understand a movie. Just so you know, the villain's motivations are heavily tied to one of those shows above, not that you won't understand if you haven't seen the show, but the movie assumes that you have already seen it. 

Speaking of connections, the weaker part of this movie probably was all the fan-service cameo stuff (not going to mention who but the trailers did spoil a few). It was pretty fun seeing some of those characters on screen, but I feel like rewatching it after it loses that initial surprise, won't be as fun to sit through. It just feels a little too hard on the fanservice, where it kind of takes away from the story and characters that I actually like and want to see more of. That being said, the movie does do something pretty shocking with this that actually makes it worth it in a way. I feel like I'm being too vague here, but I'm just trying to keep it spoiler-free, if you see the movie I think you'll know what I mean.

Besides that weaker spot in the movie, I think the rest of it is really fun and even pretty damn creepy at times. While it's not perfect in its execution of the story, it makes up for it with really unique visuals, great character moments, and a lot of heart. Where it stands out from other Marvel movies is how it uses elements of horror to really push the supernatural elements of Dr. Strange. The main villain is presented as a slasher movie villain, think like Michael Myers or Freddie. Just a creepy unstoppable being tearing apart anything that gets in its way in a very gruesome way. The violence is pushed to its limits in a PG-13 movie and goes beyond what any Marvel movie has really done at this point. There were moments where I was pretty shocked by how far the movie went with its violence but in a really good way. It made the villain just feel even more vicious and unstoppable, which made the action more intense and raised the stakes. We also get a lot of the trippy visuals from the first movie here too, but the movie cuts back on those in favor of the more horror-themed atmosphere. On top of that, you still get the cool action sequences involving lots of mystical powers, which leads to some really unique and fun battles I really liked, especially one near the end of the movie involving a cool use of music. 

What I also liked here is how it feels like the character of Dr. Strange really progressed from the first movie to the end of this new one. It takes everything we knew about the character of Strange from his first movie and adds more to his character, so you see him grow more as a person and also grow stronger. I also really like the addition of America Chavez into this world, her power does open up a lot of possibilities in the world of Dr. Strange and the MCU in general. Not only that but she has a good story and works well with Strange. Wong also returns in this movie but feels more like a side character that's just there to move the plot along, not really much else. As you can see on the poster Wanda is also a big part of this movie. Continuing her ark from Wandavision in this movie, I could honestly say this is as much her movie as it is Dr. Strange's. Her character was great in this movie too, she outshined Strange in his own movie at times she was that good. 

This was another good addition to the MCU's already solid catalog of movies. It works great as a sequel to Dr. Strange as it adds a lot to his character and it tried a lot of things we haven't seen in any of the movies yet. The villain was very well done, and the movie did a good job at wrapping up everything at the end, while still leaving things open for more stories with Strange and his friends. 

Overall Grade: B

Best Hit Songs of the 90s

THE 90s! The music of the '90s had so much to offer, not just in quantity but in quality and diversity too. While the first two to three years of the decade started out a bit stale, they more than made up for it in the rest of the years following. As musicians and labels struggled to find a new sound outside of the dying '80s style new artists emerged and created a sound of their own and burst into the scene. Bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam changed the rock scene. Artists like Green Day and Weezer were doing their thing outside of that scene. Closing out the decade we saw the rise of pop megastars Britney Spears and NSYNC alongside Backstreet Boys. Other artists would rise in their respective genres too like Garth Brooks, Gwen Stefani with No Doubt, Daft Punk, Dr. Dre, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, and a hundred others. To me, a lot of these songs and artists have a special place in my heart. Growing up hearing a lot of these songs on the radio, on CDs, and on MTV helped grow my love of music (eventually). Now I can go back and listen to these songs and appreciate them in a new way or just feel nostalgic. So I'd like to talk about my favorite hit songs of the decade and the great artists that made them. The keyword there is "hit", so no indie songs that weren't on the radio or no one heard. 

Special Mentions

(1997) Shania Twain - "Man! I Feel Like a Woman"

It's hard not to love Shania Twain, a sentiment most people agreed back then. She was one of the most popular country stars of the decade and released best-selling albums back to back to back (to back). While one could argue what her most iconic song is, I always found myself coming back to this one. Even as a kid I adored this song, even though my music taste was questionable... I still agree with kid me on this one, it's a great song. 

(1994) TLC - "Waterfalls"

That video where the members turn into weird water creatures? Yes, that one. Most of the songs on this list have iconic music videos, but this one has that one specific burned into my brain (the bad 90s special effects might be a part of that). The song itself is still as catchy as it was 25+ years ago... god I'm old. Existential crisis aside, the song has aged like a nice wine. I never realized how important the bass is to this song until I listened to it recently. The bass does some beautiful things to really make this song stand out musically. The vocals are great as well, they have a nice relaxing quality to them for most of the run-time until around the end when the rap comes in. Lisa "left eye" Lopes was really great and I love her unique voice, fits in perfectly in this song. TLC had plenty of other great songs, so if you've been missing out then go listen. 

(1991) U2 - "One"

By the 90s, U2 had early become one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They're a band that has so many hit songs, you could put an argument for many of them being their true signature song. Not only is "One" one of the best U2 songs ever made, but the album it came from, "Achtung Baby", is one of the best rock albums of the 90s. 

(1994) Weezer - "Say it Ain't So"

This song and I have a long history, one that doesn't currently look too good. At one point I could've had this one up pretty high on my top 10 list, but the years have not been kind. I'm not sure if it's overplayed or just me souring on this song specifically, but it just doesn't hit the way it used to. I still feel like it deserves a mention at least, it's still a pretty great song despite all that. Weezer themselves have stuck around this whole time with varying degrees of success. Maybe one day I'll turn back around on this, but for now... not quite in the top 10. Shoutout to "Pinkerton" though, still one of my favorite albums. 

(1999) Britney Spears - "...Baby One More Time"

If I was judging this list based on just how catchy the song is then this would probably be the number one song. The thing that really pushed this song to the top 10 was the bridge, which I feel is one of the best of any song I've ever heard. I'm not sure what it is, but the melody and build-up to that final chorus is like magic. Knowing what we know about Britney today, I only wish she could have been treated better as a child star and someone who grew up in the music industry. Her talent shines through here and it's easy to see why so many fell in love with her music to instantly make her a star. From the iconic piano intro to the iconic "Hit me baby one more time" line, it all just worked. 

(1998) Ms. Lauryn Hill - "Ex-Factor"

Lauryn Hill dropped one of the most beloved albums of the 90s and then never made another album again. Her career was always kind of left with a "what if" hanging in the air. "Ex-Factor" is my favorite from the album, but I could see any one of the songs from that album being someone's favorite. It's just that good.  

(1999) Lou Bega -  "Mambo No. 5"

What?

(1995) Montell Jordan - "This Is How We Do It"

One of the catchiest songs of the decade is still pretty damn popular 30 years later. That's because this song just feels timeless in its hip-hop and dance style. Sadly it's also the kind of song that's nearly impossible to replicate, so Montell himself couldn't replicate its success. That being said, he made one of the most recognizable songs of the last three decades, so I'd call that a pretty big deal. 

(1994) Nirvana - "Come As You Are"

It wouldn't be right having a list of best 90s songs without having Nirvana in it. There's plenty of great songs to pick from, but I've always had a soft spot for this song in particular. While not as iconic and game-changing as "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Come As You Are" I feel like is the better song overall. It's got the writing Kobain was known for alongside an iconic bass line that makes the song recognizable from the very first second. Nirvana completely changed the music scene at a time when it really needed some new blood, some youthful energy to really take it to new places. For that, they will always be remembered. 

(1997) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "The Impression That I Get"

I couldn't NOT mention at least one of the great bands from the ska revival of the 90s. Well, I guess technically there is one on my list coming up, but it's a little different than this style of all-out wackiness that was ska in the 90s. If the entire band isn't wearing suits then you're doing wrong. To be slightly more serious though, this band meant a lot to the scene not just in the 90s but pretty much every decade after. While ska itself isn't as big as it was back then, it never did go away. Bands like this stuck around making great music and inspiring other ska bands to be created. It was just a few days ago the Might Mighty Bosstones decided to finally call it quits, and I just wanted to shout them out here for being awesome for as long as I've lived. 

Top 10 (No Order)

(1999) Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Scar Tissue"

Right at the end of the decade came an album that was pretty much a perfect send-off to the last 5-6 years of alt-rock made popular by bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers themselves. RHCP had been around before all of that started, but didn't really explode until their 1991 album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". They floundered a bit through the mid-90s as they tried to maintain the success they found from hits like "Under the Bridge" and "Give it Away". Then, in 1999 they released what many feels is one of the best rock albums of the 90s named "Californication". The album is full of hits and it really cemented RHCP as one of the biggest bands in the world. There's an argument to be had about what the standout track from "Californication" is, but for me it's always been "Scar Tissue". Every single second of the song just feels memorable. From the lyrics and melodies to the guitar solos, and of course Flea and his legendary bass playing. It's one of the best rock songs of all time, let alone the 90s. 

(1996) Fiona Apple - "Criminal"

An artist who quickly became a huge name in music (to a lesser extent than Britney, but still) was Fiona Apple. Just like Britney Spears, she was only 18 when her first album came out and it was a huge success for her and for music in general. Even at 18, her music felt incredibly mature and ground-breaking. The video was pretty controversial at the time of release because of its imagery, lots of half-naked shots of the young Fiona. The song itself is all about Fiona's guilt about cheating on her partner by sleeping with another person. Fiona went on to win many awards for this song and the album it was from, and to this day is still releasing great albums. 

(1995) Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise"

Some people remember this song from the film "Dangerous Minds", a film that was not very good. But it was a part of this song's rise to fame so for that, I'd give it a pass. Coolio brought a very honest look at life in the ghetto, or more specifically being a part of a gang. The things he does to survive don't bring him any joy, and he doesn't know if he's going to be alive much longer the way things are going. It's an eye-opening message backed by a powerful chorus by singer LV. The song heavily samples a Stevie Wonder song called "Pastime Paradise", which is a fantastic song on its own. "Gangsta's Paradise" is still one of the most iconic rap songs ever made, possibly outside of that genre too. 

(1994) Green Day - "Welcome To Paradise"

To say that Green Day changed rock music with this album (Dookie) would be an understatement. While this might not be the most famous song from this album (Basket Case would be that), it is my favorite from the album. Green Day has been one of my favorite bands since I was about 12 and I think they had one of the best runs any band has ever had, especially those 1994-2004 albums. "Welcome to Paradise" always stood out because of the energy and lyrics that Green Day became famous for. The bridge in particular stands out with the bass and guitar gradually speeding up until it explodes into the final verse and chorus. It works on every level. 

(1996) Fugees - "Killing Me Softly With His Song"

Lauryn Hill was one of the most loved artists in the 90s and it's pretty easy to see why. Before she went solo to make her groundbreaking album "Miseducation", she was part of the Fugees. Alongside Pras and Wyclef Jean who became huge names in their own right, they changed the music scene in the short time they were together. With the megahit "Killing Me Softly With His Song" it was clear that Lauryn Hill had the potential to be a huge star. Her talent is undeniable, as she beautifully carries this song with her vocals and the iconic melodies. I feel like I've been saying this a lot in this post, but the basslines in this song are freaking fantastic. Lauryn did go on to release her award-winning solo record, but sadly it was the first and last record she would ever release. Unless you count her live album which... is better left forgotten. 

(1998) New Radicals - "You Get What You Give"

This song is kinda cheesy, but I love it so much. It has some stellar melodies and it just gives off really fun and happy vibes. The band was pretty underrated in my opinion, considering they only released one album and just had this one big hit. The album is pretty solid and worth a listen, it makes me wonder why they never tried to make more. The lead singer, Gregg Alexander, would go on to write songs for lots of big artists like Santana, Hanson, and Enrique Iglesias (remember him?). I don't think any of those other songs really compare to his best song "You Get What You Give" though, at least the ones I heard anyway. He did write "Game of Love" for Santana, which is another song I really like. 

(1995) No Doubt - "Don't Speak"

No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom is one of the best albums of the decade, and "Don't Speak" was the standout track. It stood out for two main reasons in my opinion: the iconic melody and how different it was from anything Gwen Stefani and No Doubt had put out at this point. The band was a part of the ska revival of the 90s, and they were very popular in the scene up to this point. Their 1995 album "Tragic Kingdom" not only pushed them to the top of that genre but also into pop success. Gwen would eventually go out on her own and find lots of solo success. But before that No Doubt had plenty of other hits to keep them in the spotlight past the 90s. "Don't Speak" was written by Gwen and her brother, originally supposed to be a lot more cute and upbeat. Gwen's breakup with the bass player Tony ended up causing the shift in the song's mood to a more sad one. It's impossible to know if the original would've been as big of a hit, but it's hard to imagine it being better than the version we ended up with. If you're curious actually, you can find a sample of the original version on youtube. 

(1995) Alanis Morrisette - "You Oughta Know"

Alanis' first big album was not only one of the best rock albums of the 90s but also one of the best-selling albums of the entire decade (3rd overall). This album no doubt inspired tons of artists to bring out the same style of raw, honest rock music. "You Oughta Know" is one of the two big hits from this album (Ironic being the other). In the song, Alanis expresses her honest feelings about a recent breakup, the hurt she feels, and the jealousy about how fast he's moved on. The song also features 90s music legends Flea and Dave Navarro on Bass and Guitar, elevating the song to iconic levels. Even with them, Alanis' lyrics and vocals are still the standout part of the song, because of the emotion and clear message she's trying to send to her ex. She has a very raw and angry sound to her voice that makes it very clear what she's feeling. I think that was always the appeal with this album, the honesty that came with Alanis, and how she puts her emotions on display. Sadly she never found the same success on future albums, but she'll always have "Jagged Little Pill" as one of the most influential albums of all time on her resume. 

(1997) Third Eye Blind - "Semi-Charmed Life"

Third Eye Blind popped into the music scene in 1997 with their self-titled debut album. They found instant success with their unique style of alt-rock with songs like "Semi-Charmed Life" that have fun riffs and catchy melodies that get stuck in your head for days. Lead singer Stephen Jenkins has a knack for writing witty lyrics and earworm melodies, especially if they are about drugs apparently. It's pretty easy to see why this song was a huge success though, it's a perfect song for the radio. That and, as I said before, it's dangerously catchy. Stephen Jenkins would go on to screw over all of his bandmates and still make some pretty good music despite being kind of a douche. 

(1995) The Smashing Pumpkins - "1979"

This is the song. The song that, to me, takes me back to the 90s more than any other song. I guess it is funny that a song called "1979" would do that. In my opinion, this song is perfection and whenever I think about all of the great music of the 90s, this song always comes to mind first. Honestly, I'm not even a huge fan of Smashing Pumpkins as a band, for some reason I could never really get fully into them. This song is an anomaly because despite my feelings towards the band I still think it's one of the greatest songs ever made. I guess that's not too abnormal, there are plenty of bands that only have one song I like. I feel like I can't really explain why I love this song so much though. I think it's just how everything comes together. The guitars and bass carry the song with a really melancholy sound, which I find very relaxing in a strange way. The vocals are pretty understated until the chorus where Billy adds a bit of energy and power, and I really like that too. There's just something about it all that puts me in a really interesting mood.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

I must admit when the pandemic started two years ago and all the theaters were shut down for a long time I kind of lost interest in movies for a while. The theater was always a great way of connecting me to a movie more than I actually thought. Just being there, with nothing else to focus on but the screen and everything that's happening on it makes it so much easier for me to actually fully take in a film. Now that things have been back to normal at the movies for a while, it's been slowly coming back to me. I feel like I've just been waiting for that one movie to really amaze me and remind me why I love films so much and why I even started writing reviews about them in the first place. Well... I think I might have found the one. 

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" is insane. I don't know how else to describe this movie honestly. When I first saw a preview of this movie, I knew I had to watch it as soon as possible. The trailer was eye-catching and my curiosity was maxed out. I still wasn't really prepared for what I ended up seeing on the big screen a few days ago. Everything about this movie felt unexpected, even after watching the trailer, I wasn't prepared for the chaos. 

The story of the movie follows the Wang family, who run a laundromat that is struggling to stay afloat. Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is trying her best to deal with her quirky husband (Ke Huy Quan) while also struggling to connect with her young adult daughter (Stephanie Hsu). While her family and business are on the verge of falling apart, Evelyn is pulled into an even bigger problem, one that could destroy the entire universe... universes really. It just so happens that Evelyn Wang has a special power that can stop the biggest threat the multiverse has ever faced. She can travel through all her different lives in all the multiverses in order to learn the different skills her other selves have mastered.  Sounds totally easy to follow right?

Look, if you go see this movie you should know it's pretty freaking insane. Everything makes sense as explained in the movie, but it's all still really insane. That's what makes this movie so amazing though because it knows exactly how insane it is, but it really makes it work in ways you have to see. It makes you think "well it can't get any weirder than that probably", and then it definitely gets weirder than that. The movie is really funny because of that, but surprisingly, even with all the absurd over-the-top humor, the movie still manages to make you feel strong emotions for the family involved in the story. This is because of not only the strong performances by the cast but the actual storytelling and how everything connects to each other. Along with all the great visual gags and fun action scenes, you still get a lot of heartfelt moments that really hit and that's what really pushes this movie from good to great.

I don't really want to give much away, because I think this movie is best experienced not knowing too much outside of the basic premise. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" is truly one of the most unique movies I've seen in a while. One that reminds me of why I love films so much, is because of how it uses the medium to tell their story. While I'll always be a fan of the big blockbusters and comic books movies, these are the kind of films that really get me excited about going to the theater again, I want to experience more things like this. Films that tell unique stories in unique ways. 

Overall Grade: A 

I hope more people give this a chance. Just know that you're going into a very strange, but very funny world.

The Batman

 I didn't realize until this week that it's actually been 10 years since the last solo Batman movie. I guess since Batman himself has appeared in a few movies and shows since then it made it feel like he never really went away. But here we are now, 2022, and a new Batman movie is out in theaters. A completely new direction from the Batman that was around the last few years played by Ben Affleck. It's a character that's beloved by many of all ages and a character that's been a big part of comic book movies since the late 80s. A movie with this character will have lots of expectations from fans and will have a high bar to reach after the Nolan movies.

"The Batman" is directed by Matt Reeves, known for his work on the last "Planet of the Apes" trilogy. Batman himself is played by Robert Pattinson along with lots of other familiar characters joining him being played by an all-new cast. The movie takes place a few years after Batman has started his career as the vigilante of Gotham. His relationship with characters like James Gordon and Alfred have already been established and the movie doesn't waste any time going over Batman's origin story again. Instead, the movie jumps right into the mystery that needs to be solved: Who is the Riddler? A new murderer appears in the city of Gotham and has got a fascination with Batman. The problem is he only speaks to Batman in riddles and puzzles, and it's up to Batman to figure out the mystery before the Riddler completes his plan of chaos. 

"The Batman" focuses heavily on the crime-solving/detective aspects of the Batman character, which I honestly really liked. The movie does a very good job at keeping you interested in the mystery while introducing the characters of Gotham that you'll be familiar with if you've seen any of the other movies or shows. The story plays it very seriously and has a more realistic take on the city of Gotham and the Batman character. For a movie that's just about three hours long, it uses all that time to fully establish the world and tell the story in a way that makes the runtime feel mostly justified. By the end of the movie, I really wanted to see more of this version of Gotham and Batman and I am 100% excited to see what else is coming in this version of Batman's story. 

I will say this version of Batman isn't a very fun one, it's probably the darkest one yet. And when I say it's not fun I only mean the characters don't have very many lighthearted moments and there isn't much humor. I'm pretty sure I didn't see Batman/Bruce Wayne smile once in this entire movie. Understand that it's not what the movie is going for, so just know you're going into a more serious Batman movie. I enjoyed Pattinson's portrayal of the iconic character, definitely room for improvement there, but overall pretty solid for the first outing. I think it's maybe because we didn't get much outside of the bat suit, so Bruce Wayne felt kind of absent (which felt like a choice that makes sense as the story progresses). 

Outside of the performances (all of them being good to great) the movie just looks stunning. There are some pretty breathtaking shots that really wowed me in the movie. The action scenes are a little grittier than in previous films. There isn't a lot of crazy over-the-top moments like in a lot of the other recent DC movies. Despite that, there are a few action scenes that are full of adrenaline and feel very tense. The movie does often go to some pretty dark places though, especially with the Riddler character. There were some scenes that I think would make younger fans of Batman uncomfortable, so just keep that in mind if you plan on taking younger kids to see this. 

It's hard to know where to put this movie when comparing it to the other Batman movies of the last 30 years. As I said before, it's most definitely the darkest of them all in terms of tone. It's also got a really unique visual style that I really dug. It doesn't have a lot of lighthearted moments or any kind of humor like a lot of the older ones do. I don't know if I really want to say it's better or worse than any of those, but it's certainly different. I know a lot of people could find this particular style of storytelling pretty boring or offputting. The movie can move a bit slow at times with its story as it's a slow burn for sure (hence the three-hour runtime). This Batman/Bruce Wayne doesn't have much charm like Christian Bale or Keaton's versions did. 

Despite some flaws like maybe being a bit too long and a little too joyless at times, I still really enjoyed this movie. It's a different version of the Batman character that's never been done on film. I found the story and villain interesting and the potential for more movies in this version of Gotham excited me. The visuals were a highlight in the movie and did a great job at adding to the atmosphere. Overall a really good Batman movie. Just be ready for a lot of sadness... a LOT of sadness.

Overall Grade: B+

Best and Worst Songs of 2021

 2021 is almost over! This means I get to go back and relive all the big pop songs of the year and decide the best and worst ones for no real reason at all! I actually do enjoy writing these, it's probably my favorite thing to do at the end of the year on here because it helps me make a nice list of songs I want to remember and songs I need to avoid. It also serves as almost a time machine of sorts to myself, just being able to read my thoughts on things and see if I still feel the same about it months later is pretty useful. Which is why I might recommend writing about your lives every now and then just to compare and look back years later to see what was up and then and how your outlook has changed. Not just with music, but with anything you might find important or useful. Over the years I've changed my opinion a lot on music and tried to be more open-minded about what I listen to and give a chance. 10 years ago I wasn't super into things like country, folk, foreign music, and now I enjoy quite a bit of those genres and more. 

The music industry took big steps forward in returning to what it was before 2020. Concerts are a thing again. Still not exactly what they were, but getting closer. Lots of artists are able to tour and promote their music now, this is especially good for smaller bands/artists out there trying to gain an audience outside of just "discover" playlists on Spotify and Apple. I still feel kind of iffy about going to a show at the moment, but I eagerly await a good show to swing by here soon so maybe I can finally catch one again. 

Lots of pop artists returned to the scene this year with big projects dropping. Most recently Adele just dropped her long-awaited album that's probably going to destroy the charts. Taylor Swift dropped her recorded version of "Red" which broke records yet again, almost the entire album ended up on the music billboard charts, which is just insane considering it is about 30 tracks. Can't forget artists like Drake, Sheeran, Eilish, Bruno Mars, Bieber, Lil Nas X, and Kanye all dropped albums this year as well. Needless to say, a big improvement on last year just in terms of star power, but also the quality of music too. That alongside the big new star Olivia Rodrigo, made 2021 interesting, to say the least. 

With that out of the way, here's the list proper. First, some special mentions that didn't make the 10 best/worst:

Taylor Swift - "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)(Taylor's Version)"  

I thought about putting this on the list but I guess since it's a recording of an older song I decided not to. All you need to tell me is that there's a 10 minute version of "All Too Well" and I'm pretty much sold. Making a compelling pop song that's longer than around 5 minutes isn't something you see too often, but this song does just that. Taylor is often at her best when diving into past relationships and giving us a peek into her life and emotions through whatever relationship she is focusing on at the time. All I can say is if you've not heard this extended version yet, probably should go listen to it. 

BTS - "Butter" 

Last year I put "Dynamite" by BTS as my favorite song of the year. It was mostly as a joke, but it was a song I really liked and I still think it's really fun and catchy despite its cheesiness. "Butter" on the other hand... well it doesn't quite have the charm going for it like their last hit. It's still annoyingly catchy, yes, but it lacks maybe some self-awareness? Or maybe it's too self-aware? One of those must be right. Either way, it's not as fun as "Dynamite" and it has an awkward rap verse so that's enough for me to keep it off the list. 

Adele - "30"

Probably worth a mention just for its very existence. No songs from this album will be on the list because it came out too recently and I haven't had enough time with it. I have a strong feeling they'll be at least one track from this one on next year's list. 

10th WORST: Måneskin "Beggin'"

Honestly, I'm not sure if this song should be on the best list or worst list because it's kind of a mess, but like a pretty entertaining mess? This band came out of nowhere here in the US, I'm not exactly sure how they managed to crossover but I'd probably go ahead and say TikTok had some part in it. Should probably mention this band is actually from Italy, which most of you probably knew but figured I should say it. They also won the Eurovision song contest this year, which is a pretty big deal over there and increasingly a deal over here. This wasn't their first hit over here in the USA, but so far it seems to be their biggest one to date. Turns out this song (Beggin') is actually from back in 2017 and it's from a covers album, which explains so much. It's clear this band has grown over the last 4 years and this song (Beggin') shows that pretty clearly. Their songs now just sound so much cleaner and more polished than this track "Beggin". It does leave me wondering how this old cover song ended up doing so well in the USA...and it's just like I thought... Tiktok. 

10th BEST: Måneskin "Zitti E Buoni"

No, I don't have any idea what this song is about, but it's awesome so who cares? This song was the one that ended up getting Italy the victory at Eurovision, and I mean... it's pretty easy to see why. It's got a cool 70s hard rock feel to it with some of that 80s hair metal energy behind it too. Everything just sounds so much cleaner and smoother compared to their other hit "Beggin". It's just one of those songs that can get you pumped up pretty fast regardless of what mood you're in. Like riding into battle or attending an Italian riot? 

9th WORST: Glass Animals "Heat Waves"

This one kind of hurts. I was a big fan of this group when they first started to get popular around the time they released their first album in 2014. It was a really interesting album that had some really cool vibes, it felt unique and fresh. Their follow-up album brought a little more energy, which felt like a nice change-up after the first album's more chilled-out vibes. In 2020 they released the album "Dreamland", which is where this single came from. It felt like a step down in quality, like taking the few bad parts of the first albums and mixing it into a brand new mediocre album. While it has some decent moments, it suffers from some pretty boring tracks and some annoying time wasting interludes that I wish artists would stop sticking in the middle of their albums. (Please stop putting tiny interludes that are a minute or less with nothing interesting in them). "Heat Waves" isn't one of the better tracks on the album, it's one of the boring ones for sure. The lyrics aren't interesting enough to make up for the fact that the music just feels drab and lifeless. It just lacks that sort of mysterious atmosphere that the first album and some of the fun the second album had, and it leaves me wanting more. Did I mention it's boring?

9th BEST: Olivia Rodrigo "good 4 u"

Olivia Rodrigo, the next Lorde... or Billie Eilish... or Miley Cyrus... Avril Lavigne? No, Olivia is definitely her own thing and not at all a continuing trend of young teenage girls who are not just your "average" pop star. To be fair, I really like all those artists I just mentioned and they all happen to have released pretty good albums in the past year (well, Avril's is coming later). Olivia is still young though and this is her first big album and hit single(s), so she still has a long way to go. Time will tell if she will stick to the traditional pop career or maybe try something different (that would be cool). While her first album's songs were up and down in quality, "good 4 u" is easily the standout here. It's got the energy, the personality, and the lyrics that I think will help Olivia maintain her newly-found star status. While it's not the kind of music you can realistically make forever, right now it works great for her current style of music and youth. 

8th WORST: Maroon 5 "Beautiful Mistakes" Ft. Megan Thee Stallion

I know most people didn't notice, but Maroon 5 did drop a new album this year. It was pretty easy to miss because it's... Maroon 5. Honestly, this might be their best album in a while and that's only because of how mediocre and forgettable it was. Not one song from this album is worth remembering for good or bad reasons, it just exists for the sake of existing. While I can relate to that in some weird way, it doesn't make me like the album any more or any less. This album even has a song where Stevie Nicks sounds bored out of her mind... Stevie. Nicks.  They even managed to get Megan Thee Stallion to sound like she doesn't care. This song is supposed to be a sex jam of sorts and I just can't imagine how anyone could. While maybe they were never amazing at that particular type of music, at least they could make a song like this with some spicy-ness and flavor versus this bland showing. Well, see you next year Maroon 5 (probably). 

8th BEST: Justin Bieber "Peaches"

Last year was a BAD year for the old Bieber. He dropped an album pretty early in 2020 and it bombed pretty hard, at least critically. I don't remember it getting any number one hits which is crazy considering how popular Bieber is. "Yummy" was probably one of the worst songs of the last 10 years honestly (now that's a list I could make). So Bieber went back to the studio pretty fast to drop this new album in 2021, probably to try to get back some of his credibility after that last bomb. Well... it worked. "Peaches" is one the best songs Bieber has released in quite some time and it quickly hit number one, though it wasn't for long. This song is an improvement in every possible way from all the songs in the last album. The lyrics are okay, not as face-palm-worthy as a song like "Yummy" or even worse, "Intentions". The music and beat are a lot easier to take in along with a much more chilled out vibe and vocals from Bieber. Good job Bieber, now don't mess this up. NO MORE YUMMY. Please just stop trying to be funny in your music. 

7th WORST: Ed Sheeran "Shivers"

I honestly completely forgot about this new Sheeran album until I started going through the list of songs before writing this. I don't know if I'm alone here when I say I think Sheeran is becoming one of those artists that sounds like background noise now. None of his new songs really scream out for my attention or even sound very innovative from an artist that's been at the top of the charts for over a decade now. I will say "Bad Habits" was actually a pretty interesting surprise from this album, but that was about it for that. After that, you get the typical acoustic ballad, Sheeran Hip-Hop, and pop singles. "Shivers" falls into one of those pop singles and it's not a great one. It just feels so vanilla as a pop song, very much a typical Sheeran song except a lot less fun than usual. I feel like maybe I might be being too harsh on this song, but it just does absolutely nothing for me. It also doesn't help that I literally forgot how the song went a few minutes after I listened to it. Time to change it up Sheeran, maybe surprise your audience? Or just keep making millions doing this same schtick, what do I know?

7th BEST: Lil Nas X "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)"

After the big hit that was "Old Town Road" I was honestly starting to get worried that Lil Nas X was going to be a one and done type of artist. He released a small EP that was pretty underwhelming but left enough intrigue to still be optimistic about his first full-length album. I'm sure there was a lot of pressure to get the next big hit in order to truly cement himself into the top of the music charts as a big star with staying power. I think all doubt washed away as soon as "MONTERO" dropped as his big single from the new album. The song is about Lil Nas wanting more from his current relationship, to be more serious and more honest. It's also meant to be a sort of look back at his youth and how he used to hide his true self from others and how he's no longer going to live that way. I assume it's also a reference to the movie/book of the same name about a young man's first romance with another man. It feels personal altogether, and I really like that about the song. That along with some great music and a great hook make this a very good song. It's easy to say now that Lil Nas X is here to stay for a long time and he's going to keep getting bigger and bigger as a star. 

6th WORST: Justin Bieber "Lonely"

Maybe I spoke too soon with all my Bieber praise on "Peaches". This song "Lonely" is just depressing and not in the way I think it's trying to be. Bieber tries really hard here to try to get people to feel sorry for him for all the dumb things he did when he was a little younger. Then he blames all those things on the fact that he was super rich and famous growing up, and it just feels a little disingenuous to me. I get that being in the limelight is hard, especially when you are younger, but that doesn't automatically make all the bad things you did okay. So now that you're older you see things differently and want to be more mature and not repeat past mistakes, that's a good thing. Just don't try to do this weird song and try to make everyone feel sorry for you by singing all sad. Trying to blame everyone else for not understanding what it's like to be rich and famous. Maybe you could just... apologize for all that stuff you did? Instead of doing the "woe is me, I'm rich/famous and nobody understands me" thing. And look, there probably was a way to make a song like this work, but Bieber went about it in the worst possible way. I understand that having money doesn't equal happiness and I think Bieber probably does have a story to tell about that subject, it's just not present in this particular song. 

This is also the last song on the album, so it all just ends on a very bad note. Also, the weird yodeling chorus is very annoying. "LooooOoooooOooooOooonely"

6th BEST: Bad Bunny "Yonaguni"

The past few years have been huge for Bad Bunny man, becoming not just the biggest reggaeton artist but one of the biggest artists in the world. While I'm not the biggest fan of this genre, I still can see its appeal and there are a few tracks I still like to listen to from time to time. It's the music of my home, so it has some nostalgic type feelings for me. I'm into this song because it has some good energy behind it, along with some interesting synth that makes it feel pretty chill at the same time. While not converting me into a Bad Bunny fan necessarily, it does raise my interest in his future work. 

5th WORST: Machine Gun Kelly "my ex's best friend" Ft. Blackbear

Here we have MGK with a pretty boring "pop-punk" song. This song also features the always mediocre Blackbear, but honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between either of these two cause they both sound pretty similar in an uninterested tonal way. This song also features Travis Barker on drums, who's the only pop-punk drummer left after the pop-punk drummer rapture of 2018. The lyrics are pretty typical for the genre, a song about hooking up with a girl, more specifically his ex's best friend. It's supposed to be funny I guess because they know each other? 

Look, I haven't been into MGK's new pop-punk makeover at all and I wasn't into him back when he was a mediocre rapper. Switching genres seems to have given him some sort of career revival, but I'm not exactly sure why. You go from making bad music in one genre to another and everyone suddenly loves you? I will say there's a lot more potential with his new style than with his old rap career, and anything that helps bring pop-punk into the limelight is probably not a bad thing. Still, I just wish someone who was actually good at it was the one behind the revival. Instead, you got MGK, who's making fun of punk artists for wearing comfortable shoes on tour while he wears his uncomfortable shoes that are super expensive and make him look like a "real" artist. Bleh. 

5th BEST: Taylor Swift "willow"

"Willow" is Taylor's big single from last year's album "evermore", which was a continuation of "folklore" earlier that year. Both albums stick to a softer side of Taylor, without the big loud production of her last few albums (especially Reputation). It's a nice side of Taylor to see, though I hope her next project isn't more of this, it's time for a change. 

"Willow" is the album opener of "evermore" as well as the most popular song of the album. Far from one of Taylor's best songs, but still a very solid entry in her catalog. From this point, I'm very curious to see what Taylor's next project will sound like after she's done recording all her old albums into Taylor's Versions. I'm hoping for a metal album myself, but I'd be happy with something a little more rock and a little more energy. 

4th WORST: Chase Rice "Drinking Beer. Talkin' God. Amen." (Ft FL-GA Line)

Never has the phrase "Talkin' God" been uttered in the history of ever. That alone gets it on the worst list for me. This is just one of those extremely lazy country-pop songs where they repeat the same thing over and over for three minutes alongside the most generic non-offensive country music you've probably ever heard. Beer, American God, trucks, blonde wife, other generic country stuff. The end. 

Does anyone actually like Florida Georgia Line? They seem to be great at making this watered-down country pop that dominates country radio every year. I know there's a lot of great country music out there, but I feel like this mainstream stuff keeps a lot of people away from the genre. If you think this is what all modern country music sounds like, please go check out some other artists not in the mainstream charts, I assure you there is some good stuff out there. 

If you have time check out these artists from the country genre:

Emily Scott Robinson

Waxahatchee

Eric Church

Brandi Carlile

4th BEST: Miley Cyrus "Prisoner" Ft. Dua Lipa

This song came out last year, hit the charts very early this year. Dua Lipa and Miley work well together and this song fits the album it's from so perfectly (Plastic Hearts), which was one of my favorites last year. Both Dua Lipa and Miley released new albums last year that were heavily inspired by past decades. Miley's had a more 80s vibe to it and like I said, this song fits that vibe. I love the heavy bass line that dominates the song and the dark moody vibes that a good chunk of "Plastic Hearts" features. Both singers play well off of each other taking turns belting out, but not in a way that felt like too much. I really want to see these two team up again in the near future, but if not it was a great one-off. 

3rd WORST: Drake "Way 2 Sexy" Ft. Future / Young Thug

So Drake dropped another turd of an album this year and I don't know what to say anymore. I don't know how many chances Drake will have to keep dropping bad album after bad album and still somehow keep his spot at the top of the pop charts. I'll admit the idea for this song "Way 2 Sexy" is actually not a terrible idea, and I think it could have worked if done the right way. Of course, Drake and friends just take the idea and turn it into another boring lifeless chore of a song and throw away any potential the idea had. Drake just comes across as a giant asshole in this song (and many other songs he's done) and not in a fun self-aware way like he probably thinks he is. Future brings in his famous boring-ass energy for the underwhelming hook and Young Thug is doing... something. I don't even think Young Thug knows what he's doing most of the time to be fair. This song has a runtime of over 4 minutes because they somehow found a way to stretch a 1-minute idea for a song into four times the length it deserved to be. You could say that about the entirety of "Certified Lover Boy" as it stretches out for almost an hour and a half runtime. Do we really need that long of an album from Drake? No. And he clearly didn't have enough ideas to make an album this long. 

Special mention to the song "Girls Want Girls" where Drake unironically uses the line "Yeah, say that you a lesbian, girl, me too". Drake man, what the hell was that? 

3rd BEST: Billie Eilish "Happier Than Ever"

I'm not really sure how successful Billie Eilish's new album was this year, I feel like I haven't been hearing much about it outside of the big single "Happier Than Ever". I haven't really had the urge or time to listen to the entire album yet, as it's an hour long. Not sure why all these big artists are dropping hour-long albums, but I don't think it's always necessary for them to be this long. Especially when there seems to be a handful of songs that could have probably been cut or just been released as bonus songs. Complaining about album length aside, I do really like this song. There were parts of it I found questionable at first, mainly the loud distorted drums felt very distracting. With time and multiple listens I started to turn around and actually find the distortion pretty clever and it fits well with the style of the song. The rest of the album from what I've heard doesn't seem to get anywhere near this loud and bombastic, actually being a lot more subtle and quiet from Billie. I'm still not sure if I like that or not, maybe some full album listens will help me decide. For now I'll give lots of love to this track and hope to find some gems in the rest of the album. 

2nd WORST: 24kGoldn "Mood"

Songs like these just make me feel so out of touch with music... which I am so I guess that's to be expected. This song just feels like a terrible idea from the start though. Like making an entire song complaining about how your girl's "mood" is annoying you doesn't come across as whiny and immature in any way. I can picture young guys on TikTok singing these words unironically to their girls. I'm sure girls also love being told by their boyfriends "I am not your dad", it seems like an easy way to become single. I'm surprised he doesn't ask his girl if "it's that time of the month", seems like a missed opportunity if you ask me. Terrible ideas aside, this song is just incredibly annoying and misguided. 

Seriously though, don't ever tell your girl "I am not your dad". 

2nd BEST: Dua Lipa "Levitating" (Ft DaBaby)

I actually had two songs from this album on my best list last year, so unsurprisingly another song made the list this year too. "Levitating" was the last big single from Dua Lipa's last album (so far) and it ended up being the biggest song of 2021. That usually tends to happen with big singles that come out very early in the year, that way they have the entire 12 month period to gain lots of listens. I think this song deserves it though, while not my favorite from the album "Future Nostalgia", it's still really damn good. The album has some awesome bass lines throughout and this one is another fun disco style jam. Dua Lipa can do no wrong. I hope that doesn't jinx her...

THE WORST SONG: Walker Hayes "Fancy Like"

Okay, so maybe this song is a little too obvious of a choice for the worst song of the year. It's so bad and everyone knows it right? And yet it was featured on Applebee's commercials for months, peaked at number 3 on the USA charts, and was the 27th most played song of the year 2021. Also can't forget how massively popular it was on TikTok because that's important (all those plays on TikTok count for something). While yes, it's an easy target for the worst song of the year, it totally deserves it. The annoying as hell Applebee's commercial that made everyone cringe at the stupid TikTok dancing is enough to earn this spot. Throw in cheesy dad joke lyrics and the generic trap-country beat and you got yourself something really special. I'm not sure if this song was specifically written for the commercial or it just happened to mention the mediocre franchise to get the sponsorship, but it's bad either way. Here are some of the lyrics to cringe at:

"She want to dip me in them fries like a Frosty" (Wendy's commercial?)

"Bougie like Natty" (This one is easily the worst)

"Squeak-squeakin' in the truck bed" (of course...)

The only good thing I can say here is that no Florida Georgia Line presence is here. Although, there's sure to be some collab between them soon after this song. Well, can't wait for this song to be completely forgotten by everyone in a few months. And I thought Kanye making a song about Chick-Fil-A was bad BUT no, it could always be worse. Not too long in the future, this could be what all pop music is. Just commercial jingles disguised as radio hits. Can't wait for the Bad Bunny Church's Fried Chicken song. 

THE BEST SONG: Silk Sonic "Leave The Door Open"

I really thought Bruno Mars had peaked with his last album "24K Magic". It was pretty much the perfect Bruno Mars album, taking all his strengths and magnifying them into sonic perfection. It's honestly amazing how much he's improved as an artist and performer. I wasn't a big fan of Bruno when he first arrived on the scene, with his fedora hat and cheesy love songs it just didn't feel right. In his second album "Unorthodox Jukebox" he experimented with different styles and I think he really found himself in the song "Treasure". A funky song with lots of soul just fit him so well and brought a new charisma that made him incredibly likable. Taking this newfound charisma into the huge hit "Uptown Funk" shot Bruno into superstardom. 

Teaming up with "Anderson .Paak" was a match that I never knew I wanted, but this new partnership led to magic. This without a doubt one of if not the best album of the year. "Leave the Door Open" was the first single to drop from this album and right away I knew this project was going to be big. It did not let me down. "Leave the Door Open" does everything right from the music, lyrics to the vocals it doesn't miss once. If you haven't heard the album yet I really recommend it, it's 31 minutes of *chef's kiss*. 

Well, that's the list for this year and honestly, I'm pretty happy with this year's music. Lots of good pop music and the bad on the list songs weren't the worst I've ever heard. I always like to also put some recommendations outside of this list so below I'll leave some albums I really liked. I also recommend most of the albums the best songs on the list came from besides Bieber's album. I'll put a little asterisk next to my personal favorites.

• Kasey Musgraves - "Star Cross" (Pop/Country)
• Summer Walker - "Still Over It" (R&B)
• Pale Waves - "Who Am I?" (Indie Pop)
• *Japanese Breakfast - "Jubilee" (Indie Pop)
• *Faye Webster - "I Know I'm Funny haha" (Indie Pop/Rock)
• Little Simz - "Sometime I Might Be Introvert" (Hip-Hop)
• *Turnstile - "GLOW ON" (Punk)
• *Five Iron Frenzy - "Until This Shakes Apart" (Ska/Rock)
• The Big Takeover - "Spilling Water" (Ska Reggea)
• *Emily Scott Robinson - "American Siren" (Country/Folk)
• JPEGMAFIA - "LP!" (Hip-Hop)
• Architects - "For Those That Wish to Exist" (Metal)
• Snail Mail - "Valentine" (Indie Rock)
• Deaf Heaven - "Infinite Granite" (Shoegaze?/Metal)
• Geese - "Projector" (Indie Rock)
• The World Is a Beautiful Place... - "Illusory Walls" (Post-Hardcore)
• Twenty One Pilots - "Scaled and Icy" (Pop Rock)
  
• Manchester Orchestra - "The Million Masks of God" (Indie Rock)
• Ladyhawke - "Time Flies" (Indie Pop)
• King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - "Butterfly 3000" (Psychadelic brah)

Here's a playlist with 69 songs (nice?) from the year 2021, nice mix of different genres. 

Army of the Dead

 

If there's one thing that won't ever die, it's the zombie movie genre (no pun intended?). Still to this day, we get multiple a year and it's always interesting to see what ways they could possibly make this genre any different than the dozens of other ones released in the last few years. Army of the Dead does present an interesting twist in the genre, at least enough to make me interested in it, and that is a heist movie in a zombie-infested Las Vegas. The cast features some familiar famous faces, none that I'd consider A-listers outside of maybe Dave Bautista. Add Zack Snyder as director and you got yourself a zombie movie with some potential to be pretty dang good. Can it add something new to the zombie genre, or at least make for a fun time?

With all the factors I mentioned before, this did have some potential to be a good time. As I watched the movie I did realize something pretty quickly, this movie is pretty boring for an action-packed zombie movie. Most of the characters aren't very interesting and the few that are weren't enough to keep me invested in the story of the movie. Most of the characters aren't given much outside of maybe Bautista's character Scott and his daughter Kate played by Ella Purnell. The story focuses on their relationship and how they had a falling out after the zombie invasion started. After they escape Vegas, Scott becomes a cook and Kate joins a shelter to help people struggling after the zombie attacks. A businessman comes to Scott for a special mission: to assemble a team and re-enter Vegas to crack open a safe and steal millions of dollars. Scott agrees as this money is enough to get him out of his terrible job and help his daughter. Finding a crew isn't too hard with the amount of money up for grabs. So with the crew and the (pretty flimsy) plan, the mission is set to start as the clock ticks before the city of Vegas is nuked in a few days to wipe out the zombies contained. 

As I said before, I found the movie overall surprisingly boring despite all the big action moments and zombies. I'll admit I'm not crazy about the zombie genre at the moment, as I feel like it needs some time to rest. That's not to say I don't welcome a good idea if it comes, and while this one did seem promising, it ultimately came up short. The main problem for me was the characters and the fact that I didn't really care about most of them. While the action can be pretty fun at times, it feels less impactful when it's a bunch of characters I feel nothing for in danger. The motivations for most of the characters seem vague at times, most just seem like they want the money, which I guess is fair enough but maybe it would have been a little more interesting to go a bit further than that. There are a few moments where you get a glimpse at some backstory or motivations for characters, but it never feels like it's enough to really change how I felt about them. On top of that, you get the big baddie, who's the leader of the zombies and can create alpha zombies that are smarter and faster than the regular rotting corpses. Again, you never really get any kinda story to him outside of a few glimpses here and there. 

There are a few things I did like about the movie. The opening sequence was very well done to introduce you to the world and to the characters at first. There's this nice little musical number that sets up the chaos of the zombies in Vegas and how dangerous it is to enter the city. It does a good job at establishing the world and how dark and violent it is. The world and setting, in general, are really good and excited me for the possible set-pieces and story. The action is another good part when it does pick up about 45-50 minutes after all the setup, the movie does take a while to build up to it. The special effects and visuals were overall pretty good, but I guess that's usually Snyder's stronger attributes in movie making. All that doesn't make up for the weak story and characters presented here, and the movie also just feels a bit too long, which is another thing Snyder is known for. 

Everything put together leads to a pretty watchable movie, but one that didn't leave a lasting impression on me. While the performances, visuals, and action were all good, I think the writing really brought this movie down from what it could have been. To me, action matters more when the characters and motivations are good, or it at least is funny enough to ignore that. This movie didn't really have either of those things, and the humor didn't really hit all that much to me. But if you're just looking for some zombie-killing action with some good visuals, then this movie should be a good time for you. 

Overall Grade: C. Average zombie movie, doesn't add anything to the genre you haven't seen before. The over-the-top action and Vegas setting are enough to keep it from being anything less than a C. Also, my admiration for Dave Bautista probably helps too. 

I'm starting to think maybe Zack Snyder isn't a great director. I don't think I've really loved any of his movies up to this point. While his movies usually have pretty interesting visuals, the dialog and story usually hold the movies back from being better than they could be (Batman V Superman is a perfect example). I did enjoy his take on the Watchmen story though, so there's that. Also please stop making your movies so long.