The things we watched, listened to and streamed over Halloween Weekend
VULFPECK
Whenever I try to explain Vulfpeck to people, I start with the fact that they record all of their songs in one take - no editing or mixing. Everything is as close to a live performance as possible. Based out of Ann Arbor, this retro funk quartet excels at bringing warmth and energy to their primarily instrumental tracks. Try "Rango II" for some smooth funk with a powerful injection of Gospel two-thirds of the way through. "Wait for the Moment" offers a strong vocal performance by Vulf's frequent contributor Antwuan Stanley, a daytime dentist. "Animal Spirits" off of their most recent album, "The Beautiful Game," is catchy and incredibly energetic, one of the standout tracks of the album. If you're looking for a new and original sound, check out Vulfpeck. (Jack Evans, News Editor)
"FLEABAG"
The latest episode of "Saturday Night Live" offered a faux ad for a new CBS sitcom, "Broken," a "comedy" about a "family of adjunct professors who are all diagnosed with depression on the same day." The sketch aimed to skewer the recent trend of comedies that deal with emotionally heavy thematic material ("Transparent," "You're the Worst," etc.). The latest to the party, Amazon's "Fleabag," proves what makes these semi-comedies so enthralling. The six-episode British series follows an unnamed protagonist (Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who provides us with brilliantly baffled, Jim Halpert-esque fourth-wall breaks throughout) as she tries to cope with a recent tragedy. The pacing is spot-on (we don't learn the full details of the tragedy until the finale), and the show provides a perfect balance of humor and drama, reminding us that if life can't be sorted into genres, then art shouldn't either. (Devon Shuman, Culture Editor)
"NORTHERN EXPOSURE"
As temperatures get cooler and people start to don their flannels, now is the perfect time to revisit Cecily, Alaska, the setting of this nineties comedy-drama. Joel Fleischman is sent to set up his practice in the tiny town in exchange for payment of his Columbia medical school tuition. At first, Joel longs for home, but as the town starts to charm him, you'll fall more and more in love with Maggie, the spunky pilot, Ed, the would-be director, Chris, the bibliophile radio host and Marilyn, Joel's stoic native-Alaskan receptionist. Even more than the characters, the strong narrative arc of each episode will keep you watching for all six seasons. (Emily Williams, Managing Editor)