#30: typically upbeat & optimistic
Welcome to issue #30 of THIS NEWSLETTER CANNOT SAVE YOU, returning in full force after last week's brief hiatus due to a bank holiday or whatever.
Highlights From Scottoworld
Since last I wrote you:
The paperback edition of BATTLE OF THE LINGUIST MAGES has been released. "Just in time for the holidays!"
WILD MASSIVE received another favorable trade review, this time from Library Journal: "The latest from Moore is perfect for those who enjoy offbeat sci-fi where the weak stand up to the strong."
Scottovision
Kicking off my recommendations this issue in my typical upbeat and optimistic fashion:
"Everything's A Lie" (2020) - Probably the prettiest surreal animation about the emptiness of "being a human in this world & society" I've seen. Animated by Daniel Criblez, who also provides the score.
"LIFE AS WE KNOW IT IS ENDING! HERE'S HOW TO BE PREPARED" (2022) - Tik Toker Molly Garcia gives you the (hilarious) lowdown on how to survive our inevitable dystopian future in which the electrical grid is destroyed by unspecified bad guys. Foraging has never seemed so relevant.
"Don't Worry Be Happy" (2006) - Not the original a cappella track by Bobby McFerrin, but rather a demented cover that appeared in the film "Trash Talkin" produced by the lo-fi art collective Paper Rad (active from 2000-2008). Oh sure, Bobby McFerrin is featured in the mix and in this video, but uh, I'm sure the tone of this adaptation was not what he had in mind when he wrote the track.
"Per Aspera Ad Astra" (2022) - Not the old Russian sci-fi movie, but rather an animated steampunk short film about working stiff birds living their best lives amidst the mundanities and disappointments of everyday life in an extremely mechanized society. Beautiful art direction, infusing a seemingly silly premise with weight. Written and directed by Franck Dion.
"Final Deployment 4: Queen Battle Walkthrough" (2018) - In this Adult Swim short film, a video game walkthrough by an enthusiastic streamer lands inadvertent body blows against the industry's penchant for pushing war games on society, before revealing unexpectedly trippy layers of recursion. Keeps on giving all the way to the last moments.
"AU REVOIR JÉRÔME !" (2022) - A lovely and bittersweet short film presented by students of the animation academy Gobelins, in which a lonely man arrives in the afterlife, and desperately scours the otherworldly scenery in search of his beloved wife who passed before him.
"Pear Cider and Cigarettes" (2017) - Director Robert Valley delivered this Oscar-nominated animated tribute to one of his closest friends. It's a clear-eyed reminiscence of a man whose hard-drinking ways pushed him beyond the point of no return. The animation is uniquely stylish, and the story is quietly compelling.
"Reactor" (2022) - In this haunting and cinematic music video from Woodkid, a tribe of children in a magma-soaked industrial hellscape take unexpected control of the means of production, and proceed to blow that shit up. Landed instantly on my favorite videos of 2022 list. Directed by Saad Moosajee, who previously delivered stunning videos for Thom Yorke and Mitski.
"Junior Kickstart" (2004) - YouTube channel CHYPSY's Videoclip Archive has been posting a seemingly endless series of music videos ripped from MTV's channels in Europe. One highlight is the first HD appearance on YouTube of this beloved video from The Go! Team, in which the ghosts are after Pac-Man on the streets of New York City.
"We Dropped A GIANT DISCO BALL From 150ft!" (2022) - Important scientific research.
Exit Music
Sending you out this issue with a recommendation from Jer, a live performance from May 2022 of Bonobo's track "Otomo," featuring guest musician Anna Lapwood playing the massive pipe organ in the Royal Albert Hall. As she describes the experience:
I often do middle-of-the-night practice sessions at the @royalalberthall, and have grown rather fond of hall staff calling up to the organ with requests. At 1am on Friday 20th, someone called up asking me to play Bach's Toccata in D minor. It turned out it was Bonobo's band. 12 hours later they had written me an organ part, and 18 hours later I was helping them close their show to an audience of 5000. This was, undoubtedly, the best moment of my life so far...! I've linked to a full screen version above in which Bonobo's impressive stage visuals are on display, and/or you can also check out this split screen version in which a camera is situated with Lapwood in her position above and behind the stage during her performance.
Here is the YouTube playlist featuring the recommendations from this issue. If you like this newsletter, consider sharing it with friends. It's a perfectly respectable use of your inherent prowess as an influencer.
Until next time, I remain your friendly correspondent, thinking of you,
Scotto
Scotto Moore is the author of BATTLE OF THE LINGUIST MAGES and YOUR FAVORITE BAND CANNOT SAVE YOU.