The Filtered Excellence: September 26, 2020
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this week’s picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more.
WATCH THIS
The Playbook: A Coach’s Rules For Life. The methods that coaches apply to their players – and to themselves – to achieve success are the basis of this Netflix docu-series. Executive produced by LeBron James, U.S. Women’s Soccer coach Jill Ellis, Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers, Premier League soccer coaching legend Jose Mourinho, Dawn Staley of the South Carolina women’s basketball team and Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou speak about how the life lessons they acquired were put into play during various stages of their careers. Using archival and exclusive footage, this series is thought provoking, and inspiring. The Playbook: A Coach’s Rules For Life is available now on Netflix.
Fargo. The 4th season of Todd Hawley’s FX anthology series is once again packed with star power. Chris Rock plays Loy Cannon, a mobster in 1950s Kansas City, trying to fend off a challenge from the Irish, while trying to maintain a fragile truce with hot headed Italian mobster Josto Fadda (Jason Schwartzman). Both are terrific, but there’s also a breakout performance by Jessie Buckley, an angel of death nurse from Minnesota who occasionally gets high on her own supply; Timothy Olyphant as a U.S. Marshal, and E’Myri Crutchfield as Ethelrida, a Black teenager of a family caught in between the gangland game of chess. Quirky, funny and armed with some unexpected twists, it promises to be another solid season from one of TV’s best shows. Season 4 of Fargo premieres Sunday at 9pm on FX
LISTEN TO THIS
Nightbird Motel by Connor Bracken & The Mother Leeds Band. Fueled by the undying spirit of rock n roll, the sophomore album by Jersey’s own Connor Bracken & The Mother Leeds Band is the soundtrack for those nights when you were out with your friends, drinks are flowing, and the vibe you are picking up from that potential significant other is electric. This album is loaded with big riffs, thunderous drums and songs tailor made to transition into an arena. By combining Springsteen idealism with the swagger of Humble Pie, Bracken brings the same energy and passion back into rock n roll the way The Boss did back in the 70s. Whether its playing in your car, computer, phone or any other listening device, put it on, crank it to 10 and take the sonic ride. A dynamic follow up album. Nightbird Motel by Connor Bracken & The Mother Leeds Band is available now through all major streaming services.
Sign O’ The Times (Super Deluxe Edition) by Prince. Released in the spring of 1987, Prince’s 9th studio album was an extraordinary two-CD set of rock, funk, R&B slow jams, electro, and psychedelic pop. It was the end product of a year that was marked with a series of aborted album projects, the breakup of his most famous backup band The Revolution, and the end of his relationship with long time girlfriend Susannah Melvoin. A host of the recordings from those sessions make up the bulk of bonus tracks for the Super Deluxe Edition of Sign O’ The Times. It includes a remastered version of the original album, 63 previously unreleased tracks, B-sides, and alternate takes; full live shows from The Netherlands and Paisley Park studios and much more. It captures Prince at the height of critical and commercial success and gives you a glimpse into his other worldly creative process. A must have for any Prince fan. The Super Deluxe edition of Sign O’ The Times is available now through Amazon and all major streaming services.
What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down by Public Enemy. To call Public Enemy’s 15th studio album (and first on Def Jam since 1998) a ‘comeback’, would be disingenuous. Chuck D and his crew have never stopped raging against the machine, maintaining a relentless touring schedule and releasing top form, independently released material since Bill Clinton was still President. They’ve retained the old school sound and are joined by a number of their heroes and contemporaries (George Clinton, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys Mike D and Ad Roc, B-Real from Cypress Hill, DJ Premier, Daddy O of Stetasonic, Nas, Questlove and Black Thought of The Roots) to let everyone know that while the years may have changed, police brutality, government oppression, addictions to technology and systematic racism hasn’t, and they are leading the charge to fight the power. Public Enemy is showing everyone yet again, that hip hop can be a potent form of protest music as well as any genre. What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down by Public Enemy is available now through all major streaming services.
DO THIS
Wear A Mask.
Wash Your Hands.
Practice Social Distancing.
Stay Safe.
Want more excellence? Read last week’s the filtered excellence.
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