1/19/15: The week's Top 3

Hello everyone! Happy New Year!

After going away from the blogosphere for a while, I'm back... Let's get to it.

Three things I'm excited about this week (in no particular order):

1. Let's give it up for Madonna. http://www.madonna.comYeah, I know it's already been a month since she released the first six tracks from her upcoming album "Rebel Heart", and yeah, I've always been a bit mad for Madge...regardless, I'm still totally digging these songs. "Living for Love" -- gospel-infused dance pop at its best -- and in my opinion her best single in a decade. It reminds me a little bit of "Like a Prayer" fused with "I Will Survive" and should pair nicely with her iconic classic when she tours this summer. "Devil Pray" -- continues on the pseudo-spiritual theme begun by "Living for Love." This is confessional Madonna with a message -- drugs will only get you so far. If you want true happiness and fulfillment, you've got to find it within yourself and turn your back on the Devil. The opening acoustics give way to a dark, somewhat menacing bass thump. Initially, this was my favorite track of the new set. "Ghosttown" -- a nice mid-tempo power ballad with a post-apocalyptic theme. One of her best ballads in years. "Unapologetic Bitch" -- currently my favorite track. I didn't know what to make of this reggae-tinged kiss-off at first but it's definitely grown on me after repeated listens and it contains one of my favorite lyrics in recent memory: "You know you never really knew how much you loved me 'til you lost me/Did you?/You know you never really knew how much your selfish bullshit cost me/Well, fuck you." This pretty much sums up the theme of the song. Next up, "Illuminati", another track that improves over time. While Kanye West, who co-wrote and produced the song, commands us to "Bounce" in the background, Madonna gives us a lesson on The Illuminati, the cabal of high-powered celebrities, politicians, and personalities who supposedly run the world, at least according to Internet conspiracy theorists. This isn't really a song per se...in fact, I'm not really sure what it is. All I can really say about it is that it's weird, vaguely creepy, and would be great to dance to in a subterranean dance club at four in the morning. Oh, and the lyric "Everybody in this party's shining like illuminati" sticks with you longer than it has any right to. And finally, "Bitch, I'm Madonna" featuring Nicki Minaj: a schizophrenic 21st century party anthem that's got Miss Minaj written all over it. I can take it or leave but it is kind of fun. All in all, some of Madonna's best new material in years. It probably won't convert a new generation of listeners, but it proves for those of us who have followed her for most our lives (like me), it proves she's still a creative force to be reckoned with and bodes very well for the new album, due to hit March 9th.
2. "Boyhood." Gosh this film is good, unlike anything I think I've ever seen. Flawlessly acted and seamlessly written, directed, and edited, this is a little movie writ large over the span of twelve years. Part of its power is that because you literally watch each of these characters (and the actors playing them) age, you completely believe them. And while I knew, obviously, it was Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke playing the roles of the estranged parents, I totally believed them as the characters they were playing. This isn't a movie with big plot twists or exciting action sequences. Rather, it's a film comprised of life's moments, all of which we can relate to, all of which we have experienced -- whether you're a parent or not -- and some point in our lives. The film is universal in its theme and brilliant in its execution.
3. "Velvet." http://www.antena3.com/series/velvet/I recently discovered this gorgeous and shamelessly addictive Spanish dramatic series on Netflix where the first 16-episode season is now available for streaming. Set in a high fashion department store in Madrid in the 1950s, it plays like a Spanish version of "Downton Abbey" with its depictions of the comings and goings and interminglings of the 'downstairs' sales staff and the wealthy and glamorous 'upstairs' owners of the store and their customers. The production values are stunning -- and the huge cast, led by the beautiful Paula Echevarria as the faithful and hapless seamstress Ana, and the smoldering Miguel Angel Silvestre (probably the best-looking guy on TV right now...anywhere) as Alberto, heir to the "Galerias Velvet" throne, this is a feast for the eyes and the heart. While it glosses over the politics of Franco's Spain -- actually, at least in the first ten episodes I've streamed thus far, the sociopolitical conditions are non-existent -- it succeeds in sweeping you into the story and it never lets go. Only season one, which debuted in Spain in 2014,  is currently available on Netflix. Season Two is forthcoming and Season Three is currently airing in Spain. If you're looking for your next TV binge, "Velvet" is definitely binge-worthy.

Enjoy!