Clik here to view.
New Subscriber Playlist: “Catching Up with 2023”
Every year, I compile a list of my favorite songs from the previous twelve months, a sort of year-end mix-tape. (For instance, here’s my 2023 year-end mix.) But inevitably, some songs get left off the...
View ArticleRaison d’être’s Enthralled by the Wind of Loneliness Gets Sublime
Enthralled by the Wind of Loneliness - Sublime edition by raison d’êtreWhen I was making my first forays into the world of dark ambient music back in the late ’90s, one label essentially dominated the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Macross is Coming to Disney+
After the decades-long Macross legal dispute was finally resolved in 2021, the various installments of the iconic anime franchise could finally — and legally — be licensed outside of Japan. Most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review Roundup: Netflix’s 3 Body Problem
Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem is one of the most acclaimed sci-fi novels in recent years, becoming the first Asian novel to win a Hugo Award for “Best Novel” — to name just one of its many...
View Article“Aoi Galasu Dama” by Yoshiko Sai
Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970-1979 by Yoshiko SaiAs its title suggests, Time Capsule’s Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970— 1979 compilation offers listeners a glimpse into a fascinating bygone era in Japanese...
View ArticleCyclic Law to Reissue Desiderii Marginis’ Bathe In Black Light
Bathe In Black Light by DESIDERII MARGINISOriginally self-released in 2021, Bathe In Black Light isn’t just my favorite Desiderii Marginis album to date, it’s also one of my favorite dark ambient...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Welcome to Our New Post-Truth Society, Courtesy of AI
The impact of AI cannot be overstated; nor can the myriad ways it has been inserted into our lives. Just this morning, in fact, I got a message about Google Chrome’s latest update that included a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lost in Ohio to Reissue Love Spirals Downwards’ Flux on Vinyl
In recent years, Lost in Ohio has been doing yeoman’s work shining a light on some great records, reissuing such classics as The Julies’ Lovelife, L.S. Underground’s The Grape Prophet, and Morella’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
No Songs Tomorrow Delves Into the History of Darkwave, Ethereal Rock, and...
Back in 2016, Cherry Red Records released Still in a Dream, a lavish five-disc compilation exploring the history of shoegaze with a smorgasbord of tracks that included icons of the genre like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Stalker” by Robert Rich, Lustmord (Review)
A collaboration between Robert Rich and Lustmord — credited here as “B. Lustmord” — doesn’t make much sense at first blush. I’ve owned a copy of Stalker for years, and I still occasionally have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
April 2024’s Best Streaming Titles: Fallout, The Big Lebowski, Harry...
As Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, et al. add more content, it can be difficult to know what to look for amidst all of the new titles. Every month, I compile a list of particularly noteworthy and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Studio Ghibli Fest 2024 Is Coming Soon to a Theater Near You
In association with GKids, Fathom Events has announced the line-up for this year’s Studio Ghibli Fest, which features fourteen of the beloved studio’s finest works. The festival starts later this...
View Article“Sing the Song” by The Rocky Valentines
Erase by The Rocky ValentinesGiven that his dad is Jason Martin of Starflyer 59 fame — and, for that matter, that his uncle is Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric fame — it should come as no surprise that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Cultural Diet (March 2024): 3 Body Problem, Masters of the Air, Road...
In order to better track my various cultural experiences (e.g., movies, TV shows, books, restaurants), I’ve created the Cultural Diet. Think of it as my own personal Goodreads, Letterboxd, and Yelp,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Amazon’s Lackluster Road House Remake Undermines Its Own Story
There’s plenty worth criticizing in Amazon’s recent remake of Road House, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, and Conor McGregor, starting with the fact that nobody was really clamoring for a...
View Article“Antichrist” by The Amazing
Piggies by The AmazingIt takes some serious chutzpah to call yourselves The Amazing, but darn it all if the Swedish quintet doesn’t actually live up to their lofty moniker. For years, they’ve been...
View Article“Heat Haze” by Pye Corner Audio
The latest album from Martin Jenkins’ Pye Corner Audio, titled The Endless Echo, is inspired by “scientific and science-fictional notions about the nature of time and the idea that it may be entirely...
View ArticleDragon Ball Is the Only Musical I Want to See
I never got into Dragon Ball and I’ve never really cared for musicals at all. But this Dragon Ball musical, performed earlier this year in China to celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary, is dang...
View ArticleEven Though It’s 2024, Keep Optimizing Your Website Images
I’ve previously written about the benefits of website image optimization, in 2022 and 2016. In those posts, I compared various image optimization tools that can dramatically reduce the file sizes of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Subscriber Playlist: “Bye Bye Colour”
Last month, Michael Knott died. He was one of the most iconic and controversial figures in the world of indie/alternative Christian music, with a discography that spanned four decades and encompassed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Post.news Is Shutting Down
In the turmoil that followed Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, numerous users went looking for an alternative. One such alternative was Post.news, which specifically set itself up as a non-toxic...
View ArticleMarkobi Brings His FISM-Winning Act to Penn & Teller: Fool Us
In 2022, French magician Markobi won first prize in the “Card Magic” category at FISM’s “World Championship of Magic.” His routine was an amazing display of card control and misdirection made all the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Convalescing in Krondor
I was sick for the better part of last week, the sort of lingering illness that robs you of all energy, motivation, and interest. Which means that despite having a pile of books, movies, etc., that I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Blue Nile’s Albums Are Getting Limited Vinyl Represses
If you’re one of the millions who puzzled over Taylor Swift’s references to The Blue Nile and “Downtown Lights” on The Tortured Poets Department, you now have an opportunity to address a significant...
View Article
