#38: Tyler, Alex, and Serey (Perfectly Imperfect)
Perfectly Imperfect on The Best Flour Tortilla, Rodeo Flea Market, Flash Fried Greens, and more
Welcome to Perfectly Imperfect #38!
Happy new year! We have some pretty exciting news to kick the year off.
Today we’re introducing the Perfectly Imperfect Discord, a place for the community and previous guests to come together and chat about the same kinda stuff we cover in this newsletter. Hop in our ‘cord and drop some hot recs of your own or show off your fit in our #fits channel. For those unfamiliar with Discord, consider this an informal rec.
For now we’re keeping it invite-only to avoid trolls, but send a quick DM to @tubbytyinthetub and we’ll send over an invite link— we hope to see you there! 😎 ✨
Without further ado
Tyler Bainbridge (instagram, twitter, letterboxd, last.fm)
🎵 The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2 (2001)
Whether it's the cold darkness of winter, a bout of depression, or just a particularly bad day— this album is there for me. The Glow Pt.2 is an incredibly cathartic record that’s filled to the brim with beautiful moments such as the lo-fi noise rock of The Moon, the warm and quiet ode to hugs, I Felt Your Shape, or long & meditative instrumental sections like (Something) - 1. It’s tough to distill how much this album means to me into one Perfectly Imperfect sized rec, just please give it a shot.
🎵 16 Horsepower - Sackcloth 'N' Ashes (1996)
“i LISTEn to EvERYtHINg BuT coUnTRY” Okay fine, but what about...Gothic Country. I know I know, it sounds like something that could be super corny, but trust me, it's not. This is a really dark record, it's basically Bauhaus with banjoes and a singer that sounds a bit like Jeff Buckley. Hopefully after this album you can just say you listen to everything. One of my favorite musical discoveries in a while.
Cool Hand Luke is a movie about alienation, conformity, authority, and prison that stylistically sits in the midst of the American New Wave movement and the more the traditional films that came before it. Paul Newman delivers an incredible performance (those eyes) & it even features Harry Dean Stalton singing his heart out. There's also a must see scene featuring...eggs. A classic.
Hirokazu Kore-eda's Still Walking is a quiet and heartfelt movie with a simple premise: a middle-aged man who reluctantly visits his father, who he doesn't have a great relationship with, to commemorate the death of the eldest son. Tension, affection, grief, regret, laughter, and anger are all on display here, however this film doesn't pass any judgement— it just acknowledges the complex high and lows of family. A beautiful film.
Before I bought these tortillas I had never ordered food from across the country, but now I do it once a month, that's how good these are. They're fucking incredible and will forever change your mind about flour tortillas, you’ll forget all about the dry and bland ones at the store. I use these ones from Caramelo for breakfast or chorizo y papas tacos. They freeze great so buy ‘em in bulk. Send pics of what you make pls.
Quite possibly the lamest rec on newsletter yet, but listen— I'm a man of the people & have no shame over how dry my scalp gets in the wintertime. I know the bottle looks dorky as hell, but that’s how you know this stuff works wonders. If I can save even one of you from being uncomfortable and embarrassed, I'm happy. Apparently it also helps acne. Give it a shot.
❗ Cut for time
My playlist of “good country”, @enterthenightgallery’s bootleg tees, Silver Jews - The Natural Bridge (1996), and Vernon, Florida Documentary (1981)
Alex Cushing (last.fm, goodreads)
For all the movie buffs, I know what you’re probably thinking, and I thought the same thing. I Almost didn’t watch this because it kinda seemed to just fall into that dreaded meh “mid” category - solid cast, interesting enough premise, but not very artistic, not a wild story, nothing too deep to say: just a normal movie. In the end, I decided to throw it on, and I’m definitely glad I ended up watching. This ultimate normal movie is about some people over their heads in a not-too-spectacular crime, and that’s exactly what I loved about it, it was just refreshing. That being said - it doesn’t lack in tension, i found myself on the edge of my seat throughout. Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney bring their A games here, and deliver something really worth your time.
Rodeo Flea Market has done something that feels specifically catered to me — it fits uniquely between 2 trends that I’m all in on - wild west wear and repurposed vintage. Check out the Rodeo Web collection for some vintage workwear pieces with web & cactus embroideries, or the Rodeo Vintage collection for some vintage biker-eque longsleeve shirt frankensteins. Cop up some Rodeo Flea Market to join yb out here in the wild west.
Personal fav piece <3
This was my last read of 2020, and honestly it was kind of the perfect way to finish the year. Without saying more than what you find on the back of the book - the premise is that a white family is vacationing at an airbnb in upstate NY, when they’re visited by an older black couple claiming to be the owners of the house, with stories of a blackout or something worse happening in the city. There’s lots of questions posed, from race to class and handling crises that aren’t fully understood. This book was a really fast read but had me hooked from start to finish. If you don’t mind a bit of an ambiguous ending, I highly recommend checking this out!
🎵 Jonatan Leandoer96 - Blodhundar & Lullabies
Nectar was one of my favorite projects from 2019, so hearing that Yung Lean had another project coming under his alter ego Jonatan Leandoer96, I knew it would be a certified day 1 listen™️. While nectar felt like raw indie rock, Blodhundar feels more atmospheric and hypnotic, with heavy folk influences. Songs like My City and Vitriol come hard in the hypno region, while other songs like Snake Ice could almost fit in a regular Yung Lean album. Please take the time to check this one out! Favorite track? Machines.
📣 Shoutouts
Vintage beer shirts on eBay - shoutout Will Ryan / Wild Thoughts
Serey Morm (instagram, twitter, vsco)
Continuing off of my last outdoor apparel rec through the GO OUT magazine, I still can't stop myself from browsing outdoor apparel. Especially fleeces, vests, puffers, pants with excessive pockets, etc. Some of these pieces are super hard to come by in the US. Personally, I feel like I've been trapped inside outdoor brand bubble that consists of Arc’teryx, Patagonia, North Face, Fjällräven, etc. Recently, I've discovered This Thing of Ours, a UK based retailer that curates different brands around the world. They pride themselves in having more low-key brands and browsing through their Coats & Jackets section, the catalog speaks for itself.
🧖♂️ Egg White Pore Foam
Double-cleansing has done my skin wonders this past year. I use to break out a lot. Previously, I've rec'd my go-to oil cleanser, Banila's Clean It Zero. Meanwhile, I was still going through a few water-based cleansers. After almost a year, I've found it. Skinfood's Egg White foam puts in work. I really like that the foam makes you feel like it's physically cleaning my face. It has one job and it does it well without dehydrating my skin. No scent is also a big plus :)
I'm a huge fan of super chill and mellow R&B like Tone Stith, Giveon, Daniel Caesar, The Weeknd, etc. You get the idea. RINI has been inspired by most of these artists, and it feels like all of my favorite artists mushed into one. He broke through with his title track My Favorite Clothes, but recently my friend put me onto Out of the Blue, which has been on repeat for days and weeks, please check out his music!
It has been a nightly tradition for my roommates and I to flash frying leafy greens like Chinese broccoli, Bok Choy, Yu Choy, etc. (if you've never heard of these, I got you. Here's a guide to Asian greens). It sooo good and it takes less than 15-minutes. I mean, we literally cook our veggies this way 4 - 5 times a week. Seriously, it's that good. The combination of garlic, ginger, and oyster sauce tossed in some greens is impeccable.
🗞 Extra! Extra!
Smash Burgers — quick & easy recipe *chefs kiss*
Fasunaa — Curation of tech/functional/sports garments and more
Follow Tyler, Alex, & Serey on Instagram for more!
To join the Perfectly Imperfect Discord Community send a DM to @perfectlyimperfect.newsletter or @tubbytyinthetub and we’ll send you an invite link— we hope to see you there! 😎 ✨