This Is An Octopus Diary, Not a Kraken Journal...

...or a Squid Manifesto.

FRIENDS,

Though the new year actually begins on Mar 21, I will conform to the bank's decree & wish you an all-caps HAPPY NEW YEAR right now!

And though I don't believe in new years that start in January, I do know that the end of December is when America goes underground to have its spiritual orgasm. And there's no better time to reset all your dials than after a spiritual orgasm, so that's what we all do.

We make new pacts with ourselves. We decide we're going to do better things, be better creatures not so beholden to habit. I have no problem with this aside from the obvious one-- we should be having spiritual orgasms far more often! Then we could decide to better ourselves more than once a year.

What have I resolved to do in this new year? 

1. Return to writing for editors rather than myself. Last year, writing got very loud and ugly. I stopped submitting work and tried to remember why I ever started writing in the first place. I couldn't remember. 

I realized that my years as a student, an apprentice, an audience are over. At my poetry firm, I am the coffee person, because I can't say whore, slave or blower w/out getting fired.

2. Forget more stuff. Because remembering stuff is for losers, apparently. Remembering is a lost art. Only forgetful people get far in life.

3. I can't remember what else I wanted to do this year. I guess that's a good start.

Pixel is God and music is an Aquarius

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One thing I usually do at this time is list the music I liked most from the previous year. Did I forget to do that last year? Yes, because I was still crying too much to make lists of music. 

So here is a list of my favorite music from the last TWO YEARS!! Maybe not newly released, but newly discovered by me:

1. ANALOG REBELLION = this guy Daniel Hunter was a MySpace phenomenon. Now he's an independent nontractor. Check out 'Full Frontal' and 'Ancient Electrons.'

2. COEUR de PIRATE = do you love beautiful pop songs sung sweetly, sickeningly in French? I thought so.

3. DAMAGED BUG = slightly experimental, slightly discordant, jangly bug wing of delight

4. DAMON ALBARN =  'Everyday Robots' was Albarn's 2014 release that really charmed me through my nervous shakedown.

5. DE-PHAZZ = they landed on my radar well past their heyday, but if they haven't landed on your radar yet let me just say "better late than never."

6. ELECTRIC PRESIDENT = do I like EP because they remind me of Analog Rebellion? Probably.

7. EXCUSES FOR SKIPPING = punky one minute, poppy the next, always enjoyable. Check out 'Tonic For Hysteria.'

8. GUTS CLUB = I can't describe it--you'll just have to listen for yourself (I'm sure it fits into some sub-sub-genre but I haven't memorized all of those yet!!)

9. HOP ALONG = Do you enjoy gritty, range-y, joyously pissed off girl singers? Me too.

10. MORNING HARVEY = remember a few years ago when I was obsessed with dreamy beach pop (how's that for a sub-genre?) Well now I'm kinda favoriting upbeat mod psyche-street rock like Morning Harvey!

11. PARQUET COURTS = the U.S. version of Morning Harvey (who are Australian)

12.  And speaking of Australia--new releases from COURTNEY BARNETT and TAME IMPALA last year were much appreciated

13. While here in America we heard from THE DEAD WEATHER, METRIC, and PHANTOGRAM much to my auditory pleasure.

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Okay friends…I didn't have much to say except "Happy New Year and here's a list of music" so I'm gonna go now.

You can rest assured that I will find things to write or draw about as the year chugs along. Patience, my darling owl-faces.

Photoshop a dick to this and call it art!!