1 Year, 2 Days

I still remember it in crystal clear replay. Sleeping on the couch downstairs, ex and her parents up in the bedrooms. The last time I'd see her. The welcome end of an era. Phone alarm sounds at 4:30 AM. My hand strikes out, snatches the device and silences the annoying klaxon that heralds another week of work. Not a complaint exactly. Text message from Tori. I hardly hear from Tori anymore. No bullshit, just the erosion of time, distance. These six words:

Holy shit. David Bowie is dead.

Holy shit indeed. Maybe I've belabored the point; don't care. Read this if you want to understand my possibly overly dramatic reaction, which still resounds like the after image of a film you wish you hadn't watched and are afraid you can never unsee.

We need you David Bowie. The world's gone Phillip Jefferies in your absence.

The Neon Demon

Finally watched this last night and it might just be my movie of 2016. Beautiful is an understatement; the visuals are equally hallucinatory, mesmerizing, magnificent and scandalous. And the score - once again Mr. Cliff Martinez hits it out of the park when pairing sounds to Mr. Refn's images. I will own this eventually, and I will order it in the equally mesmerizing double vinyl set on the Milan Records website.

The Neon Demon only strengths my resolve that Nicolas Winding Refn, along with Fede Alvarez and Denis Villeneuve, is at the top of my "modern directors I would follow to hell" list.

Oh Yeah! New Soviet Soviet Is OUT!

December was a crazy month at the old Biorepository where I spend my days, and in the clusterfuck of work, buying gifts and get-togethers I completely overlooked the fact that Italy's Soviet Soviet released a new record on Felte at the beginning of the month. I'll be ordering this one soon enough over on bandcamp, in the meantime, here's something to wet your aural whistle!

Damn You Mezco Exclusives

Seriously. Just take my money.

My Favorite Records of 2016

A couple of days ago I published the list of my favorite albums of 2016. This song is from one of them. You can see them over on Joup.

RIP George Michael

Literally just dusted off George Michael's greatest hits about a week ago and overplayed it one day in the office at work. Had people singing along and tapping their feet, it reminded me how great George Michael is. Then my friend Black Philip posted Wham!'s Last Christmas as a kind of warm-up song this past Friday for his Christmas edition of the Joup Friday Album. Then earlier today I grab my phone to message Tommy from Heaven is an Incubator with some Christmas cheer and what do I see?

2016 has claimed another victim. I watched Desperately Seeking Susan last night and now feel like maybe Madonna should lock herself in a panic room for the next week (that has a selfish backend to it as well - Madonna has done anything non-embarrassing in years; this would keep her safe while putting her out of our misery at the same time).

Anyway, Careless Whisper was the obvious go-to for all its forlorn reverie, but a bit too much on the nose me thinks. Instead I thought I'd do something different; another Wham! song I really dig. Rest in Peace GM. You were pretty awesome.

Alien: Covenant Trailer

Now please. First Blade Runner and now the new Alien (which I still kinda wish was Prometheus 2, but oh well, a new, good Alien film is not something I'm gonna complain about. Either way, 2017 is shaping up to be the year of Ridley Scott.