Neversoft - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000), 6/10

The success of the original title and its fresh distilling of the arcade skating experience is polished and rounded out with THPS2. The small details holding back THPS are now edited and patently improved. The pace (considering the arcade style) is refined, for instance, by falls being sped up with button mashing. The cast of characters is embellished with the create-a-skater function, and we can now create our own skate parks. The existing levels are well crafted, particularly the competition levels show improvement in their aim and layout. There is more intention with the role each level plays within the larger game experience. Leaning into the arcade feel of the original title pays dividends. There is still a limit to the format, however, in that it is best enjoyed in bursts. The entire game experience can be quite rapid, and the repetition eventually feels cumbersome. This is something that is juxtaposed in later iterations, creating a point of tension in the broader conversation about the franchise.

 Neversoft - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (1999), 6/10

This first entry from Neversoft is one of the best proof-of-concept games in the early video game catalogue. Rather than simply creating the barebone essentials for the future of the franchise, much of what makes the games interesting and worth replaying is already somehow presented in a mature and stimulating manner. The tape collections are challenging but achievable. Getting 100% completion is rewarding and the arcade style of play is complemented by offering players a cast of skaters to choose from. The second entry from only one year later takes the concept and improves upon practically every detail, but the original game is worth playing and enjoying in concert with the second, third, fourth, etc. Coming back to this game decades later, it is still a fun experience that is very hard to put down. Its arcade aesthetic and feel makes it easy to pick up for 20-30 minutes and hard not to revisit. The Dreamcast edition of THPS (released later in May of 2000) and THPS2 are both upgraded and worth revisiting in addition to the original release, also a worthy aesthetic experience.

 Geese - Getting Killed (2025), 5/10

Geese show major signs of stylistic, sonic, and songwriting progression with Getting Killed over 3D Country, though still inhibited by their general (but not absolute) choice of meekness over their collective gifts for experimentation. When they commit to the depth of their new sound, however, the production and attention to detail in each performance shine vividly. “Trinidad” is quite the electric start, a good example of each band member contributing considerably to the energy of a fully formed and wonderfully executed song. “Cobra” creates an unfortunate precedent, followed by most of the second half of the record: a misplaced warmth that betrays the sensibilities of an otherwise worthwhile indie rock project. Still, “Cobra” is followed by an oddly successful track despite its stylistic weakness. “Husbands” shows the combined WinterGreen in full effect, a circumventing of the existing trend. The ethos of side B is exemplified in “Au pays du cocaine”, a soulless track that advertises profundity but lacks nerve. This is equally true for “Taxes”, particularly when the album leans so deliberately into Cameron Winter’s vocal tone and charisma. Many of these same gripes can be applied to his solo project Heavy Metal. Essentially, when the band’s sound is given space to flourish, Geese excel and create some tremendous songs that will endure beyond the record’s time, but when they are muffled behind half-baked ballads these songs decay and eventually converge into a disappointing second half of the record. Still, the explosive intro to Getting Killed is worth listening to, many times over.

Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958), 6/10

Another Sinatra and Nelson Riddle record truly captures a feeling of loneliness and emotional isolation. The title track and “Ebb Tide” are among the strongest but it is remarkably consistent and steadily beautiful in arrangement. While Where Are You? excels more in songwriting, Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely excels in its foundational, elemental sentiment. There are no weak songs in the mix, only standouts that mark high points at the start of each side. The gait of Frank’s delivery along with the palpable genuineness is what sets the record apart and makes it exceptional, even among such a successful album career. It does not quite sound like anything else and dwarfs any other sad bastard records of the time. There is also a feeling of coolness that is typically lacking in truly depressive music, partially from Sinatra’s delivery and partly from Nelson Riddle’s understated, tasteful instrumentals. This record is best given complete immersion, as its somber grief taps on one’s shoulder until they succumb to heartbreak. One of the greater smoky barroom soundtracks you will find.

Mstislav Rostropovich - Cello-Suiten (1995), 6/10

A pleasant and worthwhile recording of Bach’s Cello Suites but does not live up to the music’s potential at times. This leaves a feeling of aridity that is hard to escape but comes and goes in waves. There is an obvious mastery to the performances yet in the end the recording itself is underwhelming even with realistic expectations. This may be due to the recording itself or to Rostropovich in moments but regardless these piece together what is a great recording, not the best. Look to Fournier or even Wispelwey. Still worth its time and a rather beautifully performed rendition in certain stages.

Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong (2025), 4/10

The performances are great, there are interesting phrases sprinkled throughout most tracks, and there is clear ambition behind the songwriting. Yet Forever Howlong is almost entirely forgettable and falls flat, not just in comparison to the band’s previous work but in the grander context of the modern creative music scene. The imaginative complexity does not really lead anywhere interesting. The technically sound performances lack spirit. The songwriting only flirts with inspiration or idle satisfaction before quickly retreating back into inert phrases and at times unemotional or detached compositions. There is nothing offensively poor or particularly disappointing about this record, only a smattering of forgettable songs. The lack of Isaac Wood is less of a creative void and more of a charisma vacuum. The vocals are quite exceptional yet in the majority lack morale and proper feeling. The music itself was already headed in this direction, but the band had not fully committed to this lack of clarity and creative direction, resulting in a doubled effect of palpable theatrical confusion and flat sensibility. When they do commit to a particular sound it either works flawlessly for a short duration or shifts quickly towards befuddled distress. Forever Howlong is hopefully a creative pitstop for a very talented group of musicians regrouping and finding new creative footing, but time will tell.

Voltaire - Candide (1759), 8/10

Voltaire's Candide is one of the most interesting and entertaining pieces of satire available to modern readers. Voltaire uses a combination of humor, logic, counter-logic, and narrative playfulness to provide a very necessary and creative response to Leibnizian optimism and the philosophies of the Enlightenment. The number of literary and Biblical symbols and motifs is practically unending and quite impressive for the brevity of the story, yet Voltaire uses a brilliant combination of real historical events and literary allusions to support his attacks against optimism, the illusion of free will, human goodness, and justice. Candide's character experiences an evolution that aptly takes the reader by the hand and guides us through a philosophical maturation, adding to the text's effectiveness as a work of narrative philosophy. The treatment of characters such as Martin in contrast to Pangloss gives insight into Voltaire's thoughts, and sometimes biases, but the relatively open-ended pessimism of the story gives it further meaning outside of any narrow views that have been injected into its events by critics. It is ambiguous whether Voltaire was ultimately supporting a self-annexation from modern society founded in pessimism or a pragmatic, logical participation founded in realism, but this only contributes to the artistic merit of the fiction. The ironic use of the sufficing reason is perhaps one of the strongest examples of Voltaire's satire and the critique of deterministic optimism. The brevity of the story is, again, a strength, as one can feel the story's intentionally balanced quality, never feeling unnaturally truncated but rather appropriately concise.

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations (AD 170-180)

Marcus Aurelius was Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180, making this a historically significant document of his private notes beyond its value as a work of philosophy. This is fortunate, as the work itself is more interesting as a reflection of Aurelius' character and thoughts than as a work of philosophy. It is a rather straightforward personal reflection of Stoicism in practice, in most parts, rather than a new set of philosophical thoughts that pose new questions. Marcus commands himself, and the reader who is also intended as himself, to adopt and commit to the tenants of Stoic thought as a way to cope with the realities of being a ruler and to flourish as a virtue driven emperor. He also poetically considers death and the end of life throughout the text, more concentratedly in the twelfth and final book. His writing is very widely applicable to pursuing a virtue-driven Stoic lifestyle, making its application attractive and popular amongst result-driven individuals and pragmatic thinkers. While Stoicism itself limits the text as a piece of philosophy, considering it relies almost solely on the work of other Stoics or ancient thinkers while quoting Epictetus, Plato, and others, it is very entertaining and valuable as a personal work. He does not delve into or consider metaphysics or the origins of the conclusions he makes, rather focusing on the implications of Stoic thought and moral philosophy as it relates to fame, interpersonal relationships, "right and wrong" action, hedonism, and many other topics that are personal to Aurelius but widely applicable elsewhere. His notability largely stems from his persistence in being virtuous despite being the most powerful man of his time, failing to submit to hedonist or unvirtuous lifestyles. He also appears to write honestly about his thoughts, avoiding the inner-critic in a literary sense while appearing very self-critical in terms of behavior. He addresses all of the tenants of Stoic philosophy repeatedly, exemplifying the dyeing of the mind, particularly on topics of indifferentism and death. He leans into and relies on spiritual arguments often, similar to Kierkegaard or Aquinas to follow, making some of his philosophical reasonings rather complicated and unworkable. The work itself is rather unorganized as well because of its origins, particularly in book seven and some later books that appear haphazard or unfinished in retrospect, not reflecting a weakness but a limit of the form. He discusses more practical tools and ideas such as his commonplace books, methods for constructing personal responsibility, and even exhibits a personal maturation and evolution of thought throughout his writing. He is particularly persuasive because he chooses to act on his writings and thoughts, committing to Stoicism in a more intense and situationally challenging fashion than any other thinker, ancient or modern.