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The Thousand Eyes (Book)
A.K. Larkwood
This is the second book in a really interesting fantasy series called "The Serpent Gates. "The world Larkwood has created is truly unique; with the portals and air-ships, there is a lot of sci-fi thrown in with the fantasy. The characters are all non-human creatures with well developed personalities. The first book, "The Unspoken Name,' has a better story, but I recommend this one too.
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Things In Jars (Book)
Jess Kidd
This is an elegantly written mystery with supernatural elements, set in London in the 1800s. It centers around a kidnapped child who may be a mythical creature, and it deftly combines humor with darkness. My two favorite characters are Ruby, the ghost and Cora, the seven-foot-tall maid.
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I Don't Want To Be Too Cool (Expanded Edition) (CD)
Kate Fagan
A year or two ago, I read a great book called "Skaboom!: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History" by Marc Wasserman and learned about Heavy Manners, a Chicago ska band fronted by Kate Fagan. I didn't know about her solo career as a New Wave artist, so it was fun to discover this expanded reissue. Quirky, upbeat, early New Wave with great vocals, FTW.
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Back To The Woodlands & Where The Woods Begin (CD)
Ernest Hood
Naturalist Hood's two unreleased albums made between 1972 and 1982 using guitar zither synth and field recordings. Lovely perfect Garden Core(thanks Steve Whitwill). If Thoreau made music, or the music of stuff growing.
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Houses Of The Wind (CD)
John Luther Adams
Transposed layered aeolian harp recordings sculpted into droning meditative pieces, dark and peaceful. Also, check out his "Become Ocean".
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Salt Marie Celeste (CD)
Nurse With Wound
Reissue with extra cd of Steven Stapleton and Colin Potter's creaky rudderless repetitive lost-at-sea hypnotic outlier. A surreal drowning dream.
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Shufflemania! (CD)
Robyn Hitchcock
Mr. Hitchcock keeps going with another set of smart dreaminess.
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Scalping The Guru (CD)
Guided By Voices
Songs culled from four hard to find E.P.s.
A master's mess is better than most peoples best work.
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You Want It Darker (CD)
Leonard Cohen
Made right before his death, a final fuck you to the world that after a life of love, suffering, massive creativity, had to witness Donald Trump and the resurgent fascist right.
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The Girl From Chickasaw County [Highlights] (CD)
Bobbie Gentry
A dark smokey voice with psych southern gothic overtones. Watch on youtube an old BBC film of her doing "Ode To Billie Joe", one of the best songs about emotional callousness this side of Billie Holiday, and if it doesn't bring a tear to your eye you're stronger than me. Play her music while reading Faulkner.
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The Principal (BLU)
Jim Belushi lays the smackdown on a bunch of 30-year-old highschoool students. HIlarious.
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Freeway
One of the greatest films of the 1990's, Matthew Bright's Freeway, has been given the deluxe treatment from Vinegar Syndrome. Includes several minutes of footage that was removed from the R-rated version. One of very few movies that can be labeled as "perfect".
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Swans: Where Does A Body End? (BLU)
Exhaustive documentary about the band Swans. Like one of Gira's songs, it's hypnotic, enveloping, and LONG - 161 minutes - but also briskly paced, thoroughly entertaining. As far as rock docs go, this is top-shelf material.
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When the Moon Turns to Blood (Book)
Leah Sottile
Absorbing true crime book that details the twisted, disturbing saga of former beauty queen Lori Valllow and her boyfriend, self-professed doomsday prophet Chad Daybell. Couldn't put it down.
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Adventures in Modern Recording (LP)
Buggles
"On T.V" is one of the most perfect songs ever recorded.
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Dehumanizer (CD)
Black Sabbath
The best Sabbath album after Ozzy's tenure isn't Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules. It's Dehumanizer. Like, by a mile.
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Sittin' On Chrome (LP)
Masta Ace
Absolute classic. One banger after another. Everyone should own it.
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Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides (LP)
Sophie
Next-level stuff. Listen to 'Ponyboy" on headphones. It's like an earthquake in your head.
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The Last American Virgin (BLU)
Forget Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller, Last American Virgin is the real deal. Along with Three O'Clock High, it's the best 80's highschool comedy. MVD just released a long-awaited blu-ray, and it's loaded with all kinds of cool stuff.
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