Looking for high-flying athletes, death-defying stunts, and fast-paced action to get your heart racing? What about some smooth new tunes to calm it back down? There's a short week coming up, but we aren't on vacation yet -- this week's Friday Five is still jam-packed with new entertainment to keep you going all weekend long.
An Evening With Silk Sonic
At long last, and just in time for “cuffing season,” An Evening With Silk Sonic has finally arrived. The Bruno Mars-Anderson .Paak collaboration has been highly anticipated, and we’ve already featured a couple of their singles as they have rolled out. Last week, we finally got the full album, and it doesn’t disappoint. As expected, this is more of a late night album, and it is incredibly easy listening. There’s a clear inspiration from the 60’s and 70’s in the guitar and bass parts, lots of horns, and of course the ultra-smooth voices of the two stars. Silk Sonic is definitely the type of group that The Lonely Island parodied with videos like “D*ck in a Box,” but in this case, it actually works. A few songs, like “Skate” and “777” pick the pace up as the album goes along, in case you’re in the dancing mood when the sun goes down. If not, light some candles and sink into the smooth sounds of An Evening With Silk Sonic.
Dear Rider
While we’ve managed to feature surfing and skateboarding a few times on the Friday Five already, it’s now time for the other board sport to get its time in the spotlight. Dear Rider is a new HBO documentary about the late Jake Burton, founder of Burton Snowboarding and one of the founding fathers of the modern sport. Burton helped to bring snowboarding into the mainstream, and we appreciate how he followed his passion, stuck to his guns, and inspired a movement in the sports world. There’s a lot of breathtaking footage and awe-inspiring shots of athletes hitting the slopes, as well as insightful interviews with friends, family, and Burton himself. In the film, Burton is referred to as the “badass grandpa of snowboarding” and that is definitely a character we can get behind. Whether you want to hear how a legend transformed a sport, or just watch people get big air on a halfpipe, this doc has something for everyone.
Redbull Flight Mode
Speaking of awe-inspiring shots and big air, we were left speechless by this jump from Redbull athlete Tom Pages. The Instagram post was just a brief clip from the 37-minute short film “Flight Mode” and we have been watching it on repeat all week. Pages pushed the limits of freestyle motocross once again by jumping off a cliff and into a 135 meter freefall, and the film documents his journey to the jump. The clip itself is incredible, as the camera angles manage to show off how Pages defies gravity (and death) with the stunt. There’s just so much space around him in the air! It’s hard to capture the magnitude of some of these stunts on camera, but Redbull managed to pull it off. We definitely don’t have the intestinal fortitude to pull off this stunt, so for now, we’ll settle for rewatching the video.
Narcos: Mexico Season 3
As vacation time and cold nights loom on the horizon, you might be searching for your next binge. Netflix might have you covered, as they just released the third and final season of Narcos: Mexico, the companion/spin-off series to the successful streaming drama. The series focuses on the rise of the Mexican drug trade, and you’ve now got at least 10 new episodes to check out. It’s addictive, gritty, dramatic, violent, and incredibly bingeable -- it’s hard to shut it off once you’re hooked in. Scoot McNairy leads a great cast in the final season, and we are anxiously waiting to see how all of the storylines play out. While you do have to read subtitles at times, it is definitely worth it -- you just might have to actually put your phone down for the duration of the episodes. Buckle up, because it’s time for one final trip into the Narcos universe.
Gede Succession Cover
The most iconic theme song currently on television has gotten a makeover, and it’s time you checked it out. Gede, a friend of The Penguin, has put their spin on the Succession theme song, adding an electronic and hip-hop tone to the famous piano opening from Nicholas Britell. Hearing the theme song kick in is one of our favorite moments of the week, so it is definitely cool to hear a new take on the song. The strings and guitar at the beginning serve as a great lead-in to the recognizable part of the intro, which is accompanied by an electronic track in the Gede version. It’s a gritty and modern reimagining of the song, which is a super creative way to take it. Succession’s theme has become a seemingly popular sample over the last couple of years, and we are excited to share this new direction Gede managed to take it in. And while you’re busy listening to this track, be sure to check out Gede’s other work on Spotify!
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