From the 1976 album Listen Now, by Phil Manzanera and 801. I'd never heard this before last week; a good friend pointed out that, while I was familiar with plenty of Brian Eno's post-Roxy Music work, I'd done myself a disservice by not dabbling in Manzanera's. He was right; this is a fantastic record, start to finish. Lots of those 70s tones that would get coopted by soft rock like Ace a few years later, but here, with a healthy dose of Art Rock overtones and sometimes perplexing structure.
Watch:
In attempting to compile my top ten Horror of 2025 list, I've come down to a series stand-off.
Weapons vs. Bring Her Back.
To this end, I rewatched Bring Her Back last night.
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| I'd not seen this poster before. It made me laugh. Uncomfortably... |
In doing so, it's hard to imagine any film could compete with this. Still, Weapons will get its day in court soon enough, and I will make my decision.
With Bring Her Back, the Philippou Brothers have crafted an expertly executed film that not only pushes into extreme territory without crossing any of my lines but also features characters with such emotional complexity, gravity, and resonance. I love Andy and Piper, and I love their relationship. I feel such pathos for them from the very beginning of the film. Seriously, I was moved to tears during the film's opening and again multiple times throughout. I was also sickened, spurred to cover my face with my hands, and feel such enormous trepidation for them. And this is the third time I've seen this film this year!
Read:
I'll be talking about this one on an upcoming episode of Drinking with Comics, but this past Saturday I blew through Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins' Lois Lane: Enemy of the People.
That is not this.
First, take note of the writer again: Greg Rucka. This is a 12-issue mini-series about Lois Lane investigating Ice and Deportation corruption, the death of a Russian peer, and trying to stay one step ahead of the hired killer big industry has hot on her heels. Superman drops by occasionally to check in on her well-being, but she always lovingly sends him packing. "I can handle it," is her constant refrain. Added by Renee Montoya, Lois digs in and serves up some serious Rucka political vibes in a story that would make a great double feature with the first Volume or two of Marvel's original Alias series that introduced Jessica Jones.
Super blown away by this one. This is one of the reasons I do 'podcasts' - I often need help stepping outside my own prejudices, especially when it comes to DC comics. Thanks, Shin!
Playlist:
Mondo Deccay - Nun Gun
Hangman's Chair - Saddiction
Slow Crush - Thirst
Plague Vendor - By Night
Wrené - No skin against the wind (single)
Asaf Avidad - Live at the Acropolis
Asaf Avidad - Unfurl
Phil Manzanera - Listen Now
Phil Collins - Face Value
D'Nell - 1st Magic
Miles Davis - Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
Calexico - Second Shift
United Future Organization - 3rd Perspective
Cynic - Focus
Porter Robinson - Worlds
Dream Syndicate - The Days of Wine and Roses
• Four of Cups
• Knight of Pentacles
All three cards deal with material wealth and luxury, but the Knight of Pentacles (Disks) specifically points to saving. I'll just take this to mean I'm back on the right path.
