What's everyone spinning?

[prowl20]

I had to say goodbye to my best friend / doggo on Friday afternoon so lately it's been Carissa's Wierd, Type O Negative and today nothing but "A Crow Looked at Me" by Mount Eerie. 

[Derek™]

On 9/11/2022 at 6:43 PM, prowl20 said:

I had to say goodbye to my best friend / doggo on Friday afternoon so lately it's been Carissa's Wierd, Type O Negative and today nothing but "A Crow Looked at Me" by Mount Eerie. 

Sorry for your loss.  How old was s/he?  A sudden loss or a gradual development?

As someone who had to endure the loss of a family dog a couple of years back – one present for more than half my time on the planet – I can say that it gradually gets a bit easier, but I definitely think of her often and miss quite a bit, even after the initial sting was at its worst in 2020.

I see you in all the Numero threads so I know you’ve got an arsenal of quality slowcore at your fingertips.  But anything that feels like a fuzzed out melancholic heady bummer slow burn is what I favored most at that time.

Codeine, Duster, Bedhead, etc. Numero-core are great.  Sprain.  Carissa’s Wierd (like you said) – when you need to give them a break but still want their sound, the debut album from Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick.  Low, Grouper (and adjacent Liz projects), Midwife, Have A Nice Life, Sprain, Bell Witch, The Caretaker / Leyland Kirby.  I also started to really click with some “bleak” ambient / electronic stuff that I had only dabbled in, like Loscil and Biosphere.  Not sure if that’s your bag but it’s made for healthy reflection.

Anyway I know this post of yours is a month old – I never really check this sub-board.  I hope you’re doing better presently.

[prowl20]

19 hours ago, Derek™ said:

Sorry for your loss.  How old was s/he?  A sudden loss or a gradual development?

As someone who had to endure the loss of a family dog a couple of years back – one present for more than half my time on the planet – I can say that it gradually gets a bit easier, but I definitely think of her often and miss quite a bit, even after the initial sting was at its worst in 2020.

I see you in all the Numero threads so I know you’ve got an arsenal of quality slowcore at your fingertips.  But anything that feels like a fuzzed out melancholic heady bummer slow burn is what I favored most at that time.

Codeine, Duster, Bedhead, etc. Numero-core are great.  Sprain.  Carissa’s Wierd (like you said) – when you need to give them a break but still want their sound, the debut album from Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick.  Low, Grouper (and adjacent Liz projects), Midwife, Have A Nice Life, Sprain, Bell Witch, The Caretaker / Leyland Kirby.  I also started to really click with some “bleak” ambient / electronic stuff that I had only dabbled in, like Loscil and Biosphere.  Not sure if that’s your bag but it’s made for healthy reflection.

Anyway I know this post of yours is a month old – I never really check this sub-board.  I hope you’re doing better presently.

Thanks for checking in! It's much appreciated. He was a 15 year old Cairn terrier. Everyone, including the vet didn't believe he was that old, he showed zero signs of slowing down or anything. Out of nowhere he started coughing/throwing up food and water, so we took him to the ER where they put him on anesthesia and did some x-rays. They determined he had a hiatal hernia as well as an enlarged prostate (the Mrs. never had him neutered as a puppy) They put him on some meds, some of which were appetite suppressants. After about 10 days with zero signs of improvements, we took him back to make sure it wasn't a tumor or something, and they anesthetized him again, and said it was just the hernia and that we could book time asap for the surgery. 

 

After a third dose of anesthesia and (a "successful") surgery, while recovering at the ER, they said he must've had a stroke or something. We visited him and we all kind of just KNEW that it wasn't going to get better. He looked like a shell of his former self. He couldn't stand, sit upright, only half of his body was moving, his lips were enlarged from biting them. It was awful and I felt so helpless. I was his person, so holding his hand and looking into his eyes as they put him to sleep was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It wrecked me (still does). 

 

[Subject change]

 

Basically, starting January 1st of this year I made the decision to listen to one record per day, and write a few paragraphs about each record, to help me get through the hoards of vinyl I've been buying. For days after having to say goodbye, I was mostly listening to cathartic music like Carissa's Wierd, Type O Negative, Mount Eerie (A Crow Looked At Me), The Promise Ring's "Nothing Feels Good", On The Might Of Princes "Where You Are...", This Will Destroy You's "Another Language", etc. 

I actually just bought that Codeine boxset a few months ago. I've only spun Frigid Stars and keep dabbling with the idea of waiting for my copy of "Dessau" to arrive in the mail so I can play it all chronologically. I've definitely been smoking a fair amount of the devil's lettuce and listening to Dessau (that version of Sea KILLS ME), the new Holy Fawn, Engine Down, Boilermaker (In Wallace's Shadow) and other random stuff. Lately it's been a heavy dose of doom, mostly Mizmor haha. 

If you're interested in following what I'm writing about, my IG handle is @mikevanburen 

Edited October 9, 2022 by prowl20

[Derek™]

Man that is crushing to hear.  15 years is a long run though.  (Mine was 17.)  One of the few things that gives me closure, though, is recognizing that she was adored and showered with attention, love, treats, walks, trips, etc.  She had a good life with an environment that most dogs could only dream of.  I would imagine that yours lived comparably, too, and at the end of the day that’s all we can really do.

Anyway.  Cool idea for an Instagram, too.  I’ve been toying with a similar concept (but on a website since I don’t really use IG), and began tracking what records I actually play, starting January of last year.  It’s helped me filter out a few straggler records that I simply didn’t need to own, and could sell off to make extra room.  Regardless of how I feel about the music – not to imply you listen to a ton of stuff I can’t jive with; probably the opposite – I can always admire anyone’s collection if they’re enthusiastic about what they buy and own.  Being able to pull any one of 800 records off the shelf and speak to it will always be more impressive (to me) than having a wall of 8,000 records and being unsure about what a random record may be or what it sounds like, where it came from, etc.  Too often are Instagram vinyl enthusiasts just hoarding stuff to photograph and flex with.  I really support anyone who takes the time to actually show they’re connected to the music on these things.

Edited October 12, 2022 by Derek™

[prowl20]

That’s very true. I was starting to see those patterns with myself pertaining to just collecting to have which is icky, and I needed to reassess. Granted, my stacks of “needs to be spun before filed” records has gotten so much larger over this year, I find it super fun and reflective to give each record its proper time. Overall, it just makes me more appreciative of the records I do keep that resonate with me.