Drenched in fuzz and noise, full of sonic weirdness and surfing thunderous drum grooves that boom and clatter, I've had Kim Gordon's new-ish album No Home Record on heavy, heavy rotate since it dropped. The album doubles down on the ideals of Gordon's no wave aesthetic while pushing intonew musical territory. While her voice and 'tude remain effortlessly cool, she goes all in on embracing scuzzy electronica, bone-rattling 808 bass and the melodic possibilities and human limitations of squawking guitar feedback. No Home Record is arty, experimental, challenging but mostly brilliant.
LAUGH The phrase "comedy special" doesn't really do justice to what Mike Birbiglia's doing. Yes, he's an extremely funny comedian with a high laugh-per-minute ratio but his specials aren't really comedy routines. Instead, they're expertly crafted, long-form stories that happen to be extremely funny. They're also unflinchingly honest and aimed directly at your feels. His new one's just dropped on Netflix and it's called The New One. It sees Birbiglia recounting the journey he and his wife went on to have their "new one", aka their baby. It starts as he recounts his extreme reluctance to parenthood, something he was "very clear" about before marriage and runs right through to his newfound status as "Dad". The New One is relatable content for those who have kids, but also for those who are "very clear" about not wanting them. Be in no doubt, Birbiglia is up with the best and this one comes highly recommended.
WATCH It hasn't received too many likes or faves recently but I'm still logging into tech-comedy Silicon Valley each week. Currently, smack-bang in the middle of its final season the show, which streams on Neon, has always had a surplus of smart gags and cheap lols, but they had stretched the whole "will they succeed?/won't they?" plot line fairly thin. This time around Pied Piper is successful and teetering on the verge of becoming a tech juggernaut ... but it's not quite there yet. As expected there's plenty of major and minor hiccups standing in their way, including disgruntled partners, the Chilean mob, US Congress and, as usual, the boys themselves. Will they succeed or won't they? Dunno, but it's been very funny finding out.
PLAY
If there's something strange in your neighbourhood, who ya gonna call? Nope, not the Ghostbusters. Instead give Mario's lanky brother Luigi a shout. Luigi's Mansion 3 on Nintendo Switch sees plumber Luigi get into the ghostbusting game as he explores a haunted hotel to rescue his bro Mario and their pals. Armed with a ghost-sucking vacuum cleaner and a slimy sidekick, a doppelganger named Gooigi who aids you in solving brain-tingling puzzles and catching particularly pernicious poltergeists, it's difficult to put the game down. Unlike the Ghostbusters, Luigi is most definitely afraid of ghosts and his terrified reactions and animations make playing the game a total joy. Overflowing with that classic Nintendo charm, inventiveness and fun factor, Luigi's Mansion 3 is a frightening good time.
