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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:
We have arrived at the end of a long, difficult year, facing the potential warmth of a holiday season, contrasted by the inevitable cold of winter, and carrying a sense of loss, even as we attempt to see through the wind and weather to what might wait for us on the other side. That is the theme for this month's show, if there need be a theme.
We begin the show, sadly, by bidding a fond farewell to beloved author Anne Rice (October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021), who breathed new, eternal life into the vampire archetype with her breakthrough 1976 novel, Interview with the Vampire, and its many sequels, now collectively known as "The Vampire Chronicles." Considering that this show has, for decades now, opened with the theme from the movie adaptation of that first book, I obviously have a long-standing, deep, personal connection to the worlds she created, and a great respect for the influence her work had on me from my teenage years onward. I think we all do -- all who are reading this, at least -- so I designed the opening of this show as a small tribute to her memory, and made sure to preserve, in it, her actual voice, using samples from a vintage interview, as well as her introduction to the VHS release of Interview. Add to that the rare French version of the immortal Concrete Blonde classic, "Bloodletting," which was directly inspired by The Vampire Lestat, plus more of the beautiful score music of Elliot Goldenthal, and I hope that the result is a fitting memorial.
The first full set sends us on a rather pensive, December-ish journey, taking off from colder climes of Eastern Europe with some appropriately melancholy Russian post-punk from the latest Ploho album, Фантомные Чувства (Phantom Feelings). Following with their own melancholic post-punk is German act Pink Turns Blue, whose new album Tainted continues their decades-long signature sound. Sweden's Principe Valiente then catch the cold, now leaning heavily towards the more somber side of their songwriting with new single "Porcelain." Next, Portland's self-described "Queer Outsider Chamber Music" ensemble, Disemballerina, have channeled their life experiences into new EP entitled Fawn, based on human acute stress response. We then hear from Peter Bjärgö (Arcana) with the title track from his latest solo work, The Translucency of Mind's Decay, before closing the set with one of my favorite album closers of the year, Nox Novacula's unexpected "Shattered World."
Set two is where we have quarantined all of the specifically Christmas-related music -- so this will either be a joy for you to unwrap, or a pile of cheer to sidestep on the sidewalk of the season. Either way, it's packaged for your convenience. We begin with a request that I can't believe I missed last Christmas: 1000 Ho-Ho DJs (aka Alex Reed of Seeming, ThouShaltNot) doing their original parody of Ministry's "Every Day is Halloween," but in this case, "(Every Day Is) Xmas," with a great set of new lyrics. After that, I drop a pair of holiday essentials in your stockings, one from Alien Sex Fiend and one from Hanoi Rocks; both are among my all-time favorites, and can be heard several times a year at the Bodcave, I assure you. Inspired by a recent screening at Nashville's Belcourt Theatre, we then hear a pair (Danny Elfman +Siouxsie & the Banshees) from the other utterly Christmas-y non-Christmas movie, Batman Returns. If you haven't watched it in a while, I promise you it has Xmas vibes throughout, it's only gotten better with age, and it is *always* snowing in this version of Gotham. Purrrr-fect seasonal viewing. Finally, we close this year's holiday set with the new Christmas song from The Cruxshadows, whose new 2021 pay-what-you-like single is entitled "The Lighted String."
We begin the show, sadly, by bidding a fond farewell to beloved author Anne Rice (October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021), who breathed new, eternal life into the vampire archetype with her breakthrough 1976 novel, Interview with the Vampire, and its many sequels, now collectively known as "The Vampire Chronicles." Considering that this show has, for decades now, opened with the theme from the movie adaptation of that first book, I obviously have a long-standing, deep, personal connection to the worlds she created, and a great respect for the influence her work had on me from my teenage years onward. I think we all do -- all who are reading this, at least -- so I designed the opening of this show as a small tribute to her memory, and made sure to preserve, in it, her actual voice, using samples from a vintage interview, as well as her introduction to the VHS release of Interview. Add to that the rare French version of the immortal Concrete Blonde classic, "Bloodletting," which was directly inspired by The Vampire Lestat, plus more of the beautiful score music of Elliot Goldenthal, and I hope that the result is a fitting memorial.
 |
| Rest in peace, Anne. |
The first full set sends us on a rather pensive, December-ish journey, taking off from colder climes of Eastern Europe with some appropriately melancholy Russian post-punk from the latest Ploho album, Фантомные Чувства (Phantom Feelings). Following with their own melancholic post-punk is German act Pink Turns Blue, whose new album Tainted continues their decades-long signature sound. Sweden's Principe Valiente then catch the cold, now leaning heavily towards the more somber side of their songwriting with new single "Porcelain." Next, Portland's self-described "Queer Outsider Chamber Music" ensemble, Disemballerina, have channeled their life experiences into new EP entitled Fawn, based on human acute stress response. We then hear from Peter Bjärgö (Arcana) with the title track from his latest solo work, The Translucency of Mind's Decay, before closing the set with one of my favorite album closers of the year, Nox Novacula's unexpected "Shattered World."
Set two is where we have quarantined all of the specifically Christmas-related music -- so this will either be a joy for you to unwrap, or a pile of cheer to sidestep on the sidewalk of the season. Either way, it's packaged for your convenience. We begin with a request that I can't believe I missed last Christmas: 1000 Ho-Ho DJs (aka Alex Reed of Seeming, ThouShaltNot) doing their original parody of Ministry's "Every Day is Halloween," but in this case, "(Every Day Is) Xmas," with a great set of new lyrics. After that, I drop a pair of holiday essentials in your stockings, one from Alien Sex Fiend and one from Hanoi Rocks; both are among my all-time favorites, and can be heard several times a year at the Bodcave, I assure you. Inspired by a recent screening at Nashville's Belcourt Theatre, we then hear a pair (Danny Elfman +Siouxsie & the Banshees) from the other utterly Christmas-y non-Christmas movie, Batman Returns. If you haven't watched it in a while, I promise you it has Xmas vibes throughout, it's only gotten better with age, and it is *always* snowing in this version of Gotham. Purrrr-fect seasonal viewing. Finally, we close this year's holiday set with the new Christmas song from The Cruxshadows, whose new 2021 pay-what-you-like single is entitled "The Lighted String."
Set three brings us back to the show's more traditional format, starting off with new music from Vain Warr, the latest project from Joshua Strachan of Blacklist and Vaura, this time delivering a more distorted mix of post-punk styles on Maleficia Carnalia. Following that, we go deeper into the new Child of Night album, The Walls at Dawn, before digging into the cold weather vaults for a classic from The Last Dance. We then hear new darkwave from Licorice Chamber, featuring Layla Reyna from Strap on Halo, before heading over to Ireland for a single from newcomer Ava Vox. Finally, we start to add some weight to the soundscape, getting heavier as we head stealthily towards the metal portion of the show, with a new one from California's New Skeletal Faces. The band's latest EP, Sextinction, sees them tightening their fusion of punk/deathrock and upside-down-crossover metal influences.
Set four brings us to dark metal's door, starting with a transitional post-punk/metal piece from the new Rope Sect album, Proskynesi. We then go full-bore black metal with new music from Canada's Ossuaire, taken from their new album Triumvirat. This time of year always makes me turn to the colder atmosphere of black metal, and few satisfy that need like Ukraine's Drudkh, whom I've turned to here for a winter classic from their 2012 album, Eternal Turn of the Wheel. We then travel to Serbia for a new one from CMPT, whose new album Krv i pepeo (eng. Blood and ash) is based on the Balkan belief in the "Deaf Age," which refers to the darkest moment in the night, when unclean spirits and the forces of the underworld take over the world while nature sinks into silence. Tis the season! The set concludes with a recent winter classic from Washington's Isenordal, followed by an equally winter-obsessed dark ambient / dungeon synth piece from Nashville's own Crypt of Carmilla.
Set four brings us to dark metal's door, starting with a transitional post-punk/metal piece from the new Rope Sect album, Proskynesi. We then go full-bore black metal with new music from Canada's Ossuaire, taken from their new album Triumvirat. This time of year always makes me turn to the colder atmosphere of black metal, and few satisfy that need like Ukraine's Drudkh, whom I've turned to here for a winter classic from their 2012 album, Eternal Turn of the Wheel. We then travel to Serbia for a new one from CMPT, whose new album Krv i pepeo (eng. Blood and ash) is based on the Balkan belief in the "Deaf Age," which refers to the darkest moment in the night, when unclean spirits and the forces of the underworld take over the world while nature sinks into silence. Tis the season! The set concludes with a recent winter classic from Washington's Isenordal, followed by an equally winter-obsessed dark ambient / dungeon synth piece from Nashville's own Crypt of Carmilla.
The Finally, this December show concludes, as has become tradition here, by resurrecting the old Victorian custom of sharing supernatural tales during the long nights of Christmas time. This year, I've chosen a classic from Charles Dickens -- but not the one you're thinking of! This one was the precursor and inspiration for A Christmas Carol, yes, but it has an even more appropriate cast of characters -- a gravedigger, in his beloved graveyard, visited and tormented by the king of the goblins and his mischievous ilk. Grab a blanket and a spirit, and settle in for this tale -- delivered as an extended theatre/opera piece -- entitled "The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton." Good night, and good season. I will talk to you all in January, when I return with the "Best of 2021" show...
All of that PLUS: New soundtrack work from "Midnight Mass" and "Dune"; New instrumental work from Black Tape for a Blue Girl; selections from the winter vaults; Updates, well wishes, and more.
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PLAYLIST BEGINS HERE
Format: Band Name - Song Title [Album Title, Year]
(each band name is also a website link)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)
"Out ov the Coffin" w/ Ichabod
Show recorded: December 21st - 22nd, 2021
[SAMPLE] Anne Rice's Intro the "Interview with the Vampire" VHS
Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) (French version) ["Bloodletting" (single), 1991]
[SAMPLE] Anne Rice (Interview, 1993)
Elliot Goldenthal - Lestat's Recitative (exc.) ["Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack), 1994]
-
The Newton Brothers - Dignity ["Midnight Mass" (soundtrack) 2021]
-
Ploho - Камни (Stones) [Фантомные Чувства (Phantom Feelings), 2021]
Pink Turns Blue - Not Even Trying [Tainted, 2021]
Principe Valiente - Porcelain [single, 2021]
Disemballerina - Somnambulist [Fawn, 2021]
Peter Bjärgö - The Translucency of Mind's Decay [The Translucency of Mind's Decay, 2021]
Nox Novacula - Shattered World [Ascension, 2021]
-
Danny Elfman - The Cemetery ["Batman Returns" (soundtrack) 1992]
-
1000 Ho-Ho DJs - (Every Day Is) Xmas [single, 2020] ^RQ^
Alien Sex Fiend - Stuff the Turkey [Stuff The Turkey/They All Call Me Crazy, 1987]
Hanoi Rocks - Dead By X-Mas [Self Destruction Blues, 1982]
Danny Elfman - Birth of a Penguin (Part I) ["Batman Returns" (soundtrack) 1992]
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Face to Face ["Batman Returns" (soundtrack) 1992]
The Cruxshadows - The Lighted String [Christmas single, 2021]
-
The Legendary Pink Dots - Chrystopia: The Closing Credits (Xmas 2018) [Festive Volume 2 (comp.) 2021]
-
Vain Warr - Ready to Receive (The Influence of a Disembodied Spirit) [Maleficia Carnalia, 2021]
Child of Night - Aurora [The Walls at Dawn, 2021]
The Last Dance - Winter [Perfect, 2002]
Licorice Chamber - This Love is Dark (Codename:Lola Mix) [This Love is Dark (Single), 2021]
Ava Vox - Crash [single, 2021]
New Skeletal Faces - Extinction of Bodies [Sextinction EP, 2021]
-
Hans Zimmer - Night on Arrakis ["Dune" (soundtrack) 2021]
-
Rope Sect - Proskynesis II [Proskynesi, 2021]
Ossuaire - Ignipotentis [Triumvirat, 2021]
Drudkh - Ніч зіткана зі снігу, вітрів та сивих зірок (грудень) (Night Woven of Snow, Winds and Grey-haired Stars (December) [Вічний оберт колеса (Eternal Turn of the Wheel), 2012]
CMPT - Krv i pepeo [Krv i pepeo, 2021]
Isenordal - Eternal Winter of the Mind [Isenordal/Void Omnia (split), 2018]
Crypt of Carmilla - Approaching Evening Winter Storm [Wintermoon Phantasmagoria, 2020]
-
Black Tape for a Blue Girl - The Ghost of Monte Cassino Abbey [The Instrumental Serpent, 2021]
-
Sir Ralph Richardson - The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton (Charles Dickens) [BBC Radio, 1962]
Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) (French version) ["Bloodletting" (single), 1991]
[SAMPLE] Anne Rice (Interview, 1993)
Elliot Goldenthal - Lestat's Recitative (exc.) ["Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack), 1994]
-
The Newton Brothers - Dignity ["Midnight Mass" (soundtrack) 2021]
-
Ploho - Камни (Stones) [Фантомные Чувства (Phantom Feelings), 2021]
Pink Turns Blue - Not Even Trying [Tainted, 2021]
Principe Valiente - Porcelain [single, 2021]
Disemballerina - Somnambulist [Fawn, 2021]
Peter Bjärgö - The Translucency of Mind's Decay [The Translucency of Mind's Decay, 2021]
Nox Novacula - Shattered World [Ascension, 2021]
-
Danny Elfman - The Cemetery ["Batman Returns" (soundtrack) 1992]
-
1000 Ho-Ho DJs - (Every Day Is) Xmas [single, 2020] ^RQ^
Alien Sex Fiend - Stuff the Turkey [Stuff The Turkey/They All Call Me Crazy, 1987]
Hanoi Rocks - Dead By X-Mas [Self Destruction Blues, 1982]
Danny Elfman - Birth of a Penguin (Part I) ["Batman Returns" (soundtrack) 1992]
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Face to Face ["Batman Returns" (soundtrack) 1992]
The Cruxshadows - The Lighted String [Christmas single, 2021]
-
The Legendary Pink Dots - Chrystopia: The Closing Credits (Xmas 2018) [Festive Volume 2 (comp.) 2021]
-
Vain Warr - Ready to Receive (The Influence of a Disembodied Spirit) [Maleficia Carnalia, 2021]
Child of Night - Aurora [The Walls at Dawn, 2021]
The Last Dance - Winter [Perfect, 2002]
Licorice Chamber - This Love is Dark (Codename:Lola Mix) [This Love is Dark (Single), 2021]
Ava Vox - Crash [single, 2021]
New Skeletal Faces - Extinction of Bodies [Sextinction EP, 2021]
-
Hans Zimmer - Night on Arrakis ["Dune" (soundtrack) 2021]
-
Rope Sect - Proskynesis II [Proskynesi, 2021]
Ossuaire - Ignipotentis [Triumvirat, 2021]
Drudkh - Ніч зіткана зі снігу, вітрів та сивих зірок (грудень) (Night Woven of Snow, Winds and Grey-haired Stars (December) [Вічний оберт колеса (Eternal Turn of the Wheel), 2012]
CMPT - Krv i pepeo [Krv i pepeo, 2021]
Isenordal - Eternal Winter of the Mind [Isenordal/Void Omnia (split), 2018]
Crypt of Carmilla - Approaching Evening Winter Storm [Wintermoon Phantasmagoria, 2020]
-
Black Tape for a Blue Girl - The Ghost of Monte Cassino Abbey [The Instrumental Serpent, 2021]
-
Sir Ralph Richardson - The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton (Charles Dickens) [BBC Radio, 1962]
________________
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