June’s blogpost was a pain and I’m old enough to try a new approach if something is not working. Starting August, I will be updating the monthly post throughout the month so that the description is free and fresh.
It is now September 19th and I have failed to implement the alternative method for these posts. C’est la vie.
August is always a busy month due to the birthday of my partner. I have failed many times to plan a sufficient celebration; situations where my laziness and anger took control and whatever I built crumbled around us in tears. Thus I have decided – never more.
The highlight was the mid-month visit to the north of Poland, to the coastal tri-city of Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia. We visited family, were visited by friends, ate well, and had fun, all culminating in a weekend stint in a cottage outside the city, near a lake. We took a bit of acid and vibed for hours, almost cried listening to Frank Ocean’s Blonde, went swimming in the lake as the world was enveloped in the cold-shine hue, water so warm still. Felt alive and loved every minute of it.
As the evening rolled in, we were promised a big storm, both by the weather forecast and the periodic flash of lightning on the horizon. I was tired from the fuzziness, feeling like Louis Wain’s cat, and fell into a bit of an anxiety dip. Drone music and sitting in a dark room, overhearing people outside faintly discussing this and that, all helped. I found ground.
The latter part of the month was, in my mind, a countdown to the release of my newest album as I tried to remember how to live life in the segmented flow of a city. I want to do another entry just for the album. You can hear it here:
Music diary
There was not a whole lot of attentive listening so I will keep this section brief.
The biggest stand-out was Chat Pile’s debut album, God’s Country. A wicked, hilarious, paranoid collection of songs with a truly bad-ass sound that captured my imagination thoroughly. I enjoyed their two EPs, missed the last split, and can only applaud their evolution and the voice they have crafted for themselves.
Watch diary
The month started strong but petered out as the energies ran out.
Being John Malkovich, as the next in line for a Kaufman retrospective was highly enjoyable if a bit gimmicky. Still, the voice of the creators is heard loud and clear and I can appreciate it for what it is, almost an exercise in twisted moviemaking.
The other big winning choice was Coppola’s Dracula from 1992. Tremendous work on all levels, from the costumes, to the breadth of the story presented. Inventive, classical, restricted, and emotional are some of the words that come to mind. Loved it.
Apart from these two, the rest was either a rewatch (Call Me By Your Name which not even Hammer’s new opinion can tarnish, luckily, and Licorice Pizza) or some not fascinating watches. Maybe apart from Miami Vice but I have to admit I was almost asleep during the seance and I will have to get back to it. The visual style alone has piqued my interest as one of the beautiful outliers of weird & digital photography.
I have also, finally, finished Elden Ring which I have been playing since the premiere, with many off-times. Loved it thoroughly but I want to maybe devote a full entry into it, to stretch my reviewer’s muscles.
Hope you are doing well otherwise, thanks for tuning in. Bonus dog content incoming!
Love,
Bartosz
Soundtrack to the entry:
the home of all wounds 