Sound & Vision<br>with Sarah Walk

Sarah Walk’s second album, Another Me, is one of the most powerful records released this year. Born out of the songwriter’s therapy sessions, it is a collection of honest reflections, harsh realities and straight talking – but co-produced by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, David Byrne, Ed Harcourt), it is also a box of musical treasures that grows with repeated listens.

These are Sarah Walk’s Sound & Vision picks (check them out on our Sound & Vision playlist):

Three albums I love:

Joni Mitchell – For the Roses 

A lot of people think Blue is Joni’s most melancholy and emotive album, but I’d give this one my vote. I just think there is something so vulnerable and beautiful about this album, and this was kind of my gateway drug into really understanding Joni and her brilliance. There’s a lot of desperation to be understood and loved in these songs, and I think that’s one of the most relatable and natural human desires. I love this album front to back and always come back to it.

Jeff Buckley – Grace 

I’ll never forget the first time I discovered this album when I was in high school. I was so mesmerised by Buckey’s voice and his ability to have you leaning in at the most fragile moments – and then belting out with an unstoppable power and force; it felt like your heart was exploding. I feel like everyone that listens to this album thinks he wrote it just for them, and if that’s not a sign of good songwriting, I don’t know what is.

Radiohead – OK Computer 

This band changed my life, so I feel like I can’t leave them out of any ‘favourites’ list. OK Computer is one of their best in my opinion. They really redefined what alternative music could be, and totally expanded my understanding of song arrangement and sonic ability. This album is so gritty and feels so technical, but Thom’s voice and Jonny’s brilliant sweeping guitars transcend over this utter chaos beneath. It took me a long time to really understand Radiohead, but, once I did, I was completely consumed.

A film that completely wowed me:

Roma (Afonso Cuarón)

A relatively recent release, Roma tells the story of a family in Roma, Mexico City – a semi autobiographical memory of director ’s Alfonso Cuarón’s childhood. I thought this movie was absolutely brilliant – the cinematography, the story, the history – I was completely transported into the world he created. I thought the focus & repetition of such trivial and specific moments (like the opening shots of sweeping the driveway) juxtaposed against these overwhelming themes like family, love and loss was such an effective way to make this film feel like a memory. We can still feel the aching emotion of it, but remember such tiny details that seemed forgettable in the moment. I remember watching this on New Years Eve in New York City and cancelling my plans that night because I was too emotionally spent to socialise.

(If you haven’t seen it, don’t stream it on your laptop – try to watch it on a big screen.)

A book that you must read:

Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin 

There is truly no writer like James, and this story of his is probably my favourite. I read this book in about a day and had my heart totally ripped out in the process. Such an achingly beautiful novel about an American man and his travels to Paris where he falls in love with a bartender named Giovanni. Put this on your ‘to read’ list.

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