Menu Eight: October 2024
Shifting with the seasons
October is my birth month and also the month when I first noticed colors changing, the days becoming shorter, and the return of that familiar crispy air. Outwardly our environment has begun to slowly shift us into a period of extended darkness, the necessity of warmer, heartier foods, and the likelihood of spending more time bundled up indoors. And through the passage of these seasonal changes and the dawn of my next earthly chapter, my inner world has begun to shift to a more introspective place too.
In keeping with these themes, this cycle of conscious creative consumption called for a soundtrack to guide me into the realm of darkness and decay, which included a mix of atmospheric metal, a touch of shoegaze, a few flavors of folk, and a sample of 80’s-90’s UK alternative rock and Brit pop icons.
Of the bunch, Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna had me going back for the most servings, speaking to my increasingly contemplative and introverted state. And a note in my phone from 2015 that simply said “Michael Gira side projects” led me to unveil the magic of Swans’ much softer successors, Angels of Light, whose neofolk melodies floated about the room like a cool breeze.
Shoegaze/dream pop pioneers Slowdive’s ambient soundscapes and gentle vocals perfectly mirrored the images of fading leaves in front of even more vibrant skies. And the late guitarist Jack Rose’s bluesy acoustic tunes were the perfect send off into the depths of autumn in full gloom.
This round’s side orders leaned even heavily into the darker tones and heavier notes of the October’s themes, starting with a couple recommendations to check out Blood Incantation’s latest release, Absolute Elsewhere — which seamlessly fused death metal, prog rock, and 70’s psychedelia into a sonic journey beyond space and time.
Shortly after, CANDY dropped their second release of the year with their EP Flipping — a 15 minute force to be reckoned with that obliterated the lines between metal and hardcore and left me craving even more. And lastly, I was put onto Austrian doom/death metal band, Endonomos, whose rumbling, distorted riffs were vaguely reminiscent of Pallbearer’s early albums, but with more of a classic death metal influence.
My overall creative appetite has remained much smaller than it at the start of this endeavor, but I still had room for a few podcasts, starting with a short solo-episode by my friend Yoshino on his podcast Artist Decoded, where he briefly muses on the beliefs and stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. And a well-informed friend passed along the link to a conversation between comedian, Theo Von, and the inimitable, Dr. Gabor Maté, where they dig into a variety of topics including addiction, Trump’s familial trauma, and the still ongoing genocide and occupation in Palestine.
But unsurprisingly, an interview with one of my favorite spiritual authors and speakers, Matt Kahn, spoke to me the most, in which he calls attention to the deeper truths of the human experience including the transformative power of trauma, navigating the ego, and the true purpose and power of forgiveness, grace, and compassion.
My reading habits have also slowed way down from the start of the year and I’ve been operating at about one chapter a month pace. But when the content of what I’m consuming is this rich, I’ve found that taking a bit longer to let it digest isn’t such a bad thing. And to rush through it would defeat the purpose of these teachings — there’s no where else to be but here and now, anyway.
From solar returns and earlier nights to new favorite albums and esoteric messages delivered in divine timing, October beckoned me inward and reminded me to embrace the seasons of change currently unfolding. Life certainly feels better when following the flow of the world I’m a part of, just as nature intended.
Check out my October Menu Playlist, and follow along for next month’s menu and review!