EOY Angst Vol. 3
Only a couple days too late
If you’ve been reading this “newsletter” for a while you probably already know of my fraught relationship with year-end lists; I’m tempted to wax further on the subject — like….why bother/ who cares/everyone and their dog already posted their lists on Substack before I’d even sat down to think about it, etc, etc. (I mean, come on, it’s already January 2nd!)
But you know what, I’m sick of being introspective on the subject. I’m sick of introspection in general! So, I’m going to keep it pretty simple here, five favorite things (new or new to me) in four different categories.
I’m in the midst of a not-insignificant “career” shift as I move out of yoga studio management (and the steady paycheck that comes with it) to teaching “full-time” (aka teaching as much as is possible without going insane). I’m doing this because I love teaching and I also want to make more mental space for writing, but it also puts my finances in an interesting spot for at least a few months as things settle into a new rhythm.
That is to say: I’m currently hirable for all your writing/editing and/or yoga needs, be that a one-sheet for your new record, or a solution to the problem of “I can’t even touch my toes.” (I’ll give you that one for free: Bend your knees!). Email me at margaretcwelsh@gmail.com for inquiries about services/rates.
BOOKS
Bleeding Edge, Thomas Pynchon (2013) - Maybe I’m kind of a dope, but for me enjoyment of Pynchon is contingent on a Zen-like release of concern for fully “following the plot,” and allowing myself to just enjoy the ride. A metaphor for life.
Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984) - Described by Chuck Bennet as “100 of the best tweets tied together.” I laugh just thinking about it.
Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, Dan Nadel (2025) - I’d say this is worth reading even if you’re not that interested in R. Crumb, but who ISN’T at least a little bit interested in R. Crumb?
An Honest Woman, Charlotte Shane (2024) - Shane’s memoir of her years as a call girl is appropriately salacious, but it’s also a profound meditation on desire (and desirability), gendered power dynamics, freedom, and love.
Lies and Sorcery, Elsa Morante (1948) - I already wrote a bit about this, read it here.
MUSIC
The Bells of 12, Sol Seppy (2006) - A new discovery for me; I was vaguely familiar with Sol Seppy (Sophie Michalitsianos) via her collaboration with Sparklehorse. Her solo record might have been made in a lab just for me: a little church-y, a little trip-hop-y, bright and shadowy by turns (or simultaneously), very reminiscent of my own personal golden-age-of-indie-rock, AKA 2004-2009 when I lived down the street from the Brillobox and I had my whole life ahead of me.
I’m Coming to Paris, Timber Timbre (2021) - Anyone who has spent any time with me in the last few months already knows of my fixation on this EP of sweet-sounding murder ballads.
Iris Silver Mist, Jenny Hval (2025) - Any new Hval record is a major event as far as I’m concerned.
A Danger to Ourselves, Lucrecia Dalt (2025) - A very cool record, also very hot, a little menacing, very dreamy and fully mesmerizing. Featuring, among others, Juana Molina, who also put out a very good record this year.
The Way Out Inn, Kyle Hamlett Uno (2025) - More on this here!
PERFUME
Fracas (Robert Piguet) - At long last got my hands on a relatively cheap little bottle of this dramatic and intoxicatingly heavy white floral. I’m obsessed but also careful where I wear it, as it’s true to its name and somewhat polarizing. Also, fittingly (and famously) one of Courtney Love’s favorites.
Hungarian Fronds (Lush) - Fennel, chamomile and oregano. Fresh and spicey and slightly avant guard.
Honey (Demeter) - Just what it sounds like, but with shade of vodka astringency.
Fat Electrician (Etat Libre d’Orange) - read more here!
LouLou (Cacharel) - Another classic, and not particularly a crowd-pleaser, but I can’t stop wearing it because I can’t really figure it out. Plum and cassia on top, ylang-ylang and heliotrope in the middle, incense and musk at the end, but there’s more to it than that. As noted by Luca Turin, there’s a “raspy note to the whole composition that makes you want to smell more, not push the plate away.”
MOVIES
Eddington (Ari Aster, 2025) - Not the “best” of the Big Discourse movies this year, but the one that stuck with me the most.
Female Perversions (Susan Streitfeld, 1996) - My favorite new-to-me watch of the year, I saw it twice. An unsubtle, but nevertheless incisive exploration of gender performance, compulsion, and misogyny-fueled neurosis. Outrageous and extremely entertaining, it’s a lot of fun to watch Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Laila Robins and Frances Fisher chew the symbol-laden scenery.
Maps to the Stars (David Cronenberg, 2014) - My dad frequently references the exploding head in Scanners as the height of cinematic trauma. Fair enough, but— as is often true of Cronenberg’s later catalog — Maps to the Stars mainly showcases emotional grotesqueries. Julianne Moore as a washed-up Lindsey Lohan type is just one of the many dubious pleasures on offer!
Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2025) - Lanthimos is wildly hit or miss for me and I went into this with the lowest possible expectations, which is perhaps the ideal way to experience any kind of art. Everyone else I talked to knew exactly how it would end, yet I was surprised. Excuse me for existing in the present moment! Oh, and of course I love seeing a beautiful bald woman on the big screen.
Ernest Saves Christmas (John Cherry, 1988) - This made a huge impression on me as a kid, I was particularly impressed by the cool, stylish and sassy teenage runaway Harmony, played by Noelle Parker. I really thoroughly enjoyed my Christmas Eve rewatch: There’s something almost Fassbender-esque about the way everyone looks.
BONUS: FIVE RESOLUTIONS
Read War and Peace
Relax my jaw
Master the art of …let’s call it… “joyful frugality”
Get really good at writing
Get rich
You inspired me to listen to Sol Seppy. A few songs in and I already love it. Thanks for the recommendations!
oh girl, how do you get really good at writing? tell me. i didn't know you do editing stuff!!