Author: museum maddie

assistant daytime music director @ wknc 88.1 fm hd-1 <3

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Blog

HAGS from museum maddie <3

WKNC 88.1 blog

Howdy y’all. As my last blog post for the semester, I wanted to leave you with a HAGS inspired media list. These are songs I like and movies, books, and podcasts that are on my favorites or to-be-read list. I appreciate you all for keeping up with my blog and I hope you’ve found some new favorite songs, books, or podcasts along the way. If you are graduating, I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors and thank you for keeping up with WKNC. Good luck on finals and make sure you are taking care of yourself amidst any finals stress.

Music

  1. coney island (feat. The National) by Taylor Swift
  2. Summer’s Here by Sun Room
  3. Silk Chiffon by MUNA
  4. Work Out by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
  5. Chaise Longue by Wet Leg
  6. Lemon Tree by Mt. Joy
  7. Sidelines by Phoebe Bridgers
  8. New Romance by Beach House
  9. Be Sweet by Japanese Breakfast
  10. Settle Down by Ricky Montgomery 
  11. That’s Where I Am by Maggie Rogers

Books

  1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
  2. If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
  3. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
  4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  5. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
  6. Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
  7. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
  8. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
  9. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
  10. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
  11. The Club by Ellery Lloyd

Podcasts and Movies

  1. Gone South (Podcast)
  2. Mile Higher (Podcast)
  3. The Thing About Pam (Podcast)
  4. Crime Weekly (Podcast)
  5. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Movie)
  6. X (Movie)
  7. Old (Movie)
  8. Midsommar (Movie)
  9. The Rental (Movie)
  10. Suspect by Wondery (Podcast)
  11. Welcome to your Fantasy (Podcast

<3, museum maddie

Categories
Blog

Cleaning The Relics

Image by illustrator Charles Schridde depicting his vision of the home of the future.

Howdy y’all! After fixing my apartment’s clogged kitchen sink and dishwasher, I felt like my space needed a good cleaning to reset (plus a recent binge-session of The Home Edit on Netflix). I see my room almost as a gallery space; I hang posters and little knick-knacks on my wall that make me happy, place fake plants around my no-light apartment, and have books stacked in every open space. Your room is like your site, a perfectly crafted exhibit that exudes your personality. You get to be the curator – how exciting is that!

What’s a good clean without good songs to dance around to? With all of the beautiful greenery coming back and the sun lingering around extra long, it felt right to try and create a playlist for you to clean to. I love a good clean, and I feel like what you’re rocking to makes a huge difference. I wish any student reading all the best as we head towards finals, and the best, most enjoyable springtime for those of you who aren’t cramming. Inspired by my recent fragrance fixation, I wanted to recommend these songs like how you would see notes of a perfume.

  • All Of The Time by Jungle 
    • Smooth like a good shot of espresso covered in the most perfectly frothed oat milk. Underlying notes of soul. 
  • Mind Blowing Decisions by Heatwave
    • So good. More R&B and soul that makes you want to dance under a disco ball in some flared pants with your vacuum. 
  • Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
    • Reminiscent of cleaning with the windows open and the smell of fresh cut flowers
  • I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King 
    • Fun and zingy. Piano-heavy. Pictured with a pair of yellow rubber cleaning gloves that reach the elbows.
  • 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
    • I love Miss Dolly, and nothing makes me want to rearrange my whole room and clean like I never have in my life like 9 to 5 does. 
  • Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
    • This song feels like cleaning with your loved ones. Broom microphones in hand, singing from opposite ends of the sofa.
  • Dedicated To The One I Love by The Mamas & The Papas
    • Cleaning the spice drawer, cleaning the pantry, cleaning the fridge. Organizing the food space. 
  • Waterloo by Abba
    • Hard to explain, but perfect for deep cleaning the bathroom. Pairs well with Dancing Queen and Chiquitita.
  • Kokomo
    • Hanging laundry in the warmth of the evening. Wicker baskets and sandals. Lingering scent of bug spray. (My all time favorite Beach Boys song)
  • Darlin’ darlin’ by The Knee-Hi’s
    • Washing the bed sheets. Hint of freshly cleaned linens and a newly lit candle. 
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Blog

museum maddie: Down in the Library

Howdy y’all! I have been absolutely devouring books lately, and I wanted to bring to you some of my latest recommendations. There is nothing as good as curling up with a page-turner on a rainy day. But, half the struggle of starting to get into a book is finding one! If you’re like me, you watch the same shows and movies and read the same books over and over again for the predictability and ease of choice. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to break this habit, and I’ve found that reading has been the best way to start. Here are my favorite non-committal page-turners that have gotten me back into my love for reading. 

Fiction

  1. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley: A New Years reunion of a group of old friends from Oxford takes a sinister turn. Set in a remote estate in the Scottish Highlands, we hear from various characters. Heather and Doug, the lodge workers, Miranda, the center of attention, Katie, the quiet one, and Emma, the new friend, talk us through this volatile trip. I loved the setting Foley created and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the final page.
  2. The Guest List by Lucy Foley: A couple’s wedding celebration located off the coast of West Ireland goes dark. A murder, a storm, old secrets, this whodunnit novel has it all. Told from the perspective of the wedding planner, the bride, the plus-one, the best man, and the bridesmaid, the mixed points of view add a layer of uncertainty and secrecy. A great one-sitting read that will have you captivated until the end. 
  3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: This book broke my heart and stitched it back together just to break it again. Set in North Carolina in the 1950s and 60s, the story follows Kya as she navigates through living in isolation in the marsh. A coming-of-age murder mystery that focuses on class disparities and race, this book felt like an upgrade of a book you’d have to read for a high school English class. 
  4. Bunny by Mona Awad: Although I am still reading this, I had to include it in this list. Eccentrically written, I cannot put this book down. It is unorthodox, it is weird, it is unusual. There is a blurring line between what the reality is and I look forward to seeing how this book ends.

Non-Fiction

  1. Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe: This was my first non-school non-fiction book I’ve read this year. Savage Appetites revolves around four archetypes of women who are aligned and captivated with true crime. They include the detective, the victim, the defender, and the killer. While it does read like a long opinion article (which makes sense as Monroe is an investigative journalist), I found it an interesting change of pace from the podcasts I usually listen to. 
  2. Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes: Another book that I’m still reading, and another I cannot wait to finish. Pandora’s Jar looks at the women in the Greek myths and why they are commonly villainized throughout these stories. Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, and Eurydice are just a few of the women and stories that Haynes explores. 
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Blog

A Very Harry Summer

Howdy y’all! With the release of Harry Styles’ new single, As It Was, it only felt right to create a summer playlist made entirely of Harry/Harry-involved projects. Before we do that, let’s dive into how music is situated in sociology! While reading an article recently, I realized just how much girls and women are invalidated in what music they enjoy. According to this article from Study Breaks, One Direction had 48.8 million album sales in the 2010s and toured in stadiums with roughly 50,000 fans a night. Just by checking my Spotify, they currently have 27,820,306 monthly listeners, despite breaking up in January of 2016. So, why do people treat them as if they aren’t a successful band? 

It is common that those who listen to “real music” aren’t fans of “manufactured” bands that they think are just popular because of how they look. But with such a group like The Beatles, who fell mostly into psychedelic/pop rock, how did Beatlemania then delegitimize them? The answer? The societal perception of female fans.

Long queues made up of teenage girls are a feature of both The Beatles and One Direction concerts. Female fans are deemed as hysterical over these groups, which goes back to misogynistic views about the emotions that women should have (and what they should just keep to themselves). Hysteria was introduced as a mental disorder around the 1880s, and patients diagnosed were almost always women. It was not removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until 1980. Yikes! Now, women are just looked down on by the media, with articles titled with things like “Beware of Obsessive and Over-Emotional One Direction Fans.”

Conclusion

If a teenage girl or woman likes something that is generally more liked by other women, then that interest is automatically invalidated for some reason or another. Think the Twilight franchise. A female fanbase should not be what dismisses the artist’s credibility. There are plenty of opinion pieces on this topic, and a major point is how we don’t invalidate the feelings or things that men like, as discussed in this New Statesman article, this Badger Herald article, and this Daily Targum article. Luckily, Harry Styles has continuously defended the female fan base of One Direction. I think that we are moving away from toxic sexism and moving towards just letting girls and women like what they like. I, for one, cannot wait for the rest of Harry’s new album. Now, for a very Harry summer. 

The Playlist

  • As It Was by Harry Styles 
  • Girl Almighty by One Direction
  • Kiwi by Harry Styles
  • Act My Age by One Direction 
  • Woman by Harry Styles 
  • Adore You by Harry Styles
  • One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks) by One Direction 
  • Lights Up by Harry Styles 
  • What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction 
  • Carolina by Harry Styles 
  • Only Angel by Harry Styles
  • Live While We’re Young by One Direction
  • History by One Direction
  • No Control by One Direction 
  • Up All Night by One Direction
  • Girl Almighty by One Direction
Categories
Blog

Museum Maddie’s March Music <3

One of many museums in NC
Credit: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; Flikr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Howdy y’all! After a brief identity crisis, it felt only right to bring back museum maddie. dj mozzie served me well, but sometimes you have to bring it back to your roots. I wanted to share the songs that got me through the month of March! I’ve been really into some folksy-indie jams. With the final stretch of the semester here, I encourage you to keep making sure you are spending time doing what makes you happy. Go for a hike, sit down with your favorite book, spend time with your dearest friends, go to the farmers market, or take a nap! I’m currently reading Savage Appetites, a book about true crime by Rachel Monroe and listening to the Crime Weekly podcast to destress. Take care of yourself and try out some new songs!

  • That’s Life Honey by Boy Scouts
  • Santa Barbara by Angelo De Augustine
  • Angelina by Lizzy McAlpine
  • A.M. RADIO by The Lumineers
  • Astral Projection by Yumi Zouma
  • The Lightning I by Arcade Fire
  • I’d Have to Think About It by Leith Ross
  • Northsiders by Christian Lee Hutson
  • Light of a Clear Blue Morning by Waxahatchee 
  • Nothing’s Gonna Happen by The Staves
  • Fall, Fall, Fall by Caamp
  • Ready or Not (feat. Sierra Ferrell) by Shakey Graves
  • Goodbye Mr. Blue by Father John Misty
  • Loretta by Jess Williamson
  • Unbelievers by Vampire Weekend
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Miscellaneous

“The Silent Patient” By Alex Michaelides – Book Review

Synopsis

“Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband.”

Who doesn’t love opening up a book to find an absolutely attention grabbing first line? The Silent Patient, a 2019 psychological thriller novel written by British-Cypriot Alex Michaelides, will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. Inspired by Alcestis, an Athenian tragedy by Greek playwright Euripides, The Silent Patient is a bit of a slow-burn. Main character Alicia Berenson, a famous painter married to famous fashion photographer Gabriel Berenson, lived a happy life in London…until she brutally murdered him. Committed to The Grove, a forensic facility nestled in North London, Alicia refuses to speak to anybody and has stayed silent since her arrest. There she is met with Theo Faber, a forensic psychotherapist with an intense fascination around the Berenson case. 

Theo, the narrator, walks the reader through a bit of his life leading up to getting a job at The Grove and continues to detail the hardships of working with a patient who simply won’t speak. Theo eventually builds enough rapport with Alicia to get her to speak, and what she admits is a page-turning shocker. Michaelides paints colorful side characters in this Agatha Christie-esque whodunit novel, and you end up itching to find the truth. I don’t want to give too much away because the twist is what really makes this book great.

My Review

I stayed up all night to read this book (admittedly, any creaks around the apartment raised my blood pressure) because I just had to know what happened. While I don’t usually consider myself a fan of slow-burn novels, The Silent Patient kept my attention and continuously piqued my curiosity. For those of you not too keen on reading, a movie adaptation is reportedly in the works. 

About the Author

The Silent Patient was Alex Michaelides’ first novel and a New York Times bestseller. He found inspiration for this novel at his time studying psychotherapy and working in an adult facility. His new novel, The Maidens, was published in 2021 and is a psychological detective story about murders that take place at Cambridge college. Michaelides doesn’t just write novels; he wrote The Devil You Know (starring Lena Olin, Rosamund Pike and Jennifer Lawrence) and co-wrote The Con Is On (starring Uma Thurman and Tim Roth).

I hope to read The Maidens sometime soon and look forward to more work from Michaelides. Adjusting to school after spring break is always tough for me, so I encourage you to go pick a book and just live in another world for a little. Here’s to the final stretch!

<3 dj mozzie

Categories
Non-Music News

“Verity” by Colleen Hoover Book Review

Verity Colleen Hoover

Summary

What do you get when you cross a somewhat-newly-single struggling writer with the husband of a famous thriller novelist? Colleen Hoover’s Verity. I struggled for a while with finding a book that captured my attention, dealing with the relatable struggle of being in an I-want-to-read-but-just-can’t-sit-down-and-do-it sort of rut. Verity book reviews had appeared on my TikTok, so I decided to get it on a whim because I had heard good things about the book and Colleen Hoover. I read it in a day, neglecting all other obligations because I could not manage to put it down. 

Main character Lowen Ashleigh is in her early thirties and is living in New York City. After witnessing a man getting hit by a car in close proximity, she happens to run into Jeremy Crawford. Unbeknownst to her, Jeremy is the husband of Verity Crawford, a renowned novelist. Lowen and Jeremy share a moment in which he takes care of her in a nearby coffee shop, tending to her after such a shocking experience. The two connect emotionally, but then go their separate ways. After her encounter with Jeremy, Lowen has to catch a meeting with her agent (and ex-boyfriend) Corey. Lowen was toeing the line of financial ruin due to caring for her sick mother when she was offered the deal of a lifetime. Who walks in to offer her this deal? Jeremy Crawford. 

Mysteriously injured, Verity Crawford’s status of health is unknown to the public. She needs someone to finish her book series as per her contract. Verity’s publishers ask Lowen to take on this task, which involves her going to the Crawford’s house in Vermont to look through Verity’s files. Lowen, initially resistant, has a moment alone with Jeremy, who convinces her to take this deal. What Lowen finds at the house would change the course of the lives of everyone involved forever.  If you are into quite steamy romantic thrillers, Verity is definitely for you. 

About the Author

Colleen Hoover is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty two novels. She mainly writes New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance, along with psychological thrillers. Colleen’s foundation, The Bookworm Box, has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need. This program provides readers with signed novels each month and profits are then donated to various charities. 

Rumors say that a movie adaptation of Verity is in the works, and I am excited to see this story come to life. Colleen Hoover’s other books have definitely made it on my to-read list, including It Ends With Us and Ugly Love. I hope you give this book a try if you’re finding yourself unmotivated to read.

Till next time, 

dj mozzie

Categories
Music Education

Why We Should Care About Classical Music

Howdy y’all! Today I wanted to pose the question that is on everyone’s mind: why should we care about classical music? I may be revealing my former band kid self once again, but I firmly believe in the benefits and importance of classical music. 

If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you’ve probably heard the Nutcracker X Griddy song that has been floating around. If I were to give you one example of how Classical has been able to transcend time and stay relevant, I’d offer you this. The Nutcracker, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s third ballet, was first performed in 1892. That is over a century of relevance (every Christmas calls for the music from The Nutcracker). Popular music today is often simpler than classical, and requires less of the listener to identify the melodies. It is easy for us now to find a catchy part of a song (it also helps that pop music has words), where we don’t usually go around singing parts of a classical piece.

Classical music also offers a plethora of benefits. It can decrease blood pressure, reduce stress, aid sleep, improve memory retention, and boost mental well-being. Music is a vital aspect of our society and has been since the start of mankind. 40,000 years ago, early human hunting parties had very little and lived in harsh conditions, but they still had music. In 2009, scientists found this group’s musical instruments buried. There were four flutes, each made to create a tonal difference. How incredible is that? The benefits of classical music have been scientifically studied and proven.

Now you may be asking, dj mozzie, why don’t we hear about classical works today like we would have if we were living during Mozart’s time? For starters, music is not ingrained in nobility and the church as it is today. Classical composers were huge for their time, and society back then was more connected. Mozart and Beethoven would be like a modern day equivalent to The Beatles or Prince. Another factor is that genres have increased tenfold since the 1800s. Stomp and Holler and Neo Mallow situate music into tighter and more refined niches. All current artists aren’t working in one genre of music, they’re building up their own respectively.

The future of classical music is bright but uncertain. Classical music is rooted in deep tradition, therefore discouraging experimentation amongst young composers and conductors. We want music to change with us, to bring in new cultural elements, and to remind us about what it means to be human. I ask that you give classical music a chance if you haven’t before.

Find my favorite playlists full of classical here and here.

Categories
New Album Review

A Beginner’s Mind Album Review

A beginner's mind album cover

About A Beginner’s Mind

Released in September of 2021, A Beginner’s Mind is a collaborative effort from Sufjan Stevens and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Angelo De Augustine. Each song has a distinct film inspiration, as listed at the end. These are unusual movies to to write a dreamy-folksy-indie-pop album about. Most titles are either commonly criticized, sequels, or simply left out of today’s pop culture scene. Many of the songs take on the point of view of misunderstood characters of movies. Notably, “Pillars of the Soul” and “You Give Death a Bad Name.” This is a unique take on an album that I have never seen done before. The songs aren’t gimmicky or obviously based on such films; instead, they feature tasteful nods. 

Criticism

In an article for Pitchfork, Nadine Smith explores the particularly “problematic” territory of the song “Cimmerian Shade” through the lens of a trans woman. The song is supposed to be from the point of Buffalo Bill, a character that has been weaponized against the trans community. Notably, she calls out the use of the word “autogynephilia” in the song, an outdated term that “dismisses transness as a sexual fetish isntead of a valid identity” (Smith, Pitchfork). Buffalo Bill is a character that represents institutional oppression for trans folks, so more caution may have been needed with word choice from Sufjan and Angelo. “Cimmerian Shade” was my favorite song off of this album, and I had no idea of its origin until reading Smith’s article. I’ve learned how valuable reading other perspectives is.

My Thoughts

Angelo and Sufjan’s beautiful album creates a sense of longing, and feels as if it should be the backing for Greek mythology indie movie. With elements of their own music, A Beginner’s Mind is more vocal heavy, with angelically layered voices. Angelo and Sufjan put out amazing work individually, and this album is some of my favorite work of theirs. I really look forward to any future collaborations between these two.

Check out Nadine Smith’s beautifully written review for Pitchfork here.

  • “Reach Out” inspired by Wings of Desire
  • “Lady Macbeth in Chains” inspired by All About Eve
  • “Back to Oz” inspired by Return to Oz
  • “The Pillar of Souls” inspired by Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
  • “You Give Death a Bad Name” inspired by Night of the Living Dead
  • “Beginner’s Mind” inspired by Point Break
  • “Olympus” inspired by Clash of the Titans
  • “Murder and Crime” inspired by Mad Max
  • “(This Is) The Thing” inspired by The Thing
  • “It’s Your Own Body and Mind” inspired by She’s Gotta Have It
  • “Lost in the World” inspired by The Last Wave
  • “Fictional California” inspired by Bring It On Again
  • “Cimmerian Shade” inspired by The Silence of the Lambs
  • “Lacrimae” inspired by Lacrimae Rerum
Categories
Concert Review

Phoebe Bridgers’ Reunion Tour

In September of 2021, on a complete whim, I bought a $40 pit ticket to what would be the best night of my entire life. It has been quite a few years since I’ve been to a concert. A mix of being in college and COVID-19 has made it hard to find locations close to me that also worked with my schedule. The pandemic has made live music incredibly hard to achieve, as you all know.

My partner and I made our way to Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater to see Phoebe Bridgers in concert, with MUNA opening. As we waited in line, we saw our fair share of skeleton onesies and all black outfits. We had our vaccine cards checked and then the line started to move. I was a bit apprehensive about this experience because of COVID, but everybody kept their mask on around me in the pit and the vaccination screening eased my nerves. 

MUNA, who I had learned about not long before seeing them, brought so much enthusiasm. Such a fun and eclectic group, and I’ve become quite a fan of theirs since seeing them. Phoebe came out to sing Silk Chiffon and left MUNA to finish their set. They played “Number One Fan,” “I Know A Place,” “Crying On The Bathroom Floor,” and other songs from their albums About U and Saves The World. Their music was more upbeat than Phoebe, so I was curious if the energy would continue once MUNA left the stage.

When I say that the production value of Phoebe’s concert was insane, I mean it. With all of her songs, there was a storybook projected behind her and the band that related to whichever song she was singing. Most of the songs came from Punisher, but she also played “Funeral,” “Motion Sickness,” and “Scott Street” off of Stranger in the Alps. We were also lucky enough to hear “Me & My Dog” and “That Funny Feeling”. The images on the storybook pages would change as the songs went on. My favorite was the house that gradually burned during “I Know The End.” As former band kids (both my boyfriend and I), the trumpet player absolutely amazed us.

The way she interacted with her fans was so laid back yet so engaging. My boyfriend and I laughed and cried, and mostly I was in awe that I was watching my favorite artist on stage. Now for my movie moment – it started to lightly drizzle at one point, and I was dancing and singing to Phoebe with my best friend. I felt like nobody else there was watching or judging, and I let myself have so much fun. It couldn’t have been a more perfect first-pit experience or first concert since the pandemic really started. I’ve soaked this in for 5 months, and this concert is still one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.