Broken Social Scene is one of those bands I'd always meant to check out but never got around to. Changing that tonight, thanks to Chester Whelks' write-up for this week's edition of the Joup Friday Album. Favorite song so far, because it reminds me a bit of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, without the severe gravity (not that gravity is a bad thing).
Friday, February 16, 2018
2018: February 16th 8:10 AM
The last thing I saw before going to bed last night:
First thing in my head when I woke up:
No idea. One thing I do know? - Tracey Pew = God.
Playlist from the 15th:
The Soft Moon - Criminal
Simple Minds - Life in a Day
The Bronx - V
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
The Reverend Horton Heat - Liquor in the Front
The Men - Tomorrow Hits (aborted listen - not in the mood)
Eagulls - Eponymous
Lustmord - Songs of Gods and Demons
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Blood Lust
Watched - Nick Cave: 20,000 Days on Earth
New Drinking, Fighting, F*&king, and Crying went up yesterday. Read it HERE.
Card of the day:
The futility may have been a pointed remark about looking for a decent image of this card online.
From the grimoire:
"Difficult decisions to make
when overwhelmed, down on ourselves or stressed/helpless you MUST act or things will get exponentially worse.
Make a decision and more importantly STICK TO IT!!!
Action, pure and w/resolve breaks the will of this card. Action is Futility's Nemesis."
Applies 100% directly to our moving situation, so I think there will be a decision this weekend.
Thanks Al!
First thing in my head when I woke up:
No idea. One thing I do know? - Tracey Pew = God.
Playlist from the 15th:
The Soft Moon - Criminal
Simple Minds - Life in a Day
The Bronx - V
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
The Reverend Horton Heat - Liquor in the Front
The Men - Tomorrow Hits (aborted listen - not in the mood)
Eagulls - Eponymous
Lustmord - Songs of Gods and Demons
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Blood Lust
Watched - Nick Cave: 20,000 Days on Earth
New Drinking, Fighting, F*&king, and Crying went up yesterday. Read it HERE.
Card of the day:
The futility may have been a pointed remark about looking for a decent image of this card online.
From the grimoire:
"Difficult decisions to make
when overwhelmed, down on ourselves or stressed/helpless you MUST act or things will get exponentially worse.
Make a decision and more importantly STICK TO IT!!!
Action, pure and w/resolve breaks the will of this card. Action is Futility's Nemesis."
Applies 100% directly to our moving situation, so I think there will be a decision this weekend.
Thanks Al!
Thursday, February 15, 2018
2018: February 15th 4:58 AM
In my head upon waking:
I've fallen off with Jucifer since they essentially became a thrash band - they're still awesome, and if you ever get the chance to see them live, even if you don't know their music they are definitely worth checking out. But Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip, I Name You Destroyer, and Lambs are all fantastic records and essential musical elements to how I survived the veritable drought of the early 00's.
Valentine's Day Playlist:
God is LSD - Spirit of Suicide
David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Faith No More - Sol Invictus
Sunn O))) and Scott Walker - Soused
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Etta James - Second Time Around
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me (single)
Simple Minds - Life in a Day
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Ministry - Wargasm (pre-release single)
Card of the day:
Something hidden. The influence of the unconscious mind. You my have gone too far.
Hmm... definitely banking on the unconscious mind idea here.
I've fallen off with Jucifer since they essentially became a thrash band - they're still awesome, and if you ever get the chance to see them live, even if you don't know their music they are definitely worth checking out. But Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip, I Name You Destroyer, and Lambs are all fantastic records and essential musical elements to how I survived the veritable drought of the early 00's.
Valentine's Day Playlist:
God is LSD - Spirit of Suicide
David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Faith No More - Sol Invictus
Sunn O))) and Scott Walker - Soused
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Etta James - Second Time Around
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me (single)
Simple Minds - Life in a Day
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Ministry - Wargasm (pre-release single)
Card of the day:
Something hidden. The influence of the unconscious mind. You my have gone too far.
Hmm... definitely banking on the unconscious mind idea here.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
February 14th 5:03 AM
I don't listen to very many bands' lyrics. That is not the case with Touche Amore.
.......
Just did the 7 Minute Workout App for the first time. Not bad. After several health issues last year, I'm no longer near as physically fit as I was. Not that I was a bastion of fitness, but I could hold my own. Hopefully this will put me back there and maybe even beyond. Also, although I'm currently in an 'anti-exercise' inertia period, any exercise definitely makes you feel better during the day (after that initial soreness/adjustment period that is). My favorite piece of writing on that is HERE.
The Tuesday the 13th's playlist:
Fen - Epoch
Lantlos - .neon
Touche Amore - Eponymous
Blut Aus Nord - Cosmosophy
Blut Aus Nord - Memorial Vetusta III (Saturnian Poetry)
Sunn O))) - Domkirke
Lustre - Night Spirit
"Mutha fucka must'a thought it was black metal day. It ain't black metal day, is it Marty?"
"Naw man. It ain't black metal day."
Daily words have been rough, as I'm not plowing on ahead now but editing and filling in, tweaking and expanding. Thus, project goal word-counts are near impossible on a week night due to the fact that whenever I cut from the document - which I'm doing plenty of as I snazzy it up - I counterbalance whatever I have written. My addiction to that little "You've met your daily goal" bell is in withdrawal. I pass the doc to Keller this week and then I can focus on my upcoming 3-issue comic collaboration with my good friend John: "The Legend of Parish Fen."
Card of the day:
Two again. This is interesting, and I have to go back and really think about this. I'm curious if this run of two-day pulls might link up to the day last week when a friend asked me for some spiritual help. If so, I need to organize the second pull in each of these into an ad hoc spread and relay the message to her. As for The Star again for me, well, I can only hope life is about to become easier and a path to enlightenment - a vague and wonderfully applicable concept if you throw out the biblical sense of it - doth appear on said horizon after a helpful conversation with a friend and the closing of a loop in my own head, all pertaining to my constant battle with my living situation.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
They Remain Trailer
Based on the fantastic short story by Laird Barron, published in Occultation, my favorite of his anthologies.
February 13th, 9:15 AM
New obsession:
Lantlos reminds me a lot of Fen, and just to strengthen that comparison, the Universe saw fit to provide rain tonight in Southern California, just like the first night I heard Fen in 2011.
Playlist yesterday:
Killing Joke - Eponymous
Lantlos - Neon
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Slint - Spiderland
DyE - Fantasy
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Lantlos again.
Reading wise I did manage to dig back into the Ligotti and actually jumped ahead, read and really enjoyed The Last Feast of the Harlequin. Since then I shifted back to Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell and dug out Laird Barron's 2014 anthology, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All, just to re-read More Dark for a comically accompany "Tom L."
Love this story.
Card of the day:
2 Cards jumped out of the deck again today:
Lantlos reminds me a lot of Fen, and just to strengthen that comparison, the Universe saw fit to provide rain tonight in Southern California, just like the first night I heard Fen in 2011.
Playlist yesterday:
Killing Joke - Eponymous
Lantlos - Neon
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Slint - Spiderland
DyE - Fantasy
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Lantlos again.
Reading wise I did manage to dig back into the Ligotti and actually jumped ahead, read and really enjoyed The Last Feast of the Harlequin. Since then I shifted back to Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell and dug out Laird Barron's 2014 anthology, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All, just to re-read More Dark for a comically accompany "Tom L."
Love this story.
Card of the day:
2 Cards jumped out of the deck again today:
Monday, February 12, 2018
2018: February 12th 4:40 AM
Based on two glowing reviews from friends, and the fact that A) I was in the mood for some new horror and, B) I had been reading about David Bruckner's latest film's steady hike to daylight (for those who have seen the film you will have guessed that pun was very much intended) on Bloodydisgusting for what feels like forever, we watched The Ritual last night. It landed on Netflix two days ago and is pretty fantastic. No reinvention of the wheel, except maybe in the effects department; not the actual FX per se, more what the film uses them to create. That's all I'll say, as I'm the type who finds movies - especially horror movies - are always better when you know as little as possible going into them.
Playlist from Sunday, 2/11/18:
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
Johnny Jewel - Windswept
DyE - Fantasy
Not too much, but yesterday was a bit of a silent contemplation day, as we looked at a potential new home and decided it was too much to go ahead with purchasing. The rub is, of course, that what we almost paid for this small place in the SouthBay of LaLaLand would buy us a veritable mansion in the Midwest. But we'd also be buried in snow right now, so give and take, you know?
Card of the day:
Accidentally pulled two and turned them over, so I need to dig in a bit later this morning and figure out the juxtaposition:
"A well-rounded approach to material things - Success dictates understanding the actual value of material possessions, not taking for granted and not over reacting to gain and loss." This seems more like a card for a friend than me, so maybe the two show some insight into our business relationship? Priestess denoting change or fluctuation. Hmm.
Playlist from Sunday, 2/11/18:
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
Johnny Jewel - Windswept
DyE - Fantasy
Not too much, but yesterday was a bit of a silent contemplation day, as we looked at a potential new home and decided it was too much to go ahead with purchasing. The rub is, of course, that what we almost paid for this small place in the SouthBay of LaLaLand would buy us a veritable mansion in the Midwest. But we'd also be buried in snow right now, so give and take, you know?
Card of the day:
Accidentally pulled two and turned them over, so I need to dig in a bit later this morning and figure out the juxtaposition:
Sunday, February 11, 2018
2018: February 11th 1:41 PM
Late wake-up after a long night. Began the day with some PJ Harvey, courtesy of Season 2, Episode 1 of Peaky Blinders. Which is excellent (Thanks Tim & Lisa).
I have a feeling this album, which I haven't listened to in a while, more often than not being drawn back time and again to Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea and Uh-Huh Her, not for any reason other than To Bring You My Love is such an incredibly immersive experience for me, it does not mesh well with daily tasks, routines or whatnot. No, To Bring You My Love is the kind of album that I have to sit down to by myself with a buzz and give over to. So there's pot in my future apparently then.
Playlist from the 10th
The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
Touche Amore - Eponymous
Helmet - Aftertaste
The Veils - Nux Vomica
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
FNM - Angel Dust
Barry Adamson - Oedipus Schmoedipus
Card of the day:
This one again, eh?
I have a feeling this album, which I haven't listened to in a while, more often than not being drawn back time and again to Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea and Uh-Huh Her, not for any reason other than To Bring You My Love is such an incredibly immersive experience for me, it does not mesh well with daily tasks, routines or whatnot. No, To Bring You My Love is the kind of album that I have to sit down to by myself with a buzz and give over to. So there's pot in my future apparently then.
Playlist from the 10th
The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
Touche Amore - Eponymous
Helmet - Aftertaste
The Veils - Nux Vomica
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
FNM - Angel Dust
Barry Adamson - Oedipus Schmoedipus
Card of the day:
Saturday, February 10, 2018
2018: February 10th 10:04 AM
This one's been on my mind a lot lately.
Friday's playlist:
God is LSD - Spirit of Suicide
The Foundations - Now That I've Found You*
Helmet - Size Matters
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry
Le Butcherettes - A Raw Youth
Viet Cong - Eponymous
Dillinger Escape Plan - Disassociation
Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance (two songs; other than the single, which I love, this record seems unlistenable today)
Card of the day:
Breakthrough. Let's hope it's not Uncle Sam's breaking through my bank account when I get my taxes done in an hour.
Should be noted that while I shuffled two cards jumped out of the deck and hit the floor: The Princes of Cups and XVI The Star.
* Should be noted this was not the album I wanted. I'm a huge fan of both singles Now that I've Found You and the aforementioned Build Me Up Buttercup, both of which I've known my entire life as "oldies" but which have always, to me, stood out as something more than just a dusty that fades into the Oldies playlists the old Magic 104 FM used to spin perpetually in Chicago. No, there's something more to these songs. This record however, which I located with a quick search on Apple Music, is a re-recording from what I can only guess was the 80s based on the way the music has been re-arranged with 80s-sounding keyboard patches. No terrible, but not the originals. Another quick search and I located those.
Friday, February 9, 2018
2018: February 9th 4:53 AM
In my head upon waking. Waking, such absolute misery to crawl from my bed this cold, (relatively) California morning...
Not nearly enough sleep. My after-work nap yesterday set my sleep back and I didn't knock out until almost midnight. Just about 4.5 hours later I've hit all the snoozes I can and crawl from bed, feed the cats and put on an extra strong pot of coffee, put fingertips to these keys to make these words. How oh how am I going to manage to work 8 or 9 hours, drive 45-60 to Hollywood, come home around 10 and NOT be brain dead?
The new comic from Ales Kot, Danijel Zezelj, and Jordie Bellaire is Days of Hate; I picked issue #1 up on a whim and it's fantastic. And really, sadly relevant. Also, they have a super accurate visual depiction of DTLA on page 3 - looks like Bellaire was standing where I was two weeks ago coming out of the Converge concert at the Regent.
New edition of Drinking, Fighting, F*&king, and Crying went up yesterday, you can read it HERE.
Yesterday's playlist:
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Mono and The Ocean - Transcendental EP
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
The Politics of Punk (Disc 6)
Joy Division - Closer
The Afghan Whigs - In Spades
Sade - iTunes Essentials
Lustmord - The Dark Places of the Earth
Card of the day:
"Add one to nine and perfect elemental alignment occurs (perfect in nature - the other end of the balanced path from The Crown). One big word: Culmination."
So what does that mean as a daily draw? You kidding? With my brain like this I can't even begin to wrap my head around it.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
2018: February 8th 5:45 AM
Woke up with this one in my head today, probably because I listened to the album it's on - Teenage Wrist's Dazed EP about a half a half dozen times last night. At least.
Such a big, fuzzy neon dream of an album. Thanks to Jacob again for introducing me to this great band that has an album coming out in March. You can pre-order it HERE.
Playlist from yesterday:
The Fixx - Reach the Beach
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean
Odonis Odonis - Post Plague
The Jesus Lizard - Down
Teenage Wrist - Dazed E.P.
Card of the day:
It's ultra rare to impossible for art to convince me to read a book, in Murphy's case it's a combination of his art and the fact that he can spin one hell of a yarn. Punk Rock Jesus is still one of my all-time favorites. One issue into White Knight and I don't quite have the lay of the land yet, but A) it's stand alone continuity and B) it's NOT the tired iterations of Batman and Joker we're used to being regurgitated every few years, although it starts there and moves out in what I believe is virgin territory for the characters from there. Either way, I'm in for all eight issues (five are out so far).
Such a big, fuzzy neon dream of an album. Thanks to Jacob again for introducing me to this great band that has an album coming out in March. You can pre-order it HERE.
Playlist from yesterday:
The Fixx - Reach the Beach
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean
Odonis Odonis - Post Plague
The Jesus Lizard - Down
Teenage Wrist - Dazed E.P.
Card of the day:
Emotional deluge, use intellect and Will to prevent being drowned. Interesting... a few words on these daily draws. Events yesterday, Wednesday the 7th lined-up directly with two repetitive pulls that culminated the Wednesday before, on January 31st. What's the grid system at work here, or is there one? Well, we'll see. That's why I've shifted this blog into this 'journaling' paradigm - looking for patterns in the grid of chaos that, even though we do all we can to refute the fact, defines our existences. Hopefully I will find some and learn a way to 'hack' the graphs and grids I make from those patterns.
Yesterday I indeed stopped to buy my comics. TWD did not disappoint, but I haven't read Papergirls yet. Why? Well, I had an abortive attempt at my daily words, and after that I didn't have much time for reading, and this was unexpected but I ended up buying my first current Batman comic since Grant Morrison's run ended in 2013 and I was super excited to dive in. Why? What could make me jump into a Batman comic? Three words:
Sean. Gordon. Murphy. Look at this cover:
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
2018: February 7th 4:55 AM
Wednesdays are typically Comics-and-Beer days, where I extend my arduous sojourn home on the 405 by stopping at The Comic Bug and then Total Wine. I don't always stop for comics - it depends on what came out and if I can spare the time. That said, I always stop when these hit the stands:
Look at that Paper Girls cover - GORGEOUS!
Forfeited my daily words yesterday in favor of spending hours after work making space on my computer, which with a max storage of 500 gigs only had a little over 5 left. Starts to act wonky under 20, and I can't have that. So I had to delete a lot of music. This wasn't the hardest thing in the world - Apple Music means it's all right at my fingertips anyway. HOWEVER, it's interesting to note how not too long ago I had to purge CDs and now its digital - reminds me of how email has become every bit as cumbersome and annoying as snail mail, more so actually, because most outlets have given up on snail service. But these comparisons/juxtapositions show how we've transitioned our lives so well into the digital realm only to have it essentially take on all the characteristics of the tactile one. Well, maybe not all, but many. Also, I'm a bit of a librarian when it comes to music, so the purge was able to free a lot of space without really lacing into anything I actively listen to or even what I keep on deck at all times. That Anthony Stewart Head album? Well, it's awesome that he made it but I'm never going to listen to it again, and if I want to, I'm sure its a keystroke or two away. That said:
Playlist from the 6th:
Killing Joke - Eponymous debut
Anthrax - Worship Music
Sam Cooke - One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Good Son
Jucifer - I Name You Destroyer
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
David Bowie - Heroes
Sade - Greatest Hits
Lustmord - Dark Places of the Earth
Card of the day:
Ah, so I'm going on a journey, am I? Maybe today's sojourn for imbibes and reading material will take longer than I expected. Or maybe one of my projects is about to ramp up.
Either way.
Look at that Paper Girls cover - GORGEOUS!
Forfeited my daily words yesterday in favor of spending hours after work making space on my computer, which with a max storage of 500 gigs only had a little over 5 left. Starts to act wonky under 20, and I can't have that. So I had to delete a lot of music. This wasn't the hardest thing in the world - Apple Music means it's all right at my fingertips anyway. HOWEVER, it's interesting to note how not too long ago I had to purge CDs and now its digital - reminds me of how email has become every bit as cumbersome and annoying as snail mail, more so actually, because most outlets have given up on snail service. But these comparisons/juxtapositions show how we've transitioned our lives so well into the digital realm only to have it essentially take on all the characteristics of the tactile one. Well, maybe not all, but many. Also, I'm a bit of a librarian when it comes to music, so the purge was able to free a lot of space without really lacing into anything I actively listen to or even what I keep on deck at all times. That Anthony Stewart Head album? Well, it's awesome that he made it but I'm never going to listen to it again, and if I want to, I'm sure its a keystroke or two away. That said:
Playlist from the 6th:
Killing Joke - Eponymous debut
Anthrax - Worship Music
Sam Cooke - One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Good Son
Jucifer - I Name You Destroyer
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
David Bowie - Heroes
Sade - Greatest Hits
Lustmord - Dark Places of the Earth
Card of the day:
Ah, so I'm going on a journey, am I? Maybe today's sojourn for imbibes and reading material will take longer than I expected. Or maybe one of my projects is about to ramp up.
Either way.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Queens of the Stone Age cover Brian Eno
I didn't know this existed until just now. In the midst of a binge on Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets I set out to find a youtube video for Needles in the Camel's Eye and found this in the search results:
And the original:
No matter who is singing it, this song makes me love life.
And the original:
No matter who is singing it, this song makes me love life.
2018: February 6th
It's been interesting to keep track of what music I wake up with in my head:
Playlist from the 5th:
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am
Black Sabbath - Eponymous
Childish Gambino - Because the Internet
The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicenter
Godflesh - Streetcleaner Live at Roadburn 1989
Twin Peaks Playlist: Ssn 3 and Beyond ST
Bells into Machines - Your Crime Scene E.P.
Opeth - Still Life
Interesting to note that all of these except Arctic Monkeys, Sabbath and Devil's Blood were truncated listens; I had a distracting day yesterday and couldn't find music that quite fit my mindset, so I jumped around a lot.
The Twin Peaks playlist is of my own devising, something I assembled only a couple weeks into the airing of last years third season, before the OSTs came out. There's Chromatics, a Lynch/John Neff track from Blue Bob that wasn't used in the show but fits aesthetically, and - among other things - a fan's slowed down version of Muddy Magnolia's American Woman that I actually prefer to the one on the score:
Card of the day:
Blocked/thwarted Will. Can save time and energy by knowing what not to pursue.
Playlist from the 5th:
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am
Black Sabbath - Eponymous
Childish Gambino - Because the Internet
The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicenter
Godflesh - Streetcleaner Live at Roadburn 1989
Twin Peaks Playlist: Ssn 3 and Beyond ST
Bells into Machines - Your Crime Scene E.P.
Opeth - Still Life
Interesting to note that all of these except Arctic Monkeys, Sabbath and Devil's Blood were truncated listens; I had a distracting day yesterday and couldn't find music that quite fit my mindset, so I jumped around a lot.
The Twin Peaks playlist is of my own devising, something I assembled only a couple weeks into the airing of last years third season, before the OSTs came out. There's Chromatics, a Lynch/John Neff track from Blue Bob that wasn't used in the show but fits aesthetically, and - among other things - a fan's slowed down version of Muddy Magnolia's American Woman that I actually prefer to the one on the score:
Card of the day:
Monday, February 5, 2018
2018: February 5th 4:29 AM
Woke up repeatedly with this little ditty in my head:
So a new Cloverfield hit Netflix last night - awesome! I didn't have time to watch it before bed but I'll remedy that this week. Trailer makes it look as though it may tie into at least one of the others, which I'd love.
There's a video I watched last year I'll have to post on here at some point, explains how the other two are tied together by an online ARG. Really interesting.
Playlist yesterday:
Sam Cooke: One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club (thanks Sonny!)
A Place to Bury Strangers - Never Coming Back single (pre-release track for upcoming album)
ttt (Crosses) - Eponymous
Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres (about five times in a row)
U2 - War
Worm is Green - Automagic
Joy Division - Closer
Card of the day:
So a new Cloverfield hit Netflix last night - awesome! I didn't have time to watch it before bed but I'll remedy that this week. Trailer makes it look as though it may tie into at least one of the others, which I'd love.
There's a video I watched last year I'll have to post on here at some point, explains how the other two are tied together by an online ARG. Really interesting.
Playlist yesterday:
Sam Cooke: One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club (thanks Sonny!)
A Place to Bury Strangers - Never Coming Back single (pre-release track for upcoming album)
ttt (Crosses) - Eponymous
Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres (about five times in a row)
U2 - War
Worm is Green - Automagic
Joy Division - Closer
Card of the day:
The fiery aspect of Fire; purest manifestation of Fire in the deck - strength but unchecked can be imbalanced and disastrous. This tells me that either my passion, intuition or creative energy (I'm limiting interpretations based on my current situations/temperament) may be flustered and threaten to boil over today. Coincidence I'm heading back to work after three days off? Maybe, maybe not. My gig is fairly low maintenance, when you adjust to a certain, background-radiation level of stress that is probably common to many jobs, so I also wonder if this is a nod toward later in the day when I write; there are currently two projects fighting for space in my head and that can sometimes lead to an over exuberance that can grind productivity to a confused halt.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
2018: February 4th 1:17 PM
The final of our three beautiful mornings sleeping late. It's been much-needed and glorious. Now that I'm up and moving - after spending the last two hours resuming my original issue-by-issue re-read of Preacher I left hanging back in late August - I'm starting our musical day with Sam Cooke's One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, which Sonny chose for this past week's edition of The Joup Friday Album.
Playlist from yesterday looks like this:
Lacey Sturm - Life Screams
Shellac - 1000 Hurts
A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Glass Animals - How to be a Human Being
Card of the day:
In my mind, one of the most beautiful cards in Lady Freida Harris's deck stacked with nothing but beautiful cards, its mere appearance a good 'omen'.
"Create unto and within yourself a Universe, shaped of your strengths and built on your accomplishments as foundation."
I'll take that as a nod that I have earned my day of total rest. It's movies, a living room fort with my Love and relaxation, because tomorrow it's back to the grind.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
2018: February 3rd 12:39 PM
Another late morning spent laying in bed. SO nice. K is kicking off our musical day with Lacey Sturm's solo record from 2016:
Playlist yesterday looked like this:
Viet Cong - Eponymous
Etta James - Eponymous
The Doors - LA Woman
Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
Steve Morse - The Mind's Eye OST
Swans - The Glowing Man (disc 2)
Viet Cong - Eponymous
The Knife - Shaking the Habitual
Huey Lewis and the News - Sports
I heeded the Prince of Wands and absolutely killed it on my daily words. Almost done.
Card of the day:
The Penetrating Wand; the Spark of Essence.Skill and Wisdom. Can point to the essence or involvement of Magick.
Create thine own energy. Personal Fusion.
Playlist yesterday looked like this:
Viet Cong - Eponymous
Etta James - Eponymous
The Doors - LA Woman
Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
Steve Morse - The Mind's Eye OST
Swans - The Glowing Man (disc 2)
Viet Cong - Eponymous
The Knife - Shaking the Habitual
Huey Lewis and the News - Sports
I heeded the Prince of Wands and absolutely killed it on my daily words. Almost done.
Card of the day:
The Penetrating Wand; the Spark of Essence.Skill and Wisdom. Can point to the essence or involvement of Magick.
Create thine own energy. Personal Fusion.
Friday, February 2, 2018
2018: February 2nd, 11:05 AM
Beginning the first of three days off with some Etta:
It's nice to wake up leisurely, lay in bed with the one you Love and read. I finished Han King's The Vegetarian - ranked it with four out of five stars on Goodreads. The prose itself was outstanding, especially in the third section of the book, which is sort of three short stories with characters that thread them together into a novel. I would be curious to read more by Han King, and perhaps I will do so, however, my to-read pile is currently out of control. For now I'm going to duck back into Thomas Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer/Grimscribe, which I started at the beginning of the year while I was in Chicago and, truthfully, am finding a little difficult to stick through. My one book from last year that still lingers at 25 % read is, similarly, Ramsey Campbell's Alone with the Horrors. It's not short story anthologies I have an issue sticking with per say, but instead the tone of both Ligotti and Campbell's work. No, they're not "Too Dark", there's just something in each that leaves me a bit flat. Perhaps my expectations for Ligotti were a tad high - this is the first of his works I've read, and knowing he was a major influence on True Detective Ssn 1 excited the hell out of me. I loved that season and - despite hating the ending - its tone is one of my favorites ever, and it's not that I expected or even wanted Ligotti's work to be similar, but I wasn't expecting the slightly truncated manner in which he sometimes works. I'm half way through Songs of a Dead Dreamer and although the first few stories hit me very hard, as I go deeper I feel a certain unfinished or rushed quality to some of them, the best example of which is The Lost Art of Twilight, which felt extremely rushed, as if the author had no idea how to pay-off what he had so carefully set up. Maybe I'm simply missing something, or maybe not, this is merely my perception at this point.
So if I'm going to pick at Ligotti's short stories over the course of the next few months, using one or two as palate cleansers between longer works, I need something as my next main read. Nick Cave's And the Ass Saw the Angel is on deck, however K gifted me a copy of this little gem last night for our two-year anniversary and I'm already chomping at the bit to go through it, even though it will inevitably lead to that to-read pile growing exponentially.
"There are simply too many books to read, whatever shall I do?" This, ladies and germs, is the definition of First World Problems. We live amazing lives folks, don't take them for granted.
Play list from yesterday:
Swans - Glowing Man
ttt (Crosses) - Eponymous
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
Godflesh - A World Lit Only by Fire
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Drove up to Hollywood last night and attended a limited screening of Robert Mockler's Like Me. I posted the trailer a few days ago but here it is again; I loved this flick. The characters are hard to like but the journey they take is one big dig on social media culture - or lack thereof - and the method by which the film is assembled is gorgeous, reminding me of Harmony Korine for sure. To me that's a good thing. And of course Larry Fessenden is in it, and I generally like everything he is associated with.
Card of the day:
This one shows up inverted; I've never placed a lot of weight on card inversion, especially in single card draws. There's something to be said for their interpretation when they're juxtaposed with other cards in a spread, but alone, it's kind of just the card to me.
There's nothing in my Grimoire about this one so what do we know? Well, this is the Airy-aspect of Fire; look at the movement in the card - rushing forward, so we're talking motivation, movement, doing. Interesting then that I'm intent on doing nothing but relaxing for the next three days. Well, that's not entirely true, we have some social events planned, and I had wanted to write each day, even if just to do these posts and get in my daily words, which could totally be the aspect of the weekend that I brush off. So I'll interpret drawing this card as sound advice not to do that.
It's nice to wake up leisurely, lay in bed with the one you Love and read. I finished Han King's The Vegetarian - ranked it with four out of five stars on Goodreads. The prose itself was outstanding, especially in the third section of the book, which is sort of three short stories with characters that thread them together into a novel. I would be curious to read more by Han King, and perhaps I will do so, however, my to-read pile is currently out of control. For now I'm going to duck back into Thomas Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer/Grimscribe, which I started at the beginning of the year while I was in Chicago and, truthfully, am finding a little difficult to stick through. My one book from last year that still lingers at 25 % read is, similarly, Ramsey Campbell's Alone with the Horrors. It's not short story anthologies I have an issue sticking with per say, but instead the tone of both Ligotti and Campbell's work. No, they're not "Too Dark", there's just something in each that leaves me a bit flat. Perhaps my expectations for Ligotti were a tad high - this is the first of his works I've read, and knowing he was a major influence on True Detective Ssn 1 excited the hell out of me. I loved that season and - despite hating the ending - its tone is one of my favorites ever, and it's not that I expected or even wanted Ligotti's work to be similar, but I wasn't expecting the slightly truncated manner in which he sometimes works. I'm half way through Songs of a Dead Dreamer and although the first few stories hit me very hard, as I go deeper I feel a certain unfinished or rushed quality to some of them, the best example of which is The Lost Art of Twilight, which felt extremely rushed, as if the author had no idea how to pay-off what he had so carefully set up. Maybe I'm simply missing something, or maybe not, this is merely my perception at this point.
So if I'm going to pick at Ligotti's short stories over the course of the next few months, using one or two as palate cleansers between longer works, I need something as my next main read. Nick Cave's And the Ass Saw the Angel is on deck, however K gifted me a copy of this little gem last night for our two-year anniversary and I'm already chomping at the bit to go through it, even though it will inevitably lead to that to-read pile growing exponentially.
"There are simply too many books to read, whatever shall I do?" This, ladies and germs, is the definition of First World Problems. We live amazing lives folks, don't take them for granted.
Play list from yesterday:
Swans - Glowing Man
ttt (Crosses) - Eponymous
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
Godflesh - A World Lit Only by Fire
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Drove up to Hollywood last night and attended a limited screening of Robert Mockler's Like Me. I posted the trailer a few days ago but here it is again; I loved this flick. The characters are hard to like but the journey they take is one big dig on social media culture - or lack thereof - and the method by which the film is assembled is gorgeous, reminding me of Harmony Korine for sure. To me that's a good thing. And of course Larry Fessenden is in it, and I generally like everything he is associated with.
Card of the day:
This one shows up inverted; I've never placed a lot of weight on card inversion, especially in single card draws. There's something to be said for their interpretation when they're juxtaposed with other cards in a spread, but alone, it's kind of just the card to me.
There's nothing in my Grimoire about this one so what do we know? Well, this is the Airy-aspect of Fire; look at the movement in the card - rushing forward, so we're talking motivation, movement, doing. Interesting then that I'm intent on doing nothing but relaxing for the next three days. Well, that's not entirely true, we have some social events planned, and I had wanted to write each day, even if just to do these posts and get in my daily words, which could totally be the aspect of the weekend that I brush off. So I'll interpret drawing this card as sound advice not to do that.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
2018: February 1st, 6:31 AM
Last night I absolutely killed the penultimate scene in my current writing project. It felt great. Today - if I have a chance - I'll move into the climax. This is all still just first pass, rough draft but it's still major progress. Once I write the climax and finale, I'll go back and add in a few chapters that I've come up with to flesh certain characters or ideas out - stuff I didn't know we were going to need until construction of the ongoing continuity revealed their necessity to me. One is probably a scene with Truby's "Half-man", although we intend to turn that on its ear a bit. After that I'll run everything through Grammarly, then tidy up and send it to Keller, who will read and add concepts/scenes/edits accordingly. Our deadline is in April - Thursday the 12th to be exact. Which is serendipitous indeed...
Started my musical day with Track #3 on Swans' 2016 release The Glowing Man. This is the title track and it's just fantastic. There's a real sense that Michael Gira's sound lodge has been influenced by the doors on this one, and after all the spacey effulgence that comprises the roughly the first half of the track, listen for the sheer awesomeness that Gira and company pull out at around the 15 minute mark. Mmmm-mmm!
Playlist for yesterday looks like this:
Zen Guerilla - Positronic Raygun
Nevermen - Eponymous
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Glass Animals - How to be a Human Being
Tuneyards - I Can Feel You Creep into my Private Life
Zen Guerilla - Positron Raygun
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Deafheaven - Sunbather
ttt (Crosses) Eponymous
Card of the day is The Priestess:
"The Will (Womb) that takes the Magus' spark (seed) and gives it form."
Can denote change/fluctuation; governed by gracious or pure influences.
The active difference between this and the preceding card in the deck's Major Arcana, The Magus, is that the Magus generates their own power, the Priestess taps into the power of the Universe.
Note the grid - I liken the difference outlined in that last sentence as the difference between so-called High Magick and Chaos Magick, the school I have always identified the most with. Chaos Magick is hacking the operating system or grid of reality. And there's that grid...
Looking forward to Sonny's Joup Friday Album tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll be posting the second installment of my "Drinking, Fighting, F*&king, and Crying later today. This week's song topic? Fighting.
Started my musical day with Track #3 on Swans' 2016 release The Glowing Man. This is the title track and it's just fantastic. There's a real sense that Michael Gira's sound lodge has been influenced by the doors on this one, and after all the spacey effulgence that comprises the roughly the first half of the track, listen for the sheer awesomeness that Gira and company pull out at around the 15 minute mark. Mmmm-mmm!
Playlist for yesterday looks like this:
Zen Guerilla - Positronic Raygun
Nevermen - Eponymous
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Glass Animals - How to be a Human Being
Tuneyards - I Can Feel You Creep into my Private Life
Zen Guerilla - Positron Raygun
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Deafheaven - Sunbather
ttt (Crosses) Eponymous
Card of the day is The Priestess:
Can denote change/fluctuation; governed by gracious or pure influences.
The active difference between this and the preceding card in the deck's Major Arcana, The Magus, is that the Magus generates their own power, the Priestess taps into the power of the Universe.
Note the grid - I liken the difference outlined in that last sentence as the difference between so-called High Magick and Chaos Magick, the school I have always identified the most with. Chaos Magick is hacking the operating system or grid of reality. And there's that grid...
Looking forward to Sonny's Joup Friday Album tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll be posting the second installment of my "Drinking, Fighting, F*&king, and Crying later today. This week's song topic? Fighting.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
2018: January 31st 5:02 AM
I woke up with an 'old' MIA song in my head so I thought I'd lead with it here:
Since the week began I have felt unusually sleep deprived and thus, I have not gotten much writing done. Interestingly enough though, the sleep-starved brain may not work very well at hammering out the actual interconenctive tissue of Prose itself, yet it seems remarkably capable in figuring out the foundation work underneath the Prose. Yesterday, I once again overcame a 'big picture' problem just by thinking about it. I know that sounds a bit obvious, but it's not; previously I've always written my way into structure. It feels like an ENORMOUS accomplishment to be hashing major plot points beforehand. I've never been too much on outlining but this is a bit different and doesn't make the actual writing process feel stodgy once I dig into it.
Playlist yesterday looks something like this:
Zen Guerilla - Positronic Raygun
The Casket Lottery - Real Fear
The Soft Moon - Zeroes
Curtis Harding - Face Your Fear
Tuneyards - I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life
Real Estate - Days
Glass Animals - How To Be a Human Being
Zen Guerilla - Trance States in Tongues
And yeah, I'm really digging The Casket Lottery. They're playing in Irvine at Chain Reaction on a Friday sometime in the spring and I'm almost definitely going to go. Oh! Also, I scored tickets to see Preoccupations at The Echo in May. Very excited about that.
Card of the day:
Again? Okay, that could be a good thing.
I had not realized Tuneyards third record had been released - I thought I read March originally - and as soon as I caught wind of it I added it in Apple Music and dug in. Once again they blow my mind. Merrill and company's sophomore release Nikki Nack claimed my number one album of the year in 2014 and after one listen I can already tell that is not outside the realm of possibility for I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life. Great title, too.
Track 6, Colonizer is my favorite track on the new album (thus far) but I can't find a good version to embed here so I'll go with the video they've released for album opener Heart Attack:
Since the week began I have felt unusually sleep deprived and thus, I have not gotten much writing done. Interestingly enough though, the sleep-starved brain may not work very well at hammering out the actual interconenctive tissue of Prose itself, yet it seems remarkably capable in figuring out the foundation work underneath the Prose. Yesterday, I once again overcame a 'big picture' problem just by thinking about it. I know that sounds a bit obvious, but it's not; previously I've always written my way into structure. It feels like an ENORMOUS accomplishment to be hashing major plot points beforehand. I've never been too much on outlining but this is a bit different and doesn't make the actual writing process feel stodgy once I dig into it.
Playlist yesterday looks something like this:
Zen Guerilla - Positronic Raygun
The Casket Lottery - Real Fear
The Soft Moon - Zeroes
Curtis Harding - Face Your Fear
Tuneyards - I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life
Real Estate - Days
Glass Animals - How To Be a Human Being
Zen Guerilla - Trance States in Tongues
And yeah, I'm really digging The Casket Lottery. They're playing in Irvine at Chain Reaction on a Friday sometime in the spring and I'm almost definitely going to go. Oh! Also, I scored tickets to see Preoccupations at The Echo in May. Very excited about that.
Card of the day:
Again? Okay, that could be a good thing.
I had not realized Tuneyards third record had been released - I thought I read March originally - and as soon as I caught wind of it I added it in Apple Music and dug in. Once again they blow my mind. Merrill and company's sophomore release Nikki Nack claimed my number one album of the year in 2014 and after one listen I can already tell that is not outside the realm of possibility for I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life. Great title, too.
Track 6, Colonizer is my favorite track on the new album (thus far) but I can't find a good version to embed here so I'll go with the video they've released for album opener Heart Attack:
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
2018: January 30th 6:26 AM
I once again began the day in silent contemplation of my current writing project and I am happy to say, after a vexing and truncated writing session last night I smashed my problems this morning. Used the Olympus - let's call her Diane from now on, for obvious reasons - to record it all and now I'll transcribe it, let it stew for a few hours and try and map it on lunch. To reward myself I spent the later half of my commute listening to my two favorite tracks off Zen Guerilla's Positronic Raygun album from 1997, the second because I always lust for this track when Spring kicks in, and in truly baffling Southern California fashion, it's spring ladies and gentlemen. The first because I wanted something to zone out to in order to pull my thoughts out of the 'writing soup' they'd been in:
To get the full effect of Frequency Out you really need to do Healing in the Water, 2000 Watts over the South Side and then Frequency Out, but I figured two tracks as an intro here was already a bit cumbersome. The entire album is online and I can't recommend it or Zen Guerrilla in general enough; these guys were one of the best live bands I've ever seen - and I've seen a lot of bands live. Miss these guys. Miss the people Healing in the Water reminds me of, too. That's a different post though, one that I may have already put on here somewhere in the murky aeythers of the past.
Card of the day:
I've got nothing on this card in my Thoth Grimoire and I'm thinking now maybe that's why I have money but no gain - I don't know it, I haven't spent the time getting to know what it is to truly Gain. Or maybe that's a little new age. Not sure. More coffee please.
Yesterday's playlist looks like this:
The Knife - Shaking the Habitual
Teenage Wrist - Chrome Neon Jesus (just the three pre-release tracks currently available)
Teenage Wrist - Dazed EP
The Casket Lottery - Real Fear
Viet Cong - Eponymous
Sleigh Bells - Kid Kruschev
Ministry - Animositisomina
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Wrong Creatures
Deafheaven - Sunbather
A little Roxy Music off their debut in there somewhere too.
Teenage Wrist is a band my good friend Jacob told me about. They are Incredible:
The Casket Lottery are an Los Angeles band the sound guy at The Love Song bar told me about last week - I added their album Real Fear that night so I wouldn't forget it but didn't have a chance to listen to it until yesterday. They are also fantastic and not at all what I expected based on the context of the conversation they were originally brought up in and what the name/cover image might suggest. Let's all say thank you for artists still willing to defy expectations.
To get the full effect of Frequency Out you really need to do Healing in the Water, 2000 Watts over the South Side and then Frequency Out, but I figured two tracks as an intro here was already a bit cumbersome. The entire album is online and I can't recommend it or Zen Guerrilla in general enough; these guys were one of the best live bands I've ever seen - and I've seen a lot of bands live. Miss these guys. Miss the people Healing in the Water reminds me of, too. That's a different post though, one that I may have already put on here somewhere in the murky aeythers of the past.
Card of the day:
Yesterday's playlist looks like this:
The Knife - Shaking the Habitual
Teenage Wrist - Chrome Neon Jesus (just the three pre-release tracks currently available)
Teenage Wrist - Dazed EP
The Casket Lottery - Real Fear
Viet Cong - Eponymous
Sleigh Bells - Kid Kruschev
Ministry - Animositisomina
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Wrong Creatures
Deafheaven - Sunbather
A little Roxy Music off their debut in there somewhere too.
Teenage Wrist is a band my good friend Jacob told me about. They are Incredible:
The Casket Lottery are an Los Angeles band the sound guy at The Love Song bar told me about last week - I added their album Real Fear that night so I wouldn't forget it but didn't have a chance to listen to it until yesterday. They are also fantastic and not at all what I expected based on the context of the conversation they were originally brought up in and what the name/cover image might suggest. Let's all say thank you for artists still willing to defy expectations.
Monday, January 29, 2018
2018: January 29th 6:40 AM
Started the day with some quiet drive time wherein I may have worked out a problem prohibiting another writing project I'm partially engaged with at the moment. Had that by the halfway point so I decided to reward myself with a little TV On the Radio:
In the interests of refining this journal as I go, I'm going to add and subtract things as I see fit. First thing I'm adding?
Tarot of the day.
The theme for this year is shaping up to be a daily one: daily words, daily playlists, and now daily card. Today's card is the Emperor. Note: I only use one deck and it's Crowley and Lady Freida Harris's Thoth.
In the interests of refining this journal as I go, I'm going to add and subtract things as I see fit. First thing I'm adding?
Tarot of the day.
The theme for this year is shaping up to be a daily one: daily words, daily playlists, and now daily card. Today's card is the Emperor. Note: I only use one deck and it's Crowley and Lady Freida Harris's Thoth.
Here's what I have in my homemade Tarot Grimoire - which is not nearly complete or even extensive at this point, more on that in a minute:
The Rules that Govern All Life.
- Action, Decisiveness and High Energy.
- Engage obstacles/enemies
- Strength
Honestly that already feels like today, at least the action and high energy part.
It's been almost 3 years since I engaged with my deck, which I've had for close to 15. I wax and wane with activity in Tarot and Magick in general (although there is a part of me that chooses to see the way in have made writing an institution in my life as my own personal vow of Ipsissimis) and in that time I've probably done 2 pulls; this is all due to the fallout in 2015 of extended Magickal Practice surrounding Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham's Nameless comic, the annotations/research for which I did is still live on Joup. I don't think I ever put don't the experience I had in words, but maybe I'll do that soon. Needless to say it was a harbinger for the 'dark night of the soul' that 2015 was for me.
Playlist yesterday was non-existent; I started the day with that Eno and from there the only music I listened to was some Emily Kinney stuff K played in her car as we ran errands. Other than that the day disappeared in quiet chunks scored only by the sound of my Love's voice and the snarky complaints from our cat. We did watch Adaptation and it was just as good as I remembered it.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
2018: January 28th 9:59 AM
"Juanita and Juan, very clever with maracas, making their fortunes selling secondhand tobaccos. Juan dances at Chicos and when the client's are evicted, he empties the ashtrays and pockets all that he's collected."
Beginning my musical day with Brian Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets. It feels like a warm blanket after the night we had. Surprise party for Keller went off without a hitch. Drinks were consumed - a lot of drinks. There was plenty of Sierra Nevada and Guinness going around, as well as a bottle of Basil Hayden - which is, thus far, the bourbon that has made me rethink Bourbon, which I normally turn my nose up to. And a bottle of Port Dundas, which was fantastic. Because of the party, the playlist was alllll over the place, but a snapshot of the entire day looks something like this:
Converse - The Dusk in Us
Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land
Algiers - The Underside of Power
Au Pairs - Sense and Sensuality
David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
Grimes - Art Angels
Black Francis - Bluefinger
Moved into the writing portion of my night, a brainstorm session with Keller to iron out some big picture problems with the structure of our story. Switched sonic gears to Reznor and Ross's OST for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. From there I segued into Sleigh Bells - Treatment, the opening track of which we're using as a soundtrack to a scene in our story we refer to as, "The Sleigh Bells Massacre".
No, its not a Christmas story.
The timing was impeccable - K showed up right as the song went nuts and charged through the door with many of our friends behind her. Keller was stunned. From there, all musical bets were off. I can tell you we indulged in some John Spencer Blues Explosion, Def Leppard, The Knife, Was (Not Was), Morris Day and The Time, Prince, then bafflingly I see New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe on my "recently played".
Huh. Never underestimate the nostalgic power of whiskey + friends.
Going to go to breakfast and then lick my wounds. Planning on watching Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation today, which I just received from Amazon and haven't seen since the theatrical run. I'll never forget walking out of that Orland Park cinema with Brown in 2002 and saying, "Well, I've never said it before and I'll probably never say it again, but Nicholas Cage deserved TWO fucking Oscars for that one."
Of course Cage didn't get it. We'll see how bad the oscars fuck it up this year - I usually just scoff at their sad attempts to 'reward' artistic merit, which I do not believe has anything to do with the oscar's agenda at all. This year the Golden Globes - an awards institution I normally pay less attention to than the oscars - really felt like they hit it on the nose, so I'll probably be more apt to talk about that show when in need of an industry awards reference, if ever.
Beginning my musical day with Brian Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets. It feels like a warm blanket after the night we had. Surprise party for Keller went off without a hitch. Drinks were consumed - a lot of drinks. There was plenty of Sierra Nevada and Guinness going around, as well as a bottle of Basil Hayden - which is, thus far, the bourbon that has made me rethink Bourbon, which I normally turn my nose up to. And a bottle of Port Dundas, which was fantastic. Because of the party, the playlist was alllll over the place, but a snapshot of the entire day looks something like this:
Converse - The Dusk in Us
Revolting Cocks - Big Sexy Land
Algiers - The Underside of Power
Au Pairs - Sense and Sensuality
David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
Grimes - Art Angels
Black Francis - Bluefinger
Moved into the writing portion of my night, a brainstorm session with Keller to iron out some big picture problems with the structure of our story. Switched sonic gears to Reznor and Ross's OST for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. From there I segued into Sleigh Bells - Treatment, the opening track of which we're using as a soundtrack to a scene in our story we refer to as, "The Sleigh Bells Massacre".
No, its not a Christmas story.
The timing was impeccable - K showed up right as the song went nuts and charged through the door with many of our friends behind her. Keller was stunned. From there, all musical bets were off. I can tell you we indulged in some John Spencer Blues Explosion, Def Leppard, The Knife, Was (Not Was), Morris Day and The Time, Prince, then bafflingly I see New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe on my "recently played".
Huh. Never underestimate the nostalgic power of whiskey + friends.
Going to go to breakfast and then lick my wounds. Planning on watching Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation today, which I just received from Amazon and haven't seen since the theatrical run. I'll never forget walking out of that Orland Park cinema with Brown in 2002 and saying, "Well, I've never said it before and I'll probably never say it again, but Nicholas Cage deserved TWO fucking Oscars for that one."
Of course Cage didn't get it. We'll see how bad the oscars fuck it up this year - I usually just scoff at their sad attempts to 'reward' artistic merit, which I do not believe has anything to do with the oscar's agenda at all. This year the Golden Globes - an awards institution I normally pay less attention to than the oscars - really felt like they hit it on the nose, so I'll probably be more apt to talk about that show when in need of an industry awards reference, if ever.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
2018: January 27th 9:51 AM
Started the day in silence as I drove to work on a relatively clean 405. As I've become increasingly intent on becoming a better writer I find starting the morning with my thoughts is a very good thing. Lots of ideas come to me in the morning, always have, and it's a good thing to let them flow. I work a lot of 'big picture' problems out this way, and I keep my handy dandy Olympus VN-722 PC Digital Voice Recorder in my car so I can always click it on and capture everything completely; one thing I've learned as I've aged is no matter how great an idea is, it will often slip away and disappear completely if I don't nab it on the spot.
Starting my musical day with Converge, as I'm still buzzing off the show on Thursday:
Didn't have a lot of time to make progress with Han King's The Vegetarian this week, but I'm eeking along; the perspective shift at about page 50 was interesting and adds a whole new angle to whatever the hell is happening. I'm enjoying this very much.
Reading-wise I did make some progress in catching up with all the comics I'm behind on, chief among them Kevin Eastman's ongoing relaunch of TMNT. I can't say enough good things about this series, it's still the best re-launch I've ever seen. I grew up in the mid-to-late 80s as a fan of the original Eastman and Laird B&W series, before the Turtles became marketed at children, a tactic I've never begrudged, as the creators have always been good about keeping at least one title on the shelves to appeal to us old school fans: there was the Erik Larsen B&W series in the 90s that continued the original series, then the Peter Laird series in the early 00s, and now this Eastman-driven one that started circa 2012 and has brilliantly brought in elements of every iteration of the Turtles and found a way to do all of it without alienating any aspect of the fanbase. The long form storytelling makes me smile to no end, and when I finished the double-sized final chapter of "The Trial of Krang" the other night I was once again in awe of how excellent this series is.
Starting my musical day with Converge, as I'm still buzzing off the show on Thursday:
Didn't have a lot of time to make progress with Han King's The Vegetarian this week, but I'm eeking along; the perspective shift at about page 50 was interesting and adds a whole new angle to whatever the hell is happening. I'm enjoying this very much.
Yesterday's playlist was once again a bit diluted, as I started work later than normal to accommodate for the late night after the concert. I wasn't totally keeping track of what I was listening to, but I'll try to pull from memory:
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Fiona Apple - Tidal
Drab Majesty - Careless
Swans - Glowing Man (Disc 1)
David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise
This last album was also the subject of my Joup Friday Album yesterday, filling in for Sonny who takes up the reigns next week.
Speaking of Joup, I launched my new, weekly column this past Thursday: Drinking, Fighting, F*&king and Crying - check it out, this week's is Drinking, next week's is Fighting and so on. You get the picture.
Friday, January 26, 2018
2018: January 26th 9:19 AM (by way of 11:37 PM)
Converge at The Regent - awesome band, awesome show. Here's a break-down of my night in Downtown LA - still the filthiest city I've ever seen in my life:
-Drive to Hollywood after work and meet up at Keller's place
-One last Americano before the show to help buoy my up-since-four-AM-arse
-Drive to DTLA, stare aghast at the post-apocalyptic landscape - as Keller mused, "It's an abandoned city"
-Walk three blocks to The Regent. The Regent is owned by Spaceland, who now own/book the Regent and the two places on either side of it, Prufrock Pizza and The Love Song Bar. We had some pizzas and a pitcher of Stone IPA at Prufrock, then further avoided waiting in the massive entry line by walking over to the Love Song Bar, where they had Abita Amber on tap (Not my favorite Amber but I needed a break from the IPA mouth) and were spinning The Kinks on vinyl over the sound system. Halfway through the first pint local LA band Spain began a set of some of the most wonderfully jazz-tinted indie rock I've heard in years. We stayed for three songs and then...
-Go into The Regent just in time to see Sumac's set (we missed Cult Leader). Sumac is Aaron Turner's (formerly of Isis) new band. They are outstanding. Converge went on at 11:00 and KILLED it. No video up from last night's show yet, so here's them doing my favorite song on The Dusk in Us live a few months ago:
All in all a fantastic night that we rounded down with a few beers at a wannabe dive back in Hollywood.
Aside from the live experience, yesterday's playlist looked something like this:
Jimmy Hendrix and the Experience - Axis Bold As Love
Thin Lizzy - Fighting
Converge - Caring and Killing
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Roxy Music - Eponymous
Swans - The Glowing Man (disc 2)
Here's a trailer for a movie I really want to see. Thank the Universe for Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix:
-Drive to Hollywood after work and meet up at Keller's place
-One last Americano before the show to help buoy my up-since-four-AM-arse
-Drive to DTLA, stare aghast at the post-apocalyptic landscape - as Keller mused, "It's an abandoned city"
-Walk three blocks to The Regent. The Regent is owned by Spaceland, who now own/book the Regent and the two places on either side of it, Prufrock Pizza and The Love Song Bar. We had some pizzas and a pitcher of Stone IPA at Prufrock, then further avoided waiting in the massive entry line by walking over to the Love Song Bar, where they had Abita Amber on tap (Not my favorite Amber but I needed a break from the IPA mouth) and were spinning The Kinks on vinyl over the sound system. Halfway through the first pint local LA band Spain began a set of some of the most wonderfully jazz-tinted indie rock I've heard in years. We stayed for three songs and then...
-Go into The Regent just in time to see Sumac's set (we missed Cult Leader). Sumac is Aaron Turner's (formerly of Isis) new band. They are outstanding. Converge went on at 11:00 and KILLED it. No video up from last night's show yet, so here's them doing my favorite song on The Dusk in Us live a few months ago:
All in all a fantastic night that we rounded down with a few beers at a wannabe dive back in Hollywood.
Aside from the live experience, yesterday's playlist looked something like this:
Jimmy Hendrix and the Experience - Axis Bold As Love
Thin Lizzy - Fighting
Converge - Caring and Killing
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Roxy Music - Eponymous
Swans - The Glowing Man (disc 2)
Here's a trailer for a movie I really want to see. Thank the Universe for Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix:
Thursday, January 25, 2018
2018: January 25th 6:53 AM
ROUGH morning on the 405. Snoozed through my eight alarms (!), got a late start, and of course Thursday is the worst day for traffic in LaLaLand. Just having my first sip of coffee now as I write this - how did I ever make it all the way to work without it?
After the news of Mark E. Smith yesterday I needed some aural sunshine this morning so I listened to Axis Bold As Love. Man, that album never fails to bring the good vibes. I've long likened it to a religious experience and that comparison stands. Since I can't find any of that to post from youtube I'll throw you a slice of what I'll be getting into as I start my work day:
Playlist from yesterday was scarcer than usual:
Preoccupations - Eponymous
Swans - The Glowing Man (Disc 1)
USSA (Duane Denison and Paul Barker!)
Ennio Morricone/John Carpenter - The Thing OST (WaxWork edition)
The Politics of Punk - disc 6 (By way of The Fall and Rowche Rumble)
Johnny Jewel - Windswept
Converge tonight!
After the news of Mark E. Smith yesterday I needed some aural sunshine this morning so I listened to Axis Bold As Love. Man, that album never fails to bring the good vibes. I've long likened it to a religious experience and that comparison stands. Since I can't find any of that to post from youtube I'll throw you a slice of what I'll be getting into as I start my work day:
Playlist from yesterday was scarcer than usual:
Preoccupations - Eponymous
Swans - The Glowing Man (Disc 1)
USSA (Duane Denison and Paul Barker!)
Ennio Morricone/John Carpenter - The Thing OST (WaxWork edition)
The Politics of Punk - disc 6 (By way of The Fall and Rowche Rumble)
Johnny Jewel - Windswept
Converge tonight!
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
R.I.P. Mark E. Smith
On my way home this evening Mr. Brown sent me a text relaying the news that Mark E. Smith, mastermind behind Post-Punk legends The Fall, passed away today at the age of 60. I immediately knew what my tribute would be, however I'm still unsure where exactly this version of my favorite song by The Fall is originally from (I actually uploaded this one because I couldn't find it anywhere on youtube). I found this song, and conversely my appreciation of the band, via a weird compilation I bought in the early 2000's called either The Politics of Punk or The (S)hit Factory. Shortly thereafter on a trip to London, I visited as many record stores as possible and bought a handful of albums by the band, however I never located this version of Rowche Rumble, which remains as awesome today as it was the first time I heard it, no matter how many times in a row I listen to it.
RIP Mr. Smith. You've done good work and earned your rest.
2018: January 24th 8:43 AM
Not looking forward to traversing the 405 this morning. Waiting for the traffic to subside after taking a late start at work because the MAINT REQD light came on yesterday on the way home. Everything's good though; my Mechanic was able to get me for a 7:30 and true to his word - he always is - I was in and out in half an hour. So I was able to sleep a bit late and then pass the first part of the morning sitting in his shop talking politics with him and another local I met, a retired LA Firefighter. Good guys. Not seduced by the lack of common sense that blinds both sides of the political arena to what I like to call good ol' common sense. I wish I knew how to start a political party, because the more people I talk to lately, the more my idea for a Common Sense Party seems like something that would appeal to all the people who don't simply treat their politics like a sporting event. Fuck you side - it's about pragmatism and common sense. Also, let me say if you do not have a local, independent mechanic, you are missing out. Find one in your area and go to them for your oil changes and maintenance - it's a great way to support local business and I've yet to meet one I didn't like. Well, that's not exactly true, but you can usually sniff out a bad one right away. Most are great people who will give you the proverbial seat cover off their back. Or something like that.
Starting my musical day with Preoccupations again:
The playlist for yesterday looks something like this:
Viet Cong - Eponymous
Preoccupations - Eponymous
(Those two probably at least four times each)
David Bowie - Black Tie, White Noise
The Jesus Lizard - Liar
Zombi - Shape Shift
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - The Girl w/ The Dragon Tattoo OST
Chasms - On The Legs of Love Purified
Disasterpeace - It Follows OST
That was my first time listening to the It Follows OST; I put the album on repeat as I fell asleep and it woke me up in the middle of the night with some sudden horrific sound that I think burrowed back into my brain and left me with a strange feeling and a constant, on-the-hour wakefulness. Good stuff.
As I intimated yesterday, I've always wanted to journal the daily totality of what I consume music-wise; I've always harbored suspicions seeing the trends and constants, after enough time, would give me some overarching insight into my daily 'self'. Also as I said previously I have no idea how sustainable an idea this journaling will be. But for now, I'm enjoying the process.
Finished Reinhard Kleist's Nick Cave: Mercy on Me and dove into Han Kang's The Vegetarian. ~50 pages in and I am unsettled and beyond curious to know where the hell this is going. Thanks to Tori for lending me this and another novel I probably would not have heard of otherwise, The Book of Joan, which I'm also looking forward to reading before too long. Really interested in diversifying my reading habits this year and this is a good start. Not that there won't be that new Laird Barron in May (Can't wait!), as well as a whole host of the usual, creepy ass books I love so much. Next however, I think I'll finally dive back into Nick Cave's And the Ass Saw the Angel, which I started back about eleven years ago and regretfully never finished. Kleist's journey into, ahem, "Caveland" really reignited something.
Starting my musical day with Preoccupations again:
The playlist for yesterday looks something like this:
Viet Cong - Eponymous
Preoccupations - Eponymous
(Those two probably at least four times each)
David Bowie - Black Tie, White Noise
The Jesus Lizard - Liar
Zombi - Shape Shift
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - The Girl w/ The Dragon Tattoo OST
Chasms - On The Legs of Love Purified
Disasterpeace - It Follows OST
That was my first time listening to the It Follows OST; I put the album on repeat as I fell asleep and it woke me up in the middle of the night with some sudden horrific sound that I think burrowed back into my brain and left me with a strange feeling and a constant, on-the-hour wakefulness. Good stuff.
As I intimated yesterday, I've always wanted to journal the daily totality of what I consume music-wise; I've always harbored suspicions seeing the trends and constants, after enough time, would give me some overarching insight into my daily 'self'. Also as I said previously I have no idea how sustainable an idea this journaling will be. But for now, I'm enjoying the process.
Finished Reinhard Kleist's Nick Cave: Mercy on Me and dove into Han Kang's The Vegetarian. ~50 pages in and I am unsettled and beyond curious to know where the hell this is going. Thanks to Tori for lending me this and another novel I probably would not have heard of otherwise, The Book of Joan, which I'm also looking forward to reading before too long. Really interested in diversifying my reading habits this year and this is a good start. Not that there won't be that new Laird Barron in May (Can't wait!), as well as a whole host of the usual, creepy ass books I love so much. Next however, I think I'll finally dive back into Nick Cave's And the Ass Saw the Angel, which I started back about eleven years ago and regretfully never finished. Kleist's journey into, ahem, "Caveland" really reignited something.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
2018: January 23rd 5:56 PM
Walked up to do my words today. About a nice mile hike uphill. Trying to regain some of what I lost with my health issues last year.
I finished Patrick Kindlon and Maria Lovet's There's Nothing There last night. Really cool book. The part that sealed the deal for me was when Oscar Zeta Acosta showed up. I mean - holy shite! He appears as something of a spirit, although maybe not exactly, and he drops the names of the other spirits that had previously appeared to the main character, Reno. Oscar's presence spurred me to do some research and sure enough, all of Reno's visitors were real people from history who disappeared.
Awesome!
Kindlon's afterwards are worth the read alone - they're all fantastic snapshots of the comic industry from someone immersed in it, and in the back of the final issue he teases that there's more to tell, that maybe he and Maria will get back to it some day.
Please do.
Fell head over heels in love with Viet Cong and their current incarnation as Preoccupations. I remember when all of the hullabaloo with their name was going on two or so years ago, but I never read up on it. Also never had the chance to check out the band, despite the fact that over on Heaven is an Incubator Tommy swore/swears by them up and down. Another great thing about Apple Music - everything I think of is at the touch of a button. These are good enough to own on tactile though, so I'm sure I'll grab the vinyls eventually. As I keep saying, Apple Music is great, but so is giving the artists your hard earned money for their art - not just the royalties they get from streaming services.
I'll be switching gears from the standard Deafheaven for those daily words today:
I finished Patrick Kindlon and Maria Lovet's There's Nothing There last night. Really cool book. The part that sealed the deal for me was when Oscar Zeta Acosta showed up. I mean - holy shite! He appears as something of a spirit, although maybe not exactly, and he drops the names of the other spirits that had previously appeared to the main character, Reno. Oscar's presence spurred me to do some research and sure enough, all of Reno's visitors were real people from history who disappeared.
Awesome!
Kindlon's afterwards are worth the read alone - they're all fantastic snapshots of the comic industry from someone immersed in it, and in the back of the final issue he teases that there's more to tell, that maybe he and Maria will get back to it some day.
Please do.
Fell head over heels in love with Viet Cong and their current incarnation as Preoccupations. I remember when all of the hullabaloo with their name was going on two or so years ago, but I never read up on it. Also never had the chance to check out the band, despite the fact that over on Heaven is an Incubator Tommy swore/swears by them up and down. Another great thing about Apple Music - everything I think of is at the touch of a button. These are good enough to own on tactile though, so I'm sure I'll grab the vinyls eventually. As I keep saying, Apple Music is great, but so is giving the artists your hard earned money for their art - not just the royalties they get from streaming services.
I'll be switching gears from the standard Deafheaven for those daily words today:
2018: January 23rd 7:16 AM
Already been awake and at the job for a little over an hour - real hard time rousing from slumber this morning. The 8 or so alarms I have set on my iPhone perpetually pummel me and I perpetually snooze them, until the unending cacophony of alarms leave me no choice but to crawl from the warm arms of my love and face the cold, cold world.
Yes. I used cold twice, despite the fact that I live in Los Angeles and the lowest it gets at night here right now is probably in the forties. I am not unaware of the ridiculousness my friends and family in the Midwest and East Coast will look upon this with. I've earned my stripes - did I mention it was -12 windshield for several of the days I was recently back in Chicago? It's all relative. Trust me. If you lived here 47 would be cold cold too.
Drove to work listening to Barry Adamson's Soul Murder. Track 8 reminds me of laying awake all night in a Drumcondra Bed and Breakfast with a broken heart. It's a good memory - one that helped get me here today, even if it occurred at the tail end of a night that almost permanently removed me from the planet. But that's a story for a different time. Soul Murder is exceptional, possibly my favorite of Mr. Adamson's early works, when he was crafting film scores for the movies in his head and releasing them via MUTE.
I can't find Reverie to embed so I'll give you a different taste of the album:
Speaking of music, one of the things I've wanted to do for, oh, probably my entire life is keep a running journal of what I listen to everyday. Like, everything. I don't know how much I'll keep this up, but when I can amass a day's tally, I'll post it here. Yesterday's looks like this:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: From Her to Eternity
The Birthday Party - Mutiny/The Bad Seed
Blut Aus Nord: Memorial Vetusta III:
Helmet: Aftertaste
Odonis Odonis: No Pop
Protomartyr: Agent Intellect
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Henry's Dream
Deafheaven: New Bermuda
The Knife: Shaking the Habitual
Curtis Harding: Face Your Fear
Talking Heads: random tracks from Talking Heads 77 and Fear of Music
Yes. I used cold twice, despite the fact that I live in Los Angeles and the lowest it gets at night here right now is probably in the forties. I am not unaware of the ridiculousness my friends and family in the Midwest and East Coast will look upon this with. I've earned my stripes - did I mention it was -12 windshield for several of the days I was recently back in Chicago? It's all relative. Trust me. If you lived here 47 would be cold cold too.
Drove to work listening to Barry Adamson's Soul Murder. Track 8 reminds me of laying awake all night in a Drumcondra Bed and Breakfast with a broken heart. It's a good memory - one that helped get me here today, even if it occurred at the tail end of a night that almost permanently removed me from the planet. But that's a story for a different time. Soul Murder is exceptional, possibly my favorite of Mr. Adamson's early works, when he was crafting film scores for the movies in his head and releasing them via MUTE.
I can't find Reverie to embed so I'll give you a different taste of the album:
Speaking of music, one of the things I've wanted to do for, oh, probably my entire life is keep a running journal of what I listen to everyday. Like, everything. I don't know how much I'll keep this up, but when I can amass a day's tally, I'll post it here. Yesterday's looks like this:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: From Her to Eternity
The Birthday Party - Mutiny/The Bad Seed
Blut Aus Nord: Memorial Vetusta III:
Helmet: Aftertaste
Odonis Odonis: No Pop
Protomartyr: Agent Intellect
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Henry's Dream
Deafheaven: New Bermuda
The Knife: Shaking the Habitual
Curtis Harding: Face Your Fear
Talking Heads: random tracks from Talking Heads 77 and Fear of Music
Monday, January 22, 2018
2018: January 22nd - 5:46 PM
Almost 12 hours since this morning's post. I just arrived at my writing spot, acquired more caffeine and am about to dig into the pure bliss of continuing work on a dream project, a kind of "what could be" for an iconic horror franchise that will probably never see the light of day. Or who knows? Between my writing partner and myself we have a few connections and an inimitable gift of salesmanship in certain situations.
As usual, digging into my favorite (and most played) writing music of all time:
Have an excellent night. I know I will.
As usual, digging into my favorite (and most played) writing music of all time:
Have an excellent night. I know I will.
2018: January 22nd
6:30 AM - I've already been awake for 2 hours. Going to be a long day, between work at the biorepository, the commute home (which hopefully won't be that bad but, well, I won't hold my breath) and my scheduled daily words for this evening, I'll be running on caffeine and sheer force O' Will for the next... 13 or 14 hours. And then I'll do it all again tomorrow, probably with less sleep under my belt. That's okay, Wednesday is nap day (I swear to the Sleep Bank theory, something I'll either link to or define myself sometime soon) and Thursday night is Converge at the Regent. Going to be insane. I've been looking for a band to fill the hole left by Dillinger Escape Plan's retirement, hopefully this will do the trick. I will NOT be hitting the action in the Pit however, as my torn hamstring at December 14th's Jesus Lizard show (The Fonda) has convinced me that, just like K warns me when I step up to the plate to do stupid things, I'm 41 and well past the age I can surf over a throbbing crowd on other people's fingertips and kindness.
Well, at least until I properly heal...
K and I watched The Killing of a Sacred Deer last night. Jesus H. Christ, where to begin? I'll save it for another time. I loved it though, and it will definitely make my "Shawn's Favorite Films: 2017 list, which I'm delaying publishing on Joup until the day of the oscars, just to allow myself time to see everything. Hey, if the awards that almost always get it wrong can have until February to see everything, so can I.
Began the day with some Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity.
Finishing up Reinhard Kleist's brilliant Graphic Novel Nick Cave: Mercy on Me
Also jogging through a re-read of Patrick Kindlon and Maria Llovet's There's Nothing There - issue 5, the final issue, came out recently and it'd been a few months since I'd read the previous ones, so I thought I'd go back to the beginning and read through until the end. Reno is a strange character; because of her vapid, media whore lifestyle I should hate her. I don't. I want to see her come out of this journey with something new to her, a better outlook. That said, I'll be just as interested in the final issue of the story if she doesn't evolve but receives some kind of comeuppance instead.
Well, at least until I properly heal...
K and I watched The Killing of a Sacred Deer last night. Jesus H. Christ, where to begin? I'll save it for another time. I loved it though, and it will definitely make my "Shawn's Favorite Films: 2017 list, which I'm delaying publishing on Joup until the day of the oscars, just to allow myself time to see everything. Hey, if the awards that almost always get it wrong can have until February to see everything, so can I.
Began the day with some Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity.
Finishing up Reinhard Kleist's brilliant Graphic Novel Nick Cave: Mercy on Me
Also jogging through a re-read of Patrick Kindlon and Maria Llovet's There's Nothing There - issue 5, the final issue, came out recently and it'd been a few months since I'd read the previous ones, so I thought I'd go back to the beginning and read through until the end. Reno is a strange character; because of her vapid, media whore lifestyle I should hate her. I don't. I want to see her come out of this journey with something new to her, a better outlook. That said, I'll be just as interested in the final issue of the story if she doesn't evolve but receives some kind of comeuppance instead.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Friday, December 1, 2017
Converge - Murk & Marrow
Converge is new to me, though I've heard of them in an increasing capacity for the last few years. Now I understand why. After listening to the new album, I can say The Dusk in Us is definitely going on my top 10 albums of 2017. Also, a friend scored sold-out tickets for us to see them at LA's The Regent, the venue where I caught Dillinger Escape Plan's farewell LA show last year. Maybe these guys will act as a suitable replacement for seeing DEP live.
Maybe. Either way, great album.
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