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Moby recommended Station to Station by David Bowie in Music (curated)

 
Station to Station by David Bowie
Station to Station by David Bowie
1976 | Pop
8.8 (6 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is his Los Angeles album, and what's funny about that is it's one of his most European records. On the 'Station To Station' song he even sings "the European cannon is here", and it's ironic that he recorded it in the Hollywood hills while doing tons and tons of cocaine. It's odd when you talk about these really iconic artists, whether it's Led Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones, there's always that debate about which is their best album, and usually there's some degree of consensus. With David Bowie most of my music cognoscenti friends will go with Low, but for me Station To Station is the weirdest, most subtly strong David Bowie album. It doesn't have the ambient beauty of Heroes or Low, but it's almost as if he was trying to make a conventional record, but it ends up sounding even stranger because it's trying to be conventional. And that's why I picked it. In a way it reminded me of some of the Roxy Music albums being made around this time, like Manifesto in that was these very strange artists trying to be a little more normal and ending up making something even more disconcertingly odd. How he could make this amazing record when he was constantly out of his mind on cocaine, and also the courage of having the first song on the record nine and a half minutes long, but the music on 'Station To Station' doesn't even get going for the first few minutes. When I was growing up Bowie really had this otherworldly mystique. There was so many different David Bowies, there was glam Bowie, European Bowie, then later on there was dance album Bowie. There was an assumption that whatever he was doing was phenomenal because he was David Bowie. To be a celebrity name-dropper one thing that amazed me was that I lived across the street from David Bowie for a while in New York and we had BBQs together, we went on tour together, and one of my most treasured memories, if I'm on my death bed this might be the thing that I think of. One morning David Bowie came over to my apartment and we were sitting on my couch at 10 in the morning drinking tea, and I played 'Heroes' on acoustic guitar and he sung along. Even if I end up getting married, having children and a family life, my favourite memory will be playing 'Heroes' on acoustic guitar with David Bowie."

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Magnus Chase: Ship of the Dead is the final book in the series that blends Norse mythology with the modern world. Rick Riordan writes in his typical humourous fashion and makes learning fun (even if it’s not always entirely accurate.) As this is the third and final book in the series, there isn’t too much to say that wouldn’t spoil the first two books if you have not read them so I would recommend doing so before reading this review. You can also read my review of the first book as it is spoiler-free.

Our heroes continue their journey to postpone Ragnarok and defeat Loki. Magnus is joined by Samirah the Valkyrie, Hearthstone the Elf, Blitzen the Dwarf and his fellow Einherjar Alex, Mallory, TJ and Halfborn. They must battle giants, outwit guardians, and save the world from utter destruction. Just your average Tuesday.

I really enjoyed how diversity was represented in this series as we have main characters with different sexualities or orientations, religions, ethnicities, and disabilities. Since I am not most of the ones that were represented in the book, I can't speak to how accurate the portrayal was but I am glad that they were included. As a casual reader, the representation felt informative and not condescending or demeaning.

Rick continues his world building by sending our heroes off on adventures in the nine realms while simultaneously teaching us a bit about Norse mythology. His books are a very approachable way to tackle the topic and perhaps foster a sense of curiosity that will lead readers to want to discover more. There isn't much else to say without spoilers, so I would recommend this series to middle grade, young adult or teen readers who enjoy fantasy. It is a fun, easy read that I hope you won't regret picking up.
  
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Rob P (30 KP) rated Best Served Cold in Books

Jan 22, 2019  
Best Served Cold
Best Served Cold
Joe Abercrombie | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Morally taxing (2 more)
Satisfying story line
Exploration of side characters from the Abercrombie "First Law" universe
Brutal in places (although I'm fine with that) (1 more)
Not for the fainthearted
Best Served Cold
If you couldn't tell from the title, this is all about the revenge motif. If you've read Abercrombie, the savagery of the opening chapter (and plenty of others) should not bother you by this point, but having said that there were moments in this even I winced at.

This standalone novel takes place in Abercrombie's universe established in the "First Law" trilogy, and much like other offerings (The Heroes, Red Country) it's charms for me lie in the characters that play only a fleeting part in the previous books. Seeing where they are from and how they operate is so satisfying to me as a reader.

The very next facet of this read that made it so excellent for me, is theme of moral bankruptcy. At the start, Murcatto is a leader, betrayed and left so horribly injured that it sets a moral precedent. She sets out to kill the seven men who carried this out (one of which is a despot who looks to name himself King of Styria), and as they fall, one by one, more and more of the moral right she has is chipped away and spent, having to turn her hand to more and more depraved acts, associate with lower and lower people, and be part of more and more hideous scenarios in order to exact her justice.

If you've had the pleasure of reading the First Law trilogy, this is the book to start with next, it then leads brilliantly into the Heroes, and most recently Red Country.

Overall, a savage, visceral, compelling read.

- Rob
  
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Animation, Fantasy, Horror
I will preface this by stating I have not watched the Demon Slayer show, nor did I read a synopsis of what had happened prior to the characters getting onto the Mugan Train. I wanted to see this film for two reasons, 1) It’s the largest grossing Anime of all time apparently, in Japan and 2) My Regal theater opened finally.
So obviously, as the title suggests, this takes place on a train. There are three main characters introduced, and I did look up their names, so I’m not insulting: Tanjirô (kid with a scar), Zenitsu (blond kid), and Inosuke (a kid that wears a boar mask…). They hop on this train, because apparently people keep going missing, and there’s a demon behind it. They come across this other warrior guy, named Kyôjurô (flame dude), and he’s pretty good at slaying these demons.
You can tell there’s something creepy occurring on this train, and it was quite atmospheric and suspenseful. Then, more nightmare fuel appeared, a disembodied hand that had eyeballs and this crazy set of teeth. So, there’s our demon. Our heroes get trapped in dreams and can’t wake. Obviously, our heroes do eventually wake up, but not before Tanjirô’s sister, Nezuko, hops out of the box that he carries on his back to help wake her bro up. Apparently, Nezuko is a demon and has to be kept in a box.
The majority of the time, I was so confused, but I still enjoyed the movie. The final battles are great, and the animation was great. I do plan on watching the anime now. If you are going to choose to watch this film, I recommend either watching the anime series first, or just go with it and enjoy it as much as you can.