I Listened to Dopamine by Normani

Normani is one of those artists where you had to wait and then wait a little more for that album. Originally part of the girl group, Fifth Harmony, she branched out on her own after the group went on hiatus in 2018, with songs like Motivation (2019) and Diamonds (2020) featuring Megan Thee Stallion. Well, after a few years, Normani’s long awaited solo debut album, Dopamine, was finally released on the 14th of June 2024 with thirteen songs. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely!

Dopamine pretty much met all of my expectations, especially based on the direction I assumed it was going in, which was hinted by the singles supporting its release (Wild Side featuring Cardi B, 1:59, and Candy Paint). I was, generally, pleased with it, because it’s the kind of fun music I can relax to or have on in the background while I read. 

It’s firmly planted in the R&B and pop sphere with some creative direction with its arrangements, particularly on some of my top-favorite tracks on the album—Insomnia, Lights Out, and Big Boy featuring Starrah. It also had some good features, including the aforementioned Starrah as well as Cardi B, Gunna, and James Blake.

Overall, Dopamine was a great album.

In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran

Title: In the Shadow of the Fall

Series: Guardians of the Gods #1
Author: Tobi Ogundiran
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Novella
Publisher/Publication Date: Tordotcom; July 23, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A cosmic war reignites and the fate of the orisha lie in the hands of an untried acolyte in this first entry of a new epic fantasy novella duology by Tobi Ogundiran...

Ashâke is an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning for the day she is made a priestess and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. For years she has watched from the sidelines as peer after peer passes her by and ascends to full priesthood. Desperate, Ashâke attempts to summon and trap an orisha—any orisha. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world....

I’ve read Tobi Ogundiran’s short fiction before—The Nine Jars of Nukulu, which was published in The Book of Witches edited by Jonathan Stahan and illustrated by Alyssa Winans. So, when I heard about his 2024 novella, In the Shadow of the Fall, I knew it was going to be at the top of my list for July releases. And like The Nine Jars of Nukulu, Ogundiran packs a lot into this novella’s pages.

It begins with Ashâke, an acolyte, attempting to and ultimately failing at a desperate bid to bind an orisha. Sounds bad, right? The story makes it abundantly clear her sentiments were unwittingly fostered by her feelings of being rejected and ostracized for failing in areas where other acolytes had succeeded. She wanted to belong in the only place she’s ever known. So the epiphany she has, her crisis of faith—for lack of better words—that desire and her failings, is why I found her instantly sympathetic and likeable as a character.

The story is pretty fast paced and it doesn’t stay in one setting, even so it never felt rushed. The world building was one of my favorite aspects. I was engrossed with following Ashâke’s journey as she discovered the nuance of a history she once believed she was well versed in. And I liked how Ogundiran turned her understanding upside down as well as how the information was imparted to me, the reader. It was often through song, storytelling, and conversations between the characters.

This, however, was by no means a light story. Every secret was consequential, and it got pretty dark at times, what with how the villains operated.

That being said, In the Shadow of the Fall was excellent.

 

About the author....

Tobi Ogundiran is the Shirley Jackson, British Science Fiction Association Award, Nommo and Ignyte award-nominated author of the acclaimed collection of stories, Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic (Undertow Publications). He's called many places homes, including Lagos, Russia, and now Oxford, Mississippi.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Tordotcom) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Music Monday (293): Tame Impala, flowersovlove

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've been listening to Tame Impala's album, The Slow Rush, again. It's still one of my favorites! So my pick this week is: Breathe Deeper.

Adri: Last week, I was listening to breaking news by flowersovlove. I love this song, and I want to listen to more of her music.

What are you listening to this week?

I Listened to Brat by Charli XCX

I’ve listened to Charli XCX’s music since the True Romance days in 2013. So, I was moderately looking forward to her sixth studio album, Brat, which was released on the seventh of June. And then on the tenth of the month, a deluxe version—Brat and It’s the Same But There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not—was released under a very ironic title. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely!

Brat was bold, loud, and full of hyper and electronic pop club friendly beats—for example Von Dutch, 360, Apple, and Club Classics, among others. Those aspects of the album were fun and, essentially, the kind of music you can move to. They also showcased the inspiration behind the album, which I’d read previously was pulling from “London rave.” While songs like I Might Say Something Stupid and So I slowed it down by a notch, and they were among some of the most vulnerable tracks on Brat. 365 closes the initial album with lyrics and a beat recycled from 360, but remixes it enough so while it was a full circle moment, the track still stood on its own.

On the other hand, Brat and It’s the Same But There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not adds Hello Goodbye, Guess, and Spring Breakers to the original track list. The three songs were fine, and complemented the album.

All in all, Brat was a pretty solid album for me.

I Watched The Invitation (2022)

One of the movies I’ve wanted to watch for a while now was The Invitation, a horror thriller written by Blair Butler and directed by Jessica M. Thompson. Released in 2022, it stars Thomas Doherty and Nathalie Emmanuel. Honestly, I was sold on the film by the trailer, because around the time it was released, I was reading more gothic inspired fiction than I am now. Even so, it took me a while to come back to The Invitation. But I’m glad I did, because this movie was fun and campy, which on occasion is exactly what I’m looking for.

The Invitation starts off relatively benign with Nathalie Emmanuel’s character, Evelyn (Evie) Jackson, working a catering gig where she received a DNA test, as a party favor, from a goodie bag. Which, you know, was kind of random, but it jumpstarted the story with the entry of long-lost family and an impromptu trip to England, for a wedding. The Invitation had a number of gothic fiction hallmarks—secrets, a strange mansion, a heroine who starts out naïve—particularly with a focus on the paranormal kind. So while the setup seemed ordinary, as Evelyn arrived at the manor with wedding guests and a strangely unwelcoming household, it didn’t take long for odd things to start happening. And with a situation like that there was only one way to go from there, and it was downhill for her.

For a large part of its runtime, Evelyn’s experience was almost contemporaneous to its modern time period, except for the hints pointing toward the uncanny and supernatural nature of the traditions that actually dictated the area’s social structure, down to the way of life for the locals. It was insular and the other characters—even those who only appeared in passing—had loyalties, which often clashed with Evelyn’s drive to survive the situation.

Some of the most thrilling parts of The Invitation happened close to the end of the film, when the reveals started happening, and it turned into to a game of cat and mouse. The villains were menacing and effective at creating a daunting challenge for Evelyn to navigate.

Overall, while The Invitation wasn’t a profound film, it didn’t have to be to be good at what it had to offer. And, ultimately, I had a great time watching it.