Raycevick Recommendations: December 2018

New Blood by Occams Laser

Most of the albums I've recommended are ones  I could listen to from start to finish thanks to their variety and pacing. New Blood isn't that. It's synthwave beats are repetitive, derivative, and not at all something even casual observers of this sub-genre haven't already experienced.

But I'm someone that orders the same delivery, always stays up past-midnight, and wears one shirt for nearly a week. There's comfort in the familiar, and difficult to let go when you enjoy it, which is the case with this artist.

Occams Laser straddles the line between the almost metal-like heaviness of Gost or Carpenter Brut, but without the full pop sensibilities of Scandroid, or Sunset Neon. It's relaxing enough to put your mind at ease, while syncing up to slicing and dicing in Warframe.

Thank you to the person who cheated against Dr. Disrespect for having him play this song and giving me more material for my playlists.

The Philip K. Dick Reader

Long before Black Mirror reminded people of what darkly twisted sci-fi short stories are capable of, there was one of its pioneers, and that mans name was Philip K. Dick, he probably thought it was something else while on the copious amounts of drugs he took.

But that paranoia only comes across as creativity in his written work with elegant prose and captivating stories that even when not telling the most heart-wrenching of tales, leaves you with questions that connect to our world in fascinating ways.

When you don't have time to go through an entire novel, opening this collection and picking a story will more often than not, deliver a more gripping and more memorable experience anyway.

 Bill Burr - HBO One Night Stand (2005)

Just like a perfect take that ends up in the final cut of a film, there's stand-up specials where the Comedian zones-in and nails their sets beat for beat, and Bill Burr's HBO Special from over ten years ago is one of them. 

Everything he's known for from his references that are surprising yet relatable, to walking the tightrope of delicate subject matter with ease, is done in this special, long before earning his own Netflix series.