Justified – Justin Timberlake

I’m of the opinion that 39 minutes is the perfect length for an album. Somehow, rap and pop records seem to be the biggest offenders of this rule. This album (like last week’s Pitchfork Sunday review, Madonna’s Erotica) is guilty of overstaying its welcome. Although it only has thirteen tracks, it’s still over an hour, which is too much. Especially if it’s not my preferred style of music.

I have at least one friend who swears by later Timberlake albums, but this one didn’t do a whole lot for me. While I would have been a little young for the whole boy band craze, Justin Timberlake was ubiquitous enough that I kept waiting to be hit with songs I of course recognized, but that only happened once, with “Rock Your Body.” I did have a moment of shock when I heard Clipse on one song, so it was less of a surprise to learn The Neptunes were heavily involved here. Otherwise, I heard talent, both in the production and vocalizing, but an overall sameness. It’s hard to say without the benefit of hindsight, but it felt like an early record from someone who goes on to be one of the biggest pop multimedia stars of the decade. And again, every song could have trimmed 30-45 seconds off the meandering outros. At some point, I’ll probably try a later album or two, for no other reason than to see if I agree with my friends.

Fireworks - Matthew Burgess & Catia Chien (illus.)

When I say I enjoy following awards, I am referring to a wide range of them. The Caldecott Medal and Honor books are part of my yearly routine. This title, the award winner, was quite pretty. The artwork was minimalistic but the colors were vibrant. The story was not particularly deep, but that is never the intent of the award. One page expanded upward in a fold to expose the finale of the firework show, proving once again that children’s picture books are one of the last formats which cannot be replaced digitally. I always enjoy when picture books take advantage of the art form when it supplements the story. In this case, providing a vertical page extension added to the majesty of the firework celebration.

Somersaults – deathcrash

Sometimes, the bands I know nothing about wind up being more exciting than those I highly anticipate. This is just a gem of a slow-core record, heavy but with a strong hint of lo-fi. The title track in particular sticks out as one I will be belting out on a nighttime drive at least once this year. I will need to spend more time with the lyrics, but I already feel the emotional pull after only a handful of listens. It’s already on my list to revisit for the year, which makes four albums in two months, already outpacing last year.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025)

Continuing more of my Oscar explorations, and this had me thinking about it long after it was over. The acting blew me away. It was stressful and beautiful, or in other words, lifelike. Of course, Rose Byrne's performance is award-worthy, but I was also stunned by the two actors working outside their normal expected ranges (Conan and A$AP Rocky). I was impressed with some stylistic decisions as well; Linda's is the only character's face you see for the first several minutes of the film, and it's a tight shot, foreshadowing how the ensuing events are going to swallow her whole. Conversely, withholding the daughter's face until the closing sequence received an audible gasp from me.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

This was another post-Valentines horror watch for us, and it was fun. I remembered very little from the first one, but that turned out not to matter all that much. The plot to this one was needlessly convoluted—jumping into alternate dimensions—but that also didn’t matter. It was enjoyable for what it was, fairly low-stakes for a horror movie. They tried to inject some finality to it as the main character was somehow running out of resets to the day, but that didn’t get in the way of the action. The story was also unexpectedly emotional, creating a choice for the main character between the love of her life in one universe and the return of her mom in the other. I think I said it after the first film, but I am so glad the Groundhog Day schtick hasn’t been completely overdone. We’ve got this, Palm Springs, and that’s pretty much it. Original ideas should stay original!