TV | Stories about space travel / the future / aliens / interplanetary colonization are super-hot right now. So get on the bandwagon, if you haven't already, with Syfy's outstanding original show THE EXPANSE. Currently in the middle of its second season (Wed at 10 pm), The Expanse is based on a six-book space opera series set in a near future in which humans have colonized most of our solar system, including Mars and the asteroid belt. Conflict heats up this season between Mars, Earth, the "Belters" and a scheming biotech company experimenting with an intelligent, evolving life form called the protomolecule. Excellent casting, world-building and a sensible story arc puts The Expanse in league with genre greats like Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and even Star Trek.
VIDEO GAME | The fun-loving minds at game design studio The Behemoth — known for the beloved titles Castle Crashers, BattleBlock Theater and Alien Hominid — are finally back with their long-awaited fourth game, PIT PEOPLE. The turn-based strategy, team combat game, available now in early access for Xbox One and for PC via Steam, gloriously reunites longtime fans with the Behemoth's signature goofy art, narration, story and in-game character items (an oversized popsicle as a heavy club; meme-inspired headgear) that have made its other games stand out in the pack. Online and local co-op modes — along with options to complete story quests or just bash on AI baddies in the "pit" — offer play styles to suit all types.
MUSIC | Need some new tracks to help your mind slow down and chill out? We all do these days, so check out the latest record from British Columbia-based indie pop/rock artist Jamison Isaak, who creates under the moniker Teen Daze. The creation of his sixth album, THEMES FOR DYING EARTH, served as an introspective outlet for Isaak to process his stress and deep anxieties caused by both world and personal events. With a mix of soft synths, gentle guitar (even some pedal steel) and soothing vocals — though some tracks are all-instrumental — Themes for Dying Earth serves as a calming aural escape for the listener, too. ♦
