Stream of Consciousness Nü-Metal
Let the nü-dadcore flow through you.
Can We Finally Call It Nü-Dadcore or Something?
I can’t for sure say the precise circumstances of my first introduction to Deftones, but it was before most people are culturally relevant were born. It’s been a while.
I remember a now non-existent arcade in a now non-existent mall. I associate that memory with a track from the second Deftones album, released in 1997.
I remember also being a freshman in high school during that time and the first Deftones album was probably the coolest thing me and my juvenile friends could listen to at the time. It reeked of MTV and skateboarding and hiding your music from your parents.
Pretty much every band that was considered a contemporary of Deftones was either instantly corny or died a painful embarrassing death as a generation grew up and a new one rendered the edgy, angry sounds of bands like Korn and Coal Chamber as totally irrelevant and droll.
Deftones has survived. They evolved, they added depth, subtracted ephemera. A machine that churns out album after album, inching toward the edge of afterthought and punchline while still finding a way to tap the hearts and ears of a strong following that hasn’t been let down by the band’s arrangements over the decades.
Friends from college and from other cities that I haven’t seen in years message me on Instagram and ask what I think of the newest Deftones album, Ohms, which was released on September 18. The first couple of people to reach out received my honest response: I made it about three songs, then eventually finished the album. Seemed like a 50-50 of good and skip tracks. One friend pressed me to name each song I liked and didn’t like - I had no idea because I didn’t know any of the song names. Another said he had already listened to it six times, despite there being barely enough waking hours since its release on streaming platforms to accomplish that feat.
So here I am, having listened once and not knowing any of the song titles. Exposed as the deposed Deftones loyalist I once was believed to be. I’ve put off listening to new material the past two weeks so as to conduct the following exercise: Stream of consciousness reactions to each track on the new album.
Let us begin our journey through Ohms.
“Genesis”
Is this a synth? A Moog? I don’t know what to call it, but given the direction Chino Moreno has gone outside of Deftones over the years, it stills feels like something distinctly tied to his musical stylings. Everything about this track feels familiar. If different, in many ways it is because there is some level of restraint in the plodding heaviness. Is this Deftones take on doom metal? I think this song rips. I just don’t want them to write parts that sound like P.O.D.
“Ceremony”
It’s interesting. I’m looking for an analog, but I don’t know what it could be. There’s a song 90s vibe, but not a nü-metal 90s, more early-era post-hardcore vibe to me. Deftones has leaned into their hardcore and post-hardcore influences sparsely, but in a more pronounced way on the last couple of albums. This song is also good. Nothing landmark about the first two songs, but they’re solid.
“Urantia”
The first 30 seconds are weird. About 45 seconds in, the dots are connected. This is fine. Somehow this song feels like Adrenaline era material, but better production and a healthy dose of adult. Good news: not much chagrin so far.
“Error”
I’ve eaten apple crisp every night this week. Really good. I recommend you go to an orchard, pick apples, make apple crisp, eat it, then sit down and listen to a new album with a full belly. This is the most unique and interesting song on the album so far. Feels refreshing, well placed to break up the vibe that was trending with the first few tracks.
“The Spell of Mathematics”
Everything about this song feels very familiar. This is hallmark Deftones. I’d keep referring to them as the ‘Tones, except that’s extremely ska and thankfully Deftones may be many things, but none are ska. “Mathematics” is better than the rest of the songs played so far.
“Pompeji”
Theme starting to emerge on this album: Everything sounds familiar, but not within grasp. It’s like a compliment that a band with their discography and sound managed to build another album that clearly sounds like their catalog without carbon copy characteristics as a vocal or a guitar section or the production adds an element that breaks free from their proven basic formula. Seriously though, tempo on the entire album is making this feel like their version of a doom record. Oh! An M83-styled ‘outdo’ on this track.
“This Link Is Dead”
I think this band is just starting to confuse me. It’s layered, but it sounds like Quicksand? But it’s still clearly Deftones. I’m beginning to think my idea for writing this was a bad choice. Trying to pin down what’s going on with Ohms is like trying to read a bond-yield article in the Wall Street Journal at 11:35 p.m. As we’re getting close to a full album, the picture taking form is one of a solid album that struggles to define itself.
“Radiant City”
This is one song I remembered from my first listen. Definitely my favorite song on the entire album. Are the vocals too prominent in the mix on this album? This is the ‘on repeat’ track from this album guaranteed.
“Headless”
I have to say that we are entering October, which is my favorite month of the year with my favorite holiday and the Headless Horseman played by Christopher Walken in Sleep Hollow is a great portrayal and I really like that movie. As for the song, it’s coming at a place in the album where it isn’t doing a lot to stand apart. Feels like a continuation song. This is starting to drag on. Not sure so many of these new songs need to be so long considering their general non-exclamatory crescendos.
“Ohms”
Solid choice for a closer as it stands apart sonically from a majority of the album. The album doesn’t sneak out the door, it shakes your hand and thanks you for your time, leaving you with a fun little anecdote.
Ohms is a solid album that builds, but not too much. It feels familiar and sure, but not a comfort food.
Bundesliga: The Bayern Breakdown
Bayern Munich’s unbelievable record-setting run of success in 2020 came to a screeching halt on Matchday 2 against Hoffenheim. With RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund struggling, it was a chance for Bayern to start distancing themselves from the field. Instead, they were absolutely crushed by a well-prepared side that exploited an aggressive high-line time and again. Here are a few takeaways from the match.
The Bayern Bench
Depth is important, even for the most dominant of teams with the most pedestrian domestic competition. Bayern will be pressed heavily into action this season - significantly more than in any prior campaign. They played at Schalke on September 18, then played a 120-minute match against Sevilla on September 24 in Budapest, then were beaten in this match against Hoffenheim on September 27. Since then, they have also played the DFL Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on September 30 and face Hertha Berlin on October 4. It’s going to add up quickly, given their short rest after concluding the postponed UEFA Champions League in August. The players were reportedly so tired after winning the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla in extra time abroad that they declined to celebrate the victory. So, against Hoffenheim, coach Hansi Flick was forced to play rotation with available squad. That meant Europe’s best striker of the past year, Robert Lewandowski, was on the bench while teenage Joshua Zirkzee started. Corentin Tolisso, long thought to be on the way out of Munich, started in place of Leon Goretzka. Then a knock to Leroy Sané that will keep him out for up to a month brought on Kingsley Coman, himself a frequent visitor to the trainer over his Bayern career. It reads simply: Bayern does not have the necessary depth, despite their incredible starting 11, to play matches so frequently while also deploying the energy-sapping tactics of Flick. The news that Sergino Dest was steered to Barcelona by Ajax when Bayern thought they had a deal is a heavy blow. They’ll need to do something and the reserves will need to majorly step up.
Engagement
Bayern has, since days prehistoric, always struggled when not fully committed. The team knows one speed. When they eased up and changed their mentality against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal in August, Suarez made them pay almost immediately. When they overlook their opponents, even if suffering fatigue, they fail to dominate and that can easily lead to losses. The best Bayern players looked to be less than ready for the fight against Hoffenheim and that’s a trait that has done them in many times over in the past decade. Fortunately, it is likely that fatigue is truly the culprit and not coaching. The latter is what led to the departure of Niko Kovac and gave Hansi Flick his shot in the first place. The team needs a good night of sleep and a return to form.
Club Hierarchy
Several times there were points where Manuel Neuer played a bad pass out of the back, or so too did a number of other established veterans. The reaction? Anger and brash admonishment - of the younger player who was on the receiving end of the subpar passing or movement or assignment. Neuer poorly plays a ball to Alphonso Davies, then chastises the teenager despite blame squarely at the foot of Neuer. Davies quietly processed the scolding, kept his mouth shut, and recovered quickly to cover his defensive assignment. In another instance, Zirkzee was part of a brilliant build up that put him on the edge of the six-yard box to the left of the goal - a perfect opportunity for an opportunistic striker to make his mark. Instead, Zirkzee played a surprising ball across the box to find a veteran player. The goal was not converted. While it is great to see a player act unselfishly to look for a better opportunity, it should have been the teenager Zirkzee putting the ball on goal, not deferring. The experience of established Bayern players is priceless, but what is going to make the whole team most dangerous is when the youngsters step up. Both the vets and the youngs need to be together in this to produce the best and most lethal results.
Bad Boateng is Back?
Jerome Boateng has played a pivotal role in a comical number of champion sides both domestic and international. He also does things like pick up foolish red cards and get exposed on the counter. At his peak, he was among the very best in Europe. At his lowest, Bayern couldn’t find a taker for the player despite telling him he was free to go. Against the grain, Boateng had a kind of revival last season and stepped in for the severely depleted Bayern backline. However, age and mentality may be catching up to the elder Boateng. Munich deployed an incredible aggressive gameplan which often saw the last Bayern defender pushing all the way up over the midfield line and Hoffenheim tore it apart. There were a lot of miscues in passing, communication, a lack of pace, and general performance struggles. Everything at this stage of the season requires a fatigue caveat, but it’s concerning that Boateng starts and once again looks out of sorts. So does Benjamin Pavard. Lined up on the defensive wing, alongside Boateng, Pavard was far from a good version of himself. Bayern missed out on the transfer of Dest and plans to keep Kimmich in midfield. Someone needs to fill the shoes of the right back and it sounds like Pavard does not want to do it. It also looks like he can’t do it.
The Good
Despite a few bad moments, Neuer has been stellar. Is it a return to full health and confidence or did the arrival of Alexander Nübel from Schalke this summer motivate him to focus and fight to retain his top spot on the team? Probably both. Neuer has made some fantastic saves this season, saves the post-foot injury Neuer of the past couple of seasons likely wouldn’t have made. It’s encouraging to see he still has some good days ahead.
So It’s Covid-19 and You Want a Dog
I’m not about to quote a statistic, but I’ll say from experience and what I’ve overheard: Covid-19 has driven people pet crazy. It’s been a long time since it has been harder to be chosen in the adoption process at shelters and rescues.
So it shouldn’t surprise anyone when I say that my family is looking for the right dog at the right shelter to bring home. It’s been a saga of changing insurances, researching dog breeds and their temperament with children, etc. We finally got everything lined up and then it was just time to find the right dog.
Here’s a true story of what it’s like trying to find our perfect pet.
First, you need to determine what kind of dog you want. The next step is contact your insurance agent (if you are a homeowner) and have them consult your contract to determine which breeds are not covered by your current insurance provider. For us that list was 14 breeds. Our four preferred breeds were among those 14. To change our insurance to cover those additional breeds was quoted at $800 more annually than the insurance we held. Six months later we revisited and found a comparably priced insurance that covers all dog breeds.
Once you have the proper insurance, you should to figure out if there are reputable rescues and/or shelters nearby that have the breeds you are looking for. We follow several rescues on social media. You can also choose to bathe yourself in the unholy madness of a site like Pet Finder which will pull hundreds of pets for you to peruse. You’ll want most of them.
One shelter we follow posted what I would consider the perfect dog, but again Covid-19 pet fever, so they had taken down the dog’s posting in less than five hours because they had been inundated with applications for that single dog within a few short hours on a weekday during regular working hours.
About the applications: It’s like FAFSA, but for doggies. They want your name, date of birth, names of people who live with you, where you live, why you want that breed, a name and contact number for your insurance company (to verify you have the appropriate coverage and can’t sneak a dog by it), multiple references with phone numbers, what vet you use/will use, what dog training school you will use, questions about the dogs diet and what you will feed it, questions about what would cause you to surrender the dog and what you will do to socialize it and how you will respond if the dog shows aggression. Every single person who wants a dog has to fill out one of these applications, even if there are 20 other people who already submitted an application. And you can’t save your application on their site for future dogs at that rescue/shelter if you aren’t chosen, you have to fill it out every time.
Next, if they are willing to consider you, they will have you come to a public meeting or adoption event. We did that last week for a dog we submitted an application for. It was a two-hour drive each way. Our one-year-old got sick on the way there. Twice. When we arrived, the dog was already gone - which is how some rescues handle it. Other rescues will have every applicant they approve show up and audition with the dog and then pick which family they believe is the best match. That’s what is happening to us with the next dog we visit. Another two-hour drive in each direction with a toddler and the nervousness that you’re about to meet a wonderful dog only to find out they picked someone else.
Someday we’re going to find the right dog for our little family and we will forget all of the hassle of the Covid-19 pet craze and laugh about the story that was the adventure of finding our very own furry friend. Until then, I’m going to keep wondering why we don’t just get a goldfish.
Good Reads
The Story of the First 2020 Presidential Debate in Five Interruptions - It was wrestling. It was a Real Housewives finale. Whatever metaphor you prefer for Donald Trump’s bizarre performance against Joe Biden, it was a shit show.
Trump Wants to Discredit the Election. This Nerd Could Stop Him. - Fox News, the president’s favored network, will face enormous pressure to call the election for Mr. Trump. The outcome rests on a little-known 65-year-old wonk who will declare the winner.
I Was Bullied for Being Arab. Nine Inch Nails Threw Me a Lifeline. - As a teenage girl paralyzed with fear, one of the darkest albums of the 1990s, “The Downward Spiral,” gave me the guts to rebel against my tormentors.
‘I Don’t Want to Be an Oracle.’ Baseball Writer Roger Angell at 100. - “My real profession was as a fiction editor, and I was always concerned with the quality of writing and I thought about it a great deal. As an editor, I was a “taker-outer” rather than a “keeper-inner.” But structure in writing, and good writing, moves me as it does anybody, it moves me to extreme.”
The challenge of a job that doesn't meet your needs - Covid-19 has left many people underemployed – in temporary jobs or on reduced hours. How do you make a success out of a job that isn’t what you wanted?
Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs? - Black professionals comprise 1% of the executives running America’s top 500 companies.
Care for a Cup of Satanic Chamomile? - One tea company is trying to make the cozy brew a little more goth. Cradle of Filth has their own tea now.
Tuneage
Radiohead, “Idioteque” - A song I have listened to 10,000 times from an all-time great album that turns 20 this weekend.
Gabriel Garzón-Montano, “Agüita” - The track is fire, really sets a high bar for the rest of the upcoming album.
Mike Storm, “Designation EP” - Anything that sounds remotely Berlin is going to be on my must listen list.
ZOE Worship, “Somebody” - It’s a trippy idea of a perfect pop song that blends religion that feels authentic with the melody of a coked-out Justin Bieber.
Serpent Column, “Kathodos” - US avante black metal.
Boof Bois, “p[“ - Reminds me of artists similar to BROCKHAMPTON in many ways, but I’m also old so maybe this is a whole new wave that I don’t get.
Dying Fetus, “Destroy the Opposition”- Another 20-year-old jammer. Classic.