As a voracious consumer of words, sounds, motion pic-tures, and other cultural detritus I always appreciate a good recommendation. In the interest of paying it forward I’m going to periodically list some stuff I enjoyed in the past month—stuff that has been jostling around in my figurative backpack.
The Sharp Lyrics of Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? by Kara Jackson
I like to listen to music while I work, but the vivid language in Kara Jackson’s debut collection of songs kept jamming up my brain, making reading or writing impossible. Following in the Leonard Cohen mold of poets-turned-musicians, the music is folk-y with the odd blues or country motif drifting in. Not to invite unreasonable expectations but her voice reminds me a little of Nina Simone. While working in a different tradition, she also brings to mind SZA, another contemporary songwriter whose lyrics can be both heart-wrenching and pretty funny. She’s got Joanna Newsom’s knack for turning a great phrase or finding a fun rhyme (it’s worth reading the lyrics as you listen), and like late Frank Ocean the songs have a low-key, meandering quality. What makes her so great, though, is that she doesn’t sound like any of these people at all. She’s a universe all her own.
The Perfect Gems in Emma Cline’s Daddy
I read this 2020 collection a while ago and found the stories unusually evocative. I don’t finish every book of short stories I start, but this one reads quick and easy—it took me less than a week to get through it. I liked it so much I thought I might like to own it, so I kept my eye out for a copy anytime I went into a used book store. And lo, a pristine copy was found in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, of all places. I’ve been slowly making my way through the stories again, savouring the on-point descriptions and the way Cline can swiftly get to the nerve of a situation. The last story I read is about an American Apparel (remember?) employee who starts selling her underwear to strangers on the internet. It manages to be tense, funny, and sad all at the same time. I won’t describe any of the others, because they’re best read blind, but each story is its own little world that blooms and fades with perfect economy.
Romantic Comedy Rye Lane
This movie is two things: a visually manic, almost cartoonish collection of comic scenes and a grounded, emotional romance with off the charts chemistry between its two leads. Set in South London, it follows two freshly-heartbroken people as they meet cute, wander around, and get into shenanigans involving their exes. Romantic comedies are not usually that visually interesting, but director Raine Allen-Miller shoots her film like a 90s music video. While I found this approach a bit jarring at first—just park the camera in front of the beautiful faces and charming locations!—it wrung out a number of good laughs once I got used to it. Most importantly the charisma between David Jonsson (also of HBO’s Industry) and Vivian Oparah is extremely persuasive. These two really know how to look at each other and smile!
We live in an age where there are few theatrically released romantic comedies and an abundance of disposable ones made for TV and streaming. Despite living on Disney+, Rye Lane is distinct and memorable. I wish I could have seen its bright colours and charming cast on the big screen but it worked its magic in my living room just as well.