3 of the best: PODCASTS
SMARTLESS Wondery
(60 min episodes) Will Arnett (Arrested Development, the
second best Batman after dam West, Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Ozark and Sean Hayes Will And Grace hope to become a little smarter. Every Monday, one of the hosts reveals a mystery guest, leading to improvised and, with these three best friends at the helm, genuinely funny conversation. Recent guests have included Radiohead, Paul Thomas Anderson, Eddie Vedder and Courteney Cox.
THE ROCKONTEURS Gimme Sugar Productions
(60 min episodes)
“Real stories behind real music” is a terrible tagline, but don’t let the snobbery of the premise put you off. There is none to be found with the in-depth and fascinating discussions between hosts Gary Kemp Spandau Ballet, Guy Pratt session musician for literally everyone and their guests. Graham Coxon’s recent interview revealed the story behind how he has bizarrely joined Duran Duran, and Kevin owland was in fine form discussing his masterpiece Don’t Stand Me Down.
Elden Ring and the bugs that go round
It is always refreshing, in the world of modern gaming, to see developers turn their backs on super-charged shot guns and laser sights, and return to a simple world of wood and stone. No, I’m not talking about Minecraft, but Elden Ring; a new third person role-playing game brought to you by the creators of Dark Souls, and the veritable mes- siah of all things fantasy, George R.R Martin. For Game Of Thrones fans who have had, let’s be honest, very little joy in their lives since 2016, this new game is a breath of fresh air, with a lore as rich as it’s graphics, and a critical reception as good as the season one writing.
Elden Ring has been a triumph for its creators, with a 95% rating on Metacritic – however, it wasn’t completely smooth sailing from the start. Despite being in develop- ment for over six years, the PC version of the game had notable issues, including a problem with cloud saving and a stuttering framerate. True, this only happened for players on the platform Steam, which is only used by, what, 120 million people? The complaints rose quickly, meaning publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment had to quickly jump online with an apology and the promise of a patch.
NEEDS A FRIEND Team Coco & Earwolf
(60 min episodes) Talk show host and Simpsons writer
onorail! onan O’Brien is looking for new friends. You’d have thought that years at the pinnacle of American celebrity culture would find him overwhelmed with people vying for the title of ‘bestie’. But apparently not. He’s clearly having a riot with this podcast, so much so that he’s quit late night television to concentrate on this format. Guests include Barack Obama, Tracy Morgan and everyone in between.
Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence these days: companies seem to prefer a rushed and splashy release that they can patch up later, instead of taking their time in the testing stage. The same thing happened to the over- ly-hyped space exploration game No Man’s Sky in 2018, released far too early and with myriad functional problems that prompted the more unhinged parts of its player base to send creator Sean Murray death threats. What promised to be a new and exciting trend plummeted into a famous jump-the-shark moment and a new commandment for other developers: thou shalt not market a game too early. Elden Ring is certainly lucky to have avoided this fate.
OLIVIA GARRETT
SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE Ukrainian writer
compiles 14 of her favourite new bands from the nation’s musical underground; originally commissioned in 2021, the playlist found new relevance during this month’s efforts to source funds to the people of Ukraine. It also enables listeners to directly support the individual artists through Bandcamp.
Alex Bondarenko
Top Tracks: DZ’OB, Beings For Throbbing; Milktuth, Under The Same Skies; Mandarinaduck, Long Life
BEN POTTER 43 FRAGILE FOLK
“I share music that speaks to me” says Carla Infinite, the compiler of this particular Spotify playlist. If acoustic guitars, airy vocals and minimal, precise production is your thing, this playlist is for you. Juliet Sunower’s Drinking Rain presents an ethereal vitality alongside the razor sharp lyricism of songwriter Leith Ross and the sting of Grown Up.
Top Tracks: Babehoven, Fugazi; Madi Diaz, New Person, Old Place; Maple Glider, Good Thing
3 of the best: PLAYLISTS
SMALL ALBUMS, Vol.36 Every Tuesday you can be sure that
Small lbums will have your fill of new indie music. Volume 36 features 10 tracks, including Austin-trio Hovvdy with indie rock earworm Everything and Philadelphia-based college mates Grubby Little Hands with their new psych-pop driven single Medicine Drawer.
Top Tracks: Yawners, Rivers Cuomo; Spencer Zahn, Sadly, Slowly; Tiny Blue Ghost, The Plunge
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