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.

New Perturbator! Uncanny Valley - Bonus

You know what I love? When I am able to post the words "New Perturbator!"

Buy it here and name your price!

Godflesh - Carrion

'Tis the season...

For GODFLESH

Gordon Cole Eating Donuts

Is really all it takes to make me happy these days. I've got one big bee in my bonnet for 2017 and it's Twin Peaks!!!

Dictionary

I invent a lot of terminology for very specific reasons. Here's a dictionary.

Fan Inertia - when your fandom of anything shuts down your better judgment and/or critical analysis in blind obeisance to your fandom. Example: After seeing Tim Burton's latest film, I realized I haven't liked the last several he has made, despite saying I did for years. My fan inertia took over and blindly accepted these films despite realizing now I didn't really like them at all.

Deep Horror Intoxication - That feeling a Horror movie instills in you upon first viewing; the regular world dissipates and you are fully submerged in the experience the filmmaker has set out to bestow upon you.

Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve is easily one of the only 'newer' directors who are on my "Must See Their New Film Right Now" list,* so it's his name in the director column that almost trumps the Blade Runner franchise.

Almost. However, I looooove me some Blade Runner and based on this trailer they're a perfect match. I know, I know, you can't base much on a trailer - especially one this length, but I have fan inertia with both franchise and director so allow me the indulgence. Please. And seriously, just based on the imagery contained in these first, guarded glimpses I'm pretty sure this is going to hit the same sweet spot as the first. I mean, yes this is basically another "Harrison Ford passing the mantle to someone else, a la last year's The Force Awakens, but that worked out pretty good and I have a hunch this will work out better, even if I do sense a bit of a ham on his face as he emerges, gun-first, from the shadows. Still, move him out and bring the new guy up front, 'cuz what a new guy. What can I say?  I'm quite the fan of Ryan Gosling - his acting and his music (haven't seen Lost River yet so can't comment on his directing), so even in spite of j. leto's presence (which, as Chester Whelk's pointed out to me recently, may indeed be tolerable due to the most likely unintentional irony of him playing a replicunt) I can't wait for this one.




...............

* Nicolas Winding Refn and Fede Alvarez being the others on the list.

Heaven's Endless Loop

Tommy, the man behind the always wonderful Heaven is an Incubator, also writes a lot of great stuff for an online magazine my friends and I contribute to called Joup. If you've been here before you probably know about it. Anyway, one of my favorite things to come out of Joup is Tommy's Endless Loop column; a weekly jaunt into the substance of those songs he confesses to be able to listen to endlessly. I can relate; at some point in my early thirties I developed a habit of looping tracks over and over again when I become obsessed with the mood they create in me. My point is I know Tommy's taste from reading his writing and I know when he says he can loop something then I'm in for a great track, whether I loop it or not. And this has bore out - I've picked up some absolute GEMS from Endless Loop. This week though, this week he hits it outta the park.

Tommy has a way of really summing things up succinctly and nowhere is that more evident than in his brief piece about Pulp's This is Hardcore, from the album of the same name - arguably the group's best - released in 1998. Follow the link below and then go seek out Heaven is an Incubator and book mark it. I guarantee you Tommy will turn you on to some amazing music if you do.

Well played Tommy. Well played...



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Crystal Fairy - Chiseler

The upcoming Crystal Fairy record, out Feb 24th on Ipecac is quickly becoming my most anticipated record of early 2017. This new song, which the band dropped a couple of days ago, is not only fantastic, but I swear I can hear all or most of the individual musicians's signature sounds mixed up in this potpourri of awesomeness.

New At the Drive-In!

Wow. Didn't see that coming. If new ATDI was in the works I was completely in the dark about it. And I'm glad, because this is a fantastic surprise for a dour Thursday evening. Read more about it from my source, Brooklyn Vegan.

Them Are Us Too

Let me take you to hell before I take you to heaven.

This afternoon, as is my Thursday custom while navigating home from work on the dreaded 405 I tuned my radio dial to 88.9 FM for Michael Stock's always brilliant Part Time Punks radio show. If was a fairly normal day and my mood was even keel. At about 3:00 PM the show's appropriated theme song kicked in and I readied myself for awesomeness. After Heavenisanincubator, Mr. Stock is about the best damn musical curator/gatekeeper I know of and I value the music he introduces me to more than I can ever say. Today however, as the Television Personalities's ebbed out and Michael came on the mic something was amiss. You could immediately tell he was fighting back tears. I became tense; this was raw and unexpected and I tend to empathize strongly with people I care for, whether they are of the variety that I know personally or not. My weekly guide into music delivered a heartfelt and very emotional explanation for his state: a friend of his, Cash Askew, had died last weekend in the Oakland, CA fire that has peppered national news reports since. My heart went out to this man who has given so much to me from such a distance; as I listened to him describe his affection for Cash's band, Them Are Us Too I felt his loss, a loss no doubt shared by many others. He closed his opening in distress and began to play the band's music.

And I fell in love with yet another band Michael Stock has played on his radio show.

I did not know the people involved in this drama but this music, like so much of what Mr. Stock has turned me on to, is beautiful, amazing, and worth a lifetime of attention. I ordered a copy of Them Are Us Too's album Remain on vinyl (if you dig this and wish to follow suit you can do so on their record label Dais Record's website HERE) and said a silent salutation to the Universe on behalf of this lovely, fallen artist. I can think of no better way to honor her memory than by listening and sharing her music and donating to the Oakland Fire Relief Fund.

Below I've embedded Them Are Us Too's Part Time Punks Session. Follow this bandcamp link to hear Remain.

Night Jacket

I went to LA's The Echo this past Friday night to see The Bernard Lakes. They were amazing, as always. Also amazing was the band NightJacket, who played directly before them. Here's their band camp. Check it out. They're recording a new album after the first of the year and after hearing this one it's going right to the top of my 'can't wait for' list in 2017.

RIP Sharon Jones

Well 2016, I hope you're fucking happy. Jesus, can we just fast forward to 2017 already? Oh wait, that might not be the best solution...

Damn. This sucks. Here's one'a my favorites:

Sister Hymns - American Nightmare

How appropriate, eh? Great new Doom/Stoner rock band from LA that kinda takes me back to the Kyuss days. And at $3 you really can't lose. Features Joey, the drummer formerly from Quiet.

The Secret History of Twin Peaks

Last week I finished Mark Frost's The Secret History of Twin Peaks and, while I almost never go for expanded universe type stuff, this book, written in the guise of a secret document Chief Inspector Gordon Cole assigns to an FBI Agent investigating a crime that has ties to the now twenty-five year passed Laura Palmer case, is a MUST for Peaks fans. There's so many ways that an in-continuity novel could have gone wrong, but instead The Secret History of Twin Peaks does everything right.

Here's a clip Mr. Brown sent me of Mark Frost reading from the book (apparently the audio book version has some of the original cast members reading sections. Way to prompt me to get my first audio book Mr. Frost).