Media Reviews

Playlists for Work, Play, and Relaxation

As much as I love discovering a new artist or listening to an album start to finish, sometimes it’s nice to take a break and let someone else’s music picks take me on a sonic journey. Much like mixtapes back in the day, streaming playlists serve as a way to find new artists or rediscover old favorites, and they can fit just about any occasion. Some services curate playlists based on the type of activity you’re engaged in, from exercise to meditation to taking a road trip.

Take Spotify’s “Soundtrack Your Home,” for example (open.spotify.com/genre/ at-home-playlists). With many people housebound these days, it’s important to try to maximize the potential of a space that alternately serves as an office, gym, classroom, and home. “Coffee Table Jazz” and “Stress Relief” are two playlists in this group that do well as background for work or study, while “Workout Beats” is a great playlist for burning off COVID calories. Some of the other options are more educational and include podcasts, such as “Family-Friendly Fun” and “Stay in the Know,” which features more news-related content.

Hop over to Amazon Music, and there is yet more to get immersed in. For those taking long car rides to vacation destinations, Amazon’s music experts have curated a number of road trip playlists that cover a wide range of genres, including country, folk, jazz, pop, and Christian. The “Road Trip: Folk” playlist, for example, features songs from some personal favorites of mine, such as Fleet Foxes and Iron & Wine, but many of the artists featured were new discoveries for me. If you have little ones or small grandchildren, there are plenty of kid-friendly playlists and even lullabies to help bring the energy level down at bedtime. A playlist titled “Disney Sleep” transforms popular tunes from the Disney universe into sleep-inducing musical renditions.

Finally, Apple Music offers its own spin on curated lists with both in-house and usergenerated selections. One of many enjoyable mixes available on Apple Music is “Cooking Music,” put together by the curators at PMB Music. The description of the playlist reads: “Food is better when music is involved. Mellow tunes, with a cozy and heartwarming ambience—because a silent kitchen isn’t one worth cooking in.” Most of the music included is jazzy bossa nova, acoustic, or reggae-infused, but all of it works well as part of the ambience of sizzling skillets, bubbling pots, and enticing aromas. For those looking for music to inspire prayer time and reflection, the playlist “Relaxing Religious Chants and Gregorian Hymns,” compiled by Deutsche Grammophon, features over two hours of tranquil choral music from various religious orders and church choirs.

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Summer Streaming

Though the light at the end of this long COVID tunnel grows bigger and brighter, we’re not quite there yet. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of docuseries available for streaming. Here are five to consider.

Now showing on Netflix THE KEEPERS

PRETEND IT’S A CITY

CRIME SCENE: THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL ALLEN V. FARROW

One of the greatest true-crime series in recent memory, The Keepers is, on the surface, about the 1969 murder of Sister Cathy Cesnick, a teacher at a Catholic high school in Baltimore. But peel a layer back and director Ryan White’s true thesis is revealed: how lies, sexual abuse, cover-ups, and corruption surrounding the case linger to this day. At once engrossing and infuriating, The Keepers is a peerless plunge into unresolved crimes and the survivors who will not be silenced—as Sister Cathy was. TV-MA

Sarcastic and hilariously disaffected, Fran Lebowitz has made a career out of being in a bad mood. But under the guidance of director Martin Scorsese, she shines here. Pretend It’s a City is about the humorist and writer, sure, but it’s really about New York City, her hometown and playground. Lebowitz walks viewers through this ever-changing metropolis, showing how the relationship between New York and its residents is like a seasoned marriage: loving, deeply aggravating, and always real. TV-14

On January 31, 2013, Vancouver native Elisa Lam disappeared at the historic Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Joe Berlinger’s eerie, hypnotic masterwork uncovers what happened to Lam in this famous—or infamous—LA landmark. While the central mystery is enough to keep viewers hooked throughout its four episodes, Crime Scene cuts even deeper by showing how mental illness, a haunted hotel, and a bruised city conspired against an imperiled tourist. TV-MA Spoiler alert: QAnon is a discredited, farright conspiracy theory whose followers believe Satan-worshipping pedophiles in Washington, DC, and Hollywood run a child sex-trafficking syndicate. Now brace yourself for director Cullen Hoback’s raucous look at how this dangerous movement got its start, how it disseminates misinformation, and how President Donald Trump became a deity to its supporters. Illuminating but far too raw for young viewers, Q: Into the Storm is above all terrifying because, while the group’s beliefs are pure fiction, their devotion to lies is all too real. TV-MA

Not for the faint of heart, Allen v. Farrow is worthwhile for its humane treatment of Dylan Farrow’s recovery journey after the sexual abuse she allegedly suffered as a child from her father, writer-director Woody Allen. This four-part series can be brutal to watch, as Dylan and her mother, Mia Farrow, delicately guide viewers through the scandal that rocked their family, and their subsequent healing. Some have cried foul that the series tilts too far to one side—and they’re right—but it’s still a powerful look at celebrity and the resiliency of the human spirit. TV-MA

LEFT TOP, MIDDLE, AND RIGHT: NETFLIX; RIGHT TOP AND BOTTOM: HBO MAX

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Q: INTO THE STORM