Currently Spinning: NEVER ENOUGH (2025) by Turnstile
Rating: 6/10
I will be attending Shaky Knees music festival in September later this year, and Turnstile is listed as one of the headliners in parallel with Geese, an all-time favorite of mine. Much of the buzz in the indie scene of 2025 was around both band's respective albums of that year, NEVER ENOUGH and Getting Killed. As an avid fan of Getting Killed, I had no doubt that NEVER ENOUGH would be the perfect sequel to wash it down with, and perhaps that is where the trouble began.
As a disclaimer, this album is my only exposure to Turnstile, so I am lacking the data points of their previous albums to know if this is consistent with their style. In a vacuum, NEVER ENOUGH drops flashes into a pan, firing many tight songs like bullets into your ears before emptying the magazine somewhere in the 40-minute range. I wholly appreciate songs that don't overstay their welcome, and much of the allure of the album comes from its attention to pacing. The other facet I appreciated was its lush production value. All tracks felt well mixed in fast and slower segments alike, allowing the group to explore different sounds within the rock umbrella without straying from a sound that distinctly felt like them.
This is also, ironically, where I feel the album fragments. As a rock band, Turnstile exudes everything I look for. The guitars seamlessly integrate with the frenetic drum beat for some truly memorable moments. It's everything they do outside of rock that has sat undigested for me. The best version of this appears on the titular opening track, where the unwavering synth effect on the vocals pairs nicely with the beautiful chord progression underneath. The worst version of this appears in the final track MAGIC MAN, the uglier twin of the album bookends. This track in particular is near unlistenable in the amount of corniness the lyrics exude, layered in the grating shout-sing effect needlessly applied to the vocals.
As an album, the dichotomy between pure rock and overproduced mush fosters a difficult listening experience. On the basis of individual tracks, I think there are some real gems buried within. I'm particularly fond of SLOWDIVE, SOLE, and BIRDS. My absolute skips include MAGIC MAN, DULL, and I CARE, the latter of which baffles me in its popularity. Besides these lowlights, I believe the rest of the album can be thoroughly enjoyed through a different musical palette or by watching Turnstile perform live, which I wholly believe will alleviate the bitterness I feel to their stylistic approach in the studio. I recommend listening to the album yourself and seeing if you discover a new favorite; if you don't, then join the club.
Currently Reading: Wool (2011) by Hugh Howey
Rating: 8/10
Wool is perhaps best known for its recent adaptation into the Apple TV show Silo, named after the series that Wool introduces as its first entry. I have not watched this show yet, as I would like to finish the Silo trilogy before potentially delving into any spoilers that I would otherwise be reading. If you can tell by my desire to keep reading and watching, I really enjoyed my foray into the Silo universe.
Wool is the fictional story of a dystopian future where the surface of our planet has been rendered uninhabitable. At the moment, the exact cause of disaster is not yet revealed, which places us on similar footing to the characters of the story. Wool takes place in an underground silo spanning over one hundred floors and multiple sections dedicated to work, commerce, and living. Those who yearn to escape the confines of the silo are granted their wish by being sent to "cleaning", the act of wiping the silo's surface cameras of dust. The process is taboo, and no cleaners ever return to the silo alive. Why is it taboo to want to know what happened outside? Why are those who push back found dead from apparent suicide? Are the silo leadership obfuscating what lies beyond the silo's walls?
My favorite aspect of Wool was its characters and description of the silo's seemingly endless levels. The main character, Juliette, is a skilled mechanic with a keen eye for weaknesses in utility structure and social habits. As an engineer myself, I was impressed by author Howey's accuracy in what systems and parts keep buildings alive. Mechanical infrastructure is often relegated to the background in real life, so I was thrilled to see my occupation fill such a critical role within the silo. Much of the plot hinges on the technology (or lack thereof) that the characters interact with.
Moreover, I thought that each character was well-written in their motivations. Take this with a grain of salt from my male perspective, but it was refreshing to see both genders treated equally throughout the novel. Women naturally occupy positions of power without implying it being due to this universe's equivalent of DEI. Men cry and aren't afraid to talk about how they feel. Men and women work together with respect and without sexual undertones. Love interests are an extension of characters instead of overriding their personality. All of these are facets that foster a gender normality sorely missing from the real world, but appreciated in a fictional plot that hinges on the collective will of the people.
I don't find there to be any glaring flaws in the writing, but if I had to choose one, it would be the amount of plot dedicated to traversing the silo. There is no elevator in the silo. This has its own important reasons, but it does mean that realistic travel between floors takes a long time. Pair this with characters of age, and you get to read a lot about how sore everybody gets during the grueling ascents. I understand the relevance of this for the plot, but additional realism may sometimes stray into tedium.
I would certainly recommend Wool to anybody with an affinity for science fiction grounded within the limits of reality. If you choose to dive in, I would also recommend that you temper your attachment to the cast. This world is unforgiving and life can be taken as quickly as it is given.
Currently Watching: Marty Supreme (2025)
Rating: 9/10
Apologies for the Chalamet jumpscare, but the ironic reality is that the same can be said for the plot of Marty Supreme. The movie dedicates the entirety of its runtime to the star in his role as Marty Mouser, a ping pong whiz from the 1950s before the sport gained any serious traction stateside. This is the plot at a surface level, but the story quickly unravels into a net of Mouser's hubris, much of which leaves ping pong in the backseat.
The dealbreaker for Marty Supreme is whether or not you like Mouser himself. He is proven time and time again to be a disloyal weasel who seizes the next best thing he is presented, regardless of what the consequences might be long term. This leads to some hilarious antics at times, but also some horrific antics at times. I watched this with Kathryn when we both expected a lighthearted movie, and our mouths fell agape as the worst-case scenarios continued to hit new lows. Truly, the character Mouser betrays most often in the film is himself; and yet, Chalamet's portrayal forces you to remain sympathetic of him.
Kathryn and I interpreted the film differently at its conclusion. Her immediate review was simple.
I don't think I liked that very much.
I can't blame her for the review. It is a movie about unlikeable people doing unlikeable things. On my end, I found that to be a thoroughly enjoyable watch. We could both agree the execution was near perfect if it could instill such emotional response in us. My criticisms of the film only extend to the setting and the jarring music selection. I still couldn't place Chalamet as existing in any time other than the modern day, but this didn't matter since the time period itself had little effect. It could have occurred yesterday to similar result. Despite the setting you choose, the bones of the story are wildly entertaining and will take you to game point before you've had a second to process a second of it. If you can stomach watching two and a half hours of somebody make the worst decision possible, then you certainly need to watch Marty Supreme at least once. It shows the bad so good.