The first single from Godflesh's forthcoming album Purge. LOOOOOVE that sample from Gang Star's "Brainstorm"! I pre-ordered this about a month ago when I first saw the announcement, you can follow suit if you go HERE.
Watch:
Good news! Holy Spider is coming to Netflix (of all places) tomorrow, April 7th!
I've wanted to see this since last year's Beyondfest, and after missing it there, my friend and colleague-in-casting Professor John Trafton has spoken about it at length, so I'm pretty excited to finally catch this one.
Read:
Speaking of John Trafton, his new book is up for pre-order from Wayne State University Press:
If you've read any of the essays John has up on his website JohnTrafton.com, you'll understand why I'm pretty excited to read this. Although I left LaLaLand behind, the mystique of that early Twentieth Century City of the Stars remains. Movie-made Los Angeles will no doubt explore and expound on that era in ways I've yet to ascertain.
Playlist:
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Shrinebuilder - Eponymous
Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity
Massive Attack - 100th Window
Spotlights - Seance EP
Godflesh - Hymns
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
INXS - Kick
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
Transformation from collaboration leads to an increase Earthly assets.
A little High on Fire to start your day. From 2012's De Vermis Mysteriis.
NCBD:
Here's my NCBD haul. Man, since I slimmed down the number of titles I buy, I really don't miss anything I cut, however, some weeks I just miss comics.
First up, I've been waiting for this 13th issue of Ghost Rider for a few months now. Danny Ketch will always be my favorite Ghost Rider, and to have him back as, apparently, part of the Weapon Plus program just makes me salivate with the possibilities.
The final issue of Sins of Sinister's Immoral X-Men. Definitely curious to see what year 1000 looks like.
SO much love in my heart for Saga, and I did not expect the possibility brought up at the end of issue 62, so we'll see where this goes.
Read:
I finally read Jeff Lemire and Doub Mahnke's Swamp Thing: Green Hell. I dug this one about as much as I can dig a DC book (I don't know why my prejudice against DC continues to escalate, but it does).
The thing I liked best about Green Hell was the way it sort of acted as a final chapter for the storylines Lemire and Scott Snyder established in the original, 2012-2013 New 52 Swamp Thing and Animal Man books. I read Snyder's run on Swamp Thing and actually quite liked it, and while I jumped off when Lemire came on and didn't read his Animal Man, I followed those books from afar and understood what they were doing.
I also quote liked what they did with John Constantine in this one, although this tendency to fall back repeatedly on having him barter his soul to the devil for favors got old after the first time, and repeated use with it really just undermines the gravity of Garth Ennis' Dangerous Habits, still one of the greatest stories ever told with the character.
In all, I'll probably revisit this one at some point; the oversized Black Label books are a joy to read when they are worth reading. To me, that's not very often, so it's nice to have one I enjoyed.
Playlist:
SQÜRL - Silver Haze (pre-release singles)
Bexley - Eponymous
Goatsnake - Black Age Blues
The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes
Ghost Bath - Moonlover
High on Fire - The Art of Self Defense
High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
Jon Clearly - Dyna-Mite
Steve Earle - J.T.
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
Settling into a work routine will lead to a transformation that brings breakthrough.
More new music from SQÜRL's upcoming album Silver Haze, out May 5th on Sacred Bones Records. Pre-order HERE.
Watch:
I've been pretty meh about all things Marvel, but I really want to watch this one:
I never read the comic storyline Secret Invasion, however, I like the idea A LOT and remember how Bendis would drop scenes that pointed to it years before it happened (remember Rick Jones showing up yelling about Skrulls being everywhere?). What I did not expect from this, and what totally hooked me with this trailer is how the Secret Invasion series draws inspiration from the 1989 prestige format, six-issue series Nick Fury Vs S.H.I.E.L.D. - one of my favorite Marvel Comics stories EVER. Just by virtue of Fury facing most of this threat essentially alone (insofar as no major hero costars, or at least as we can ascertain from this trailer), it makes sense the creators would draw from that series, and knowing that makes me very excited.
Playlist:
Hum - Downward is Heaven
David Bowie - Heroes
Clouds Taste Satanic - Tales of Demonic Possession
Shrinebuilder - Eponymous
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Viscerals
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Land of Sleeper
Eagulls - Eponymous
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
I intended to do a three-card Pull, however, this one jumped out of the deck at me, and I thought I'd concentrate on that because, in a nutshell, Motivation - a form of Will - has been lacking and this is a nice cue to get my ass back in gear. I have been writing almost daily, however, not in increments of time and attention that would gather me the momentum I need to get back on track. I'll fix that today.
If you're watching Yellowjackets, you know why I'm posting this.
I feel like I totally forgot about this song and Tori Amos in general. I was never a HUGE fan, but respect the hell out of her, and this song has always blown me away.
Watch:
30 Coins season two!
I'll admit - I'm still pretty raw at HOBO MAX for canceling Raised By Wolves instead of just doing that third, final season, and that makes me a bit trepidatious about any show on there having a continuing storyline from season to season. I'll also admit that based on how 30 Coins season one ended, I didn't foresee more to the story at all. I mean, obviously, the final images left things open for more, but it didn't seem essential. Which makes me feel better about another season of the show. I mean, I want as much of this as they'll give me, but I also don't want a dangling cliffhanger.
ALL of that aside, can I get a hell yeah for this trailer? Can't wait.
Playlist:
Bettye LaVette - The Scene of the Crime
Damon - From the Attic
Le Butcherettes - A Raw Youth
Fvnerals - Let the Earth be Silent
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Cristobal Tapia de Veer - Smile OST
Mortician - House By the Cemetery EP
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Suck My Kiss (single)
QOTSA - Smooth Sailing (single)
Screaming Females - Desire Pathway
Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl (single)
Card:
From Missi's Raven Deck:
In this particular moment, this card is a reminder to focus on the world outside myself, because sometimes, that interior space just gets too cyclical and can cause a lot of anxiety,
I had an unplanned Massive Attack day yesterday and it felt great! For a band - and in the case of Mezzanine specifically - an album that was long-time daily obsessions, it'd been a while since I dove into their murky sonic depths. Felt amazing to return to it and have it feel exactly the same.
Then, later yesterday (I typed this Friday during work), K and I sat down to Yellowjackets and lo and behold - "Inertia Creeps"! This and the use of Radiohead's "Climbing the Walls" - easily my favorite track from OK Computer - more than made up for having to hear papa couch in Season 2 Episode 1.
Watch:
A new Season of Slasher??? Oh wow - check this out:
I ADORE the 2021 Flesh & Blood season that Shudder picked up, and now the same creative team is turning their creative energies to Victorian England and what looks like a Jack The Ripper copycat? Sign me up!
Slasher: Ripper starts with two episodes next Thursday, so that means the back half of my week is a Slasher/Yellowjackets combo!
Four for fucking four. Wow. To quote Mr. Brown, "I can't believe I'm looking forward to a new Metallica album." You and me both, brother. You and me both.
Watch:
Until last night, I'd never watched Anthony DiBlasi's 2014 film Last Shift, but I've suspected for a while that the reasons I avoided this film would turn out to be an unfair dismissal on my part. You can't always judge a flick by its Netflix thumbnail, but that's exactly what I did with Last Shift (and The Taking of Deborah Logan, which I still haven't seen) for the entirety of its stint on the mega streamer. Which I feel like was years. When Last Shift dropped off and started making the rounds on other streamers, people I know started telling me how good it was. I didn't listen. This wasn't a staunch, "Fuck that movie" stance, I just never got around to it, and the few times I almost did, the image of that stupid thumbnail resurfaced and I went on to something else.
Last month, when I read about the imminent release of DiBlasi's update on the film, I became intrigued. How many filmmakers get the chance and perhaps more interestingly use the chance to remake one of their early movies that is as well received by the fans as Last Shift? Also, to have marketing Push behind both iterations? Not many. With this in mind, I finally sat down and watched Last Shift. Halfway through, I paused it and bought a ticket to go see Malum next Monday.
Last Shift is great for what DiBlasi and crew had to work with, which admittedly is a lot more than some independent filmmakers have, but still not a helluva lot. Other than the building - which is no small asset - you can see how DiBlasi's ingenuity kicks in and sustains this one. Well, his ingenuity and a stellar performance by lead Juliana Harkavy. The film begins to feel a skosh tired as the scare tactics continue without manifesting actual physical threats, but when those do come, they're pretty damn good. All in all, a solid three stars and a heart on my Letterbxd, and what's more, watching Last Shift unlocked a thrill at imagining what we might be in store for at Malum.
Also of note: I had previously thought Ari Aster's Hereditary was the first film to stray from the traditional "devil" nomenclature and move into the Goetia for inspiration concerning its demonic puppet master, specifically Paimon, who my old band Darkness Brings the Cold had at least one song evoking. Obviously not the case after watching Last Shift, and I'll be digging around today looking for any interview with DiBlasi concerning where he drew his inspiration from. I rather like the idea of introducing the entities from Goetia into fiction; not sure anyone will ever do it as well as Alan Moore and JHWIII did in Promethea, but moving outside the tired scope of the Christianity-defined 'devil' can only lead to interesting results.
Then again, maybe not. I remember walking out of 2008's Quarantine, the remake of REC (which I'd not seen at the time) where the filmmakers changed the story from demonic possession as an outbreak to, ah, a terrorist-created super-strain of rabies and telling everyone in earshot, "Damn, I wish Hollywood would just bring Possession movies back." Two or three years later, in the wake of all the Last Exorcism movies, I felt like I'd been Monkey Pawed, as in, be careful what you wish for, you might get it and it might suck.
Playlist:
Danko Jones - We Sweat Blood
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Bettye Lavette - The Scene of the Crime
T. Rex - The Slider
High on Fire - Surrounded By Thieves
Metallica - 72 Seasons (pre-release singles)
Lamp of Murmur - Saturnian Bloodstorm
Kx5, deadmau5 & Kaskade - Kx5 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 12/10/22
Bettye LaVette - Let Me Down Easy: Bettye LaVette in Memphis
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
A similar Pull to the previous one I did with The Bound Deck; I think the idea that's coming across here is it takes Will and Dedicaton to achieve physical goals, and although I've gotten a bit better after the post-oral surgery manic episode that gripped me for about a week, I've still not re-anchored myself.
From the forthcoming album Lavette!, out June 16th via Jay Vee Records. Read more about the announcement HERE on Brooklyn Vegan.
Back in 2012, I really did not know who Betty Lavette was. My x and I were in San Francisco for about a week, and caught Ms. Lavette at the old Yoshi's location; she was on tour for her Thankful and Thoughtful record. Amazing show, but it's been quite some time since she has been on my radar. Gotta change that!
News:
It's been a while, but a new edition of the Every Day (Is Halloween) Newsletter goes out this morning at 8:30 AM. Included therein is a pretty fantastic playlist, if I do say so myself. I recently bowed out of a friend's Spotify Premium Family account, so I totally understand if you're not hip to the format - I prefer Apple Music for almost everything, however, if there's one thing Spotify does better it's playlists.
If you're interested in signing up, I don't share your info, I don't send often enough to be a nuisance, and I try to add value to my readers' lives by turning them onto as much awesome stuff as possible!
Read:
Here's another thing I don't think I'd ever heard of before: Alan Moore and Alan Davis's Captain Britain comic from 1983?
Leave it to the Cartoonist Kayfabe guys - that's Ed "Red Room" Piskor and Jim "Street Angel" Rugg, two of the most talented artists working in comics today. I subscribed to their channel (HERE) a while back and have really been getting an education from it; HIGHLY recommend you check Cartoonist Kayfabe out if you're into the art and history of comics!
Watch:
Not watching this new Dead Ringers trailer, but I'll post it here for posterity's sake.
All episodes drop on April 21st, and I'm curious as hell, especially after reading on Bloody Disgusting that Sean Durkin directed the first two episodes. I'm a big fan of his film Martha Marcy May Marlene, so I'm excited to see how his particular aesthetic might meld with Cronenbergian themes/images.
Playlist:
Damone - From the Attic
Nabihah Iqbal - Dreamer (pre-release singles)
Clouds Taste Satanic - Tales of Demonic Possession
Deadguy - Fixation On A Coworker
The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir
Brainiac - The Predator Nominate
Ghost - Prequelle
The Darts - I Like You But Not Like That
High On Fire - Surrounded By Thieves
Massive Attack - 100th Window
Bettye Lavette - The Scene of the Crime
Card:
Back to Missi's Raven Deck for today's Pull:
Change: Just accept it. "Words of wisdom Lloyd. Words. Of. Wisdom."
