Trailer: Denis Villeneuve's Enemy

Based on the absolutely breathtaking power of Villeneuve's Prisoners (which easily made it into my top films of last year) I can not wait to see this, his second film in a row with Jake Gyllenhaal. Couple with that the fact that I have always had a fascination with doppelgangers - well, ever since the days of Twin Peaks back in the early 90's - and I am simply unable to quantify my anticipation for Enemy at this time.

Marilyn Manson - The Reflecting God

It's funny, when this album came out I was most definitely not a fan of Marilyn Manson. For much of his early to mid career, as he ascended into goth-metal-godhood I thought he was a moron. This was particularly based on an interview I saw him and multi-instrumentalist Twiggy Ramirez do circa mid-90's where they pretty much acted like morons and said some things that felt rather disingenuous. That's the funny thing about Manson, and something I definitely didn't get until much later - depending on what face he wanted to put forward at any given moment he was apt so play different angles on his character. Later the two songs on the soundtrack to David Lynch's Lost Highway soundtrack planted the seeds of my interest in his music. Piggyback on this his autobiography The Long, Hard Road Out of Hell - which I read in a day, and then finally his BRILLIANT post-Columbine rebuttal to the accusations of real morons that his music was to blame for that tragedy and I began to realize that this guy was a very, very smart person. And an artist of the highest order. As the years have gone by I've become more and more of a fan, Antichrist Superstar achieving a status in my personal hierarchy of music that puts it up there with the greatest concept albums ever made. This - very much like Pink Floyd's The Wall - almost feels transcendent of the idea that it is a concept album in a world where that term gets bandied about a little too loosely (smashing turnips' meloncholo and the infinite drabness a concept album? No.). Antichrist Superstar of course also has the distinct function of being a rather sophisticated act of Magick, and the power the cycle of songs achieves by the time it reaches the peak song The Reflecting God is something that can be physically harnessed and used to fuel all manner of creative, philosophical and empowering undertakings.

Vishuda!

I made the acquaintance of most of the members of Vishuda back in July at the Summer Slaughter show at the HOB Sunset edition. I subsequently became facebook friends with Michael the bass player and have systematically bitched out on seeing them live ever since (it's not entirely my fault, of the half-a-dozen or so shows they've played since I was out of town for two of them and working for another - just saying). In a random facebook snafu earlier I was reminded of my oversight and found myself searching youtube to see if footage existed as the band is currently - I believe - in the process of recording their debut record.

What I found isn't the best footage, but it's the content that interests me to no end. I really dig the sound and style here and think that both on recording and in the flesh these guys probably command total props and attention.

You can check out more about Vishuda on their very elegant website here.

The National - Conversation 16

The album High Violet by The National has been sitting in a pile for... hell, almost three years now I guess. I gave it a listen but never connected with it. I think my exact words after that previous listen was, "It's wine and cheese music". That's not a bad thing, it just doesn't come up much in my house.

Two weeks ago I discovered Bret Easton Ellis has a podcast. It's fantastic. I downloaded and listened to all the episodes (there's only a handful so far). During one of them - I think the episode where Chuck Klosterman is his guest - Ellis mentions that he has been listening to The National because, he supposed, he is white and over forty years of age.

I chuckled at this, thinking yeah, wine and cheese music.

Yesterday I listened to the newest of Ellis' podcasts where he interviews Matt Berninger, The National's singer. The podcast began with a snippet of music - it was the second verse of this song - and I was instantly haunted by it. I listened to the entire conversation Berninger and Ellis had, came home and dug out High Violet, hoping this song was on it (at the time I did not know the name of the song or what album it was on. For that matter I didn't know the name of the album I had as it was a burn someone gave me). Using Internet Music Database I found the name of the album and sat down to listen to it. I have not stopped since.

This is definitely not an all the time band for me but what I initially dismissed as a "wine and cheese" tone is actually a very sophisticated band big on sparsely appropriate arrangements and intelligent lyrics that are often much more fun than they appear to be given their delivery (this song is a perfect example of that by the way). High Violet has a very similar tone to some of Ellis' novels, a tone I refer to as "Haunted".

New Pixies Video for Magdalena

The Pixies have increasingly been the go-to on how to do a tasteful, relevant and successful reunion. Let's hope it continues because I don't know about you but after EP 1 and EP 2 I am definitely ready for MORE.

The Isley Brothers - Make Me Say It Again Girl

From The Isley Brothers' 1975 The Heat Is On. My wife just found this song tonight - I was drifting in and out of sleep and this was playing, near the end, and as I put my feet more firmly on the wakeful side of consciousness my thoughts were of how truly epic this felt. Not "The Wall" epic, but almost... transcendent. There's a lot of 90's rap/R&B that was influenced by this. You can hear it, especially the refrain as the song fades out.

Drinking With Comics

The premiere of the new web-show where myself and two colleagues discuss comics while drinking excellent beer. First up, Miracle Man, Rick Remender, Fraction's Hawkeye, Guardians of the Galaxy and Hoegaarden. Beautfiful, delicious Hoegaarden...

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