I’ve never been a horror movie guy and therefore haven’t seen most of the classics. The most I know about Friday the 13th is Nikki Mijaj’s banger line “It’s Friday the 13th and guess who’s playing Freddy!” Turns out that Freddy isn’t even in this movie. Well played Mijaj. Well played indeed.
I haven’t seen a 3D movie in I don’t even know how long. At least 10 years. I couldn’t believe how fun it was watching this in a mostly full theater. Every single instance of 3D made me smile and laugh. I’m not sure if the technology advanced or I’ve just been missing out, but you just have to appreciate seeing someone’s eyeball popped out right at you.
The actual film is cheesy and campy. Every single slasher trope I could think of is in here. None of the characters are very likable. There’s not much to the story and dialogue. Despite all that, I greatly enjoyed the experience. I missed the first two parts so maybe Jason has more backstory, but it’s ultimately about a villain just killing everyone in different ways (most taking advantage of the 3D effects) till he’s in a final chase with the protagonist. Turning off my brain and enjoying that experience is what the movies are all about.
I had a couple hours in this game already, but had a marathon finish of the last 5 or so hours. I finished Metaphor: ReFantazio and worried that I’d once again find myself with nothing to play despite the plethora of options. Instead, I booted this up around 4pm and suddenly it was 9, the credits were rolling, and I hadn’t eaten dinner.
The premise is simple. You’re replacing a fisherman who went missing. You catch fish to earn money, find parts to unlock upgrades, use that money to purchase upgrades, and complete quests. The main story involves traveling to different islands surrounding your starting town to find relics for a collector. Traveling kinda sucks at first with how slow your boat moves, but after upgrading it’s easy to get around.
The main twist of the game is how scary it gets at night. You start to see things and your character get anxious. The higher the anxiety the more tense the game gets. Red globs will follow you and stuff will slide aboard your ship. Monsters will rise from the depths and chase you down. Thus, it’s usually the right move to rest at a dock till dawn. It’s a really cool premise although it started getting annoying when my brain always thought “oh it’s 11am I should just rest at a dock before going anywhere else.” I still had plenty of daylight left, but I’d waste time resting just to be safe.
Another cool feature is the inventory system. Your boat can only hold so many items and you have to arrange things to really maximize your space. Catching fish is done through timed button presses and each catch has a unique shape to fit in your cargo. Then you either sell the fish to make money or turn it in for a quest.
The story isn’t anything crazy and there’s a lot to infer out of the world. When I beat the game I was incredibly confused how I had helped the collector unleash a monster into the world. After doing some research it turns out I got the bad ending. There’s a good ending to unlock, but at that point I felt content with the game. Looking it up and seeing the twist of us actually being the collector was cool, but I didn’t feel like I missed out by not experiencing it myself. It was starting to stagnant and I hated dealing with those piranhas at the last island. That feature took the wind out of my sails and luckily I was close enough to shore to land ho.
I was around Chinatown and wanted to grab something to take home. It has been years since I’ve been to Don’s so I thought I’d revisit and write about my experience. This place is always talked about as a great place to get a cheap and delicious Bahn mi, however I wasn’t impressed the first time I went. Let’s see if that’s changed.
I walked up to the to-go line and ordered the #1. A pork banh mi for $6. I remembered it being cash only and made sure I had enough before entering, so no biggie there. It took about 10 minutes of waiting and then I was off to home.
Unfortunately, the sandwich was similar to how I remembered. First off, the pork was a smidge chewy and lacked flavor. The bread was crunchy which I usually prefer, but I wish it was softer. It tasted incredibly rigid and overpowered the fillings. The carrots and cilantro were fine. Lastly, the pepper had some spicy parts which I usually enjoy, but I got a piece that completely numbed my tongue. Usually I can handle it; just not today I guess.
It’s good value for a cheap and filling lunch. However, I wouldn’t come close to bringing someone here who asked me for a great banh mi.
It has been a while since I’ve been to Chinatown, so I thought I’d stop by to try out a coffee shop and watch some Spanish videos. I settled on this place after seeing reviews raving about the Iced Coconut Vietnamese Coffee.
There was plenty of open parking and seating inside. After ordering the drink I chose a table and made myself at home. It was easy to with how open and peaceful it felt inside. The coffee came out shortly after and yummm. The coconut was extremely subtle, but you can lock in on it when focusing. The condensed milk and espresso were extremely smooth and not as strong as other Viet Coffee’s I’ve had. Some just scream in your face “HEY I’M A VIET COFFEE YOU GET WHAT YOU ORDER.” Morii’s however has nothing to prove. It knows what it is and treats you with respect.
I was able to comfortably knock out over an hour of Spanish videos while here. The music was low enough that I couldn’t even tell it was playing with my airpods on. I was planning on staying a little longer, but had a sneeze come out that shook me to my core. Post sneeze my arm was covered in mucus. I didn’t know what to do and with no napkins around me, I quickly and subtly packed up my things and left.
If you’re looking for a place to work without feeling pressured to leave after a while, then this is the place. Three stories of seating galore in a cozy and productive inducing atmosphere. I believe this is ran by the church Nextdoor.
When we arrived there was zero parking in the lot and it was confusing to figure out where to go. However, after a confusing circle around the area a spot opened up. I get severe parking anxiety so I was ready to try somewhere else just due to this.
I ordered the Black Sesame Latte. It’s a latte with honey and sesame seeds. To me it tasted like a normal latte. I wasn’t getting any of the additional notes it advertised which felt extremely strange. It’s as if they completely forgot the honey. Thus, the drink was completely average and forgettable even as a normal latte.
The vibes however were immaculate for writing some reviews. Big Brother just ended and I was able to completely focus and gather my thoughts to write a longer review on the season. The music was light and atmospheric. The background chatter was minimal and easy to tune out in a comforting sort of way. Everywhere here was working hard, so it made me want to follow suit.
This is one of my favorite Stephen King books and I was excited when I heard it was movietized. I read this back in October 2019 and gave it a 5/5 on Goodreads.
The movie held up well to its counterpart. Of course it’s not as good, but still a great watch. The quick premise is that 50 kids must walk 3mph till only one person remains. You get one warning per mistake and a warning is removed per hour. After 3 warnings you’re shot in the head. The brutality of the kills when someone stops walking was depicted perfectly. The first walker had his head blown off completely on screen. I thought for sure they’d change cuts, but it happened in one shot.
I enjoyed all the characters and the brotherhood formed between Peter and Ray. I had to stop myself from getting too attached knowing that only one person can survive. Just like the movie, they say a short friendship is better than none.
The pacing was also impressive. I expected it to be slower on screen, but the 1:48 runtime flew by. I also appreciated how the walk pretty quickly with little backstory to bore us. We were able to infer a lot without having everything explained to us. One of my favorite scenes was the incline and how frantic the camera jumps and cuts were. The kids were dropping like flies and the tension was sky high.
The ending caught me off guard. It has been five years since I’ve read the book, but I am pretty sure that Ray won the walk. The switchup to Peter winning and shooting the major shook me. Ray admirably sacrificed himself instead because he couldn’t see the visions of hope that Peter had. Then Peter carries out Ray’s last wish.
Overall a solid flick. None of the “antagonists” really did much for me, but it was cool to see the breakdown of all the characters the longer the walk went on. Every character was flawed and at the end of the day they’re all just kids.
When Persona 5 came to gamepass I was enamored… for the first 40 hours. After that I was burnt out of the gameplay loop and there was no end in sight. With that now being off gamepass and my desire to finish obliterated with time, I’ve given up on completing that story.
Metaphor hits better. I completed this adventure after 61 hours and while it has many improvements over Persona 5, I also have similar complaints. Let’s get into it.
The king is assassinated and the prince is cursed into eternal slumber. The antagonist Louis is gunning for the now open throne and our mission is to stop him and break the prince’s curse. However, it gets interesting when the Kings magic is still alive and used to help pick his predecessor. It’s incredibly strong and the system will choose a ruler based on the populous sentiment. As the game progresses you can check various rocks throughout the towns displaying the current leaders based on size.
The main story was engaging and I was always looking forward to what would happen next. The same calendar system is used as persona. You have a main quest you need to complete within X number of days, and then the rest of the time you can use to complete follower quests, accept bounties to earn cash and xp, or do various tasks to raise your character traits such as Courage.
I enjoyed doing the follower quests for the first members you get in your team. They’re basically just dialogue you go through to progress that members level up to 8. Each level gives you a new bonus. However, late game you’re still getting new followers and at that point they felt tedious. I was invested in Strohl, Hulkenberg, Heismay, Brigita, and Alonzo. The rest of the follower stories felt like time wasters to me, but I didn’t want to miss out on the potential perks they provided. The final month of the game was especially monotinous with knocking the remainder of the members out. And if you don’t have a trait at level 5 then there’s more time you gotta kill. It’s just not fun after 50 hours of gameplay.
I enjoyed the combat and archetype system. While annoying having to restart at level 1 with each new archetype, it didn’t take too long to level up and obtain new abilities. The final OP versions for each member made the final boss battles easier than I expected them to be. Finding a good synergy between members and exploiting it was satisfying. I’m not a big turn based fan, so my favorite feature was the auto kill system for lower level enemies. There also appeared to be a difficulty spike near the end and I felt forced to do boring side quests and grind for a short time to catch up.
The best part of the game was the twist for me. You’re actually part of the prince and merge back with him when you reunite. Then when you’re with More he tells you none of it was real and the room opens up into a city. Part of me really wanted to stay in that world, but the job wasn’t finished.
Overall, it was a really fun game that I wanted to finish. It had its flaws but it still managed to grip me in a way that I’ve been missing with gaming. I also played the majority of this while sick and I’m grateful for the distraction.
If you’re going on a Royal Caribbean cruise and like coffee you have three options. Drink drip coffee for free, order coffee drinks and pay per drink, or get the coffee card for around $26. We opted for the coffee card as we assumed we’d have at least one drink a day and would come out ahead.
If I knew they had drip coffee accessible in the windjammer and cafe, I’m not sure if I would have went for this. However, it’s a pretty good deal and excuse to get a fun drink everyday. Here’s how it works. You get a card with 15 spots to redeem for an espresso drink. A tall hot drink is one check. A grande or venti hot drink is two. Iced drinks or frappuccios are also two. Finally, you can get an extra shot for an extra spot. One interesting note is that it works at the cafe which has Starbucks branded cups and drinks, but not at the actual Starbucks. Sorry, pumpkin spice isn’t covered.
It’s a five day cruise so even with a daily drink that’s still 5 spots leftover. That makes the money back plus extra and then the leftover spots are basically free. If I had this I wouldn’t have gotten one per day, but it was nice to have the luxury and not think too hard about it.
I cycled between hot/iced lattes and coffee fraps. They were all pretty solid and enjoyable to drink. Nothing mind-blowing, but got the job done. It was nice to enjoy a cup with whatever morning activity we partook in.
In conclusion it’s a good value if you are an avid latte, cappuccino, frap, americano, or other espresso based drinker. If a drip gets the job done, then no need to get the card.
I haven’t watched Big Brother since Paul’s season where his ruthlessness and inability to own up to his decisions cost him the final two. It’s interesting to me how that parallels with how this season ended up playing out many years later.
First off, the cast. It was hard to connect with most of the houseguests this season. It felt like most of them played scared and wanted to avoid making waves. Zach and Adrian were my favorites and both ended up going out pretty early.
Rachel and Keanu kept things interesting. I can’t imagine the season without Rachel adding drama and leaving her mark on the season. Every week it felt like it was building up for Rachel, Keanu, and Vince to eventually have to take each other out. The mastermind twist absolutely robbed us of that coming to fruition.
Rachel getting evicted from a game instead of the normal gameplay was one of the worst twists I’ve ever seen on a game show. Can you imagine someone taking out Rachel and what that’d do to their game and resume? Watching Rachel fighting to stay in the game till the last moment? Instead it was a deflating twist that took out the energy and dynamics of the house. Will and Ashley also not even getting a shot at HoH set Will’s fate.
The cheatmance between Vince and Morgan was tea. I think their relationship is what ultimately doomed them in the end. Both players were exhausted in the endgame and their nighttime chats and arguments left them with little energy to power through to the final comps.
Vince played a slimey game that no one respected. He lied, cried crocodile tears, and stabbed allies repeatedly in the back. In the end, I still think he could have won it if he owned up to his decisions. He needed to own being the villain to win instead of trying to win a hero. Most people sitting in the jury were there cause of him. His final speech played into that, but his abysmal final jury responses beforehand ended any chance he had. They wanted accountability and he didn’t give it. One second he says he didn’t emotionally manipulate anyone, and then in the final speech he said the backstabs were all part of the game. Too little too late. That crashout when he lost part two of the HOH due to his misreading of the card was also absolutely insane. I was standing up throughout that scene as I couldn’t believe the choke job I was about to witness.
The Ashley edit also wasn’t great. We really didn’t get to see much of her gameplay throughout the episodes. If I wasn’t occasionally reading reddit threads, I’d have no idea how great of a game she played. She did an excellent job representing herself in the end with her professional and well thought out jury responses. Vinny was absolutely shook.
Another complaint about the finale was how Julie cut off both their final speeches, but then we spend five minutes watching some dumb mastermind video after? This is the cumulation of an entire season where we’re invested in these two players. Let them talk longer than that as no one cares about the mastermind. Zingbot was completely on the mark with him being one of the worst villains ever. Very disappointing.
I also didn’t watch a single unlocked episode . I’m not sure who those are for or catered too, but I’m good with the main show.
Ultimately, it was a fun season to get back into. I was extremely annoyed at times with how safe the game was played like during Lauren’s HOH’s (why send an ally home?) but I was surprised at how invested I was at the end. However, they really dropped the ball with the mastermind twist and what could have been an elite season was just a good one.
Vibrant is a tiny cafe located in memorial park. You can choose to do paid parking nearby, or park on the street along the loop and walk over. I chose to walk since it was a nice morning.
I settled on a plain ol iced latte. This place used to be vegan only with housemaid milks, but they now offer whole milk. I asked the barista what she’d recommend, and she said they had a fresh batch of whole milk that would be best.
I decided to sit outside on a bench with no backrest, but had to switch sides to the chair after a while. The vibes inside were also nice. It’s filled with people visiting the park to walk, run, enjoy the scenery, and take in the nice weather. Who can be in a bad mood in those circumstances?
The latte came out in a huge glass filled to the brim. Last time I came I hated my drink and expected to have similar feelings, but it was actually pretty solid. Nothing offensive or standoffish about it. The ratio of espresso to milk kept it smooth throughout. I enjoyed my time sitting outside, sipping my drink, and watching Spanish videos. The drink did get a bit watered down in the end, however it was a generous portion and that let me take my time enjoying it. I’d come here again for those vibes alone.
Originally known as Ema’s, I guess they recently changed names. Other than that, the place looks exactly as I remember it. The first time I came here I was blown away by the coffee and food. Inspired heavily by Mexico, their menu goes above and beyond what you’d find at any other coffee shop in Houston.
The line was unsurprisingly out the door. I had a bro coffee day and forgot to photograph the inside, but the vibes are solid. While waiting in line they ask how many people are in your group, and then seat you after ordering. Our group of five scored a table outside and it was nice to not stress about seating with the crowd it had.
I ordered a horchata latte, pambazo, and peanut butter cookie with mole chocolate baked in. First the coffee. I’ve always loved horchata growing up, and drinking this brings me back to that feeling as a kid. The horchata flavors are prevalent and the ratio of espresso and milk are perfect. This is no doubt my favorite coffee drink in all of Houston. And just look at that latte art in the cover photo. They know what they’re doing here.
The pambazo is a sandwich with the bottom bread soaked in a sauce while the top bread stays nice and crispy. The inside is packed with pork, beans, mayo, cabbage, and guacamole. Plus you get a salsa to spread on top. First off, the bread is fire. The contrast of the soft bottom piece packed with flavor and the crunch of the top piece is harmonious. The pork is tender and melts in your mouth while the other components swirl. The guacamole being included is the perfect finisher and I’m glad the chef knew not to skimp out on this. I was shook the first time I had this and I’m still in love to this day.
Finally, the cookie. While not my favorite pastry I’ve had here, it’s solid. Peanut butter and chocolate just doesn’t fuze well in cookies. Both are great on their own, but neither brings out anything extra with the other. Save it for the Reese’s.
If anyone asked me for a single place in Houston to get coffee, this would be it.
I’m on a boat! I took a cruise after a 20 year sailing hiatus and it was quite an experience. I was impressed on how many activities and features the boat had. The vibes were mostly good and going in September meant less kids.
Let’s start with the food. The main places we frequented were the windjammer which was a buffet open for all three meals and the main dining room which had a fancier vibe. The breakfast buffet was incredibly mediocre. Any bread featured item such as bagels or avocado toast felt stale. The eggs and other items didn’t hit either. I ended up going with the yogurt parfaits and cereal to hold me over to later meals. The lunch and dinner had plenty more options that were acceptable enough and mostly pleasant.
The featured main room dinners were excellent. Our servers were on it with leaving our glasses full and bringing us our 3-courses promptly. Each night had a different theme although there’d also be deviations to choose from. The absolute winner was the escargot. The plate was smothered in a garlic butter sauce with a soft breadstick to break apart and pair with each bite. The entrees were always solid and the portion size was perfect. Deserts were also decent and a step up from what you’d get at the buffet.
Escargot SalmonTres leches
We did random assignment for our room and got a windowless cabin. It felt very spacious. For the most part we just used the room for resting and sleep, so it got the job done. The water pressure and heat of the shower was just right and while tight, it felt nice after a long day.
The room also had tons of drawers and hangers making it easy to unpack and hide our suitcases under the bed. Room service was nice and we got beds made and towels replaced daily. Bonus feature: baby Yoda.
The activities and shows were mostly fun. Some hits and some duds. For example, the bellyflop competition was a great tone setter to not take anything too seriously. Ice skating was ok, but got a little old by the time they introduced the clown costumes and tried to make it silly. The comedian show was eh with him mostly doing subpar crowd work. The audience never really got into it and the guy pointing it out constantly didn’t make anything better. The juggling guy was way funnier and as a bonus he could juggle.
The best activity of the cruise was The Crazy Quest. It’s a gameshow where the whole audience was involved. The crowd was separated into six groups with a male and a female team leader. The host would then ask for something and we’d all have to rush to get it to our leaders. For example, he asked for false teeth and humorously everyone actually ran up with dentures. Afterwards, he joked how that’s never happened and it was a play to get a hair clip or something like that. My contribution was my top for the quest of bringing up six guys shirts.
JugglerThe Crazy QuestQueen piano setlist
There were tons of cool looking bars onboard the ship as well. While we didn’t partake, there is an unlimited drink pass that would make these places frequent visits. I had a few old fashioneds and beers throughout the cruise, but we also brought two bottles of wine onboard. This let us have our drinking night without breaking the bank.
One of my favorite features was the sports bar that played all the football games. This allowed me to watch the LSU game in an environment that made me forget I was even at sea. Then we got to watch the Texans game on the big screen outside on the pool deck. Let’s just not talk about the results…
Marshmellow old fashionedPromenade Texans game on pool deck
One of my main complaints is the absence of water fill up stations. We both brought our own bottles and there’s no where to fill them. Every water station has signs proclaiming “No water fillup allowed.” Therefore, we had to go to the windjammer, take 2-3 pre-filled water glasses, and pour them into our bottles. We bought water bottles the first night and refused to be scammed into doing that again. Let us stay hydrated.
Overall it was a great experience. I was sick for most of it and this was probably the perfect vacation to be sick for. Hard to get worse with that sea air and lounging around.
This will be my final sick review, I swear. I couldn’t go without giving these cough drops a shout.
The 80 pack of Halls are honey lemon flavored and they taste ok. Nothing to write home about. What sets these apart is how fresh my breath feels after sucking on these. It’s like a vent of crisp air is set to full blast right up my throat.
The drops provide that amazing relief for a few minutes, but after that it’s back to the normal sickly feeling. Still, respite is needed in times like these and I’ve been grateful for it.
Yes, I’m still sick. And yes all the reviews I want to write require focus and thought to write. So instead I’m focusing on something quick and easy.
I just returned from a cruise where I was starting to believe my sickness was near its end. Cue the deep coughs. My theory is that a lot of people on the cruise were coughing, so I picked up a new strain just while my old one was subsiding.
I’ve always used Delsym in the past and found it to work well. The orange flavor is oddly pleasant and unlike most cough medicine, I enjoy the flavor. However, it’s not doing the trick today. After taking and letting a few hours elapse, my cough is still very much present. This may be more than what an OTC medicine can handle. Regardless, I feel let down on what usually would do the trick.
It’s finally time for a cocktail review. I know all my Alex fans have been asking for it. The wait is over.
I’m a shoo-in to love anything with honey in it. Honey on toast, honey in coffee, hey.. even honey in a cocktail. The bee’s knees is the perfect drink to let the honey shine with the lemon and gin complimenting it. I think the gin is supposed to be the star, but not through my telescope. I usually like making one with a snoch of hot honey to give it a kick. However, today I am staying faithful to the recipe per the Signature Cocktails book.
The book calls for 2 oz of gin shaken with .5 oz’s of honey syrup and fresh lemon juice. Coming right up
Strain into glass and that’s that! Per instructions, not even a garnish is required. The ease of creating makes this an easy addition to my rotation. I doubled the portions to make one for my partner and used my demure crystal chalices hiding in my cabinets to hold this beautiful nectar.
The lemon I used was a tad hard and that definitely comes through, but even despite that it’s still class. It’s only three ingredients and boy oh boy do they work together. The drink is honey-ie, lemon-ie, and the gin stays forefront regardless of the honey I so do love. Now gin isn’t my favorite spirit, so even the two enhancers can only take it so far in my rankings. Regardless, it’s easy to down a glass with that craveability.
Usually book twos in a trilogy are slower with a lot of setup for the conclusion. However, Golden Son isn’t your ordinary follow-up. Pierce Brown is magic because he knows how to keep the stakes high and plot points moving at a rapid pace.
I’ll say that I didn’t enjoy quite as much as the first book, but I’m still fully engrossed and itching to finish. The stakes are higher and it’s instead of dealing with a hunger games like entrance exam, he’s dealing with gold politics and maneuvers. At the time of this review (sick week continues) I’ve already started book 3.
There’s a lot to like. There is a good amount of characters and they’re all nuanced and memorable. Sure there are those that feel like loyal lapdogs to help support Darrow, but he still earned that trust. I can’t help but root for him myself after everything he’s been through. I also found myself suspending my belief a few times at how convenient things worked out, but it’s fantasy after all.
The twists are all great. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump before this series reinvigorated me and I’m better for it. That ending… I was shook. It left me with many questions. How did the jackal know? How did he catch Fitchner aka Ares? What will happen to Darrow? Excited to find out.
Sick reviews continues! I’ve been blowing my nose for almost a week now and for the second half I’ve been using these Puffs. I luckily already had two boxes stocked up at home with this new one holding 124 two-ply tissues.
The tissues are indeed ultra soft. There were a few rougher ones I used initially, so these are more of a treat. When blowing my nose I don’t have rawness or dry skin forming, which is impressive for the amount of mucus I’m producing. It’s easy to remove from the box and I keep a mini trash can nearby for ease of disposal. I’ve also coughed up mucus and the tissue is sturdy enough to hold that when it happens. Nothing is leaking through.
Well I’m sick and that’s all I feel like writing today. Not the most fun product, but it excels at what it does and I’m grateful for that.
Sick reviews continue with the broccoli & cheddar soup. Nothing helps a cold like a hearty bowl of soup. The instructions call for this to be microwaved for 3-4 minutes and congested me is frustrated when the layer of film at the top doesn’t easily pull off. I ended up having to use a knife which was annoying af.
After heating up with a stir halfway through, the soup was piping hot. I accompanied it with a mini baguette as every good soup needs bread to dip. First dip and I burn my tongue. To be fair that’s what I get for not letting it cool down.
Let’s try again. It’s creamy and soothing for my raw throat. The broccoli and carrots taste like you’d expect them too. Perfectly average for a broccoli cheddar soup. I yearn for the cheesy flavors to be sharper and more pronounced.
The bread dipped in is the best bit. It soaks up the soup and imparts all that flavor into each bite. Again, craving a cheesier element than what I’m getting.
Welp, I’m sick. The one upside is that I feel the right to indulge in all my comfort foods to help get me through this. That has to include the mother of all comfort foods… the cookie.
I’ve had the chocolate chip version throughout the years and always loved the crunchiness and the smaller size. My stomach only grows larger the more I eat, so it’s better that they’re small. My favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin, so I had to get a bag of these to alleviate my sickness.
I ate that little helping of seven cookies like it was going out of style. The cookies are crunchy while still maintaining that oatmeal raisin-ie goodness that I know and love. For a store bought cookie it’d be tough to get much better. Drawbacks… homemade is still the undisputed king.
This album reminds me of the dream worlds from the video game Battle for Bikini Bottom. Playing as SpongeBob, we get to have glimpses of Patrick, Sandy, and Squidwards innermost wants. Similarly, Man on the Moon transports us into Cudi’s brain and shows us the pleasant dreams along with the frightening nightmares.
Released in 2009, I’m pretty confident I copped this off the apple store. Young Alex was enamored with these tracks playing from his iPod touch and older Alex feels the same today with his record.
There are fifteen songs divided into five acts. You just want to lie on your back, stare at the ceiling, and let everything else melt away as you go through his story. It’s chill inducing. The lyrics throughout are real and layered enough that intently listening today was a time capsule into when I listened in high school. Cudi opens his heart up and that relatability hits for a time when emotions and mental health wasn’t as widely talked about. For most of my experience I held the gatefold like a book, following along with the lyrics and that made me feel even closer with the music.
The insturmentals are incredibly dynamic, layered, and different than typical 2009 hip hop. Just like the concept of being a dream the beats are dreamy, eerie, and distinct. It starts strong and ends just the same. It’s easy to see the vision and there’s not a single miss. There’s a reason I’ll still hear Pursuit of Happiness and Day n Night out in public.
Alex Reviews All 