From sElf's 1999 masterpiece Breakfast with Girls, which has been in regular rotation at our house of late. Driving back from Chicago today. Saw Deafheaven and Interpol last night. My first time at Salt Shed. Pretty nice venue (I wasn't in love with Deafheaven's sound). Tired A.F. Probably start the drive with this one.
New music from The Jesus Lizard! This non-album single follows in the wake of this year's Rack, the band's first album in 26 years. Hoping for an E.P.
Watch:
I continued Noirvember last night with my first-time viewing of Jules Dassin's 1948 TheNaked City.
I have to say, this eventually won me over, but I didn't love it. I think the expectation set by notoriety and my previous obsession with the John Zorn album may have led me to believe this would be something more than it is. Darker. Also, it doesn't help that this is essentially the template for all of the Bug Bunny cartoon Noir trope lampoons, from Muldoon down to the narrator. Still, as the story evolves, it grows more endearing. Released four years after Double Indemnity, though, I was expecting sharper teeth.
Playlist:
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Nell' ora blu
The Jesus Lizard - Rack
Antibalas - Where the Gods Are in Peace
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Moon Wizard - Sirens
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
This past Wednesday, Godflesh's seminal album Streetcleaner turned 35! That's three-and-a-half decades since this blistering slab was released upon an unsuspecting world.
Watch:
Last night, I showed K Fabrice Du Welz's 2008 film Vinyan. Homework for an upcoming episode of The Horror Vision Presents: Elements of Horror.
This is a favorite from the 00s, a film I own on DVD but haven't watched in quite some time. I think I originally saw this via Netflix back in the USPS days, immediately purchased a copy, rewatched, then did not watch again until a viewing in 2021 that I have no memory of (but posted about HERE. THIS is why I maintain this site!). Regardless, the film has stayed with me quite clearly ever since; it's a haunting journey into loss and madness, and Rupert Sewell and Emmanuelle Béart give powerful performances that really drive home the horror of their situation - which keeps getting worse. Basic synopsis from IMDB
"A couple are looking for their child who was lost in the tsunami - their search takes them to the dangerous Thai-Burmese waters, and then into the jungle, where they face unknown but horrifying dangers."
Even without children, the setup strikes me as particularly horrific, but when you add in the 'we're in over our heads and probably in terrible danger" of the approach the characters take, contracting local gangsters to take them into Burma, the tension continually increases.
Playlist:
The Cure - Songs Of a Lost World
Neon Nightmare - Faded Dream
Godflesh - For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
Feel the Knife - So Raw... So Nasty... So Hideous
Dreamkid - All Thriller, No Filler
Dreamkid - Daggers
Frankie & The Witch Fingers - Data Doom
Godflesh - Streetcleaner
Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
The High Confessions - Turning Lead Into Gold with the High Confessions
USSA - The Spoils
Self - Breakfast with Girls
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Vol. 1
Card:
Today's card is the Ten of Wands, affectionately dubbed "Oppression" by Mr. Crowley.
First, I finally made a list to keep track of what cards I'm using for the study. As I suspected, looking back at the entries since I began this at the beginning of August, I've retread several cards multiple times. My next post will examine what that might be trying to instill in me, for today, we'll just continue on the current course.
The Ten of Wands is an easy card in my head - Tens are the association of Malkuth, the Earthly plane. So we are oppressed by the physical realm, whether that means the limitations of our bodies, our money or lack thereof, whatever.
Let's take it a bit deeper, though.
In The Book of Thoth, Crowley goes on about all kinds of things I don't give a toss about feeding into my interpretation. One thing that hits home, though, is this:
"It is a Will which has not understood anything beyond its dull purpose, its "lust of result," and will devour itself in the conflagrations it has evoked."
Maybe we didn't need that entire quote because the idea I want to hone in on is the "lust of result." Anyone who has studied Chaos Magick knows this as the enemy. Whatever you want to achieve, your lust of result will get in the way. This to me, fits in perfectly with the idea I set out above, the kind of 'shackled by Malkuth," because what is that lust of result if not Malkuth exerting itself upon us?
I had never heard of Glass Beams before the incomparable KEXP put them in my feed. Kind of akin to Thievery Corporation's The Mirror Conspiracy if Spoon wrote it. Check out their Bandcamp HERE. Also, I have to say if you're not following KEXP on YouTube, you're missing out.
Watch:
I caught the trailer for Heart Eyes before Smile 2, and I'm definitely giving this one a chance.
Love that f*cking mask!
NCBD:
Light week this week.
Astrotrain! I love how they've made this character a big deal in the Energon Universe and I'm curious how he ties into the second part of the Starscream's origin arc.
I have to say, I am far less excited about this than I thought I'd be. Still, I'm sure good things are coming that I just can't quite see at the moment.
Playlist:
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
Oranssi Pazuzu - Live at Roadburn 2017
Oranssit Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi
Ministry - HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
FACS - Still Life in Decay
Mr. Bungle - California
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Yesterday would have been Ennio Morricone's 95th birthday. Sadly, the legend left us back in 2020, but here at the onset of Noirvember, I couldn't pass up posting the title theme from his score for Sergio Sollima's 1970 Città Violenta, AKA Violent City.
Watch:
So yeah, I have so much fun with 31 Days of Horror every year that I've decided to pick up on another month-long theme for viewing. That's right - Noirvember is officially underway!
This is the first time I remember hearing about this one, courtesy of an article on Bloody Disgusting last week. It sounds perfect for the early darkness of November (which is totally f**king with me this year, for some reason). We kicked this off last Friday night with a screening of The Cohen Brothers' stunning debut, Blood Simple!
I love this film. So stark, brutal and just dark, man. DARK! Every performance is a gem; so many little Cohen Brothers flourishes help endear this one. Perfect example - the incinerator out back of Julian's bar. I would argue this is as much a Horror film as it is Noir, but there's no need to argue because no matter how you classify Blood Simple, it's a powerhouse and a classic, perfect for kicking off Noirvember! (Also, I love how much this poster reminds me of my favorite poster for Lucio Fulci's House By the Cemetery).
Next up, Billy Wilder's 1944 seminal classic Double Indemnity!
Nothing I can say about this film that hasn't been said a million times by people far smarter than me. A masterpiece and seminal Noir that sits right up alongside Sunset Blvd. Stanwyck really brings it; she's seductive, cold and evil. And MacMurray - it's hard to believe he was largely known for comedies up to this point. He's just perfect (if a skosh overcooked). Plus, Edward G. Robinson as Keyes - one of my favorite characters in film history.
Doc:
I absolutely love Drug Church's new record, Prude, so when a short making-of documentary popped up in my YouTube feed, I cracked a beer and hit play.
Prud is a serious contender for my favorite album of the year, and although I only recently learned that Patrick Kindlon - who I was familiar with from writing comics - is also the singer of the group, I know very little else. Sometimes, learning anything about a band is a bad thing. With Drug Church, however, you can just tell by their lyrics that these guys walk it like they talk it. And filmmaker Dookie Meno did a helluva a job with this. Highly recommended.
Playlist:
The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
Melvins - Tarantula Heart
Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Data Doom
Dreamkid - Chrissy (single)
Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
Morphine - The Night
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust
The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World
Swans - The Seer
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot!
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands
John Carpenter - Lost Themes IV: Noir
Card:
Today's card:
From the Grimoire:
"Break the cycle! Pattern interrupt (is) a definite counter to this card's presence. Physically write down the object/cause of anxiety."
That's a HUGE part of this card for me. It's not just a meaning; it's a tactic. Not a lot of how I have learned to interpret the Tarot gets that pragmatic, but I'd like to get there. Beyond that, in The Book of Thoth, Crowley says, "instability in the very foundations of Matter. This reminds us of the 'intense strain' of physical existence.
It's November, and one of the films that came in the new All the Haunts Be Ours, Vol. 2 Box Set is Rainer Sarnet's 2017 November. This one enchanted the hell out of me a few years ago when I caught it on Shudder TV, so I thought, "Hey, it's November; why not?"
I will now watch this film every November.
Gorgeous beyond words, this is the best example of modern authentic Folk Horror I can think of. Of Folk Traditions, the palimpsest of the old world rubbing against the new and the friction - of the "Horror" that causes. Beautifully executed and more than a little comical at times without breaking the tone, primarily because this one has such a strong, unique vision guiding it. I'm definitely interested in seeing what else Sarnet does.
Playlist:
Antibalas - Where the Gods Are in Peace
Fela Kuti - Opposite People
Fela Kuti - Sorrow Tears & Blood EP
Pearl Jam - Vs.
John Carpenter - Lost Themes IV: Noir
The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre
Neon Nightmare - Faded Dream
Dreamkid - All Thriller, No Filler
Dreamkid - Daggers
The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Drug Church - Prude
Spoon - They Want My Soul
PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
During my recent jaunt to Chicago's Southside, Mr. Brown and I once again did a record swap, and one of the records he loaned me that I cannot stop playing is Antibalas' 2017 Where the Gods Are in Peace. Sounds like Fela Kuti reincarnated! So many parallels to my favorite Fela record, Opposite People/Sorrow, Tears and Blood (might actually be two albums, but I had them on a joint CD Sonny D burned for me ages ago).
Watch:
I did some homework last night for the next episode of The Horror Vision Presents: Elements of Horror. 1926's A Page of Madness
It's been a while since I watched a B & W silent film, so I figured the best course of action would be to isolate myself, turn off all the lights and get stoned. Check, check and check. Maybe too stoned, though. A large part of this played like I was back in High School at a friend's watching "Beyond the Mind's Eye" or something. You don't realize how much dialogue drives a film until you remove it. When I say there's no dialogue here, there aren't even subtitles. That's because the film does indeed share something with those stoner videos of the 90s. It's largely a succession of arresting images, so I just kind of sat back and let them wash over me. This was pleasurable; I can't say much about the 'story' other than it ends up, I think, having something of a twist.
NCBD:
This week's pull:
The inevitable "0" issue. I assume this rounds out the "Road Stories" arc that has taken us strolling through Erica's past. It also marks the start of another hiatus, which bums me out. Still,
This is a new title for me, and I'm hoping to also grab issues 1-3 if they're still floating around the shop. Cruel Universe is the sister title to Epitaphs From the Abyss, which I professed my love for a few entries past. Both titles are part of Oni Press's revived EC Comics line, and I figured since I'm digging Epitaphs so much, I should give this a whirl as well. Plus, Oni Press is one of the oldest, most independent publishers I know of, so it's cool to support them here as well.
Final issue! I've enjoyed this anthology quite a bit and will continue to be on the lookout for these B, W &B series. Or, for that matter, any Spider-Man mini-series I can get my hands on. I miss the ol' Webhead, but still not going to engage in the core books that come out like, every three days or whatever.
Saga is heating up again! Didn't I just post something about how this book kinda lost something after the years-long hiatus? I might be eating my words real soon...
Playlist:
Antibalas - Where the Gods Are in Peace
Spoon - They Want My Soul
John Carpenter - Lost Themes IV: Noir
John Carpenter - Lost Themes III: Life After Death
John Carpenter - Lost Themes II
John Carpenter - Lost Themes
16 - Dream Squasher
Melvins - Tarantula Heart
John Carpenter and Alan Howarth - Halloween III: Season of the Witch OST
Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
Card:
Today's card for study is the 8 of Wands, Swiftness:
Yeah, I know I said I was going to stick with the sevens, but I need to go back and draw up a map of what I've already done for this 'tarot study' segment that I feel has become another daily pull. When I picked up my Thoth to flip to the next Seven, Valour came up again right away (and yes, I had already shuffled since yesterday's). When I put that aside, Swiftness came up. Seeing this, I figured, what the hell?
This is a Hob card, and Hod immediately brings to mind Splendour, but in The Book of Thoth, Crowley reminds us that being of Hod, the Eights share the same difficulties as the Sevens. Quoting directly from page 182:
"The position is doubly unbalanced; off the middle pillar, and very low down on the Tree. It is taking a very great risk to descend so far into illusion, and, above all, to do it by frantic struggle. Netzach pertains to Venus; Netzach pertains to Earth; and the greatest catastrophe that can befall Venus is to lose her Heavenly origin. The four Sevens are not capable of bringing any comfort; each one represents the degeneration of the element. Its utmost weakness is exposed in every case."
I've begun to read these weaknesses in Splendour and Victory as the weakness of the material world. The Earth is beautiful, and we can build Earthly victories, but all of it is a distraction from returning upward into the non-physical realms. Tiphareth has always been, to me, the pinnacle of what we can achieve and still be a part of the world. Maybe it's just the news this morning, but I feel like, as a species, we've left that behind for victories of common treasures. Fame, money, power, etc.
