2019: August 21st The Ocean Collective's Permian

Yesterday, while driving around the South Bay with K and my cousin Charles, my iTunes shuffled up Epiphany, the eight track from Heliocentric, part 1 of the two-part album cycle The Ocean Collective released in 2010. Back when this came out, it was largely all I listened to; both Heliocentric and its counterpart, Anthropocentric, are fantastic records with big, philosophical themes and seriously intense musical arrangements. Hearing the penultimate track from a former favorite album (tracks 9 and 10 are really one track, imo) reminded me how awesome The Ocean is, and that they released their first album in five years last November. Through no fault of its own, I barely listened to Phanerozoic I; Palaeozoic. Following all this up, I found that two months ago, the band released this awesome video. This is one of the things I dig about The Ocean - everything is art with them. Everything has meaning.

I guess it's safe to say I'm about to fall back in love with a band that really reintroduced me to metal in the late 00s.

**

NCBD:

Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips continue to put out one of the only must-read monthly monthly books. And look at that cover! Also, hoping that Transformers 84 #0 lands today, as when I originally posted about it a few weeks ago, I later found out the date I'd seen reported online was erroneous.

**

Playlist from 8/20:

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox
The Ocean - Heliocentric
Har Mar Superstar - Bye Bye 17
Twin Temple - Bring You Their Signature Sound...

**

Spread of the day:

Interesting to note that despite not posting a spread in nine days, The Queen of Swords remains a diligent influence. This spread was specifically geared toward an issue with someone at work, and the spread directly mirrors events of the day, in a good way. Savagery must be clinical in order to bypass the Strife that can accompany getting what you want.

2019: August 20th Scott Cooper's Antlers

Based on a story by Channel Zero creator Nick Antosca and produced by Guillermo del Toro, this looks fantastic! I know a lot of hype out there right now in upcoming horror flicks is for The Lodge, but that one doesn't get the benefit of the doubt from me, simply because, as well-made as Goodnight Mommy was, I severely disliked it in a manner that makes me think Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz's horror aesthetic is diametrically opposed to my own. Not a judgement, just means while I can appreciate their craft as creators, I'm not a fan. But who knows, maybe The Lodge will change that. Regardless, this teaser and the names on the banner push this one up there with Joe Begos' Bliss and Chelsea Stardust's Satanic Panic as among my most anticipated horror flicks of the year.

Oh yeah, and of course there's The Lighthouse, but that bloody well goes without saying. With a schedule announcement imminent any day now, looks like I may have to take some PTO for Beyondfest this year.

**

I've put a pin in Damien Echol's High Magick for a bit because I'm actually following his suggestions as I re-map my daily world to accommodate Magickal Practice. I will be spending a few months creating and adhering to some of the breathing practices he outlines in Section Three of the book. This is something I've always been bad at, and I think, the reason my results have been spotty in the past. This time, I can tell you that keeping a regular practice of Four-Fold Breathing has filled my last three weeks with sometimes scary reserves of energy. It feels good.

Speaking of reading, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I arrested my first read of Laird Barron's second Isaiah Coleridge novel, Black Mountain, to re-read last year's Blood Standard. For a book I first read barely a year ago, this is already my favorite read of the year. For the second year in a row. I can't wait to dig into that second volume, probably by week's end!

**

I spent the last few days in Joshua Tree. First trek out there in four, almost five years. It feels good to stand and sweat in the desert, as it catalyzes a very cosmic perspective.

We stayed at the Joshua Tree Inn, of course, in the fabled Donovan Suite, no less. It goes without saying then that I christened the room with this classic track, first put on my radar by George A. Romero's criminally underrated Season of the Witch:



**

On podcast news, my co-host Anthony Guerra and I released a brief review episode for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. Spoiler-free. Check it out, we might save you some $$$:

The Horror Vision on Apple

The Horror Vision on Spotify

The Horror Vision on Google Play

**

Playlist from the last few days was largely curated by my cousin Charles, who drive K and I out to JT, so some of the specifics of what we listened to is lost. I'll do my best:

Donovan - Season of the Witch (Single)
Calexico - Even Sure Things Fall Through
Kevin Morby - Oh My God
William Tyler - Modern Country
Whitney - Light Upon the Lake
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Al B. Sure! - Nite and Day (Single)
Jenny Hval - Blood Bitch
Chris Connelly - Night of Your Life
Hamilton Leithauser - Black Hours
Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Jaye Jayle - No Trail and Other Unholy Paths
John Carpenter - Big Trouble in Little China OST

**

No card today.

2019: August 17th: Mr. Bungle Returns!

NOTE: I've been attempting to post this for several days. Busy week.

This past Wednesday, my first alarm woke me as it always does at 4:07 AM. I keep my phone outside of arm's reach from where we sleep, just to ensure I don't just roll over and silence the alarm. I do, however, get up, snooze, and lay back down until one of the subsequent seven alarms finally rouse me from slumber completely. This particular morning, when I picked up the phone, I saw a push notification from Bandsintown that Mr. Bungle had announced a new show. Still mostly asleep, I dismissed this and when I finally did make my way to the kitchen to feed the cat and put some coffee on, the image of the notification was gone, wafting away as if the contents of a dream. You can imagine my surprise then, when I finally checked my messages, I saw that Mr. Bungle's return was indeed a reality.

Nineteen years ago I saw Mr. Bungle - then easily my favorite band ever - on two tours for their third and final album, California. After that, the band dissolved, the members went their separate ways, and I figured that maybe we would one day see some form of reunion, but more than likely not. Needless to say, as I dug deeper into the circumstances that prompted the unlikely reunion and saw that three of the five core members - Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn - would be joined by Dave Lombardo and Scott Ian, reality shook for a moment and the feeling that I may still be trapped in a dream settled over me. When I read further and saw the new lineup would be performing Bungle's High School demo tape The Raging Wraith of the Easter Bunny in its full, my jaw dropped. I mean, what the absolute fuck?

I'll admit, although there is a lot of pre-first studio album Bungle material I dig, the material on Easter Bunny doesn't really fall into that category. It's juvenile and largely painful to listen to, especially when juxtaposed with what the band became later in its existence. But the idea of seeing these five men re-work and possibly really make something of this material fills me with hope! Although tickets are already selling at a premium and they're not even really on sale yet - only about 25% of the overall seating was allotted for the pre-sales that sold out in seconds - I am happy to say my good friend Dave secured us each one. February 7th is six months away, but I am overjoyed to be going on this adventure with Mr. Bungle once again. Is it nostalgia? Probably, but I also think we're probably in for one fantastic fucking surprise.

**

Playlist from the last few days:

Duck - Kaiser Chiefs
Time Stays, We Go - The Veils
Windhand - Eponymous
Waxwork Records - House of Waxwork
Wasted Theory - Defenders of the Riff
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Bluebob - David Lynch and John Neff
Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain
High on Fire - Electric Messiah
Helms Alee - Sleepwalking Sailors
Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
Anthrax - Among the Living
Budapest Festival Orchestra - Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite
Budapest Festival Orchestra - Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka: Part I
Opeth - Deliverance
Orville Peck - Pony
Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante
Windhand - Eternal Return
Sleep - The Sciences
Opeth - Dignity (Pre-release single)
Opeth - Heart in Hand (Pre-release single)
Monolord - The Bastard Son (Pre-release single)
Revolting Cocks Playlist

No spread or card today.

2019: August 12th The Veils - Another Night on Earth

I've been on something of a kick with The Veils lately. This song... so good. Finn Andrews is, in my opinion, the heir to Nick Cave's throne. Not that Cave is going anywhere anytime soon, I hope. But there's an artistic comparison to be made, for sure.

**

Saturday night, K and I went to the theatre and saw Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark. It's not good.

I know, I know... what could go wrong? Well, for one, the framing device the filmmakers construct - a story about preteens that ride around on bikes and use walkie talkies to communicate during dangerous situations (sound familiar?; I can practically see the studio executives writing that in), situations that arise from the kids finding a mysterious book in a mysterious house and setting off strange events? It sucks. It's trite, completely unoriginal, and largely boring. Watching a movie that's this bad, I always go through about thirty to forty minutes of the, "Maybe it's just me..." phase, followed immediately by the, "Okay, if it's not me, what's wrong with it?" phase.

I really try. I do.

Finally, we get the "Well, how could they have done this better" phase. For this one, I think the better option would have been to invent a Cryptkeeper-like character or device and use that to introduce and/or narrate the 'Scary Stories' culled from the book. As it stands with this film, the framing device story involving the kids is about 90% of the screen time, and the Scary Stories are maybe 10%.

It is, however, visually and sonically really well made. And if you have younger children and want to get them on Horror, I'd definitely recommend this for them. And admittedly, the brief moments that bring the original stories from the books to life are pretty awesome, there just isn't nearly enough of them to make up for the rest.

**

Playlist from the last few days:

Waxwork Records - House of Waxwork Issue #1
Revolting Cocks Playlist
Drab Majesty - Careless
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
Beak> - L.A. Playback
Opeth - Still Life
Sunn O))) - Life Metal
High on Fire - The Art of Self Defense
The Veils - Nux Vomica
The Veils - Time Stays, We Go
The Veils - Total Depravity
Sleep - Dopesmoker
Ritual Howls - Rendered Armor
Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

**

Today's spread:

Continuing the theme of larger ideas affecting everyday life. I'm really only feeling the barest beginnings of this, but it's there.

2019: August 10th

Starting the day like I ended last night, with some vintage High On Fire. My copy of the band's first album, The Art of Self Defense, is the old Man's Ruin version, and a few years ago I discovered that when I put the disc into my computer and open iTunes, it reads it as Sleep - The Art of Self Defense. I've wondered since if when Matt Pike split ways with Cisneros and Hakius, his original plan was to record a new Sleep album with new members, and it ended up just becoming High On Fire. Either way, The Art of Self Defense is a fantastic album that features a little bit more Doom/Sabbath influence on HoF's songwriting than later albums, and that always makes it fun to go back to.

**

I keep forgetting to plug the latest episode of The Horror Vision here. For this episode, Chris, Anthony, Ray, and I discuss Genre Icon Rutger Hauer's passing, our favorite movies/moments from his career, and we give you our reaction to 1992's Split Second, a kind of schizophrenic action/horror/sci fi flick that Hauer chews through the scenery on. Other topics of discussion include but are not limited to, What We Do In The Shadows the show, Slaughterhouse Rulez, Holy Mountain, and my painstaking attempt to watch my way through the Friday the 13th movies in chronological order!

The Horror Vision on Apple

The Horror Vision on Spotify

The Horror Vision on Google Play

**

There's news on the web about the about-to-be-in-production third GIJOE movie. Said news, forwarded to me by Mr. Brown, is that the character known as Chuckles will be featured. Now, that might seem funny to some, but as several of THIS article's commenters point out, Chuckles figured prominently in the Mike Costa's GIJOE series Cobra from about ten years ago. This is by far the best Joe Story I have ever read. No disrespect meant to those classic Larry Hama issues at Marvel, but this is another level altogether. The entire storyline is collected in an omnibus titled The Last Laugh and is absolutely worth checking out. If this third flick is based on Costa's run, we are in for a treat indeed.

And now I'm excited for another Joe movie!

Interesting also that my two main 80s toy obsessions made it into these pages with current news this week, even if I mis-reported the release date of Simon Furman and Guido Guidi's Transformers 84 issue 0 - which I learned is stand alone at this point - by a week or two.

**

I caught Michael O'Shea's indie Vampire flick The Transfiguration yesterday. Loved it. Highly recommended, especially if you like a more psychological approach to your horror. Reminded me a lot of Larry Fessenden's movies, and knowing nothing about this film going in, I was overjoyed to see Fessenden make a cameo about half way through!

The Transfiguration is streaming right now on Shudder!



**

Playlist from 8/09:

Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain
Sleep - Dopesmoker
Sleep - The Sciences

**

Spread of the day:

All big ideas and macrocosmic influences. Paradigms are shifting. The idea of turning The Horror Vision into a Publishing Imprint is still intimidating, as dealing with massive ideas like The Universe, The Star, or something as volatile as Lust is, but intimidation is a not insurmountable. Lust is also known as Strength in the original Tarot, and while Crowley changed the name, it retains many of the qualities/attributions originally associated with it. Also, Sephirothically, we're looking at a path that traces the Tree of Life's spheres from Wisdom, to Strength, to Foundation and eventually The Kingdom, by way of Beauty. I can't help but read this confluence of Major Arcana influences as further confirmation that my venture will transform my world.

2019: New Tool Track!

I definitely dig it - reminds me a lot of Lateralus. That said, listening to this removed from the context of an entire album that will eventually surround it makes me think listening to this would be like never hearing Lateralus and listening to Disposition. What this has done is make me anticipate the full album on a considerably more rabid note.

August 30th is soon.

**
Ticked off episodes 6 and 7 of The Boys last night. I was warned about the 'fingering' episode. Wow. This show is, as Butcher might say, top gear.

**

Playlist from 8/08:

Catherine Wheel - Ferment
Tool - Fear Inoculum (Pre-release single)
Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me OST
Twin Peaks Playlist
Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land
Revolting Cocks Trance Playlist*
Tool - Undertow

* Comprised of No Devotion, Attack Ships on Fire, Something Wonderful, and Can't Sit Still. Great writing playlist, even though I ended up getting f*ckall accomplished yesterday. Still, I showed up and put my ass in the seat.

**

Spread of the day:

Lots of strong, Feminine energy, lots of "Big Ideas" or Influences, and all Earth/Kingdom/Malkuth. Technically, 9s are Yesod, or Foundation, but that very much informs ten. Very good signs that, despite a frustrating day yesterday, I am on the right track.

2019: August 8th - New Jaye Jayle Track!

I've kind of come to think of this band as the American version of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. In a very short period of time, Jaye Jayle have endeared themselves to me in a way few bands do. It's the 'Storyteller' aspect.

**

Unbelievably, after only three chapters I put Laird Barron's Black Mountain to the side. Nothing against the book, but I paused to reconsider re-reading last year's Blood Standard, the first Isaiah Coleridge novel. I tend to forget things - character's names and whatnot, and in the case of books like these, they're so f'ing pleasurable to read, why not? Anyway, while I paused to consider this maneuver, I picked up Damien Echols' High Magick, and it dovetails so perfectly with my recent rekindling of Magick Practice, that I'm going to knock it out before going back to the Barron books.

A fantastic book on Magick; probably the most approachable example I've seen since Phil Hine or Grant Morrison's old Pop Magick essay on his website, except Echols' book is even more approachable, without ever giving an impression other than he knows exactly what he's talking about. And this is great for me at the moment; there's such a sense of pragmatism, unlike any other author I've read on the subject of Magick.

**

Playlist from 8/07:

Shrinebuilder - Eponymous
Anthrax - Stomp 442
Algiers - The Underside of Power
The Flaming Lips - Hit to Death in the Future Head
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Waxwork Records - House of Waxwork Issue #1
Jaye Jayle - Soline (Single)

**

Today's spread:

Queen of Swords AGAIN! Couple this with Princess of Wands and we're looking at the Earthy Aspect of Fire - the Practical honing of Intellect - and the Watery Aspect of Fire - the Emotional temperance of that same Intellect. I'm trying to put together where my Intellect - some flexing of sharpened awareness or acumen - may have been exerted of late. Princess of Wands is a volatile card; I'm tempted to read this as a warning, that the path to those ten cups - an achievement in Earthly matters - will be rocky, but ultimately bested if I remain sharp like the Queen of Swords, who I believe I am going to take on as something of a Deity.

2019: August 7th - Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group Live in LA

This just dropped on Sargent House's Youtube Channel, which is very much worth subscribing to, by the way. Described as a rough cut of a work in progress in the About section, I'm curious what this will become. Regardless, this band is ridiculous.

**

NCBD:

Look at the alt cover by Ray Fawkes! Regular series artist Andrea Sorrentino's covers are always fantastic, but this... this is hallucinogenic and ominous.

Okay, I know I said no more monthly series, but Simon Furman and Guido Guidi returning to tell a prequel to the original, Marvel/IDW Transformers/Regeneration One run? Regeneration One was one of the best monthly series I read in a decade, so I'm definitely getting this one. I don't read any of the other T-Formers books, but I've always had a soft spot for that old Marvel series - primarily when Furman's run really got going - and then R1. They mirror the latter seasons of the original cartoon and cartoon movie - the only Transformers movie, in my opinion - so this will be fun.

**

Playlist from 8/06:

Shrinebuilder - Eponymous
Uniform and The Body - Not Good Enough (Pre-release Single)
Tool - Opiate
Opeth - Still Life
Opeth - Deliverence
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Interstellar Fun - Caves of Steel EP
Dean Hurley - Anthology Resources Vol. 2: Philosophy of Beyond


**

Today's spread:

The turning of a tide into a new Universe. Yeah, you could say that. In the process of converting The Horror Vision from just a podcast into a Publishing Imprint. Excited, and a little horrified. Which is good. The Universal Dance; evolution.

2019: New Track from Upcoming Uniform and The Body Collaboration

This new album from Uniform and The Body is shaping up to be on my year-end list again. Man, these guys really create a sonic space. This sounds like a cosmic Suicide to me, and it juxtaposes nicely with the first track released from the album a few months ago.

Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back drops next Friday on Sacred Bones. Pre-order HERE.

**

A few nights ago I received the Ronin Flicks Blu Ray copy of Richard Stanley's Hardware that I fought ordering for about two months and finally gave in to. This is a 4K transfer, and I've gotta tell you, looking at most of the scenes, I can't believe what an outstanding job this turned out to be. Also, the second disc is packed with extras that will probably take me forever to get around to. For $35, this turned out to be a steal.

I won't waste time posting a youtube rip of this beautiful scan here, so instead I'll post the theme song (again), from PIL:



**

Playlist from 8/05:

The Budos Band - Burnt Offering
Alice in Chains B-Sides Playlist
Opeth - Heart in Hand (Pre-release single for In Cauda Venemum)
Opeth - Deliverance
Opeth - Damnation
Opeth - Still Life
Alice Donut - The Untidy Suicides of Your Degenerate Children

**

Card of the day:

Another spread. I've doubled-down on my Tarot reading, so I'm trying to rebuild a more complex relationship with my deck. To do this, I pulled out Crowley's Book of Thoth and have been re-familiarizing myself with the cross-relationship between the Thoth Deck and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.

This spread then, largely introduces the idea that after moving on from the Queen of Swords and her perceptive but possibly misguided analysis, there is a futility with new ideas being sluggish, and uncooperative (the Knight of Disks). From Crowley, "These three cards (speaking here not of the three that I drew, but Atu XIII Death, XIV Art, and The Devil) may therefore be summed up as a hieroglyph of the processes by which idea manifests as a form."

No lie, I have two almost-finished short stories that are rooted in, what I feel, are really cool ideas, and which start and unfold in a way I am very happy with, but which I cannot end, and which have become more and more sluggish (again the Knight) as I try to resolve the problem. This means, whenever I'm thinking, especially of writing, I have two huge open loops distracting me. I don't want to take the time off from Ciazarn, but I very much need to address this soon, or I'm just collecting psychic debris, falling more and more out of tune myself; becoming the Knight of Disks.

No Thanks.

2019: August 4th - Tool!

I've been pretty persnickety towards Tool in recent years. With all the half-teased information about an album that never seemed to materialize, I remained skeptical even through last week's announcement of Fear Inoculum's imminent, August 30th release. When I saw that the band put up Hush, a song from their first EP Opiate which I have, for whatever reason, listened to a handful of times but never really gotten into, the new artwork - which is fantastic - I mistook it for a new Tool track.

Whoops!

Seeing Opiate on Apple Music this morning I decided to take a break from the Opeth binge I'm currently going through and dig in. In the meantime, here's that re-mastered audio for Hush. Shame on me for thinking after this long, Tool would release a 'single' ahead of the album's release. I'd actually prefer that, only twenty-four days out, they just wait and drop it all at once.

**

This weekend, I attended Midsummer Scream. Really cool Con. I'd definitely offer the criticism that they need to really step up their organizational parameters next year, but overall, very cool. Overall though, very cool. I was able to see a panel on Witchcraft and Magick - very timely as I've begun to move back in that direction myself - as well as Shockwaves podcast live, and a kind of post-script panel for The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, which K and I are both fans of (K more than me, I thought she was going to explode with excitement when McConnell took the stage). The panel consisted of Moderator and Showrunner for the now bafflingly cancelled show, Kirk Thatcher; Michael Oosterom (Rankle); Mick Ignis (Edgar); Colleen Smith (Rose and Cousin Evie); and Darcy Prevost (Production Designer). Really fun panel, and they reminded us that McConnell currently has a youtube show called From the Mind of Christine McConnell and a Patreon.



**

Playlist from the last few days:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
Primus - Frizzle Fry
Ministry - The Land of Rape and Honey
Grimes - Oblivion
Dean Hurley - Anthology Resource Volume II: Philosophy of Beyond

**

Again! Three-card spread this morning:

Queen of Swords again! This time, I'm reading it as it's influence is moving past me, so I need to be ready for a new paradigm, one that may result in a steadying of my skills and mindset. This is great, in that I've got a couple of big decisions on the horizon, and making them from the right place mentally and emotionally should result in success!

2019: August 3rd - Satanic Panic Trailer!

I've been waiting this one for what feels like an eternity! Written by Grady "My Best Friend's Exorcism" Hendrix and directed by Chelsea Stardust, Satanic Panic is possibly my most eagerly anticipated film of the year. And now we finally have a trailer! This, along with Joe Begos' Bliss and a host of other films I can't quite bring to mind at the moment are all looking likely to play at Beyondfest this year, and I can't wait!

**

Recently, I wrapped up Robert S. Wilson's Ashes and Entropy Anthology from Nightscape Press. The final story, I Can Give You Life, by Paul Michael Anderson finished the book perfectly, and - I think - ended up my favorite story in a book filled with stories that rabidly competed for that title. Either way, buy it HERE and read your goddamn hearts out; Anthologies do not get any better than this.

And now, of course, I need a new book to read. Luckily, I have one I've been chompin' at the bit to get to for months. Black Mountain, Laird Barron's second installment in the Isaiah Coleridge novels, and three chapters in I can't put this one down.

**

Playlist from the last few days:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets

Motörhead - 1916

Aerosmith - Pump

Anthrax - Sound of White Noise

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - The Night Creeper

U2 - War

Tool - Undertow

Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Pusher Man (Single)

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mind Control

Frank Sinatra - Moonlight Serenade

**

Card of the day:

Okay, this one is definitely trying to tell me something, and I've been pretty lax on listening. A promotion at work and the first draft of Ciazarn has consumed most of my time. Today we're heading to Midsummer Scream, but I'm putting Crowley's Book of Thoth in my backpack so I can start digging into this one a little more earnestly. 

2019: August 1st - Tigers Are Not Afraid Trailer

I've been hearing about this one for months, so I was pretty excited to see Shudder drop the trailer. Not sure how wide a theatrical release it'll get, but I'll definitely make the attempt to see it.

Speaking of seeing things in the theatre, It Chapters One and Two director Andy Muschietti is curating a special run of classic horror films at Arclight Theaters all over the greater Los Angeles area. The roster is fantastic, and I'm going to do my damnedest to catch John Carpenter's The Thing and Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist on the big screen for the first time. Here's a link to the Event's page on the Arclight site, and in honor of my excitement, here's the trailers for two fantastic 80s horror films:






Playlist from 7/31:

Opeth - Watershed
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Drab Majesty - Careless
The Devil and the Almighty Blues - II
The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us is the Killer
Cibo Mato - Stereotype A
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Wasteland
Sleep - The Sciences

**

No card today.

2019: July 31st El Gigante now on Shudder!!!

Super psyched for Luchagore Productions' short film El Gigante to hit Shudder! This one needs to be seen by more people. If you dig it, check out Luchagore's website, youtube channel, as well as Culture Shock, their entry into the Blumhouse/Hulu anthology series Into the Dark. And if you have Shudder, El Gigante is live now, so brace yourself.

**
NCBD this week sees the release of the final issue of Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's mind-bending, hellofagoodtime Paper Girls. I can't wait to see how this one resolves...

And if you haven't already heard, we're apparently getting a pretty big surprise in the fourth part of TMNT: City at War. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's kind of a big thing for long-time fans of the four:

NCBD has been light for me of late, as like Paper Girls, quite a few series I've read for years have ended (some rather unexpectedly), and I've eliminated others that had, for whatever reason, grown stale for me. It's weird, not having a bunch of books to look forward to every month, but I'm trying like hell to resist adding new ones after that existential crisis a month or so back. In most cases, comic chastity has become easy. In others, however, restraint takes work. Case in point; two weeks ago in his weekly newsletter, Warren Ellis announced that he and Bryan Hitch are doing a year-long, monthly Batman series, Batman's Grave.

I know, right?

Batman's Grave #1 drops October 9th, and it will be oh so difficult not to buy it monthly. I may end up doing just that, except, Ellis reads much better as a trade. Not to say the issues are bad, however if trying to read his Wildstorm monthly and eventually switching to trade (one left that's out November 9th) reminded me just how awesome Ellis reads in collected volumes. Night and day. Plus, no fucking ads. I will try to keep this in mind come October 9th, "Wait for trade Wait for trade Wait for trade..." my mantra...

Here's the only real image DC has released so far, aside from what look like some unfinished B&W stuff floating around out there on the comic news sites.

Playlist from 7/30:

Frank Black - Teenager of the Year
Soundgarden - Superunknown
The Jesus Lizard - Liar
The Jesus Lizard - Lash EP
Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land
Cibo Mato - Stereotype A
Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox

Card of the day:

This looks like good news to me. After a five or six day streak last week working on Ciazarn, building momentum that seemed to really help me crack into the tone of the story, I had to take Sunday off to attend a benefit for a friend. That break in the inertia that had begun to bring things on the project together was a set-back. This is how it is, especially when writing in the early stages of something not yet fully developed. Monday was another wash, and then yesterday I started over. And of course, that first day back on is anything but productive; it's really just breaking fresh ground to begin building momentum again. So seeing the "Breakthrough" card, well, it makes me feel good about what's coming.

2019: July 30th - The Lighthouse Trailer

I know a lot of folks hated Robert Eggers debut film The Witch. I love it, and I am very much looking forward to Egger's follow-up The Lighthouse. And after what feels like forever, we now have a trailer. With a New York and Los Angeles release date of October 18/19th, I'm expecting this to be at this year's Beyondfest, and it will definitely be one of the major screenings I attempt to get tickets for.

**

Rick Remender's Black Science is ending in September with issue #43, and that means it's time for me to re-read this reality-shattering opus from the beginning. I've loved this series, however at some point I coasted a few months without reading a few issues and when I came back, I realized I was lost. It happens when you have a story with so many different dimensions. Thus, I figured I'd wait until we were a month or two out from the end, and then re-read. Starting from the beginning again really re-triggered everything I love about the series: Matteo Scalera and Dean White's art; Grant McKay's narration and dialogue; and the 70s-ish deep fantasy overtones. The creatures/world building in this one are INSANE. Case in point:

Black Science is available from Rick Remender's Giant Generator via Image Comics in a variety of formats. If you love deep, non-Tolkien derivative fantasy, give it a try.

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Playlist from the last few days:

Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit
The Streets - Original Pirate Material
Ministy - Psalm 69
Shellac - The End of Radio
Lightning Born - Eponymous
Golden - Eponymous
TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun EP
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes
Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land
Revolting Cocks - Cocked and Loaded
Gibby Haynes and His Problem - Eponymous
Tamaryn - The Waves

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No card today.

2019: July 27th - Shellac The End of Radio Live 2004

It's been a few weeks since Shellac dropped The End of Radio, a really nice collection of live tracks culled from Peel Sessions in 1994 and 2004. Being that the band's 2007 album Excellent Italian Greyhound just might be my favorite of Shellac's records (or it's tied with 2000's 1000 Hurts), and I think Greyhound has one of the best opening tracks of all time, this is my favorite on this new album. The Martina Navratilova aside near the end of this performance makes me so happy I can often hardly stand it.

You can order The End of Radio on Vinyl - as it was meant to be heard - from Touch and Go Records HERE.

I really need to see Shellac live again. It's been a while.

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I'll admit that I fully expected to hate Amazon's adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys, but after watching one and a half episodes last night, I can tell you that is most definitely not the case. In fact, so far, I LOVE it. Karl Urban remains a perfect actor, in my book.


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Playlist from 7/26:

Primus - Frizzle Fry
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
Grand Duchy - Let the People Speak
Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit
Numenorean - Adore

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Card of the day:

Being that I've ended up working Tarot into Ciazarn considerably more than I expected, I'm going to continue interpreting these draws that occur while I'm on a writing streak with it as direct influences on the story and/or characters. In this case, I have two 'set pieces,' but I believe I need two more in order to have a solid first act.