Arguably the best thing to happen to the Express since we got an unannounced box of sixty cookies delivered to our office at 3pm on a Tuesday, Production Manager Nick Wong found the best Spotify playlist of your life, culled from NOW: That’s What I Call Music ONE THROUGH FORTY-FIVE. You should a) be shocked that there is even such a thing as NOW 45, b) be grateful for the person who decided to compile such an important chunk of human history, and c) be CRYING TEARS OF JOY. And it gets even better! Here are five fun things to do with yourself this weekend:
Syd the Kyd
When the Odd Future hip-hop collective drops the beat, Syd the Kyd is on the decks. The petite tomboy (née Sydney Bennett) surprised many when she produced the gorgeous, neo-soul vocals on Odd Future R&B side project The Internet. Syd met Odd Future’s foulmouthed ringleader Tyler, the Creator through her little brother, Taco Bennett, and she helped the collective record its debut mixtape. Since then, she’s become the go-to producer for Odd Future rapper Mike G, in addition to her work on The Internet with producer Matt Martians. Syd comes to The New Parish on Friday, Apr. 5, as part of a special appearance for local arts and culture magazine Wine & Bowties, and editor Max Gibson said she’ll spin “an eclectic mix of everything from soul and funk to trap, house, and hip-hop.” Hip-hop producers/DJs Trev Case and Koslov will get the dance party started. 9 p.m., $10, $12. TheNewParish.com — Whitney Phaneuf
Credits: Chris Duffey Credits: Beth Allen
Masala Cuisine
Sandwiched between two storefront churches on a wide, barren stretch of International Boulevard, Masala Cuisine doesn’t look like much: red graffiti on the facade, a takeout window covered in bulletproof glass. But don’t let the humble environs deceive: Masala Cuisine may be the closest thing you’ll experience in a restaurant setting to being invited into the home of a wonderful Indian cook. The home-style approach means your meal might take a while, but dishes like rich, fragrant butter chicken and malai kofta (vegetable dumplings in a creamy, cashew-paste-thickened sauce) all taste fresher and more flavorful than your usual curry house fare. Don’t miss the mokki di roti with sarson ka saag, an off-menu Punjabi specialty only available on the weekends: thick corn-flour “tortillas,” hand made while you wait, served with a purée of mustard greens and spinach — perhaps the most flavorful saag you’ll ever taste. — Luke Tsai
