2019: May 7th - New Tool Song (Live)

I'll admit that I am skeptical as all hell about new music from Tool. I love the band, or perhaps that feeling is better expressed in the past tense; the idea that it's been 13 years since 10,000 Days makes me wonder. Then again, I understand how life runs away with your time. I would have preferred to hear this as an actual album track, instead of a live one with a lot of close-talking crowd noise, but at this point, curiosity got the better of me.

**

Tommy from Heaven is an Incubator has a fantastic article up on Entropymag. In it, he juxtaposes his long-time love affair with the SXSW festival from his life before having children to his life with children. It is one of my favorite things I've read so far this year. Read it HERE.

**

NCBD tomorrow and here are my picks for the week:

Lodger has perplexed me. I've enjoyed it, but I'm confused and feel as though I'm missing something. My plan is to sit down and reread the entire five-issue run later this week and see how it pans out.

LOVE this John McCrea alt cover. Good to have Deadly Class back; if you haven't watched the SyFy show yet, it's all up streaming on the network's app and it is fantastic.

This book just gets better and better.

The return of the sleeper hit from 2018. Can't wait.

**

Playlist from 5/06:

Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Chasms - The Mirage
Chasms - On the Legs of Love Purified
White Zombie - Astro Creep 2000
Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor
King Buffalo - Longing to be the Mountain
Tomahawk - Anonymous
Nachtmystium - Black Meddle II: Addicts
The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir
Atrium Carceri - Cellblock

**

Card of the day

Emotional purity that can cloud the head, alter the perception of self, in both good and bad ways. This feels like a direct reference to incidents with peripheral people in my life that have affected my own. And this interference, as I'll refer to it, has pissed me off enough that it has clouded my own emotional stability, and thus, my headspace. I had an extremely unproductive day writing yesterday. I 'punched in' and put in the time, but felt utterly useless. That's okay, that happens sometimes, and from my experience you just have to deal with it. You suck up the bad, knowing the good always follows and outweighs it. But that doesn't make it any less frustrating and, eventually, hellishly introspective to sit and peck at the keys for two hours with nothing that feels like a result following from it.

Incidentally, I also suspect these periods follow rabid involvement in slightly frivolous music. I'm not connecting with much sonically right now, as I come off my Rob Zombie binge, and it bugs me. This Atrium Carceri is the new thing in a while that feels like it is moving and inspiring me.

2019: May 6th The Thirsty Crows - Anchors Up

I have not talked enough about The Thirsty Crows new album in these pages. Hangman's Noose, available from Batcave Records, is easily going to slip into my top five albums of the year. Over the last week or so, it has become one of those records I put on and end up listening to three or four times in a row; at fourteen songs/thirty-nine minutes, it's a perfect amount and yet not quite enough, so that by the time I reach the cover of Dramarama's Anything, Anything that finishes out the album, I'm ready for another full go-through. There's something epic about the way these guys approach Rockabilly; there's some great moments where the band members' love of metal comes through, and it blends perfectly with the 'billy aesthetic, so we get something both classic and refreshing. The mark of a great record, to be sure.

**

I recently interrupted my read of Alan Campbell's The Art of Hunting to act as an HWA colleague's first reader on his debut novel from Cemetery Dance. I'll post more about that once the release is officially announced, but in the meantime, since finishing that book, I jumped back into the second installment of Alan Campbell's Ghostdigger Chronicles, and just like that, I've fallen in head over heels again.

I can't recommend these books enough; people who know my tastes in fantasy fiction know I have little tolerance for 'High Fantasy.' But Campbell's Gravedigger books take one of the major tropes of High Fantasy, the inclusion of Dragons, and ports it into a truly fascinating world. A world where an ancient, almost extinct and now imprisoned race of cosmic sorcerers long ago tainted the Oceans with a baffling poisonous agent known only as Brine, making it toxic to most life. Humans who are exposed to Brine stiffen and crack like stone; full submersion - 'the drowned' - stay alive indefinitely, but change in strange and horrifying ways. And the sea life mutate horribly as well, only coming to the surface fleetingly, so that all the new forms are not necessarily known or understood, enormous boogey men of the depths. Oh, and the dragons, those are humans the Entropic Sorcerers long ago twisted into these massive new forms. And they're all insane, as you would be after going through such a thing.

I'm really not giving you much about the books, but it would be very hard for me to do these novels justice in only a few short words. All I can say is The Art of Hunting is turning out to be thrilling, and insanely more imaginative than the first volume, Sea of Ghosts. I know a lot of other folks out there that have similar tastes to my own - and those who do like High Fantasy - would probably all love these books.

There's an Amazon Link to buy these HERE. However, they're out of print and pretty expensive, so if you need an easier option, try HERE.

**

Playlist from 5/05:

The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose
White Zombie - Astro Creep 2000
James Brown - Black Cesar OST

**

Card of the day:

Moving forward. Which I am, by leaving two stories somewhat hanging and going full hilt on Ciazarn. So that feels good, to get validation from the cards.

2019: May 4th - Raimi & Aja's Crawl

I was skeptical at the beginning of this trailer, but Raimi's name soothed that a bit. By the end though, the concept and purported execution look fantastic, plus this looks to be receiving a theatrical release, and when was the last time you were able to see an alligator/crocodile attack flick in a megaplex? That alone seems as though it may be worth the cost of admission.

**

Well, only Joe Bob Briggs could get me to watch a film I'd long ago sworn never to watch. For the first time since the first week of JBB and Shudder's The Last Drive-In, I was able to sit down promptly at 6:00 PM and watch the show from the beginning. The first flick, Wolf Cop, was one I'd seen on the cue in Shudder but always passed over. I was pleased to see it pop up here, under the guidance of Joe Bob. 

The second film was the one I anticipated with no small amount of reservation: Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer. I know it's a classic, and it's artistically solid, but serial killer stuff - especially when offered up so realistically - gets way too deep under my skin. And I'd always imagined that, if I watched this flick, it would fall somewhere in line with Irreversible and Requiem for a Dream, two films I simply wish I had never seen. However, I took the plunge because with Joe Bob's interruptions, I wagered that the presentation would be considerably less immersive, and I was right. Couple this with the fact that I luckily left the room for a beer during the infamous home invasion scene, and I braved Henry with no mental or emotional scars, and was finally able to see Michael Rooker's break-out performance, the only aspect of the film that had ever intrigued me to begin with. That's not to say Henry isn't a well-made film; it is, and so are Irreversible and Requiem. These are just films that delve into areas I feel no need to expose my sometimes fragile little psyche to. And in the spirit of that, I'll skip posting the trailer for Henry here.

**

You may notice Rob Zombie's two most recent albums have suddenly begun popping up on my daily playlists. This is a surprise to me; I've long held White Zombie's final two records as being among the best metal albums ever, however, Rob Zombie's dissolution of that group for a catchy but ultimately dumbed-down version never sat right with me. Yet, I'll admit that, for better or worse, there must be a little hot topic in my soul, because Zombie's solo stuff is something that, every once in a blue moon, I get a taste for. It usually sees me beat the hell out of La Sexorcisto and Astro Creep for a few days, probably throw on House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects, and then go back to keeping RZ at arm's length. Normally Zombie's solo albums don't really factor in, and if they do, I can burn through what I like about the first three in a stripped-down playlist. And you'll notice that on 4/02 that's how my recent binge began, by snapping the "Essential Playlist" from Apple Music and running through the hits. But then a funny thing happened. I made it through said playlist - skipping the cover of grand funk railroad's egregious 'we're an american band,' a song I hate so much in all forms I can't even stand to capitalize the title when spelling it - and decided I wanted more. So I moved on to the two newest albums, one of which I'd given a shake back when it came out and laughed off as a blatant caricature of an artist's music I already consider a caricature. But you know what? At least for the moment, I'm really enjoying both records. There's a ton 'Zombie-isms' you have to roll with, but overall, they're fun in the most frivolous way. Take the song below; I absolutely love the sample that starts the song and how it morphs into a rhythm. The lyrics and delivery however, need to be taken with a grain of salt, as they're bad. And I'm not sure if the obvious classic Les Claypool delivery Zombie takes on those lyrics is enraging or endearing, but for now I just can't make it past how much I dig the rhythm of the song.

And we see by the video, all of Mr. Zombie's obsessions are, of course, still in place after all these years. Part of me recoils at my occasional dalliances with Zombie's music, but like I said, every now and again, it just scratches some itch that builds up over time.

Tonight might be a good night to finally show Kirsten The Devil's Rejects.

**

Playlist from 4/03:

Metallica - Garage Days Re-Revisited

Rob Zombie - Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor

Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration...

Boy Harsher - Country Girl E.P.

The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir

The Atlas Moth - The Old Believer

Canadian Rifle - A Peaceful Death

Card of the day:

From the Grimoire: "Enjoying the rewards of your endeavors."

2019: May 3rd: Veronica Mars Teaser

I've been wanting to post this for a few days, but I haven't had a chance to even step foot on blogger due to crazy work hours and constant exhaustion. I'm a HUGE fan of the original Veronica Mars series - especially the first season - so I'm excited as hell for the new series and an impetus to re-watch those old episodes.

**

This weekend it's Free Comic Book Day! Not sure if I'll be heading out to my beloved Comic Bug's annual gala, but if you're in Southern California and looking for something to do, Mike and Jun always have the best FCBD shindig. More info HERE.

Speaking of comics, this week was a light NCBD, but here's what I picked up:

And this one was HUGE. No spoilers here, but if you read The Walking Dead and haven't read issue 191 yet, stop what you're doing and go do that now!

Also, last weekend Jonathan Grimm got me hooked on the idea of reading comics on a Kindle. I'd read a few digital books before, but always on my laptop, and was never really a fan of it. With a Kindle or tablet however, it's pretty awesome. What else is pretty awesome is the fact that digital comics go on sale regularly. I'm not about to stop reading physical comics for my month-to-month titles, but for $3-$5 bucks a trade, I'm very much in the middle of a deep dive on stuff I've missed, am curious about, or that's out of print. First up was Grant Morrison's Animal Man trades; I read this title originally back in High School, circa '94, and it was one of the first books that blew my head wide open and transitioned me out of the superhero quagmire and into the Vertigo stuff. At some point I'm not sure what happened to the trades I had, and they are now well OOP, but on Kindle they're $4.99, so I picked up Vol. 1 and fell right back into this amazing book.

Next, for $2.99 I scored Cosmic Ghost Rider: Baby Thanos Must Die. My good friend Mike Shin talked this character up on the DwC we did at his shop Amazing Fantasy in Chicago last December, and I'd been meaning to pick something up. For $3 I had no excuse. And, I mean, Frank Castle as the flame-headed spirit of Vengeance? In space? Former Herald of Galactus and associate of the Mad Titan?

Clearly, I'm still riding high off Avengers: Endgame, and it's reignited my love for Marvel. And for that price - how could you go wrong? If I'd paid $15-20 for this I'd probably not have dug it so much, but for what I paid I had a really fun time with it. Especially with Juggerduck...

**

Last Saturday, an extended cast of The Horror Vision watched Jordan Downey's new film The Head Hunter. It's awesome! Here the trailer and links to our new episode:



The Horror Vision on Apple
The Horror Vision on Spotify
The Horror Vision on Google Play
The Horror Vision.com

**
Playlist from 4/30:

Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Silversun Pickups - Better Nature
Best Coast - Crazy for You
Kevin Morby - Oh My God

Playlist from 5/01

Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Kevin Morby - Oh My God
Ghost - Meliora
Ghost Cop - One Weird Trick
King Khan and the Shrines - What Is?!
Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain

Playlist from 5/02:

Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Talking Heads - Fear of Music
Jesus & The Brides of Dracula - Turning Teeth (Single)
Rob Zombie - Apple Music Essential Playlist
Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration...
Rob Zombie - Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor

**

Card of the day:

From the Grimoire: "Can be a bit of a cunt in matters pertaining to money or stability."

On. The. Nose.

2019: April 29th: New Music from Rammstein

I've never really kept up with Rammstein, but I would definitely consider myself a fan. Ever since David Lynch introduced the German metal icons to popular culture in Lost Highway I've had an on again off again fascination/appreciation of their sound. That said, the only album I own is 2005's Rosenrot, which I adore, but which never prompted me to purchase any others. Because, I think, Rammstein is a little bit like ACDC to me; one album is really all I need. That said, the keyboard that kicks in at 0:34 on Radio essentially guaranteed I'd get excited for their new eponymous album, which can be pre-ordered HERE, and has a release date of May 17th.

Interestingly enough, Radio bled directly into another track the band released at the end of March. I like Deutschland even more than the previous, and holy smokes - the video! If you read these pages on a regular basis, you know I'm not much of a music video fan - I'll post them for songs, but end up never actually watching many of them. These two Rammstein videos though, wow! Talk about production value!



**

Jonathan Grimm and I trekked out to Hollyweird yesterday afternoon to catch Avengers: Endgame. Those who know me, know my relationship with the Marvel movies has been complicated. I began an enormous fan, but somewhere around Civil War I checked out, due primarily to fatigue, but also a host of other, slightly convoluted problems. My main issue began to take root following an interview with American Beauty screenwriter Alan Ball on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast, where Mr. Ball talked about how, in the studio system today (and this was at least four years ago), a movie like American Beauty would never be made at the level it was almost twenty years ago. I have long considered Mr. Ball's breakout opus to be one of the finest examples of filmmaking in decades, and the idea that a film of that calibre would be made on a considerably smaller scale to make room for more comic book movies terrifies me. I feel like, soon, there won't be any major movies that aren't comic book or pre-branded films (remember when this was only a concern for genre flicks? When there was still a corridor for studios to invest major funds on what we now collectively refer to as 'Prestige' films?)

Anyway, soapbox digression aside, I freakin' LOVED Endgame. Infinity War was a begrudging watch a few months ago on Netflix, just to make myself ready for this one, and I didn't love it. Maybe War suffered from home viewing - every time you pause it you see where you are in the egregious run time - but Endgame felt like such a better movie! And I had that feeling I did watching Age of Ultron four years ago, namely that I wasn't watching a movie so much as a comic book brought to life. I didn't know if I would dig Endgame or not, I was just rabid to know how this thirteen-year first phase ends, and let me tell you, it ends magnificently. I wept several times; not Logan sized tears, but sentimental, gooseflesh, 'This is my childhood right flashing before my eyes' tears, and it felt wonderful.

Now, I can't wait to see what they do next. And maybe I'll check out a few of those Marvel flicks I've passed over, starting with Spiderman: Homecoming, which Grimm considers his favorite Marvel movie.

**

Playlists have been all over the place with Grimm in, but here's a smattering of the last two or three days:

Type O Negative - Origin of the Feces
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Wasteland
Zeal & Ardor - Stranger Fruit
Blackwater Holylight - Eponymous
John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Prince of Darkness OST
Richard Einhorn - Shockwaves OST
Turning Teeth - Jesus & The Brides of Dracula (single)

Card of the day:

Okay, I pulled this card two days ago as well, but in spite of previously ascribing it value enough to log here, I skipped it an re-pulled. Getting this again today though, I'm going to log it and maybe spend some time reading randomly about the OTO. I'm not about to join, but it's been a while since I immersed myself in their lore, and maybe there's something there that can help one of my current projects.

2019: April 27th: Netflix's Dark Ssn 2 Trailer

Finally! Netflix's Dark, Season Two drops June 21st, and I cannot wait. Season one blew me away, even if it did take me two go-throughs to 'get' it. There are just so many characters, many of which are old white men with beards, and on first pass, I found myself having a difficult time differentiating between some of them. Second pass though, all that confusion dissipated, and I fell hard into the story. Not gonna lie, I'm baulking a little at the idea of the apocalypse being a plot point in season two, but Dark definitely gets the benefit of the doubt with me.

**

Woke up and watched Under the Silver Lake again, this time with K. Even better the second time. Love this film, and now Turning Teeth is stuck in my head.



**
Playlist from 4/26:

Soundgarden - Down on the Upside
Soundgarden - Super Unknown
Stevie Nicks - Stand Back (Single)
Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored (Single)
Suburban Living - Video Love (Single)
Deafheaven - New Bermuda

**

Card of the day:

Power given purpose and direction. A definite nod to Ciazarn, which I need to stop researching and begin writing, but also a cue to my short story Trending Now, which I am about to submit for a fairly high profile anthology.

2019: April 26th - Under the Silver Lake is Fantastic!

My good friend and increasingly frequent collaborator Jonathan Grimm flies in for a long weekend, so I took today off. With an open morning, I did what I've wanted to do all week - I rented Robert David Mitchell's Under the Silver Lake, altered my perception a bit, and fell into a film I'd ascribed an alarming amount of expectation to in the eight days or so since I first heard about it. With a run time of two hours and nineteen minutes, I knew I'd need a day off to give Mitchell's follow-up to It Follows a proper shake - lately anything with an above-average run time that I watch at night runs the risk of my nodding off. This isn't usually the film's fault; my early schedule and aversion to conservative bedtimes simply runs me ragged. All this aside, I'm happy to report I had a perfect morning, a perfect viewing experience, and I absolutely loved Under the Silver Lake. I don't want to say too much - I didn't even watch the trailer until after I'd seen the movie - so I'll leave you with three words: Approaching. Modern. Hitchcock.

That's big and hyperbolic, I know. Don't care. Visually, we still get some of that soft, pastel style of Mitchell introduced in The Myth of the American Sleepover and perfected in It Follows, though that has been combined with a real love of the medium, and the history of the Hollywood Thriller as a genre. The early scenes of Andrew Garfield's Sam following three girls in a convertible feel like they are pulled right out of Vertigo, as does the deference the story pays to the institutions and living spaces of Los Angeles, the likes of which were directed toward the cities and forests of Northern California in Hitchcock's masterpiece of obsession. Oh, and Disasterpeace knocks the score out of the park; gone are the synths, replaced instead with string-and-brass instrumentation one would also associate with Hitchcock, De Palma and their lineage, both forwards and backwards in time.

Oh yeah, and David Yow from the Jesus Lizard is in it. When is that not a sign of good things?

$5 rental on Amazon. Absolutely worth it, but wait until you have the time to sink slowly into a winding mystery. This films tastes best when allowed to breath.

**

Playlist from 4/25:

Soundgarden - Louder than Love
Totalselfhatred - Eponymous
Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R
Queens of the Stone Age - ... Like Clockwork
Queens of the Stone Age - Villains
Windhand - Eternal Return

Rounded the tunes out last night, driving home from Hollywood with KXLU program The Witching Hours as a sonic companion. GREAT show, and its host, DJ Marina, keeps an excellent website with news, prompt archives of playlists, and a bunch of other great stuff. Check it out HERE.

**

Card of the day:

From the Grimoire: "By adding to an idea's original form, we dilute it. Not inherently bad, just different. Expect ups and downs while fleshing out and developing anything."

Swamp Thing Trailer

So fucking in.

I guess I'll be subscribing to DCU after all.

2019: April 24th - New Mark Lanegan Band!

From the forthcoming record Somebody's Knocking, out October 18th on Heavenly Recordings, who have a wealth of information about the making of the album and some great quotes from Lanegan HERE. You can pre-order Somebody's Knocking HERE, though at this point it's only for digital. Hopefully when we get another track, there will be a vinyl link for pre-order as well.

Coincidentally, I dug Bubblegum out recently and played the hell out of it for a day or two. Such a great album. I didn't realize there was a new Lanegan Band record in the pipes. Excited.

**

The new Fangoria hits the shelves today. I have a copy on reserve at the Comic Bug, but after today I'm going to subscribe. There's a fantastic episode of the Shockwaves podcast from the last week or so with Fango editor-in-chief Phil Noble, where besides discussing all kinds of horror goodness, Noble talks about how, at this point, the revamped Fangoria is an expensive labor of love, and honestly, just spending the last few months with issue #2 I can see it. I make no bones about falling out of love with the previous incarnation of the magazine, which I thought Rue Morgue surpassed as the only 'need to read' horror zine on the stands some time in the early 00s. That said, Rue Morgue is still pretty damn cool, but Fangoria is back in a big way. Plus, between Fango and Ruck and Lark's Lazarus, I am LOVING the return of the prestige, quarterly format. So subscribing and supporting the mag at the source seems like the best thing to do if I want it to continue, which I do. You can subscribe too, if you click THIS link.

**

Playlist from 4/23:

Boy Harsher - Careful
Bauhaus - Vol. 1
Melvins - Houdini
Soundgarden - Super Unknown
Cocksure - K.K.E.P.
Cocksure - T.V.M.A.L.S.V.
Ritual Howls - Rendered Armor
John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Prince of Darkness OST

No card today.

2019: April 23rd: Boy Harsher Audiotree Performance

Interesting this pops up in my youtube feed this morning, as I spent a good deal of time yesterday listening to Boy Harsher's Careful, reflecting on how much I love this damn record. Having seen them live last year as my introduction, I could watch these two for hours. Something about them is completely enthralling. It doesn't really come out here, I think, because there's just one song, and not enough for them to warm up.

Also, maybe it's because K and I finally finished Bates Motel - awesome through and through, by the way, although none of season seasons 4 or 5 can match the pacing of three - but Augustus Muller looks a bit like Norman Bates in this video.

**

NCBD tomorrow! I'm caught up and back in the flow, so here's my picks for the week:

Finally! Still one of the most intriguing books I read.

Having just caught up and read #3, it's no surprise Brubaker and Phillips' ongoing is one of my favorite books on the stands at the moment. I was way late to the Criminal Empire, many thanks to my good friend Joe Baxter for turning me onto the regular book. I'm hooked.

Shit. I missed issue 2, which means when the original Punk's Not Dead ended, I forgot to re-up the pull service on this second volume.

Big things ahead for this book and I can't wait.

**

Playlist from 4/22:

Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Melvins - Houdini
Melvins - Stoner Witch
Boy Harsher - Careful
Revolting Cocks - Beers, Steers, and Queers
Misfits - Earth A.D.
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Sunn O))) - Kannon
Ritual Howls - Rendered Armor

No card today.

2019: April 22nd - New Helms Alee Track!

From the forthcoming album Noctiluca, which drops on Sargent House this Friday! Can't f&*king wait! Pre-order physical HERE or digital HERE.

**

The new film by It Follows director David Robert Mitchell drops on Amazon tomorrow (it was originally slated for today, but apparently got pushed back a day). I'm unclear if this will be available to rent or just buy. It's also playing a limited theatrical run in some city Monday through Wednesday this week. I've only known about this for about five days, and I've avoided all trailers or media, though I'm posting it here. It Follows is one of those films that immediately blew me away; I've never understood all the negativity thrown at that film. Also, The Myth of the American Sleepover was a great first film, so in my opinion, David Robert Mitchell is definitely someone I'm interested in keeping up with.



**

Playlist from 4/20:

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Faith No More - King for a Day
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Windhand - Eternal Return
Zombi - Shape Shift
Paramore - Riot
The Rolling Stones - Tide High and Green Grass
Michael Parks - The Best of Michael Parks

Playlist from 4/21:

Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Windhand - Soma

**

Card of the day:

This feels good, because I have two major things waiting to land, and I've been on shaky ground with both.

2019: April 20th - Swamp Thing Teaser

This dropped a few days ago, but I haven't had time to post here. There's an article on Bloody Disgusting - I think - that mentions this show is going to be pulling a lot from Alan Moore's seminal run on the book, the one that not only redefined Wrightson and Wein's character, but arguably the comics industry in general. If I hadn't witnessed that insane Doom Patrol sequence I posted a few weeks ago, I'd probably be a lot more skeptical of this. As it stands, that's two shows on the DC Universe app that I want to give a shot. That said, I don't know that I intend on subscribing to a DC streaming app regardless of whether or not they bring up a show with Jesus handing out free passes, so I guess I'll wait and see. Still, kudos to DC on finally getting something going, because I happened to see about ten minutes of that JLA movie on cable in a hotel recently, and all I can say is, no thanks.

**

My trip to the comic shop did NOT decimate my wallet, and now I've had a morning's worth of new books to read. My favorite this month? The return of Rucka and Lark's Lazarus, but in a quarterly, prestige format, with a shit ton of back matter:

Also, there's two big conflicts - probably wars, actually, coming in two of my favorite titles, and while  I'm pretty excited, I'm also a little afraid of the body count that may follow as a result:

I'm especially concerned about what's coming in TWD. With issue 200 on the horizon, my prediction remains that Rick Grimes will die, probably before the anniversary issue, just because Kirkman likes to defy expectation.

**

Didn't get to watch The Last Drive-In last night, so K and I will be watching Joe Bob this evening. Can't wait! And I've never seen either of the films he played this week.





**

Playlist from 4/18:

Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Drab Majesty - Careless
Drab Majesty - Ellipses (Pre-release Single)

Playlist from 4/19:

Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Grand Duchy - Petite Fours
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Odonis Odonis - Reaction EP
The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose
Canadian Rifle - Peaceful Death
Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Faith No More - King for a Day
Thought Gang - Modern Music

Card for the day:

I really need to do a deep dive on this card. I'll not waste time with another abbreviated interpretation right now. Needless to say, I suppose I'm supposed to control my emotions, but that just doesn't seem to fit right now.

2019: April 18th -New Track from Cold Showers!

You know, just between Felte Records, Sargent House, and Dais Records I would be in musical heaven. Case in point today, here's a new track from Cold Showers' upcoming album Motionless, out May 24th on Dais Records! You can pre-order the album HERE.

Speaking of pre-ordering from Dais Records, the link to pre-order Drab Majesty's upcoming Modern Mirror landed in my inbox earlier today. Really excited for both these records. I already snagged my copy of the clear red vinyl, but there's plenty of vinyl, CD, whatever left if you go HERE.

**

I can't remember if I've posted about the band Skating Polly here before or not, but the deeper my dive goes into this group, the more I think they may single-handedly usher in a return of the early 90s music sound. A good friend of mine has been chronicling their live shows with his camera for a while now; I saw the photos yesterday and they are awesome. And the band really looks like they sound, that is to say, even while they're paying homage to old Breeders, Nirvana, Pixies, whatever, they breathe a new life into it. Can't wait to see where their career takes them. Here's their website.

**

Playlist from 4-17:

Joe Mason - Music for Unrealized Cartoons

Secret Boyfriend - Furnishing the Void

Sleep - The Sciences

Joseph Lo Duca - Evil Dead 2 OST

No card today.

2019: April 17th - New Earth Track!

From the forthcoming album Full Upon Her Burning Lips, out May 24th on the frankly at-this-point unbelievable Sargent House. Pre-order physical HERE and digital HERE.

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First day back in LALALand was a doozy. All the cliches: traffic, meetings, yuppies, hipsters, douche bags. I suppose this all seems exacerbated by the fact that I want to live in North Bend! All in due time. Talk about life goals.

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NCBD today, and I'm so behind I don't even want to know what comes out today. I haven't been able to get into the shop in at least a month - yeah, I blog about what's coming out but my schedule has prevented me from stopping in so all that great stuff is just accruing into a massive bomb that is going to explode in my wallet, creating a black hole that will empty it.

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Playlist from 4/16:

Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Brand New - God and the Devil are Raging Inside Me
Skating Polly - Queen for a Day (Audiotree Live)
Algiers - Underside of Power
Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog
Helms Alee - Sleepwalking Sailors

Card of the day:

This is telling me to continue to focus, as I did yesterday, on honing one of two stories to send into an open submission I've been waiting to see for a while. Information flowing quickly, which definitely means not to stall or overthink it, even if I am overhauling one of the two stories completely. Then I can dip back into Ciazarn.

New Drab Majesty!

I knew this was coming sometime soon, but wasn't sure when. And here's another case where I can't figure out how to pre-order vinyl! Well, for the time being, just double tap the embedded bandcamp player or click HERE and you can pre-order the digital.