Picking up Shinies

A Plagued Sea by Kim BoYoung: So I generally find anything reworking the Cthulu mythos a little hamstrung by, well, the Cthulu mythos itself. To me, at best, the Cthulu mythos puts a quirky avatar over sublime, terrifying nature, and I personally find sublime, terrifying nature more interesting than a squid god. I'm not addressing racism here because a lot work that engages with Lovecraft explicitly tries to trouble the racism. That said, I really love what I've read by Kim BoYoung, and I really enjoyed how many layers she managed to build in a short space: grief and displaced rage, the meaning of quarantine, government abandonment, monsterfucking. And, above all, the quintessential Lovecraftian narrator, who goes mad but survives to warn the world of the horror, is portrayed as shallow and exploitative, unable to handle the horror because of his narrow mind. This was never going to be my favorite novella because, again, once everything points to Cthulu my brain reacts like it's just seen a horror movie monster reveal where the image is not nearly as compelling as what my mind cooked up. But that doesn't mean it's not good stuff.

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda: I have less to say about this because I'm not far in it, which is purely the fault of my own exhaustion, but It's so nice to read more Ojeda. At least as translated by Sarah Booker, her writing has such nice rhythm to it, and I'm so concerned and excited to see where this story about runaways at a psychadelic music festival beside an active volcano is going to go. Her works are always a kaleidoscope of perspectives and just profoundly unafraid to go dark places and ask the most frightening questions. I know this sounds vague, but again, I haven't read very much.

And the thing is: I actually am pretty bummed out by a lot of the current publishing landscape—particularly in the US—that has been caused by entertainment companies buying publishing houses in the 80s and then those publishing houses merging together because books do not make as much money as film or television (notable outliers aside). And there's a lot to discuss about this and how it's affected publishing and what gets published.

Warm Up:

KiiiKiii - Ever2Late!

2NE1 - Don't Stop the Music

Calisthenics & Strength:

KEY - Gasoline

Billlie - WORK

Shay - DA

Nova Twins - Puzzles

xikers - OKay

ATEEZ - WORK

G-Dragon & T.O.P - Knock Out

Rihanna - Bitch Better Have My Money

Cardio:

i-dle - Queencard

Crayon Pop - Bar Bar Bar

SHINee - Anti Believer

BIGBANG - Tonight

ONEW - Animals

ENHYPEN - Drunk-Dazed

P1Harmony - SAD SONG

Cool Down:

i-dle - Dark (X-Files)

Ghost Bookstore - Sad Song: (note: I can only find this song on YouTube with another 30 second song attached at the beginning. I think the MV ) Ghost Bookstore is an indie rock group from South Korea who does a broad variety of stylings. They just released their first album after some great singles and EPs. I knew I was going to like this one from the moment the great bass line kicked in. Vocalist Sue's voice has a sweetness to it that almost seems counterintuitive to their more rocking songs, but it's got a power to it that really suits them.

SPRINTS - Literary Mind: A fun punky track from an Irish garage punk group I've been listening to lately. The chanted chorus gets stuck in my head.

Hugo de la Lune - Sell Out: A dark, electric soul-tinged track with some awesome percussion, Sell Out is de la Lune at their angriest. The "I don't care what the fuck you mean ... fuck you mean ... fuck you mean" part of the chorus is such pleasantly jarring double entendre, and as always, they have such a beautiful voice damn.

Solange - Don't Wish Me Well: I really like this album in general. Solange's voice is so lovely, and I appreciate the mix of soul with pop and alt music. For whatever reason this song in particular is standing out.

ddbb - Comes and Goes: ddbb's Dark remains such a great EP with new songs jumping out at me all the time because of the sheer range of sound they have (indie rock/pop, but with so much flavor in between). This is a really 90s-flavored rock song, catchy, with some great riffs. I hope Juri finds more collaborators to keep this project going because honestly I've loved everything she's put out through it.

Ichon - Compliqué: Such a funky track with a little rap mixed in. Called compliqué, but not compliqué to listen to at all. Still diving into his work; he's great.

TUKI. - Seesaw - Tuki. makes singer/songwriter j-pop in the tradition of Bonnie Pink and Yuuri, and her melodies are just so delightful and kind of classic-sounding.

Renata Flores - Tijeras II: (note: flashing lights in MV) Renata Flores is a Peruvian singer songwriter who sings and raps in Quechua. I love this track so much, from the rhythm to the flute instrumentation. It's powerful and cool.

dodree - HAWWAH: dodree are an interesting new k pop duo combining pop music with traditional Korean folk music stylings like pansori. (note: there are other groups and singers, non-idol-adjacent, who are doing similar work) The three songs on this single are lovely, but I'm highlighting the title track for its almost bluesy vibe that mixes so nicely with the pansori. Both singers have lovely, full voices. I've got my eye on them.

WOODZ - Super Lazy: I've mentioned how much of a success I think Archive 1 is as an album several times. This drum&bass track is SUCH a mood. "I'm like ice cream at home / melting on my couch."

GirlsAreSoTired - Distorted Summer: A track from an album of Chinese indie rock groups. I can't find anything about this group (though I love their name) or the track's meaning, but I like it.

Pom Pom Squad - Street Fighter: There's something so addictive about this cheerfully bitchy track with its pop rock and cheerleading chant stylings. "You make petty remarks / I make pretty girl rock."

NMIXX - Loud: An anthemic pop song with some quirky production and NMIXX's signature harmonies. Been stuck in my head.

Monomania - Fireflies: A pretty and haunting track from a Thai alt rock group. I really love the chorus.