As physical media continues its cultural comeback, The National rounds up the best releases this month across film, music, art and more.
Soups, Salads, Sandwiches: A Cookbook, Matty Matheson (October 22)
Chances are you’ll recognise Matty Matheson from his turn as actor (and executive producer) on Emmy and Golden Globe-winning show The Bear. Beyond his role in fictional kitchens, he has worked in real ones for two decades – and currently runs 11 restaurants in Canada. Millennials may know him from his Vice days and his YouTube videos with more than 100 million views.
And next month, Matheson will release a cookbook dedicated to something many have eaten in the past couple of days: soups, salads and sandwiches. He brings his trademark twist to much-loved classics. How does a meal of giant meatballs in beefy tomato broth, a griddled salami panzanella salad and banana bread French toast sound?
Like Matheson himself, the book has character and is packed with slick photos. You might not end up making anything, but it’ll look really good on your kitchen countertop.
Nasri Atallah, Luxury editor
Patterns in Repeat, Laura Marling (October 25)
I feel like I have grown up with British folk singer Laura Marling. Ahead of her 2008 album Alas, I Cannot Swim, she released two EPs in 2007, The London Town and My Manic and I – on the latter was New Romantic, a single that I grabbed with both hands, hummed mindlessly to myself for at least a year (sorry, Mum and Dad) and made the soundtrack to my MySpace page for months on end. A true sign of the times. Fast-forward 17 years, Marling is now on her eighth studio album, Patterns in Repeat, which is coming out on October 25.
Much has changed in those 17 years, and Marling now details a new reality – as a mother, partner and writer. Lead single Child of Mine speaks of finding contentment in a slower pace of life and, over a layer of sweet strumming folky guitars, Patterns explores beauty in ageing and generational connections.
I look forward to diving into the 11-song track list in full this month.
Farah Andrews, head of features
Coda, Ryuichi Sakamoto (October 11)
By 1983, Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto had already cemented his legacy as a pivotal figure in the development of his country’s contemporary music scene. His electronic pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra, as well as his solo albums, were radical yet accessible statements which influenced generations of musicians across the world, both directly and indirectly.
The release of Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence brought Sakamoto to a different stratosphere of global acclaim. The film marked his debut as an actor, opposite fellow art pop stalwart David Bowie, and as a composer. The latter trade came to define his career on the world stage, earning him an Oscar for film composing several years later for The Last Emperor. Musically, it is Mr Lawrence that has proved his most enduring work, and was one of his most oft-mentioned works when he passed away last year.
Coda, which features the solo piano version of the film’s theme, is a masterpiece in its own right, and will be released internationally by French label Wewantsounds on vinyl for the first time next month.
William Mullally, arts and culture editor
Celia & Johnny, Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco (October 11)
In 1974, two titans of Latin music collaborated on an album that would become foundational for the salsa genre. At the time, Cuban singer Celia Cruz had still not found success and was struggling to enter the salsa scene in the US after arriving in the early 1960s.
But when famed Dominican band leader Johnny Pacheco stumbled across her early records, he knew she was the missing ingredient to the salsa he wanted to write. With Pacheco’s idiosyncratic rhythms, Cruz finally had her time in the sun. Celia & Johnny has some of the Rumba Queen’s biggest hits, including Quimbara and Toro Mata. The album is marking its 50th anniversary with a special vinyl edition that will be released on October 11.
Razmig Bedirian, arts and culture writer
Pre-Raphaelite Sisters, National Portrait Gallery (October 15)
Whether we are well-versed in the world of Pre-Raphaelite art or not, most of us recognise the young women who are the subjects of these important works. With their pale faces, long locks and poignant gazes, they were the muses of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, from William Holman Hunt to John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, they were used to explore themes of love, loss and beauty with an air of tragedy.
But who were these women who posed for some of the most well-known works of art? Sitting somewhere between empowerment and objectivity, these muses have stories of their own. Some were models discovered by male artists to pose for paintings, others were sisters, wives, daughters and friends of the artists. Some were even artists themselves who had their own aspirations in a male-dominated art world.
Pre-Raphaelite Sisters by the National Portrait Gallery contains more than 100 reproduced images, illustrating the overlooked stories of the movement’s most familiar faces.
Maan Jalal, arts and culture writer
Zodiac (October 29)
The mystery of the Zodiac killer is one that still fascinates today. A serial killer who has never been unmasked despite the best efforts of the many journalists, law enforcement officers and theorists who have attempted to solve the case over the years.
David Fincher's take on the Zodiac killer case sticks to one theory, while throwing the viewer off the scent many times throughout the film. The viewing experience is one of unflinching anxiety, mixed in with eagerness to find out who really committed the crimes.
The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo, who are all flawless in their portrayals of the three different parties invested in solving the case.
Much like many of Fincher's greatest films, Zodiac is not just about the subject matter – in this case, the serial killer and the crimes people are trying to solve. Zodiac is really about frenzy. How it takes hold and how it can distort the facts and hinder the truth. I watch this film at least once a year and always enjoy it like it's my first watch – and next month it will be released in 4K on Blu-ray for the first time.
Faisal Salah, gaming and social media writer
