Music

For people who love M.I.A. but are dying for a new album, I would try first Sleigh Bells [like their song Crown on the Ground] and then some of Kanye West's pieces and the remixes/mashups.
In general, mashups are a great source of songs for M.I.A.-style music lovers. Kanye in particular has many songs that naturally approach a type of mashup level in complexity and artistry. His piece Dark Fantasy is one, as is Blood on the Leaves and Stronger.

A very long, almost half an hour piece mixing Kanye's music is the Mega mix which is really absorbing. It's a great mix of beats and his songs.

Like M.I.A.'s music, these songs have a natural rhythmic progression that is very involving and great to listen to. For fun, try the Kanye Christmas album, a hilarious rerecording of his latest album Yeezus. The word substitutions are really fun and it's so creative.

There's a neat Yeezus mashup of the whole album into one single piece here, which is really nice.

Dance

If you're interested in Cambodia, Khmer/Cambodian traditional dance or the Khmer Rouge period, be sure to watch HRH Princess Norodom Buppha Devi's interview on Cambodian dance. She was chosen by the famous French film director Marcel Camus to dance in his film 'L'oiseau de paradis' [1962], also called 'Bird of Paradise' or 'Dragon Sky' in English, or 'Baksey Thansua'.

There is also an interview with Sim Muntha about the costumes in Camus' film on the NYPL archive.

The photo below shows her dancing in a more ornate costume than she does in the movie Apsara [1966]. Here is more information on her work to preserve and enshrine Cambodian dance.

Art

If you love Cambodia, Khmer ancient art or Angkor Wat -- or the Tomb Raider films with Angelina Jolie -- be sure to read the excellent art record of Angkor Wat from 1927. A 23 year old French girl in Cambodia recorded in clear drawings many of the female spirits/nymphs [called 'devatas' by the French at the time or more commonly 'apsara' Sanskrit: अप्सरा] carved on the walls. It's an incredible book, with so many drawings and details it could be used by a film costumer to get a project started.

The book is called Khmer Costumes and Ornaments of the Devatas of Angkor Wat by Sappho Marchal. Below is a typical photograph of Angkor Wat, the enormous complex of stone temples and buildings in Cambodia [it's even represented on the country's flag].

A fun little film about Khmer ancient myths [in this case of Preah Thong [also named King Kaundinya I] and his eventual wife the minor goddess/naga Neang Neak [also named Soma] is Pras Toung Neang Neak. To try Cambodian traditional dance, revived in the mid-1900s by Princess Bopa Devi, watch the long dance performance of Preah Thong Neang Neak.

Kali

This Bengali woodcut of Ma Kali, the Hindu goddess, by the 19th century artist Sri Hemchandra is quite incredible [there are tons more pieces of art on Kali here]. Kālikā (Sanskrit: कालिका) is associated with empowerment, called shakti. She is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga.

Snow

This painting 'Winter landscape with a church' by German Romantic painter of landscapes, Caspar David Friedrich [1774-1840] seems apt as we move into December. The brooding romantics often appeal to fans of Poe and the gothic. Try Friedrich's 'Cemetery entrance' as well, it's a great painting. There's often a sense of the 'wild' in nature, of how vast the world is and our insignificant we are, in Romantic artwork. It's something that not all Romantic verse and literature captures, it's unique.

Art

For incredible Hindu artwork/paintings, be sure to look at the amazing image collection at MagicTransistor. The pieces are unique and fascinating. It's a truly awe-inspiring group of images; there's a piece on every figure and deity that draws you in, even if they weren't one you were interested in or felt a connection to.

Recently, cranberry-raisin cookies have been all the rage around here, as has Bvlgari's The Rouge perfume [this is their Fragrantica review collection]. As a big perfume blog reader, I find it strange that our senses of smell may truly be different--what an odd thing to contemplate. Oddly I am more open to the idea that many people see colors differently.

Fun

Great places to look at the art of Hinduism and India in general is ExoticIndiaArt. You could spend forever simply browsing and being exposed to amazing pieces of art.

Lana del Rey's song 'Queen of Disaster' seems perfect for this time of year, for some reason. It's such an enjoyable song, especially for people who like her faster-paced songs. FKA Twigs' has a great song in 'Numbers'.

Also, the French-Canadian group Ibeyi is a really interesting musically, and enjoyable; their piece 'Oya' is an amazing, moving song. It's the type of stuff I want to read reviews of on Pitchfork. Too often I try songs recommended and find them kitschy and silly-sounding, not moving.

World music is something that is an ocean of undiscovered love. The famous writer Paul Bowles recorded intense, incredible music in rural Morocco for the Library of Congress try this piece here or here's some non-Bowles Moroccan drums piece that are great--the music truly is incredible. Try any of the Sublime Frequencies recordings of music from Algeria, Sumatra or Java or my favorite, Morocco.

The huge perfume selection at Possets is literally ruining my life. I need to try 'Blue Danube' and 'Black Tea', and a million other scents. I'm obsessed with the 'black spruce' pine solid perfume at LVNEA--it's from Montreal and amazing. I mean they have 'Mourning Ritual' and 'Ghost Pine', 'Desert Night' and 'Black Sea'. It makes you think of Poe and Welcome to Nightvale at the same time, but make no mistake, these are serious scents for people who love perfume.

Tv

If you like The Great Gatsby, Nero Wolfe, or Boardwalk Empire, be sure to try Miss Fisher's Mysteries, a '20s period piece with a female detective. It's quite fun and is streaming on Netflix -- and there are books to read if you prefer, all by Kerry Greenwood. If you enjoy jazz or 1920s music, you'll love their scores: there are THREE soundtracks so far! All on itunes.

To see stills and gifs from the series look at MissFisher'sMurderMysteries, for photos see too MissFisher'sCaps.

Be sure NOT to watch the pilot episode first, which is more 'cute and quirky' than the rest of the 2 seasons of the series. I prefer the other episodes to the first. Miss Fisher is a fun, moving series with a great sensibility and great love stories, as well as a type of modern, Bechdel test passing quality that many people will enjoy. There is a broad spectrum of characters, it's not just flappers only. The quality of 1920s fashion in the show is great and really fun -- the costumes are truly a cut above, quite beautiful.

Interstellar

Nolan did it again, with his great film Interstellar. It's both visually amazing and exciting, with a lot of emotional, moving scenes. The ideas about physics and quantum concepts were amazing, and really spark you to learn more. Read NolanFans if you enjoy his work, there are reviews and forums, and great fan art.

The Interstellar film score is great -- and also if you like Zimmer or film soundtracks, be sure to listen to the live, orchestra versions that are often online, like Zimmer's Inception score live concert here and Michael Giacchino's Star Trek reboot track 'Enterprising young men' here.

India

Some great places to see photos of India are IndiaIncredible and Vintage India [for older photos, this is a great one]. Here are some Sept. 2014 Bollywood songs, always fun to listen to and see if any favorites emerge, and the excellent song collection here to try--including the opening 2014 song Devil's 'Yaar Naa Miley' and the famous, fast older 'Munni Badnam' at min. mark 8:41, and at mark 17:36 is the very infamous, lively older song 'Sheila Ki Jawaani'.

For older, more traditional music try Anoushka Shankar - Indian Classical Raga.

The image below is Vinayaka [another name for Ganesha, with his elephant head is in the center] with his consorts in the temple, from a book by P. V. Jagadisa Ayyar (from 1920), South Indian shrines: illustrated. [On wiki images]

Music

Some great recent mashups are Ariana Grande x Ciara - Problem Yeah I Know (Mashup) (Feat Iggy Azalea) and Bang Bang vs. Shake It Off (Mashup) - Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj & Taylor Swift.

There's also the great Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX vs. Britney Spears - "Fancy One More Time" (Mashup).

The Interstellar score by Hans Zimmer is also excellent, but be sure to hear it first with the incredible images of hurtling through space in the film--try 'Day one dark' for a sense of the haunting, atmospheric terror. It's almost like an intellectual, complex, esoteric, humanity/Carl Jung-focused version of Silent Hill. Many people have enjoyed the great song featured in the Exodus film trailer, Sydney Wayser's 'Belfast Child', it's quite moving.

Costume

One great painting is "Pierrette" by Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta, a Spanish realist painter (1841-1920)--the title is the feminine form of 'pierrot', the famous regular character in the Commedia dell'Arte's early theater:

Mozartian scores

David Buckley's score for the tv show The Good Wife is a score to check out if you like 'refined-lively' or classical-esque soundtracks. His piece "Countdown to Execution" is intense, and builds and builds even in the moments that you at first feel are simply a slower pause.

The piece "Waiting Room Rondo" is just excellent, and would appeal to anyone that loves Mozart's light work. It's really enchanting.

For a more somber, sad and moving moment, his track "Alicia Reflects" has a great moment at 1:41 and after.

Fall

There are so many things to pack into the fall season--planning out what to try for Thanksgiving, trying candy apples, apple cider, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, enjoying the leaves up in New England in the USA. Be sure to schedule everything in and do everything at least once! The cover illustration is by Rea Irwin. 

Driving Music

Some modern stuff to try is Ladytron's great piece "Tomorrow" or "Ghosts" [especially for people who like First Aid Kit, Lana del Rey or The Capricorns] and Trap Nation's "Delay Remix of Black Widow by Iggy Azalea & Rita Ora".

If you prefer medieval or Renaissance music, or just want to try some, listen to "Songs and Dances from The Flemish Renaissance". It's great in the car or as a lovely counterpoint to listen to, in silence or in the background.

Renaissance

Bellini's [1430-1516] painting "Madonna in trono col Bambino e santi detta pala di San Giobbe" [The Madonna enthroned with Child and saints of the Saint Job Palace] from c. 1497 is a great, exceptional Renaissance work. It's one of the best pieces with a lower profile than many other famous works. Look at that ceiling [with gold mosaic old-style angel depictions [ie just a head and many wings], and all the saints, including Sebastian [unclothed and hit with arrows]. Even the throne for Mary is quite interesting, as are the cute little bottom angels playing instruments.

Relaxing

One great piece to try that includes both flute and harpsichord is German Baroque composer Telemann's [1681-1767] Nouveaux Quatuors Parisiens no. 6 - Modéré performed by a great group [be sure to listen to more of their work here: Nevermind, ie. try the slow and lovely "La Cupis" by J.P. Rameau] of Anna Besson, Louis Creac'h, Robin Pharo and Jean Rondeau on flute, violin, viola and harpsichord respectively.

Actually, if you prefer gothic, Symbolist style music instead of Baroque, try the cd Rachmaninov Songs, the piece "Vocalise [op. 34, no. 14]" performed by Joan Rodgers & Howard Shelley. Rachmaninoff [many spellings happen due to transliterating] was a famous Russian composer [1873-1943] who wrote a lot of moody, emotive, gothic E.A. Poe style music.

Many people decompress by watching dramas--the urgency and shocks onscreen put everything into perspective for you, making you feel better about whatever annoyances and worries you face. One such tv series is The Good Wife. It has become so much more than its original premise that I only wish they would alter the title to reflect it--it's one of the most moving and wrenching shows of the decade. It's very mature, and very philosophical; no one gets away free or clean. Everyone is faced with reality, the truth: of hard choices, of no answers, of no solutions or balms.

It's the new must watch, gripping show, much like True Detective was. And similarly, at first many people didn't see how incredible both were going to be. They could have slid off the rails early on, but didn't, they just exponentially grew in genius.