While COVID-19 continues to rage on and the BLM movement overturns the country sparking some much-needed change, I have had time to sit back and reflect on the movement of the world.
In the month of July, I have found my inspiration lies in the voices and talents of other people. Here is a curated list of the films, books, music, and art that I have gravitated to as my own self-reflection and construction as an artist ensues.
Directed by Ari Aster
My friends and peers have directed me to this film for the longest time. Finally, this month I found the time to sit down and enjoy the 2hr 18min epic that told a story of pain, suffering, isolation, and rebirth. The film was simply gorgeous, as the long standing shots of Hungary met with the ornate set design, and the conscious feeling of anxiety created a narrative that I knew all too well.
Summer being in full swing, I am met with the pleasures of warmer weather, however, the underlying fear of COVID-19 seems to brush every site or experience of beauty. While Aster probably could not have predicted how timely this film would become, he created a scene of moving caution in which every bit of the universe is truly out of one’s control, yet in the most beautiful chaotic way.
1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues
By 100 Gecs
The original album 1000 Gecs has been an everyday staple since I was first introduced back in January. Now, 100 Gecs delivered an amazing 19 set album of various remixes. While all of the songs hit the same tone they have been perfectly deconstructed then placed back together again. The new album enhances on the idea of building on an idea with collaboration, where in all of the chaos perfection can be found. What makes this album so amazing is the sheer volume and variation of artists on it (GFOTY, Count Baldor, Fall out Boy, Rico Nasty, 99Jakes, and many more).
My favorite tracks include:
xXXi_wud_nvrstop_uXXx Remix (Tommy Cash, Hannah Diamond)
Stupid Horse (Remix) feat. Count Baldor and GFOTY
Gecgecgec (remix) feat. Lil West and Tony Velour
It’s release was exactly what my ear had been craving- more perfection from 100 gecs. All I need is a new album of fresh tracks!
This novel has been sitting on my nightstand for sometime. However, I decided to finally commit myself to it. The first few pages are strictly dialogue from a variety of characters. The reader is essentially implanted into chaos and is forced to distinguish a narrative. At times, it’s an exhausting read, yet when moments of clarity translate one feels omniscient.
It switches perspectives and emotions erratically, while trying to adhere to the childlike perspective. Woolf paints an image of a chaotic world that feels oddly reminiscent of today, not only because of the unpredictability, but for the brief moments of clarity.
By For3v3rbi7ch
This single came out back in March and I have listened to it everyday since. Created and produced by a my close friend and collaborator, For3v3rb1tch (Charles Winston Cleworth) it is perfectly woven with electronic beats and an insane base line built from the cars revving motor.
The song comes in parts and revisits different aspects and reworks them into more dynamic and embellished methods throughout the four minute and thirty three second track. For3v3rb1tch accomplished keeping the listeners ear on their toes throughout the entire track- never exhausting them, and always buttering them up for the next switch up.
By Spike Lee
While this film came out in 2019, I revisited this month and realized how it has aged to be even more timely than it was during its release. It touches on white privilege and the importance of acknowledging depth of white privilege.
The film successfully digs at the absurdities of this culture, along with the continually failing Trump regime. This reminded me of a concept in the spectrum of art aging, I realized that art can never go out of style, it simply develops as the world grows and becomes more and more of an image of the world it has been placed to reflect.
