"SMITHEREENS" | Joji 

There has been a lot of new music released in the last couple weeks, but this album easily takes the cake as my favorite. Joji’s music is simply unmatched by any other artist in his genre. This album is short, sweet and to the point: nine songs at 24 minutes. 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about artists constantly evolving and shifting their sound. Joji is a perfect example of an artist who has consistently reinvented himself while maintaining his core sound and voice. This album is similar to some of his other music, but it has a very unique sound to it. The ballads and lyrics feel more meaningful and it is filled with piano, my favorite. Many of his critics have disagreed and stated that all of his songs sound the same and the album is too simple, but hey, that’s why art is subjective. 

While this album is only nine songs long, the intro track “Glimpse of Us," was released as a single back in June before the album’s release this month. It quickly took over TikTok and the world, becoming a number one song in many countries. The song is absolutely heartbreaking, but still makes you want to scream it singing in your car. 

While “Glimpse of Us” is widely considered the most popular song on the album, my favorite is “Die For You.” One of my favorite aspects of this song is its ability to make you feel different ways depending on your mood. When I am sad, it throws me into a deeper depression, but when I’m happy I can play it over and over again.

Something this song does so beautifully is talk about this person’s ex in such a supportive and loving light. It doesn’t happen often, but in this song, Joji talks about losing someone he still cares immensely for but has to get over. My favorite lyrics are “Growing pains, but I don’t want to get older” and “I heard that you’re happy without me and I hope it’s true. It kills me a little, that’s okay, cause I'd die for you”. To me, It has the perfect mix of lyrics and melodies while complimenting the album as a whole. 

"Moments" | Micah Edwards

All music has a certain beauty to it, and that beauty is different for everyone. To me, this song is as beautiful as it gets. A slow, jazzy, r&b feel to it that makes you feel like the main character in a movie. Seriously though, I am surprised this song is not in a movie yet, because it is incredibly cinematic in the rhythm and beat. 

One of the other certain beauties of music is that different listeners can derive different meanings from it, with this song serving as an example that art can be left up to interpretation. Upon listening to it, "Moments" feels like a love song, but I could absolutely see it taken the other way. To me, the lyrics have such a beautiful reflection of what it is like to fall in love and a reminder to just appreciate the moments while they are happening without the pressure of your own head. 

This is a gorgeous song, listen to it at full blast, you won’t regret it. 

"Soul"

Let’s be honest, does Pixar make bad movies? The answer is an overwhelming no, except for maybe one or two… sorry “Cars 2.”

“Soul” is yet another reminder of how far technology and animation has come. For 3D animation, this might be the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen. That all makes sense when you find out it had a $150 million budget and took over four years to complete. 

Everyone watches movies for different reasons, some watch to escape reality, some watch to appreciate art and some watch to feel something. This is a movie that makes you feel something. The film follows a jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who teaches at an elementary school in New York and is simultaneously trying to make a music career for himself. He books a gig and then suddenly… falls down a sinkhole and dies. The focus of the movie takes place after Joe's death, where he is tasked to mentor a soul that is ready for life. 

“Soul” touches on so many different aspects of life and what it means to be alive. It is incredibly reflective of the human experience and makes me feel all mushy inside. I have seen this movie (not kidding) eight times, and I cry everytime. I could write a novel about this movie and its themes, symbolisms and plot devices that are so impactful. But that would not be in this movie’s fashion. You have to experience it on your own and take whatever meanings you can from your own viewing of this wonderful film.  

"Upload"

Talking about things that got me through quarantine, this show did some heavy lifting for a while. The first season of this show was released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic  and I quickly became obsessed with it. This futuristic show also deals with death, grieving and some form of the afterlife. The afterlife in this world essentially is pay to play. As long as people who are alive are paying for you to have your consciousness in “digital heaven,” you get to live. 

This definitely feels like a concept that could unfortunately be a reality sometime in our near future and that is part of the reason it hits home so well. The writing, acting and overall story of this show is at such a high quality it surprises me that this show is not more well known. It is created by Greg Daniels, who has written on or created some incredible shows including “The Office,” “The Simpsons” and “Saturday Night Live,” just to name a few. 

“Upload” is a quick, easy watch on Amazon Prime, and I promise, once you start it you won't want to stop.