Seven Years Ago Today Peter Steele Left Us

Amazing image/lyric pairing by nervennahrung

As I sit at my computer typing this morning I'm listening to Swans's The Glowing Man, disc one. It's very zen and flows perfectly from my half hour of mediation and ongoing efforts to put proverbial pen-to-paper. But in the background there's a growing sense of unease, as if I've remembered something but not fully realized it yet. Then it hits me: April. April 14th.

Interestingly enough, upon waking this morning I spent an hour or so finally reading the first trade of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's The Wicked and The Divine, which centers around the death and rebirth of gods as rock stars.

Peter Steele, I miss your music. I love what you gave us and will want more until I follow you out to the next big Halloween Party. To commemorate your passing here's an absolutely shattering live version of one of the songs I always go back to. Love You to Death illustrates how Steele - and by extension Type O as a whole - could pen beautiful, emotionally resonant epics and place them beside their pitch black satire without ever breaking the overall tone they perfected over the course of almost, but not quite, twenty years.

Rest in Peace. Now time to break out the Type O.

Swans - The World Looks Red/The World Looks Black

My morning, perfectly encapsulated.

Mastodon - Steambreather

Emperor of Sand has been out a week today. I don't dig it as much as Once More Round the Sun, but it's pretty damn great. A lot of its pretty dense and takes a few listens to crack. Not this one - when track four came up on my first go-through I knew from its opening chords it was a force to be reckoned with.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Now I Got Worry

... is my pick for this week's edition of The Joup Friday Album. Not gonna lie, I mainly write fiction now so writing like this is a little more difficult for me now. That said, I'm pretty proud of this one. Great album to open a Friday to!

It!

Well, if you remember the original TV version of IT as being sacred and how dare they re-make it, you clearly haven't watched it lately. I rented it 6 or so years ago and was aghast at how "television" it was. I mean, I'm a huge Night Court fan but Harry Anderson in this role? John Ritter? JOHN BOY? No, the only great thing about that version of IT is Tim Curry - who is amazing - but who is not nearly enough to make it good. So this? Yeah, I'll give it a whirl.

*How many times can I say 'it' in a post about IT?

Zeal & Ardor

Zeal & Ardor

Holy smokes. Where have you been all my life? I get shades of Algiers here until the black metal influence rears its head and I'm in LOVE. Thanks to Jacob for sharing and then reminding me to actually listen to his link while I was off in submersion. Heading to Zeal & Ardor's bandcamp in a bit as they are bound to be a staple in 2017.

New Mastodon Video is Hysterically Awesome

I haven't posted any new Mastodon here yet because I only surfaced the other day for that Whigs and caught wind of some of the stuff coming down the pipes. This is one. With Show Yourself and the only other song I've heard thus far, Andromeda, new album Emperor of Sand - due March 31st -  sounds right in line with Once More Round the Sun, which I loved.

New Afghan Whigs

I've been so consumed by work lately that I've not had the time or gumption to do much other than come home at night, write for an hour or two and then watch Bates Motel, which despite my initial knee-jerk assumption would be drivel is actually quite amazing. Aside from Bates in the visual medium, musically I've been cycling back through a lot of stuff I already have but haven't listened to in a while. Celebration, older TV on the Radio and Underworld to name but a few. But new music... I've just not been there right now (gotta get that Crystal Fairy record I'd been looking forward to for so long). Then Brown sends me this link and I just gush.

Can't wait until the new album's release on May 5th via Sub Pop.

Live Annabelle Doll Stream

Over on Dan Rivera's FB page RIGHT NOW you can stream two men move the real Annabelle from one case to another. Will anything happen? Probably not, but Ihaving read the story of Annabelle years ago, it has long fascinated me (even if the Annabelle movie blew).

The Return...

"It's been a while..."

Drab Majesty Dot in the Sky

From the bad news of Miguel Ferrer's passing to good news: The Demonstration, the new album by Drab Majesty, drops tomorrow. You can still pre-order the vinyl (or CD) on Dais Records's website HERE. The full album is streaming on Brooklyn Vegan now and I recommend it very much. "Dot in the Sky" is the second track on the album and an immediate indication that The Demonstration - the follow-up to 2015's BRILLIANT album Careless  - will get just as much play from me in 2017 as Careless did last year.

I can't wait!

RIP Miguel Ferrer

Alright 2017, don't you fucking start...

Seriously, possibly my favorite character from Twin Peaks and an all-around great actor. You will be missed.

Agent Cooper's Return - Teaser

Torture! Torture! Torture!

David Bowie - We Prick You

One of my favorites from 1995's excellent Outside, another reinvention for the Starman.

May 21st

Being that this announcement came Monday I'm pretty late. Rough week. That said, I've waited over twenty-five years so, you know, what's four extra days to publicly proclaim how insanely happy this has made me? Like anyone that has seen this blog more than once needs a reminder how happy the return of Twin Peaks has made me.

Reunion will be the sweetest of wines, the most welcome of triumphs. I Love You David Lynch.

1 Year, 2 Days

I still remember it in crystal clear replay. Sleeping on the couch downstairs, ex and her parents up in the bedrooms. The last time I'd see her. The welcome end of an era. Phone alarm sounds at 4:30 AM. My hand strikes out, snatches the device and silences the annoying klaxon that heralds another week of work. Not a complaint exactly. Text message from Tori. I hardly hear from Tori anymore. No bullshit, just the erosion of time, distance. These six words:

Holy shit. David Bowie is dead.

Holy shit indeed. Maybe I've belabored the point; don't care. Read this if you want to understand my possibly overly dramatic reaction, which still resounds like the after image of a film you wish you hadn't watched and are afraid you can never unsee.

We need you David Bowie. The world's gone Phillip Jefferies in your absence.

The Neon Demon

Finally watched this last night and it might just be my movie of 2016. Beautiful is an understatement; the visuals are equally hallucinatory, mesmerizing, magnificent and scandalous. And the score - once again Mr. Cliff Martinez hits it out of the park when pairing sounds to Mr. Refn's images. I will own this eventually, and I will order it in the equally mesmerizing double vinyl set on the Milan Records website.

The Neon Demon only strengths my resolve that Nicolas Winding Refn, along with Fede Alvarez and Denis Villeneuve, is at the top of my "modern directors I would follow to hell" list.

Oh Yeah! New Soviet Soviet Is OUT!

December was a crazy month at the old Biorepository where I spend my days, and in the clusterfuck of work, buying gifts and get-togethers I completely overlooked the fact that Italy's Soviet Soviet released a new record on Felte at the beginning of the month. I'll be ordering this one soon enough over on bandcamp, in the meantime, here's something to wet your aural whistle!

Damn You Mezco Exclusives

Seriously. Just take my money.