10 of the Best Books I Read Last Year

I meant to make this post with my other 2020 year-end lists and didn't get it completed in time, then got distracted by other issues. Better late than never, I guess--and besides, none of these books were actually written in 2020 so the point is a bit moot. Aided by quarantine and a work from …

You Should Really Check Out Bandcamp + Album Recommendations

So how ‘bout some good news regarding music and musicians? This article is in no way a paid advertisement and I apologize if it at times it reads like one. My recommendations are wholehearted and unsolicited. I’ve loved Bandcamp so much and used it for so long that at this point that I forget so …

The Last Rock Star (RIP, Good Riddance)

I’ve been debating whether to post this or not.I’ve done the “art vs the artist” thing to death and my argument isn’t changing. I won’t rehash my stance on that issue here but you can read my thoughts on it elsewhere. I’ve also written about artists accused of terrible behavior with women and how that …

“Mad Men” Deep Dive

I’ve done a lot of reading, watching, listening, and writing during the pandemic. One little project I started a few months ago was revisiting the shows I considered to be the best of all time and see how they hold up. So I started with “The Wire” which in my memory was the best show …

My Top 10 Shows of 2020

You can check out my 10 favorite films of 2020 by clicking here. Before I discuss my top 10 shows of 2020 it's worth noting that there were a lot of close runners-up: "Your Honor" with Bryan Cranston is phenomenal but I just discovered it and haven't finished it yet; "The Undoing" was solid thanks …

Modern Day Jack and Diane…

Pausing from my last few 2020 recap posts for this short work of fiction(ish) He was always apolitical. He distrusted the government in that general, middle class manner prompted every time he paid taxes or saw the latest political scandal of the week on a TV in passing. He loved Reagan because Reagan was president …

My 10 Favorite Films of 2020

I watched a lot of movies in 2020 despite not setting foot in a theater for the first time in my life (at least that I can remember). Thanks COVID. And there was a noticeable decrease in movie options this year due to that as COVID prevented theaters from releasing movies and a lot of …

My Top 5 Favorite Hip Hop Albums of 2020

It's been a minute but when I last posted I discussed my Top 5 Favorite "Album Oriented Rock (AOR)" Albums of 2020. Previously I've listed my top 5 favorite Indie Rock Albums of 2020 and all kinds of metal--trad, black, death, and "other". This should be my last top 5 album post of the year …

My 5 Favorite Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) Albums

So, just like "Indie Rock" was bit broad of a term last time around ("My Top 5 Indie Rock Albums of 2020"), "Album-Oriented Rock" (AOR) may be even more so. It's not a term used often these days but it used to be a catchall term for "mainstream" rock and/or albums released by "established" acts …

My 5 Favorite “Indie” Rock albums of 2020

Now that I've covered all of my favorite (trad, black, death, and "other") metal albums of 2020 I'm moving on to more "popular", e.g. "mainstream" terrain. I'm splitting my "popular" (not including hip hop which at this point basically is popular music) music picks into two lists--Indie and "Album Oriented Rock (AOR)". The line between …