Each week, the staff here at The Anchor give their recommendations on an album, book and movie to enjoy. Here are our recommendations for the week of 9/24-9/30.
Album- This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
Recommended by Francisco Aguirre-Ghiso
Who knew James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem had it in them to create one of the best indietronica albums of all time? Everyone did, of course, but it still feels nice to say out loud.
LCD Soundsystem crashed into the NYC music scene with 2005’s self-titled album: a fun and self-deprecating record full of jabs at pretentious hipsters and their cool DJ friends. From there, they jumped into the alternative music spotlight with 2007’s Sound of Silver, a perfect blend of indie rock and electronic that has some of their biggest hits, such as “All my Friends” and “New York, I Love you but You’re Bringing me Down.”
You think they’d pump the brakes there and release an album maybe just a little bit worse than Sound of Silver, which would be totally reasonable since Sound of Silver is a staple indietronica album, but you quickly learn to never underestimate James Murphy. 2010 brought This is Happening, understood by critics and fans alike to be the best LCD Soundsystem record. It’s unreasonably fun at times, poignant at others, and always incredibly self-aware. It’s opening track, “Dance Yrself Clean,” has become a standard dance track at hipster live venues all over the “world” (Brooklyn), “I Can Change” has taken the title of cheesiest 80s songs not released in the 80s, and “All I Want” has gained a reputation to be a very danceable depressing song.
As always, LCD Soundsystem are painfully aware of their pretentious fanbase, and are willing to satisfy their cravings while throwing punches at them, and themselves, in the process. But above all the self-deprecating humor and clever lines, This is Happening is an album that boasts intelligent lyricism, infectious production and an attention to detail only LCD Soundsystem could supply.
Movie- In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-Wai
Recommended by Francisco Aguirre-Ghiso
In the Mood for Love can be best described as a showcase of fleeting memories, seen from the minds of two past lovers, who were forbidden to love. These two lovers find themselves looking back, with melancholy, of the events that led them to find each other in the backdrop of 1960s Hong Kong. The plot follows two couples, the Chows and the Chans, who move in next to each other. Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan soon find out that their spouses are cheating on them with each person’s respective spouse, and the two try to figure out how the affair happened. But as a result of their relationship as two lovers riddled with pain, they find comfort, and peace with each other. This leads to the inevitable growth of love between them.
More than being one of cinema’s most accomplished romances, In the Mood for Love boasts impressive cinematography, intelligent dialogue, a wonderful soundtrack, and world-class acting, courtesy of Maggie Chung and Tony Leung. This isn’t a loud film about hectic breakups and uncontrolled fights. Instead, it is a quiet, slow burn movie that lingers on every quivering eye, shaking finger, and every sign of sadness that clings to Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan. Melodramatic moments will not be found in this film, only the subtle, intense movements that guide us through the blurred memories of their past.
Book- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Recommended by Francisco Aguirre-Ghiso
I can say with confidence that On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a book with prose like no other. The novel is essentially a letter written to the narrator’s mother, a Vietnamese woman who is illiterate. It is a project doomed from the beginning, but in this setup Ocean Vuong finds immense clarity about subjects such as generational trauma, the Asian-American identity, and what it means to be queer in the United States. This book contains prose that makes you drop the book and say “wow” (while reading it I did it on a couple of occasions). This is also a perfect book to read if you’re curious about poetry, but still want a narrative, since many sections of the novel read more like poetry and prose. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is one of the only books to make me cry, and it quickly rose to the top of my recommendation list as soon as I finished it.
If you want to submit your own recommendations, contact Francisco Aguirre-Ghiso at [email protected]
