Cassandra

Sophie Xeon was a synth virtuoso, pioneering trends in music and broader culture that came to define the 2010s. We mourn her untimely death, remembering her headliner performances at Ladyfag's Pride festival and Brooklyn Steel. We discuss her ravey childhood, the birth of hyperpop, the mass culture of LA, and the (many) posthumous albums to come.

Also: diptyque employee abuse, conde nast discounts, joey jay’s buzzcut, zillennials of color, putting a pin in stonks, sean monahan, larry king, spotify employee glenn greenwald, full data alchemist, obama-era indie, hipster culture, ipad kids, ag cook, pc music, bayonetta femme fatales, condom-shaped beanies, when nancy pelosi listens, and aoc's hot aide.

For our premiere episode, we LARP as tourists in Little Italy and review Pieces of a Woman. Kornel Mundruczo directs and Kata Weber writes this grief-stricken drama starring Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, and Ellen Burstyn. We discuss the buzzed-about 24-minute long take, allegory vs. ambiguity, the pitfalls of art as art therapy, and a too-happy ending.

Also: a carafe of pisswater, Italian erasure, a menacing denizen, date bars as pastries, [redacted] Jackson, Amazon yoga blankets, Nicole Kidman casting a stone, on the nose vs. tongue in cheek, and God's Bob Evans.