Week 5/52 – OPW Challenge 2024

Below are my reviews for the week of January 28st – February 3rd.

Album: Black Friday (2024) by Tom Odell

My Thoughts:

One night back in 2013 when I was in college, I was getting out of my car as I was arriving home (probably from Friday night choir rehearsal). As usual, I was listening to KCRW 89.9, my favorite radio station. KCRW is a non-profit National Public Radio (NPR) member station. One of the first things that I did when I got my first job was to become a KCRW member by paying only $5 a month. Growing up, my dad would always get memberships to support public radio stations, and so I wanted to do the same and support my favorite, indie-music playing, radio station. One of the perks of being a member was that you could win a prize every 3 months if you called in for their on-the-air giveaways. Anyway, so as I was getting ready to get out of my car, “Another Love” by Tom Odell came on the radio. I had never heard it before, and I had no idea who Tom Odell was. Either way, I was transfixed! When the song ended, the DJ said that KCRW was giving away tickets to KCRW members to see him in LA. I immediately called, and to my surprise, I made it through! I won the tickets to see an artist that I had never heard of. I invited one of my closest and oldest friends to go see him with me. We didn’t care that the show was on a Wednesday and that we had to drive an hour to get to the El Rey theater in LA. Although I didn’t really know Tom Odell’s songs that well, I still had a great time during the show. We even got to see Vance Joy play as well!

I guess Tom Odell made such a huge impression on me that I decided to DM him through Facebook the very next day. Of course, I never got a reply, and I’m a little embarrassed about it now, but I searched through my Messenger conversations and my message is still there:

I don’t remember any incident with a drunk guy now, but I’m assuming the guy was probably being loud or spilled his drink on. Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is that I’m still a fan of Tom Odell, but I’m not sure if he is “very well known” here in the US now.

Black Friday just came out this year, and while I was initially disappointed by its length (it’s only 28 minutes long), I do think it’s pretty good overall. The arrangements are very pretty, especially in songs that feature an orchestra.

Some random thoughts about some of the songs: “The End of the Summer” sounds like a song that might be playing in an old-timey movie where a couple smoosh kisses each other. It also has some Danny Elfman-esque arrangement. “The End” feels like a mix of Mac Miller and Sufjan Stevens.

Even though Odell got married last year, and should presumably be experiencing the newlywed bliss, it seems that he is still a #sadboi. In songs like “Somebody Else” and “The End of the Summer” Odell grieves love lost while at the same time acknowledging that the he and his ex-lover were not meant to be. Some lines from these songs that stick with me are “I miss you/I can’t believe I used to get to kiss you” and “I am happy that you exist.” Although Black Friday is a moody album, it might not be all doom and gloom. I don’t know if there’s a common theme for the album as a whole, but at least parts of it touch on the idea of “closure.”

If you’ve never heard Odell’s music before, this album might be a good introduction into his sound, but I would probably recommend you listen to his first album instead: Long Way Down.

My Rating:

Favorite Songs:

Movie: Godzilla Minus One (2023) Written and Directed by Takashi Yamazaki

Summary:

Godzilla Minus One follows Kōichi Shikishima, a kamikaze pilot who abandons his mission by pretending his plane had mechanical issues. When Godzilla attacks the island where he had landed, Shikishima again freezes and fails to shoot Godzilla. Shikishima then goes home and is left to overcome his guilt and join the efforts to fight Godzilla.

My Thoughts:

I’ve never really been a fan of Gozilla movies. Actually, I don’t enjoy monster or disaster movies in general. However, my parents and my sister highly recommended Godzilla Minus One, and so I had to watch it. They praised the music and the touching story. I think the reason why we all liked it as well is because it’s not really a movie about Godzilla, it’s about the people living in post-WWII Japan and their efforts to recover from the war. More importantly, it’s about learning to forgive oneself and overcome shame.

I watched this movie in black and white, and I think it does enhance the experience, but then again I haven’t seen the color version. I’m curious to rewatch this movie in color and see what the experience is like. If you enjoy action films that have deeper meaning and that are heartfelt, then I think you will enjoy this movie.

My Rating: