This week I have a couple of smaller films with Molly Manning Walker’s cautionary tale and an office character drama starring Daisy Ridley. I also dig into the fortieth anniversary 4K of Footloose, gush about the new Universal Monsters Collector’s Edition and new mini-series on both Netflix and AppleTV+.
Another two weeks bring another ecclectic grouping of songs, although I don’t go too heavy metal this time, just a few peppered in there. A bit of my hip hop side is on display in the first part with some classic pre Fergie Peas and a polarizing figure, Cardi B as well as my top 40 love with 5 Seconds Of Summer. The late nineties and early 2000s seems to be the median line here this week, with the oldest song on any of my playlists yet, released in 1978, but I have some all time favorites who will make appearances again, including Taproot, Incubus, The Dillinger Escape Plan and, of course, Foo Fighters.
Track #1: Black Eyed Peas Featuring Esthero – Weekends – Bridging The Gap (2000)
I feel like a bit of a hipster with the Black Eyed Peas because I loved these guys when they first hit the scene, especially their work with Ontario singer Esthero. Her style complimented theirs well and paved the way for the arrival of Fergie to the group. It’s a great groove to start this playlist, a different direction for the second one I’ve put together.
“Jumping music, swift d.j.’s
Smoke machines and laser rays
Look out weekend ’cause, here I come
Because weekends were, were”
Track #2: Taproot – Mine – Welcome (2002)
They are easily one of my favorite bands of all time with their first three albums always in a pretty regular rotation, I fell in love with this Ann Arbor, Michigan group when I saw them open for Deftones during the White Pony tour. Every song has become a favorite as almost thirty of their songs sit on my Liked Songs list on Spotify. I think this track is a brilliant way to kick off a record.
“You’re my blessing in disguise
You make me realize
Just how and where I want to be
Years from now”
Track #3: Cardi B – Up – Up (2021)
Cardi is, without a doubt, a controversial figure in music and on the net but one thing is for sure, she is one of the best rappers in the game, gender aside. My wife is definitely the reason why I listened to her at all, causing me to really like her Invasion Of Privacy record, and this one was on a loop for me when it was the official theme song for WWE Summerslam in 2021. That all said, why do we have all of these other singles and no new album, Cardi?
“Big bag bussin’ out the Bentley Bentayga
Man, Balenciaga Bardi back and all these bitches fucked
It’s big bags bussin’ out the Bentley Bentayga, man
Birkin bag, Bardi back and all you bitches fucked”
Track #4: Fozzy – Purifier – Boombox (2022)
Ahhh, we now have the collision of my passion for wrestling and my love of hard rock and classic metal as the first song from current AEW wrestler and all time legendary wrestler Chris Jericho’s band Fozzy lands on the list. Jericho and guitarist Rich Ward always front such great and catchy hooks and Purifier is the final third to a phenomenal kick off of their album, Boombox.
“Shining a light while you hide your demons
Pray for me, pray for me
Throwing your stones from a glass house broken
Pray for me, pray for me
Purifier, purifier
Your day’s coming”
Track #5: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood – Youngblood (2018)
The first earworm of both of my playlists is rearing it’s head here as this is a group that I really only have this one track as a liked song. Who knows? Maybe it will be a group that I pick up more on like Glass Animals bu the drums to this sizeable single really made it catchy and something I found myself mumbling in my head later after listening. It also kind of continues a vibe on this current playlist I think.
“You push and you push and I’m pulling away
Pulling away from you
I give and I give and I give and you take, give and you take”
Track #6: Hayley Williams – Teardrop – Teardrop (2021)
Why, yes, this is the theme song for the Hugh Laurie show, House! Massive Attack has a few songs that were used prominently in television and movies but Paramore’s Hayley Williams lending her vocals to a cover of this takes it to a beautiful new level. The work she does with the more complex pieces adds the flair that we’ve been enjoying for years and it always makes me backtrack a bit to her first solo record, Petals For Armor. This recording also comes from Jack Antonoff’s 7th annual Ally Coalition Talent Show and she’s wearing a towel.
“Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Gentle impulsion
Shakes me, makes me lighter
Fearless on my breath”
Track #7: Spoon – Don’t You Evah – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
Chill grooves and vibes, that is exactly what Austin, Texas rock band Spoon is bringing to this track, starting with a rough snare intro with some simple guitar licks that fill out in sound as the song progresses, getting bigger and bigger. The crazy thing is the whole time, this song is still that same chill groove. To me, this feels like a track you’d want with you on a road trip, a song that handles the mood and calms you while still rocking. You really gotta love Spoon and their atmosphere.
“Don’t you never think it’s right
Bet you think you had to but it doesn’t feel right
Bet you never think it feels right
Famous-sounding words make your head feel light
Petals getting picked, with the love-yous
And the love-you-not
Five years going by
Everyone is standing on their side”
Track #8: The Dillinger Escape Plan – Widower – Option Paralysis (2010)
A loungy beginning with piano and a crooning Greg Puciato, the first single of their 2010 record sets you up with twinkling keys before its evolution to one of those patented Dillinger furies that peel your face off neatly with some calculated thrash. I loved Dillinger Escape Plan deeply as a band and anticipated each record. Also, a hell of an act live and I’m glad I have that memory.
“Obsessed with thoughts that deform
Held on by hope to the one
Crippled because of chains
That eclipse reality
Crushing into truths we all perceive
Without perceiving”
Track #9: Rammstein – Feuer Frei – Mutter (2001)
What a crazy group these Germans are. I can’t even begin to explain my love for this group but ever since the first time I saw them live, I considered these guys kind of in a category of their own. Mutter is a hell of a second album and this track lives up to its fiery name big time with some real scorched earth energy. It also makes me think of the Vin Diesel movie XXX every time I hear it.
“Bang Bang”
Track #10: Incubus – Redefine – S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997)
On a list of the greatest first songs on an album, there is without a doubt a place for this immediate energy boost from, in my mind, one of the greatest albums of all time. So many points of this song I get lost in, like that bass slap breakdown from Alex Katunich AKA Dirk Lance and José Pasillas flying on the kid behind him. How about the extra oomph that DC Lyfe gives it with his turntables? This is a hype song for me.
“Imagine your brain as a canister filled with ink
Yeah, now think of your body as the pen where the ink resides
Fuse the two, kapow! What are you now?
You’re the human magic marker, won’t you please surprise my eyes?”
Track #11: The Police – Can’t Stand Losing You – Outlandos D’Amour (1978)
My love of music I have to give to my mom for inspiration because I always felt like if there weren’t movies or cartoons going, there was definitely a song playing and this iconic trio was always in the rotation. I love the rocky drive to this song with that signature Police sound, Stewart Copeland absolutely rocking that kit. I love their breakdowns so much, even as a kid, and getting a good rock out to it now, nothing has changed in my feelings for it. All of this said, still really needy and obsessive behavior from Sting, very concerning.
“Called you so many times today
And I guess it’s all true what your girlfriends say
That you don’t ever want to see me again
And your brother’s gonna kill me and he’s six feet ten
I guess you’d call it cowardice
But I’m not prepared to go on like this”
Track #12: Foxy Shazam – I Like It – The Church Of Rock And Roll (2012)
Eric McNally and his Cincinnati, Ohio rock band were a wild thing to come across when I first heard their single, A Dangerous Man, a song destined for this list eventually. With a Freddie Mercury-style flamboyance and crazy energy, my love for them was solidified when I saw them in concert. Now, this song, HAHAHA, is an insane choice for an introduction but this song has a catchy hook and a danceable groove that just gets into your bones. The last guitar lick at the end of the chorus is so damn cool.
“Big magic woman
Oh you got me
Under your spell
You hypnotize
Me with your hips and thighs
I wear these shades
So when I stare
No one can tell”
Track #13: Papa Roach – She Loves Me Not – Lovehatetragedy (2002)
My love for the heights of nu metal is fully on display early and before the heavyweights like Korn and Limp Bizkit which is surprising for me. Yes, the conduit for my love was obviously the release of Last Resort, an angsty theme song that spoke to a generation but I have a soft spot for Jacoby Shaddix and his Vacaville, California band’s lead single from their third album. I love the build to his “LIFE’S NOT FAIR” lyrics at the end. A true chef’s kiss to a great song.
“When I see her eyes
Look into my eyes
Then I realize that
She could see inside my head
So I close my eyes
Thinking that I could hide
Disassociate so I don’t have to lose my head
This situation leads to agitation
Will she cut me off?
Will this be an amputation?“
Track #14: Foo Fighters – Good Grief – Foo Fighters (1995)
After a musical depression took hold of me, caused by the death of Kurt Cobain, my best friend Rogan picked up the debut album of Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters and it rejuvenated me. We listened to this record over and over and over again, taking each track into our minds, devouring every moment the Mighty Dave gave us and this was by far my song on the album. That heavy strumming chorus gets me every time and I headbang along with it almost against my will. This song is an all-timer for me.
“Since I’m puttin’ down
All of the true things around, but I like it
Handed down my crown
Given the jewels and the answers of May
The thought of bein’ ousted
Comes and goes, comes and goes
When I think about it
The wind blows”
This week I got to see if the Taylor Swift conspiracy theory around Argylle held any weight, a Mads Mikkelsen Vancouver International Film Festival Favorite favorite gets its theatrical release and a great sexual exploration Canadian comedy which also played the same festival. Two new Criterion Collection entries get some well-deserved love from me and some solid Warner Archive releases.
This week I finally got to see the new Yorgos Lanthimos masterpiece and it did not disappoint! Angus Cloud’s second last performance hit blu-ray along with a couple other Hong Kong actioners and I immersed myself in one of the best HBO limited series in recent memory.
I’ve been writing about movies for a long time on my website but a driving force in my everyday life is definitely music. Since a young age, my mom had been playing tapes in her car and at home for me and it’s something that caught on and with it, an eclectic as ear as my eye is for film. So, with this in mind, I thought I would start compiling playlists of my days in two week pieces. It gets out there odd sometimes and I have a heavy metal ear and a candy pop and synth heart so these playlist might get weird!
Track #1: Eyes Set To Kill – Misery – Eyes Set To Kill (2018)
A four-piece out of Tempe, Arizona, this band is fronted by the Rodriguez sisters, lead guitarist and vocalist Alexia and bassist Anissa. Spotify recommended their self-titled album, the sixth full-length they had released, and I was hooked. This is a jam that I consistently rock out to when I do a usual front-to-back listen of the record.
“Can’t get me out of your mind
Misery, misery”
Track #2: Darkest Hour – Tranquil – Undoing Ruin (2005)
Absolute face-melters out of Washington, D.C., these guys became one of my favorite metal bands of all time after first discovering their music on a CKY skate video, then my purchase of this album, Undoing Ruin. This track starts with a great snare lead directly off the previous track, Paradise. A glorious six and a half minutes, it includes a stunning solo and an outro that bookends so beautifully with track one, With A Thousand Words To Say But One
“Now I know that the worst part is behind us now
Now I know that we’ll get on with life
‘Cause we deserve it”
Track #3: Atreyu – Honor – Lead Sails Paper Anchor (2007)
A great mix of blistering and clean vocals, this Yorba Linda, California band got on my radar with their 2004 album, The Curse, but this album keeps coming up with the most liked songs. Honor, the second track on the album, has that good metalcore drive and a chorus that spurs you to sing along. To top it all off, it has a shouting line that is so fun to lose yourself to, going “Fight, fight, fight ’til the break of dawn!”
“We’ll fight our battles, we’ll wage our wars
Settle the scores with honor and blood
We’ll wear our scars like medals of hope
Like medals of hope, like medals of hope”
Track #4: The Offspring – Gotta Get Away – Smash (1994)
The landmark record that put The Offspring on the map of mainstream radio bands, this is an album that is a big part of my music taste formations that I found myself, obviously through listening to the radio incessantly. Now imagine a thirteen-year-old Steve seeing the music video for this song and discovering what a mosh pit is. Yes, it was a total game-changer for a young man and it may still be my favorite track on the record.
“Sitting on the bed
And lying wide awake
There’s demons in my head
And it’s more than I can take
I think I’m on a roll
But I think it’s kinda weak
Saying all I know is
I gotta get away from me”
Track #5: Violent Femmes – Add It Up – Violent Femmes (1983)
When you hear this band’s name probably the first thing that comes to mind is their biggest hit, Blister In The Sun, a song about masturbation that gets played at sporting events sometimes, prompting those who know to giggle. That was my beginning with them too as well as their song on The Crow soundtrack but this song, with its breakneck stand up bass notes and the frenetic wailing vocals from Gordon Gano all get me grooving. Plus, it’s used brilliantly in Jennifer Lynch’s mystery thriller Surveillance.
“Words to memorize, words hypnotize
Words make my mouth exercise
Words all failed the magic prize
Nothing I can say when I’m in your thighs”
Track #6: Apocalyptica – S.O.S. (Anything But Love) – Worlds Collide (2007)
I’m a real sucker for mixing classical-style orchestral with heavy metal guitars and drums so when I got a whiff of a Helsinki-based and cello-driven instrumental band Apocalyptica, I was all over it immediately. Worlds Collide has many great singer pairings but this one with Lacuna Coil frontwoman Cristina Scabbia is a song I go to time and time again. Cristina is an absolute force that pairs so beautifully with their full-bodied metal sound.
“Oh, stripped down to my naked core
The darkest corners of my mind are yours
That’s where you live, that’s where you breathe”
Track #7: Placebo – Pure Morning – Without You I’m Nothing (1998)
This was the first track I ever heard from this London band and it became a quick earworm, along with the other single Every You, Every Me solidifying that I liked their sound. Decades later and now in my forties, they are a group that constantly comes up on my liked songs list shuffle and it is all starting from this leading single. Placebo is incredibly important to British emo pop rock and this is an all-timer
“A friend in need’s a friend indeed
A friend with weed is better
A friend with breasts and all the rest
A friend who’s dressed in leather
A friend in need’s a friend indeed
A friend who’ll tease is better
Our thoughts compressed, which makes us blessed
And makes for stormy weather”.
Track #8: Tantric – Breakdown – Tantric (2001)
Being a huge fan of the acoustic heavy act Days Of The New, I knew that Todd Whitener, Jesse Vest and Mat Taul were worth following after being fired by frontman Travis Meeks. Forming Tantric with Massachusetts native Hugo Ferreira was a comfortable move as his and Meeks style are closely related, just without the overswell of ego. This was the first of three singles off the record and just with that beginning riff, you know it rocks.
“I know the breakdown
Everything is gonna shake now someday
I know the breakdown
Tell me again am I awake now maybe
You can find the reason that no one else is living this way”
Track #9: In Flames – Bottled – Soundtrack To Your Escape (2004)
Easily one of my favorite records of all time, I listened to this one front to back multiple times over and over again when I bought it. One thing I adore about this Gothenburg, Sweden band is the chances they take in their composition and Bottled is definitely one of those risk takers towards the end of Soundtrack To Your Escape. Hell, it even does a bridge that sounds like it’s straight out of the Highlands of Scotland.
“I channel the pain through this
The paper, the pen, your eyes
To stare into what’s next
It frightens me
No control, no reward”
Track #10: Future Leaders Of The World – Spotlight – LVL IV (2004)
With a hammering intro, this Buffalo, New York band shows its post grunge cards immediately which is only heightened when Phil Taylor’s pretty Cobain sounding vocals kick in. THis track is a total headbanger to scream along with and if it wasn’t for the Spotify recommendations I never would have stumbled upon them. Solid stuff to get into now, especially as the band hasn’t released anything in almost a decade.
“We’re gonna pull you in
Never gonna let you out
Make sure you know your way in a crowd
When freedom only costs as much as you can buy
They’ll sell you whole life in pieces, rest till you die”
Track #11: Tegan And Sara – So Jealous – So Jealous (2004)
The Canadian content has arrived on this playlist finally and it is twins out of Calgary, Alberta that kind of became my music obsession after the release of their album, The Con. Going back through their catalog afterwards, this title track always stuck out to me. A lilting pulse that moves into a snare-hammering chorus. Love it.
“There I am in the morning
I don’t like what I see”
Track #12: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cold Light – Fever To Tell (2003)
Opening with the sultry vocals of the iconic and immediate Steve crush Karen O, this track off the New York City indie trio’s debut record gives a great indicator of their unique sound. I love the simple crunchiness of the drums and guitar mixed with the sex kitteny vocals, it really just makes you have to move to sway with their gravity. Heck, that can be said for all of the tracks off of Fever To Tell to be honest.
“Cold light
Hot night
Be my heater be my lover
And we could do it to each other”
Track #13: Sturgill Simpson – Sing Along – SOUND & FURY (2019)
This is a cool one because it’s sort of a crossover with my reviewing side as Sturgill stars in the new and ten-time Oscar-nominated Martin Scorsese film Killers Of The Flower Moon but his “day job” is as a country singer. This is also a rare one as country is not a genre that will appear very often at all on these playlists as I generally don’t like any of it. That said, this song is such a toe-tapper and reminds me of something Jesse Hughes of the Eagles Of Death Metal would have put together. It’s funny that I have a country song on the first playlist I put together here.
“Words can stab as deep as night
And cut like a razored thorn
Bitter air and the winds of spite
Like the cold of winter’s scorn
Leaves may fall on sleeping ground
But the wind sweeps them away
Like hurt lovers in the final round
What once was is now decayed”
Track #14: Olivia Rodrigo – ballad of a homeschooled girl – GUTS (2023)
Be warned, I have my metal side but I also have my pop side and my adoration of some pop stars and it makes its first appearance here to close out the playlist. Olivia was that TikTok song that felt like it repeated one part of the track over and over again to a nauseating degree but once I dug into the record, I was shocked with how much I liked it. The second album is even better with its maturity and this song is probably my favorite to come from it.
“I broke a glass, I tripped and fell
I told secrets I shouldn’t tell
I stumbled over all my words
I made it weird, I made it worse”
This week I kick things off with Jason Statham protecting the hive before digging into two newly Academy Award nominated films. Also new this week, the Americans and Russians are fighting in space, there’s an absolute treat on AppleTV+ for fans of Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, Sofia Vergara is taking on the story of the Cocaine Godmother and more.
This week I start with a little dip in the pool for Night Swim and a whopping three Netflix movies. New on DVD, Kitty Green is putting Julia Garner through hell once again, one of the originators of German New Wave cinema is the focus of a new documentary and much, much more.
We’re still in that beginning-of-the-year movie lull, I talk about the most important film of 2023, a biopic starring two of the best character actors in the industry today, William Oldroyd’s long-awaited follow-up to Lady Macbeth, and much more. This week also marks the debut of a father-daughter team as my daughter Chloe has joined as producer, editor and the person keeping my information in check!
The first episode of 2024 and I’m going for the horror right away! Given, I didn’t really have anything new to watch, I instead played catch up for a few great ones including Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving. I also got a box set of one of the greatest sci-fi shows ever.
You read that right, the third edition awarding of the best of the best in film (at least out of what I’ve seen) is here! This time around, the presentation is a little different but Shane has brought in Ryan O’Donnell to guide us along smoothly so the familiarity is there. What is my idea of Best Picture, Best Actor/Actress or even Comedy of the Year? All of the Stebbie prestige in the video below!
Steve Stebbing 