I feel like I've been waiting for the new Perturbator album forever, and now we finally have the first single. I don't love the video, but the track is cool. As usual, though, I'll be holding out for the full album to hear it again. Need that context.
Watch:
Here's a new Irish Folk Horror flick I do not remember hearing about before this past weekend when it popped up on Shudder. You know I love me some Irish Folk Horror; this is well-timed, as Lorcan Finnegan has a new film out and in buying tickets for that tomorrow night, I've already got a hankering to rewatch Without Name, which is possibly my favorite of the Irish Folk Horror genre.
This is Writer/Director Aislinn Clarke's second feature-length film. Their first, The Devil's Doorway, is on a list I have somewhere and is currently streaming on AMC+ (But not their Horror subsidiary Shudder, fuckyouverymuch AMC+), so I'm adding both of these films to my watch list with hopes to have a nice, spooky double or triple feature soon.
I rewatched In A Violent Nature last night, strictly because Joe Bob and Darcy hosted it on the previous installment of The Last Drive-In. Not a fan of this flick, but I did come away with this song, so that's cool.
The album this track is featured on shares its name, and while I didn't love it, I found a pretty reliable evocation of a certain kind of Electro-Indie-Pop that was ubiquitous in Los Angeles in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and thus, hits a certain nostalgic trigger for me. I'm not talking smack; I would have probably liked this a lot more back then, but my tastes have definitely shifted, and as it stands after a couple of listens, I do dig this, just not enough to really get excited by it. Still, if you dig this track, check out their music for yourself.
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Zach Cregger's follow-up to Barbarian received a trailer last week:
This is another example of a creator who must have a hand in controlling the marketing of his films because, like Barbarian, this gives nothing away. I'm not going to test that theory by watching any subsequent trailers New Line releases after this; Weapons hits theatres on August 8th, and I will be there on opening day.
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Over the weekend, I ripped through a re-read of Preston Fassel's brilliant Our Lady of the Inferno. Second time reading this book, and it's an all-time favorite for me.
The depth of emotion here is incredible. This is a book that can scare you, gross you out, and touch your heart. The imagery is above and beyond as Fassel conjures 42nd Street, New York, in 1983, in a way I cannot even begin to describe. You hear it, you feel it, you smell it. The characters are so well-written and so developed that you feel like you know them - like you have known them your entire life. And the Horror is both breathtaking and heartbreaking in equal measure.
I was lucky enough to grab this one upon original publication by Fangoria, but while that edition is long out of print, there is a new edition available everywhere books are sold.
I know I say this a lot, and I always mean it when I say it, but I cannot recommend this book enough. While I would definitely classify Our Lady of the Inferno as a "Horror" novel, it is also a literary Horror novel and one that is far too human to be limited by any genre tropes.
Playlist:
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Moon Wizard - Sirens
Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
The Raveonettes - PE'AHI II
Matt Cameron - Gory Scorch Cretins
Zeal & Ardor - GREIF
Fever Ray - Radical Romantics
Turnstile - GLOW ON
Primus - Pork Soda
The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir
Ghost - Skeletá
Perturbator - Dangerous Days
Final Light - Eponymous
Techno Westerns - Lover Boy
Joseph Bishara - Malignant OST
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Ace of Cups
• Four of Wands
• Seven of Pentacles
Emotional breakthrough leads to a stable foundation from which to move forward to victory.
Black Gloves & Broken Hearts is finished and is in the hands of my trusted Beta Reader, so I'm really just waiting on the cover art and any cleanup based on early readers' reactions. After that, we'll be looking at setting a release date. Conversely, I've added a chapter to my latest ongoing Nosleep Serial and moved back to Shadow Play Book Two with the intention of stripping it, streamlining it, and finishing it. I toyed with the idea of turning this proposed trilogy into a duology. However, I think I will simply make books two and three shorter than originally expected. There's just too much sprawl, and I think it's that admitting and acknowledging that right there that is the "Emotional Breakthrough" mentioned in the reading. Roping this in can only lead to a stronger foundation and, thus, completion (Victory).
Holy cow - new music from Stereolab!!! From the forthcoming album Instant Holograms on Metal Film, out May 23rd on Duophonic UHF Disks and Warp Records . Pre-order HERE.
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A full trailer for Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's 28 Years Later dropped while I slept, and just seeing the thumbnail, I'm excited. I'm not going to actually watch this trailer, mind you. But just knowing we're that much closer to this brings me joy.
My fear is this will play before every movie I go to the theatre to see until the film's release on June 20th.
Playlist:
OLD - The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak
Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me
Primus - Pork Soda
Killing Joke - Eponymous
Stereolab - Aerial Troubles (single)
Type O Negative - Dead Again
Tad - Inhaler
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• XI: Justice
• Knight of Cups
• Nine of Swords
Balance creativity or sleeplessness could result.
I actually think this is telling me this so I do the opposite - I've wanted to work on some projects at night the last two weeks, but I'm finding it impossible to stay awake later than 11:00 PM most nights. I think I need to generate a fervor to inspire some 'sleeplessness.' Or at least, some sleep-delay.
Very excited that Bedridden's debut album, Moths Strapped To Each Other's Backs, released today! You can head over to their Bandcamp and snatch up the digital copy for $8 or the cassette for $12! Great band, can't wait to hear more from them!
Watch:
Although I have very few complaints about the theatrical releasing in Clarksville, I was bummed that all my Chicago friends got a pretty wide rollout of French Canadian directing trio RKSS's (Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell, and François Simard) new film Wake Up. All reports are, this is a great one.
I know nothing about Wake Up. This was completely off my radar until my friend Chris mentioned it to me, and from there, a few others picked up the chant. "See it in the theatre." Unfortunately, neither my failsafe Regal in Nashville nor the Belcourt has it, so I'll be holding out for VOD.
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Long-time HWA friend David Lucarelli has turned his brilliant 2018 spook show Doctor Zomba into a comic book, Doctor Zomba's Ghostly Tales!
David joined us on Drinking with Comics HERE to talk about the original stage production of Doctor Zomba's back circa 2019. K and I caught the show at that year's Fringe Fest in Hollywood and LOVED it, so I'm psyched to see David turning this into a Horror Anthology comic. Head over to the Kickstarter HERE and take a gander!
Playlist:
Radiohead - OK Computer
Lounge Lizards - No Pain For Cakes
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
Drug Church - Prude
Greg Puciato - Mirrorcell
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#∞
The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose
The Afghan Whigs - Black Love
Slow Crush - Aurora
Suburban Living - Always Eyes
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Seven of Cups
• Ten of Swords
• Page (Princess) of Pentacles
Imagination culminates into prosperity when focused through long-term effort. All good signs when you're getting ready to launch a new book. Not there yet, but close.
Mclusky is the closest thing I've seen to the old Butthole Surfers. Thanks to Mr. Brown and Jacob for sending this my way, because this band was not on my radar at all.
New album, "the world is still here and so are we" is out now on Ipecac Recordings; order a copy HERE.
NCBD:
I love that this week's pull is two super indie Horror books and one major. Makes me feel like maybe the indie comics world is making a new push. Let's do everything we can to help it succeed.
Barstow is so goddamn odd and I have loved every freakin' minute of it. A Desert X-Files analogue, except darker, weirder and a helluva lot bloodier than Mulder and Scully ever saw. This appears to be the final issue, but damn would I love to see a 'second season.'
I know nothing about Plague House by Michael W. Conrad and Dave Chisholm, but Oni Press has really been knocking it out of the park lately, so I'm on board to check this out. Here's the solicitation blurb from League of Comic Geeks:
"Thirteen years ago, Orin McCabe was a family man living a privileged life in the suburbs. Today, he’s condemned to death row for murdering his entire family in an unexpected fit of hammer-wielding brutality. In the aftermath of his heinous crime, it’s fallen to a trio of eclectic, but dedicated, ghost hunters—Jacob, the holy man; Holland, the skeptic; and their leader, Del, a true believer in the occult and worlds beyond—to surveil the abandoned McCabe home in search of proof for the existence of the undead . . . and whatever supernatural source may have possibly fueled McCabe’s inhuman massacre. But this ill-matched and uneasy squad of investigators is about to discover something much more terrifying than any ordinary spirit. . . . Something much more pernicious, much more contagious, that if not contained, could take full advantage of America’s unquenchable appetite for violence and deliver a plague of blood unto us all . . ."
Sounds f'king awesome, right?
Finally, thinking of picking this up:
Larry Hama's GIJOE: ARAH is doing this weekly event "Silent Missions," and while I probably won't pick up the all, I have a soft spot for Beach Head, so I'm in on this one.
Watch:
I caught the trailer for the new film by Talk to Me's Danny and Michael Philippou once in the trailer last month and it was enough to convince me that I would henceforth be in rabid expectation.
Great title, too. The Philippou's are fantastic filmmakers who earned their first hit and will likely continue to make them. There's an interview with the brothers up on Indie Wire that I haven't had a chance to read and likely will avoid until after the film's theatrical release on May 30th, which you can bet your arse I'll be sitting in a seat at my Regal for.
Playlist:
Pink Floyd - Umma Gumma
Alice Donut - Dry Humping the Cash Cow
The Kills - Live at Third Man Records
Arcade Fire - Everything Now
Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power
Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears
Melvins - Thunderball
Mclusky - the world is still here and so are we
Various – The Daptone Super Soul Revue Live! At The Apollo
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• XXI: The World
• VIII: Strength
• King of Pentacles
XXI: The World (The Universe in Thoth) can sometimes indicate a happy ending. Combined with Strength and King of Pentalces - financial security - indicates, to me at this time, stay the course and things will work out. Really interesting developments after my recent pontifications on work and corporate life (anti-life), and I can't help but feel this pull is a direct response.
Really digging this new Hangman's Chair album. Here's one of my favorite tracks so far. You can head over to Nuclear Blast to order Saddiction on vinyl or CD.
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I ran across the trailer for Joshua Erkman's debut feature film, A Desert on Bloody Disgusting, yesterday and instantly fell in love with the tone of the trailer - which I watched once and doesn't give much away.
Of particular note, The Jesus Lizard's David Yow is in the cast, which is casting I'm always happy to see. I'm completely unfamiliar with everyone else involved except the credited composer is none other than Ty Segall! Also, distributor Dark Sky Films tends to deliver greatness.
Looking around online, I found one of co-writer/Director Joshua Erkman's previous films available on YouTube:
I turn 49 today. Happy to still be here, slightly confused at how that's possible. Fuck it - let's listen to some Flying Lotus!
Even at a curt 1:24, "Blood and Pain" stands out as one of my favorite tracks on an album full of favorite tracks, Flying Lotus' 2021 Yasuke. I'd kind of lost track of this man's music for a few years when I discovered this record last year, and it brought me flying right back.
Watch:
Speaking of Flying Lotus, this past Thursday night, K and I sat at our local big box theatre and watched Flying Lotus' new film, Ash.
I wish I could tell you that I loved this as much as I love the man's music, but that's not the case. Do I regret seeing it in the theatre? Absolutely not, and in fact, I'd encourage others to support it as well. Just know what you're getting into.
Ash is slow and somewhat cumbersome in its dissemination of the story. It's meant to be that way because of where the characters are, but it takes making us feel what they do a bit too literally. Slow is never a problem with me, if the film has strong legs to stand on. But things here wobble; there's some convenience in the writing and some ambiguity that doesn't feel purposeful. Also, Ash substitutes - probably out of budgetary necessities - flashes of FX for anything of real depth, which is fine if it's not the only technique you're using. But here, we're indoctrinated with these kind of "nightmare, body-horror" flashes early on, fragments of main character Riya's damaged memory of events that led to the death or disappearance of her ship's entire crew. Later in the movie, we get some action, a fight for survival, and the FX opens up a bit, but it still feels right in line with what we had earlier. Limited.
Now, to play my own devil's advocate, while everything I mention above feels like a weakness, I can say there's also a strength and a healthy dose of hope here, as well. Everything I'm describing feels like a weakness because this is a movie on a big screen in a theatre. But can we not shift our bias and look at this as, "Holy smokes - this is basically a relatively new filmmaker being given not only a chance to make a pretty large-scale film but have it distributed nationwide? I mean, I saw this at a Regal in Clarksville, for fuck's sake. That's kind of staggering.
Granted, Ash is considerably more advanced than films like Skinamarink or The Outwaters - two films I give props to but fucking hated - but its distribution jackpot owes a lot to them*. So I guess all this is to say it's not really a surprise that Ash found a wide release, but even with its shortcomings, the hope is this will further develop Flying Lotus' career so that maybe next time, he'll have the budget and insight to really blow our minds.
* And yes, I'm aware both of those films owe their shot at the big screen to the massive success of Damian Leone's Terrifier 2; however, if you want to take it even further back, I'll bring up my absolute shock at seeing films like Hatching, You Won't Be Alone and Lamb in my local AMC theatre post COVID lockdown.
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The same day that we went to Nashville to see The Straight Story at the Belcourt Theatre, we made our first visit to Jack White's Third Man Records.
I'm not a Jack White fan. The White Stripes were a much-needed breath of fresh air at the time Elephant blew up, but White's meteoric rise to stardom afterward kind of baffles me. I think I can trace my cynicism back to the moment I saw the DVD It's Going to Get Loud on a shelf at Borders. This is a video that hoists White up as a peer with The Edge and, even more incredibly, Jimmy Page. I can't say I ever watched this video, but its very existence rankled me, and from there, whatever tidbits of information that have trickled down to me about the man have just reinforced that opinion. Well, except one.
His records stores.
From all accounts I'd read, Third Man Records is a bastion of old-school record store glory in an age devoid of such places. Add to this innovations like converting an ice cream truck into a mobile record shop and I almost want to cry. I mean, what an unbelievably cool idea! Literally bringing the music to the people.
I knew Third Man was in Nashville, but I hadn't been yet, so when my cousin asked if we could visit while he was in town, I assured my wallet all would be well and set the controls for 623 7th Ave South.
The moment I stepped inside, I fell in love with the place.
Wall-to-wall vinyl, all gorgeously packaged and displayed. So many items unique to this store, and just a general sense of reverence for physical media. Yeah, it didn't exactly alter my opinion of White as an egotist when, for the entire forty-five minutes or so we were inside, all they played on the overhead speakers was White's music. That's fine, though. I mean, flaunt it if ya got it, I guess, right? Especially when you maintain a place like this (named after my favorite black and white movie, no less)
Other than the records I purchased, I also picked up an issue of Maggot Brain, Third Man's quarterly music magazine.
I primarily grabbed the issue because of the TVOTR article, but in slowly working my way through it over the last few days, this is the closest thing to when I used to read The Wire back circa 2008-2011. I LOVE this magazine for the same reason I loved TheWire or Heaven is an Incubator. Simply put, there are more words spent on bands and artists I have never heard of than those I have. That's super important to me because I am always looking for new music.
Playlist:
Blind Willie McTell - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (Vol. 1)
Sqürl - Third Man Records Session
Spoon - They Want My Soul
QOTSA - In Times New Roman
INXS - Kick
TVOTR - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Deftones - Ohms
Flying Lotus - Yasuke
Flying Lotus - ASH OST
Windhand - Levitation Sessions (Live)
Heilung - Lifa
Radiohead - Myxomatosis (single)
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Four of Wands
• Ace of Swords
• VI: The Lovers
Being that it's my day of reiteration today, I'm viewing this spread as an indication of how to proceed for the next 365 days. What does it say? Well, I see a steady foundation and a healthy application of Will - moving forward with these two ideas as a basic tenant for the next year will provide an alchemical reaction.
I celebrated on Saturday with some Guinness, some Jameson, and my annual reverence for Phil Joanou's State of Grace, which I just love more every time I see it. And I've watched it every year for maybe 20 years.
Also, if you haven't heard, Flogging Molly frontman Dave King has some health issues that forced the band to cancel their most recent tour, so maybe stop by their Bandcamp and plunk down some silver for one of their albums. Mr. Brown recently recommended the live 2006 AliveBehind the Green Door, and I can attest that it's fantastic.
Watch:
David Cronenberg's The Shrouds opens in select cities on April 18th and nationwide a week later. Really looking forward to this one.
This trailer doesn't reveal too much, but it also doesn't 100% whet my appetite for the film. That doesn't mean anything, though, as just the fact that Cronenberg has a new film on the immediate horizon has me excited. I really liked Crimes of the Future; actually felt like it was the first truly transgressive film I'd seen in a theatre in a very long time. Not sure if this will be a similar experience, but it doesn't matter. Cronenberg is Cronenberg, end of story.
Playlist:
Marilyn Manson - One Assassination Under God Chapter 1
Marilyn Manson - Lest We Forget
Marilyn Manson -We Are Chaos
T. Rex - The Slider
'Til Tuesday - Voices Carry
New York Dolls - Dancing Backward in High Heels
Buster Pointdexter - Eponymous
The Pogues - Rum Sodomy and the Lash
The Who - Live at Leeds
Blind Willie McTell - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (Vol. 1)
'Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry" is, in my opinion, one of the strongest singles of its era. Released in 1985, for a song every source I consult says was an MTV staple, I swear I cannot remember hearing this until circa 2006 when I moved to L.A., where they played it on the radio on a daily basis. I don't remember ever hearing this on the radio in 1985 or at any other time during the 30 years I lived in Chicago.
Part of the reason for this may be that we didn't have MTV at our house growing up, a point of infinite frustration for a kid in the 80s (and one I am thankful for now). A friend down the street had it, though, and "Music Television" was on a lot at his house. I can remember some rather oddball songs ("Shoot that Poison Arrow" for one), but not this one.
I also listened to A LOT of radio from a young age. Some of the songs that populated my sonic landscape from as far back as 1982 were "Rock the Casbah" (an instant lifelong favorite), as well as everything Huey Lewis and the News, Prince and Duran Duran. Whatever station I heard all that on had to be playing "Voices Carry." I just missed it.
Or maybe I didn't miss it. My reaction to hearing this song the first time was immediate infatuation, as if, even though I had no memory of it on the surface, my subconscious had long ago embraced it. I was listening to a lot of modern pop in 2006 (Justin Timberlake's first record, Kyle Minogue, etc), making mix CDs I dubbed "Satan's Discoteque" and arranging playlists that included everything from George Benson to Throbbing Gristle. The point is, "Voices Carry" would have fit right into my scatterbrained sonic ethos at the time, especially because its production is a great example of that lush, 80s vibe that M83 would recontextualize a few years later and make me hungry for again.
Listening to the entire Voices Carry album while I write this, I'm blown away. The whole eleven-song cycle is fantastic, and really, for a band dubbed "New Wave" in their day, there are moments that dovetail with what was going on with 80s Rock at the time. The guitars on "Don't Watch Me Bleed," for instance, have a healthy but tasteful application of both Chorus and Reverb that make each note shimmer in the way bands like Kix and Warrant would live and breathe by a year or two later. This is a great revelation since I enjoy that production technique but not bands like Kix or Warrant.
Watch:
Interesting little teaser that popped up on Bloody Disgusting recently. Saw this earlier and it made me fire up the song, hence today's post.
There's not really enough here to make a very good assessment, but Voices Carry is the debut feature from Writers/Directors Abby Brenker & Ellyn Vander Wyden, and I'm always interested in supporting new voices.
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My good friend and Horror Vision cohost Butcher pointed me to the upcoming Giallo-inspired comic mini-series You'll Do Bad Things. This was 100% off my radar, but damn if I didn't have my shop add this the moment I saw this cover:
Here's Image Comic's solicitation blurb, plucked from the irreplaceable League of Comic Geeks:
"It's been ten years since the release of He Came in With a Smile, the true crime smash hit that chronicled the brutal murders committed by the Nursery Rhyme Killer. But in the decade since its release, its author Seth Holms hasn't produced another title. He wants to write a story with a happy ending, but every time his fingers clack across the keyboard, it always ends in his character's death. Worse yet? These tales of blood and barbarity that flow so freely from Seth's mind are starting to happen in real life."
Nothing we haven't seen before, but that can be said of a lot. It's not the idea but what you do with it, right? Written by Tyler Boss - whose 2021 series Dead Dog's Bite was a favorite of that year - with art by Adriano Turtulici, I am very much looking forward to this one.
Playlist:
Melvins - Houdini Live 2005 (thanks, Mr. Brown!)
Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
The Bronx - The Bronx (IV)
James Brown Presents: Funky People
The Pogues - Rum Sodomy & the Lash
Iggy and the Stooges - Raw Power (1973 David Bowie Mix)
Courtesy of the Watch Your Head YouTube Channel, which I just subscribed to. Packed with Los Angeles fair, the channel describes itself as "South Central L.A. Locals
Mainly concert videos, estate/garage sale treasure hunting, and raw and unfiltered daily street life videos."
Some really cool stuff, especially when I'm feeling homesick for my second home!
There's titterings of a new Deftones record on the way, and I'm hoping it soon. I haven't watched this full video yet, so not sure if there's any new material in here. We'll see. Just from the opening two songs, though, this must be career-spanning.
Watch:
I love Flying Lotus' music, but thus far, I haven't cared for his theatrical outings. Kuso just felt gross for the sake of being gross, and his entry in the VHS series, "Ozzy's Dungeon" from VHS '99 was... I guess I enjoyed it? I don't know. It's not that I think the cinematic work FlyLo has done is bad, it's that I expect so much more. And when I saw the trailer for his new film Ash in the theatre recently, I got the feeling I'll finally be getting it!
Really just speechless that I get to see this in the theatre. So cool! Opens March 21st - can't wait!!!
Read:
I wanted to take a moment to say, A) I think my reading of yesterday's Tarot pull was right on, as when I arrived at the shop, there was exactly one copy left of both Batman: Dark Patterns and Mine is a Long Lonesome Grave, which I took to be a kind of 'reward' for my introspection. Not to rest on my laurels, I immediately put down to be subbed to both of those and The Hive - which interestingly enough had a stack of copies for issue #2 remaining, so either it's selling exceptionally well, and they ordered a lot, or the first issue did great and the second is dead in the water. Either way, I'll have my copies going forward.
Re-reading Lonesome Grave issue #1 and following it directly with #2, my initial excitement for this book is confirmed. This is a fantastic Revenge Story with what appear to be Black Magick or Voodoo flourishes. Southern Gothic A.F. Reminds me more than a little of Southern Bastards, a book I loved so much and which just disappeared. I haven't been this excited about a book in a while now. Looks like it's only four issues, but who knows. Maybe this will be like Into the Unbeing and have several iterations.
Playlist:
The Bronx - The Bronx (I)
The Bronx - The Bronx (II)
The Bronx - The Bronx (III)
The Bronx - The Bronx (IV)
D'Nell - 1st Magic
Razor - Armed and Dangerous
Foster the People - Torches
IDLES - Joy As An Act of Rebellion
Steely Dan - Aja
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Queen of Cups
• Page of Wands
• Two of Wands
Probing emotional depths can take an unprecedented amount of Will. To actually go deep and get to the issues that might be causing balance to waiver.
A reminder of something I learned last week in an unlikely place: Interrogate Reality to the fullest extent of your being, and sometimes, that Reality is not the one around you, but inside you.
Earlier this week, I fell into a pretty hard jag listening to Testament's older records and it made me realize just how underrated these guys were, historically speaking. It definitely seems like their status has elevated with time, which is great
Watch:
K and I caught Heart Eyes at the local theatre last night, and while I've definitely grown a little weary of Michael Landon's 'quirky' tone, this is a super fun popcorn Slasher.
Heart Eyes is almost exactly 50% Romantic Comedy, 50% Slasher flick. That's a weird mix, but it mostly works. It's heavy on the 'cute' factor, which is where I occasionally lost my patience with the film, but mileage may vary. I think Josh Ruben's directing anchored this one from floating too far out into quirkyville.
You know you're getting up there when your favorite, most influential post-High School albums start turning 30. How is Teenager of the Year three decades young? I mean, seriously?
Last weekend, K and I drove up to Chicago for a few days. Saturday night I met up with a bunch of old friends and saw the first night of Black's Teenager of the Year 30th Anniversary show at the Metro. Mr. Brown was in attendance, and it felt like such a full circle moment - Brown was the friend who got me into so much of the most influential music of my twenties. In 1995, I'd gotten out of a three-year relationship begun in High School.
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Last Thursday, K and I had the distinct pleasure of catching Steven Soderbergh's new film Presence.
Not posting a trailer, partially because I haven't seen one and don't have the time to vet one of spoilers, partially because I LOVE the posters they've released for this film. Soderbergh is always a class act, and his film about a haunted house is exactly what you'd expect by being nothing you would expect.
This film blew me away, and I implore any even remotely interested parties to seek this one out while it's still on the big screen. Mind you, this isn't a movie you have to see on the big screen, like The Substance or Nosferatu. However, the camera flows across that massive screen in a way that just intoxicates. In a way, this isn't a "Horror" film in that Horror films generally unfold via events, and there are not a lot of events here. This is a character study of a family first and foremost. That said, when things get fucked up, they get really fucked up. Presence has one of the most disturbing concepts in it I've seen in some time.
NCBD Addendum:
I wasn't going to pick this new SIKTC: Book of Cutter one-shot up, but due to this rolling disaster that is Diamond Distribution, my take-aways from Rick's felt pretty light on Wednesday, and I admit, I was very curious to learn more about the SIKTC mythology, which this book pays off with in droves.
Loved it. More prose than graphic fiction, Book of Cutter really delves into the order of St. George's history while also advancing Maxine Slaughter as a soon-to-be major player in the ongoing SIKTC book. Reading this made me excited about the overall world-building in a way I haven't been since shortly after realizing I love the flagship book but not necessarily the ancillary titles. Might be time to revisit House of Slaughter...
So much music unfurled while I was doing David Lynch week and then in Chicago for three days. Shit, I haven't even mentioned the Frank Black Teenager of the Year 30th Anniversary I attended yet. I'll get to all that, but first - holy smokes! I'll tell you that, while I LOVE Infinite Granite, I was hoping that would prove a detour. I don't need the Deafheaven to only play brutal music, but to me, the mix they achieve on Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is perfect. Regardless of what we get on Lonely People With Power, out March 28th (pre-order HERE), "Magnolia" fills me with faith that, as my cousin Charles' friend Dave predicted, the band made Infinite Granite for them, and it had nothing to do with their overall ambitions/directions.
NCBD:
This is a new Rick Remender book. I've missed out on the last few he's released; hell, I've actually not read anything he's done since A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance, so I'm due. I tried the first issue of a few series since then and didn't really 'feel it,' so here's hoping The Seasons moves the needle.
Published through Remender's Giant Generator, I grabbed the first issue of Dust to Dust and dug it, so I'm coming back for more. Unfortunately, this Diamond bankruptcy is killing my shop, and I've already heard this is outstanding, much the same as the latest issue of What's the Furthest Place From Here has been for weeks now.
Also confirmed as delayed due to Diamond's BS. I'm still really on the fence with Mark Spears' Monsters, but I figure I'll round out the first four-issue arc and reassess after.
This is one I'll need a full re-read on once it's all out, but I've been enjoying the hell out of this second Last Ronin series. I've said it here before, but the dystopian Frank Miller-isms of this series really scratch an itch. An itch for when Frank Miller wasn't a douche bag.
This cover is the stuff from which dreams are made.
Watch:
I caught the trailer for Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk's Hell of a Summer on the big screen last week, and it kinda blew me away.
Yeah, it's more throwback, but I don't care. This looks fantastic.
Playlist:
Moon Wizard - Sirens
The Veils - Asphodels
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Nothing - Guilty of Everything
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
Remember your Art (XIV in Thoth) when bogged down in Earthly matters. Enlightenment lies in balancing the two.
January 10th - nine years ago today David Bowie soared from Earth. Hopefully, he's bringing joy through music to some distant cosmic race (and we'll eventually be able to get copies on vinyl!).
Watch:
Lowell Dean, the Writer/Director of Wolfcop, has a new Horror movie based around an underground Wrestling match meant to raise the Dark Lord? In, 100%.
Even though I don't count myself a wrestling fan, this looks pretty fun.
Read:
I've been suffering a spot of insomnia and using it to blow through Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola's Joe Golem and the Drowning City.
About 90 pages in, this is a fantastic novel that kind of mashes up modern Steam Punk elements with Lovecraftian Horror and old-school Detective/Adventure/Fantasy tropes. Sounds a bit crowded, but it's not at all. The prose is brisk and vivid, and Mignola's illustrations are light and fantastic, capturing just enough imagery to really help accentuate the images the prose already brings to life. Here's the solicitation:
"In 1925, earthquakes and a rising sea level left Lower Manhattan submerged under more than thirty feet of water, so that its residents began to call it the Drowning City. Those unwilling to abandon their homes created a new life on streets turned to canals and in buildings whose first three stories were underwater. Fifty years have passed since then, and the Drowning City is full of scavengers and water rats, poor people trying to eke out an existence, and those too proud or stubborn to be defeated by circumstance.
Among them are fourteen-year-old Molly McHugh and her friend and employer, Felix Orlov. Once upon a time Orlov the Conjuror was a celebrated stage magician, but now he is an old man, a psychic medium, contacting the spirits of the departed for the grieving loved ones left behind. When a seance goes horribly wrong, Felix Orlov is abducted by strange men wearing gas masks and rubber suits, and Molly soon finds herself on the run.
Her flight will lead her into the company of a mysterious man, and his stalwart sidekick, Joe Golem, whose own past is a mystery to him."
This is the first of several collaborations between Mignola and Golden that I'm reading, and I have my good friend Chris Saunders to thank for gifting me a beautiful hardcover copy last year during my trip to L.A.
Playlist:
Mick Jagger - Strange Game (Theme from Slow Horses single)
David Bowie - Black Star
Laylow -.Raw
L.A. Witch - Eponymous
Frank Black - Teenager of the Year
Arcade Fire - Everything Now
Antibalas - Where the Gods Are In Peace
Mr. Bungle - Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie - Outside
David Bowie - The Buddha of Suburbia OST
Vanessa Williams - Dreamin' (single)
Al B. Sure! - Nite and Day (single)
Diana Ross - Missing You (single)
Karate - Unsolved
Card:
Today's card is the Five of Wands - Strife:
From the grimoire: "Often signals the querent is unhappy with a situation such as work or home, but can also indicate inner conflict. Introduces the suite of Wands/For of Will undercurrent of moral or ethical issues (what will ultimately happen to other in the pursuit of our Will?).
Chaos that can prove growth."
Fives are Geburah - Severity; Mars. Fives are demanding cards.
So what are they demanding?
There's a balance found in Four that is interrupted by Five. This is demanding growth! Growth is Chaos, and in pursuing growth, we often offset others' balance as well as our own. So this is a 'tread with caution, but definitely tread!!!" card.
Day late, but it's still poignant. Holy shit - we made it to 2025!!!
Watch:
I saw this pop up on my local Regal's calendar and went from thinking I'd never heard of it to swearing I had posted the trailer on here previously. Not the case, but now that this is on my radar, I'm kind of dying to see it.
I feel like the release timing for this one was perfectly staged - people who saw Nosteratu and want more historical Horror can plop their arse in the theatre again and see what looks like a wicked combination of The Witch and Cold Skin.
NCBD:
Short week. Here we go:
Nice to have a short week at the moment. I've got a lot of other reading to do.
Working on a short story on Nosleep that has a very "Satanic Panic" vibe, so allow me to perpetuate that mood with some classic Mercyful Fate!
The first chapter of I Found Evidence My Parents Were Members of a Satanic Cult is up HERE. Check it out and throw up the horns when King belts out those infamous lines:
Copulation in the night
Two shadows upon a grave
Screams of pleasure,
Screams of pain
Young lovers you must be insane
It's desecration of souls
In their holy lair
So I say again stay away
It's desecration of souls
No on-the-grave fuckin' in my story (yet), but this definitely helps offset the otherwise all-encompassing Christmas vibe as we celebrate the holiday early this Saturday.
Watch:
I had not heard of Grafted or Co-writer/Director Sasha Rainbow before Bloody Disgusting posted about it yesterday, but without even watching this trailer, I am in!
It's no secret that Body Horror was already on the rise as a subgenre when Coralie Fargeat's The Substance blew everyone's doors off earlier this year; will it go the route of the Zombie and Possession themes and proliferate to an unsustainable level? Hopefully not, but if that happens, it's still a ways down the road. Until then, let's sit back and watch through our fingers as filmmakers bring us
Playlist:
Pixies - Doolittle
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Grandy Ducy - Petite Fours
Nothing - Guilty of Everything
Circle Jerks - Group Sex
Suicidal Tendencies - Eponymous
Genevieve Artadi - Forever Forever
Zeal & Ardor - GREIF
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses (Suspended in Dusk Version)
