Films & albums dealing with change

by Andrew Bowman

Albums-

What’s Going On (1971) - Marvin Gaye

Stand out tracks: What’s Going On, Mercy Mercy Me, Right On, Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

Genre: 70’s soul

The 11th studio album from a soul singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye is a concept record released in 1971. From the point of view of a returning Vietnam War veteran, it details the injustice and hatred he witnesses after coming home to America. Many of the tracks call for change in our American systems as well as bring light to other issues. The album most of all encourages the listeners to pay attention to their surroundings. This point is illustrated in the title track What’s Going On with lines like “Oh, you know we've got to find a way, To bring some understanding here today.” Along with these sentiments, the album also has anti-war messages along with the central theme that love is stronger than hate. Aside from all of this, the album is a soul classic, with Marvin Gaye at the top of his game and the instrumentals some of the best in the whole genre. Every one of the ideas presented in this album are still sadly pertinent to today's society, so give this album a listen.

To Pimp A Butterfly (2015) - Kendrick Lamar

Stand out tracks: Alright, How Much A Dollar Cost (feat. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley), Wesley's Theory (feat. George Clinton & Thundercat), The Blacker The Berry, These Walls (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat), i, u, King Kunta, Mortal Man, For Free? (Interlude), Momma, Complexion (A Zulu Love) (feat. Rapsody), For Sale?, Hood Politics, Institutionalized (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise, and Snoop Dogg)

Genre: Conscience hip hop, jazz rap

Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar’s third album To Pimp A Butterfly is my personal favorite album of all time. This album follows the story of Kendrick after the success of his previous album Good Kid, M.a.a.D City. The first act shows Kendrick celebrating his new success and falling victim to the vices of the album's first antagonist Uncle Sam, the capitalist America incarnate. In the second act, Kendrick is cocooned, trapped in his feelings, and confronting himself. In the third act, Kendrick emerges from the cocoon, and he brings everything he learned back home. Then after a trip to Africa, Kendrick fully emerged as a butterfly sheds light on issues the caterpillar never would have considered, ending the eternal cycle. This album is too dense, rich, and important for me to ever be able to possibly explain it, but this album is the epitome of the “concept album.” We watch Kendrick change from caterpillar to butterfly, and everyone should listen to this album all the way through at least once. The album is profoundly affecting no matter who you are. All of Kendrick’s albums deal with change, the protagonist in a different mindset at the end than they were at the beginning, but To Pimp a Butterfly takes the crown.

KIDS SEE GHOSTS (2018) - KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Kanye West & Kid Cudi

Stand out tracks: Reborn, Kids See Ghosts (feat. Yasiin Bey), 4th Dimension (feat. Louis Prima)

Genre: Hip hop, psychedelic, rap rock

KIDS SEE GHOSTS, the duo of producer and rapper Kanye West and rapper/hummer Kid Cudi released a self-titled album as part of Kanye’s cycle of 2018 albums. This debut is quite short, coming in at just under 24 minutes and 7 tracks, similar to the other albums Kanye produced that year. This is an album about moving forward, no matter how you feel. It’s an album about rebirth, accepting your past and then moving past it. Kanye provides exquisitely crafted beats on this album and Kid Cudi complements the whole project so well it pushes the album from great to amazing. For such a short piece of work, it is surprising how impactful and lively it feels. There is not a bad track on the album, which is admittedly important on an album with only seven four-ish minute tracks, but it ensures a clean listening experience front to back. If you want an album that will lift you up and set you on your feet, try this.

FILMS

Perfect Blue (1997) - Dir. Satoshi Kon

Genre: Psychological thriller, anime

Perfect Blue is the story of Mima, a member of a Japanese pop idol group called CHAM!, as she attempts to change her image after leaving the group to pursue acting. Mima receives backlash from fans of the group, and people begin to die at her new acting company. All the while the lines between reality and fantasy blur for Mima. It deals extensively with the stress of change, especially as a popular person. It also deals with such issues as patriarchal violence and the spot in the patriarchy Mima has been placed in by men. This film is both terrifying and devastating and short of Spirited Away, this is the most effective animated film I have ever seen. The actual animation of the film is also impressive and trippy, and I don’t believe this film would work as well in a live-action setting, which is why I believe films like Black Swan that attempt to emulate it are inferior. Satoshi Kon’s work has affected much of today's cinema with films like Inception lifting many scenes directly from his film Paprika or with this film in the previous case. The film is also quite short, at only one hour and 20 minutes, and it is definitely worth the 80 minutes. Next time you're in the mood for a thriller or an anime, try Perfect Blue.

Do The Right Thing (1989) - Dir. Spike Lee

Genre: Comedy-Drama

Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing is another unexplainably powerful film. This film is most of all about community, and what it means to care about your community. It is also an extremely entertaining and tense film as the tension ramps up in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood on the hottest day of summer. This film asks so many questions and answers a few. First of all, who did the right thing? Over the course of the film, we are introduced to a plethora of unique characters that live in the neighborhood including Buggin’ Out, a black activist looking for something to do, Mookie, a pizza delivery guy just trying to get by, Sal and his two sons, Italian-Americans that run a local restaurant, Radio Raheem, who is always seen blasting Public Enemy’s Fight The Power from his ghetto blaster, and many more. All of these characters are different and take different actions during the film and it's up to you to figure out who did the right thing. That said, Spike Lee seems to have an opinion about who it was. This film deals with many issues that are still sadly relevant today like gentrification, racism of all kinds, police brutality and black representation. The film really kicks off when Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem decide to make a change in their community and boycott Sal’s pizzeria until Sal puts some black faces on his wall of fame, which exclusively features Italian-Americans. What happens after is some of the most effortless and engaging filmmaking that I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching and the ending is a gut punch on every viewing. This is an essential film and one of the greatest ever, so make sure not to miss it.