S3 Ep. 1- January 2021

 Welcome back to Thrak Attack! I have traveled far and wide this January to find many of adventures in many strange lands. There was a total of 13 adventures and different dimensions I traveled to this January which is a fantastic showing for a usually bland month! I will be reviewing 10 of these encounters in a Top 10 of January list! The adventures that did not make the cut were Iris Fall for Nintendo Switch, "Songs for the Drunk and Brokenhearted" by Passenger, and "Unbothered" by Lil Skies. I hope you enjoy the adventures as much as I did so let's get started!

10. Nuts is a fun game about observing a photographing squirrels. It's a less interesting version of Pokemon snap but the art style, chill paced game play, and gameplay loop was just darling. Unfortunately I played this game on Apple Arcade on my iPad which did not benefit the controls at all. That was my one complaint with the game which had nothing to do with the game but the platform. 

9. Outside the Wire is a surprisingly well put together action Netflix film starring Anthony Mackie. The near future world that they have crafted for this film is very compelling and realistic but surprisingly foreign. I won't spoil the movie of course but I loved Anthony Mackie's character and the way the story builds on why he loves analog media such as typewriters, paper files, and vinyl records. The film of course is not the best but the quiet moments really do shine in between the action. 

8. "OK Human" by Weezer is one of their most compelling albums in years. With a concept of a rock album with no guitars and heavily influenced by classical music this album really sticks out. It's crazy to me that Weezer has put out countless albums and stills seems fresh. Oh yea! They're putting out a second album later this year which proves their drive to just make music! Some of the highlights are "All My Favorite Songs" and "Bird With A Broken Wing".

7. History of Swear Words is a Netflix comedy series that actually has a lot of great information and history in it. It's hosted by Nicholas Cage and features many others who comment on the use of various swear words and historians and scientists discuss the purpose of these words and where their origins come from. I actually really enjoyed this series and got a lot out of it! Also, Nicholas Cage's closing remarks of the season may just be the best quote of the year!

6. "Greenfields" by Barry Gibb is a surprise album from one of Disco's legends! But even though this album has some great classics such as "Lonely Days", "Jive Talkin'" and "Words" and features a famous country artist on each track. Artists such as Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Allison Krauss, and the one and only Dolly Parton make a appearance on the album. It's a great concept that could have just been a greatest hits album!

5. ".Wav" by Flux Pavilion is one of the first EDM albums that I have listened to all the way through and didn't think to myself "This all sounds the same". I love EDM music and think it's a fascinating way of creating music but usually the ideas of the albums get stale quickly. That is not the case from this album and it's themes of classical music such as "Symphony" and "Partial Fugue in B Minor". This one you should diffidently check out!

4. Downfalls High is a 40 minute music video featuring all of the songs from Machine Gun Kelly's "Tickets to My Downfall" album he released last year. The movie can be found on YouTube and it was a great way for me to experience my new 65 inch TV with a sound bar. The story is compelling enough but the way they crafted the music into the story is fantastic! This is a great concept that doesn't fit into either movie or music category!

 

3. Cybershadow is the first great game of this year. It's an indie game from Yacht Club (who also brought us Shovel Knight) and is a ninja gaiden inspired game. I played this one on the switch and it ran great! It's a 16 bit style game with rad music, enemies, and challenges that never seem unfair. If you're a fan of this style of game you should really check it out!

2. Wandavision is a Disney+ original series that follows the events and characters from the MCU after Avenger's: Endgame. This is the first of the Disney+ series that will directly tie into the MCU films (not like Agents of Shield) and does a wonderful job of it! The first three episodes have been sitcom styles from the 50's, 60's, and 70's that stars Wanda Maximoff and Vision (hence the name of the show) but the 4th episode features some surprise minor characters from other Marvel films. This is diffidently a compelling way to continue the MCU and now we get a new installment every week instead of every few months!

1. "Mountainview" by April Keez is the debut album from a dear friend of mine! I have know April for years now and I even got to perform alongside her at he wedding! But even though I am a friend and very biased, this album is fantastic! She is such a talented singer/songwriter and it really shows on this debut album! Her vocals and piano skills added with her husband David's guitar riffs make for a very compelling listen. It's hard to pick some highlighted tracks because they're all so good but my personal top three are "Misfit", "Lucid", and "Circle Back Around".  

Well there you have it! January is finished and saw some great releases! I am surprised how many of these are actual contenders for the Top 10 lists of 2021 because usually January is such a slow month. If this is any indication of how this year is going than we are in for a treat! 

                         All the Best, Ross