My Favorite Records of 2019

The Ham photo via @djmlysmn

Simple as it may seem, early on in the year I started a note on my phone to chronicle every album that blew me away. Sure enough, I amassed 10 that really moved and inspired me without much browbeating about rounding out the list.

What’s notable is that several of the top records were created by politically aware bands I loved throughout high school and college, who returned to the stage seemingly as a direct reaction to America’s (and the world’s, really) farcical political regime in the only way they knew how. Randy Blythe once said something about shitty politics making for great protest records, and 2019 certainly proved that theory to be true.

This year has also been a boon for extreme music, especially in the realm of death metal, which historically has not been my favorite subgenre. But there’s no denying Blood Incantation’s Hidden History of the Human Race will go down as a classic; the same can be said for Gatecreeper’s Deserted. And at this point, it's safe to say we are all down with Lizzo.

A few other adaptive behaviors I picked up this year included thinking one day at a time in hopes of staying in the present moment (ie: not habitually thinking of to-do items three days ahead), and avoiding upsetting triggers that might pull me into a depressive funk. Unfortunately, that means I haven’t really given Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ Ghosteen a proper listen, nor have I been able to get through Dead to a Dying World’s Elegy in full. Surely, there’s still time to discover them along with many new artists and songs.

On that melancholic note, the below are my favorite albums of 2019, as well as the most outstanding metal releases to have come out during the past 12 months.

My Favorite Records of 2019 (in no particular order):

Ex Hex – It’s Real

Though I’m still discovering the majority of Mary Timony’s musical output, this sophomore release from Ex Hex features some of the best production I’ve heard in ages, bursting with harmony-filled power pop tracks polished to a slick sheen.

Key Track: “Another Dimension”

Enforcer – Zenith

I’ve wanted to make out with this record since first discovering it last summer. Unabashed in its classic and power metal worship, there is not a single weak link among the 10 bombastic tracks from the Swedish quartet (who also recorded the entire album with Spanish vocals!).

Key Track: “Die for the Devil”

HIDE – Hell is Here

Like a Molotov cocktail comprised of stark electronica, austere noise, and punishing performance art, this latest release from the Chicago duo pushes the listener’s comfort level far more than last year’s Castration Anxiety in the best way possible. 

Key Track: “SSSD”

L7 – Scatter the Rats

Not only did the recently reunited L7 tour throughout 2019, they also put out one of the best records of their career. Chock-full of their signature surf-rock-meets-pissed-punk riffs and politically venomous lyrics, Scatter the Rats was a most welcomed return.

Key Track: “Fighting the Crave”

Venom Prison – Samsara

Feral; primal; blistering. These are a few of the words that come to mind when considering the Welsh crew’s latest offering. Samsara taps into a primeval energy that’s meticulously refined into adept technical death metal compositions guaranteed to inspire involuntary desk moshing.

Key Track: “Uterine Industrialisation”

Orville Peck – Pony

Peck’s unique shoegaze via Roy Orbison sound is about as alt-country and sublime as it gets, eclipsed only by his fringed mask signature aesthetic. From behind this disguise, Peck churns out haunting and intimate ballads to drink and sway to.

Key Track: “Buffalo Run”

Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

Eilish’s rise to fame has been inspiring to watch: a young and talented self-taught musician who eschews sexually explicit imagery, letting her electronic-tinged pop tracks do the talking instead. The result is a debut full-length that’s as exhilarating as it is relatable at any age.

Key Track: “Bury a Friend”

Ithaca – The Language of Injury

Truth be told, I found out about this band after admiring the singer’s dog* on Twitter. But I’m really glad to have discovered these British metalcore bashers and their chugging debut—filled with angular breakdowns and banshee wails—that never fails to make my heart race when used as a cardio soundtrack.

Key Track: “The Language of Injury”

Big|Brave – A Gaze Among Them

Atmospheric noise rock has always been like catnip for my ears, yet the only album this year to come close to emulating that intoxicating effect was this fourth release from the Southern Lord artists. Raw, expansive and hypnotic, it’s really easy to get lost in this Gaze.

Key Track: “Holding Pattern”

Kyle Shutt –s/t

This solo effort from The Sword guitarist was a passion project in many ways. Not only was it completely crowdfunded, but Shutt also played every single instrument therein, as well as sang on every track, and produced it himself. Though there is a shared DNA with his stoner rock roots, the debut leans towards warm-toned, fuzzy garage rock with whimsical tangents built in. Plus, it’s catchy as shit.

Key Track: “Set You All On Fire”

 *See photo above

Outstanding Metal Records (in no particular order):

Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race

Cult of Luna – A Dawn to Fear

Big Business – The Beast You Are

Ringworm – Death Becomes My Voice

Death Angel – Humanicide

Demon Hunter  – War and Peace

Russian Circles – Blood Year

Sacred Reich – Awakening

Gatecreeper – Deserted

Tomb Mold – Planetary Clairvoyance

Haven’t listened to yet: Slipknot, Chelsea Wolfe, Possessed, Cattle Decapitation, Obsequiae.

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Marilyn Manson Covers '80s Goth Classic

We interrupt this semi summer hiatus to present '90s icon and Goth granddaddy Marilyn Manson's cover of "Cry Little Sister," the brooding ballad made famous in the 1987 film, The Lost Boys.

Death in June, you say? Thou shalt not kill. But thou shall watch the video below.

Exhibit: Mike Mignola at Society of Illustrators

I recently attended the opening of The Art of Mike Mignola: Hellboy and Other Curious Objects at the Society of Illustrators. Here are my thoughts from that evening, along with some favorite images.

The rich complexities of Mike Mignola's art disguised as simplicity in B&W have been a calling card throughout his career. Utilizing few tools beyond pen and ink, he transforms pages into cinematic masterpieces that combine the best of horror, film noir and classic comics - never leaving a negative space or light source to vanquish without careful thought or consideration.

It’s what makes Mignola and Hellboy one of my favorites, and I had a bonafide nerdgasm being so close to so many iconic originals of his. Few pieces of art can make my heart race the way these did. I suggest y’all check them out while you can.

A more complete gallery can be found here. The Art of Mike Mignola: Hellboy and Other Curious Objects will remain open at the Society of Illustrators until April 28, with the man himself coming back to SOI on April 13 for a special talk with Karen Green, Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia University.

For more info, head to www.societyillustrators.org

Putting DMX in XMas... or How I Created a Viral Moment

Some people are lucky enough to create a viral sensation once, but as I listened to DMX’s officially recorded rendition of the Christmas classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” for the first time, I couldn’t believe the outlandish idea I had during an iHeartRadio digital department meeting was now in its second life.

Let me backtrack and recount my role in the making of this “modern classic” (truly, it’s frightening how proud I am of my involvement in hatching this idea). I’m obsessed with DMX and his tenuous understanding of reality. Don’t get me wrong, in a perfect world, the Ruff Ryder should always be known for his gravel-voiced flow on some of the darkest hip-hop classics this side of the Gravediggaz—but you gotta admit, Dark Man X has been known to raise an eyebrow when he opened his mouth, particularly during a rash of Breakfast Club interviews he’d treated us to during my tenure at IHR.

Who could forget the time DMX detailed his mindset prior to being arrested for impersonating an FBI agent in an Arizona airport parking lot? “I was rushing for a flight, and this dude in the raggedy-ass Honda, he’s driving wild slow. Now usually if I’m in a rush and I’m in that truck, I hit the lights and throw [up] the sirens and they get out the way, but he was just totally disrespecting my authority. NOT that I really had any authority. I didn’t really have the authority, but what if I really had the authority?"

When asked if perhaps having a black-on-black Supercharger with tinted windows and police-style lighting might have added to his bravado, X threw in: “Well, I might have asked for his license…” before being busted by a parking lot guard.


And now, back to that digital department meeting. Having to create daily content around five radio stations and their wide-ranging audiences wasn’t always easy, especially when it came to keeping things fresh for Lite fm’s monumental Christmas-themed ratings juggernaut – which I was conditioned to begin thinking about sometime around Halloween. As we sat there discussing the various guests that would be coming in the following week—DMX among them—the latest of his bon mots remaining fresh in my head. “What if we get DMX to rap 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' or something?” I blurted.

Little did I know, our Power 105.1 junior producer, Vanessa Denis, took it upon herself to follow up on my idea implicitly, going as far as printing out the lyrics to the classic song. Vanessa, too, had experience with X’s ways, having asked him to Google himself just months earlier. Not only did DMX respond positively to the request, he eschewed the carefully-printed lyric sheet, bragging: “I know this, I GOT this,” before launching into the beat-boxed rendition in the Breakfast Club studio.

Sure, I was amused, but I was really excited that planting the video on all my applicable sites (sorry not sorry, Q104.3 fans!) meant making the lofty KPI goals set by the IHR national leadership. What I hadn’t expected were so many hilarious mash-ups and remixes, including a hilarious Claymation version created for The Soup.

But imagine my surprise when five years (and many more X ordeals) later, news dropped that the rapper would finally be releasing an official version, replete with beats by Divine Bars. When I heard the short single, and moreover, watched DMX perform it on Showtime at the Apollo’s Christmas special, there was a strange sense of pride mixed with the hope that perhaps this wholesome act might balance out for some of his troubles. If we can keep the DMX in Xmas, surely there is hope for all of us.

Another New York Comic Con in the Books

I survived another NYCC! This one actually felt closer to one set in Manila, given that the early October weather clung to the mid 80s with tons of humidity in the air.

Javits Center cosplay; credit: Steve Bunche

Because of the Javits Center's undergoing multi-year construction project, the airy annex that once housed Artist Alley is gone, leaving creators to squish themselves tightly into the subterranean space the convention outgrew long ago. That, and sales practices preferring single day admission tickets meant that over 200,000 attendees were uncomfortably close at times, some wondering if they'd make the return in 2018 or seek out new and smaller, more specialized shows.

Still, it was great to see so many cosplayers, new action figures, inspiring art, and to speak with so many people in real life that I tend to only catch up with on social media these days.

A gallery of my photos can be found here, and my roundup of the 7 Coolest Booths at the Con can be found on the fabulous ComicsBeat.com. The full thing, as is my life is documented on Instagram.

I Wrote a Thing for Noisey on L7

L7, l to r: Suzi Gardner, Donita Sparks, Dee Plakas, Jennifer Finch

It's been a while since I delved into professional music journalism, but when one of my all-time favorite bands, L7, became the subject of the documentary, L7: Pretend We're Dead, I knew this was the interview and topic I had to explore.

Thanks so much to the patient and gracious Kim Kelly at Vice for letting me to have a ridiculously revealing and candid interview with L7 singer/guitarist Donita Sparks - and for letting me hold a personal record for longest pitch-to-published piece I hope either of us will ever deal with.

So without further ado, CLICK ON MY NOISEY L7 FEATURE and read the damn thing!  I worked long enough on it.

I recently described writing as "worthless torture and I don't understand why anyone does it." Which might just be the most Russian writer thing to say, ever. So... yeah, maybe I'll still pitch a thing or two.

Free Download: New Afghan Whigs Single

Heads up to all my fellow Afghan Whigs completists: the band has released a free download of the Pleasure Club cover, "You Want Love," in honor of the late Whigs guitarist Dave Rosser.

His longtime favorite song from the New Orleans local legends was recorded with Afghan Whigs and Pleasure Club vocalist, James Hall. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform it live at their European tour warm-up gig at the Apollo Theater and it was moving, to be sure. Chances are they'll still be incorporating it into their U.S. set when they begin touring here in September.

Get your download now at http://theafghanwhigs.com/news/

Gucci Goes Sci-Fi

And the nerds shall inherit the Earth...

Need more proof? Just watch Gucci's campy Star Trek-inspired Fashion Week 2017 film, and be sure to turn up the volume for optimal effect. [All credits included in embed.]

Introducing the #GucciFW17 film campaign. Motifs from sci-fi of the 50s and 60s appear in the video alongside a @StarTrek inspiration and the men’s and women’s collections designed by #AlessandroMichele. #gucciandbeyond Director: @_glen_luchford Art director: @christophersimmonds Star Trek elements courtesy of CBS. TM & © 2017 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are properties owned by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. Music: “Space 1999” written by Vic Elms, Barry Gray © SM Publishing (Italy) Srl Ⓟ 1974 ITC Entertainment Group Limited

A post shared by Gucci (@gucci) on Jul 25, 2017 at 5:46am PDT

The First-Ever Five Points Festival in (Mostly) Photos

Since I've got upcoming conventions on the brain, I wanted to add this throwback post... A while back I attended the inaugural Five Points Festival in lower Manhattan. Aimed at folks who get down with Supreme more than Superman, 5PF featured plenty of designer toys to drool over, and once again proved that cats are the ultimate muse. And possibly aliens.

I wrote a full report for Comics Beat, and added a full gallery of photos here, but included below are a few choice photos I snapped while I wandered around.

The Scaredy Cat

KanoKid's Voltron-inspired "Defender" was an easy sell for me.

Toy Tokyo displayed an enviable private collection.

My Travel Sabbatical

There's really no other way to put it: 2016 sucked. We lost Prince and Darwyn Cooke, among so very many others. My dad lost a brutally painful battle with lung cancer three days before my birthday. I lost my job after spending the summer alternately building a new website for my former company, and stifling tears while riding the length of an entire subway line — from Astoria to Brighton Beach — to maintain a stiff upper lip and be with my family. Then a huge neon orange monster came and left a miasmic stench no one can seem to get out.

So I took a long, much-needed break and traveled.

It really helped to be away from home, now the site of so many nervous nights pacing the rooms, meticulously reorganizing every inch of the place as if controlling the tidiness of my possessions would somehow bring order to all the chaotic situations that were so big and out of my control.

Thorns, always a proponent of experiences over material gifts, came in to help. For our five-year anniversary, he flew us out to Portland, OR for a fun several days before he started his tour with Red Fang in their hometown.

I'd been wanting to check out Portland for a while, since I already had an affinity for the Pacific Northwest and the wide availability of dairy-free mac & cheese (there are a LOT of vegan options in this town).

Surrounded by mossy trees at Hoyt Arboretum.

During our time there, we enjoyed the mild fall temperatures with long walks around Cottonwood Bay, located right behind our hotel, and destinations like the Hoyt Arboretum. We did a walking tour recounting the city's "seedier" past that included the famed Shanghai tunnels, and ate well at Portland's many quirky joints (including Voodoo Donuts, the food carts, and my buddy's new brewery, Wayfinder). Coffee on the East Coast will never taste the same after sipping PDX's endlessly tasty brews, and nightly meet-ups at the B-Side tavern for Buffalo Trace & gingers were dangerously cheap. Photos from the Portland trip are HERE.

My next adventure came by way of my dear friends, comic book creators Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, who let me know they were special guests on the fledgling Fan2Sea cruise, which sought to bring all the fun of a comic book convention to the high seas aboard a smaller Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

The itinerary included the port city of Tampa, Key West and Cozumel, but who cares? I love comics. I love cruising. I love Jimanda. So as soon as they told me they already had a buddy in mind for me to room with, I said yes. And it was a BLAST! More on that one in its own post soon. [Photos HERE]

Trekkers rolling deep aboard Fan2Sea.

Unfortunately, 2016 really decided to wring out the last bit of blood and tears out of those I hold dear. And in early February, I went out west to the high desert in California to support my best friend as she memorialized the life of her longtime partner, Doug Evans, who now shares the same last day on Earth as Lemmy Kilmister (December 28).

Having zero expectations of any kind of elaborate accommodations, I was stunned to find myself staying in a colorful suite at a gorgeous Moroccan-tinged bohemian hideaway isolated high up the mountain. Filled with tons of imported antiques and unique sleeping options, the views all around were of wild desert — a far cry from my current life in Queens. So remote that cell phone service wasn't an option, nor were there any road signs after a certain point.

The Desert Airie, hiding in plain sight on the left.

The celebration of Doug's life was beautiful and emotional, filled with friends, family and fans. Music, great food, memories, tears and temp tattoos were shared among the many in attendance. And I hope it gave the divine Ms. M a little closure.

There was still some bonding time with the family, dogs, and Merilee's band of "desert hellcats" with trips for surprisingly tasty sushi, a long hike at Joshua Tree National Park and a cursory tour of downtown Palm Springs. I was grateful to spend the time with my best friend, her mom and sister, Doug's sons, and Mer's supportive, beautiful local friends, who will always have my deepest gratitude for being there when I couldn't.

Of course, I took a bunch of photos that can be found HERE.

For a while now, Thorns and I had been planning a grand trip to Europe, with hypothetical pins dropping in places as varied as Portugal and Croatia, with a detour to Iceland. Ultimately, T planned us the perfect four-country exploration of central Europe, starting in Budapest, then heading via train to Vienna, Prague and Berlin over the course of 12 days.

Sign of the Hammer a Deux at Cafe MontMartre in Budapest.

To say it was the perfect metal vacation would not be hyperbole, and I definitely plan on breaking down the trip in a longer post. Not to be forgotten were visits to a Manowar-themed bar on the Pest side of the Danube River; a day spent wandering the streets, then a sleek museum acknowledging Budapest's Nazi and Fascist past, and an evening enjoying the variety of thermal baths and pools as crews remained busy setting up for the even later "Sparty" DJ night. [Budapest photos]

Blow-up DJ booth in the distance at Szechenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest.

The Imperial Crypt in Vienna truly tested my self-control as I love touching things and getting intimately close to art, but didn't want to be the ugly American to set off the touch sensors in what is considered a royal cemetery. We later speed-walked through the streets of Prague, stopping only for me to see David Černý's hanging installation of 'St. Wenceslas Riding a Dead Horse' on our way to catch a bus to the Medieval town of Kutna Hora to visit the world-famous bone church, Sedlec Ossuary, where the bones of 40,000 victims of the black plague are stacked in elaborate configurations. [Vienna & CZ photos]

Dead H.A.P.S.B.U.R.G.S. at the Imperial Crypt.

Chandelier of Bones at Sedlec Ossuary

Dead Horse & St Vitus in Prague

In Berlin, we spent an afternoon at the Stasi Museum in the former secret police headquarters. In no less than two exhibits, Iron Maiden were featured as a negative Western "ideological influence," which, to me, completely vindicated buying a Powerslave T-shirt dress at one of the seven H&M's I passed within a two-block radius earlier on. And on our last day in town, we ventured over to the city's informal Ramones Museum to gawk at some cool artifacts that made us think of our NYC home back when it was still kind of dangerous. [Berlin photos]

Posing with some street art in Berlin.

All that traveling finally did the trick. I'm refreshed, inspired and ready to kick ass.

What's next? Finding a full-time job... so I can save up for more adventures. Think you can help on that front? Holler!

My Top 8 Records of 2016 & Then Some

Unlike the last few busy years, I really sought out new music in 2016. Maybe I was looking for respite from the shit year it’s been, or maybe I took an old co-worker’s comment to heart.

After posting that I didn’t like a particular Top 40 single, a now-benched music industry vet surmised that it was time to give up; that pop music was no longer being made for my demographic or sensibilities, so I should stop keeping up with all things new. That struck me as sad. Imagine going through life thinking that every good song had already been written? I can’t. Granted, they might be harder to come by these days.

Though I tried, I could only really think of eight records that perked up my ears in 2016, and my favorite should come as no surprise. Call me basic, but without fail, any new Deftones record will likely be my favorite release of the year.

Live shows were a weird thing for me in 2016. Usually they are my comfort zone, a pastime that has as much to do with culture as it does socializing. But because of my dad’s cancer battle, I often found myself too emotionally spent to attend some concerts I’d really been looking forward to.

But then, I couldn’t think of skipping Nails’ blistering set at Marlin Room on the day my dad died. Catharsis, I guess? I also randomly met actor Chris Bauer (True Blood's Andy Bellefleur) that night. Guess my life will never be boring.   

I’m the muthafuckin’ Starboy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Top 8 Records of 2016

Deftones - Gore

Opeth – Sorceress

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree

Nails – You Will Never Be One of Us

Whores. – Gold.

Oathbreaker - Rheia

The Kills – Ashes & Ice

Neurosis – Fires Within Fires

Honorable Mentions:

The Sword – Low Country

Death Angel – The Evil Divide

Lady Gaga – Joanne

Lord Satan strike me down, but I kind of like Metallica's Hardwired... To Self-Destruct. 

Nah: Into Another – Omens; PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project

Band I’m Glad I Discovered this Year: Couch Slut

Bands I Marginally Care About That Released Albums I Only Found Out About While Researching This List:

Planes Mistaken for Stars; Ignite; Skunk Anansie; Tricky; Massive Attack; Voivod; Dustin Kensrue; Metal Church; Kvelertak; Band of Skulls; The Monkees; Taking Back Sunday, Miniature Tigers, and at least two Elvis Presley “unearthed” collections.

Jam:

Help Support Mike IX of Eyehategod

To say that 2016 is one of the worst years of my lifetime is not hyperbole. 

This year, I've lost treasured icons like Prince and Lemmy, cried over dear friends like Darwyn Cooke and Steve Dillon who will never be able to create art again - and most precious of them all, I lost my dad to extremely ugly lung cancer just a few days before my birthday.

There's so much else to be upset about these days, but this overture isn't about the American empire crumbling around us. It's about a man who provided the soundtrack for this sort of madness, starting decades ago.

It's no secret I've been a longtime fan of Eyehategod. It's also no secret that their members, particularly vocalist Mike "IX" Williams, have had a long and storied history with various substance dependencies. And now it's caught up with him in the form of cirrhosis of the liver, which is why he couldn't make the last EHG tour.

He's currently receiving long-term hospitalization care while waiting for a liver transplant. You can read all about it on his donation page, where I also urge you help. Though a donation milestone of $50,000 has been surpassed, anyone stuck within the grips of the US medical industry knows that won't go far.

It's not about dismissing other topical issues like #NoDAPL; it's not about lifestyle choices and consequences. It's a matter of family and community. 

At this point towards the end of 2016, more and more people seem to be dropping like flies. Maybe that's why there's this feeling of urgency to ensure Mike IX survives and thrives.

Please donate to Eyehategod's Mike IX on his YouCaring page, because I, for one, can't lose him.

Halloween Hearkens: A Throwback Viewing Guide

Halloween viewing lists are the new end-of-year music lists — but far more fun and fluid (mostly, the shiny red kind).

It's validating to see that so many more of my cohorts celebrate this fall tradition than, say, fawning over the latest pumpkin-spiced food-stuff creations. Taking into consideration several genres of TV and film, plus decades of biting fodder to choose from, it's easy for even the most squeamish among us to find a Halloween niche to revel in. (Just look up #31DaysofHalloween on any social media platform for inspiration.)

My only really parameter in choosing viewing material was a loosely-established "throwback" theme, mostly nostalgic stuff from my youth or about that era - plus some recommendations. I also found myself with more free viewing time than usual this season, and no one to fight for the remote, which helped when calling it quits preemptively on a few options, while marathoning through some others. And since I've never been a fan of graphic horror, this collection is definitely on the milder side.

Ultimately, my list isn't meant to be a hard-and-fast guide - merely some ghoulish guidance from someone who sat through 'em. In no particular order:

Fright Night - Championed by my man as his favorite '80s vampire film, it's easy to understand why a then-young boy would have loved it (two pairs of free-range boobs within the first half hour). But there's also the perfect mix of campy humor, shape-shifting gore and '80s high style. Definitely check out this version before trying on the 2011 remake.

The first 10 minutes of Penny Dreadful, The Addams Family, Underworld - Too dry; too dated; too trite. In that order.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - There are very few movies I can quote by heart, and this is one of them. Delving into Pinhead's human back story while introducing a new female protagonist, this is by far the best installment of the Hellraiser film series. There's also so much '90s nostalgia to enjoy: the faux Limelight club, Terry Farrell's cheekbones, Armored Saint's performance—there's even a Cenobite made out of CDs! Then there are Pinhead's endless blasphemous one-liners, like the one below, and Motorhead's official theme song.

Nightbreed: The Director's Cut - Based on a classic Clive Barker novella, this newer extended edition of the 1990 film only serves to embellish the already exotic feeling and arty nature of the original. It's always been easy to perceive Nightbreed's underlying allegory about how outliers and "freaks" are misunderstood in greater society - in this case, one made up of Al Binewski's dream cast.

American Ghost Hunter - As a fan of A&E's Paranormal State, I was hoping for a bigger ending to this full-length documentary about frequent guest Chad Calek's return to his haunted hometown to seek personal closure. Throughout, I kept thinking, "Why is this jerk smoking cigarettes around Ryan Buell? Isn't Ryan sick?" Then I read THIS. Oops. 

American Horror Story: Hotel - Let's just get it out of the way - Lady Gaga is no Jessica Lange; and nothing will ever top the goth factor of Coven. Still, Hotel breaks away from past seasons of AHS if only by unfurling a seemingly linear (ie: not totally bat-shit) storyline. There are still plenty of traditional AHS staples, including loads of rich styling, copious flesh-filled grotesqueness and cheeky nods to real-life historical villains, including Lily Rabe's spectacular take on Aileen Wuornos. 

 

Sleepy Hollow - Having only seen it during its 1999 theatrical release, I'd truly forgotten how much I missed the Lisa Marie Smith era of Tim Burton's films... and young Johnny Depp. This lush, atmospheric film is rounded out by an even more extraordinary all-star cast, including a cherubic Christina Ricci and a sharp-toothed mostly-headless horseman aka The Hessian, played by Christopher Walken. And let's not forget how ahead of its time Sleepy Hollow was with the Steampunk aesthetic. Proof? Take one look inside Ichabod Crane's bag of homemade contraptions.

The X-Files, various episodes - How does one decide which episodes are spooky enough for the season? Find a list online, duh. Though "Home" and "The Host" can easily be singled out as the creepiest of them all, a few resources I relied on quickly pointed out dark gems like "Folie à Deux," "Die Hand Die Verletzt" and the Stephen King-penned "Chinga." But really, the only way to lose with The X-Files is by watching Season 9.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Halloween episodes – To be fair, BTVS is good all year round. ALL. Year. Round. But a few of the holiday-themed episodes throughout the series exist to tickle your fancy, like Season 4's "Fear, Itself" and Season 6's coming of age, "All the Way." But the quintessential episode to watch is Season 2's appropriately titled, "Halloween," in which the kids of Sunnydale take on the personas of their haunted costumes - and Buffy is stalled as a helpless 18th Century courtesan. Quoth Willow: "She couldn't have dressed up as Xena?"

Dead Like Me, Seasons 1 & 2 - To be fair, the long-gone cult Showtime series is more comedy than fright. But this chronicle of corporeal soul reapers, with a sassy Daria-like lead in Ellen Muth's Georgia features so many random, uncontrollable, sometimes Darwin Awards-worthy deaths that it had me scared to leave the house after a mini marathon. Know that "What If?" domino-effect speculation you feel after catching a Final Destination flick? Imagine that vibe after seeing 29 cleverly devised dances off the mortal coil in Dead Like Me.

Now, on to the new season of Black Mirror, Nightmare Before Christmas and Luke Cage (Mike Colter can stoke my November Coming Fire any time!).

Winter Solstice

At least it's the shortest day of the year; 2015 can't come and wipe the slate clean soon enough.

Who Gives a S#!t?: My Music Picks for 2014

Too exhausted for pithy intros.

For most of the year I was still wrapped up in a pop wonderland, so I'm sure there are some gems that've been missed. But as someone who habitually shuffles through 24,000+ songs on an iPod Classic (what of it? they're worth money now), it's seldom that I become obsessed with hearing a record in its entirety. Over and over again.

That's pretty much the only criteria I used in choosing my Top 10 Albums of 2014. Enjoy.

UPDATE: How did I ever miss Eyehategod? Also, the Tokio Hotel record is garbage. What did they do to you, Bill?

Best of 2014 (in order, based on how many times I spun the record straight through):
1. Cold World - How the Gods Chill
2. The Afghan Whigs - Do To the Beast
3. Rancid - Honor Is All We Know
4. Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun 
5. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 
6. Godflesh - A World Lit Only by Fire
7. Behemoth - The Satanist
8. Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die 
9. Eyehategod - s/t
10. Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden
 
Pretty Damn Good:
Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
At the Gates - At War With Reality 
Exodus - Blood In, Blood Out
Youth Code - A Place to Stand EP
Finch - Back to Oblivion
Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
Vance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

Have yet to listen to these artists' latest records: Swans, Tokio Hotel, Shellac, Ex Hex, TV on the Radio.

Postscript: I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever get into Taylor Swift. Basic pop music has never suited me.

Best Shows of 2014:
Motley Crue @ Madison Square Garden - Though the set list was better when I caught Crue's Las Vegas residency, there was nothing like sending off the geezers at the most befitting NYC venue of them all.
Godflesh @ Irving Plaza - This was an experience for all senses, including the vibrations it swept through my body. Loudest show of the year that left me physically spent.
King Diamond @ Best Buy Theater - The double-decker stage, replete with gates! The actors! The light-up upside down crosses and pentagram! King's live show was like everything all concerned parents assume metal shows are like. READ this take on it.
Infest @ the Well - Seeing the underground icons plow through their discography was eye-opening; and a good hang (thanks for the ticket, Richard!).
Gorilla Biscuits @ House of Vans - Every summer there's one magical show where you get to see all of your friends, meet some new ones and enjoy some old-school hardcore. This was it.
Bonus: Pussy Riot @ Vice 20, Brooklyn Navy Yard - It was an honor to be in the presence of these blunt, independent Russian women (who are willing to risk their lives for their expression) as they covered riot grrl darlings, Le Tigre.

JAM