Four good things, vol. 3

These aren’t the only good things, but these are four good things.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

It won a bunch of Oscars, and other awards, so it probably doesn’t need my recommendation. But it’s just as poignant, imaginative, funny, and amazing as everyone has said. A story that could only really be told as a film, and I loved it.

Better Off Ted

A bleak satire of corporate culture and multinational evil wrapped up in a fun, absurd workplace comedy. Though it came out in 2009, it’s still funny (and savagely accurate) today. Veronica is a buttoned-up executive as a hyper-competent, feral sociopath; Phil and Lem are terminally codependent lab scientists; and Ted himself is trying to do the right thing, most of the time. Special credit to episode 4, “Racial Sensitivity,” which is fantastic and brutal and hilarious.

Gnosis, by Russian Circles

More of a piece with their last record, Blood Year, it hits harder and holds together more than that one did. It’s not the same album-length movements of their prior work, but despite the songs separating, there’s a greater cohesion than before. A very good metal record. I’m in for everything these guys do.

MusicHarbor for macOS and iOS

I don’t usually listen to the radio, and we don’t have broadcast TV. The fragmentation and supernovae of the Internet means it’s hard to keep up with the bands I actually like, much less find new ones. MusicHarbor lets you follow artists so you can track their releases, and will even put them on a custom calendar for you. It’s how I found out Jambinai has a new record coming, which is amazing. It also serves as a replacement for Spotify’s followed artist feature that I can’t be arsed to recreate in Apple Music.