I've had a feeling this would happen eventually. Previously, even before I discovered Me and That Man, I tried on several occasions to find what it was about Behemoth that people had become so fanatical about. Unlike Frontman and Brainspring Nergal's more recent project, I just could never relate to it. Behemoth always left me cold, and not in a good way. Friday morning, however, a random algorithmic playlist by Apple Music rotated "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" through my ears and suddenly, I got it.
I've only consumed 2014's highly lauded The Satanist thus far, but the momentum behind that first go-through is enough to have me chomping at the bit for more. Behemoth has a very specific sound, or at least that's how I hear it and why I ended up falling into it so hard. It has a lot to do with the way the bass guitar is played, recorded, and mixed in relation to everything else, but moving out from there, the guitars, drums, vocals, and other accompanying instrumentation feel very much arranged or composed, as opposed to assembled by more conventional means.
Watch:
Wow. Not only did I find this small peak into Orville Peck's life fascinating, but Alfred Marroquín's direction is as beautiful and moving as Peck's narration. I've avoided watching or learning too much about Peck's life, as I think his enigmatic persona compliments the deserted Lynchian Highway of his music. Marroquin balanced exactly the right amount of 'behind the curtain' with spectacle here, and this short Doc is all the better for it.
Playlist:
Behemoth - The Satanist
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
David Bowie - Live Nassau Coliseum '76
Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA
Anthrax - Among the Living
Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits
Card:
Motivation and Drive, which feels spot-on as several projects ramp up here, at the end of what feels like a top-heavy year, as far as productiveness is concerned. There's a feeling of acceleration as we head into the new year, almost an unruliness. Looking at the Prince of Wands, reading the almost out-of-control momentum on the card's face, I'm reminded that recklessness can negate ambition quite easily.
At this point, I'm not listening to any more of Me and That Man's new record until I have the full album in my hands (pre-order HERE), but I'm posting it here so I can go back to it, and so you, dear reader, can strike out into the territory I'm eschewing simply because I am such a fan of full album immersion.
**
The best thing to come out of social media that I've seen since the Pandemic began? Right here:
Love these guys.
**
Finished Black Stars Above this morning. Five Issues of creepy, nuanced cosmic horror. Here's one of my favorite images, from issue four:
This very much reminds me of Alan Moore and JH Williams III's Promethea. Jenna Cha's art, Brad Simpson's colors, and Lonnie Nadler's story work in such perfect synthesis. They have to, it's the only way to tell such a macro/micro story that delves into infinite cosmic territory. This page illustrates the beautiful way the creative team delivers the ineffable.
**
Mindful Habitation:
As so many others are, Southern California is on Shelter-in-place. Weird, but really only in perception and big picture theory. Day-to-day won't be that different for many of us. I'm bummed to know this will halt a lot of businesses, the smaller ones especially. Many of those smaller ones are really using this to innovate and think outside the box. The Comic Bug remains purveyors of media via mail, delivery, or scheduled appointment (HERE for details). King Harbor Brewery is doing same-day local Growler delivery (HERE). These are examples local to me, however, I'm getting reports of this from friends all over the place, so if there's a business you love, reach out and see if they are working with similar innovations.
**
Event Viewing:
Episode Four of Alex Garland's Devs landed last night, and it was quite the ride. The opening floored me with it's image/sound juxtaposition. Geoff Barrow and The Insects' score is overall fantastic, but in this particular scene, it was unearthly, layered, textured sounds arranged in a way that made the images bloom from the screen.
And Nick Offerman? Killing it.
Playlist:
Exhalants - Eponymous
Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
Slayer - Live Undead/Haunting the Chapel
The Bronx - The Bronx (I)
Seefeel - Fracture/Tied (Single)
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Deth Crux - Mutant Flesh
Metatron Omega - Evangelikon
Myrkur - Folkesange
**
Card:
An agent of enlightenment. Reproductive force - not necessarily biologically speaking. I'm leaning more toward an interpretation that reinforces people are finally learning what needs to be done and doing it (even a certain douche celebrity decided to comply and close his shitty restaurant). Also, the gray skeins in the background speak to the illusory world losing its leverage as knowledge dawns. That's the Devil - the Morningstar, enlightener extraordinaire.
I wanted to post this a few days ago, but with the continued irregularity of my schedule, I've got all kinds of cool stuff piling up. Anyway, By the River is yet another fantastic offering from forthcoming New Man, New Songs, Same Shit Vol. #1, which is out March 27th on Napalm Records. Pre-order HERE.
**
I recently purchased a Kindle compendium of H.P. Lovecraft's works. It's coming in handy on our short stint to Chicago, where we surprised the hell out of my folks for their 50th Anniversary. The book I'm currently reading back home in LaLaLand is still Chuck Wendig's Wanderers - it's awesome, it's just hefty and my time has been erratic - but as an over 700 page hardcover, there was NO way that was coming with me on the trip. Also, my time in my hometown is usually pretty full, so I didn't really expect to have a lot of reading time. So, I've been picking away at re-reads of a few quintessential Lovecraft stories.
First up was The Call of Cthulhu. I re-read this one every couple of years, and I still believe it is both Lovecraft's best writing and my favorite of his works. I've probably said it here before, but the opening paragraph always leaves me in awe:
The remainder of the story is always a joy to read, as it more or less bears out this first paragraph, bringing the reader into events that begin mundane but develop into terror of a truly cosmic proportion.
Next is The Dunwich Horror, which it'd been quite some time since I'd last read. I wanted to re-read this now that Richard Stanley has announced it as his next Lovecraft adaptation in what hopefully will end of a trilogy.
**
Playlist:
Slayer - Live Undead
Myrkur - M
Also my cousin, my friend Amy and my friend Joe all turned me on to a lot of random music that will no doubt be incorporated into my playlists over the next several days. The Babies, Porridge Radio, Gene, Cornershop, and Lloyd Cole, to name a few.
There's something to be said for artists who, whether they plan to or not, end up defining a part of our time, whether it's a year, or half-year, or period of weeks and/or months. Me and That Man is having that affect on me now, here at the start of the 20s. Part of it is because I didn't hear about them until the back half of 2019, and part of it is the pace at which they have been releasing singles off their upcoming 2020 album, Same Shit Volume One, due out March 27th on Napalm Records (Pre-order HERE). The steady, every-couple-of-weeks has helped keep them on my mind, in my ears, and a continual OST to these cold and dreary days of the first quarter (LaLa Land's 'cold and dreary' might not be as severe as a lot of other places, but everything is relative). This new track is simple, catchy, and has a certain stoic dirge quality that, once again, shows me Nergal is a huge Nick Cave fan. Not a band thing by any means.
**
The similarities between the procedural CDC elements of Chuck Wendig's novel Wanderers and the current 'outbreak' of the Coronavirus are frightening to say the least. Benji Ray's complex relationship with the job of disease identification/control/treatment already inspired me to pull Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys off the shelf in anticipation of a re-watch, reality and the daily news - which I largely shy away from these days other than BBC - have made me think twice about adding to the 'paranoia fire' that seems to lay at the heart of the modern world at the moment.
**
Playlist:
Blut Aus Nord - Memorial Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars
Drab Majesty - The Demonstration
Godflesh - Love and Hate in Dub
Godflesh - Songs of Love and Hate
Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen
Bohren and Der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue
Tangerine Dream - Sorcerer OST
Steve Moore - Bliss OST
Night Shop - In the Break
Black Pumas - Eponymous
Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land
Mol - Jord
**
Card:
A direct reference to the power and stability my recent writing sessions have given my made-up world of Shadow Play. As if to further underline that interpretation, a second card leapt from the pile as I pulled the first off the top of the deck:
Second time this week for XXI The Universe, and why not? I'm currently dealing with massive philosophical concepts, finding fun and interesting ways to instill a version of my own cosmology in this work that is coming to define my life (at least until it's over and I move on).
I'll just go on record now as saying, after having another go at Nergal's other band Behemoth, I'm all for him letting that fade and focusing on Me and That Man. This new video is a step up even from their last, and that's not easy to say. You can pre-order the new album, which is out March 27th on Napalm Records, HERE.
**
Suffering from some fairly tumultuous back pain over this past weekend, I ended up seeing quite a few movies. On Saturday, K and I took in an early showing of Underwater. I can't stress enough how pleasantly surprised I was by this flick; in fact, based on where it goes, and how grandiose things get, Underwater will almost certainly be on my Top Ten Favorite Horror Flicks of 2020. I know, I know, I just posted 2019's list, but it's never too soon to start thinking about the next year's totals, and when a movie makes this big of an impression, well, let's just say it's a safe bet my love will only deepen.
I put up a six-and-a-half minute "Why you should go see this" review/reaction on The Horror Vision. The first 5 minutes or so of this quick review are spoiler free, then, in case you need more convincing, I literally sound an alarm and go into HUGE spoilers. This movie is fantastic, and apparently it's bombing, so I really want to try and raise awareness and get some like-minded folks out into the theatre to see it. You won't regret it!
**
Playlist:
David Bowie - Black Star
Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley
Ennio Morricone - Vergogna schifosi
Ennio Morricone - Scusi Facciamo L'amore
Cavern of Anti-Matter - Hormone Lemonade
Cherrelle - High Priority
Chris Connelly - Sleeping Partner
Night Shop - In the Beak
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
David Bowie - Heathen
The Rolling Stones - Some Girls
Blood Red Shoes - Get Tragic
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Adam Kesher - Local Girl (Hatchmatix Remix)
Battle Tapes - Sweatshop Boys EP
Battle Tapes - Form EP
Bells Into Machines - Eponymous
Tomahawk - Mit Gas
David Bowie - Low
Damage Manual - Special Edition
Steve Moore - The Mind's Eye OST
Card(s):
Struggling with distraction, frustration, and apathy, there's a breakthrough on the way!
Me and That Man is a band I only recently discovered. Back in early November, I spent a few weeks ingesting their 2017 debut Songs of Love and Death. Now they release this and totally throw me for a loop on their sound - which is huge and amorphous - and I'm in love with this! Tarantino meets Bava's Demons meets The Thirsty Crows! How can this be any better? Well, in writing this post I did some reading and realized Me and That Man is a side project for Nergal from Behemoth, a band I'm not a huge fan of, but have wanted to give another try - 2014's The Satanist was fellated by many an online critic but never really burrowed into me the way I had hoped at the time. Maybe five years and seeing this completely different side of the brain trust will change that?
Here's to hoping there's a new album dropping in 2020.
**
Wow. A pretty stacked NCBD:
Love this cover.
This book is getting even more insane with the newest story arc. There was a point where I thought it lost me; I was wrong.
This kind of NCBD hardly ever happens to me these days, so even though I'm picking up a day late, I'm psyched.
**
K and I wrapped up Season 4 of Veronica Mars last night and... well, wow. Aside from all the tears, I ended up absolutely loving this new tone for the grown-up Veronica world, despite what seemed like a slightly wobbly first two episodes (probably me bringing in baggage as we steam-rolled through season 3, into the movie, right into this, so there was some tonal shock at how the show and, particularly the Veronica character, had changed). Now, it's time for...
K is a complete X-Files virgin, and I was only ever spotty at best watching the show. I've always harbored the tendency to turn my nose up at tv, and that was especially true after Twin Peaks and before The Sopranos, so X-Files just seemed silly to me back when it came out. I never saw any of the first season episodes until waaaay later, and it wasn't until the 'Mythology' episodes hooked me with their eerie continuity before I cared at all. During a recent conversation, Mr. Brown asked if he could curate a 'playlist' of non-Mythology episodes for me, as a kind of overview of the best the series had to offer in its purest form. The idea of seeing the show through my good friend's eyes was something I would never pass up, so here we are. Of course, we have to start at the beginning, even if we deviate sharply from there.
Season 1, Ep. 1 - Pilot.
I'd seen this episode before, at some point, but remembered very little. I've gotta say, I really enjoyed it. There are so many cues The X-Files took straight from Twin Peaks (the episode opens with two Pacific-Northwest lawmen hunched over a dead girl's body found in the middle of the woods. When they turn her over, one of them recognizes her as a classmate of his son's. Does this feel too 'on the nose'?
No. It feels influenced by Peaks, but like the show is trying to do its own thing with the tone, which I appreciate. As the episode continues, I was surprised by the tasteful restraint of the music. Maybe it's later seasons, but I remember catching part of an episode in passing on someone else's tv within the last few years, and the score was so over the top and crescendo-heavy, I couldn't tolerate it for me than a few moments. Not the case here - Mark Snow's score in the non-iconic moments is wonderfully dark and sparse. I never felt like he was trying to manipulate my emotions or the story (when the writing is good, it stands on its own. Nothing worse than an over-indulgent score trying to make up for crappy writing). Also, the chemistry of the situation between Mulder and Scully works from the moment they meet. There's no fat on this one, and even though it has a lot to do in a short time, nothing ever feels rushed.
Overall, a fantastic episode and a great start to Mr. Brown's X-Files Playlist!
**
Playlist:
David Bowie - The Next Day
David Bowie - Black Star
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
Spotlights - Love and Decay
Orville Peck - Pony
Boy Harsher - Careful
Meg Myers - Sorry
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell
Deafheaven - Sunbather
Blackwater Holylight - Veils of Winter
Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God
Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen
Moor Mother - Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes
Revocation - The Outer Ones
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Holy cow. A good friend sent me a link to this 2017 album Songs of Love and Death by Me and That Man. Dark, fuzzy, gothic country, this entire album is fantastic. I know nothing about this band, but this album hits a perfect harmonic with the new Federale and a few other albums I've had on heavy rotation lately, most of which I'll get to posting from in the next few days.
**
Last night K and I went to the theatre to see Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep.
The best cinematic sequel ever.
Honestly, I miss spoke above, because Flanagan - who I now think might be the greatest living modern horror director - has made a film that is a sequel to both King's book and Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining, which are two very different entities. There's an article in the most recent Fangoria Magazine where Flanagan talks about how he approached this, and all I can say is, he hit it out of the park. Doctor Sleep is also a very tight adaptation of the novel, so it has the dual quality of feeling like a novel first, and a movie second. In other words, the three-act structure moviegoers have unconsciously come to expect is there, but in an over-arching way. The way the individual scenes are woven together, moving back and forth seamlessly between characters, events, and places, feels literary, as though you're plowing through sections or chapters in a book.
I loved Doctor Sleep when I read the novel back around the time it came out - many thanks to Mr. Brown for mailing me his copy just to be sure I read it, as our love for both King's book and Kubrick's film goes back a looooong way. And now I love the film. Win-win.
Playlist from 11/08:
Federale - No Justice
Billy Idol - Greatest Hits
Black Pumas - Eponymous
TVOTR - Return to Cookie Mountain
Revocation - Teratogenesis EP
Sunn O))) - Life Metal
John Coltrane - Coltrane's Sound
**
Card of the day:
Balance and harmony; coherence and the intuition of a guiding light. I think so. Tonight we're doing a Horror Vision taping and I'll be premiering the finished version of this story I've been working off-and-on for over a year now to five people by reading it out loud. As Cap'm says, Proof is in the Pudding.
