Menu Seven: September 2024
Filling up on the sides
When I was younger I fancied myself a frivolous and spontaneous creature, always in search of the next new experience and never satisfied with two days that felt too much the same. But the older I’ve gotten the more I’ve grown to find routine and repetition both nourishing and essential for my well-being. This has become especially true in my dietary choices and wellness practices as I recover from complex, chronic illness, but it’s even visible in my creative life and media habits.
Yet it’s equally true that engaging with a perpetual sense of newness is beneficial for health and longevity, as shown in research surrounding brain health, memory, cognition, and aging. And in many ways, I developed this creative consumption challenge as a form of preventative care to bring me back to equilibrium. Because as supportive as habit and routine can be, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
As I approached my 7th round at this all-you-can-stream creative buffet, I found myself suddenly uninspired by the thought of a standard meal and much more interested in trying all the sides. And with the savory aftertaste of last month’s heavy metal side orders still lingering on my somatic taste buds, I was eager to sink my teeth into more of the same density that only more extreme music can serve. This craving coupled with a dozen recommendations from a new connection with eerily similar taste preferences resulted in a plate full of atmospheric, avant-garde doom metal and various forms of rock.
Originally sent as a one off album rec, I was so taken with the song Stages by 40 Watt Sun that I decided to dig in to the rest of his work, which perfectly matched the shift into the season of shorter days and longer nights. And pulled at random per my trusty digital wheel, a little 70’s glam rock by T. Rex and 90’s grunge rock by Hole kept me from getting lost in the land of 10+ minute long riff distortions and sonic sludge.
Despite a handful of truly enjoyable main courses, this order was truly all about the sides — all of which were impressively heavy and inspiring, but a handful really hit the spot. I was put onto the Arizona instrumental doom band, Tempel, who dropped a perfect album The Moon Lit Our Path and disappeared from the scene; as well as the German avant-garde black metal group, Der Weg ein Freiheit, whose album Noktvrn is equal parts wicked and beautiful.
Wielding one of the most unserious band names, my long-time favorite instrumental doom band Bongripper’s latest album Empty wholly encompasses the unparalleled weight and lyricless storytelling that they’re so well loved for. And I finally made a full pass through Realms by Darkher, whose ethereal vocals and spell-casting melodies were suggested to me years ago and shares a similar haunting quality with Chelsea Wolfe.
I explored a couple underground, atmospheric doom metal projects, Spectral Tower and Palace of the Widow, each offering unique, conceptual albums and the same long, slow riffs and low guitar tones I naturally gravitate towards. And I wrapped up my music order with the latest release by the unrivaled, experimental rock legends, Swans, whose 41 minute song on the second disc is absolutely worth dedicating the time to listen to.
It felt fitting to enter the first days of autumn with the haunting tales of Ethel Cain’s personal ghost lore, and I kept my “woo-woo” side entertained throughout the month with a few video-podcasts on energetics and manifestation basics by Arcanum Life. Admittedly her delivery is pretty Gen Z coded, but she consistently speaks to universal truths with clarity while offering simple, action-oriented guidance and living proof that it’s worth the effort.
In the way that certain messages find us right when we need to hear them, a channeled speech from one of my favorite authors, intuitive healers, and spiritual teachers, Matt Kahn, spoke to exactly what I’m moving through internally right now.
And though my reading habits have slowed down, I’ve been enjoying sitting with each chapter of these books to integrate the teachings into my day-to-day thinking, which continues to be radically transformed.
In summation, this round was shorter but plenty filling — each bite offering a rich new experience in both thought and sound. And as it turns out, forming new habits and routinely challenging them once I feel settled may just be the holistic path to internal harmony I’ve been seeking.
Check out my September Menu Playlist, and follow along for next month’s menu and review!