#10b - Adorable Small Business Tyrant Simulator
The Blood Zone
Alex Ross (@Alexrosswrites) returns for part two of this examination of the indie game world via a few documentaries for part two. this time we cover the post-indie boom from around 2015-now. first we look at depressing vanity project/indie survival story "Surviving Indie" from late 2016, then we look at a surprisingly quality documentary about the indie game scene in China called "Indie Games In China" from 2018. and then in an ill-advised move... we look at this year's E3 "Wholesome Direct" stream.
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#10a - White Collar Mario From The Future
The Blood Zone
hey everyone! for the 10th episode i've brought game academic and writer Alex Ross on board for part one of a punishingly long journey relitigating all the ridiculous things of independent game development scenes past via a few documentaries.
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#09 - We'll Be Middle-Aged Children (But So What)
The Blood Zone
hi folks! it's 2021 now, i guess. perfect time to get back into the Cinderella story of a bunch of middle aged guys who hit the big time from the city of Dayton, Ohio.... Guided By Voices. specifically i focus on what i consider the strangest and most unique album of their catalog, 1993's Vampire on Titus.
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#08 - Hurtling Over Peak Videograme
The Blood Zone
it's a video...grames episode! i briefly talk about cool oddball that very much bear the mark of their creators: the colorful and goofy Super Bogus World (which has a new sequel) and the very unsettling Pagan: Autogeny.
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#07 - The Great Sea Swallows Her Whole For A Treat
The Blood Zone
greetings and apologies for the time between episodes! the music industry facing a severe downturn because of the recent pandemic and the general deluge of traumatic news has made me reflect more on smaller, more understated artistic triumphs as an antidote.
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#06 - Enduring Mock Funerals
The Blood Zone
a journey through the myth, the legend, the phenomenon Travel Channel tv show and Ghost Bro hunter sanctum Ghost Adventures featuring special guest Ian Williams.
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#05 - Remixed Down In The Scab Hole
The Blood Zone
hello fellow dark voyagers of the great beyond,
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#04 - That's A Dead Kid
The Blood Zone
welcome back, universe!
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#03 - Third Eye Wide Blind
The Blood Zone
greetings! on this very chunky special episode, i rewatched Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and talk about its various allusions and resonances to the modern day hell world we are all trudging through. major spoilers for the film.
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#02 - Trapped Inside A Soul Cube
The Blood Zone
my brain is forever infected by worms after 15 hours of Soul Axiom, the Southland Tales of videogames... maybe? it's a bizarre and clunky videogame released in 2016 that is far more ambitious than it has any right to be. because my mind is a prison now, i talk Jeffrey Epstein, eugenics, corny indie game cliches, and the tech world. uhh oh yeah, and also a lot about Soul Axiom. is it a good game? is it a bad game? is it a "so bad it's good" game? who the hell knows anymore.
info_outlinegreetings and apologies for the time between episodes! the music industry (among with many other creative industries) facing a severe downturn because of the recent pandemic and the general deluge of traumatic news has made me reflect more on smaller, more understated artistic triumphs as an antidote.
so this episode i escape the present by talking about some timeless music from the recent past: the unassuming yet grandiose singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia, and particularly her (in my opinion) best albums The Blackened Air and Run To Ruin.
things discussed in the podcast:
Chris Dahlen's Pitchfork review of The Blackened Air: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5713-the-blackened-air/ and Run To Ruin: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5712-run-to-ruin/
John Peel archive video on Nina Nastasia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWNjoa4nLYo
Electrical Audio "Crap/Not Crap" thread on Nina Nastasia: https://www.electricalaudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=663
Nina Nastasia's music on the dreaded Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1llUGXhBESnmaCxpBV4zwe
recent track featuring Nina Nastasia: https://danielknox.bandcamp.com/track/the-poisoner-feat-nina-nastasia
Phosphorescent "Been So Long" cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZrcNZBKnic
music included in this episode:
"Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn and John (2006)
by Nina Nastasia:
"Oblivion" and "Roadkill" from Dogs (2000)
"This Is What It Is", "Rosemary", and "Been So Long" from The Blackened Air (2002)
"Superstar", "We Never Talked", "I Say That I Will Go", "You Her and Me", and "On Teasing" from Run To Ruin (2003)
"Our Day Trip" from On Leaving (2006)
"Outlaster" from Outlaster (2010)
title music as always is "Museum of Agony" from the PS2 game Stretch Panic by Norio Hanzawa