Dylan's Open Tabs Vol. 7: 2021 Faves, Hot Tub Soup, Relaxation, & Tinker Bell

¡Él necesita escribir!

S.P.D.S.V.B.E.E.V.

No, that’s not a Fall of Troy song title (nor a Fall Out Boy song acronymized). That’s “Salute plurimam dicit. Si vales, bene est, ego valeo.” In Latin, it means, “Many greetings. If you’re well, then that’s good, and I’m well too.”

Let’s get this started!

Me preparing Open Tabs every week:

Duolingo shaming me for being behind on my writing:

This is what “relaxed” looks like:

There’s rested, slept-in, took a few days off… and then there’s truly being relaxed and having the headspace, quiet, and lack of expectations that put you in a whole new category of “relaxed” and that is what I am after the last ~10 days, give or take a rough return home from a trip to Oregon. The Oregon Trail is nice to me, except for being carsick all the time and logistical difficulties that would only come up in a comedy that makes you say, “That’s not even realistic.”

Most importantly, however, is that I feel more rested, physically and mentally, than I have in… years?! And I’m excited to ease back into things.

Also, don’t miss my IG post with a few images of the past week, including what happens when your dog jumps in the hot tub not realizing it’s a hot tub. (No Williams were harmed in the making of this video.)

adylanreasons

A post shared by Dylan M. Austin (@adylanreasons)

And this:

thefemmemoon

A post shared by 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖊𝖒𝖒𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓 (@thefemmemoon)

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Aaaanddddd…. before the end of this strange year, I actually managed to write my recap of media, list of faves, top rated things to look at and listen to, etc. I hope this inspires some enjoyable media consumption on your part, and that you’ll share with me what you think if you listened to any of my recommendations!

Review this:

When I originally considered doing this, I was going to do 10 for each category, rank them, something like that. Instead, I’ve listed and explained my favorite albums, songs, books, movies and TV that were released in 2021! I realized most of my reading list and a lot of the TV I enjoyed this year was catching up on older material, so... very #OffTrend.

In no particular order and with some hasty graphic design work…

2021 Albums:

• Montero (Lil Nas X)
  I wrote about and curated 97 things Lil Nas X did leading up to the launch of Montero, and I think that gives enough of a picture of how obsessed I am. I also discuss this in the Songs section below.

• Love Goes Live at Abbey Road Studios (Sam Smith)
  Last year this was my top album, but thanks to timing of the live album, I can add it back in. This is how I think Sam’s music is meant to be heard, with the quality and studio production with an emphasis on their vocals, instrumentation, and what always seems to be a perfect ensemble of backup singers. Watch the videos if you can, but at least make sure you’re wearing great headphones and streaming in high quality.

• Planet Her (Doja Cat)
  Doja is on top of the world right now, and for good reason. This album has so many bangers, that are all unique and interesting and stretching the limits of genre and what we expect out of a female vocalist. Enough said.

• Sour (Olivia Rodrigo)
  See last week’s Open Tabs where I gush about Olivia Rodrigo.

• Scenic Drive (The Tape) (Khalid)
  Still feeling this one out, but Khalid always brings the vibes and it quickly became a go-to after just recently dropping. Plus, Khalid has some great features that have been added to my list of artists to check out, and Alicia Keys helps open the album. Album? Tape? The Tape.

• trying not to think about it (JoJo)
  JoJo is everything. If you don’t know already, please review her entire career and discography immediately. As JoJo matures, so does her music, and this album hits me in the feels. “Fresh New Sheets” is like Ariana’s NASA and the rest vocally and lyrically feels like a curation of songs written for me. Maybe you’ll agree.

• Willow (Willow)
  One of the best examples of punk/rock “coming back” is WILLOW’s latest release and the role Travis Barker has in elevating anything he can in the genre with this name, resources, and instantly-recognizable drumming.

• Spaceman (Nick Jonas)
  You know I’m a huge Nick Jonas stan, in that he is my daddy and also I like his music the best out of the Brothers. This one touches on relationships, sex, substance abuse, loneliness, in the way we all experienced to some degree in lockdown. It’s not too obvious, though easily identifiable. Spaceman is a clear analogy for the distance between you and your loved ones, when you feel like you’re the only person in your space, and he refers to drinking before reasonable hours and other subtle hints at this concept. It’s not all entirely dark, though. Some of my favorites, one that makes my top songs list, are about being in the moment and enjoying the physical and emotional presence of a partner, and the heights those feelings can take you to.

• Reverie (Ben Platt)
  The best thing Ben Platt did this year was Reverie, which I feel was overshadowed by the internet controversy over Dear Evan Hansen, which I’ve still yet to see.

• Pulling Focus (Action/Adventure)
  I’m stealing this description from their label’s site because it says it all: “Action/Adventure (A/A) is a pop-punk band hailing from Chicago ready to shatter decades-long stereotypes of the scene. Comprised solely of BIPOC, their mission is to create #PopPunkInColor and ensure pop punk is a genre where everyone is represented on and off stage.” Discovering Action/Adventure has been a part of the whole rock revival I feel with Avril, Travis, Olivia, and Willow.
  

2021 Books:

I read a lot of books that were not 2021 this year. Some were 2020, so being true to this list, I’ll leave those out. Follow me on Goodreads for more of this! I’m trying to spend more time reading!

• Laziness Does Not Exist (Devon Price, Ph.D.)
  I’ve read so many books on productivity, mental health, time management, habit-making, work-life balance, etc over the years. Devon’s book is legitimately the best of all of them, by far. As a queer person with ADHD, I’ve never felt more seen in something like this. It’s one thing to have LGBTQ representation in a book, and another to be written by and largely written around subjects from the community. It’s informative, inspiring, challenging to your beliefs, and an incredibly well-rounded book I intend to re-read at least a few times. Please, please go get it.
  

• The Deviant’s War (Eric Cervini)
  Genuinely one of the best books I’ve read in recent memory. It’s a great example of the “history we were never taught in school” problem. It’s super comprehensive and pretty information dense, but very enjoyable. I appreciated that it recognized the failings of the Gay movement, including representation of Black queers, transphobia, etc. Highly recommended to organizers, politicians, or anyone interested in gay liberation history.
  

• Bath Haus (P.J. Vernon)
  I was maybe 1/5 of the way through Bath Haus and knew it would be an instant favorite. Truly one of the most captivating, thrilling books I've ever read. FWIW, I listened to the audiobook, which I tend to trade on and off depending on the content of the book itself. I'm so glad I did with this one, because it is a full production, similar to a series of radio installments (or, true crime podcasts nowadays).
  
  Perhaps because I am a gay man and a big fan of thrillers and horror movies, this fit in a very specific and perfect niche of narrative to break up a series of nonfiction I'd been reading lately. There are so many stories centered on gay/queer men that feel like they're meant to be palatable to cishet people or are sterile for the sake of eventual shelf space. It was really nice to see some of the darker, uniquely-complex attributes of life as gay men in the relationships and scenarios depicted here.
  
  I cannot state this enough—Bath Haus is an incredible book. Highly recommended.
  

• Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation (Anne Helen Peterson)
  Went into this seeking (and did ultimately get out of it) a little catharsis. More than anything, it’s validating. It puts into context those nebulous, empty voids of dread that seem to just be background noise but all harken back to some specific societal pressure or system or norm that affects millennials and younger in a unique way.
  

  Practically, it also provides some detailed and useful context to use when having these conversations with deniers (boomers?) who say “back in my day” or “try harder” about the systems they created for us.
  

  It doesn’t necessarily claim to be self-help or a guide, but it does implore you to reflect a bit on how to make the most of what you can control in the various worlds of workplaces and digital addiction. I hardly actually write text reviews on here. Definitely recommend.

2021 TV & Movies:

• Calls (Apple TV)
  It’s almost impossible to not binge this, but you won’t feel bad because it’s 9 episodes, mostly under 20 minutes. If you like Interstellar, “the call is coming from inside the house” type of horror, and movies that have satisfying endings but still somehow make you go, “what the fuck” for three days afterward, watch Calls.

• Tiny World (Apple TV)
  High or not, Tiny World for me was a fun escape with lots of mouth agape “WOAH!” moments like a kid at the zoo for the first time.

• Together Together (Hulu)
  I am lucky enough to claim that I worked with Patti Harrison a few years ago, albiet briefly, but she’s so fucking funny and I am so glad to see that she’s getting so many acting roles lately. To see a trans woman take the leading role in a movie about a pregnant woman’s experience is just… it’s LGBTQ rights. Plus, it was cute and I cried in a happy cry kinda way.

• Clickbait (Netflix)
  I love suspense and murder mystery and psychological thriller stuff, even if it is ridiculous. If you liked Blacklist or Madame Secretary or anything else that feels real but like, somewhere between possible and improbable, check this out. (Like, Madame Secretary is pretty “accurate” but how many explosions actually happen in a given week, lol.) IYKYK. Clickbait was fun if not a bit preposterous.

• Raya and The Last Dragon (Disney Plus)
  The animation on this one is simply stunning, and it is nice to see the representation and a little different take on the action/adventure animated film tropes. Someone I follow on Twitter said that this film should have been broken up into a series or multiple movies and that they kinda blew it cramming all this IP in one movie. I forget who said it so if this is you let me know and I will give you credit for the observation, but I agree—perhaps there will be sequels, but it could have easily been a trilogy or mini series or something that really built out the story. That said, it’s a great watch!

• The Unforgivable (Netflix)
  Sandra Bullock has never done a bad movie. By that logic, this is a good one, and (*runs some calculations*) it passes the test.
  

2021 Songs (Apple Music Playlist):

• Coconuts (Kim Petras)
  It’s just fun. Only a queen can release a song like this in the winter time. I have seen Kim live twice, opening for Troye Sivan and headlining her own show. She has always been a great artist, but I feel like she is really coming into her own. I can’t wait to see what she does next (including a full album)!

• Yoü and I (Ben Platt, on Born This Way Reimagined)
  Easily one of Gaga’s best songs, I just feel like he pulls it off really well, with the right amount of queer theatrics. A lot of artists cover songs, but not all of them connect with it on a personal level (or, it doesn’t translate). For me, this is it.

• Transparent Soul (Willow ft. Travis Barker)
  One of 600 songs Travis Barker did this year, but one of the best!

• Traitor (Olivia Rodrigo)
  See last week’s Open Tabs for me raving about her/this song.

• All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)
  You know why. Check out my article on Taylor that was written not long after the release of Red (Taylor’s Version).

• SLEEPIN (Kissflame)
  You saw the singer of Kissflame in the first Open Tabs. I recommend their video for this one!

• Sun Goes Down (Lil Nas X) tied with That’s What I Want
  I already raved a thousand times about Lil Nas X and this album, but these two stand out to me for their emotional depth and touching on some dark topics. Ask me in 5 minutes and I would probably cite another song of his from Montero as a fave, so really just consider this a further justification for his album being among the best this year.

• NDA (Billie Eilish)
  What’s more relatable than signing NDAs? No really, Eilish and Lizzo and others wrote about NDAs in their lyrics a few times this year and I find it really interesting. This one really stood out as a demonstration of Nine Inch Nails’ influence on her and Finneas. (I felt like I already knew this, but then she wore a NIN hoodie in a sketch on SNL two weeks ago.)

• Wild Side (Normani ft. Cardi B)
  I AM DYING FOR THE NORMANI ALBUM—WHERE IS IT?!

• Through My Window (Matty Anderson)
  If Matty sees this, hi! Like Kissflame, I’ll fit Matty in anywhere I can because I just really like his work. Matty writes melancholic lyrics with atmospheric guitar lines and vocals that constantly make me think of Phil Collins. Matty’s recordings work as vibey study/work music as much as they make me want to turn on the car radio and do that wavy thing with my hand out the window.

• How Dare You Want More (Bleachers)
  Jack has been up to a lot of great stuff lately, and I hope even more Bleachers is coming next. It’s pop perfection in a new context, and I always appreciate how Antonoff writes about relatable-in-a-really-specific-way topics.

• This is Heaven (Nick Jonas)
  See album review above, watch the video, and also listen to the Chill Version on the Delux album. A lot of these songs are depressing or complicated, but this one has felt relatable in all the ways my life has felt perfect lately.

  “This is heaven, and I don’t know how this could get much better… than you and me, here right now. This is heaven, and every time I touch you it gets better.”

Give me this:

Your recommendations! Leave a comment, send me a message, whatever it is. Did I miss something in 2021 that you think I need to check out? I want to know!

<3

— #ADHDylan