Things Found In A Midwestern Safe

A couple weekends ago my dad came over at his usual time of 9am for our Saturday coffee and conversation. As he came into the door our miniature schnauzer greeted him with the usual shrieks, barks, and bellows… excited for what grandpa had in the Ziploc baggie for him. As I was walking to the […]

Long Story Short : Steve Hadfield, Cinchel, zake, Coral Club zakè

Greetings fellow space travelers, time bandits, and cosmic riders, welcome to another exciting edition of Complex Distractions’ Long Story Short. Here’s where I chat up an album I’m digging in a paragraph or three. I’m getting caught up on some amazing records that have been released over the course of the last three or so […]

One More On Creating, Dropping The Angst, And Crying It Out(if you feel like it)

Hey all. I know, I know, there hasn’t been much over on this part of the interweb in regards to album reviews and just general spreading of the music love. I wouldn’t say that what I’m dealing with is writer’s block, or even disinterest. Maybe there’s been some malaise and some heavy-heartedness in regards to […]

Zombi & Friends, Volume 1

Sure, the last couple years were anything but normal. You could go so far as to say abnormal. I gleaned onto anything I could that would offer some kind of escape from the global pandemic; be it books, films, tv shows, long walks, and of course music. 2020 saw some albums drop that allowed such […]

Mombi Yuleman : Beneath Bridgewater

I’ve always been fascinated with paranormal places, haunted places. Areas in the country where the unexplained remain as such. Where I’m from in the Midwest there’s a place called the Blue Light Cemetery. On certain nights in this nondescript final resting place for many a Midwesterner you can see a strange glowing blue light that […]

Moon Knight, Marvel, Star Wars, and Moving On(Aging Out)

Just finished Marvel’s Moon Knight with my son last night. I thought the first half was kind of a snooze, but the second half really picked up the pace and (sort of) lived up to the amazing character in the comics. My son and I read a few of the older trades awhile back, and […]

Myths and Monsters : Cecaelia

UK-based musician Steven Whiley makes “Cthulu-wave” as Myths and Monsters. What is “Cthulu-wave” you ask? Well if you know who Cthulu is then you wouldn’t be asking that question. HP Lovecraft’s most famous creation, Cthulu is a cosmic entity that is part octopus, dragon, and in a somewhat human form. He’s worshiped by cultists and […]

Videodrones : After The Fall

There’s something quite special about hearing a new Videodrones album. Since the 2016 debut album Mondo Ferox, the duo of Jakob Skott and Kristoffer Ovesen has created an aura of mystery with their heavy synth Dystopia put to record. Using queasy VHS horror rentals of the 80s as a their starting point, these two Danish […]

Days of Chimps and Roses

I never read comic books growing up. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in superheroes, it was just that I prefered getting my caped crusader fix via afternoon and Saturday morning cartoons. I used my imagination via action figures and created my own world, as opposed to following the classic storylines of Stan Lee, Jack […]

Long Story Short : Dark Sines, Ivan The Tolerable, Concrete Island, Myrna

Hello all. It’s been a minute since I’ve posted one of these ‘Long Story Short’ posts where I cover an album in a paragraph or two. Gotta be honest, there’s just so much coming my way it’s hard to keep up. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I’d say that’s a good thing […]