Read up on all the things Minnesota Daily’s A&E writers are loving this week.
New music galore: I’ve been in what I like to call a February funk. Between these gray days and dilapidated weather patterns, it’s difficult to find something to look forward to. I find that new music helps to shake monotony up a bit — and these past few weeks have been full of it. Big Thief and Alt-J released albums this past Friday. Mitski released “Laurel Hell” at the beginning of the month. Animal Collective came back from their hiatus to give us some new sounds. And Amber Mark, known for her cool, bossa nova sound came out with another album right as January ended. Find something new to listen to this month. I promise it’ll help you get through the haze that is February. – Nina Raemont
“Kimi”: Yes, I may be addicted to thriller and suspenseful movies right now, but can you blame me? Being stuck in Minnesota’s freezing February temperatures, the only adventures I’ve been able to be a part of recently have happened on my TV — and HBO Max’s new futuristic thriller “Kimi” has been my most recent obsession. Starring Zoë Kravitz, the movie focuses on Angela Childs, a woman afraid to go outside of her apartment who works for a company that has created the newest voice-activated recognition system, similar to Siri, called Kimi. Childs, played by Kravitz, acts as a behind-the-scenes listener, someone who updates Kimi’s programming live in-time. After hearing what she believes to be an assault caught on Kimi audio, Childs tries to get help from higher-ups at the company, only to be turned away and told that she should leave it alone. When Childs decides to take matters into her own hands, events take a dark turn and lead down an unexpectedly dangerous path in order to find the truth. If you’re in need for a good adventure or if you have a not-so-secret crush on Kravitz, “Kimi” is a must watch. – Carly Quast
“Pokémon Legends: Arceus” on Switch: If you’re into the whole “healing your inner child” thing and if your childhood was anything like mine — filled with Pokémon cards in shiny plastic binders and playing every generation’s game as soon as your older sibling finished it — you should play “Arceus.” Though the game isn’t perfect, it’s everything tiny me imagined when playing Pokémon Red past bedtime under a flashlight, Diamond on a chunky, hand-me-down original DS or literally any of the franchises’ games since. I haven’t been this giddy about a game since I was that young. Try childlike wonder again and play this. – Bel Moran
“Wordle”: Although I might be a little late to the trend, the new game, Wordle, has been what I look forward to each day. Essentially, a new five-letter word is selected each day for users to guess. After you guess a word, you will receive your results, stating whether or not the letters are correct and if they were placed in the correct spot. For each day, you have six attempts to figure out the correct word. You can share your results with friends and family over text with a censored results screen that does not give away which letters were used. Because of this sharing feature, I have been competing with my family every day. If you want a nice break in your busy day with a fun puzzle, start playing Wordle. – Harry Madden
“Old News” by Alix Page: Ever since opening for Gracie Abrams at her sold out 7th Street Entry show, Alix Page has made me a superfan. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter performed a set of catchy and melancholy songs inspired by breakups, dreams and Frank Ocean. Her short but promising debut EP, “Old News,” was released just in time for joining Abrams on tour at the end of January. Page’s stunning vocal performance mixed with the relatable content of her lyrics made her an excellent predecessor to Abrams’ dreamy pop performance in the cozy, intimate venue. – Sarah Horner
