I Listened To: September Music Roundup

Some of the music that kept me entertained in September was Juno, Remi Wolf’s album, as well as the deluxe version of Magdalena Bay’s Mercurial World.

Juno is the October 2021 debut album by Remi Wolf. I came across it well after its release date, because the sixth song, Volkiano, crossed my feed. It was an instant hit for me, and I quickly went on to listen to the rest of Juno. This album is a strong debut for Remi Wolf. The songs were fun, and the execution of the lyrics and vocals was superb. I also liked the music videos that were released in support of Juno. They were colorful and retro—the filming had a soft grainy quality to it—which reminded me of old cartoons or shows from the 90s.

Magdalena Bay released a deluxe version of Mercurial World on September 23, almost a year after the original’s initial launch date of October 8, 2021. I’m always interested in special versions of albums, particularly to see what the artists decide to add. Mercurial World’s deluxe adds a couple of new songs, remixes, instrumental versions, and 15 “Secrets” divided between eight intermission-type tracks (which added to the immersion). Mercurial World was already a great album, and I thoroughly enjoyed the robust list of additions.

What have you been listening to lately?

Music Monday (218): The Dickies, Janelle Monae, Janet Jackson

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: My pick this week is Killer Klowns by The Dickies. This is the theme song for a 1988 science fiction horror comedy movie called Killer Klowns From Outer Space. I love this song! I couldn't find the band's official channel on Youtube, so you can check out the Spotify preview below.

  

Adri: This week I'm listening to one of my favorite songs by Janelle Monae, Many Moons.

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Doesn't Really Matter by Janet Jackson. I hope everyone has an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

Spooky Books To Read This October

Welcome! Today, Adri and I have put together a list of some of our 2022 reads. These books are right at home in October, and you can also check out our list from last year HERE.

 

Breana: This year, I have six books for my part of the list. Up first is Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. It’s a classic, and now that I’ve read it for myself, I better appreciate and understand the praise its garnered. Then there’s Katherine Arden’s conclusion to the Small Spaces quartet, Empty Smiles. Summertime, clowns, what more do I need to say? The next book is Monsters in the Mist by Juliana Brandt. I read this book as an ARC back in May of this year. And I praised it for the balance it struck between the supernatural scares and the personal nature of the issues, which had negatively affected the characters. Switching gears, I had to mention Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer. It was horror comedy—occasionally over the top with its suburban cliques and hijinks—but the supernatural aspects were appropriately nerve-wracking to read about. Plus, I had a good laugh at certain parts of the story. Next is Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone. There was everything from a dark atmosphere, isolated setting, sinister Lord Under, and the horror of one particular and very cursed lake. And last, but certainly not least, is Middle Game by Seanan McGuire. The synopsis says “Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.” The story is a page-turner with some truly horrifying moments—particularly with the nature of alchemy that McGuire created—which is why it deserves to be on this list.

Adri: Hey everyone! I actually didn’t read that many spooky books this year. I did get to read Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley. I thought it was just the right amount of spookiness plus friendships. And the other books I read were the last three in the Books of Elsewhere series by Jaqueline West. And those are The Second Spy, The Strangers, and Still Life. It’s a slightly older series (2010-2014) but still up there on creepy. Especially since it dealt with magical paintings that the main character could enter in a creepy old house.

Quarterly Recap: July-September

It’s October, a.k.a one of my favorite months. It’s also time for the last quarterly recap of the year. And included below are links to posts that have appeared on the blog through July, August, and September.

July Reviews:

• Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall by Alexandra Lange
• The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow

August Reviews:

• Blog Tour & ARC Review: Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley 
• Holiday Heroine by Sarah Kuhn
• The Cartographers by Peng Sherhperd 
• The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim
• Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer
• A Treacherous Tale by Elizabeth Penney

September Reviews:

• Lakesedge by Lyndal Clipstone
• In The Shadow Garden by Liz Parker

Other July Posts:

• I Listened to Dawn FM by The Weeknd
• Short Stories I Read in June
• I Listened to The Beginning of the End by Les Friction
• Quarterly Recap: April-June

Other August Posts: 

• I Listened to Special by Lizzo
• Short Stories I Read In July
• I Listened to Supernova by Nova Twins

Other September Posts:

• I Listened to: August Music Roundup 
• Short Stories I Read In August
• What I've Been Watching + Upcoming Movies & TV Shows

Looking ahead, I always use October as an excuse to rewatch old favorites—I think it’s time to watch Over The Garden Wall again too. Otherwise, there are a lot of new movies/TV series I’m looking forward to, which I explained in a post HERE.

There's no Short Story post this month. And as far as books, I’ve prepared reviews for two books themed perfectly for October. Plus, Adri and I are going to have a reading list for spooky novels, similar to the one we did last year. I’m also going to be participating in #Peachtober on Instagram. I likely won’t do the full prompt list, because I prefer to keep a laid-back approach to art related challenges (I’ll see how many I get to).

Music Monday (217): Rina Sawayama, Rico Nasty, Soul II Soul, Coolio

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I finished reading Frankenstein last week. As it so happens, there is a song by the same name on Rina Sawayama's 2022 album, Hold The Girl. It's one of my favorites. Give it a listen!

 

Adri: I was listening to some of my heavier playlist and remembered this Rico Nasty: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, which is what I'm listening to this week.

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Keep on Movin' by Soul II Soul

 and Fantastic Voyage (Timber Mix) by Coolio.

What are you listening to this week?