#bing an ben vol 2

[jenyifer]

I have finally finished Case File Compendium Vol2

I wish I could give it a better score cause I still am entertained by it like watching a car explode. But I struggle to give it a 6.5 took me forever to finish because plots plots were disjointed moving along in weird ways. Also 2 chapter non consent spicy time which wasn’t as awful as SVSSS in the descriptions but still 🤷🏻‍♀️ I guess also the homophobia continues

6.5/10 🚩🌶️🏳️‍🌈🎢💥🧨

The sell: He Yu doesn’t care about Xie Xue anymore. Xie Qingcheng is trying to solve his parents murder. There is some cooperation at the beginning which is great. The feelings between them is going up and up. Although let me say this He Yu is crazy I guess but reading his sections always fun even in the non consent scenes I was having a laugh at his inner dialogue. ON THE OTHER HAND Xie Qingcheng isn’t a terrible guy with his actions or words I think it’s crazy how upset the “world” and He Yu is at him protecting himself from a crazy person killer. Xie Qingcheng’s POV is often… boring snd unlikable idk just more ick? Not all the time but just difficult to get through. I dont know… I’ll probably read the next one cause He Yu is entertaining but hopes for this series being mysterious or thought provoking or romantically interesting has gone out the window and it’s perfectly understandable. But to each their own I guess.

[t-taxiansgf]

CASE FILE COMPENDIUM: BING AN BEN (NOVEL) Vol. 2

Out in June

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases June 11, 2024

Birds of Shangri-La (manga) vol. 3 by Ranmaru Zariya

A paradise of sensuality, Shangri-La is a male brothel celebrating the glories of gay sex—not somewhere you’d expect Apollo, a straight man, to seek employment. But Apollo has now finished his training as a teaser under the brothel’s most sought-after bird, Phi, and he’s quickly realizing he’s not keen to work with anyone else. When Phi himself starts to show possessiveness over Apollo, the two further risk permanent exile from paradise!

Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben (novel) vol. 2 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat)

From the outside, He Yu seems to have everything going for him: he’s handsome, rich, and smart. But beneath his perfect facade, he’s hiding a dark secret–one that makes him a slumbering threat to the people around him. After spending years abroad, he enrolls in film school to pursue the girl of his dreams, Xie Xue…but that forces him to deal with her overprotective older brother, the man He Yu hoped he’d never see again.

Xie Qingcheng, an icy man of subdued emotion, was once He Yu’s doctor, and is the only person who knows He Yu’s terrible secret. He Yu swears not to let his past with this man get in the way of his feelings for Xie Xue, but he soon finds himself drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and violence that involves both of the Xie siblings. As a sprawling conspiracy sucks in He Yu, he must confront his own grudges and face new truths–including his own feelings for Xie Qingcheng, which warp into a fixation much darker than what he feels for the man’s sister.

Even Though We're Adults (manga) vol. 8 by Takako Shimura

Is it worth making everyone else miserable just so we can be happy? Even as they wrestle with this question, Ayano and Akari decide to move in together. Their new life together sustains Ayano after salacious rumors chased her out of her last teaching job. Meanwhile, Wataru is left hurting in the wake of the divorce and Eri struggles with an adulterous love of her own.

Finder Deluxe Edition: Mirage (manga) vol. 13 by Ayano Yamane

Akihito is back with Asami but has lost his memories of him. And to make a bad situation worse, Akihito is going through withdrawal from no longer taking the drug responsible for his memory loss. But despite not remembering his lover, the warmth of Asami’s kindness has Akihito feeling confused about his growing attraction. Will that be enough for Asami to get his old Akihito back?

I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl (manga) vol. 6 by Azusa Banjo

Hiura and Mido’s time as roommates ends with the start of the new school term. But now that Hiura’s gained a little more confidence, he’s forging deeper friendships with his fellow classmates, and at the invitation of rich girl Yoshino, he somehow ends up making his society debut! Meanwhile, a new character who is knowledgeable about makeup gets a glimpse of Mido’s secret. Will this set something off?!

Marriage to Kitsune-sama (manga) by Ken Homerun

In the town of Hokutochou, a mystical tradition unfolds every few decades. A villager is selected to ascend the mountain to marry one of the alluring fox spirits who reside there. Inaho has longed to take on that role, and when his time finally comes, he eagerly climbs the mountain to meet his new handsome husband, Subaru.

The captivating lord has been watching Inaho for quite some time and is pleased to receive his new spouse. But before this supernatural marriage can enter its honeymoon stage, Inaho discovers Subaru is cursed to devour his beloved--aka Inaho! Can they find a way to break the curse, or is this marriage doomed to end in tragedy?

The Moon On a Rainy Night (manga) vol. 5 by Kuzushiro

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Summer break has finally begun, and Kanon and Saki throw themselves into preparing for the upcoming choir contest. When Tanabe suggests setting up a maid café for their school festival project, the three friends decide to head downtown to look at maid outfits. What with conductor practice, shopping excursions, and spending almost every minute with Saki, Kanon is actually starting to enjoy summer in a way she never did before. The only thing that could burst this happy bubble is an unexpected encounter with her classmate Tomita, who usually treats her with scorn. Could there be more to Tomita’s story than she’s letting on?

The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: Master of Gay Erotic Manga: Vols. 1 & 2

A slipcased edition of the best-selling two volume series collecting the work of Gengoroh Tagame, the "Tom of Finland of Japan" and modern master of "bara" manga.

The often violent, visceral, and always provocative style of Japanese manga legend Gengoroh Tagame, one of the originators of Japanese bear culture, comes to life like never before in our two volume The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame series — the only English-language collections of Tagame’s erotic work, celebrated around the world for its groundbreaking subject matter, masterfully crafted imagery, and unbridled exploration of bondage, lust, passion, and romance.

Vol. 1 includes ten short stories dating from the late 1990s to the early 2010s, with an introduction by celebrated novelist and biographer Edmund White, as well as an essay and jacket design by acclaimed novelist and graphic designer Chip Kidd. In Vol. 2, Tagame serves up what his fans love best: elaborate, sensational, beautifully rendered erotica and BDSM. Kings, monks, cops, athletes: no manly man is safe from the deliciously depraved fantasies within this treasure trove of long and short stories previously unpublished in English, accompanied by original essays and an exclusive new interview with the internationally renowned cartoonist.

Our new two volume slipcased edition is a must-have for Tagame fans, as well as fans of bear cultures in general. (Please note: This book is a traditional work of manga, and reads back to front and right to left.)

Pulse (graphic novel) vol. 7 by Ratana Satis

FINAL VOLUME!

Sue’s past is finally coming back to bite her! Both she and her husband have been summoned to give statements and it won’t be long before they have to go to court. Is the director standing at the precipice of her fall from grace? All will finally be answered in the heart-pounding conclusion of PULSE!

Punch Drunk Love (manhwa) vol. 2 by MOSCARETO and art by Okdong

After getting not just one, but two passionate encounters with manager Jeong Tae-moon, finance worker Park Seon-woo is on cloud nine. The problem? Mr. Jeong is completely turned off by everything from Seon-woo’s frumpy appearance to his sloppy oral technique. Desperate to keep living his ultimate fantasy come true, Seon-woo works hard to improve himself and become a man worthy to stand at Mr. Jeong’s side…or just to crouch on hands and knees as Mr. Jeong’s footstool! Could he even dare hope to become Mr. Jeong’s exclusive lover? Maybe if he ditches those Coke-bottle glasses…

Shonen Note: Boy Soprano (manga) vol. 7 by Yuhki Kamatani

After an unexpected mishap at the national choir competition, Midori loses sight of who she is and decides to resign from the choir. Meanwhile, Yutaka's time as a boy soprano is reaching its end as his voice begins to change. He hopes Midori will get to hear him perform one more time, but…

Untamed: the Official Artwork

This stunning hardcover collection is a full-color guide to the rich world of historical fantasy The Untamed. This live-action drama series–an adaptation of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s New York Times bestselling novel series Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi–became one of the most popular dramas in China with over 9 billion views and fans located all over the world, including those introduced to the series in English on Netflix. This full-color hardcover (300+ pages long) is an art-and-text guide featuring beautiful shots from the show, character features, cast interviews, explorations of fashion and settings, illustrations and concept art, song lyrics, and more!

[infinite-wanders]

Finally binged NHIE s3 and can say it truely felt like a rollercoaster.

I've seen mixed reviews much like after I watched ST4 Vol 2 ... and honestly, we are not the same people because for me there were so many scenes I enjoyed in the moment. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I felt my heart swell and I also cringed from second hand embarrassment.

I just love any show that makes me feel something, so I don't understand how it's bad or lazy writing but whatever.

S3 confirmed what I had suspected all for some time. I was not surprised by the ending as all MK shows are love letters to BJ Novak. Now it's happened, I can live my s1-s3 Daxton life, without the anxiety of s4.

I love Paxton and his whole story. Of course I wished he was endgame, but I've seen this story before. I know why I loved Paxton for Devi from the start, because I saw he would be the boy that helped her through her grief. They went down the path of a first love, but not a long love. And first loves work, when you don't have a child hood frenemy (or best friend) as a contender.

I've enjoyed Ben and the way they've addressed his character through the seasons (it's the Benvi stans that ruin his character for me when they need to put down Paxton to build up Ben and Benvi).

Devi. I love you girl. Keep representing the complex woman.

I'm currently sleep deprived but I'll share all my fav moments over the next week.

[jgthirlwell]

2020 Year In Review

This year once again I invited some friends and colleagues to reflect on 2020

JG Thirlwell

Composer

Foetus Xordox Manorexia Steroid Maximus Venture Bros Archer

www.foetus.org

2020 was a troubling and disturbing year. I created a lot of music and experienced a lot of nights waking at 5am in a panic. I deeply missed the sacred experience of being able to see live music. In its absence of that I listened to a lot of music. It was difficult to whittle down this list but here are a lot of albums I enjoyed in 2020, in no particular order.

Le Grand Sbam Furvent (Dur Et Doux) John Elmquist’s HardArt Group I Own an Ion (900 Nurses) Roly Porter Kistvaen (Subtext) Liturgy Origin Of The Alimonies (YLYLCYN) Clark Kiri Variations (Throttle) Dai Kaht Dai Kaht I & II (Soleil Zeuhl) Chromb Le livre des merveilles (Dur Et Doux) Horse Lords The Common Task (Northern Spy) Ecker & Meultzer Carbon (Subtext) Insane Warrior Tendrils (RJ’s Electrical Connections) Jeff Parker Suite For Max Brown (International Anthem) Jacob Kirkegaard Opus Mors (Topos) Tristan Perich Drift Multiply (Nonesuch) Bec Plexus Sticklip (New Amsterdam) Vak Budo (Soleil Zeuhl) Merlin Nova BOO! (Bandcamp) The The Muscle OST (Cineola) Zombi 2020 (Relapse) Regis Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss (Downwards) Rival Consoles Articulation (Erased Tapes) Sarah Davachi Cantus, Descant (L.A.T.E.) Sufjan Stevens The Ascension (Asthmatic Kitty) Idles Ultra Mono (Partisan) Daedelus The Bittereindeers (Brainfeeder) Boris No (Bandcamp) Aksak Maboul Figures / Un peu de l’ame des bandits / Onze Danses Pour Cobattre La Migraine (Crammed) Noveller Arrow (Ba Da Bing) Felicia Atkinson Everything Evaporate (Shelter Press) Ital Tek Dream Boundary (Planet Mu) Author and Punisher Beastland (Relapse) Sparks A Steady Drip Drip Drip (BMG) Corima Amatarasu (Soleil Zeuhl) Code Orange Underneath (Roadrunner) Deerhoof Future Teenage Cave Artists /Silly Symphonies / To Be Surrounded../ Love Lore(Joyful Noise) Sote Moscels (Opal Tapes) Run The Jewels RTJ4 (Jewel Runners) Oranssi Pazuzu Mestarin Kynsi (Nuclear Blast) Master Boot Record Floppy Disk Overdrive (Metal Blade) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith The Mosaic Of Transformation (Ghostly International) / Ears (Western Vinyl) Michael Gordon Acquanetta (Cantelope) Neom Arkana Temporis (Soleil Zeuhl) Rian Treanor Ataxia / File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet Mu) Helm Saturnalia (Alter) Ivvvo doG (Halcyon Veil) Robert Normandeau Figures (Empreintes Digitales) Ben Vida Reducing The Tempo To Zero (Shelter Press) Beatrice Dillon Workaround (Pan) Dan Deacon Mystic Familiar (Domino) Sea Oleena Weaving A Basket (Higher Plain Music) Elysian Fields Transience Of Life (Ojet) Rhapsody Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret (Magic Circle) Duma Duma (Nyege Nyege) Ulla Strauss Tumbling Towards a Wall / Seed (Bandcamp)

Honorable mentions Carl Stone Stolen Car (Unseen Worlds)  Nazar Guerilla (Hyperdub) Iwo Zaluski with the Children of Park Lane Primary School, Wembley The Remarkable Earth Making Machine (Trunk) Nahash Flowers Of The Revolution (SVBKVLT) Cindy Lee Whats Tonight To Eternity (Bandcamp) Insect Ark The Vanishing (Profound Lore) 33EMYBW Arthropods (SVBKVLT) Declan McKenna Zeroes (Tomplicated) Layma Azur Zeii (Bandcamp)

FILM TV Succession ZeroZeroZero Escape at Dannemora 1917 Small Axe : Five films by Steve McQueen Pirhanas Monos The Hater Better Call Saul

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Drew Daniel

Matmos, The Soft Pink Truth

an alphabet of 2020 recordings

Arca “KiCk i” BFTT “Intrusive / Obtrusive” clipping. “Visions of Bodies Being Burned” Duma “Duma” Eilbacher, Max “Metabolist Meter (Foster, Cottin, Caetani and a Fly)” Forbidden Colors “La Yeguada” GILA “Energy Demonstration” HiedraH Club de Baile “Bichote-K Bailable Vol. 2” Ian Power “Maintenance Hums” Jeff Carey “Index[off]” Kassel Jaeger “Meith” Laurie Anderson “Songs From the Bardo” Mukqs “Water Levels” Negativland “The World Will Decide” O’Rourke, Jim “Shutting Down Here” Perlesvaus “These Things Below with Those Above” Quicksails “Blue Rise” Rian Treanor “File Under UK Metaplasm” Slikback “///” Terminal Nation “Holocene Extinction” Ulcerate “Stare Into Death and Be Still” Various Artists “HAUS of ALTR” William Tyler “New Vanitas” Xyla “Ways” Y A S H A “Summations” :zoviet-france: “Châsse 2ᵉ”

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Sarah Lipstate  (Noveller)

With all live performances canceled, this was truly the year of demo videos and home studio recording for me. These are 10 pieces of gear that came out in 2020 that helped keep me feeling creative and inspired during lockdown. In no particular order:

EHX Oceans 12 Dual Stereo Reverb - The Oceans 12 ticks all the boxes for what I’m looking for in a great soundscaping reverb. I used the Shimmer and Reverse algorithms in conjunction a lot when I was composing music for a film score.

Chase Bliss Audio Blooper - While I don’t actually own a Blooper, I had the pleasure of borrowing one from Mike of Baranik Guitars after NAMM this year. He made an incredible Blooper-inspired guitar and I was completely charmed by them both. Chase Bliss always delivers pedals that push me creatively and the Blooper truly hits the mark.

Cooper FX Arcades - I love everything Cooper FX has released to-date so the opportunity to access those sounds in one pedal via plug-in cartridges is just awesome.

SolidGoldFX NU-33 - I was asked to do a demo of this pedal for its release and ended up being really charmed by this box’s approach to lo-fi nostalgia. I’ve used it a lot for film scoring and highly recommend adding it to your collection.

Demedash Effects T-120 DLX V2 - I LOVE a good tape echo and the T-120 Deluxe V2 ranks up there with the best I’ve tried. This pedal made its way to me this Christmas and I look forward to making some beautiful sounds with it in the new year.

Hologram Electronics Microcosm - The Microcosm is one of those pedals where you should fully read the manual before diving in but once you put in that initial effort you’ve got a massively powerful tool on your hands. It does glitch like no other. Definitely worth the homework

Azzam Bells MP019 - I discovered this unique instrument through a post on Reverb’s IG page and immediately looked it up and ordered one. These experimental percussion instruments are hand-made in Italy and they’re as beautiful visually as they are sonically. I used it for bowed cymbal and daxophone sounds on a film score and it was absolutely haunting.

Echopark Dual Harmonic Boost 2 - I love the control you have over dialing in the perfect amount of grit with these dual boost circuits. I use it a lot as a textural tool when I’m laying down drones or bringing in big distorted swells. It’s one of the most versatile overdrives in my collection and I love that.

Fender Parallel Universe Series Volume II Maverick Dorado - I was smitten with the Maverick Dorado when I first saw it at NAMM. It has a lot of the specs that I look for in a guitar and the body shape with the Mystic Pine finish just blew me away. I hope that I get to use it live soon.

Polyeffects Beebo - The Beebo is one of those pedals that I genuinely feel is smarter than I am. It’s like an entire computer in one small touchscreen box. I can’t claim to have mastered using it yet but the sounds that I have managed to get out of it so far have been brilliant. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this box in 2021

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HELM 2020 REVIEW

Let's get the bad stuff out the way first, 2020 was undoubtedly an awful year. I'm still not sure how to really respond to seeing a global pandemic bring the capital to its knees and everything I love and hold dear to a grinding halt. Our government fucked it's response, putting profit before people and killing tens of thousands. The Labour Party descended into farce with the newly elected leader Sir Keith revealing himself as a bland centrist with no opposition or ideas. On a personal level it sucked not being able to travel or see my friends in different parts of the world - or even the same country - who I am starting to miss a lot. However, I was fortunate enough to get through the year with my sanity intact. Music, art and culture once again being my main positive. I think I listened to more music than I have in any year ever. I read more books than I have done since I was a teenager probably. I also re-discovered the joys of walking long distances and am extremely thankful for living near a lot of incredible green spaces: Epping Forest, Walthamstow Wetlands, Walthamstow Marshes, Wanstead Park, Wanstead Flats...

Music. My favourite albums of the year.

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi Wetware - Flail Raspberry Bulbs - Before The Age Of Mirrors Necrot - Mortal Rope Sect - The Great Flood Private World - Aleph Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never Pyrrhon - Abcess Time CS+Kreme - Snoopy Speaker Music - Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry Drew McDowall - Agalma Regis - Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss Nazar - Guerilla Zoviet France - Russian Heterodoxical Songs (and all the ZF reissues!!) Triple Negative - God Bless the Death Drive Permission - Organised People Suffer Actress - Karma & Desire Acolytes - Stress II The Gerogerigegege - >(decrescendo) Chubby & The Gang - Speed Kills Flora Yin-Wong - Holy Palm Eiko Ishibashi - Hyakki Yagyo The The - See Without Being Seen Prurient - Casablanca Flamethrower Henning Christiansen - L’essere Umano Errabando La Voce Errabando Subdued - Over The Hills And Far Away Rian Treanor - File Under UK Metaplasm Komare - The Sense Of Hearing Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal Jesu - Terminus Autechre - SIGN Hey Colossus - Dances / Curses Sparkle Division - To Feel Embraced Mark Harwood - A Perfect Punctual Paradise Under My Own Name Still House Plants - Fast Edit The Bug & Dis Fig - In Blue Kommand - Terrorscape Haus Arafna - Asche Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum Worm - Gloomlord Kraus - A Golden Brain Faceless Burial - Speciation

A shout-out to Jon Abby's AMPLIFY series on Bandcamp / Facebook, which I contributed a new piece of music to.

A shout out to the labels where most of the music I listened to seemed to come from:

The Trilogy Tapes Iron Bonehead Penultimate Press Dais La Vida Es Un Mus

Gigs. Despite live music being destroyed in 2020 I still saw a few unforgettable performances at the beginning of the year.

Graham Lambkin @ The ICA, London Puce Mary / JFK @ The Glove That Fits, London Demilich @ Finnfest, The Garage, London Container / PC World / National Unrest @ Venue MOT, London S.H.I.T / Asid / Chubby & The Gang @ Static Shock Festival, ExFed, London

Books I enjoyed. Most not published this year, but all read in 2020.

Joe Kennedy - Authentocrats David Balzer - Curationism Tom Mills - BBC: The Myth Of A Public Service Simon Morris - Consumer Guide: Special Edition Luke Turner - Out Of The Woods Various - Bad News For Labour Mike Wendling - Alt-Right Baited Area issues 1 & 2.

Film. Three good films I saw this year which I hadn't before.

Suspiria (Remake) Midsommar Cannibal Holocaust

Podcasts. I listened to a lot of these whilst walking.

We Don't Talk About The Weather Novara Media Tysky Sour & Novara FM Grounded with Louis Theroux System of Systems Red Scare loveline episodes Suite 212 NOISEXTRA Social Discipline CONTAIN

TV.

Didn't watch a huge amount and what I did was mostly trash. For some reason I rewatched both series' of This Life, a British drama from the late 90's about a group of young professionals house sharing and navigating their careers. Very cringey and has aged terribly, but it was perversely fascinating to revisit something from that time in the age of the pandemic. Following on from this I binge watched the entire series of Industry which was entertaining enough. A programme about a bunch of horny bankers with what felt like a confused ideology behind it. It seemed stuck between trying to criticise and glorify the culture around the industry, but also protect the industry itself from outside criticism by portraying anyone who may oppose as an insufferable wanker. Currently halfway through Succession which is OK. The Murdoch documentaries on the BBC were excellent and a rare respite from their descent into client journalism.

Thanks to anyone who listened to my music this year also. Best wishes to you all for 2021.

Luke Younger

http://hhelmm.com | http://alter.bandcamp.com

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Elliott Sharp

composer

1. My Nr. 1 lesson: patience. Whether it's bouncing through 30 seconds of severe turbulence at 39000 feet or slogging through 30 minutes of a interminable piece of concert music, one attribute I've tried to develop is the ability to see past the discrete and awaited ending, the exact framing of the immediate process, but put it into the context of a larger time frame. I've found that this year more than all others has demanded it. Breathing helps...

2. Books: revisiting old favorites from the realm of Thomas Pynchon and Philip K. Dick (both especially relevant), digging into John Lomax's portrait of Jelly Roll Morton, the works of Colson Whitehead, random things off of the shelf…

3. Composing: with touring off the table, I focused on that which needed to be written, some requested and commissioned, some spontaneously springing forth. Composing requires that one open the windows wide to the world, which at this moment brought in grief, terror, uncertainty, anxiety, visions of plague and pestilence and incipient fascism. Okay, now shut the window and get to work! How to process, translate, transform? The work can be a comfortable and obsessive cocoon once one learns to handle the radioactive materials and put them into the creativity reactor.

4. Beans! We have long been a fan in our house of the wide world of legumes but this year brought two stars to the front: the black bean and the red lentil. The black bean commands the lofty peaks but the seemingly infinite variations of dal surround it. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne, onions, and olive oil form the basis then imagination builds.

5. Online teaching substituted for my canceled conduction of workshops in the Pyrenees Mountains of France. Between the participants and myself, we built a temporary but very congenial space online to share concepts and music. In addition, private lessons brought conversation and music with new friends in Germany, Italy, California, Australia, Illinois, Denmark, Pennsylvania, Spain, Florida, Brazil.

6. What started out as "stress baking" (before I even had heard of the term) soon became a frequent practice that yielded very edible results. The twins preferred the sweeter forays into banana bread and chocolate cake. I tried to find a balance between tried-and-true techniques and experiments in texture and taste with yeasted pumpernickels, multi-grains, and seed breads.

7. While not the same as performing 'live ', online gigs proved that it was possible to generate a surprising amount of adrenaline even without the pheromonal handshaking of a room filled with receptive ears. As a corollary, online recording collaborations with friends worldwide proved to be inspiring and a suitable substrate for sonic experimentation, exploration of new instruments, tunings, effects programming, structures. In these realms, shout-outs to Helene Breschand, Mike Cooper, Henry Kaiser, Tracie Morris, Mikel Banks, Dougie Bowne, Payton McDonald, Billy Martin, Colin Stetson, Jim O'Rourke, Scott Amendola, Roberto Zorzi, Jason Hoopes, Eric Mingus, Melanie Dyer, Dave Hofstra, Don McKenzie, Sergio Sorrentino, Veniero Rizzardi, Taylor Ho Bynum, Scott Fields, Bachir Attar, Karl Bruckmaier, Robbie Lee, Matthew Evan Taylor, Matteo Liberatore, Al Kaatz, David Barratt, Jessica Hallock, Kolin Zeinikov, Robbie Lee, Jeremy Nesse, James Ilgenfritz, Sergio Armaroli, Steve Piccolo, Sandy Ewen, David Weinstein, Jim Whittemore, Chris Vine, Werner Puntigam, William Schimmel.

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Daniel O’Sullivan

(Grumbling Fur, Guapo, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses, Ulver, Sunn O))), Æthenor, Laniakea, Miracle, Mothlite, and This Is Not This Heat.)

Music Richard Youngs - Ein Klein Nein Alabaster DePlume - Instrumentals Hildegard von Bingen - O Nobilissima Viriditas Francisco de Penalosa - Missa Ave Maria Peregrina Carlo Gesualdo - Responsoria 1611 Dirty Projectors - Five EPs Sonic Boom - All Things Being Equal Brother Peter Broderick - Blackberry Richard Horowitz - Eros Of Arabia Duncan Trussell Family Hour Cocteau Twins in the bath

Books/comics Alexander Tucker - Entity Reunion II Derek Jarman - Chroma Stephen Harrod Buhner - Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm The Penguin Book Of Irish Poetry - edited by Patrick Crotty The Gospel Of Ramakrishna - translated by Swami Nikhilananda Lucretius - De Rerum Natura Plotinus - Enneads Ram Dass - Grist For The Mill Lisa Brown - Phantom Twin

Other Fasting / meditation / macrodosing Walks in freshly coppiced woodland (for the smell mainly). Plants / Foraging / Growing Traditional ferments Douglas Sirk movies Mandolorian Writing songs on the piano Rediscovery of Kenneth Graham via my kids

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Karl O’Connor (Regis)

01.Wolfgang Press - Unremembered, Remembered 02. Klara Lewis - Ingrid Live at Fylkingen 03. Jesu - Terminus 04. Dave Ball - Leeds Poly Demos 1979 05. Edwin Pouncey - Rated Sav X (the Savage Pencil Skratchbook) 06. The Bug - In Blue 07. New Order - Power,Corruption and Lies ( Writing Sessions  ) 08. JG Thirlwell and Simon Steensland - Oscillospira 09. FM Einheit and Andreas Ammer - Hammerschlag 10. Thurston Moore - By The Fire 11. Body Stuff - Body Stuff 3 12. Ann M Hogan - Honeysuckle Burials 13. Rob Halford - Confess (Autobiography)

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Caleb Braaten (Sacred Bones Records)

Shirley Collins Hearts Ease Dehd Flowers Of Devotion Duma Duma Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways Green-House Six Songs for Invisible Gardens John Jeffery Passage Drew McDowall Agalma Sweeping Promises Hunger For a Way Out Colter Wall Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs Woods Strange to Explain

My Favorite 90’s Nostalgia Movie Rewatches

Colors Ghost Dog Menace II Society The Player Rounders Safe Starship Troopers Trees Lounge Vampires Waiting For Guffman

Most Culturally Bankrupt Year : 1997

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Charlie Looker

(composer, Psalm Zero, Extra Life, Seaven Teares)

Ten Things That Didn’t Happen in 2020

1.  I didn’t write a ton of new music. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote some. I always do. But mostly I focused on my new YouTube channel, essays, and on getting old recordings released. I haven’t even been working a day-job so I thought I was going to write my next Ring Cycle, but I really didn’t find Covid inspiring.

2.  Trump wasn’t re-elected. Cool.

3. I didn’t lose anyone to Covid. I am, of course, profoundly grateful for this. But I feel pretty embarrassed remembering group-texting ten friends in March, “We are all going to see a loved one die. Every single one of us. Don’t kid yourselves”. I can get hysterical, and that was somewhat irresponsible of me.

4.  No revolution happened. I don’t mean to be smug or cynical, or to belittle anyone’s participation in the protests. But, as far as I can tell, nothing happened in 2020 that promises to reduce police brutality or human suffering of any kind. We’ll see. That burning Minneapolis police station was exciting to watch at the time, if only on an aesthetic level.

5.  I have a stack of unread books I bought this year, just staring at me, with nary a crease among them. These include:

Adorno and Horkheimer, The Dialectic of Enlightenment (looks amazing, but I haven’t touched it) Marx, Grundrisse (it’s 1000 pages for fuck’s sake. Amazon also accidentally sent me two copies, and its double presence in the stack is just comical) Reza Negarestani, Intelligence and Spirit (the first 15 pages blew my mind, then my mind blew it off)

6.  I didn’t settle into living in LA. I moved here six months before Covid and I was just starting to cultivate some friendships and play shows. This was quashed and I still feel like I still live in New York. I still barely know the layout of the city here.

7.  No brand-new buzzy musical artists burst onto the scene, that I can recall. No new hyped micro-genre of the moment. There was just no way for there to be a hot new trend. I’d say that was refreshing, but it wasn’t.

8.  Tyson’s return was not awesome. Two minute rounds, ended in a draw. I’ve been getting way into boxing this past year. This fight was a bummer. I’m looking forward to Mayweather vs Logan Paul (LOL) because we know it’s comedy ahead of time.

9.  For three weeks in July, I didn’t do a single thing other than watch street fight compilations on YouTube and Worldstar. That’s just grim.

10.  There were no school shootings in March. Apparently, this was the first March with no school shootings since 2002. Not a single 7th grader got a hand job in March either. I cannot begin to imagine what it’s like to be a kid now.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chuck Bettis

https://chuckbettis.com

Other People's Music released this year:

Coil "Musick to Play in the Dark" (Dais)

Duma "s/t" (Nyege Nyege Tapes) Twig Harper "External Boundless Prison/ in 4 parts EP" (self-release) I.P.Y. (Ikue Mori, Phew, YoshimiO) "I.P.Y." (Tzadik) Kill Alters "A2B2 Live Stream 11/13/2020" (self-release) Krallice "Mass Cathexis" (self-release) Lust$ickPuppy "Cosmic Brownie" (self-release) Doug McKechnie "San Francisco Moog: 1968-72" (VG+ Records) Merlin Nova "Boo!" (self-release) Omrb "Milandthriust, The Graths of Mersh" (self-release) Akio Suzuki & Aki Onda "gi n ga" (self-release) Yoth Iria "Under His Sway" (Repulsive Echo) Wetware "Flail" (Dais)

My own music released this year:

collaborations

Chatter Blip "Microcosmopolitan" (Contour Editions) Matmos "The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form" (Thrill Jockey) Reverse Bullets  "Dreampop Dsyphoria" (self-release) Snake Union "live at Roulette" (self-release) Snake Union w/ Hisham Bharoocha, Bonnie Jones, Heejin Jang, Matthew Regula "Three Arrows" (Rat Route) Thomas Dimuzio "Balance" (Gench Music) YoshimiO & Chuck Bettis  "Live at the Stone" (Living Myth)

solo Chuck Bettis "Arc of Enlghtenment"  (Living Myth) Chuck Bettis "Motion Parallax"  (Living Myth)

compilation Various Artist "Polished Turds Vol.1" (Granpa)

Music Books read this year

"Intermediary Spaces" by Eliane Radigue/Julia Eckhardt (Umland) "Ennio Morricone In His Own Words" by Ennio Morricone/Alessandro De Rosa (Oxford University Press) "Free Jazz In Japan: A Personal History" by Soejima Teruto (Public Bath Press) "Rumors of Noizu: Hijokaidan and the Road to 2nd Damascus" by Kato David Hopkins (Public Bath Press)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Maya Hardinge

(musician / artist)

list of things i liked this year

first ever solo road trip through new mexico and Texas right before lockdown experiencing manhattan with no cars on the road . having a car to escape in to nature. (which i craved so much) walks and bike rides with friends… FRIENDS! The web site ‘workaway’ that helped me feel that there were options for escape. playing games weekly on zoom during lock down teaching yoga weekly on zoom. Witnessing and being part of the BLM protests. witnessing and being part of the demise of T sitting on my couch at 6am drinking a cup of tea, appreciating my apt. making time to meditate. halloween without tourists .

some music I’ve bought and/or enjoyed this year Elvis Perkins-Black Coat Daughter Patricia Kokett -Soi soi Henning Christiansen - OP201 Bryce Hackford- Safe Svitlana Nianio and Oleksander - Snayesh yak? rozkazhy Brannten schnure - Sommer im Pfirsichhain Killing Joke - Nighttime David Shea - Tower of mirrors Shakey - Shakey Woodford halse tapes Coil - Musick to play in the dark

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BJ Nilsen

sound artist / composer

Work 2020

Despite Covid 19 lots of things actually did happen.

In Feburary I visited the only active nuclear plant in The Nederlands as part of my "Expanded Field Recording” project together with SML. In March revisited the Acousmonium at the Elevate Festival in Graz with an additional trip deep inside the Schlossberg recording old mining trains. In March and April I did two daily recording projects “Pending and Auditory Scenes” - both of Amsterdam during lockdown. In May did my first Zoom field recording workshop with the CAMP project. In June & July  two research trips in Waldviertel, Austria with Franz Pomassl. In August recorded bells and organs in 10 different churches around Amsterdam for Jacob Lekkerkerker. In September recorded Kali Malone at the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. Performed at Heart of Noise Festival in Innsbruck and A4 in Bratislava. Also went ice-skating for first time in 20? Years. In November and December I travelled to Jeju island to record field recordings for a project by Femke Herregraven for the Gwangju Biennale, commissioned for 2021. Did lots of gardening, released two tapes “Call it Philips, Eindoven” and “Zomer 2020” with Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson. NOW! Looking forward to 2021.

http://bjnilsen.info https://soundcloud.com/bjnilsen/sets/auditory-scenes-amsterdam

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Vicki Bennett

(People Like Us)

Negativland - True False https://negativland.com/products/truefalse-cd (this came out last year but is so THIS year) Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/rough-and-rowdy-ways/ The Soft Pink Truth - We from Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase https://thesoftpinktruth.bandcamp.com/album/shall-we-go-on-sinning-so-that-grace-may-increase Carl Stone - Stolen Car https://unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/stolen-car Porest - Sedimental Gurney https://porest.bandcamp.com/album/sedimental-gurney Matmos - The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form https://matmos.bandcamp.com/album/the-consuming-flame-open-exercises-in-group-form Domenique Dumont - Miniatures De Auto Rhythm https://antinoterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/atn044-domenique-dumont-miniatures-de-auto-rhythm The The - See Without Being Seen https://www.thethe.com/product/see-without-being-seen-cd/ Ciggy de la Noche - Hold Tight HMRC https://soundcloud.com/ciggydelanoche/hold-tight-hmrc Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams http://www.neilcic.com/mouthdreams/

and my details: http://peoplelikeus.org/ https://peoplelikeus-vickibennett.bandcamp.com/ pic: http://peoplelikeus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Welcome-Abroad-promo3-2-scaled.jpg

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DJ Food

Music - Type 303 - Sticky Disco / Analogue Acidbath 7" (45 Live) The British Space Group - The Ley of the Land CD (Wyrd Britain) Squarepusher - Be Up A Hello LP / Warp 10 NTS mix (Warp) dgoHn - Undesignated Proximate (Modern Love) LF58 - Alterazione LP (Astral Industries) Robert Fripp - Music For Quiet Moments series (DGM) Run The Jewels - RTJ4 (BMG) Simf Onyx - Magenta Skyline / The Unresolved 7" (Delights) Luke Vibert - Modern Rave LP (Hypercolour) JG Thirlwell & Simon Steensland - Oscillospira (Ipecac) Aural Design - Looking & Seeing 7" / DL (Russian Library) Luke Vibert - Rave Hop (Hypercolour) Clipping. with Christopher Fleeger - Double Live (Sub Pop) APAT - Terry Riley's 'In C' performed on Modular Synthesizer (YouTube) Field Lines Cartographer - The Spectral Isle LP (Castles In Space) Jane Weaver - The Revolution of Super Visions single (Fire Records) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G. LP (Flightless) Humanoid - Hed-Set - forthcoming on (De:tuned)

Film / TV - Inside No.9 (BBC) What We Do In The Shadows Season 2 (Netflix) Tales From The Loop (Amazon) Keith Haring - Street Art Boy (BBC) John Was Trying To Contact Aliens (Netflix) The Social Dilemma (Netflix) The Mandalorian (Season 2) (Disney+) Long Hot Summers - The Style Council documentary (Sky Arts) Zappa (Alex Winter)

Books / Comics / Magazines Confessions of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell (Profile books) The Often Wrong - Farel Dalrymple (Image Comics) Edwin Pouncey - Rated SavX (Strange Attractor Press) Jeffrey Lewis - Fuff (all issues - really late to the party on this one) Rian Hughes - XX - A Novel, Graphic (Picador) Cosey Fanni Tutti - Art, Sex, Music (Faber) Caza - Kris Kool (Passenger Press) Dan Lish - Egostrip Vol.1 Electronic Sound magazine Decorum - Jonathan Hickman & Mike Huddleston (Image) John Higgs - Stranger Than We Can Imagine Simon Halfon - Cover To Cover (Nemperor)

Very few exhibitions or shows this year for obvious reasons

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel Hiatory #2

Some context.

The premise for this story is that Frank Castle/the Punisher, has become the new Ghost Rider and has gained cosmic abilities of some kind.

He’s gone back in time and intends to avert his family’s deaths whilst posing as one of Frank’s relatives. This issue specifically is all about him recounting his history with Spider-Man during his time travelling adventures. Those adventures have created a new timeline in which he and Spider-Man are buddies and he was present for various moments in Spider-Man history.

These include:

- His origin

- His rescue of John Jameson in ASM #1

- His tricking the symbiote into trying to bond with him in the second ever Venom story

- the Death of Jean DeWolff

- Spider-Man No More

- His obtaining the black costume (sorta)

- His reunion with Mary Jane in JMS’ ASM vol 2 #50 ‘Doomed Affairs’

- Peter meeting Ben Reilly in the Clone Saga

Now I’m no Punisher expert nor do I know his recent history. But ‘Cosmic Ghost Rider’ seemed to be very much at odd with Frank Castle’s typical personality being more lighthearted.

There are also numerous massive continuity foul ups and logic holes in Spider-Man history, things that cannot be excused on the basis that Frank has created a new timeline where things would be different or even that he is telling Maria Castle a story (because we see scenes he was not present for).

There is also questions regarding Spider-Man’s partnering with someone as violent as Cosmic Ghost Rider and how the timeline adds up as we are recounting events that happened long after Punisher first showed up.

Not to mention the stories seem to be presented as though they actually happened at the time they were written, e.g. the Sin Eater scenes seem to happen in the 1980s.

And you know what...none of that bothered me.

More than that. None of that is a problem for this story.

You know why?

Because...it’s supposed to be a wacky comedy.

EVERYTHING is played for laughs. It’s one slice away from being a fourth wall breaking Deadpool book.

The shots fired at Spider-Man history are clearly good natured ribbing so even some of the deviations which I’d bet were not deliberate (such as the implication Spider-Man had the symbiote in the Death of Jean DeWolff) are fine.

It’s not supposed to be taken that seriously at all and it’s honestly very, very funny. 

Scheer and Giovannetti clearly love Spider-Man and Spider-Man’s history and even use that to effect in relating to the characters present in this story, drawing comparisons between Maria Castle and Mary Jane (two women married to warriors).

It’s a lot of fun, a love letter to Spider-Man history and downright hilarious at times.

And perhaps best of all it’s wrapped up with beautiful art by TODD NAUCK who lovingly riffs and recreates classic Spider-Man moments.

Not going to lie I binged like half a dozen comic books today starting with the absolute tragedy that was the death of the Gibbon and ending with the absolute side splitter that was this issue.

And this issue was the best thing all day!

READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[megsbooklr]

Read in 2019

Fantasy & Sci-fi 

~ standalones ~

1. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane // Neil Gaiman

A new favourite. Magical childhood nostalgia - I’m sold :) 

2. Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle // Stuart Turton

A new favourite #2. Even though it gave me headaches :D 

3. Sorcery of Thorns // Margaret Rogerson

A quite entertaining YA fantasy. Librarians rule!

4. Good Omens // Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Bought and read after my binge of the amazon’s show. I liked both versions :) 

5. Gods Of Jade And Shadow // Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I bought it because of the cover and wasn’t disappointed by the story :D

6. Pierwsze słowo // Marta Kisiel

I like Marta’s style and wit, and this anthology of short stories is good, even though i’d prefer for some of the stories to be more... finished? 

7. Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View

Wow! A really ambitious project - some of the stories are kinda... meaningless, but many are really interesting.

8. The Freeze-Frame Revolution // Peter Watts

A new favourite #3. Space mission, codes, DNA - sign me up!

9. Welcome To Night Vale // Joseph Fink & Joeffrey Cranor

Uhm... I struggled a bit with this one, but still, it’s Night Vale, so I can forgive the plot problems and just focus on the vibes :D (and Cecil’s voice!)

10. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again // Zen Cho

Wow... It’s a short story that won the Hugo award this year. It’s beautiful, I cried in the end. A lot.

~ sequels ~

1. The Hero Strikes Back // Moira J. Moore

I love this series so far, it’s just pure entertainment :)

2. The Wicked King // Holly Black

The only faerie series I follow :) Good, gripping, and the twist in the end! I need to read part 3 soon!

3. Lies Sleeping // Ben Aaronovitch

This book could be a good end to the whole series, but there’s book 8 coming soon and I’m not complaining :D we need a new foe, though. 

4. Oczy uroczne // Marta Kisiel

Slavic mythology & rural fantasy. And Marta’s style and humour. What could I want more :D

5. Małe Licho i anioł z kamienia // Marta Kisiel

This is technically a series for children (which is read probably mostly by adults addicted to Konrad, Licho, & Co. :D And I’m such adult.)

6. Każde martwe marzenie // Robert M. Wegner

Yaaay, finally I got through the 5th part of the Meekhan series! And I loved it, even though there wasn’t enough Kenneth lyw-Darawyt & Górska Straż in it (it never is... :P)

7. Jeszcze może załopotać // Robert M. Wegner

A short story from the Meekhan series. I liked it, and it gave us a bit of backstory to some characters..

~ new series ~

1. Binti Trilogy // Nnedi Okorafor

I binged the whole series, and I liked it. Only the ending was a bit... cut short?

2. Kosmiczne bobry i zemsta księżycowej szarańczy // Krzysztof Piersa

The first book in a new Polish sci-fi series. It’s weird, I’m not sure what the target audience is because it seems a bit too serious for kids and yet there are cosmic beavers... Anyway, it has these oldschool sci-fi vibes and I like that. It ends on a cliffhanger so I’m waiting for part 2! 

3. The Book of Lost Tales Vol .1 // J.R.R. Tolkien

Haha, ‘new series’... ‘new’ as in I hadn’t read anything of HoME before :D well, now I have. And I’m gonna keep reading! It feels so good to read Tolkien’s work again :)

Fiction (other genres)

1. Kasacja, Zaginięcie, Rewizja // Remigiusz Mróz

My brother is a fan, and sometimes I borrow his books when I need a light reading... :)

2. If We Were Villains // Melanie Rio

A new favourite #4. I loved the style and the story.

3. The Unexpected Inheritance Of Inspector Chopra // Vaseem Khan

A kinda cute detective story set in Mumbai. It was definitely something new for me :) 

Classics 

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray // Oscar Wilde

It wasn’t exactly what I expected, some parts were terribly boring, but others quite entertaining. Despite the fact that I wanted to murder both Dorian and sir Henry the whole time. I liked the ending, though :)

2. The Happy Prince, and Other Stories // Oscar Wilde

It turned out I knew some of this stories from retellings, but I still enjoyed the whole book :)

Non-fiction

1. Warto podążać za marzeniami // Marek Kamiński

The memoirs of a famous Polish explorer of polar regions. Well written, I liked reading it.

2. Farerskie kadry  // Maciej Brencz

A collection of impressions, memoirs and facts about the Faroe Islands, by a Polish author and traveller. I’m lowkey obsessed with Faroe Islands so I liked reading this book :)

Mangas/graphic novels 

1. Chrononauts // Mark Millar

I don’t understand the appeal of this novel. Like, at all. Time travel tropes at their worst.

2. Fullmetal Alchemist #17-27 // Hiromu Arakawa

After my last year’s obsession with FMAB and FMA2003, I finished reading the manga this year. As predicted, I cried at the last volume. I regret nothing :D

3. Monstress vol. 1-3 // Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

Finally managed to put myself together, binged the whole series and loved it! The graphics are mesmerizing, the story itself is engrossing and there are great characters (all of them highly problematic :D except for Kippa, who is an angel). I’m waiting for the Polish translation of volume 4 since I already have the previous ones in Polish, too.

4. The Tea Dragon Society // Katie O’Neil

Absolutely cute graphic novel with dragons and Ghibli vibes, there’s nothing I’d want more. 

Fanfics as good as books :D

1. Syn Gondoru // Kasiopea

Yep, I re-read my favourite Boromir Lives LOTR AU :D

2. Lineage VI & VII // Ruth Baulding

I hope I’m gonna finish at least Lineage next year, there’s still the whole Legacy series I haven’t gotten into yet! 

[tenebrix]

The Umbrella Academy review

OK, so I haven’t done this in a looooooong time... 

But, here is my review of season 1 of the Umbrella Academy. 

_________________

The Umbrella Academy is an adaptation from the Dark Horse Comics publication of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba. The basic premise of the story is in 1989 43 women unexpectedly and without any sort of connection became pregnant and gave birth to 43 children. Sir Reginald Hargreeves sets out to adopt as many of these children as he could, he found seven. This is not your typical superhero team, to start with they mostly all hate each other, mistrust one another, and they all have some serious daddy issues. When we are introduced to the Academy they are already disbanded, one of their own has been missing for some time and another died under mysterious and violent circumstances. They are brought together for the funeral of their father. It is during the funeral that Number Five returns from the future with a warning. “The world is going to end in eight days.”

The majority of the events of season one are taken from vol 1: The Apocalypse Suite and some elements from vol 2: Dallas. The show does a rarely good weiving of the events of the story to make its own path. The show uses the element of time travel as a very important backbone for the story, within the comics this plays out more in Dallas. As well, the argument can be made that the true villain of the season was not the White Violin but the Commission. At certain moments the show felt dragged and slow, the dialogue felt the same daddy issue or just bland writing. But the show has its moments in which it picked up the paced and the story began to deliver it’s potential. One of the many comparisons that have been made about the show is House of Haunted Hill with X-Men, I would agree with the comparison of the family dynamic with the meta-human aspect. Music plays a very important part in the show, it’s can be even viewed as an emotional drive of the story. My one problem is that at times during action sequences it felt like certain camera movements were lacking any sort of sharpness of clear style of what it wanted to be. Does it what to be Zack Snyder or does it want to keep it real time? The weird slow-mo at certain moments it looks sloppy. One can tell that the majority of the budget of the show went, if not to Ms. Kate Walsh, it went into the creation of Pogo, Sir Reginald’s talking chimp. Pogo looks beautiful in his scenes, he really does come to life when he appears with the other characters. Because of this, I think it’s why Ellen Page’s White Violin transformation suffered. The end result was a bit lackluster in what the comic present. Of course, having Ellen Page turn into a literal human violin would be a bit too much. But, the pale makeup with white glowy contacts that was used in the show was really a poor choice of what could have been done.

The general performance from the actors in the show was fairly good for the most part. At certain moments the performance feels very bland and humorless, but again taking into account that this group of people doesn’t really get along, like each other, have kept in contact for some time, and again the “cornerstone of their story” their daddy issues. It felt deliberate that the scenes were carried out that way, slow, dragged out moments between people who can’t get along. Granted after a while it was overplayed it wasn’t until the end that, perhaps, they may have overcome that and can now hold a conversation without making us the viewer uncomfortable in season 2? Who knows. The potential for this show to expand is great, but the problem will come with what they are willing to sacrifice budget wise moving forward with the CGI. The one thing that I found a bit distracting was Vanya Hargreeves, Number 7, looked too much like Ellen Page. it doesn't seem like she did so much to create a character that is different from who she is. I wasn’t a fan of Number 3, Allison Hargreeves, in the comics, still not a fan in the show. Emmy Raver-Lampman as Number 3 did a good job. Still, not my favorite character. Number 2, Diego Hargreeves played by David Castanada, was brilliant! Granted we didn’t get to see the Kraken use his power of holding his breath underwater, we mostly were treated with his expert aiming skills. HIs relationship with Dec. Eruda Patch was meh, there was hardly any time to develop some sort of emotional groundwork for what happens next to them. Number 6, Ben Hargreeves, is dead but we got treated with his presence as a ghost, that being said I need more of Justin H. Min’s performance as Ben in the next season! MORE OF NUMBER 6! Number 4, Klaus Hargreeves, played by Rober Sheehan did much better than I expected. This is one of the examples of characters that suffered because of the budget. Number 4 in the comic hovers over the ground, and he needs to be barefooted in order for his powers to work. Also, like many characters who have the abilities to read minds or seeing the dead, he falls victim to the stereotype of the character who has to be under a heavy amount of drugs in order to function. Thankfully Sookie Stackhouse, from True Blood, didn’t fall victim to this. Number 1, Luthor Hargreeves, played by Tom Hooper, I mean where do I begin with this one. The bodysuit needed A LOT of work and I do mean A LOT of work. His performance was ok for the one note for a broody character with severe daddy issues, you know like Bruce Wayne minus the money. His performance was good for the most part, again one note with the same repetitive issues. But it improves none the less. Number 5, The Boy, played by Aiden Gallagher, he was meh. To be fair, good actor, but, again typical stuff when you ask a young actor to portray someone who is older than them; broody, humorless, angry, drunk, and some sort of weird attraction to an inanimate object. I personally think, the actor looks too old for the role, but again my opinion. He was also missing the savage killer aspect fo the character. I kept hoping for Number 5 to cut loose as he does in the comic and we get to see more from him. HIs relationship with Delores the Mannequin was cute and weird. Mary J. Blige as Cha-Cha and Cameron Britton as Hazel brilliant casting, their characters needed to be a bit more fleshed out. Their companionship was a good match, their comedic timing needed A LOT of work. But, still, they have the potential for improvement. Kate Walsh as the Handler from the Commission, YES! I need more of Kate Walsh! I just need her to become the overall villain in the show, or I just need her to be more in the show. The Commission has the possibility to be a great main antagonist for the Academy if they don’t plan on bringing Doctor Terminal any time soon.

In Conclusion, the Umbrella Academy season 1 adds itself to a buffet of comic book related tv shows, yet it sets itself apart for its main focus on family dynamic and focusing on the hero aspect second. The show has a lot of ground to play with and given the freedom to follow the comics or expand on their own it leaves the door open to a series of stories to be told, hopefully not all will be “Daddy-centric”. The show is not perfect no first season ever is, but it was the potential, it has also laid a good foundation to grow from and make it a good show. As for season 2, more Time Travel, more Kate Walsh and bring Doctor Terminal. I would like for the show to explore more Sir Reginald’s background a bit more and show the audience that he is not human but an alien, spoilers for those who haven’t read the comic. Also, Abhijat needs to show up in the show, REPRESENTATION MATTERS! The Umbrella Academy is a solid B+, it’s a slow start but it picks up. Is it binge-worthy? That’s up to you.

[bestreasonstowriterecordreviews]

✰ BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017 ✰

✰✰✰✰✰  5th ANNIVERSARY  ✰✰✰✰✰

It’s time to feast from the grapevine of 2017 with 103 (+ 171 more) of the…  

✰ BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017 ✰

(all long playing records unless otherwise noted; also, this list was created with links to every item, but the links aren’t appearing, so you’ll have to direct your web browser searches the old fashioned way)

✰✰  TAIWAN HOUSING PROJECT Veblen Death Mask  (Kill Rock Stars) ✰✰

✰  HAND & LEG  Hand & Leg (Black Gladiator)

✰  MARCIA BASSETT & SAMARA LUBELSKI  Live NYC (Feeding Tube) 

✰  CHROMASTHETIC  Gold Sound cassette  (Time Release)

✰  ANTIETAM  Intimations of Immortality (Motorific)

✰  girlSperm  gSp (Thrilling Living)

✰  CHUCK JOHNSON  Balsams (VDSQ)

✰  RODENTICIDE Rodenticide (Self Sabotage)

✰  ANGIE Shyness (Rice Is Nice/DERO Arcade, Australia)

✰  BLOODY SHOW Let America Pay cassette (Superdreamer)

✰  MICHAEL BEACH  Gravity/Repulsion (Spectacular Commodity)

✰  ANTHONY PASQUAROSA  Abbandonato Da Dio Nazione (VDSQ)

✰  ALBERT DEMUTH Corporate Rights 7″ (self-released)

✰  MOUNTAIN MOVERS Mountain Movers (Trouble In Mind)

✰  X-POP  Alphabet Cereal ep cassette  (Chemical Imbalance., Australia) 

✰  DANA Dana (Heel Turn)

✰  GOSPEL OF MARS Gospel Of Mars (Amish)

✰  PRIVATE SORROW  Fake Lions (Mystery Plane, U.K.)

✰  JUDY & THE JERKS  3 Songs cassette (Earth Girl) &  Alive At The Skatepark cassette (Earth Girl)

✰  PIERRE & BASTIEN Musique Grecque (sdz, France)

✰  XETAS  The Tower (12XU)

✰  JAIMIE BRANCH Fly Or Die (International Anthem Recording Company)

✰  STEFAN CHRISTENSEN Shake Off The Village (C/Site Recordings) & Open Day 7″(I Dischi Del Barone, Sweden)

✰  LISE BARKAS & LISA KAÜFFERT Lo Becat cd-r (Soleis Bleus, France)

✰  USA/MEXICO Laredo (12XU)

✰  PREGNANCY Urgency (Emotional Response)

✰  FULLY GLAZED Full Glazed cassette (The Loki Label)

✰  DARK TEA  Dark Tea cassette (self-released) & Bright Flame (bandcamp DL) 

✰  SYLVIA COURVOISIER & MARY HALVORSON Crop Circles (Relative Pitch)

✰  KAY ODYSSEY  What’s A Woman To Do? (Little Bit)

✰  THE DOLL/STEFAN NEVILLE  1974 8″ lathe (stabbies etc, NZ)

✰  CLARINETTE The Now Of Then (Feeding Tube)

✰  ERIK KRAMER A House, Floating In The Middle Of A Lake cassette (Anthropocene Recordings)

✰  AKI ONDA/TASHI DORJI/CHE CHEN ‘HAZ-,BINS cassette (Black Pollen Press)

✰  KATE CARR The Story Surrounds Us cassette (The Helen Scarsdale Agency) & From A Wind Turbine To Vultures (And Back) cassette (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

✰  BLACK TRUMPETS Blue Blew It cassette (Ikuisuus, Finland)

✰  SUSPIRIANS  Ti Bon Ange (Super Secret Records)

✰  YEAR OF BIRDS White Death To Power Alan (Odd Box, U.K.) & Stanhill Wonder 7″ (Third Uncle)

✰  DAVID WEST with TEARDROPS Cherry On Willow (Tough Love, U.K.)

✰  WILLIAM PARKER QUARTETS  Meditation/Resurrection double cd (AUM Fidelity)

✰  the CAVEMEN Banned In B.C. 7″ (Weirdly)

✰  MICHAEL FOSTER & BEN BENNETT In It cassette (Astral Spirits)

✰  PLATES OF CAKE Let’s Not Deprive Each Other cassette (Unblinking Ear)

✰  ZAÏMPH  Transverse Presence cassette (No Rent)

✰  WURLD SERIES Air Goofy cassette (Melted Ice Cream, New Zealand)

✰  HEADROOM Head In The Clouds (Trouble In Mind)

✰  LORDS OF THYME The Future Of Things Past (Feeding Tube/Shagrat, U.K.)

✰  SEX TIDE  Possession Sessions (Feeding Tube)

✰  MARAUDEUR Maraudeur  (bruit direct disques, France)

✰  LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD Eghass Malan (Sahel Sounds)

✰  BRANDY Laugh Track cassette (self-released)

✰  LEILA BORDREUIL & ZACH ROWDEN  Hollow cassette (No Rent)

✰  RAYS  Rays (Trouble In Mind)

✰  ANDY REPTOID & THE HUMANOIDS Refridgerator 7″ (Total Punk) & Kill The Comma 7″(Emotional Response) & Pee-Pee EP (Goodbye Boozy, Italy)

✰  GUN SHY Gun Shy cassette (Cheat Prick)

✰  MARK EITZEL  Hey Mr. Ferryman (Merge)

✰  E42. A8 Niobium cassette (Tanuki, Belgium)

✰  BLAU BLAU Kiss Kiss (bandcamp DL)

✰  THE COWBOY The Cowboy (Fashionable Idiots)

✰  MARCELO DOS REIS & EVE RISSER  Timeless cd (JACC, Portugal)

✰   LIZ DURETTE Four Improvisations On Electric Piano (Ehse)

✰   MIDNIGHT MINES Since My Baby Left Me cassette & We Are The Primitives Of A New Era cassette (both The Loki Label)

✰  JENNY & JADE  Day Release 12″ lathe ep (stabbies etc, NZ)

✰  FEMME Chroma (bruit direct disques, France)

✰  PRIVATE ANARCHY Private Anarchy cassette (Round Bale Recordings)

✰  ERIC ARN  Orphic Resonance (Feeding Tube)

✰  PILL Aggressive Advertising cassette (Dull Tools)

✰  GAMARDAH FUNGUS Fairytales cd (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

✰  JON COLLIN Water And Rock Music, Volume I cd-r & The Nature (both Early Music, U.K. )

✰  Killed By Meth #2: Rust Belt Rockers comp (It’s Trash!)

✰  the TERMINALS Antiseptic (Ba Da Bing)

✰  SOURDURE  Mantras triple cassette (Standard in-Fi, France)

✰  The Hired Hands: A Tribute to Bruce Langhorne double cd (Scissor Tail)

✰  GLEN SCHENAU Addressing The Scar cassette (Tropical Cancer, Australia)

EKIN FIL Inflame: Original Soundtrack cassette & Ghosts Inside (both The Helen Scarsdale Agency)

✰  TARA CLERKIN Hello (Stolen Body Records, U.K.)

✰  LEE KONITZ  Frescalalto cd (impulse!, France)

✰  the STROPPIES The Stroppies cassette & It’s A Hit 7″ (Hobbies Galore, Australia)

✰  DELPHINE DORA & MOCKE  Le Corps Défendant (Okraïna, Belgium)

✰ QUIN GALAVIS  The Battery Line (Super Secret Records)

✰  HOUSE AND LAND House And Land (Thrill Jockey)

✰  C.I.A. DEBUTANTE  We Will Play For Spirits cassette (sdz, France)

✰  AILBHE NIC OIREACHTAIGH Oreing (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

✰  the BISCUITS Albatross 7″ (Ilk Ither, New Zealand)

✰  SYLVIA MONNIER Stock Shot & Addictive Sling cassette (Sacred Phrases)

✰  the GOLDEN BOYS Better Than Good Times (12XU)

✰  PALACE LIDO  Concrete cassette (Czaszka Records, U.K.)

✰  MARK FEEHAN  M.F. II (Richie Records)

✰  OBNOX Murder Radio (ever/never) & Niggative Approach (12XU)

✰  ALEXANDER Alexander (self-released) & ROB NOYES/ALEXANDER split 7″ (C/Site Recordings)

✰  TRIO 3: ANDREW CYRILLE/REGGIE WORKMAN/OLIVER LAKE Visiting Texture cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

✰  BARON SATURDAY Concrete Poetry cassette (Mystery Plane, U.K.)

✰  NINA HARKER Nina Harker cassette (Le Syndicat Des Scorpions, France)

✰  DAVID NANCE Do The Negative Boogie (Ba Da Bing)

GOLDEN PELICANS Disciples Of Blood (Goner)

ÆTHER JAG Amaranthine Stretch cassette (No Rent)

GAD WHIP In A Room (ever/never)

YANNICK DAUBY Magicien Rouch cassette (Tanuki, Belgium)

MAX LODERBAUER & JACEK SIENKIEWICZ  End cd (Recognition, Poland)

VÁR  By Ghost And Tape (Home Normal, Japan)

ANGELICA SANCHEZ TRIO Float The Edge cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

LECH NIENARTOWICZ Nici cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

EKMAN & OWEN Ekman & Owen 7″ (Goodbye Boozy, Italy)

POU  Dimonis  (Metadona, Spain) 

HANS CHEW  Open Sea (At The Helm)

DALIA RAUDONIKYTÉ WITH Solitarius cd (New Focus Recordings)

GŪTARA KYŌ  Gütara Kyō  10″ (Slovenly/Mondo Mongo)

TUCKER THEODORE  Lady Hope cassette (Antiquated Future)

MIA SCHOEN Golden Hour (Albert’s Basement, Australia)

THE STRANGER The Void (bandcamp dl)

LAKES Silver Thorns 12″ EP (Paradise Daily, Australia)

Horrendous New Wave comp (Lumpy)

CHRIS FORSYTH & THE SOLAR MOTEL BAND Dreaming The Non-Dream (No Quarter)

TASHI DORJI & DAVID GRUBBA  Fixed Entrance Derivatives cassette (Sky Lantern)

SAMUEL TRUITT Thorns cassette (Melters)

HELTA SKELTA  Nightclubbin’  7″ (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada)

UV-TV Glass (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada) & Go Away 7″ (Emotional Response

HASH REDACTOR  Demo Tape 2017  (self-released bandcamp DL)

LEE NOBLE  The Hell You Come In cassette (No Kings)

PRETTY PRETTY Demo II cassette (Superdreamer)

AGUSTÍ MARTÍNEZ/EDUARD ALTABA/QUICU SAMSÓ On The Nature Of Will (Discordian bandcamp DL, Spain)

the TRENDEES  We Are Sonic Art (Melted Ice Cream, NZ/Albert’s Basement, Australia)

GREG ASHLEY  Pictures of Saint Paul Street (Trouble In Mind)

DAVE REMPIS  Solo cd  (Aerophonic)

TIN FOIL Tin Foil (Almost Ready)

HACO Qoosui cd (Room40, Australia)

PETER LEWIS Just Like Jack (Shagrat, U.K./Hookah)

PROSTITUTES Live At Cookout  (TRAM Planet)

ANTENES Shifting Zones 12″ (Silent Season, Canada)

LOFT Three Settlements Four Ways 12″ (Wisdom Teeth, U.K.) & Turn My Built Dances (The Astral Plane)

NEUTRALS  Promotional Cassette 2 cassette (Neutrals)

JOE MORRIS/BRAD BARRETT/ERIC STILLWELL Value (Glacial Erratic  bandcamp DL)

DARLINGCHEMICALIA Off Blonde (self-released bandcamp DL)

WV WHITE House Of The Spiritual Athletes (Anyway)

CHAVEZ Cockfighters 12″ (Matador)

RYAN GARBES  Living Ether cassette (Post-Materialization Music, Russia)

TRAMPOLINE TEAM Drug Culture 7″ (Space Taker Sounds/Pelican Pow Wow) & Trampoline Team/Mama split 7″ (Giveaway)

LAURA BAIRD  I Wish I Were A Sparrow (Ba Da Bing)

MAREIKE SAUER The Tension and the Body of the Woman of Mystery cd (Karl Schmidt Verlag, Germany) 

FNU CLONE Binary Or Die (Total Punk)

DAN MELCHIOR  Road Not Driving (ever/never)

$UN $KELETONS GET IT UP YERS TRIO R.I.P. Music & Absolutely Fucked In & Rust Belt UK cd-rs (Double Dot Dash!?, U.K.)   

VIOLENCE CREEPS Ease The Seed Bag 7″ (Drunken Sailor, U.K.) & The Gift Of Music + Singles cassette (Total Punk) & Northwest Tour Tape 2017 (self-released)

ERIC COPELAND Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect (L.I.E.S.)

WIREHEADS  Lightning Ears (Tenth Court, Australia)

DANIEL LEVIN  Living (Smeraldina-Rima, Belgium)

the COWBOYS Vol. 4 (Drunken Sailor, U.K.)

IRENE KEPL SololoS cd (Fou, France) & Superstring Theory bandcamp download (SoundOut, Australia)

VIDEO DUCT Small Pets And Kitchenettes cassette (Maple Death, Italy)

SCUPPER Some Gauls (Blue Cheese Toothpaste)

MOSQUITOES Mosquitoes one sided 12″ (self-released, U.K.)

BLUE CHEMISE Influence On Dusk (Gravity Ventilator, Australia) & “The Music Lesson”/”Watcher At The Window” 7″ (I Dischi Del Barone, Sweden)

CONTRIBUTORS Contributors (Monofonus Press)

NICOLE MITCHELL Awakening II: Emerging Worlds cd (FPE)

KALEIDOSCOPE  Volume 3 (Feel It Records)

Ladyfest Boston 2017 cassette comp (Ladyfest)

BRIDGET HAYDEN  Incantations From Yin Valley cassette (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

MIKE COOPER Raft (Room40, Australia)

MAZOZMA Heavy Death Head (Feeding Tube)

SUSS CUNTS Suss Cunts 7″ ep (Emotional Response) & “Newby” (Suss Cunts bandcamp DL)

MATT JENCIK  Weird Times (Hands In The Dark) 

somesurprises serious dreams cassette (Eiderdown Records)

CIGGIE WITCH Mad Music (Lost & Lonesome, Australia)

SUN VALLEY Black Canyons (bandcamp DL)

MORDECAI Abstract Recipe (Richie Records)

JANTAR Panisperna (MIE Music, U.K.)

SARAH DAVACHI  All My Circles Run (Students Of Decay)

KÜKEN  Küken (Drunken Sailor, U.K.)

ULAAN PASSERINE The Landscape of Memory (Worstward)

MY TEENAGE STRIDE Living In The Straight World cassette (Unblinking Ear)

SLOW TONGUED BEAUTY  The Absolution Of Royalty cassettes (No Rent)

DAVID FIRST Same Animal, Different Cages Vol. 3: Civil War Songs (for Solo Harmonica)  (Fabrica)

REBEKAH HELLER  Metafagote (New Focus Recordings)

DIANETICS Booked Learned 7″ (Weirdly) & And Psycho Horse cassette (Gut Freak)

SPARROW STEEPLE Steeple Two (Richie Records) & A Aardvark (ever/never)

WEATHER WEAPON II (self-released bandcamp DL)

KRISTY & THE KRAKS  Snakes On The Phone 7″ (Fettkakao, Austria)

STEPHAN CRUMP/INGRID LAUBROCK/CORY SMYTHE Planktonic Finales cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

NAG “Motorcycle Blue” + 2 7″ (Third Uncle/Chunklet) & False Anxiety 7″ (Total Punk) & No Flag + 2 7″ (Space Taker Sounds)

ROSS MANNING  Reflex In Waves (Room40, Australia) & 

Both Sides of the Cocoon cassette (Chemical Imbalance., Australia)

DANIEL LEVIN QUARTET Live At Firehouse 12 cd (Firehouse 12)

RAKTA Oculto Pelos Seres 7" (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, U.K.)

MARBLED EYE EP II 7" (Melters/Digital Regress)

RIK & THE PIGS Blue Jean Queen 7″ (Feel It) & A Child’s Gator  (Total Punk)

US WEEKLY  US Weekly (Night Moves)

KEN IKEDA + DAVID TOOP Skin Tones cd (Home Normal, Japan)

L$D FUNDRAISER Drones On Lap Steel (self-released, NZ) + like, 30 others

MDOU MOCTAR  Sousoume Tamachek (Sahel Sounds)

CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA  Mirage (Room40, Australia)

the DREAM SYNDICATE  How Did I Find Myself Here? (Anti-)

DAY CREEPER  A Mirror To The Fire (Heel Turn/Superdreamer)

LITTLE MAZARN Little Mazarn (Self Sabotage)

BAUS Secret Bathroom Recordings (self-released bandcamp DL)

MARK CONE Now Showing (Neck Chop)

LÉONIE RISJETERRE Tresseterre cd (Soleils Bleus, France)

ENDLESS BOOGIE  Vibe Killer (No Quarter)

MCHY I PORØSTY Hypnagogic Polish Music For Teenage Mutants cd (Recognition, Poland)

DAG  Benefits Of Solitude (Bedroom Suck, Australia)

ANGEL DUST Excavatum cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

MAXIMUM ERNST with DANIEL CARTER  Maximum Ernst cd (ever/never)

BALLISTER: REMPIS/LONGBERG-HOLM/NILSEN-LOVE  Slag cd (Aerophonic)

RABBIT U.S. Rabbit U.S. lathe 7″ (Third Uncle)

INSTITUTE Subordination (Sacred Bones)

RUBBER MATE  Cha Boi  7″ (Total Punk) & Tour Tape MMXVII cassette (self-released)

MARY LATTIMORE Collected Pieces cassette (Ghostly International)

VERY MENTAL (Total Punk)

UNITED WATERS  The Narrows (Drawing Room)TYSHAWN SOREY Verisimilitude (Pi Recordings)

A GIANT DOG Toy (Merge)

DREAM WEAPON RITUAL The Uncanny Little Sparrows (Boring Machines, Italy)

SMALL WORLD EXPERIENCE Soft Knocks (Tenth Court, Australia)

DIRTY & HIS FISTS Dirty & HIs Fists 7″ (Feel It) 

ABBY LEE TEE  Hebert’s Archive cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

BLANK STATEMENTS  Signs Are Rampant cassette (Hobbies Galore, New Zealand)

NOTS“Cruel Friend"/"Violence" 7″ (Goner) &  Live At Goner Records (Goner)

LEA BERTUCCI  All That Is Solid Melts Into Air cassette (NNA Tapes)

SICK THOUGHTS Songs About People You Hate (Neck Chop)

MOHLAO Landforms (Silent Season, Canada)

ISOTOPE SOAP Piñata Chaos 12" (Levande Begravd Records, Sweden) & The WOW! Signal EP 7" (Levande Begravd Records, Sweden)

JIM HAYNES Tiny Portraits 3″ cd-r (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

ISS (Endless Pussyfooting)  (Erste Theke Tonträger, Germany)

PREENING Beeters 7″ (Digital Regress)

MIKE MAJKOWSKI  Days And Other Days cassette (Astral Spirits)

RANGERS Texas Rock Bottom cd (Doom Trip)

KNOWSO Look At The Chart (Neck Chop)

CIRCUIT DES YEUX  Reaching For Indigo (Drag City)

WHIT DICKEY/MAT MANERI/MATTHEW SHIPP Vessel In Orbit cd (Aum Fidelity)

SWEET APPLE Sing The Night In Sorrow (Tee Pee)

LEDA ‎Gitarrmusik III-X (Förlag För Fri Musik, Sweden)

TROPICAL TRASH  Decisions' Empty Nest 7″ ep (Sophomore Lounge) &  A Dent In The Forever Can  cassette (The Loki Label)

GUILHEM LACOUX  La Traversée double cassette (Standard in-Fi, France)

IAN WILLIAM CRAIG Slow Vessels 12″ ep (130701, U.K.)

MOZART Nasty 7″ep (Iron Lung)

TREASURE HUNT with DENNIS WARREN’S FULL METAL REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE  Space Jam cassette (Moon Glyph)

CENTURY PALM Meet You (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada)

GATE  Highway Ghosts (self-released, New Zealand)

the FEELIES  In Between (Bar None)

SCHIZOS  Fuck Iggy Pop 7″ (Neck Chop)

VIOLENT QUAND ON AIME  Violent Quand On Ame 7″ (Le Syndicat des Scorpions, France)

HONEY New Moody Judy (Wharf Cat)

ANXIETY  Wild Life 7″ (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, U.K.)

EARTH GIRL HELEN BROWN  Mercury & Mars & Saturn cassettes (all Empty Cellar)

the BLINDS The Blinds cassette (Hobbies Galore, Australia)

FRENCH VANILLA  French Vanilla cassette (Danger Collective)

HEAVY METAL  LP 2 (Static Age Musik, Germany) & LP 3 (Harbinger Sound, U.K.)

fEEDTIME  Gas  (In The Red) 

REESE McHENRY w/ SPIDER BAGS Bad Girl (Sophomore Lounge)

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2016

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2015

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIWS IN 2014

BEST REASON TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2013

From November 2017: A LIST OF WORTHY CAUSES TO WHICH YOU MIGHT WANNA THINK ABOUT DONATING...Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, Save DACA Lives  via Here To Stay, Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, National Abortion And Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), Southern Poverty Law Center, Emily’s List, etc....

From November 2015: FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE WITH EMPHASIS ON THE LEGACY OF THE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWERS FEATURED HEREIN - and associated small biz combustibles! 

✰  2018 PREDICTION: LONG HOTS! ✰  

[harvardfineartslib]

Kui Xing, stellar patron of the literati, is associated with the constellations and a servant to Wenchang, the God of Literature. The name Kui Xing, or Star Ghost, also refers to stars in the Big Dipper constellation. He is often depicted standing on one leg, clutching a brush in one hand and a tablet in the other, as well as standing on the head of a turtle waving a Chinese brush in the air.

Portrait of Kuixing stellar Alternate Title :Kui xing xiang bing zan Transliterated (Pinyin) Title :Kui xing xiang

Rubbing from a stele depicting Kui xing, a stellar deity, standing on one leg and clutching a brush in one hand. 1 big seal on the center top section of the stele. 2 inscriptions stating the painting is by Luo pu yu zhe (Qing artist), inscription and calligraphy by Long quan zhu ren and engraved by Liu. Ink on paper. intaglio 106 x 50.5 cm Citation/references: Chavannes, 1909, vol. X, no. 1178. ; Beijing tu shu guan cang hua xiang ta ben hui bian, 1993, v. 9, p. 137 (Kui xing xiang bing zan). Rubbing recorded originally taken from stone engraving outside Longmen Caves, Loyang, Henan. Historical: Stele date: Spring of 3rd. yr of Tongzhi, Qing Dynasty (1864).

[postambientlux]

BEST AMBIENT OF 2017

the 100 BEST AMBIENT ALBUMS of 2017 curated by @holsgr​

#100 : Visible Cloaks • Reassemblage

#99 : Marcus Fjellström • Skelektikon

#98 : GAS • Narkopop

#97 : Samuel Regan • Ides

#96 : Gilder/Bilín Wake • Gold to Gold

#95 : Euglossine • Sharp Time

#94 : poemme • Arboretum

#93 : Christoph Berg • Conversations

#92 : Federico Mosconi • Colonne di Fumo

#91 : High Plains • Cinderland

#90 : dramavinile • 7

#89 : Bing & Ruth • No Home of the Mind

#88 : Siavash Amini • TAR

#87 : Kate Carr • The Story Surrounds Us

#86 : Jefre Cantu-Ledesma • On The Echoing Green

#85 : Simon Fisher Turner • Giraffe

#84 : V/A • Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Soundtrack)

#83 : Taylor Deupree & Marcus Fischer • Lowlands

#82 : Dmitry Evgrafov • Comprehension of Light

#81 : From the Mouth of the Sun • Hymn Binding

#80 : Valgeir Sigurðsson • Dissonance

#79 : thisquietarmy • Democracy of Dust

#78 : Jake Muir • Acclimation

#77 : FIS & Rob Thorne • Clear Sones

#76 : Hakobune • Torch

#75 : Dag Rosenqvist & Matthew Collings • Hello Darkness

#74 : Leyland Kirby • We, so tired of all the darkness in our lives

#73 : Snufmumriko • This Tide Will Bring You Home

#72 : Joshua Sabin • Terminus Drift

#71 : The Greatest Hoax • Expiration Compositions

#70 : Karl Fousek • Two Pieces for a Temporary Connection

#69 : Lee Gamble • Mnestic Pressure

#68 : Toàn • Histós Lusis

#67 : Cygni • Gesto

#66 : Warmth • Home

#65 : Dino Spiluttini • To Be A Beast

#64 : Lawrence English • Cruel Optimism

#63 : Yoyu • Ordinary Moon

#62 : Gregg Kowalsky • L'Orange, L'Orange

#61 : Max Richter • Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works

#60 : Darren McClure & Arovane • nest

#59 : Enchanted Lands • Feed Goals

#58 : Marcus Fischer • Loss

#57 : Loke Rahbek & Frederik Valentin • Buy Corals Online

#56 : Ryuichi Sakamoto • async

#55 : Porya Hatami • Monads

#54 : Hannah Peel • Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia

#53 :  Jonny Nash & Suzanne Kraft • Passive Aggressive

#52 : Sarah Davachi • All My Circles Run

#51 : Manos Milonakis • Festen

#50 : Soundwalk Collective • Before Music There Is Blood

#49 : Ben Frost • The Centre Cannot Hold

#48 : Bibio • Phantom Brickworks

#47 : Arash Akbari • The Rest Is Silence

#46 : Taylor Deupree • Somi

#45 : kj • Spells

#44 : Japan Blues • Sells His Record Collection

#43 : Pleq • Re:composition

#42 : bvdub • Heartless

#41 : Oneohtrix Point Never • Good Time

#40 : Anthéne • Orchid

#39 : Mark Templeton • Gentle Heart

#38 : Giulio Aldinucci • Borders and Ruins

#37 : Yamaneko • Spa Commissions

#36 : William Basinski • A Shadow In Time

#35 : Andrea Belfi • Ore

#34 : ASC • Trans-Neptunian Objects

#33 : Tomoko Sauvage • Musique Hydromantique

#32 : Ascendant • Particle Horizon

#31 : Aris Kindt • Swann and Odette

#30 : Jacek Doroszenko • Wide Grey

#29 : Christoph Berg & Henning Schmiedt • bei

#28 : Mattewdavid's Mindflight • Ophiuchus

#27 : Ed Carlsen • Elusive Frames

#26 : Benoit Pioulard • Slow Spark, Soft Spoke

#25 : Jason van Wyk • Opacity

#24 : Tegh • Downfall

#23 : Net • HS

#22 : Sugai Ken • UkabazUmorezU

#21 : Janek Schaefer • Glitter In My Tears

#20 : Olan Mill  • Orient

#19 : Evan Caminiti • Toxic City Music

#18 : Kara-Lis Coverdale • Grafts

#17 : Dean Hurley • Anthology Resource Vol. I: △△

#16 : Hotel Neon • Context

#15 : Eluvium • Shuffle Drones

#14 : Mary Lattimore • Collected Pieces

#13 : Pausal • Avifaunal

#12 : Arjen Schat • 一人 (Hitori)

#11 : Otto A Totland • The Lost

#10 : Yair Elazar Glotman • Compound

#9 : Hecq • Chansons de Geste

#8 : Alessandro Cortini • Avanti

#7 : Leandro Fresco & Rafael Anton Irisarri • La Equidistancia

#6 : Daigo Hanada • Ichiru

#5 : Ben Lukas Boysen & Sebastian Plano • Everything

#4 : The Caretaker • Everywhere at the end of time (Stage 3)

#3 : Hammock • Mysterium

#2 : Brian Eno • Reflection

#1 : Rafael Anton Irisarri  • The Shameless Years

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Giulio Aldinucci & Francis M.Gri • Segmenti Arovane & Hior Chronik • Into My Own Olivia Summer • Landings Pulse Emitter • Outside Sessions Vol.2 Miguel Isaza • Mayopama Penguin Cafe • The Imperfect Sea bvdub • Epilogues for the End of the Sky Félicia Atkinson • Hand In Hand Slow Meadow • Costero Bruno Sanfilippo • Lost & Found Julien Marchal • Insight III Leandro Fresco & Rafael Anton Irisarri • La Espera Jacaszek • KWIATY Byron Westbrook • Body Consonance Fabrizio Paterlini • Secret Book Alder & Ash • Clutched in the Maw of the World Yair Elazar Glotman & Mats Erlandsson • Negative Chambers Noveller • A Pink Sunset For No One Aidan Baker & Karen Willems • Nonland Hilyard • Repose Eraldo Bernocchi & Netherworld • Himuro The Star Pillow • Invisible Summer Mike Lazarev • Dislodged Forest Swords • Compassion Anthéne • Warmth Ana & Ina • On Dockweiler Beach Brett Naucke • Operator Voices Jameson Nathan Jones • What Dreams May Come Symon Pyke • Slow Glow Two Symon Pyke • Slow Glow Three Curved Light • Channel View Francesco Giannico & Giulio Aldinucci • Reframing Jonny Jewel • Windswept Toni Dimitrov & Jared Sagar • Maieutic Koeosaeme • Sonorant Jonas Reinhardt & Jürgen Muller • The Encyclopedia of Civilizations vol. 1: Egypt Acronym • Malm Loke Rahbek • City of Women IJO • Melancholika Vol.2 Keith Berry • Simulacra Saltland • A Commom Truth Roel Funcken • Balaklavskiy Prospex Anjou • Epythimia Gimu • Senses Belief Defect • Decadent Yet Depraved nthng • It Never Ends Benjamin Finger • For Those About To Love Yann Novak • Surroundings Thaniel Ion Lee • Only Death Is Free Chihei Hatakeyama • Mirage Monty Adkins • A Year at Usher's Hill Anthony Linell • Emerald Fluorescents Ghost and Tape • Vár Mayforest • Mayforest V/A • Air Texture Volume V Hior Chronik • Faraway Land Celer • Alcoves Jonas Kopp • Photon Belt Richard Chartier • Removed Steve Pacheco • Constellate Karen Gwyer • Rembo Hans Appelqvist • Swimming Pool Forest Management • The Elevated Quiet Philippe Hallais • An American Hero Fabio Perletta • Ichinen 一念 Internazionale • The Pale and the Colorful Steve Roach • Nostalgia for the Future Leigh Toro • Layers of Ash Fousek/Hansen/Tellier-Craig • No Image In Particular Secret Pyramid • Two Shadows Collide Luzon • Lithograph Markus Mehr • Dyschronia Simon Whetam • Watering the Piano Robert Farrugia • Slow Morning Sana Obruent • August Unsichtbar • Erlebnis James Murray • Heavenly Waters Eternell • Weightless Luna & Tarnovski • Luna & Tarnovski Jean Michel Blais & CFCF • Cascades Robert Haigh • Creatures of the Deep Golden Retriever • Rotations Curved Grooves • Rivera Maymind • Illumina Nicholas Mohanna • Chroma Steve Gibs • Adrift Item Caligo & Orrorin Daydream • Blue Letters Christopher Willits • Horizon

Experimental electronic & Ambient music blog made by Hermann Holsgr. linktr.ee/postambientlux

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases Oct. 22, 2024

Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben (novel) vol. 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

From the outside, He Yu seems to have everything going for him: he’s handsome, rich, and smart. But beneath his perfect facade, he’s hiding a dark secret–one that makes him a slumbering threat to the people around him. After spending years abroad, he enrolls in film school to pursue the girl of his dreams, Xie Xue…but that forces him to deal with her overprotective older brother, the man He Yu hoped he’d never see again. Xie Qingcheng, an icy man of subdued emotion, was once He Yu’s doctor, and is the only person who knows He Yu’s terrible secret. He Yu swears not to let his past with this man get in the way of his feelings for Xie Xue, but he soon finds himself drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and violence that involves both of the Xie siblings. As a sprawling conspiracy sucks in He Yu, he must confront his own grudges and face new truths–including his own feelings for Xie Qingcheng, which warp into a fixation much darker than what he feels for the man’s sister.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All (manga) vol. 1 by Sumiko Arai

Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya falls head over heels for an employee at a local CD shop. He’s got an air of mystery about him, always dressed well, and has impeccable taste in music. Little does she know—this supposedly male employee is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! Mitsuki generally keeps to herself, but since her seat is right next to Aya’s, she can't help but be extremely aware of the other’s crush. Revealing the truth is out of the question—but perhaps getting closer to Aya wouldn’t be so bad…

I'm in Love with the Villainess (manga) vol. 7 by Inori and Aonoshimo

With Claire growing more interested in the plight of the country’s commoners, she decides to talk to a church official and see what the church is doing for the common folk. When Rei and Claire arrive, they meet a nun named Lily, a strange girl who’s sweet and shy one minute and raising hell the next. But what’s most shocking about her is that she soon falls head over heels for Rei! Can Rei convince Claire that she only has eyes for her?!

My Boyfriend is a Dog (manga) vol. 1 by kadiro

Kentarou is a gruff and stoic dogman who can’t help but wag his tail whenever he sees his boyfriend, Inukai. Despite his stern exterior, he’s an affectionate and doting boyfriend. So together with Inukai, their coworker Nekomiya and his feline boyfriend Shimada, the days are filled with sappy partners and heaps of affection!

Stay By My Side After the Rain (manga) vol. 2 by Shoko Rakuta

Despite Kanade’s awkward timidity, he and Mashiro have begun dating! Every day they spend together is new and exciting—and just a little bittersweet. When Mashiro’s mother pays an unexpected visit, it becomes clear that Mashiro has been hiding something…

There’s No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… (manga) vol. 6 by Teren Mikami and Musshu

Sparks are flying in more ways than one on Renako and Ajisai’s runaway vacation. An unexpected conflict brings the two closer than ever before, but is it the bond of friendship that’s growing between them, or something more…? Before they can pin down their true feelings, though, a certain friend with Renafits crashes the party! This summer will certainly be one to remember!

Throw Away the Suit Together (manga) vol. 2 by Keyyang

Haru and Hii-chan left Tokyo, throwing their resumes into the ocean and running away to settle on an island. A dream-like world presented itself to them, but the realities of living on their own quickly piled up. Even with part-time work, worries about the future begin to slow them down. As concerns about long-term work and living expenses weigh on them, will this couple find themselves forced back to city life?

The Titan’s Bride (manga) vol. 5 by ITKZ

Somehow, Kouichi has been pulled into Tildant’s succession crisis and is targeted by Tildant nobles, accused of being an unworthy partner to a king. Wanting to protect his beloved Caius and prove himself to the court, Kouichi accepts a challenge to prove his worth once and for all!

Wails of the Bound: Beta (manga) vol. 1 by Keri Kusabi

The heart seeks love, and the body seeks servitude. Although Uto and Suzube still care for each other, they return to being boss and subordinate.

[mutsuzluktananlamcikart]

Karalamaca (Vol.2)

Naber kardeşim? (Bu günlerde ihtiyacımız var bu sıfata) Çok değişik bir ortamda yaşıyoruz kardeşim. Daha düne kadar mahalle maçlarında beraber kolasına maç yaptığımız adamlardan nefret eder hale geldik. Eskiden arkadaşın bir kızla sevgili olmuşsa o artık senin bacın oluyordu, şimdilerde ''sol memesini çok emdim, oraya dokundukça beni hatırla hehehe'' diyebiliyoruz. Evet, aynı kızı sikmek için kullanılan arkadaşlar edinmeye başladık. Hiç kusura bakma kızım, böyle ve sen benden daha iyi biliyorsun bu ortamı. Eskiden kız var diye küfür edilmezdi, şimdi kızlar benden daha çok kullanıyor alt takımları. Eskiden akşam milli maç varken herkes seyrederdi, şimdi istiklal marşını yuhalıyor bir tarafımız. Hatta en vatanseveri bile evinde seyrederken istiklal marşında ya kanalı değişiyor, ya da sesini kısıyor, ki bitsin de açayım diye. Hatta ve hatta lise zamanlarında cuma günleri istiklal marşlarını okurken yanındaki arkadaşını güldürmeye çalışanlar bugün neler yazıyorlar neler... Eskiden sevgi emekti, şimdi sikene kadar alttan almak... Böyle yazarsam uzar gider. Peki kardeşim, ne değişti?Bak sana kardeşim, diyorum ama aynı soydan bile gelmiyoruz. Yani ''biz'' demek buydu. Birine kardeşim diyebiliyorsan ona yamuk yapamazsın oğlum. Arkadaş, dost, kardeş, yol arkadaşı hep aynı anlamdaydı. Konuşmasan bile götünü açamazsın, kuyusunu kazamazsın ve gerekirse o bunu fark etmeden yardım bile edersin. Bu konuda hala ümitlerim var. Bknz. Tekin Kale. Bu piç çok sağlamdır bu konuda. Neyse götü kalkmasın. Ama masum olan ne varsa hepsini siktik biz. Önce sobadan başladık sıcak ve samimi olanı kesmeye. Sonra Milli maçlarda yanımıza gelip ''beyazlılar mı bizimkiler?'' diye soranları bitirdik. İleride de ''al oğlum lazım olur'' diye zorla para veren eşi dostu bitireceğiz, ki kalmadı galiba öyle dostluklar. Artık dost kelimesinin anlamını ''henüz kazık atmayan'' olarak değiştirebiliriz gönül rahatlığıyla. Güveni de bitirdik. Eskiden kapıyı kilitleyip komşuya verirdik anahtarı, şimdi götümüze sokacağız aynı anahtarı neredeyse. Eskiden okumanın ve araştırmanın amacı ''doğru bilinen'' yanlışları bulmaktı, şimdi birilerine hava atmak. Hiç ''ne alağöaakası var amuğaa goyen'' deme, siktiğimin ÖSYM puanını bile alnına yazıp dolaşacaksın neredeyse. Annen-baban sırf millete hava atmak için dünyaya getirmiş seni. Fazlası değilsin aslanım. Tahsilsiz adam geri zekalıdır bizim topluma göre, tıpkı eskiden matematik ve Türkçe'si zayıf olanlara yaptıkları gibi. Zeka nedense hep bir puandır. Başkalarının vermiş olduğu puanla kendini geri zekalı hisseden ne kadar dalyarak varsa amına koyim. (Kendim dahil) Doğru olan her şey zamanla yanlış kullanılır. Bu kesindir. Çünkü belli bir çoğunluğun kararıdır ve o çoğunluk da Allah tarafından gönderilen peygamber değildir, ki gönderdiklerine bile bir kulp bulduk geçmişte ve halihazırda da bulmaya çalışıyoruz. O nedenle neyin doğru olduğuna ''bakış açısı'' dediğimiz olgu karar verir. Ne yazık ki bu bile değişkendir. Atatürk üzerinden düşünürsen kardeşim, seveni de çoktur sevmeyeni de. Hatta git sor hepsinin mantıklı bir açıklaması vardır. Zaten birilerini körü körüne bir şeye inandırmak için mantıklı ve kafa yorucu cümlelerle yapmalısın. Mantık da basit sorulardan geçer. Dene oğlum, göreceksin. Sürekli değişir dünya. Bu değişimin iyi yönünü nedense kapamıyoruz. İleride robot olacağız. bak bunu unutma. Ben göremem o günleri belki fakat emin olun torunlarınız görecektir. Makinelerin yönettiği geri zekalı bir toplum olacağız. Bunu bile ayarladılar. Yok edecekler bizi. Hazırlanın. Aslında buraya içimdeki çatışmaları yazacaktım ama sanki içimdeki çatışmalar gündeme yansımış gibi oldu. Bugün spor salonunda İbrahim hocamla biraz muhabbet ettik. Bana, ''sen Allah'a inanıyor musun?'' diye sordu. Ben de gülerek, ''inanmazsam bunu sorun etmez herhalde heheh'' dedim. Sonra konuşmaya başladık bir parça. Aynı şeyleri size de söyleyeyim. Allah, o kadar farklı şekilde işlemiştir ki bize bunu birazdan anlayacaksın. Bir arkadaşın sana söz verip yapmazsa ona gönül koyarsın. Ama Allah, dualarını kabul etmezse ona gönül koyamazsın. Hatta çalışıp yaptığın şeyleri bile ona bağlarsın. ''Allah'a şükür'' ile başlarsın başardığın her şeye, ve bu doğrultuda da ''Allah izin verirse'' diye başlarsın başarmak istediğin her şeyin cümlesine. Olmazsa da ''Allah'ın dediği olur'' diye bitirirsin cümleni. Gram düşünmezsin. Çünkü hayırlısı değildir falan filan. Düşün abicim, fanatik derecede tuttuğun takımı getir gözünün önüne. Birileri sana şu cümleyi çok kurmuştur; ''ne kazandırıyor la sana x takım?'' Evet ulan kazandırmıyor. Hatta zararı var, yararı yok. Ama seviyoruz. Sevgiden bile üstün amına koyim. E hal böyleyken tuttuğun takım sana en fazla şampiyonluk sözü verip tutmaz, fakat yine de bırakamazsın. Ne kadar küfür edersen et bırakamazsın. En fazla maçlarını seyretmezsin. ''Fanatikler'' için söylüyorum. Şimdi bu olayı al inancına yapıştır. Allah sana bu dünyada hiçbir şey vaat etmiyor kardeşim. Bana inanana gökdelen dikeceğim ya da inananı kadrolu işe sokacağım demiyor. Dünya ile hiçbir vaadi yok ama inanıyorsun. Kimimiz korkudan inanıyor, kimimiz mecburiyetten, kimimiz alışkanlıktan, kimimiz ortamından, kimimiz bu dünyanın anlamının o olduğunu düşündüğünden, kimimiz sorguladığından, kimimiz cevap bulamadığından, kimimiz de cevapları bulduğundan... Herkesin bir sebebi var. Diğer taraftaki vaatleri unut, o söz konusu olmasa kimse inanmaz zaten. Tuttuğun takım da öyle, sana bir taraf için vaat veriyor sonuçta. Spor hocam sorunca nedense kendimi boşlukta gibi hissettim. Sanki rol yapıyor gibi. Düşünsene hacı; namaz yok, oruç yok... yok abi, ne yalan söyleyeyim ağır geliyor. Bunları düşünüp nasıl inanıyorum diyeyim şimdi, elini vicdanına koy. Ama inanıyorum. Yapmazsan yakarım diyor ama yine de inanıyorum. Belki onun da bir beklentisi yok benden, o benden daha az inanıyor bana, hatta blöf yapıyor fakat ben inanıyorum. Düşünsene moruk, tek istediği şey kurallara uyman. Şimdi sorsam sana, ''neden uymuyorsun?'' diye, vereceğin cevap yok amına koyim. İhtimal diye bir şey var bilinçaltında. İnanıyorsun fakat uygulamıyorsun. Çünkü ölünce ne bok olacağını gerçekten bilmiyorsun. Bilmediğine de bilinçaltın karşı çıkıyor. İşe atlamak için önünü görmen gerekir ya, sermayeni ona göre koyarsın ortaya. Ha işte bu tam tersi moruk. Şansa koyuyorsun sermayeni ortaya. Önün karanlık. Sora şunu soruyorsun kendine; ''ne için çabalıyorum?'' Şu sorduğun soruya verdiğin cevap seni tatmin etmemeli. Çünkü cevabını bildiğin soruda, bile bile yanlışı işaretliyorsun. Siliyorsun ve işaretliyorsun. Sürekli. O şıkkı kaybedene kadar. Kaybedince de ölüyorsun. Peki moruk, düşünelim. Ömer Hayyam'ın espriyle karışık sözünden yola çıkalım. ''İnsanlar, cennet için yaşar. Cenneti verirsen onları kontrol edersin.(yönetirsin)'' Sen buna inanıyor musun? Gerçekten cennet sende olursa kontrol edilir misin, ya da yönetilir misin? E oğlum verilmemiş mi cennet Hz. Adem'e? Tek bir şey istenmemiş mi karşılığında. Ne olmuş peki? Dünyadayız. Demek ki kontrol cenneti vermekle olmuyor. İnsanlara cenneti vermek yerine sağlam bir yalana inandırmak daha mantıklıdır. Bak ''doğrudur'' demiyorum, ''mantıklıdır'' diyorum. Çünkü o zaman geldiğinde sana hesap soramaz. Sen de istediğini almış olursun çoktan. Bedeller kimin umurunda? Her yalanda bir parça gerçeklik payı bulundurmak gerekir. Ekmeğin ucunu bölüp yemek gibi düşün. tadını vermekten bahsediyorum. (Örn: cennet = bu dünyadaki hazların bilmem kaçıncı katı) Bu neye benziyor biliyor musun? Şu reklamlarda ''milyonlarca bedava panda stix'' diye götünü yırtan dondurma firması var ya, ha işte bir farkı yok ondan. Hatırla küçükken ''en çok bedava çileklide çıkıyor kanka'' diye kandırdığın ve kandırıldığın günleri. Bunları bana küfür et diye yazmıyorum sadece. Biraz da olsa düşün diye yapıyorum çoğunu. Çünkü eğer ben yaşadıysam bu buhranları sen de yaşamışsındır biliyorum. ''Dünyadayız'' dedim ya, dünya burası ve eğer bu dünyaya bir felaket girerse eninde sonunda hepimiz yaşarız. Sadece tarifi zor olur, ya da farklı. Ulan çocukluğumuz bile aynı. Duygularımız, tavırlarımız, konuşmalarımız... anasını amı işte aynıyız. Kimliğinde ne yazdığı önemli değil. İnan bana sen bensin, ben de sen. Eğer inanıyorsan kitaplara, akrabayız da. (Sözümü kesme piç) Darwin'e dahi inanıyorsan Bing Bang olayı bile bizi aynı kılar. Her şeyi siktir et de bir şeyler soracağım; ''acı mı insanı yarattı, yoksa insan mı acıyı yarattı?'' ''Kötülük mü şeytanı yarattı, yoksa şeytan mı kötülüğü yarattı?'' ''Din mi insana yayıldı, yoksa insan mı dini yaydı?'' ''Allah mı şeytanı kovdu, yoksa şeytan mı kovulmayı seçti?'' ''Kin tanrıdan mı bulaştı, yoksa şeytandan mı?''

11.07.2020

[haleyfury]

Another month, another opportunity to talk about all the book and TV news I’m excited about! While there are amazing cover reveals and new book announcements from this month, I have even more TV news!

Cover Reveals

Make Up Break Up by Lily/Sandhya Menon – Sandhya Menon revealed the cover of her first adult rom-com, Make Up Break Up. In the reveal, she also explained her decision to under the pen name Lily Menon for her adult fiction books. The cover is different than her YA covers, butI  totally understand the decision to differentiate between the two… and everyone knows that I’m a sucker for illustrated rom-com covers! Make Up Break Up comes out on February 2, 2021. 

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon – Another most 2021 anticipated release of mine, Rachel Lynn Solomon revealed the cover of her first adult rom-com, The Ex Talk. I love everything about this one, cover and synopsis both included! The Ex Talk is an enemies-turned-lovers rom-com set at a public radio station, available on February 9,2021.

Book News

Sneak Peek at V.E./Victoria Schwab’s Future Books

After getting a lot of questions about her next books, V.E. Schwab posted her to-write list on Instagram. The book I’m personally most excited about is the third book in the Villians series! In the caption, she confirmed that there will be three more books in Shades of Magic entitled Threads, a sequel to Vengerful, an Extraordinary Magic comic, a SFF book, a potential third Archived book, and a potential fourth Cassidy Blake installment.

View this post on Instagram

I’ve been getting asked a lot lately about what I’m writing next, so here’s a look. – 📚 Threads = the next 3 books in Shades of Magic. 📚 Yes there will be a book after Vengeful. 📚 I haven’t explained the EO comic yet but I will soon! 📚 Please stop asking about Archived 3. I know it comes from hope and want but I have to wait and see what happens with the first two books contractually to see if it’s possible. 📚 I haven’t decided firmly yet about more books in the Cassidy Blake series. The 3rd comes out in March, and I love these characters so much, but I want to make sure that more books = growth and new arc, and not just more for the sake of more ❤

A post shared by Victoria Schwab (@veschwab) on May 13, 2020 at 2:31am PDT

Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Magna by Rainbow Rowell & Sam Maggs and illustrated by Gabi Nam – This is some ‘older’ bookish news, but I am so mad at my past self for not including the magna adaptation of one of my all-time favorite books in a past news round up. Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl is being adapted into a four volume magna series by Sam Maggs and illustrated by Gabi Nam. I’ve never read magna before, but you better believe I will be buying and immediately reading this first volume when it comes out on October 13, 2020.

  The Summer We Found Us by Hannah Reynolds – I love following debut book announcements. One that really caught my attention is Hannah Reynold’s debut, The Summer We Found Us, set to release in Summer 2021.

Welcome to the 🐧 fam Hannah Reynolds aka @Allison_Parr! 🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/5Zok7AgRfd

— Penguin Teen (@PenguinTeen) May 7, 2020

TV & Movies

I really thought that after the release of The Rise on Skywalker on Disney+, there wouldn’t be too many other things that I’m looked forward to on Disney+… but then Taylor Swift and Hamilton happened!

Taylor Swift’s City of Lover on Disney+ | Release Date: May 18

At the time of this post, Taylor Swift’s City of Lover concert is available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu! The September concert in Paris aired on ABC on May 17 after the season finale of American Idol. I had been hoping to attend one of Taylor’s Lover concerts this summer, but the Lover Fest was cancelled due to the current state of the world and will be rescheduled in 2021.

 Hamilton on Disney+ | Release Date: July 3

A filmed version featuring the original Hamilton cast will premiere on Disney+ on July 3. I was fortunate enough to see Hamilton on Broadway back in January 2017, but the original cast had left the production by then. I recently got back into the Hamilton soundtrack while finishing up final assignments, so it will definitely stay on repeat playlist well through the summer.

The Bromance Book Club on Netflix

Lyssa Kay Adam’s The Bromance Book Club is being adapted for Netflix! There aren’t too many details just yet, but I’m so excited to see one of my favorite romance series hit the screen!

The Baby-Sitter’s Club (Netflix) | Release Date: July 3

In more streaming news about another favorite series of mine, the Netflix TV show of The Baby-Sitter’s Club is coming out July 3! I really hope the show helps introduce the series to a new generation of readers.

The Politician S2 (Netflix) | Release Date: June 19

The Politician was one of my top three favorite TV shows of 2019. With the pandemic putting film production on hold, there were rumors circulating around if The Politician had finished filming in time for it to still come out this summer. If you’re in the need of a new binge-worthy show to watch, I highly recommend checking this one out – I’ll definitely been re-watching the first season before June 19! I’m so excited to see if this season will include any song covers – I have Ben Platt’s version of “Vienna” always on repeat.

What book and TV announcements have you been loving lately? Any book or TV recs for me? Share in the comments!

Fangirl News Round Up #4: Rom Com Covers & Tons of TV Another month, another opportunity to talk about all the book and TV news I’m excited about! While there are amazing cover reveals and new book announcements from this month, I have even more TV news!

[mijngedachtentrommel]

07/06/19

Het is moeilijk om de woorden te vinden. Ik zit al de hele dag naar een blanco scherm te staren - niet letterlijk, want ik heb barstende hoofdpijn - en er vliegt zoveel door mijn hoofd, maar het is alsof ik lucht probeer vast te houden.

Gisteren was zo’n chaos. Zo’n enorme puinhoop van verdriet en overprikkeling. Ik weet zelfs niet waar te beginnen. Het is al weken, maanden, jaren een puinhoop. Dit verhaal heeft geen begin en geen einde.  Gisteren had ik gesprek met Wim, eindelijk. Ik moet altijd maar bij andere verpleegkundigen aankloppen omdat Wim met zoveel tegelijk bezig is. Donderdag had hij echter tijd voor mij vrijgehouden en werd ik hard met mijn neus op de feiten gedrukt. De dokters hebben zich gebogen over het hele ‘is ze nu in een crisisopname of behandelopname nadat ze een overdosis nam op de dagtherapie 2 weken geleden’ en ze zijn tot volgende conclusies gekomen: - ik zit in een crisisopname dus ik mag maar 3 weken blijven - ik kan niet terug naar de dagtherapie tot ik een vaste woonplaats heb - probleem 1: ik sta zowel voor het doorgangshuis als voor de noodstudio’s bij beschut wonen op een lange wachtlijst - probleem 2: mama weigert om me terug in huis te nemen - er komt geen behandelopname want ik moet terug ‘het echte leven instappen’ - oplossing: ik moet maar naar de daklozenopvang (wat ze 2 weken geleden op de dagtherapie ook zeiden)

Dus impulsieve ik deed hetzelfde als 2 weken geleden: onmiddellijk de dichtstbijzijnde apotheek zoeken en een overdosis nemen die me 4 dagen in het ziekenhuis legt. Ik weet heus dat het de zaken alleen maar erger maakt en dat ik zo zelfs mijn leuke laatste veilige week helemaal verpest, maar ik ben ik. Na 6 uur alleen op spoed te hebben gezeten, kon ik eindelijk naar een kamer. Een zaal met 3 andere vrouwen. Er stonden 2 tv’s op en in totaal zaten er ongeveer 10 mensen op bezoek, waaronder een aantal kleine kinderen. Er waren geen tussenschotten.  Ik wandelde zo mijn persoonlijke hel binnen. Wat ik nodig had was rust, stilte, ruimte. Ik moest op adem komen. Ik moest wenen. Ik moest de wereld even op me neer laten storten. Daar zat ik dan. Het was luid, luid, luid. Alles kwam op me af. Het gestaar, het geluid van twee tv-programma’s door elkaar, een hoop pratende mensen, schreeuwende kinderen, het alarm van mijn pomp die afging. Ik ben naar de gang gestrompeld en kreeg een enorme paniekaanval. Ik zoog de lucht naar binnen, maar ze leek mijn longen nooit te bereiken. Hap na hap kreeg ik minder lucht. Ik kon niets meer zien door mijn tranen en ben ineengedoken op de grond gaan zitten, ook al hebben ze mij geleerd dat ik op die manier nog minder goed kan ademen.  Een man met een stok bukte zich, raakte mijn schouder aan en riep om hulp. Een verpleegster kwam kijken en vroeg wat er aan de hand was. Ik bleef happen naar adem terwijl ik probeerde uit te leggen hoe luid alles om me heen was en dat ik echt niet op die zaal kon slapen. Ze nam me mee naar een kleine living en de man met de stok kwam ook mee. Ik ging op een zetel zitten en begon te klappertanden. Mijn lichaam trilde als een rietje en mijn sandalen kletterden luid op de vloer. Ik dook in elkaar maar ik kon de controle over mijn lichaam niet vinden. De man vroeg of ik ook koffie wou. Ik schudde van niet. Zijn naam was Erik en hij lag op kamer 203. Op de mannenzaal. Hij vroeg of ik ziek was. Ik zei niks. Hij vroeg of ik er met iemand over kon praten. Ik schudde opnieuw mijn hoofd. Erik zei dat het belangrijk was om met iemand over de zaken te praten en dat hij wel wilde luisteren als ik daar behoefte aan had. En plots vertelde ik hem alles. Dat ik al 5 jaar opgenomen was. Dat mijn mama me buiten had gezet. Dat ik naar een daklozencentrum gestuurd ging worden. Dat ik een zelfmoordpoging had gedaan om onderdak te hebben. Hij zei een paar cliché dingen als ‘je bent nog zo jong’ en ‘dat er altijd wel een oplossing is’, maar daarnaast vertelde hij ook over zijn 7 kinderen en 2 kleinkinderen. Dat hij vorig jaar een zoon was verloren aan kanker en dat hij nu zelf een longziekte had en dat dat hem bang maakte. Ik hield op met trillen en hyperventileren.  Toen de verpleegster een tijd later terugkwam met het nieuws dat ik binnen een paar uur op een noodkamer kon liggen, ging Erik weg en kroop ik onder mijn sjaal op de zetel en krulde ik mezelf op tot ik in slaap viel. Rond tien uur werd ik wakker gemaakt door dezelfde verpleegster die me zei dat ze een kamer hadden voor palliatieve zorgen en dat ik daar wel een nachtje kon liggen.

Ik had geen slaapmedicatie gekregen, dus de weinige uren die ik sliep waren vol nachtmerries. ‘S morgens kreeg ik 3 boterhammen met 3 lekkere belegjes. Ik mag van mezelf maar 2 boterhammen eten dus het ontbijt liep moeilijk omdat ik niet wist of ik 3 boterhammen mocht eten van mezelf of een keuze moest maken tussen de choco, smeerkaas en speculaaspasta. De afgelopen jaren at ik geen brood en lepelde ik potjes beleg meestal uit omdat ik ze wel wilde eten, maar nu heb ik schrik dat dat verslavend werkt omdat het voor mij veilig is om beleg te eten en dat ik zo misschien wel binge eating disorder krijg, dus ik verplicht mezelf om bij beleg een boterham te eten. Na het ontbijt heb ik mijn intake in gasthuisberg en tienen afgebeld want ik citeer mezelf ‘ik heb het niet meer nodig’.

Voormiddag heb ik ook nog wenend naar de afdeling gebeld om te zeggen dat het me speet en gelukkig waren ze niet boos. Mijn mama heeft ook nog gebeld en we hebben ontzettende ruzie gehad. Ze zegt dat haar bedrijf bijna failliet is en dat dat allemaal mijn schuld is en ik pikte het niet langer en riep tegen haar dat de twee laatste overdosissen haar schuld zijn omdat ze alleen zijn gebeurd om een dak boven mijn hoofd te hebben omdat zij me dat weigert. Ik weet ook wel dat het niet zo eenvoudig is en dat er een historie van 5 jaar achter zit, maar komt het daar dan niet op neer? ‘S middags heb ik mezelf getrakteerd op videe met frietjes in het cafetaria, mezelf gehaat omdat ik veel te veel had gegeten, mezelf gehaat omdat ik het niet eens kon opgeven om te gaan braken, even later trots geweest op mezelf dat ik het toch binnen had gehouden. Om 4 uur ben ik zelfs een 4-uurtje gaan eten, een Spaans chocoladekoekje wat echt mijn guilty pleasure hier is in het ziekenhuis en toen ik terugkwam en weer een ‘ik haat mezelf zo hard waarom eet ik toch altijd’-momentje had stond het avondeten al op mijn kamer. Ik werd meteen angstig omdat ik vol zat en niet weer wilde eten, maar ik probeerde mezelf te vermannen dat het nog maar half 5 zat en dat ik zelf kon kiezen om hoe laat ik at.

In het cafetaria kwam ik ook nog een bekend gezicht tegen, ook al had ik geen idee wie het was. Een jongen die zei dat we in maart 2018 samen even op de gesloten afdeling had gezeten. Ik verontschuldigde mij en zei dat ik al in veel ziekenhuizen had gezeten en veel mensen had leren kennen en hij zei dat hij dat nog wist. Hij zei ook dat hij blij was om te zien dat ik een koekje aan het eten was. Dat is dus kennelijk de indruk die ik achterlaat bij mensen. Dat ik in veel ziekenhuizen heb gezeten en dat ik niet eet.  Hij vertelde mij dat hij stage aan het doen was op cardio, wat me er weer aan herinnerde hoe graag ik ook verpleegkunde zou doen als ik geen faalangst had. Ik zei iets te snel ‘goed dat het weer beter gaat’ en toen vertelde hij mij dat hij vorig jaar lymfeklierkanker heeft gekregen. Hij is ondertussen genezen verklaard, maar ik voelde me toch best kut. 4 zelfmoordpogingen later daar zittend met alweer een baxter terwijl hij kanker heeft gehad én terug aan het studeren is. 

Verder ben ik me ook af aan heet vragen of ik misschien hoog-gevoelig/sensitief ben. Ik herken mezelf wel in de symptomen. Onlangs heb ik nog met Wim een gesprek gehad over muziek. Dat ik er nooit meer naar luister en er ook niet meer tegen kan. Dat ik het ontzettend vervelend vind dat anderen hun muziek altijd hoorbaar is, dat er een radio opstaat in de verpleegpost en de tv ook nog aanstaat. Woensdag ben ik zelfs aan de sociale dienst gaan vragen of ik nog kon tekenen voor een 1-persoonskamer omdat er op 2 weken al 4 meisjes bij mij gepasseerd waren en dat dat ten eerste heel onveilig aanvoelt voor mij omdat ik nooit echt tot rust kan komen dan. Maar nog meer omdat ze altijd lawaai maken. Ze zijn altijd aan het bellen, muziek aan het luisteren, een serie aan het kijken en dat soort dingen zonder oortjes en dan praten ze nog in hun slaap ook. Ik word echt gek van het constante kabaal rond mij. Ik zou het er graag met de dokter eens overhebben maar ik heb het niet zo met de ‘ik wil je op straat zetten’-dokter en vooral heb ik schrik dat ze misschien denkt dat ik mee op de hype wil springen. Dat ik gewoon een special snowflake wil zijn. Ook al heb ik denk ik wel genoeg diagnoses om een speciaal geval genoemd te worden. Ik heb gewoon bang dat ze me een aansteller gaat vinden. Gelukkig ben ik juist naar een andere kamer gebracht waar ik alleen lig en hopelijk tot rust kan komen.

Ik heb toch nog meer woorden gevonden dan ik dacht. Tijd om te eten nu.

[what-is-sibling-test]

from 'RittenhouseTL' for all things Timeless https://ift.tt/2Jydgah via Istudy world

naganosilver98:Garcy Soundtrack - Vol. 1 (YouTube playlist) The...

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