It’s been more than a year since I last contributed to my Decades series. To refresh your memory, this is where I highlight albums from a specific year across four decades. I started with 1972 before covering 1982, 1992 and 2002, then moved to 1970, 1980 and 1990. Which brings me to 2000.
As always, I will feature my own top five albums of the year before exploring songs from ten celebrated albums I’ve never heard. All clear?
This is the fifth track I’ve featured from No Doubt’s 1995 album Tragic Kingdom, and the third on a Random Weekend. I wish I’d been keeping stats from the start, so I’d know if this is one of the most-represented Random Weekend albums or somewhere in the middle of the pack.
‘Happy Now?’ was written by Gwen Stefani about her breakup from band member Tony Kanal, with whom she had a 7-year relationship. How odd it must have been for both of them to perform this song (and others with a similar theme) night after night.
Today’s random selection comes from the artist who originally launched Random Weekends more than six years ago — Sarah McLachlan.
‘Rivers of Love’ appears on McLachlan’s rather weak 2010 album Laws of Illusion. I’ve been very dismissive of that record, but I have to admit this song isn’t half bad.
I first watched my favorite 2017 film three months into 2018, on a small seatback screen during a flight from Florida to California. Less than ideal conditions, which makes my ecstatic reaction to The Florida Project even more legit.
I have since watched Sean Baker’s film two more times under better conditions, and those viewings have only solidified my opinion that this is not just the best movie of last year but one of the best of the decade so far.
Recently I stayed home from work with a nasty cold and took advantage of the bed rest to sneak in a delightfully fun double feature.
First up was Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde, directed by David Leitch (more on him later). It’s a stylish, violent Cold War spy thriller that further cements Theron’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s most versatile talents.
I’m all excited to see her in full frumpy housewife mode in the upcoming Tully, and here she is doing many of her own stunts as an international woman of espionage, definitively answering the question of whether James Bond would work as a woman. Theron’s Lorraine Broughton would kick James Bond’s ass.
Meet Me In Montauk 