Isolation: Day 119 - Soul in Isolation

Over the last week or so, I've fallen back into The Chameleons UK pretty hard, and now Strange Times is a daily double listen (at least). I can't explain how much this album affects me; when I first found it in 2015 I was at a precipice, an unknown crossroads before me. It empowered the part of me that knew how everything would turn out, even if another, bigger part refused to go along with it.

I'd be remiss if I didn't add the caveat that, in my opinion, to really get the maximum effect of this song, it must be listened to in the context of the entire album, or at the very least, immediately followed by the next successive track on the record, Swamp Thing. Talk about an extremely powerful double-hitter.

**

I was SUPER excited to come home from work yesterday, smoke out, and watch Jeffrey A. Brown's debut feature The Beach House on Shudder. I knew nothing about this one going in except a blurb I saw that called it "Cosmic Body Horror."

I was not disappointed.

The Beach House takes an everyday situation, makes it awkward, so that a lot of the expectation is based on social mores. The film then balances on a precipice of possibilities, slowly turning up the tension, never quite doing what I expected it to. Which is almost always a great thing.

This one would make a great double-feature with Richard Stanley's The Color Out of Space, as the two films have similar themes and color palettes. Strong tone, great visuals and camera work - some nice juxtapositions of macro and micro with the lens - and eventually, squirm-inducing effects. Highly recommended, but wait for when you're open to a slow unraveling.



The Beach House was the first in a two-day, self-styled event viewing program that culminates tonight with the VOD premiere of Natalie Erika James' Relic. Without theatrical premieres and fests to look forward to, this is the way I stay sane and psyched for Horror Cinema!


**

Playlist:

Various Artists - Twin Peaks (Music from the Limited Series Event)
Ozzy Osbourne - The Ultimate Sin
The Chameleons UK - Strange Times
Lissie - My Wild West
Emma Ruth Rundle - On Dark Horses
Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
Exhalants - Bang (single)
The Obsessed - Lunar Womb
The Jesus Lizard - Head
Jenny Hval - Blood Bitch
Mannequin Pussy - Patience
Pygmy Shrews - The Egyptian
Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley (Expansion)
EPMD - Unfinished Business
Brainiac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture
Holy Porter - Kistvaen

**

Card:

Personal or global? I think we know the answer to that one, although I don't really have any conflicts (that I know of) at the moment.

Isolation: Day 117 New Exhalants!

New song from Austin's Exhalants. For my money, these guys are the closest band I know of to that old school Jesus Lizard vibe I love so much. I ordered their self-titled debut last year from bandcamp and love it, now it would seem we have a new record coming soon. Can't wait.

**

NCBD:

Didn't 22 just hit the stands last week? Looks like there was one in the queue when the Diamond hiatus happened, so we're getting an extra treat here on the backend. Very nice.

I KNEW IT! I knew that zero issue for Transformers '84 that Simon Furman and Guido Guidi did last year would lead to a series. SO excited. I don't read any other title associated with this beloved childhood franchise, but if Furman writes it, I am there! And look at that cover - does anyone ever get sick of watching Starscream and Megatron try and kill one another? I know I don't.

Love this cover too! This series continues to blow me away with its new direction, so I'm psyched to have 106 come in so close to 105.

**

Playlist:

Andrea Moscianese and Francesco Zampaglione - Tulpa OST
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
Exhalants - Band (single)
Exhalants - Eponymous
Brainiac - Bonsai Superstar
Brainiac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture
Perturbator - Dangerous Days
Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley
War on Women - Capture the Flag

Card:

A solid foundation of work yields results.

Isolation: Day 116 - Transmissions After Zero

Over the weekend, I finally got a chance to check out the Brainiac Doc that's now streaming on Prime. Transmissions After Zero is a fantastic slice of Midwest, indie rock history. I'll never forget the day Mr. Brown first played me Brainiac's Bonsai Superstar. The vocals reminded me of a cross between Marilyn Manson and Adam Sandler's Excited Southerner character (NOTE: This was before Sandler had become an affront to good taste). The music too, especially the guitars, hit the sweet spot between melodic and completely angular and dissonant.



I love all Brainiac's records, and the death of Mr. Taylor was one of the most tragic moments of 90s music history. This doc 100% does both Taylor and the band's legacy justice.

**

Another flick I watched over this past weekend is Jason Lei Howden's Guns Akimbo. Howden has already earned a place in heaven for his 2015 Heavy Metal possession flick Deathgasm, and now this? Akimbo is freakin' nuts; the absolute heir to the Crank series' throne for meth-level madness. Samara Weaving can do no wrong in my eyes at the moment, and Radcliffe gives a great performance as Miles whose punishment for being a worthless internet troll is to have two guns bolted through his palms and made to play in an underground death match internet series. Sound insane? It is:



**

Playlist:

Lustmord - Hobart
Battle Tapes - Sweatshop Boys EP
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Zombi - Shape Shift
Brainiac - Smack Bunny Baby
Van Halen - Eponymous
Brainiac - Bonsai Superstar
Brainiac - Hissing Prigs in Static Courture

**

Card:

Everything needs time and consideration. This dovetails nicely with my early morning realization that the short story I've been wrestling with off and on for over a year now, isn't working out the way I want it to because I've been trying to shoehorn a 10K words at least into under 6K. Accepting this and re-approaching it from that perspective, things may turn out better.

RIP Ennio Morricone

A legend has left us. Here's one of my many favorites from possibly the greatest cinema composer to ever walk the planet.

Sunday Bandcamp: Turquoise Moon - Midnight Demon

For our second installment of Sunday Bandcamp, I'm sticking with another Spun Out of Control release, however, this time things are not quite what they seem. After discovering Turquoise Moon and their OST from Midnight Demon, I became interested in the band. However, it appears - as in I may be incorrect - that this is actually a side project of Andy Fosberry, who is credited with re-mastering the "Original 1983 tapes" created by Terry Ferrello and Frank Heisenberg, the credited members of Turquoise Moon. That's from the bandcamp HERE. Other than that, there is no information of Terry and Frank, Turquoise Moon, or Midnight Demon anywhere online.

THIS is the kind of thing I LOVE - bands or artists that cultivate mystery. And I feel like it just doesn't happen anymore. Also, really cool album.

Isolation: Day 112 - Fourth of July

I have been nothing but impressed with Two Minutes to Late Night, both as an example of the Late Night TV format I grew up loving with David Letterman (that's where it ends for me), and a vehicle for outstanding cover songs. How do they handle one of my favorite Soundgarden songs?

Perfectly.

They're Patreon is HERE. I've been meaning to sign up. Seems like today is the day.

**

Last night I FINALLY watched Ti West's In A Valley of Violence. As a huge fan of Mr. West's work, my natural inclination to watch this one back when it became available on VOD in 2017. That said, the film proved a source of massive cognitive dissonance for me, as one of the stars is travolta, and I have a 'no travolta' rule when it comes to cinema. There's really no exception to this rule, and while I'll agree he did fine in Pulp Fiction, that film is one I pretty much have no interest in ever watching again, so it works out. At any rate, Valley is currently on HBO, and K was interested in seeing it, thus I had an impartial third party to help me over my hump. Turns out, as I suspected, the film is magnificent. Also turns out, JT does a pretty decent job in it.



Is this a learning experience for me? Should I break down and challenge my No-ben stiller and No jim carey rules?

Nope. Those will stay staunchly in place. I can make an argument that the JT rule was made broken already, as my boycott mainly applies to the post Pulp Fiction work of the actor. His earlier work is spotty, but definitely contains some gems, Brian De Palma's Blow Out being the example that immediately springs to mind.

**

Playlist:

Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
John Carpenter - Skeleton/Unclean Spirit
War on Women - Capture the Flag
The Chameleons UK - Strange Times
True Widow - AVVOLGERE
Prince - Sign O' The Times
The Obsessed - Lunar Womb
Megadeth - Rust in Peace

**

Card:

From the grimoire: "Big Influences and the creation of a new project."

Yes. I'm sitting down to that new project after I post this, so spot on.

This Now Please: Peripheral

Whoah. The month between now and the release of Paul Hyett's new film is going to seem interminable. Read more about it on Bloody Disgusting, HERE. Kind of reminds me of Lynch and Cronenberg in a blender.