New Music from Ganser!

From Ganser's new album, Animal Hospital, out August 29th on the always wonderful Felte Records. Pre-order HERE.

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NCBD:

I've kind of unofficially switched to a M-W-F posting schedule here for the time being, and I'm still getting used to that. I'll use this as the reason I somehow forgot to feature my NCBD pulls in Wednesday's post - when I'm working on these a day or two out, it's easy to forget what day you're aiming for. Anyway, This week's pull ended up being considerable, so in this case, hindsight helps condense what otherwise would have been two consecutive posts.

Turns out, Batman: Dark Patterns is going even longer than I originally thought. This is the most consecutive months I've read a Batman book since Grant Morrison's run ended!

Already read this one - dark times for the Autobots, man. And more Bruticus! In fact, we have an all-out combiner battle with Bruticus and Devastator versus Superion! I can't even believe how this book taps into all my childhood play fantasies about the Transformers. 

More dark times for heroes. It's definitely in the air - I mean, art reflects life and looks at the world we live in. Some really interesting developments in this issue, and the bi-monthly release schedule is still really working for me, partly as a respite for the old wallet and partly as a suspense builder. 

This issue of SIKTC features some of the best trademark James Tyion IV dialogue. From the two clerks talking about mustache-shaving daydreams to the Jaws discussion, this one's all set, but holy cow - things are going to go off next issue!

The first issue was so-so for me, but I'm looking forward to sticking around and seeing where this pretty deft send-up of Black Metal culture goes. 

Once again - Oni for the win! A new Horror Anthology featuring Andrea Sorrentino? You don't need to say another word. 

But wait - there's MORE!!!

Earlier in the week, my good friend and frequent collaborator Grimm pointed me to the fact that Titan Books has been publishing a new Savage Sword of Conan magazine-sized book for eight issues now. I'm not a card-carrying Conan fan, per se, but back shortly after I discovered H.P. Lovecraft, I picked up a mass-market paperback copy of Howard's Tales from the Cthulhu Mythos and have long thought it one of the best I cut my Robert E. Howard 

Looks more like "Savage Sword of Danzig" to me!

This issue of The Savage Sword of Conan features six tales that all revolve around Howard's The Black Stone. THIS is my REH wheelhouse - The Black Stone is probably the short story that left the deepest impression on me from that Mythos paperback, and I think it's fantastic that writer Jim Zub is using it as a jumping-off point to weave the Black Stone through a myriad of Howard's characters - from the Cimmerian to El Borak to Soloman Kane. Granted, these stories just made me spring for a set of the spin-off Black Stone series on eBay, but that's fine. Just like so many other power-mad sorcerers, I'm willing to pay for more exposure to the titular monument. 

Issue eight was really what sparked my interest, as Grimm sent his joyous accolades for this series along with a picture from issue 8's The Wuthering:

'Nuff said! Seriously though, this entire book is gorgeous, and it was a real treat to discover the first story herein was drawn by Jason "Nameless" Burnham!

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Playlist:

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre

Marilyn Manson - One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1

Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power

Melvins - (A) Senile Animal

Thou - Summit

Deee-Lite - Dewdrops in the Garden

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Big Black - The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape

Rapeman - Two Nuns and a Pack Mule/Budd E.P.

Killdozer - God Hears the Pleas of the Innocent

The High Confessions - Turning Lead Into Gold with the High Confessions

Metallica - Ride the Lightning

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Card:

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

• Page of Wands

• Two of Pentacles

• Three of Pentacles

Decisions about Earthly matters should be made from a place of strong support. What the hell does that mean, exactly? I'm far too tired to figure this out at the time of typing this, so I'll be staring at these cards all day on my desk. 

I hate when the pull interpretation comes out sounding like an exaggerated fortune cookie!!!

New Music from The Jesus Lizard!!!

 

Wednesday was an incredible day for new album announcements. I'd been expecting David Lynch to drop something because of a video he posted last week, but The Jesus Lizard's Rack from Ipecac was 100% surprise. This is the band's first album since 1998's Blue, and while there is a lot I do like about their two Capitol Records, I can already tell by this first single "Hide & Seek," that I like Paul Allen's production on this one way better (RIP Steve Albini, who produced their iconic albums for Touch & Go back in the 90s). 

Also, Mac is back! That's right, original drummer Mac McNeilly is once again behind the skins. The stars have aligned!

Pre-order from Ipecac Recordings HERE.

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Watch:

Last night, K and I went to see Ishana Shyamalan's The Watchers. 

Despite seeing this or a slightly different trailer before pretty much every movie I've attended in the theatre for the last month or two, I went in with a fairly open mind. All I'll say is, if you're an M. Knight fan, you'll probably dig this. It was very well made and had excellent performances, but I did not care for the script, characters or the film overall. I kind of felt a weird parallel to when I saw The Village, back on opening night in 2004. With it in a half-arsed kind of way until the last act, when I kind of just want to get up and walk out.

* My good friend Missi laughs at my growing frustration at pre-show "entertainment." She cooly arrives at just the right time every time she goes to the theatre (about as often as us), but somehow, I just can't time that right. 

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Playlist:

The Jesus Lizard - Show

Shellac - To All Trains

Big Black - Lungs

Various - The Lounge Ax Defense and Relocation Compact Disc

Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity

Black Pyramid - The Paths of Time are Vast

The Raveonettes - Chain Gang of Love

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Card:

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

• Knight of Swords

• Five of Wands

• Queen of Wands

Perhaps cryptically, I have "Motivation as Will" written in the Grimoire for Knight of Swords. This is the Firey aspect of Air, or the Will as applied to Intellect. Five of Wands is Conflict in Earthly matters, and Queen of Wands, or the Emotional aspect of Will.

All any of this tells me at the moment - when it's 12:47 AM and I'm tired as hell -  are we're all a big o' mess O' trouble. Contradictions and good intentions, but if you recognize that and we start there, we can move on and perhaps conquer and shape some of what makes us indecisive and try and turn conflict into stability.