Pop Culture This Week: 6/29

What’s happening this week in pop culture?

I added a section for things I missed last week (OOPS I FORGOT THIS LAST WEEK) as well as a CURRENT JAM section where I put some songs I like.

Read last weeks

MUSIC 6/30

Vince Staples “Summertime ’06”

This is definitely my pick of the week, last year I had Staples’ label debut EP “Hell Can Wait” in my top ten albums of the year, and though I’ve only listened to it once I believe that Staples improves here. He’s going full force with this one a 20 track, two disc album thematically centered around his life in summertime of 2006 which according to him was

the beginning of the end of everything I thought I knew. Youth was stolen from my city that Summer and Im left alone to tell the story. This might not make sense but that’s because none of it does, we’re stuck. Love tore us all apart. Summertime ’06, June 30th.

It’s really good–both epic and fun; he offers really creative beats, socially conscious lyrics, as well as some fun songs that won’t be out of place on any summer soundtrack. I look forward to consuming this and really letting it sink in.

Miguel “Wildheart”

Whenever I listen to a Miguel song or a Miguel guest spot, I think it will be better than it ever is. There’s something about him–maybe it’s that singular name, maybe it’s that look, maybe it’s the promise of smooth and sexy R&B, but I always get unrealistically hyped up and am let down (biggest offenders: his hit “Adorn” and his duet with Janelle Monae “PrimeTime”). “Wildheart” promises to be full of smooth jams that are probably too sensual for mainstream consumption (as the album cover would indicate), but if you’re into that sort of thing check it out. I, for one, hope that my lowered expectations will enhance my experience of it.

Others: Trembling Bells “The Sovereign Self”, Totem Terrors “Hard Silence”, LA Priest “Inji”

MOVIES

7/1

Terminator: Genisys

The only thing I found interesting this week film-wise is something that probably won’t end up being too interesting at all. The latest installment in the Terminator franchise isn’t faring well critically (though some have argued it’s the third best film in the series!) and those early trailers look pretty bad. I am strangely into the Terminator mythology however and will watch it eventually just to be a completist. They are throwing some huge twists into this, essentially changing the entire framework of the series which actually feels like a low-risk, high reward move so I don’t mind them doing it (and I doubt there are many Terminator purists out there). Emilia Clarke feels like a good fit for Sarah Connor even if she does have to act along an ancient Arnold trying to look like an ageless robot.

TELEVISION

6/30

Zoo (CBS)

I haven’t read the James Patterson novel this show is based on. I don’t know if there is any sort of acclaim to it. But I have seen 30 second teasers of this new CBS show and let me tell you, it looks ridiculous. So ridiculous that I’m gonna watch it. I haven’t been a part of other phenomenon’s like this (Sharknado, Snakes on a Plane), but this shows promise of “the wild will inherit the earth” sounds so awful it just might work. I doubt I’ll get much further than the premiere, but for one night let the animals REIGN!

Scream (MTV)

MTV has decided to go for an adaptation of the classic horror-comedy series that I actually like quite a bit. It will be hard for them to match the tone of the first two films which combined scares with meta-plotlines and witty dialogue to create something that was both fun and scary. I think the films do lend themselves to a television adaptation–it’s easy to create reasons somebody would want to attack a bunch of high schoolers and it’s easy to set a TV show in a high school, so maybe MTV has something here…

OOPS I FORGOT THIS LAST WEEK

Desaparecidos “Payola”

I didn’t realize that this was Connor Oberst’s band or that he even had a pre-Bright Eyes project–I guess I need to brush up on my Oberst trivia. This is a pretty decent punk album, Oberst’s voice is surprisingly well suited for it.

Mr. Robot (USA)

Haven’t seen the pilot for this, but it’s come out to some decent acclaim, especially for a USA show. It’s about a young programmer who gets an offer to join a team of anarchic hackers who want to take down his company. It stars Christian Slater, seems pretty thrilling, and might be worth checking out.

CURRENT JAM

Kacey Musgraves”Dime Store Cowgirl”

This is a really good jam, definitely will be played throughout the summer, I think it’s much better than her current single “Biscuits”.

Wolf Alice “You’re A Germ” (Explicit)

One I mentioned in the others for new albums, this song slowly builds into an uber-aggressive rock song where singer Ellie Roswell nearly growls with intensity.

Did I miss anything? What are you excited to check out? Let me know