More new music from Zeal and Ardor's upcoming new record Greif, out August 23rd. You can pre-order HERE.

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Watch:

Joe Bob and Darcy did Joe Lynch's Suitable Flesh yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. I had some issues with the flick the first time I watched it, but still gave it a favorable review. This time, I think I understood exactly where Joe Lynch was coming from on this one, and it helped. Kind of an adopt-and-subvert approach to a Skinamax flick, flipping it on its head and injecting it with some real Stuart Gordon-esque Gore/Body Horror.

Afterward, I was stuck in the usual post-Joe Bob funk. I want to watch something, I want to travel back in time and get transgressive, or even just obscure, but I usually just don't know how. I searched around for a while on Shudder, then ended up on YouTube somehow, where I found this:

A total Halloween wanna-be, right down to the music, but it did the trick. I sorted through comics, drank beer and wallowed in the 80s Slasher genre like Jade Daniels would. To invoke the proper mood, I even spun Wild Dogs by The Rods before I started the flick. Needless to say, it was a good Friday night. 

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Read:

I've kind of fallen out of posting Drinking with Comics here, so I should correct that. The new DwC: Drunk on Energon went up yesterday. Mike and I talk about the three latest entries in Robert Kirkman and Skybound's Energon Universe: Scarlett issue 1, Transformers issue 9 and Destro issue 1!

Destro is the treasure here. In one issue, this book is already giving the recently completed Cobra Commander series a run for its money as my favorite of the Energon books.

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Playlist:

Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel

Tim Hecker - Infinity Pool OST

The Ravenonettes - Lust Lust Lust

Zombi - Direct Inject

Perturbatotr - Dangerous Days

The Rods - Wild Dogs

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New Music From The Mysterines!

 

Another fantastic new track from The Mysterines' upcoming Afraid of Tomorrows album, out this Friday, June 21st. You can pre-order the album HERE.

 

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Watch:

On Tuesday night, K and I went to see the one-night-only re-release of Ti West's X at our local Regal. This screening was followed by a "sneak peek" of West's upcoming third film in the trilogy, Maxxxine. 

The "sneak peek" was basically the opening scene of the film. The real talking point here is seeing X again on the big screen. This is my third or fourth time doing so, but first since watching Pearl. Talk about a prequel shedding some serious light on the original film!

K said it best when she wished for an article that might point to whether these were all written together. My understanding (based on what I remember from an interview West did on the Colours of the Dark Podcast HERE) is that upon arriving in New Zealand to film X, the cast and crew had to quarantine for three or four weeks, and during that time, West and Goth conceived and wrote Pearl. My guess is from there, they had ideas to continue Maxine's story and A24 greenlit it the moment they realized what a good thing they had going. 

As I intimated above, watching X again for the first time since seeing the prequel, I have to say that Pearl's character resonates in a completely different and affecting way than when just experienced in the first film. There was already an element of that, thanks to the moments West steals in X to show the character's fragile longing (the "Landslide" scene). Now, however, Pearl becomes at once more frightening and more sympathetic—not an easy task for a filmmaker to achieve.

I've been a fan of Ti West since I first saw 2005's The Roost, thanks to my good friend Dennis' knowledge and knack for curation at the time. From the first mention of House of the Devil until the film's release, I waited for what felt like years, and I've watched the man grow as a filmmaker, always hoping for success on the level he has now experienced. There's a bit of a cultural fever pitch surrounding Maxxxine's release - one that seems to transcend Horror circles - and I can't wait to sit down and watch the end of the character's story play out surrounded by what I now assume will be a bit more people than I'm used to seeing at Horror screenings in Clarksville.

Hell yeah.

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Read:

I finished FantasticLand several days ago and was pretty much left breathless. This one affected me deeply; I'm seeing shades of the worst humanity has to offer echo in my perception of the world around me, and it's a bit disorienting. Based on that, I decided to switch it up and finally dig into my good friend and Horror Vision cohost John Trafton's latest book, Movie Made Los Angeles.

This is exactly what I need at the moment: a scholarly discourse about the nuances and intangible nature of the Cultural Economy of Los Angeles and how it became the mythic location it is in the world's mind. I'm forced to slow down and really "chew" what I'm reading, which is a good thing. I can feel my brain working in ways fiction just does not utilize.

You can order this one anywhere books are sold. You can also check out John's writing on his website, Johntrafton.com. I recommend starting with one of these two articles right HERE or HERE. 

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Playlist:

Riz Ortolani Feat. Katyna Ranieri - Oh My Love (single)

Molly Nilsson - Excalibur (single)

Mr. Twin Sister - In Heaven

Julie Christmas - Ridiculous and Full of Blood (single)

Jim Williams - Possessor OST

Tim Hecker - Infinity Pool OST

Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies EP

Alice in Chains - What the Hell Have I? (single)

Alice in Chains - A Little Bitter (single)

Megadeth - Angry Again (single)

Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?

Alice in Chains - Dirt

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Black Sabbath - Sabotage

Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9

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Pulling out the Thoth Deck for this morning's Pull:

• Prince of Cups

• Ten of Wands: Oppression

• VII: The Chariot

Emotional Intelligence creates the opportunity to emerge from a trying situation Victorious!

Amigo the Devil - My Body is a Dive Bar (Tour Bus edition)

 

Still riding near the top of my favorite albums of 2024 list is Amigo the Devil's Yours Until the War is Over, and what's that? This unstoppable force of storytelling goes and drops another new song at a live show last week. Mr. Brown sent that footage to me, and I'd planned to make it today's musical post; however, this 'Tour Bus Edition" popped up in my feed yesterday, and the choice was clear.

 Head over to Liars Club Records to order the album OR the nifty new "My Body is a Dive Bar" T-shirt. I scooped that one up the moment I saw it. 

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NCBD :

Oh man, a fantastic-looking pull today. Let's not waste any time:

To say I have been waiting for Dan Watters' Destro book is an understatement of the highest order. I cannot wait to see where this takes us in the formation of Cobra, and what kind of relationship develops between the silver-visaged Scottish Laird and our dear, sweet Commander.

As I mentioned previously, I've really been enjoying hanging out with John Constantine again. I'm not sure if Dead in America is coming to its inevitable conclusion, but League of Comic Book Geeks has the series ending at issue 9, which is a weird number of issues for a series. Is it possible this may play out like Tynion's Nightmare Country and come back in a few months? We will see. 

Okay, this second issue of Last Ronin II is starting to remind me of Jason Mrowski's older brother in his IROC. You know the type - he offers you a ride, then keeps pulling up just out of reach so you can't actually get into the car? Yeah. How many times have I posted this issue on a Wednesday? 

And we come to the end of The One Hand, which really is only half the end of the story, because the final issue of The Six Fingers drops July 24th. I've really enjoyed this Neo Noir by Ram V and the aforementioned Dan Watters, and I'm hoping the books did well enough to warrant more stories set inside Neo Novena's seedy walls.

I caught up on this one over the weekend and am still really digging it. I love the commitment the modern TMNT universe takes to exploring new characters and not just using and reusing the old mainstays. Case in point: Shredder has been out of the picture since issue... what? 100? That's several years they've let Oroku Karai lead the foot and develop into a really cool character that stands on her own. Sure, she doesn't have the gnarly army her Grandfather Oroku Saki had, but like so many of the characters, her look as evolved and is still super sleek. The introduction of a secret sect of the Foot that has survived until now could have been exhausting, but this series is playing it smart and I am intrigued to see where this will go.

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Watch:

This just made me incredibly happy:

Way jealous of the "Ceiling of Toys." Talk about living in a surreal environment.

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Playlist:

Alice in Chains - Dirt

Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun

Amigo the Devil - Born Against

Amigo the Devil - Yours Until the War is Over

Man Man - Carrot on Stings

Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun

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Card:

One card from Missi's Raven Deck for today:

From the Grimoire: "Literally, "What comes next." To me in this moment, this denotes finalizing something I've been flighty on and moving onto the next project. 

Memorials - Acceptable Experience

 

Bad-ass new track from Memorials, a group consisting of Matthew Simms from Wire and Verity Susman. Really cool stuff, and they are recording an album, so there will be more. Head on over to their Bandcamp and give 'em a follow; pretty sure only good things can come of that. 

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Watch:

The Coffee Table was not what I had anticipated. That said, the thing I like most about this film is that from what I've seen, absolutely no one is saying too much about it online. That's good. Go in blind. 

Is it disturbing? Yes, but not depraved - to me that's the big difference between what I can handle and cannot. This one? No problem, but it may fuck some people up. You've been warned, but also, it's a definite recommendation. Brother, you don't know tension until you see this one. Caye Casas NAILED this one. 

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Read:

I've only read one novel by author Paul Tremblay - Head Full of Ghosts - but it's a doozy that left an impact. He's had a couple books released since then, and although my buddy Jonathan Grimm always recommends them, I've held off. Well, I think this is the next one for me:

I love everything about the title and the cover art, and while you can't judge a book by its cover, I'm fairly certain this one will not disappoint. This is where I normally put in the solicitation, however, I haven't read that. I quite purposely know nothing about this novel, which I think is a good thing. I only have a few chapters left in Mike Bockoven's FantasticLand, so this is probably up next. 

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Playlist:

Suicidal Tendencies - Lights... Camera... Revolution

Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today

Suicidal Tendencies - Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit... Déjá-vu

Television - Marquee Moon

Pink Floyd - Animals

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry

Steve Moore - The Mind's Eye OST

Jim Williams - Possessor OST

Cocksure - K.K.E.P.

Cocksure - T.V.M.A.L.S.V.

Various - Singles OST

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• Ace of Swords

• Nine of Wands

• Ten of Wands

Interesting to have a succession of two cards in the same suit. Ace of Swords is an intellectual breakthrough, Nine of Wands is the climax that leads to the Ten of Wands' Closure. What's that? Finally finishing languishing projects? Hallelujah.

New Music from Cold Cave!

 

Cold Cave is pretty hit-or-miss with me. I adore 2011's Cherish the Light Years but haven't really clicked as hard with any of the other albums by the band that I've listened to. This new track makes me feel like the still unannounced record on the horizon could go either way. It just feels like the energy barely contained in the nine tracks on Light Years is perpetually contained inside that album. Nothing else I've heard from the band lives up to that. Still, this is a great new song, especially that coda!

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Watch:

Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams has landed on, of all places, Netflix. Time to dig in:

I really took a shine to Indonesian Horror back circa 2020 during the Pandemic. Long days spent after short shifts, laying on the couch falling deep down Shudder rabbit holes. The Indonesian one still resounds with an impressive eeriness, and Anwar's Impetigore and Satan's Slaves made an impact. I kind of dug The Forbidden Door when I finally caught it last year, but the ending disappointed me a bit. Still, compelling, and I was curious to see what Anwar would do with a shorter format.

Unfortunately, the first episode, Old House, starts very strong and, by the end, devolves into some pretty awful CGI that just tanked it for me. I still intend on watching more, but I'm pretty bummed by this opening. This is the same deal Netflix gave GDT for Cabinet of Curiosities, seven episodes that are really stand-alone, hour-long movies, so this first one is not necessarily a gage for what's coming. I just expected more.

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Read:

I finished Stephen Graham Jones' The Angel of Indian Lake last week. Man, what a fantastic ending to Jade's story. I will say that there's a sequence in here that felt a little... wrong, but nothing that would prevent me from giving this series a high recommendation. After Indian Lake? I headed straight into FantasticLand:

This one has been hyped quite a bit to me, but always by people whose taste I 100% trust. Which meant when it didn't quite click at first, I was a bit sad. After the opening set-up shifted into the actual interviews of survivors, however, I was hooked. About halfway through in two days, I'm finding it difficult to put this one down, and I really love how the story develops.

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Playlist:

Alice in Chains - Dirt

Alice in Chains - Eponymous

Alice in Chains - Live

Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity

Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun

The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust

The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave

Peeping Tom - Eponymous

Godflesh - Purge

Mars Red Sky - Eponymous

Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It?

The Ravenonettes - Sing

Shellac - To All Trains

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• Five of Cups

• Four of Swords

• XX: Judgement

Emotional struggles that ultimately lead to a new stability, just remember - everything in its right place.

That's an off-the-cuff read with a little help from the Grimoire. I think it's referencing the ongoing mental issues I have concerning K's mother living with us. There's an unbelievably volatile amount of cognitive dissonance that I live with in my brain every day, and there are times when it feels as though it will drive me mad. Maybe things are getting better, though.

Man Man - Odyssey

 

I am happy to report the new Man Man album is awesome! This one dropped last week, but I've had a hard time getting around to listening past an initial time. This song, however, made an indelible mark. Can't wait to really dig in this weekend. Order Carrot on Strings HERE.

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NCBD:

I haven't had a chance to post my NCBD picks this week yet. Better late than never. Here's what I picked up:

The best book I'm reading monthly at the moment. This one just transforms in the most interesting, natural, seductive ways issue by issue. Love the character development - especially in this latest issue.

Shockwave and the Combaticons arrive on a Space Bridge from Cybertron? Holy. Crap. There's something going on in between the lines here that makes me think that, just maybe, the Autobots aren't the noble good guys we have always known them to be. Not that they're evil, but what looks like heroism on our world may come from a darker place in their history on the home planet. We'll see. 

I missed the first issue of Dan Watters and Ram V's Creature From the Black Lagoon Lives! when it dropped a few weeks ago, but snatched up a second printing this week because in our house, the Creature Rules! Well, K and I are both big fans of the Universal Monsters in general, but this guy and big Frank are our favorites. With great art and colors by Matthew Roberts and Dave Stewart respectively, I really dug this issue!

And then there's a new book by Zac Thompson that sounded pretty cool. I missed grabbing it, however, Ryan and Walter at Rick's ordered me a copy, so it's a'coming.

From Dark Horse's solicitation:

"A group of climate scientists working in a remote base camp on the Australian outback discover an impossible landform. They venture inside expecting the unexpected, and the titular Unbeing delivers. True to the traditions of cosmic horror, they discover an anomalous environment that defies everything they think they know about the world."

Sounds pretty cool, and Thompson has some killer books.

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Watch:

Ben Bigelow's debut feature Thine Ears Shall Bleed recently got a trailer:

Maybe it has more to do with it's Doom Metal-ish title, but I'm definitely curious about this one. Looks a bit like The Wind and What Josiah Saw. I'm not seeing a hard release date yet, but I'll be keeping my eyes out for it.

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Playlist:

Alice in Chains - Jar Of Flies

The Jesus Lizard - Down

Soundgarden - Superunknown

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Let Love In

Ween - Chocolate & Cheese

Pigface - Notes From the Underground

Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses (Suspended in Dusk Edition)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magick

Alice in Chains - Dirt

The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps

Bandsplain Podcast - Remembering Steve Albini

Sinéad O'Connor - The Lion and the Cobra

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• Knight of Swords - The Firey aspect of Air or the Will as applied to Intellect. 

• Nine of Pentacles - Climax; Accomplishment of Earthly concerns, i.e., materializing the idea into a tangible form, i.e., finishing the books.

• Ace of Swords - Breakthrough in operations. Rethinking how I do things.

Time to think a bit harder about those projects that are near completion. This will lead to accomplishment and a breakthrough that may alter the way I approach my creativity.

The Raveonettes Live at Chicago's Bottom Lounge, June 10th, 2024

 

I drove into Chicago over the weekend and saw The Raveonettes play the Bottom Lounge on Monday night. The video above is from George Devereux's YouTube channel - lots of awesome videos like this one over there, so mosey on over, check it out, and perhaps give the man a follow. 

Anyway, this trip was 100% last minute. Upon returning from Chicago on May 27th, I realized The Raveonettes were only playing ten dates on the tour to support their new covers album, "The Raveonettes... Sing," and Chicago was the closest to me, so I made a snap decision to buy tickets and attend. 

The Raveonettes have long been one of my favorite bands, but before they held such a lofty status in my heart, I passed a couple of opportunities to see them. Then, living in L.A. for the period over which they released no fewer than six records—three of which are my favorite by the band—I missed every opportunity to see them, where they often played the gorgeous El Rey Theatre. 

I really don't know what I was thinking - there was a large part of my life in the city of broken angels where we had so little money (or so I thought!) that I didn't go to hardly any shows, but whatever. The point is, having the band then all but disappear after 2017's 2016 Atomized kind of broke my heart. When I saw this tour, I knew I had to see them. And, of course, I was right. They were miraculous live!!! I broke into small sobs probably ten times during the show - there's something about Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner's vocal harmonies and melody lines when combined with Wagner's Rock-a-Billy-meets-Robert-Smith guitar lines that overwhelm me with emotion, even more so live. Here's the setlist, courtesy of Setlist.FM.

1) When Night Is Almost Done

2) Hallucinations

3) Lust

4) Dead Sound

5) Blush

6) Railroad Tracks

7) Love Can Destroy Everything

8) Attack of the Ghost Riders

9) Veronica Fever

10) Do You Believe Her

11) My Tornado

12) The Enemy

13) Endless Sleeper

14) Sisters

15) Heartbreak Stroll

16) That Great Love Sound

17) Recharge & Revolt

Encore:

18) Remember

19) Love In a Trashcan

20) Aly, Walk With Me

 

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Watch:

Although I've been avoiding everything released leading up to seeing Osgood Perkins' new film LONGLEGS, last week I caught the full trailer in the theatre. I'm posting it here and can 100% say I actually think this is one of the best trailers I've seen in years. They show so many intriguing, disconnected images that it revs up the desire to finally see the film, but gives away absolutely nothing. There's a big, obvious "gottasee" that happily dances around with the utmost tact. That said, I'd still prefer to not see it again. I just want this movie here now!

Also, just have to say, although I haven't been a fan of Perkins' other films, this one really has me excited, and pictures of him wearing a Mr. Bungle T-Shirt at a recent premiere only strengthen my resolve to give him and this film a fair shake.

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Playlist:

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.

The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust

The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave

The Raveonettes - In and Out of Control

Bandsplain Podcast - Alice in Chains

Willie Nelson - The Border

The Raveonettes - Pretty in Black

The Raveonettes - Whip It On

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