Showing posts with label New albums 2024. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New albums 2024. Show all posts

Friday, January 5, 2024

Abby Sage - Obstruction

 

Abby Sage dropped a new single earlier in the week, and as usual, it's pure bliss. I really don't know much about Ms. Sage, other than the handful of singles she's released over the last couple years have all been excellent. "Obstruction" is the latest and an advance from her first long player, The Rot, due out March 1 on Nettwork - which looks to be a very different label than it was back when I was familiar with it. Pre-order the digital album HERE. As far as I could find, there is no physical copy pre-order at the moment. Either way, I am very much looking forward to this one.




Watch:

Two nights ago I "rewatched" Christopher Ganz's 2006 cinematic adaptation of Silent Hill. Here's the trailer Scream Factory used when they released their edition:


I say "rewatched" because, although I know I watched this back circa 2017/2018, I found that other than the beginning and end, I remembered very little of this one. I'm wondering if this was one of those times I had a "forty-minute blink." Very possible. I remember liking the film, but not much else, so this was an especially crisp viewing, and I very much dug the experience in a way I know was lost to me on that previous attempt. 

I am unfamiliar with the games, so take that into account as I say that visually, I feel like Silent Hill is the culmination of many of the mid-to-late 90s aesthetics that were introduced into popular culture with the NIN "Happiness in Slavery" video and that accompanying video 'album' it was released on. The twisted, barbed wire, industrial rot of the 90s, the fallout from the posh-n-clean dream of the 80s. All of it really works quite wonderfully in this film, and although some of the CG doesn’t quite hold up, I would argue most of it fairs considerably better than a lot of computer FX we saw in Horror at the time.
 


Read:

New Drinking with Comics went up last night.


I really can't recommend Where the Body Was enough. Another fine fantastic original HC GN from Brubaker & Phillips.




Playlist:

Turnstile - GLOW ON
Black Flag - Everything Went Black
Tamaryn - The Waves
Justin Hamline - A New Age of Ruin
Feuerbahn - The Fire Dance EP
Fvnerals - Let the Earth Be Silent
Sleaford Mods - Nudge It (single)




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Seven of Cups 
• King of Cups 
• Eight of Cups

First, yes, I have shuffled these cards quite a bit. It's weird how this is a new deck to me, and it continues to behave that way. I feel like it's not so much that the cards aren't shuffled, but that it feels like it needs to yell in order to get my attention. Inherent in its DNA, being that it's all about, well, turning the amp up to eleven?

I'm reading this in a different chronology today. Starting in the center but moving directly to the right, we have a path through the Sephiroth - Victory to Splendor. This is a viable path for working through the states of the mental architecture inside ourselves. The King of Cups then tells me to come ready to hone emotion with Intellect, that will be the method by which I reach those states.

Is this a nod to heading back to work? A lot of the issues there are resolved, as most of the problems are no longer with the company. There is one conflict I anticipate, however, I don't see it being quite so difficult. Maybe. Or, this is a strategy. I've said I want to be a bit less social with my time there; I want to see my friends, but I don't want to go out every night for the next three weeks. I'd really like to spend some time working on the book, using the change in environment to my advantage. Perhaps if I combat the emotional need to be social with the intellectual need to write - well, saying it like that, it all kind of makes sense, doesn't it?

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Chelsea Wolfe

 

I'm a bit late to the game on the second track to be released from Chelsea Wolfe's upcoming album She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, out February 9th (pre-order HERE). I'd listened right after it dropped, but in keeping with my practice, for artists like Ms. Wolfe, I will listen to pre-release tracks, but not overly so. I'm way more interested in preserving the experience of the full album. Anyway, I ended up watching this video twice last night - the photography herein is a complete visual level-up for what she's doing. Written, Directed, Shot and Cut by George Gallardo Kattah, I had to look this guy up; however, there's not a lot out there. Mr. Kattah, to take nothing away from your accomplishments to date (his portfolio can be found HERE), you will do wonderful things, sir. I'm still just absolutely blown away by this video.


NCBD:

Here's my Pull for this week:


I've still only read the first issue of Jeff Lemire's Fishflies, but I'm definitely in for the entire series, whether that's simply through the fourth and final issue solicited thus far or beyond. A special magick occurs when the writer is also the artist, and Lemire's style is unlike anyone I've ever seen. 


Okay, let's see what this Cult of Mephisto is all about. I've stated here previously that I'm really hoping for something that rivals Mike Baron and Klaus Janson's take on the Jonestown cult waaaay back in original Punisher series numbers four and five. We'll see.

The finale to Louise Simonson's Jean Grey series. A nice, tight, four-issue romp through the character's past and, presumably, future. 


Totally on the fence with this one. I know nothing about it, and although I've become a huge Tynion fan over the previous year, I don't read everything he does. That said, two things will most likely sway me to grab this. 1) the artist on the book is Joshua Hixson, who also did Vault Comics' The Plot a few years ago. That book was good enough to endear the entire creative team to me forever. 2) This is another three-issue series, much like The Closet, which I loved.


One more to go after this. Still standing by my predictions for Captain Krakoa, although I don't think we're getting that answer until issue five.

Love this cover. 




Watch:

A quick, behind-the-scenes video of David Fincher's The Killer? Yes, please.


I imagine I'll probably be talking about this one for quite some time; I actually re-watched it already last night, and it was even better the second time. I guess one of the major things that I like about The Killer is that, I'd all but given up hope on Fincher making a 'fun' movie ever again. Mank, Gone Girl, Benjamin Button, I suppose they're all fine, well-crafted films even if I can't remember nearly anything about them, but The Killer feels more akin to his early work. Fight Club, The Game, Se7en (wouldn't necessarily call that last one 'fun') - these are all ingrained in my psyche. For the last two decades or so, other than the Netflix stuff he's known to Produce but not direct (Sex, Death and Robots; Mindhunter), David Fincher's work had become the cinematic equivalent of fine china for me. You watch with extreme attention to detail, then carefully place on a shelf and never touch again. Not this one. I could watch The Killer again tonight.



Playlist:

Tyler Bates & Chelsea Wolfe - X OST
Cartoonist Kayfabe - November 14, 2023
Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
Gazelle Twin - The Entire City
††† - Good Night, God Bless, I Love U, Delete.
Run the Jewels - RTJ4
Willie Nelson - Pretty Paper



Card:

From Aleister Crowley and Lady Freida Harris' Thoth Deck:


• Five of Cups - Debauch
• Prince of Wands
• Ten of Cups - Saiety

Drive will disappoint us, but still somehow end up fulfilling us in the end. Not sure what exactly that has to say about my current situation, although, now that I've typed those words, it occurs to me that I've been writing every day and haven't really felt like I'm making progress. Which, of course, is wrong. You're always making progress if you're working on the project. 

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Twin Tribes - Monolith

 

My A Most Horrible Library cohost Chris has been singing me the praises of Twin Tribes for a couple years now, and while I've given a couple of their records a spin, I haven't completely connected with these guys yet. That said, this new track, "Monolith," is pretty rad, and I actually dig the hell out of the video - a rarity indeed. Taken from forthcoming album Pendulum, out January  26th; you can pre-order the record HERE.


NCBD:

Here's what I'm bringing home this week:


I loved the first issue of the new Daniel Warren Johnson Transformers book for Robert Kirkman's Energon Universe. Not as much as I love Void Rivals, but still, DWJ doing Autobots and Decepticons is as close to a dream come true as we've gotten with this juggernaut IP in a while, so I'm excited to jump into issue 2.


I've seen the covers for the next two books, and the "Road to 150" is on the horizon. That means a major shake-up is coming. Starting in the last few issues, we've seen the Turtles' standard "nuclear" family as we know it begins to grow tributaries and move on, so my prediction is someone will leave this book and head away from NY, thus getting their own series. That will both excite and infuriate me, haha. I'm still on board, regardless, as this is still the best reboot ever. 


Phantom Road is back and I could not be happier! This book is like high-brow Grindhouse Horror, and I am absolutely picking up what Lemire and Walta are putting down!


After Friday I can finally read this one up to date, as I should have all the issues sitting in my secondary pull at Amazing Fantasy in Frankfort. Can't wait to see what all the hype - niche hype, but hype nonetheless - is all about. 


Let's see if issue two continues to deliver on the promise of issue one. There have been mountains of Army of Darkness/Evil Dead comics, and I learned long ago to avoid them. This, however, this is different. Continuing on from both the original and director's cut ending of the film, Army of Darkness Forever posits that Evil Ash ended up back at the S-Mart in 1992. What does that mean for everything we think we know about Ash's life after the films? Will the series take Ash vs. The Evil Dead into account? Like they used to say in those commercials, 'Read the book."


I've been late to the game on David Dastmalchian's Count Crowley, partially because I sat on my AMHL cohost's recommendation when the first series came out, and partially because I was able to find two of the four issues of the previous series. I'll eventually pick all those up, but in the meantime, this guy has earned enough goodwill in the Horror community that I'll be grabbing this one from the beginning.



Playlist:

Sampha - Lahai
Oranssi Pazuzu - Live at Roadburn 2017
Twin Tribes - Monolith (pre-release single)
Twin Tribes - Ceremony
Alien Sex Fiend - Alien Sex Fiend Halloween
Kingsborough - Percy (single)
Oranssi Pazuzu - Kosmonument
Lebanon Hanover - Let Them Be Alien
Anthrax - Among the Living
Telekinetic Yeti - Primordial
The Sister of Mercy - Floodland
††† - Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete
Crystal Castles - II



Card:

I felt like crossing the streams today. Here's what I came away with:


Due to the different sizes of the three decks, this format is difficult to get a decent picture of at the moment because it's new, so bear with me. 

• XVIII: The Moon - influences/ideas/agendas obscured.
• XII: The Hanged Man - Sacrifice/intuition
• Princess (Page) of Wands - The Early Aspect of Will

It's been a minute since I've done an in-depth Pull, so I feel a touch rusty.  Having the intuition to apply the Will to Earthly matters will prevent missing unseen or forgotten facets of the conversation. This is 100% a reminder to pay attention during open enrollment. Boring, maybe, but I've already had a few insurance SNAFUs with my employer since going remote, so it'd be nice to avoid that in the coming year, and this is the kind of Earth-Bound stuff that I always view from the corner of my eye.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

New Music from Idles!!!

 

From the forthcoming album TANGK, available February 16th on Partisan Records. Pre-order HERE

I really dig both this track and this video, which is a rarity all around. Idles has such a fantastic way of revving up the chaos but somehow keeping it streamlined and a touch poppy. 



31 Days of Halloween:

1) When Evil Lurks/VHS 85/Adam Chaplin
2) Tales From the Crypt Ssn 1, Ep 6 "Collection Complete"
3) VHS
4) All You Need is Death
5) Slashers (2001)
6) The Beyond/Phenomena
7) The Convent
8) Evil Dead 2
9) The Autopsy of Jane Doe
10) Totally Killer
11) Ritual (Joko Anwar)/The Final Terror/Grave Robbers
12) Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (w/Joe Bob)
13) Never Hike Alone/Never Hike in the Snow/Never Hike Alone 2
14) Puppetman
15) Creepshow Season 4 Episode 1
16) Return of the Living Dead
17) Don't Look Now
18) When Evil Lurks




Watch:

A trailer finally dropped for William Brent Bell's new film, Lord of Misrule. Check it out:  

I can't say I've seen Mr. Bell's other films - not out of any kind of boycott, more just a lackadaisical oversight - but when I saw this mentioned as a Folk Horror film a few months ago, I made a mental note to be on the lookout for more information. I watched about half the trailer, and I'm in, so the release date of December 8th can't come fast enough.


Playlist:

The Damned - Evil Spirits
The Cramps - RockinnReelinInAucklandNewZealandXXX
The Misfits - Collection II
King Woman - Celestial Blues
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - Confessions of a Knife
Adam Egypt Mortimer - The Obelisk
Soul Blind - Feel It All Around
Bauhaus - Burning From the Inside



Card:

Back to the old trusty Thoth deck for today's Pull:


Absolutely no time this morning to decipher this, so I'm merely posting for posterity's sake, but from a glance, looks to be another "lust of result will fuck you up" Pull.

Monday, August 28, 2023

New Music from Ministry!!!


Ministry released a new track last week, and as usual, I love it. From the forthcoming album HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, out March 1, 2024, I feel like this is a bit early, but still, I can't really complain about new Ministry. No pre-order link that I could find yet, but that's sure to come. In the meantime, enjoy Goddamn White Trash.


Watch:

K and I took her Mom to see the Barbie movie over the weekend. This was about as interesting to me as the battleship movie until Mr. Brown posited that he'd read the entire thing was going to be one big piss-take. 

That got me interested. 

I waited for the hype (and crowds) to die down before even entertaining the idea of getting a ticket. We were at the theatre multiple times since this thing opened, and the crowds of pink-adorned moviegoers gave me pause. The malaise for big-budget IPs I always experience when actually faced with seeing them kicked in, and I figured I could go on just fine without ever actually seeing this thing, thank you very much. 

Then K's Mom expressed interest, so we decided to take her. Verdict? Greta Gerwig did exactly what I hoped she would with this one: It's irreverent toward everything that deserves irreverence - including itself and the Barbie brand - yet still manages to be fun and touching as all hell. And as far as the cries of man-hating, anyone offended by this is a douche, and exactly what the film is commenting on. 

Ms. Gerwig had come a long way from being the friend in Ti West’s House of the Devil, and I applaud Mattel for allowing this to be what it is. Also, fucking Rhea Pearlman, am I right? 




Read:

I finished Grady Hendrix's We Sold Our Souls over the weekend. OUTSTANDING novel! I read the last 60 or so pages in a mad gallop, unable to put the damn thing down. This means I'm going to reassess some of his newer books, all of which I'll probably read at some point.




Moving on, I finally started Nathan Ballingrud's novel The Strange


Holy smokes! Only 80-odd pages in, and I can pretty much guarantee right now, this will be the best novel I read this year. No disrespect to the others - Laird Barron's The Wind Began to Howl, and Stephen Graham Jones's Don't Fear the Reaper are both going to come in close, but Mr. Ballingrud's prose is just mouthwatering.




Playlist:

Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Undreamably Abysses
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Nahab
Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Agnes Obel - Aventine
Ghost - Impera
The Rods - Wild Dogs
The Rods - Live
Van Halen - 1984
Def Leppard - Pyromania
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
Etta James - Second Time Around
Standish/Carlyon - Deleted Scenes
Metallica - 72 Seasons
Ubre Blanca - Polygon Mountain EP
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
Mercyful Fate - Melissa



Oracle:

Just want to do a simple, one-card Pull today, and Missi's Raven Deck is the one I use for that:


Beware bad information and/or don't overlook information from dubious sources.