#Ulthar Art

[ultharequinox]

Don Quixote pumpkin for Halloween!!!!

[theartofmetal]

179./180. Anthronomicon & Helionomicon - Ulthar (Blackened Death Metal, 2023 - two LP's, released on the same date)

Art by Ian Miller

Miller is primarily known for his artworks in Tolkien & H.P. Lovecraft books!

Ulthar is a village in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft.

[tenebris-metallum]

@cardinalcatastrophe ulthar cat! Based off of an oriental shorthair because those cats look like aliens already

[chaikajpeg]

chise and renfred

[album-aurum]

jojo-posing

[lazyytrick]

Cats of Ulthar

Commissions 💐

[symmetricalscar]

Ulthar - Anthronomicon

[thunderingblacksteel]

[andreabonazzi]

To be released on August 30 by Black Widow Records, the double CD deluxe box of the Lovecraftian tribute album Il sogno e l’incubo: Vita e opere di H.P. Lovecraft comes in its illustrated cardboard box, with three prints of my other bas-reliefs and a puzzle version of my portrait of H.P. Lovecraft. Printed CD case with 40 pages booklet + extra 16 pages booklet with a lot of my art. Album cover art by Luca Martinotti, box cover art and internal illustrations by Andrea Bonazzi, other internal art by Luca “Laca” Montagliani.

CD 1 Death SS – Necronomicon Mortiis – Descending into a Dream La Janara – La Casa Stregata Runaway Totem – Nodens Paul Roland – The Cats of Ulthar L’impero delle ombre – Dagon Il Segno del Comando – K’n-yan Soul of Enoch – Festival in Kingsport Salem Cross – Red Hook

CD 2 Witchwood – The Shadow Over Innsmouth Vitam Aeternam – The Anachronic Geminae Paul Roland – The Music of Eric Zahn Dunwich – Whispering Darkness Blue Dawn – The Dunwich Horror La Morte Viene dallo Spazio – The Colour out of Space La Stanza delle Maschere – Aria Fredda Freddy Delirio and The Phantoms – On the Treshold The Magik Way – Hypnos Eminence Noire – Dagon

Info: blackwidow.it

[ultharequinox]

So I’m writing a fanfic about In Stars and Time as a fun “after the prologue, what happens?”

I made an image to help visualize one of the scenes and.

I think I’d be scared seeing this too

[Image ID: Mirabelle stands in the doorway, light flooding from behind her and vaguely illuminating the room, it hits Siffrin’s eyes, making them light up and reflect like a cat.]

Also I’m so sorry I’m going to turn Siffrin into a nocturnal little cat guy. He will be so silly. Perhaps a bit too much but it’s fine.

[dweemeister]

2023 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (final results)

TAGGING (even some folks who didn’t do this but I hope will join/rejoin us someday): @addaellis, @birdsongvelvet, @cinemaocd, @doglvr, @dog-of-ulthar, @emilylime5, @exlibrisneh​, @halfwaythruthedark, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @introspectivemeltdown, @machpowervisions, @maximiliani, @mehetibel, @memetoilet​, @metamatar, @monkeysmadeofcheese, @myluckyerror​, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @qteeclown, @rawberry101, @rosymeraki-blog, @shadesofhappy​, @shootingstarvenator, @stephdgray, @the-lilac-grove, @theybecomestories, @umgeschrieben, @underblackwings, and @yellanimal

Hello all,

I know it's mid-January, but the book is finally closed on the Movie Odyssey for 2023 and the 2023 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS XI) Final. For those who need a refresher, I refer to the whole collection of films I saw for the first time in their entirety over a calendar year as "My Movie Odyssey". It forms the backbone of my classic film blog on tumblr, which has been featuring the Movie Odyssey Awards (of which MOABOS is one category out of 26 total). The true reason for the blog's continuing existence are my film write-ups, tagged "My Movie Odyssey" (which remains stuck, unfortunately at 799 as of the writing of this wrap-up post).

INTRODUCTION AND A RE-STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Whether or not you participated in 2023's Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS XI), I thank you for your consideration, your time, and your support. This eleventh edition of MOABOS was the tenth with outside involvement from family, friends, and tumblr followers.

Late Sunday night, I was asked by a MOABOS newcomer what was the true purpose of this strange competition/holiday tradition/social experiment/whatever you want to call it. It was, admittedly, a little jarring to hear that question again for the first time in perhaps a few years. Of course, there's the fun in seeing everybody's comments and rankings. The drama of folks complaining about the musical tastes of others they have never met is hilarious (high school friends side-eyeing coworkers; my undergrad and grad school friends having no overlap in taste – yes, I even find the disparagement towards my musical tastes as horribly funny. I get a strange kick out of conducting the single transferable vote of a few dozen people.

In the end, the purpose of MOABOS is twofold.

First, at the most basic level, it's to keep in touch with all of you. The second purpose is more complex, and may or may not be of coequal importance. Like the Movie Odyssey Awards it is a part of, and especially those movie write-ups stubbornly stuck at 799, MOABOS is meant to introduce all of you to films you may not have otherwise encountered – especially classic movies of yesteryear.

No one looks at you funny when you say you read an old book, or go to see centuries-old art in a museum, or listen to what is now being called "oldies" music. But for film? Not so much. I hope MOABOS has helped demystify and make more accessible/less intimidating the movies featured here. Yes, I'll always toot the horn of Old Hollywood. Unabashedly so, as it has so much to teach us and entertain us. But may you also have found enjoyment in MOABOS's brushes with animation from outside the major American and Japanese studios, the formative decades of Bollywood (far removed from the Hindu nationalism of the present day), the largely unexplored works of classic film south of the American border (preservation, restoration, historical neglect, and lack of access forming a hydra of problems from Mexico to Brazil and in-between), and even works that come my way as Artistic Director of Viet Film Fest (VFF).

It's been a privilege for the last eleven years to take you all on this cinematic/musical journey – one aspect of many of the Movie Odyssey. And I'm honored to have your trust in me to be a guide.

RESULTS

Remember: the MOABOS final is not like the prelim. It isn't primarily decided on the points system used in the final. It, since 2018, is decided on single transferable vote.

First, the standings on points. It should be noted that MOABOS XI just pipped last year for the participation record for a final. We had 40 rankings (including yours truly) last year; this year had 41 in the final (the only bad news: we had 44 people participate in this year's prelim and I invited extra people in the final, so this number definitely could've been higher).

STANDINGS ON POINTS (USED ONLY AS THE FIRST TIEBREAKER... the actual final result is the list below this one). Using the method used in the preliminary round, the count would’ve looked like this (“Song”, Film title (points) / #1 votes).:

“Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)”, The Color Purple (225) / 11

“Suzume”, Suzume (223) / 4

“Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour?”, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (207) / 7

“Esse Mundo é Meu”, Esse Mundo é Meu (179) / 1

“Chattanooga Choo Choo”, Sun Valley Serenade (164.5) / 3

“Ciao Papa”, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (160) / 4

“Hooked on Your Love”, Sparkle (154) / 3

“I'm Just Ken”, Barbie (153.5) / 3

“Danger Zone”, Top Gun (139) / 1

“Tiền”, Good Morning and Good Night (129) / 0

“Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night”, Good Morning and Good Night (102) / 1

“Return to Sender”, Girls! Girls! Girls! (98) / 0

“Animal Crackers in My Soup”, Curly Top (95) / 1

“Barsaat mein hamse mile tum sajan (In the Rainy Season, We Met One Another)”, Barsaat (94) / 0

 “I Know Why (And So Do You)”, A Mighty Wind (90) / 2

Using the points system tiebreaker alone, this was a nailbiter. "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" eked out a 2-point lead over "Suzume". What was even more surprising is that "Miss Celie's Blues" has set the record for most #1 votes in MOABOS final (11, breaking the nine #1 votes that "9 to 5" received in last year's final).

When looking solely at points, this is tied for the third-smallest margin ever recorded at the top (there have been two ties on points: MOABOS VII in 2019 and MOABOS IX in 2021). 

THE OFFICIAL TABULATION FOLLOWS AND DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE READ-MORE. We used a single transferable vote (which is explained visually here). With 41 respondents, a song needed 50% + 1 vote of all #1 and transferred votes to be declared a winner. Thus, a song needed 21 votes to win. One ballot was discarded very late during the final tabulation due to that person ranking nine songs, but having their top nine completely eliminated as the count progressed. 40 ballots remained, but the magic number to win remained 21. The top ten songs became nominees; the bottom five are considered honorable mentions:

2023 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (FINAL STANDINGS) (playlist)

“Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)”, The Color Purple (1985)

“Suzume”, Suzume (2023, Japan)

“Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour? (What Do We Do with Love?)”, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (2022, France)

“Chattanooga Choo Choo”, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

“Ciao Papa”, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

“Hooked on Your Love”, Sparkle (1976)

“I'm Just Ken”, Barbie (2023)

“I Know Why (And So Do You”, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

“Esse Mundo é Meu”, Esse Mundo é Meu (1964, Brazil)

“Danger Zone”, Top Gun (1986)

“Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night)”, Good Morning and Good Night (2019, Vietnam)

“Animal Crackers in My Soup”, Curly Top (1935)

“Tiền”, Good Morning and Good Night(2019, Vietnam)

“Return to Sender”, Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

“Barsaat mein hamse mile tum sajan (In the Rainy Season, We Met One Another)”, Barsaat (1949, India)

The bottom five all received honorable mentions. The top ten received nominations.

SUMMARY

"Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" from The Color Purple (1985) eked out the title in the closest result MOABOS has seen since adopting the single transferable vote in 2018. With forty ballots remaining and on the twelfth and final count, "Miss Celie's Blues" and "Suzume" were actually tied, 20-20. In other words, when you eliminated all the other songs, twenty respondents had "Miss Celie's Blues" ranked higher than "Suzume" and twenty respondents had "Suzume" ranked higher than "Miss Celie's Blues". One person (the discarded ballot) did not rank either - and could have easily swung it had they put one or both of those songs down.

So when the transferred votes are tied, the first tiebreaker is points (as seen in the preliminary round). And from there, "Miss Celie's Blues" edged out "Suzume", 225-223. 

(Hypothetical): If we were somehow tied on points, it would then go to #1 votes. "Miss Celie's Blues" would have won that tiebreaker, 11-4. If #1 votes were somehow tied, it would have gone to the average placement on my ballot and my sister's. We both ranked "Miss Celie's Blues" 3rd for an average placement of 3rd. I ranked "Suzume" in a three-way tie for 13th (effectively rendering it 14th on my ballot) and my sister ranked it 10th - an average placement of 12th.

With the music written by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton and lyrics by Jones, Temperton and Lionel Richie, "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" was nominated at the 58th Academy Awards for Best Original Song, losing to Lionel Richie's "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights (1985); yes Richie lost to himself that night). Steven Spielberg's 1985 adaptation of The Color Purple is based on Alice Walker's book of the same name. Set in rural Georgia, it follows Celie Harris (Whoopi Goldberg in her breakthrough role; Desreta Jackson as young Celie), who suffers of parental and spousal psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. Her light in the world is her sister, Nettie (Akousa Busia), and the two form a world of their own – away from the darkness of their world. It was one of the best books I read in the 2010s, and the film adaptation – despite the limitations of its LGBTQ+ depictions and themes due to American politics and studio politics at the time – was one of the best films I saw in 2023 for the first time ever.

The 1980s becomes the first decade to defend a MOABOS title. But it comes in the form of a song that no one would peg as being written in the 1980s. It comes the blues, a distinctly American musical genre that grew from the spirituals and work songs of black slaves and freedmen in the American South. It is the first song from the blues tradition to win MOABOS.Runner-up "Suzume" is the best-performing anime song ever in MOABOS, eclipsing the title song from My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Japan) 

– which earned 4th place in MOABOS V (2017). Makoto Shinkai, perhaps these days moreso than Hayao Miyazaki, is the most important director in anime film at this moment.

Those who saw our rankings will know that my sister and I were deep outliers here. "Suzume" was tied for 13th on my ballot; 10th on my sister's. For the sizable anime fan faction who are currently sharpening their knives, I would consider yourselves lucky that, even though MOABOS is somewhat modeled on Academy Award processes, it doesn't replicate it entirely. "Suzume" was ineligible for Academy Award consideration because it is the second song in the end credits. Arbitrary as this sounds, only the first song during the end credits are eligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, in order to ensure that the category honors songs that significantly contribute to a film itself. No such rule exists for MOABOS.

* * * * * * * * * * *

If MOABOS was truly a popularity contest, then two films that defined their respective years would have won this in a walk – Barbie and Top Gun. In the end, "I'm Just Ken" and "Danger Zone" – the two most visible contenders of the whole bunch – finished a disappointing 7th and 10th. Reading many of your comments, the reasons for their underperformance often had to do directly with the films themselves (whether or not one has seen them).

Elsewhere, no MOABOS entry featuring Glenn Miller and His Orchestra has failed to secure a nomination in the MOABOS Final. "I Know Why (And So Do You)" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo" – the latter one of the most popular songs of its era, an unofficial anthem for Golden Age 20th Century Fox – will be the last appearance for Miller and His Orchestra as they made only two films on their contract and no more. Thanks to Glenn Miller and his mates for wonderful contributions to MOABOS IX (2021) and MOABOS XI.

And hey, I'm just happy fellow Fox contractee Shirley Temple finally made a MOABOS final. Many of you vehemently disagree, but Temple's mark on film and film music history is undeniable. When I started MOABOS a decade ago, the last generation of moviegoers who saw her films in theaters could attest to that. Today, that generation is almost all gone.

Moreso than the other major American studios, 20th Century Fox was one of the least willing studios to make its back catalogue available for home media/streaming/general availability. Following 20th Century Fox's purchase by the Walt Disney Company in 2019, the situation has only gotten worse, as Disney (for all intents and purposes) decides to further bury the Fox library for anything that might not perform well on streaming or isn't franchise-able. But hear it from me: there are still 20th Century Fox musicals from Golden Age Hollywood to come for MOABOS. No one is saying that they have they have the musical mastery of MGM or Warner Bros., but Fox's musicals need to be treasured, too.

Speaking of access, last February, I saw Esse Mundo é Meu at the Academy Museum in LA and found the a capella version of the title song a hopeful, plaintive ode to better days. The print was not in good shape; the Museum had to redo the subtitles themselves. But it was a glimpse into classic Brazilian cinema seldom seen outside of Brazil itself. How lucky I was; and here's hoping that the telling of Latin American film history becomes more than the afterthought it too often is.

Sparkle (1976) is not a great movie. Black audiences in America might disagree furiously with what I just said. But, as someone who grew up with '50s-'70s R&B and soul as a major part of the soundtrack of his childhood, it had to have a place here. Congrats to all those on Sparkle.

A disappointing result for Good Morning and Good Night, failing in both instances to secure a nomination. But we shall see more VFF entries in the future.

Oh yeah, Elvis made a lot of movies. The King will be back again, certainly, in hopes of a second MOABOS title.

I'm glad that many of you liked "Ciao Papa" from Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) – the film is on Netflix for those who have it, and it's a beautiful take on the original tale.

Lastly, I was perhaps most heartened how many of you were exposed to Ernest & Celestine for the first time and how much "Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour?" resonated with many of you. I saw the sequel with my sister last summer in a near-empty theater at a prime weekend timeslot; it was still one of my favorite watches of the year. And as for the original, when it was first shock-nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, I must have mentioned it to everyone who would listen. No one I knew outside of my sister saw the film.

Please find Ernest & Celestine (2012) and its 2022 sequel. Both films shatter the fictions that 1) non-English-language animation is inherently more "serious" than English-language animation and 2) a "children's movie" can only best be enjoyed by children. Please seek out and learn more about animated films beyond the major American and Japanese studios.

CONCLUSION

MOABOS is only a small glimpse into the larger 2023 Movie Odyssey. But I hope you enjoyed even this sliver of a look into that moviewatching journey.

Our winner joins these past winners for MOABOS (winners' playlist):

2012 (Special): To be contested

2013 (I): “The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re In the Money)”, Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

2014 (II): “Rainbow Connection”, The Muppet Movie (1979)

2015 (III): “Amhrán Na Farraige (Song of the Sea)”, Song of the Sea (2014)

2016 (IV): “Stayin’ Alive”, Saturday Night Fever (1977)

2017 (V): “Remember Me (Recuérdame)”, Coco (2017)

2018 (VI): “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing”, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

2019 (VII): “I Wish I Didn't Love You So”, The Perils of Pauline (1947)

2020 (VIII): “Can't Help Falling in Love” , Blue Hawaii (1961)

2021 (IX): “Lullaby in Ragtime”, The Five Pennies (1959)

2022 (X): “9 to 5”, Nine to Five (1980)

2013 final 2014 final (input from family and friends began this year) 2015 final 2016 prelim / final 2017 prelim / final 2018 prelim / final 2019 prelim / final 2020 prelim / final 2021 prelim / final 2022 prelim / final 2023 prelim

Every time MOABOS comes to an end, I never know whether or not we are going to do MOABOS for the new year. I never know what movies I will discover come my way during a calendar year (and which ones have original songs in them to be a part of this). So it is my hope that I will see you again next year, for what might make it a dozen editions of the Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song. For the final time for MOABOS XI, thank you so much for participating!

41 ballots were submitted; twenty-one #1 votes and transferred votes needed to win

2ND COUNT: 1 ballot to "Qu'est ce qu'on fait de l'amour"

3RD COUNT: 1 ballot to "Suzume"

4TH COUNT: 1 ballot to "I Know Why (And So Do You)"

5TH COUNT: 1 ballot to "Ciao Papa"

6TH COUNT: 2 ballots to "Chattanooga Choo Choo", 1 ballot to "Hooked on Your Love"

7TH COUNT: 3 ballots to "Suzume"

8TH COUNT: 2 ballots to "Chattanooga Choo Choo", 1 ballot to "Ciao Papa", 1 ballot to Miss Celie's Blues"

9TH COUNT: 3 ballots to "Suzume", 1 ballot to "Chattanooga Choo Choo", 1 ballot to "Miss CElie's Blues", 1 ballot to "Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour?"

10TH COUNT: 4 ballots to "Miss Celie's Blues", 1 ballot to "Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour?", 1 ballot to "Suzume"

1 ballot was DISCARDED on the 10th count; 40 ballots remain; 21 to win

11TH COUNT: 8 ballots to "Suzume", 3 ballots to "Miss Celie's Blues"

12TH COUNT: "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" 20, "Suzume" 20. "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" wins on the first tiebreaker on points, 225-223.

[senatushq]

Nettelia

NAME/ALIASES. UTP AGE & BIRTH DATE. Prehistoric & Unknown SPECIES. Aspect GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female & She/Her or She/They AFFILIATIONS. UTP OCCUPATION. UTP

History

First daughter of Eden, like the others, Nettelia was crafted by the artisan Prometheus and given life by Titania and Ulthar. Chosen by The First to safeguard the people of Eden and the Two Trees: Laurelin and Telperion, Nettelia and her siblings grew up eating the ambrosia fruits harvested from the trees and lived to protect the perfect realm that they had been born into. Beautiful and unchanging, Nettelia studied the creatures that Epimetheus crafted and memorized their shapes, marveled as Oztalun gave them life and lavished under the gold and silver light that cascaded from the Two Trees. In this age sickness and disease never touched Eden, the people were blessed with a true immortality that had been shepherded from the realm of the Gods. Seeded by the Gods themselves before their departure from the realm, it was Nettelia’s sacred duty to see to it that this paradise went unprovoked. Humanity and the offspring that would later be called demigods were born with a cursed fate, but Prometheus held a secret that he gifted to Nettelia first: the man behind the curtain who bore a terrible secret. The truth of the Gods was nestled in the truth of their immortality, to Uthenera they slumbered when their bodies were destroyed and their magic retreated, but only immortal hosts could contain their souls upon their return. Eden was a garden, but not for humanity. Prometheus brought free will to Eden, with Nettelia as his accomplice as he stole from Ulthar himself. Punished before the days of Lucifer’s rebellion, Nettelia would have followed had the most beautiful of the seraphim not refused to kneel. 

Eden burned and the Two Trees were destroyed, in the cruel sweep of fire mortality was brought to the race of humanity. Grief defined the archdruid, but she was possessed also by a far greater purpose, she bore the truth of the Gods and their intentions for the race of mortality. Watched as the Inferno was crafted by Oztalun and understood that the demons that crawled forth were also unfit, but their divine children when strengthened with the lines of fey would prove enough. It was in the aftermath of Eden’s pillage that Nettelia unearthed some truth to her abilities, that her power of transference could do more than mend a wing or help a plant recover, but she could heal and rend curses. The whispers came and those she confided in wouldn’t hear her, Nettelia, the grief-ridden sister who ranted at the injustice of the Gods, who turned those that she thought were possessed of the sort of righteousness that wouldn’t allow them to falter. More and more her dreams haunted her, in them she saw visions of a binding, of a transference, of sacrifices too great to number. She’s seen so many die before, fallen wings and monstrous cries of anguish and pain. This was her solution, her salvation and means to an end: her answer came in the binding of the necronomicon, to its blood hewn pages that were born from the lives of countless supernaturals. Nettelia had enough time to break Prometheus’ chains, then her siblings came for her, learned the truth of what she’d done, and slayed the chimera that she had become. 

Connections

Aren: Of her three siblings, Aren slumbered while she was killed after her descent. He remains the only one who did not see her at her worst, and for that she is grateful. 

Apollo: Companion of Eden, Nettelia got her first lessons in the healing arts from the God. While Gods are fickle, Apollo at least has always been upfront about his nature. 

Pythia: Her grief manipulated, Pythia used Nettelia’s anguish and hatred for the Gods against her - twisted her thoughts towards blood magic and aided Tiamat in instructing Nettelia on how to craft the necronomicon. 

Abilities

Author: as the creator of the necronomicon, Nettelia is immune to necromantic spells and manipulations. 

Immortal: as a druid, Nettelia will always reincarnate after she dies. Her lifespan lasts for up to five-centuries before she will inevitably begin to fade. However, her connection to the necronomicon will see to it that she is resurrected shortly after her destruction so long as the book remains. 

Archdruid: as an archdruid, Nettelia’s ability to turn into the chimera was destroyed, but she has retained her ability to shift into animals. An archdruid only has to look at a creature for a short while before understanding their habits. 

Transference: an elevated power of transference allows Nettelia to move magic and souls from one location to another. To this end she is able to heal any injury, illness, or curse.

Weaknesses

Mortality: While durable, Nettelia’s body is still mortal and she can be killed by mortal means. 

Binding: Several witches, druids or fey can bind her to the necronomicon if killed.

Animal Binding: Several witches, druids, or fey can bind her to an animal form if banded together. 

Lycanthropy: As an archdruid, Nettelia cannot be turned into a lycan, their bite however is poisonous to her and would prevent her from using her magic until recovered.

THIS SKELETON IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.

[dickslasher3000]

Tagged by @gnashiingovteeth to post four albums I've been bumping lately.

I won't tag anybody, but I welcome anybody who's reading to share their own. What are my mutuals into...

These aren't necessarily my Top 4 in terms of raw listening count, but these are some records I've listened to recently that have made some kind of impression on me...

otay:onii - Dream Hacker (2023) - Post-Industrial | Darkwave | Atmospheric "experimental" vibes; fav tracks 'Overlap', 'You Do / Rub'. Lush, mysterious, disconcerting, good. One of the best releases in electronic music this year so far imo.

Wormrot - Hiss (2022) - Grindcore from Singapore; I really enjoy the different sounds and influences present in this record that make it stand out from a lot of acts within the genre.

Megaptera - Curse of the Scarecrow (1991) - Death Industrial | Dark Ambient; Droning, brooding, oppressive industrial noise over samples from what sounds like a movie about delivering human sacrifices to a demonic entity. The 'plot' and cover art are a little cheesy, but the whole album goes hard.

Various Artists - Anthology of Indian Classical Music (1955) - Classical Indian music curated by UNESCO.

Honorable mentions:

Leaving Time - s/t (2021) - Shoegaze, grunge. 'Stay' and 'Bloom' are great tracks. Good EP all around.

Cloud Rat - Threshold (2023) - Grindcore; Excellent follow-up to Pollinator.

Re-Buried - Repulsive Nature (2023) - Death metal; I think this along with the two Ulthar albums are some of the best death metal releases this year.

Liv.e - Girl in the Half Pearl (2023) - Psychedelic progressive soul with a touch of breakbeats. 'Reset!' samples one of my favorite Bomberman tracks.

18 Carat Affair - Body Double (2022) - Vaporwave | Broken Transmission; Really good short-form vaporwave, especially if you you just have to squeak in 50 listens in less than an hour for your last.fm or Spotify Wrapped or whatever.

[urbanshaman30]

To Howard Philips Lovecraft

By Clark Ashton Smith

Lover of hills and fields and towns antique,

How hast thou wandered hence

On ways not found before,

Beyond the dawnward spires of Providence?

Hast thou gone forth to seek

Some older bourn than these—

Some Arkham of the prime and central wizardries?

Or, with familiar felidae,

Dost now some new and secret wood explore,

A little past the senses' farther wall—

Where spring and sunset charm the eternal path

From Earth to ether in dimensions nemoral?

Or has the Silver Key

Opened perchance for thee

Wonders and dreams and worlds ulterior?

Hast thou gone home to Ulthar or to Pnath?

Has the high king who reigns in dim Kadath

Called back his courtly, sage ambassador?

Or darkling Cthulhu sent

The sign which makes thee now a councilor

Within that foundered fortress of the deep

Where the Old Ones stir in sleep

Till mighty temblors shake their slumbering continent?

Lo! in this little interim of days

How far thy feet are sped

Upon the fabulous and mooted ways

Where walk the mythic dead!

For us the grief, for us the mystery. . . .

And yet thou art not gone

Nor given wholly unto dream and dust:

For, even upon

This lonely western hill of Averoigne

Thy flesh had never visited,

I meet some wise and sentient wraith of thee,

Some undeparting presence, gracious and august.

More luminous for thee the vernal grass,

More magically dark the Druid stone,

And in the mind thou art forever shown

As in a magic glass;

And from the spirit's page thy runes can never pass.

[album-aurum]

a-while i’m busy

purrrrs and @aeternal-nightmare boys design

[areallymessedupdude]

Skellifranky is lewd and just my type of art.

Wholesome dom.

https://linktr.ee/skelliefranky

And Ulthar is a CAT in HP Lovecraft story do i need to explain anymore?

If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading