Media

On some level, I wanted my gallery and its graphics to showcase my interests. I don’t know if that’s really working - I don’t have many blinkies and I sure as hell can’t make my own. I’d suck at it.

Honorable mentions will be media that I think is good but couldn't write a paragraph about. An objectively good game that didn't click for me, an album where I only liked half of the songs but still wanted to mention, a book that I haven't known long enough for it to qualify as a favourite. If I've put it on this page, I believe it to be worth checking out.

In no particular order, here’s a bunch of stuff that I like. It might just be albums. Whatever.

Albums

October Rust - Type O Negative

Favourite song - Wolf Moon (With Zooanthropic Paranoia)

I think Type O Negative is working its way up to be one of my favourite bands ever, purely from how often and how consistently I’ve listened to them since I got into them. No, I don’t know anything about the band other than the singer’s name. No, I would not like to learn more. I don’t know shit about metal, so this might not make any sense, but this album feels less metallic than most of their other stuff, and I think that’s why I like this one the most. Bloody Kisses and Life Is Killing Me are fine, but they don’t have the same FEEL as October Rust. Shockingly, this band helped me get into certain gothic rock artists; that is, a completely different genre.

Clear Hearts Grey Flowers - Jack Off Jill

Favourite song - Cinnamon Spider

Loud and punchy, a lot of the songs drift into different subgenres without losing its footing. It was hard to pick between this and Sexless Demons And Scars, but since I do have a copy of this album it felt right to use it here. I found this when I was, what, 15, after avoiding Jack Off Jill for so long under the assumption that they were a 2020s pop punk group. If my memory serves me well, this might have been my introduction to riot grrrl; something that didn’t properly stick with me (with the exception of this particular band) but am glad to have explored nonetheless. Have I actually talked about the music here? Surgery and Love Song are incredible too, but I thought it would be in poor taste to put a cover as my favourite. A solid little nu-metal-esque album, with many memories attached.

Pornography - The Cure

Favourite song - The Figurehead

I’m not in the slightest way exaggerating when I say that The Cure changed my life. If I never accidentally found A Forest when I was 13, and subsequently the culture and following surrounding it, I wouldn’t have half of the same interests and inclinations that I do now. Granted, that track’s from a different album, maybe I shouldn’t be putting it here.

…For fuck’s sake, it’s The Cure, what kind of introduction can I give? If you only know them for their billboard tracks, go listen to Pornography. A beautifully atmospheric album to listen to as you stare off into the deep and wonder where it all went wrong.

Selected Scenes From the End of the World - London After Midnight

Favourite song - Spider and The Fly

Confession: I can’t stand Psychomagnet, to the point that it scared me off from listening to any other London After Midnight albums. Not too big a deal, though, since this is the one with Sacrifice on it… Confession 2: I don’t really care for Sacrifice. This is what I’d describe as evil sex music. I couldn’t even begin to tell you why I kept finding myself coming back to this particular album; I guess I simply enjoy it, as one enjoys any art they come across. Isn’t that as good a reason as any?

Isn't Anything - my bloody valentine

Favourite song - Feed Me With Your Kiss

I’m not crazy for this album, I just need to get out my opinion that this is better than Loveless. Feed Me With Your Kiss was my introduction to shoegaze as a genre, and going from that into the rest of the band’s discography was slightly underwhelming at the time, even if I’ve come to more than appreciate it for what it is now. While both albums are atmospheric and dreamlike, Isn’t Anything is far more cutting and energising. Every sound is rougher around the edges, and for me drowns out your thoughts better. Even the ‘quieter’ tracks like Cupid Come have that raw feel. I’ve considered buying this CD many times despite hardly listening to it anymore.

Wish - The Cure

Favourite song - Cut

Even if there’s other songs and albums that I prefer to listen to, I always say that Wish is my favourite Cure album. This was the first one I got myself when I decided to seriously start collecting CDs. A lot of tracks here range from feeling gently soothing to upbeat, in spite of the haunting scenes and nihilism they depict. One of my favourite pieces of audio ever created is the ‘wow!’ at 3:36 of Wendy Time. Again, if your familiarity with The Cure comes from their most well known tracks like Friday I’m In Love, I promise the rest of the album is a treat. Confession: I cannot stand Friday I’m In Love.

Twin Fantasy - Car Seat Headrest

Favourite song - Bodys

Either you’re ecstatic to find yet again another fan, or you’re sick to death of listening to people worship this thing as holy scripture. I am about to sing another prayer to this album. Car Seat Headrest gives me a pit in my stomach at never having had any of the experiences that you feel you’re supposed to when you’re young, like car crash relationships that retrospectively don’t matter in the slightest. There has to be some irony in the way I romanticise these events. Mirror to Mirror and Face to Face give you subtle differences in perspective, and not-so-subtle differences in audio mixing; each are worth listening to back to back for the full experience. I treat relistenings like watching a film.

Deathconsciousness - Have A Nice Life

Favourite song - Deep, Deep

I remember seeing this album everywhere for a little while, but it was always placed next to the likes of Radiohead and Deftones, who I’m not really into. God, what a mistake. This is the sort of music that I’d been searching for for years with no idea how to describe it. It was just there in front of me and I turned my nose up at it. Powerful but not overbearing vocals, the crashing drums, and dense guitar riffs that all stand on their own, it’s all heaven to me. I never wished that I’d grown up with an album until I found this. Even though I only got into this a few months ago - which for me would be too soon to call it a favourite - that sense of personal fulfilment alone owes it some merit. And, you know, it’s a good album anyway.