The Filtered Excellence: October 15, 2020

WATCH THIS

The Cabin With Bert Kreischer. In this new Netflix series, comedian Bert Kreischer heads to the mountains of Malibu to relax and regroup from his hectic schedule. He doesn’t go alone, inviting Tom Segura, Nikki Glaser, Big Jay Oakerson, Ms Pat, Joey Diaz, Bobby Lee, Donnell Rawlings, Kaley Cusco, Anthony Anderson, Joel McHale, Deon Cole and Caitlyn Jenner – to join in the festivities. Watching really funny people carve up an emu, milk a goat, receive coffee enemas, painful massages, and crystal therapy is always a source for comedy gold. But it’s also balanced out with stories about past traumas, finding their identity, and overall life lessons they learned along the way. Each episode is under 30 minutes, so you can get through the entire season in a few hours. It’s another strong offering from of the best stand ups working today. The Cabin With Bert Kreischer is available now on Netflix.

Watching The Polls. As the election season draws to a close, The Criterion Channel has put together a series that shows how Hollywood has captured the highs and lows of politics. It includes three landmark documentaries: Primary, Robert Drew’s groundbreaking look at Senator John F. Kennedy’s battle to win the Wisconsin’s Democratic primary; The War Room, about the new strategies used by the Clinton-Gore campaign to win the 1992 Presidential election; and The Last Party featuring Robert Downey Jr, capturing the surreal side of the 1992 election season. It will also feature The Best Man, a 1964 drama written by Gore Vidal, starring Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson; Hal Ashby’s Shampoo, co-written and starring Warren Beatty; and Election, Alexander Payne’s biting political satire set in a high school. If you are weary of watching the madness that’s happening on your nightly newscast, this series will provide a necessary oasis. Watching The Polls is available exclusively on The Criterion Channel.

LISTEN TO THIS

Not 12 by Mark Lesseraux & The Citizens. Mark Lesseraux & The Citizens have been making amazingly diverse and musically enriched albums for nearly 20 years. Their latest album finds the singer-songwriter still at the top of his game, effortlessly shifting from Nilsson/Beatlesque power pop and ballads; falsetto laced Prince dance tracks, sweeping space rock; and mid tempo ballads that would make Billy Joel proud. It takes a special kind of talent to create songs referencing Danny Torrence from The Shining, Halliburton, drones and former sitcom star Valerie Harper, make it work, and have it look effortless at the same time. In short, the album is a dynamic, cerebral approach to rock and pop that demands repeat listens. One of the year’s best. Not 12 by Mark Lesseraux & The Citizens is available now through Bandcamp and all major streaming services.

This Joy by The Resistance Revival Chorus. Formed in the wake of the 2017 Women’s March, The Resistance Revival Chorus is a collective of more than 60 women and non-binary singers whose mission is to uplift and celebrate, and highlight how women have been marginalized within the music industry. It’s in that spirit that their debut album has the ladies taking the lead on every aspect of the production. It’s bookended by two songs that address the current political climate: ‘Say Her Name’ features the always dynamic Abby Dobson roll calling Black women who have died at the hands of police. It closes with ‘Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind Stayed On Freedom)’, a civil rights anthem that reminds us the ongoing battle for equality and justice. In between, the RRC – with help from guest vocalists Rihannon Giddens, Valerie June, Deva Mahal, Meah Pace, Lee Taylor and Treya Lam – use both original material and re-constructed songs by Woody Guthrie, Elton John, Shirley Caesar and Sweet Honey In The Rock to address everything from the inhuman detainment of migrant children, the wealth gap, gun control, and the current administration. Every movement needs a soundtrack to anchor it, and The RRC speaks truth to power and adds joy to the resistance. This Joy is available now through all major streaming platforms.

Wildflowers & All The Rest by Tom Petty. Released in the fall of 1994, Tom Petty’s second solo album was a critical and artistic triumph, selling over 3 million copies and reaffirming yet again his status as one of rock’s elite. But Petty always envisioned it as a double album, and before his untimely death, was working to restore the 10 additional songs under the name ‘All The Rest’. Now, thanks to Petty’s daughter Adria, and long time Heartbreaker and co-producer Mike Campbell, we can hear Petty’s full vision to come to pass. Listening to the songs such as ‘Somewhere Under Heaven’, ‘Leave Virginia Alone, ‘Something Could Happen’, you end up wondering how these songs remained on the shelf for as long as they did. ‘Confusion Wheel’ might have been recorded over 25 years ago, but it sounds as though it was written specifically about 2020. The Super Deluxe edition contains killer live versions of each of the Wildflowers tracks and home recordings that chart each song’s creative arcs. It’s a fitting coda to one of Petty’s most celebrated works. Wildflowers & All The Rest by Tom Petty is available now through Amazon, Apple Music and all major streaming outlets.

Read more filtered excellence.