Todd Rundgren - I Saw the Light

 

Last night we finished Ozark. Man, what a f**kin' ride! This show brings the anxiety meter to new heights. It obviously wouldn't exist without Breaking Bad, but that's not a knock. In fact, I'd say Jason Bateman and company managed to take the BB template and hone it into an even more impressive beast.

And what a beast this is. The ending didn't make me happy, but it had balls, and that in and of itself, makes me happy. As a viewer, I don't want to get what I want. I want you to tell your story. And they did. Oh boy, they did.

As for the song, if you've seen the latter half of the second season, you'll know why I'm posting this. I'd go on record as saying the "traffic incident" is possibly the best scene in the series.

Also, I loved the Killer Mike cameo in the first part of season four.

 

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NCBD:

Not much of a haul this week, although they're all big issues. Also, after buying the first issue of the Clea Strange-centered Strange series a few months ago, I think I'm going to pick up the second and third issues that I missed. 

Pretty psyched for a Hulk-Thor battle. I doubt it will be as awesome as the old Hulk-Thing battles in the 80s, but still, when Titans collide, and all that.

Loved the first issue, so let's see where this new Sandman spin-off is heading. The Corinthian has always been my favorite Nightmare, and although he received a lot of "screen time" in the old 90s The Dreaming series, I've always kind of felt like there was a lot more room for the right creators to explore with the Corinthian. I think we're finally seeing that.

The last all-women X-issue I read was back in the 80s: Uncanny X-Men #244, which introduced Jubliee. I'm hoping that, like that issue's follow-up in 245 with "Men," this current X-Book pays homage and does the same next issue. Either way, I love this book.

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Watch:

Eskil Vogt's The Innocents looks to be the very definition of unnerving:

 

You can read a nifty little article where Vogt talks about his new film over on Bloody Disgusting HERE. This one hits VOD on Friday, the 13th. I'd be doing a "Day-of" screening, if not for the fact that I've already got tickets to go see Friday the 13th Part 3 at the Aero. I mean, how could I pass that up?

 

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Playlist:

The Effigies - Remains Nonviewable

Zeal & Ardor - Wake of a Nation EP

The Mysterines - Reeling

Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man

The Smiths - The Queen is Dead

Pink Mountaintops - Peacock Pools

Orville Peck - Bronco

Spotlights - Love & Decay

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Card:

It's been a minute since I've done a pull, so here goes:

I've been relying on my intuition when it comes to creative choices, and it's led me to a new strength. Now, I need to finish my current project and move into my next. 

Meg Myers - Children of Light II

 

New Meg Myers! Her stuff is getting weirder, but she still delivers those pulse-pounding hooks.

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Watch:

Oh shit, I forgot ALL about this:

 

No release date yet, but the announcement says "Soon."

 

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Dollar Bin:

I don't know much about Micronauts, other than it was a toy property from just before my era - before the era where cartoons and I always came across stray figures and playsets at garage sales in the early 80s and wondered what they were (same with Shogun Warriors). Last year though, when Chris Saunders and I interviewed comic artist legend Kelley Jones, he mentioned he started at marvel on the Micronauts book. 

I have developed a bit of a phantom nostalgia for toys and comics from just before my era, and finding these in the ol' dollar bin proved impossible to pass up. This falls in line with the weird, TSR, Hobby-Shop genre of SciFi and Horror that I feel existed as a kind of 'quiet zeitgeist' in the early 80s - a pop culture texture that has been mined and revitalized by Stranger Things perfectly. Anyway, I'm hoping to find more Micronauts, or maybe snag some on eBay. I'd like to read a solid run of a handful of consecutive issues, just to get a feel. 

Also, they're written by Bill Mantlo, and I've really come to see him as a kind of underappreciated genius in that Hobby Shop Sci-Fi thing. 

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Playlist:

Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man

Jerry Cantrell - Brighten

Mike Doughty - Live At Ken's House

Prince - Sign O' The Times

Testament - The New Order

Sparks - Hello Young Lovers

Mr. Bungle - The Night They Came Home

Run the Jewels - RTJ4

The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave

Goatsnake - Black Age Blues

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Card:

Once again, the ways of peace are strong in me, even in the midst of adversity.

New Music From Woven Hand

 

I will always miss Sixteen Horsepower, however, the work David Eugene Edwards has been doing as Woven Hand over the last decade-and-a-half (or so) is next-level stuff. It's interesting how the slightly toxic religious elements that informed/inspired Horsepower pushed this man into a considerably more Shamanic perspective with his music. 

Woven Hand's new record Silver Sash is out now on Glitterhouse Records and can be ordered from them or Woven Hand's Bandcamp HERE.

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Watch:

This is going to be one of those posts where I post the newest trailer for David Cronenberg's upcoming Crimes of the Future, but don't watch it:

 

Right now, this is my most eagerly awaited film of the year - thus far- and I say that on the cusp of seeing Sam Raimi's Dr. Strange In the Multiverse of Madness tonight, a film I have been CHOMPING at the bit for since... well, since I realized Patrick Stewart's voice is in the trailer. NOTE: I should say something here. Marvel, I'm talking to you now; if it turns out that Patrick Stewart is playing a man named Jim Bohner or some such, I will not be happy. Just saying. And as long as I'm posting trailers I have no intention of viewing, here's that 'Final' Dr. Strange trailer:

I have insanely high expectations for this one, even though I still have been unable to sit through the first Stephen Strange flick. I've always maintained I'm more interested in Marvel's big picture than I am the individual films, and this is the one that - I think - will firmly shape the post-Avengers landscape for the MCU into something more cohesive than it's been (not that I've minded the chaotic and disparate elements of the last few years, which have been very final-years-of-Claremont's-Uncanny-X-men at times).

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Playlist:

Bexley - Eponymous

Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars

Michael Jackson - Greatest Hits

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

The Mysterines - Reeling

Sparks - Tryouts for the Human Race (single)

Helmet - Meantime

Motorhead - Ace of Spades

Anthrax - Persistence of Time

Jerry Cantrell - Brighten (Thanks to Mr. Brown for the beautiful vinyl!)

Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain

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Card:

It's been a minute since I've pulled from Missi's Raven Deck, so here goes:

Expecting knowledge to come my way today that might turn things around a bit. Or maybe that was yesterday when we spoke to a new realtor in TN and received a lot of really good, inspiring information. I suppose there's a part of me that demonizes that, simply because the longer we've stayed in LaLaLand, the allure of the routine and easy (not really, but kinda) life we've made here pulls at my ideas of burning it all down and starting over. 

Don't trust comfort. That's the real Devil. 

Bexley - Sick

 

Last night marked my first live show since hitting 2 of the 3 Mr. Bungle shows in LaLaLand back in February 2020, mere days before COVID struck. I've reacquired my comfort level with seeing movies in the theatre, largely because you can very much curate how many people you'll be exposed to. Not in every case, but with Matinees and seating charts online, it's pretty easy to limit exposure. A live show is a more, "All bets are off" situation, though, so it's taken me a while to prepare. That changed recently, though.

When my good friend Jacob introduced me to The Mysterines' music, without even thinking I googled them to see if they were on tour - a practice I've maintained for years when I find a new band I love. When I saw they were playing on May 4th at the Peppermint Club, I didn't think twice about buying tickets. 

I'm glad I did.

Not only were The Mysterines awesome, but in preparation for the show, I looked up opener Bexley and was pretty blown away by her 2021 self-titled album. Above, I've posted my favorite song from said album, and since Bexley is local, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more shows, as she and her band were also great.

You can check out Bexley's Bandcamp HERE or her official site HERE.

 

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Watch:

Oh my. I probably wasn't supposed to laugh out loud, but I did. And then I winced enough to almost fall out of my seat.

 

The Sadness is written and directed by Rob Jabbaz, and as far as I can tell, this is his first full-length film. IT LOOKS F&*KING AWESOME, so I'll be watching this the day it drops on Shudder, next Thursday, 5/12/22.

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Playlist:

Sepultura - Chaos A.D.

David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time

Soundgarden - Superunknown

Bexley - Eponymous

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Card:

Water of Water, pure emotions. This can trip me up, so I'll be attempting to keep a cool on any over-the-top moments I might have; there's a lot of ridiculousness at work of late, and I've grown a bit cantankerous when certain people are involved. Play it cool.

New Afghan Whigs!

 

New Afghan Whigs! 'Nuff said. Pre-order How Do You Burn, out September 9th, HERE.

What a gorgeous video.

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NCBD:

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Playlist:

 Jim James - Eternally Even

Rammstein - Zeit

Def Leppard - High 'N' Dry

Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man'

Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Age

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

Testament - The New Order

Sepultura - Chaos A.D.

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Card:

Remember last Friday when I drew the Four of Swords: Truce?

 

This was the result. It pays to temper your outrage and anger with time and distance. And it also pays to have a good amount of humility and admit when you've kinda been a dick. 

Angel Olsen - Big Time

 

New Angel Olsen. 

Despite seeing a lot of praise for Ms. Olsen in my peripheral for years, she wasn't really on my radar until my cousin Charles professed his adoration for her 2019 album All Mirrors, which is fantastic. This new single feels like it hits a sweet spot between Patsy Cline and Sharon Van Etten, and I dig it. The new record, Big Time, is out June 3rd on Jagjaguwar, and you can pre-order it in whatever form you chose HERE.

 

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Dollar Bin:

Well, how about this one, huh?

I still have a copy of one issue from the Temple of Doom adaptation Marvel did at the time of the film's release, but I don't even think I'd heard of this Further Adventures of... book before, although it's no surprise this existed based on how popular the Indiana Jones flicks were. I found five or six of these in the dollar bin last week, and although I haven't had a chance to actually read any of them yet, I've spent a few spare moments flipping through them, and they're great.

This particular mid-to-late 80s cover format for Marvel Comics is always going to be my favorite; I love the placement of the logos, the Marvel Comics Group banner along the top, and the character box in the upper left-hand corner. Just seeing these makes me feel happy.

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Fleeting:

Blut Aus Nord recently repressed their first Memoria Vitusta album and it's available on their Bandcamp in a gorgeous "red with subtle yellow marble" that will undoubtedly be gone quickly, maybe before I finish typing this.

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Playlist:

Rammstein - Zeit

Bloc Party - Alpha Games

Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man

Ozzy Osbourne - The Ultimate Sin

Jim James - Eternally Even

Jerry Cantrell - Brighten

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Card:

Oh yes. It will take me strength to get through this day.

Hatching Rammstein's Angst

 

Easily one of my favorite videos to come out in years. I'm hot and cold on the band - I love when they release stuff like this and it gets me excited, but the excitement usually dissipates pretty quickly. Still, this is pretty freakin' awesome, regardless of the album's ultimate longevity with me. That new album, by the way, is Zeit, and you can order it HERE.

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Watch:

I had the unusual thrill of seeing this at, of all places, my local AMC theatre this past Saturday:

 

Hanna Bergholm and Ilja Rautsi's dissection of Finish Suburban perfection was equal parts Todd Solondz/David Cronenberg, and I loved it. For the new episode of The Horror Vision Horror Podcast, we begin with a spoiler-free reaction and then roll into an all-out discussion.

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Playlist:

Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain

Lead Into Gold - The Sun Behind the Sun

Odonis Odonis - Post Plague

The Cure - Pornography

Calexico - El Mirador

Second Still - Equals

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Card:

I'm definitely feeling an abundance or wealth of ideas of late, and I'm attempting to hold back the desire to switch gears from what I'm currently working on.