Welcome to the FIFTIETH installation of The Q : your one-stop weekly newsletter of culture recommendations. Can you believe we made it this far?
Album
Cavalcade by Black Midi
For a brief while, the hype behind Black Midi outshone their music. I heard about Black Midi long before I heard a single note they played. The words “raw,” “experimental,” and even “tribal” were thrown around. I heard about their live sets, their personality, and pretty much everything other than their records. Their debut album last year, titled Schlagenheim, changed that as they released a blistering, barnstormer of a project that began to show what they had to offer. On their newest project, Cavalcade, they officially step outside of the indie-rock hype machine and reveal that they may be one of the most interesting groups working right now.
Film
The Surrogate directed by Jeremy Hersch
Tales of identity are difficult; people risk becoming merely symbolic fixtures of a didactic message; the more conservative and whiter crowd can be allergic to conflicts that spring from anything perceived as a conflict of identity. But Hersch’s characters don’t become trapped in their identities, and perhaps this is precisely because they are aware of them. Jess knows that she cannot force her friends to parent, but she also knows it would not be fair for them to shift the burden of post-pregnancy to her. They are people who are navigating the difficulty of knowing the personal is political— but is it always?
Book
Another Country by James Baldwin
Baldwin’s novel revolves around a single question: Can people who belong to different communities form lasting bonds? Is that thought truly too ridiculous for the human brain to comprehend? Baldwin takes this question and explores it the way one would with an undiscovered land. The four hundred and thirty six page novel is filled to the brim with connection after connection between people belonging to different communities, such as Vivaldo and Eric, and the outcome of their loves. In this way, the relationships between the characters become the most important aspect of Another Country, aside from what makes them the “Other.”
Playlist
Teresa’s “rapidapitydoo” features R.A.P. Ferreira, lojii, and Navy Blue
Teresa’s favorite track: “Mozambique Drill” by Mach-Hommy
Description: “An album dump of rap albums as they come to me.”
Podcast
Episode #49: Arnold Palmer and an Interview with Ram Tamez
On this week's episode, Sam and Teresa interview Ram Tamez over a glass of Arnold Palmer. Ram Tamez is a Mexican 2d animation filmmaker based in Paris, and is also a Master of Arts in Character Animation and Filmmaking graduate from the prestigious GOBELINS, L'école de L'image. Recently, he co-directed a short film called LA BESTIA, along with Alfredo Gerard Kuttikatt and Marlijn van Nuenen, which tells the story of a young Mexican smuggler and a little girl traveling illegally on top of a cargo train. The short film won the Best Student Film at the Annie Awards ceremony in 2021. Ram talks to Teresa and Sam about his journey from drawing/painting to animation, the process of making LA BESTIA, and believing in yourself as an artist.