Recommendations from 14 for 15

Breaking Bad – TV
If you haven’t seen this yet put at the top of your list, it’s an original series, brilliantly written. It keeps you hooked as you can’t guess where it’s going to go next. You follow Walter White, a middle-aged chemistry teacher who turns to a life of crime to pay for his cancer treatment. Breaking Bad is currently my favourite TV series to date and will take some beating.
IMDB – Netfix

Alt-J, This is all yours – Music
This is Alt-J’s second album and it’s as good as the first, if you like your indie folk influences. The Gospel of John Hurt and Every other freckle are my favourites. This was my most listen to album of 2014. The album’s track list seems to feel following through the seasons, starting with Winter (maybe that’s just me).
Spotify

Iceland – Travel
This year I had the opportunity to visit a welcoming and unique land where fire meets ice. The sparsely populated country fills you with intrigue and awe of with it’s ever changing and surprising volcanic landscape. It’s a place with warm polite people who’ll even stop their cars at junctions on side streets to let you cross. It’s truly a place to explore, at a frontier to wilderness. Anyway just a taster, flavoured intrigue.
My Iceland blog post – Maps

The Grand Budapest hotel – Film

A quirky, comical film by who other than Wes Anderson. This film stars Ralph Fiennes and tells the story of a legendary concierge in the hotel when it was once held in higher regard. The film is both very well scripted adding charm and visually appealing. I like how the characters are in the background of scenes when not directly involved or when the focus changes between them.
IMDB

Foals, Holy Fire – Music
The Foals latest album really got me in to them. A calm but slightly downbeat sound from the Indie band from Oxford, not for everyone but well crafted if you like this genre. Oh and check out the CCTV version of Late Night.
Spotify

The Skin I Live In – Film
A unnerving story about a plastic surgeon who tried to create a skin that can’t be damaged, after his wife dies in a fiery car accident. As this Almodóvar film goes on, the plot becomes darker and you perceptions will change. A must see, Spanish film.
IMDB

Yeasayer – Music

An experimental indie rock band I was introduced to by a friend, fast became one of my favourite bands last year. They’re a mix of electro rock pop and middle eastern sounding influences make for some hypnotic songs, you can’t get out of your head.
Spotify

Parks and Recreation – TV

We started watching the first three seasons of this last year when BBC 4 started to screen the American sitcom. It’s a ‘mockumentary’ about a council department. Looking like it’s borrowed some ideas from the UK’s Office, it’s a much less coarse programme and has that warm glow that’s familiar in US sitcoms. The main characters are well defined, unlike other US sitcoms which tend to be a bit 2d. It’s funny at times but mostly nice and lighthearted to watch.
IMDB

I hope that you enjoy a few of my suggestions.
It’s still January so…

Happy new year, Feliz año nuevo, Bonne année, Ein glückliches neues Jahr, سنة جديدة سعيدة, Heri za Mwaka Mpya, Feliz ano novo.

Breaking bad images – Copyright AMC Network Entertainment LLC
Parks and Recreation image – Copyright NBC