0x29A's recent activity
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Comment on I made a mistake, I started using Reddit again in ~talk
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Comment on New Music Fridays: Owen, Justice, Full of Hell, and more in ~music
0x29A Link ParentThanks for linking it! I was aware of the release, and have sampled some tracks, and for me my reaction to it is the same as a lot of modern Darkthrone, I respect it more for its influence /...Thanks for linking it!
I was aware of the release, and have sampled some tracks, and for me my reaction to it is the same as a lot of modern Darkthrone, I respect it more for its influence / pioneering / history in metal than I do for actually listening to current day releases. Fenriz is cool / funny and an icon in the scene, but if I'm going to listen to Darkthrone, I'm more of a A Blaze In The Northern Sky kind of Darkthrone fan
More power to people that enjoy their current stuff though! No intention of this post to be condescending or like "duh I already knew that" (I'm anxious that I accidentally come off that way sometimes), just wanted to give my 2 cents!
I'll probably give the last few modern Darkthrone releases another few goes and see if something sticks better for me, I know a bunch of people have really enjoyed them.
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Comment on New Music Fridays: Owen, Justice, Full of Hell, and more in ~music
0x29A (edited )LinkMy favorites of the week (plus a bonus) Non-metal Owen - The Falls of Sioux Long-standing solo project of Mike Kinsella of American Football fame. He continues his solemn, poignant indie...My favorites of the week (plus a bonus)
Non-metal
Owen - The Falls of Sioux
Long-standing solo project of Mike Kinsella of American Football fame. He continues his solemn, poignant indie folk/rock. Acoustic guitar, piano, lush drums, steel guitar. S. Carey lends multiple instruments and production to the record and Cacie Dalager (KC Rae / Now Now) lends voice, with a number of other guests too.Justice - Hyperdrama
Popular electronic music / electro-house group from France. Fun beats, minimal interludes, big bombastic house jams. Some synthwave/retrowave influence here and there. Some disco, some rock. Exactly what you'd expect from Justice, basically.
Metal (primarily clean-ish / non-scream vocals or instrumental)
none this week
Metal (primarily harsh vocals)
Exhumation - Master's Personae
Really loving the occult death/black feel here, though I'm not a huge fan of the production. Feels a bit thin (at least streamed from bandcamp) when it seems this type of music would benefit from more warmth.Full of Hell - Coagulated Bliss
Cool mixed-media artwork by Brian Montuori. FoH's classic controlled-chaos noisecore. Dissonance, blasts, tempo changes, deep growls, high screams.Morgul Blade - Heavy Metal Wraiths
Blackened heavy/trad metal from PA. Two genres that you rarely hear together (Malokapratan's latest is a great example too though) and it's becoming one of my favorite match-ups of sound. Black metal vocals but triumphant traditional heavy metal riffs.Pentagram - Eternal Life of Madness
Chilean death/thrash. Love the more yell-style thrash vocals employed here. Gives it a very old-school thrash edge. Solos all over the place.ACxDC - G.O.A.T.
Well-known LA power violence back with another killer release.Tombstoner - Rot Stink Rip
Gory, stoned death metal from NY. No frills, just chuggy, meaty, gang-vocal chorus goodness.Beholder - Dualisme
Québécois black metal. Melodic doom sections in an otherwise full-blast black metal assault. Highly recommend the vocalist's other projects too (Sulfure, Saccage).Amiensus - Reclamation: Part 1
Atmospheric, melodic, progressive black metal from Minnesota. Beautiful melodies of despair and anger- you can genuinely hear both.The Hope Conspiracy - Tools of Oppression / Rule by Deception
Well known Boston hardcore band. Aggressive, despairing lyrics at the current state of things. Lyric "Those who gave us yesterday created the horror of today" says it all.
Bonus Record (can be any genre)
New section, will feature music not released this week, but something you should know about, whether a release from two years ago or an obscure gem from 20 years ago. (This is mostly intended for my blog, but I'll try to feature things I've just recently found, heard about, been found/recommended by others, etc to fit the topic)
Baron Ungern / Барон Унгерн - Grandkhaan
This long-gone Mongolian black metal band's only release- an EP/Demo from 1999- re-issued in 2016 on this label. This is what the label has to say: "Sound quality of their EP is actually just shit, but considering the fact that it was recorded in the desolate steppe wastelands of Mongolia with poor equipment it is a highly respectable release nevertheless." Pretty incredible to hear black metal that came out of Mongolia in the 1990's. It's raw as all hell, like the label says- but the music is good. You could say some parts sound like a washing machine cycle and you wouldn't be wrong, but there's also a lot of charm to it!Giving this a pass sketch-wise. The band name is that of a cruel tyrannical german warlord who ruled over Mongolia in the 1920's. There are no available lyrics, so we can't really ascertain the nature of the band other than the very little we have to go on. However- I'd prefer you be informed- whether you listen is your choice.
The label gives me weird vibes, but I don't know exactly how to interpret what they're going for, as I don't know enough about the label or its owners. If I end up finding anything too sketchy (I deep dive on this stuff all the time) , I'll update this post and say why.
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New Music Fridays: Owen, Justice, Full of Hell, and more
Albums typically release on Fridays. This is a thread to discuss week of April 26, 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share...
Albums typically release on Fridays. This is a thread to discuss week of April 26, 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your eye and interest, or share your thoughts about any new music that you've had the chance to listen to this week. I suppose let's try to keep the focus mostly on stuff that was released or announced this week, since we already have a "What have you been listening to?" thread.
Discussion Points
Is there anything you've been looking forward to listening to?
Any releases that have surprised you?
Have you listened to any new music recently? What are your thoughts?
What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past? How does their latest work compare?Links:
Pitchfork - Out This Week
AllMusic - All New Releases
Stereogum - New Music
Shreddit Release Tracker
New Metal and Hardcore Releases - Lambgoat
Heavy Metal Album Release Calendar - Heavy Music HQ
Upcoming albums - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives10 votes -
Comment on Knocked Loose - Suffocate (ft. Poppy) (2024) in ~music
0x29A LinkSo good. This album is likely AOTY 2024 material if it's as good as the three singlesSo good. This album is likely AOTY 2024 material if it's as good as the three singles
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
0x29A Linkhttps://danielledurack.bandcamp.com/album/escape-artist https://squirrelflower.bandcamp.com/album/tomorrow-s-fire https://knockedloose.bandcamp.com/album/you-wont-go-before-youre-supposed-to...https://danielledurack.bandcamp.com/album/escape-artist
https://squirrelflower.bandcamp.com/album/tomorrow-s-fire
https://knockedloose.bandcamp.com/album/you-wont-go-before-youre-supposed-to
https://topographies.bandcamp.com/album/interior-springKnocked Loose singles have been awesome, might be one of my most anticipated releases of the year. The track featuring Poppy is awesome too. The singles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO8q_Q4lRC8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlOFqHXH368
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAuuVY__KQ0 -
Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
0x29A LinkUpdates to my site. (Somewhat related): Rethinking how I approach my presence on the web in different contexts and different privacy levels re: personal site, social media, etc. and trying to...- Updates to my site.
- (Somewhat related): Rethinking how I approach my presence on the web in different contexts and different privacy levels re: personal site, social media, etc. and trying to strike a balance between them all that means in some contexts I'll be very forward and opinionated and loud and amplify other voices too and in other contexts I'll be vague, a bit more open-minded, and minimally descriptive upfront of my stances- this is all in the service of privacy, opsec, how i appear to those with power over me going forward, tact, "defusing" anger/hatred, introducing nuance, minimizing assumptions, but again, all in different balances depending on the audience or context.
- Looking at different options for project sites I've got in my head
- Practicing more guitar, planning to play around with keyboards and my DAW more, maybe even considering looking at some cheap used equipment to expand what I've got.
- Hoping to have (and I say this all the time and always put it off and never get it accomplished) finished a single song sometime soon, then maybe an EP, then hopefully eventually an album- or multiple singles/EPs under different project names (different genres) depending on how the music moves me
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
0x29A Link ParentOh wow, this is neat, as is Juuke. It's definitely got my brain brewing with some ideas. Love the thought of having a "physical component" to a digital music library.Oh wow, this is neat, as is Juuke. It's definitely got my brain brewing with some ideas. Love the thought of having a "physical component" to a digital music library.
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Comment on Detransition is gender liberation, too - Here's to never being satisfied and forever changing in ~lgbt
0x29A (edited )Link ParentYeah this is when it becomes a problem and as always, various political/interest groups see it as ammo in their fight against trans rights. It worries me that detransitioning, in addition to all...I'd rather they not weaponize their experiences against trans folks
Yeah this is when it becomes a problem and as always, various political/interest groups see it as ammo in their fight against trans rights.
It worries me that detransitioning, in addition to all of the stigma and hate and stuff surrounding trans rights in general, will itself be uniquely stigmatized more than it is already. Or maybe, it's already at that point, given how the article describes peoples' reactions to the detransition
If someone feels to be true to themselves they need to detransition and can't (due to fear, legislation, stigma, etc), that is just as much of a concern as transitioning not being available/accessible and liberation must include it.
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Comment on New Music Fridays: Pearl Jam, Cloud Nothings, Melvins, and more in ~music
0x29A LinkSorry for the delay, now my list of favorites from April 19 week. I didn't necessarily include those in the title in my list (not all anyway). I wanted the topic title to try to capture a wide...Sorry for the delay, now my list of favorites from April 19 week. I didn't necessarily include those in the title in my list (not all anyway). I wanted the topic title to try to capture a wide swath of music, some of which are not my thing- but might be for others.
Non-metal
Cloud Nothings - Final Summer
Indie rock from Ohio whose vocal harmonies sort of remind me of bands like Sloan. Additionally, the guitar+vocal tones give me a particular type of vibe similar to bands like The Promise Ring, The Get Up Kids, and The New Pornographers- without the band really sounding like any of these.Pillow Queens - Name Your Sorrow
Four-piece indie rock from Dublin, Ireland. Wonderful guitar leads that ring out over quieter rhythm sections. Vocals are forward, beautifully rich, and have plenty of character and along with the melodies remind me of Toad The Wet Sprocket and maybe a hint of Nada Surf.
Metal (primarily clean-ish / non-scream vocals or instrumental)
none this week
Metal (primarily harsh vocals)
Antichrist Siege Machine - Vengeance of Eternal Fire
Filthy, grindy, and noisy war metal from Richmond, VA. This wall of sound will flatten you.Engulfed - Unearthly Litanies of Despair
Turkish death metal. The vocals are very muddy and gross and not even normally what I prefer for death metal but they make it work here. Tempo changes, deep and heavy riffs, plenty of changes to keep you interested.Hekseblad - Kaer Morhen
Melodic and aggressive Witcher-themed black metal. Huge second-wave black metal influence with still some rawness to the production which really fits the cold, icy sound and stories. Majestic melodies.Nuclear Tomb - Terror Labyrinthian
Death/thrash with some progressive elements in the tempos. Hammer-on guitar leads/riffs everywhere. This is thrash without cheesy tropes the genre is known for- thank goodness- this is the kind of thrash we need to see more often.Selbst - Despondency Chord Progressions
Black metal- but not typical at all. Has more in common with the avant-garde sides of the genre. Not sure if the title is purposely on-the-nose or if something got slightly lost in translation. The chord progressions here are indeed despondent. Some dissonance and tense guitar leads- but written in a reserved, beautifully melancholy way. The entire atmopshere is drenched in despair- including the vocals.Uttertomb - Nebulas of Self-Desecration
Murky Chilean death metal with some death/doom influence. Has a very claustrophobic, oppressive soundscape that is drawing comparisons to Outre-Tombe, though with cleaner (but not too clean) production.Zao - Live from the Church
A PA band that is hard to pinpoint on sound/genre. Their sound is unique enough that really no other bands sound exactly like them. It gets called metalcore, but it shares very little in common with early 2000s metalcore OR modern metalcore. It's more like some strange crossover between alternative metal, punk, and death metal, or something like that? Like I said, very tough to describe- you just have to hear it. This album is called live but really is just recorded live in a studio- it's not a live performance for an audience. It's meant to become a DVD/Blu-ray and is also available in audio form. The songs range from across their discography (which sounds QUITE different depending on the album you hear) and definitely have been refined over the years with some extra touches.They're a band I loved in my religious upbringing, that walked away from the faith (as did I)- appreciate when I find bands that share that common ground with myself. They're still around and still kicking ass (check out their catalog, even as far back as Liberate Te Ex Inferis they were staying non-preachy and vague in their lyrical content- any further back and that drastically changes).
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Comment on Help me ditch Chrome's password manager! in ~tech
0x29A Link ParentYet another vote for Bitwarden here. Switched from 1password for less cost and more open source and have been very happy- and in fact, I like Bitwarden more.Yet another vote for Bitwarden here. Switched from 1password for less cost and more open source and have been very happy- and in fact, I like Bitwarden more.
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Comment on Is Tildes failing to thrive? in ~tildes
0x29A LinkTo me, Tildes is alive and well and functioning as I hoped it would when I first joined. I personally do not want Tildes to have a growth, promotion, or marketing strategy- there is a high risk...To me, Tildes is alive and well and functioning as I hoped it would when I first joined. I personally do not want Tildes to have a growth, promotion, or marketing strategy- there is a high risk that these would ruin the site (as would changing from invite/request only to open registration probably).
I think it's beneficial to let go of these things as expectations. Not every site or community needs to grow large and some lose value when they do.
Not every topic or discussion needs super high engagement either. Low but quality engagement where people are thinking before posting (and sometimes deciding to not contribute) is a sign of health to me.
Places like reddit are plagued with low quality interactions because the culture there lends itself to constant memeing, trolling, joke comments, and karma farming. The moment that happens here, I am out.
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New Music Fridays: Pearl Jam, Cloud Nothings, Melvins, and more
Albums typically release on Fridays. This is a thread to discuss week of April 19, 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share...
Albums typically release on Fridays. This is a thread to discuss week of April 19, 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your eye and interest, or share your thoughts about any new music that you've had the chance to listen to this week.
Discussion Points
Is there anything you've been looking forward to listening to?
Any releases that have surprised you?
Have you listened to any new music recently? What are your thoughts?
What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past? How does their latest work compare?Links:
Pitchfork - Out This Week
AllMusic - All New Releases
Stereogum - New Music
Shreddit Release Tracker
New Metal and Hardcore Releases - Lambgoat
Heavy Metal Album Release Calendar - Heavy Music HQ
Upcoming albums - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives
I'll have my list later, but wanted to get the topic up now. For the title, just chose a few I quickly saw on lists.
Thoughts: should we narrow this topic to only new releases/announcements from the week it's for (in this case, this week)? I feel like right now there's some overlap between this and the "what are you listening to this week" topics, but I think they can each exist with their own goals.
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
0x29A Link ParentIt's going to really depend on one's sense of humor, but I really enjoy Poorly Drawn Lines, Extra Fabulous Comics, Safely Endangered, and Mr. Lovenstein.It's going to really depend on one's sense of humor, but I really enjoy Poorly Drawn Lines, Extra Fabulous Comics, Safely Endangered, and Mr. Lovenstein.
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
0x29A (edited )Link ParentAddendum: Also- thanks OP for posting this site. It's a prime example of why I love the small web- I am keeping that site open and slowly going through each of these linked articles talking about...Addendum:
Also- thanks OP for posting this site. It's a prime example of why I love the small web- I am keeping that site open and slowly going through each of these linked articles talking about the small web- and then clicking around and learning about the people behind these articles- and these bloggers also have links to blogrolls and other sites they enjoy.
What always happens is something like this starts this hours-long jump down the rabbit hole of personal internet content and I thoroughly enjoy my time spent there. It inspires me to be more creative myself and it connects me to new people whose work I may want to follow. Artists, devs, musicians, writers, and more. I end up finding small teams making neat, lightweight web projects, cool new ways of re-imagining things on the web. It gives me things to sit and think on in how I can proceed with the next era of my own work life, and so on.
It's just an experience of gem after gem and it has this hard-to-articulate personality and value that I absolutely cherish. A thousand minutes spent on social media can't match the feeling I get from sixty minutes exploring the personal web.
I think this is proof that something like this still exists, should exist, and is something we can explore and maintain in a modern form that echoes the old sites (and IMHO, still allows us to have that joy of exploration- there's still a fun, interesting, and special side to the web, and it's more diverse than ever )
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
0x29A (edited )LinkWhile I do think we see the earlier internet with rose-tinted glasses, I think there's a lot worth remembering and carrying onward. I think there's validity to looking back at earlier internet and...- Exemplary
While I do think we see the earlier internet with rose-tinted glasses, I think there's a lot worth remembering and carrying onward. I think there's validity to looking back at earlier internet and seeing parts of it that we're nostalgic for and also technical parts of it that some of us want to see carried forward. I did thoroughly enjoy it when small communities, blog/personal sites, etc were more prevalent and there's thankfully a resurgence of that (and I'm trying to contribute also)
The biggest thing for me is somewhat aesthetic, somewhat functionality- I'll take a janky 90s HTML site with under construction gifs, a tiled background, and mostly text, almost any day over the javascript bombs we call websites today- especially for things like forums, news, aggregators, blogs, personal sites, wiki sites (see fandom for a glaring example of how shitty these can be). Sure, it depends on the purpose of the site (shopping carts/sites feel better these days IMO) but in many cases I definitely prefer the smaller, more text-focused web not the absolute piles of garbage we experience now. That said, it's not always true. I have no real nostalgia for Java (not Javascript, just Java), Silverlight, or Flash for web content. Some people made neat things but I'm glad they're mostly gone.
Modern web bloat and complexity is one of a plethora of reasons I got out of web design / web dev pursuits. I escaped before all the web-app / SPAs / react-style stuff became a thing and it was moving so fast at the time that I quickly got left behind skill-wise so I gave it up entirely, not liking the direction things went. These days if I build anything, it is extremely lightweight and doesn't use any of that- and that's why right now I've decided to only do web stuff for myself- I used to do it at a hobbyist level for a couple of local businesses and even that I got sick of.
I hope to see the small, personal, information-dense web carry forward forever where a bunch of people have their own sites and get together in webrings, forums, and what not. It is, without exception, my absolute favorite part of the internet and I hope we never lose it.
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Comment on Have you had a life-altering change in who you are? in ~talk
0x29A LinkYes I have. Two main ones: no longer a Christian (after growing up conservative/baptist/etc Christian and being in the church 20-25 years) and did a 180 politically (right -> left) and both of...Yes I have. Two main ones: no longer a Christian (after growing up conservative/baptist/etc Christian and being in the church 20-25 years) and did a 180 politically (right -> left) and both of those things are tied together pretty closely. The latter being the catalyst for the former. It was a journey, probably over a 5+ year period. And I've never felt better. Ever since, I've felt a huge sense of freedom and clarity that I've never before experienced.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
0x29A Link ParentThey are tied together in some ways sure, in that by focusing on real diversity of race, orientation, gender, etc you will get varied perspectives. However not all ideas/views should be given...They are tied together in some ways sure, in that by focusing on real diversity of race, orientation, gender, etc you will get varied perspectives.
However not all ideas/views should be given equal treatment nor should they be assumed to be of any inherent quality simply because a particular type of person holds them. Ideas should be considered on their own merit alone and some ideas have none.
For example, if someone is anti-LGBTQ, I have zero need to include their perspectives in the name of diversity.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
0x29A (edited )Link ParentSimply put: yes, even if that biases their coverage, which it obviously will/does, and that's even as someone left of these Democrats that has issues with some of their coverage. The only qualm I...Do you think it's okay that NPR has 87 Democrats and no Republicans?
Simply put: yes, even if that biases their coverage, which it obviously will/does, and that's even as someone left of these Democrats that has issues with some of their coverage. The only qualm I have with it at all, is I wish they'd admit this instead of claiming balance. I don't care about balanced coverage, but I'm tired of orgs claiming it. I'd rather them own their bias instead of pretending its not there.
Separately, equating diversity of inherent traits (race, orientation, etc) to diversity of worldviews/ideas/opinions/viewpoints (choices) I think is pretty flawed.
The former are not chosen. The latter do not need to be given the same default weight or respect or pursuit of "diversity"
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
0x29A Link ParentYeah, I've pretty much abandoned NYT over trans healthcare coverage and honestly will gladly do the same for other orgs. It's not the first or only thing they've been awful about but it definitely...Yeah, I've pretty much abandoned NYT over trans healthcare coverage and honestly will gladly do the same for other orgs. It's not the first or only thing they've been awful about but it definitely was a big one.
It's not a topic I'm looking for faux-balanced coverage of either, because, as with it, so as with many issues, there are not two sides to the issue I consider remotely equal.
After Reddit's dumpster fire of missteps though I would not be surprised if the ratio of bad mods to good mods is far different now, with the former being the most common. Especially since Reddit was clearly ready to purge any mods they didn't like off the site
This topic is just another reminder to me that deleting my accounts after all that happened was the best choice for me.
I will only use it in search engines as a way to get a real user review/experience or for troubleshooting, and I would like to stop relying on it for those too. If it wasn't sometimes nearly the only source of some info, I'd block the entire site at DNS level. Maybe someday.