Overrated/Underrated: ‘Tabula Rasa’ is your next Netflix obsession, and in praise of Yo La Tengo

UNDERRATED

‘Tabula Rasa’ on Netflix: A tangled combination of haunted house horror and a missing person mystery, this series was a breakout hit in Belgium, and it should be a first stop for those in need of a spookily atmospheric binge. Led by “The Broken Circle Breakdown” star Veerle Baetens, the story tilts on a hospitalized young woman stricken with amnesia in one timeline, while in the other, she is settling into her grandparents’ house and recovering from an accident with her seemingly happy family. There are zigzagging timelines, curious red dust, a three-legged cat, and nothing, not even the cat, may be what it seems.

Yo La Tengo’s ‘There’s a Riot Going On’: With a career stretching back to the mid-1980s, the Hoboken, N.J., indie-rock trio continues finding ways to surprise listeners. Titled in a wry tribute to Sly & the Family Stone’s landmark album, Yo La Tengo’s first collection of new music in five years travels a contemplative yet open-ended path with gently drawn guitar pop (“Shades of Blue,” “For You Too”), spaced-out semi-instrumentals (“Above the Sound” and the ghostly “Shortwave”) plus a sprightly lounge detour (“Esportes Casual”). The sound may be relatively quiet, but as always, there’s a lot going on.

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OVERRATED

Dismissing Cynthia Nixon’s political ambitions: There was a time that a political run by a celebrity could be laughed off as a publicity stunt while voters came around and left the so-called adults to the complicated work of governing. Not anymore. Though this former “Sex and the City” star’s planned New York gubernatorial bid reflects our current moment, this has been the case for our politics for decades. Celebrity may not always lead to viable governments, but our culture assures a viable candidate, at least up to the point that he or she is required to speak coherently (and even then, it’s negotiable). This is who we are.

The end of the pop group: Light a candle in whatever window you choose now that because Fifth Harmony, the last U.S. pop group of its kind, has announced it is taking a hiatus after the breakout solo success by one of its own, Camila Cabello (and a farewell tour, of course). While this has led to some remarking on the end of an era of manufactured hit-making groups of five, given the diminished power of record labels and radio in our internet-splintered pop culture, have faith — you can’t keep a good formula down. The next wave should be arriving in time for a future Fifth Harmony reunion at Coachella.

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chris.barton@latimes.com

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