It's been a while since we've done one of these, but I was dealing with a lot of weird stuff, which threw my schedule all out of whack. Rest assured, there's been plenty of thoughts rattling around in this head of mine, and now we're gonna spill some of them out. Welcome (back) to the Brain Dump! Oh, how we've missed you.
Rest in Peace, Tim Feerick
The emo music scene has been reeling last week since the tragic and sudden passing of Dance Gavin Dance bassist Tim Feerick, and the loss is still being keenly felt. Feerick was the rare bassist that found a way to stand out in this scene, and to do so in a band with so many notable members is no small feat, either. I always found myself being drawn to Feerick in the band's promotional photos, as he always had a great eye for his personal style. He was a steady force for a band that sorely needed it, and seemed to become a bigger and bigger part of the band's songwriting plans as the years rolled on, particularly with 2020's Afterburner. I was thrilled to see that the band have decided to continue with their plans for this year's Swan Fest, and the band's tour with Coheed and Cambria this summer, especially considering it would have been completely understandable if they decided to pack things in and regroup. For those interested, there's a GoFundMe that's been set up to assist Tim's family with the memorial services. My thoughts are with Tim's family and loved ones, and the entire Dance Gavin Dance team, in this horribly sad time.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is somehow worth even more hype than it's getting
I mean really, is it even worth having the Oscars next year? We've already got our Best Actress winner in Michelle Yeoh, and the Best Picture race begins and ends with Everything Everywhere at this point. It's not hyperbole to say that this is the most inventive movie released in a decade. But even an inventive idea can fall underneath the way it's executed, and I'm not sure that there's anything that could have been done to make this movie better. It's evident for all two hours and twenty minutes of this movie that anyone who was involved in its creation-- writing/directing duo Daniels, the brilliant Michelle Yeoh, the scene-stealing Ke Huy Quan, the evergreen Jamie Lee Curtis--put so much heart and soul into this movie that it was destined for greatness. A24 has long been making the best movies on Earth more consistently than anyone, and they may have their crown jewel firmly placed in that crown. This is a can't-miss movie.
Coheed and Cambria are making their best music in a long, long time right now It's not that this is a knock on The Afterman series or The Color Before the Sun, but ever since the first release of the Vaxis series, Coheed and Cambria have some newfound magic on their hands. While last year's high-energy single "Shoulders" set a great tone for what fans can expect the second Vaxis album to be, and "Rise, Naianasha (Cut the Cord)" helped to establish and build the lore the album will explore, it's "The Liars Club" that has really impressed me. That chorus is massive, and it harkens back to the vibes of singles like "A Favor House Atlantic" or "The Suffering." Throw in the other two tracks that have already established the quality of the album, and we're looking at the chances that Coheed is about to release one of the best albums of their illustrious career. If that's the case the top of my AOTY list may be reserved for them until December.
This NBA Awards Season is nuts
By a loose estimate, the awards for MVP, Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Defensive Player of the Year were completely up in the air as the NBA season ended. Rookie of the Year was up for grabs for most of the season, but it appears that a late-season surge from Cade Cunningham wrapped it up for the Pistons prodigy. Tyler Herro was pretty much the wire-to-wire Sixth Man of the Year, and there shouldn't be any opposition to that one, but that's the only award that we knew the winner for ahead of the last month of the regular season. It's been a great NBA season, and the post-season is already off to an intriguing start, which will only make the decisions of these awards more muddled as we learn the winners. Not that I'll ever get one, but if I did have a ballot, here's where my votes would be cast:
MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Coach of the Year: Monty Williams, Suns
Most Improved Player: Darius Garland, Cavaliers
Defensive Player of the Year: Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies
Rookie of the Year: Evan Mobley, Cavaliers
I was thinking about writing up my First, Second, and Third All-NBA Teams, but haven't quite found the inspiration to do that. It may come out next week, along with the winners of all the other awards (we've learned that Marcus Smart deservedly won the Defensive Player of the Year Award earlier this week, if you missed that). Whoever wins, though, will only serve to highlight what a great year of NBA basketball we were given this season.
I'll be at the movies a couple of times this week, so keep your eyes open for The Brain Dump to be back once again to talk about the unofficial start of the Summer movie season, and maybe a couple writeups on some albums I haven't spent time with just yet. Have a great weekend, everyone!
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