New music from Nothing! Lead single from their upcoming album A Short History of Decay, out February 27 on Run For Cover Records. Pre-order HERE.
NCBD:
A nice, tight list of great books today. Let's get
Always a great thing to see Cobra Commander rising from the ashes of his missteps. Also, to have Copperhead feature so prominently on a cover makes my heart sing - one of me favorites, he is!
Watch:
I finally had the chance to sit down and watch David Cronenberg's latest film, 2024's The Shrouds.
After a few initial misgivings, I ended up really liking this. It reminded me a lot of Cronenberg's novel, Consumed, which I am a fairly big fan of. There are a few nuances to Vincent Cassel's acting choices (which might have more to do with an otherwise solid script), but overall, The Shrouds starts in a relatively small place and expands into a very Cronenberg-esque conspiracy. I've been thinking about his predilection and approach to conspiracy lately; most of his films deal with secret cabals and their agendas. Starting with Consumed - unless I'm missing something - those conspiracies become global, moving away from small groups of rag-tag conspirators to incorporate global countries. North Korea is a major force in Consumed, and both Russia and China may or may not figure heavily into The Shrouds. Fifty years of making films that have grown in budget, scope and acclaim have helped David Cronenberg become a Director with global urgency, and that is on full display here.
I watched this on the Criterion Channel app, but it's likely available elsewhere as well (although Criterion is becoming a must-have channel in our house, so I'd just recommend signing up for the trial and checking them out).
Playlist:
Steve Moore - Jimmy & Stiggs OST
Blackbraid - Blackbraid III
Willie Nelson - Oh What a Beautiful World: The Songs of Rodney Crowell
Deadguy - Near Death Travel Services
Fever Ray - Eponymous
Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land
Stone Angel - Eponymous
Carter Burwell - Blood Simple OST
Tim Hecker - Infinity Pool OST
Nothing - a short history of decay (pre-release singles)
Mondo Decay - Nun Gun
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• Page of Swords
• XIV: Temperance
• Eight of Cups
Agility again. Agility tempered with emotional control. Or, perhaps, Agility achieved through emotional distance?
