What Wednesday #32
Today I prepare to be Geek Dad, listen the Ocean on vinyl, and dance with some Brits.
What Wednesday is where I talk about what I’m watching, reading, playing, etc, because for some reason I think you’ll find that interesting. If you have recommendations, I’d love to hear them :)
What I’m Reading: Goodnight Darth Vader (Amazon)
I warned you this will turn into a daddy blog in March, so forgive me for starting a little early. I just had to share this awesome baby shower gift from my brother and his wife. It’s basically Goodnight Moon with Star Wars characters. And it’s oh so wonderful:
It’s got all the obvious characters (Yoda, Han, C3PO), some of the more obscure (Jango Fett, Lando, the trash compactor monster), and even some from the phenomenal Clone Wars animated show. (Unfortunately, it also has Jar Jar Binks, but I guess the kids love him.)
It’s littered with so many little details from the movies, it’s clearly more for the geeky adults reading the book than the kids being read to. But that’s fine with me, the kid’s gotta learn her geek heritage sometime. Might as well be right before she drifts off to sleep.
What I’m Hearing: Frank Ocean, “Blonde” (Vinyl)
My favorite album of last year, this time in vinyl form. My lovely wife picked this up for me on Black Friday (the one and only day it was for sale) and it just got here (guess those vinyl fairies are a little busy). As I’ve already talked about at length, Blonde is an amazing album. But I already knew that. How does the vinyl itself stack up to the quality of them album? I’m sorry to say, not well at all…
The sparse album art I expected, and it looks great. But the lack of lyrics, nearly empty gatefold, and questionably pressed records (the labels don’t even specify which side is which) all amount to a half-hearted job. Definitely not worthy of what the record contains.
But I’m still ecstatic to have my favorite album of 2016 on vinyl. And if nothing else, the limited release makes this baby valuable — it’s selling for around $200(!) on secondhand markets. But this thing isn’t going anywhere. Toys aren’t meant to live in plastic, they’re meant to be played with! And believe you me, it will get plenty of play. The kiddo’s musical education will begin early.
What I’m Also Hearing: The xx, “I See You” (Spotify, Apple Music)
The xx is an incredibly popular indie pop/electronic band out of London, and their new album has shot straight to the top of the charts. Think of them as an 80’s pop band from the future. If you like dancing to your music, and have somehow missed them over the past 8 years, give them a listen. (And if you really like dancing to your music, check out band member Jamie xx’s 2015 solo album, In Colour. That thing is incredibly fun to listen to and starts with one of the best bangers from the past couple of years, “Gosh”.) Please to enjoy.
