Podcast Review: Bubble

There’s a new podcast on the block called Bubble, put out by Maximum Fun and it has been an immensely enjoyable ride so far. Bubble is set inside the city of Fairhaven, in the not-so-distant future (or alternative present), where a giant bubble protects the town from the “brush” outside. The brush is a wild landscape with exotic plants, psychedelic herbs, and deadly prehistoric monsters — some of which manage to get inside Fairhaven from time to time. It is also filled with mysterious peoples who have shunned the cushy life inside the bubble and tend to fend for themselves; fierce, proud, and earthy. If you’re inside the bubble, however, you’ll find yourself in a millennial utopia(/dystopia) replete with the uber-ification of pretty much everything, including monster hunters with IG profiles for when the terrors of the Brush decide to show up in your house; but make sure you give them 5 stars only if you think their special powers are totes entertaining. The main plot revolves around Morgan, Mitch, Annie, and Van Joyce - late 20/30 somethings who are somewhat unwittingly pushed into the business of monster hunting. 

Where Bubble succeeds is its potent mixture of sci-fi landscapes and cyberpunk charm, bolstered by the depth of the characters and the quirks of the city. Ultimately, the podcast relies on a strong plotline with sharp, tongue-in-cheek, absurd, and deprecative humor dotted along the way, which fans of BoJack Horseman, Arrested Development, or 30 Rock will not find out of place. Bubble is the podcast version of Archer set inside a Transmetropolitan-lite world, seen through the eyes of Broad City's lead characters. Oh and also, Bubble has a star-studded cast with many guest appearances. The arc is set to last for a total of eight episodes, and Episode 6 came out this week — so its relatively easy to catch up. 

Go check it out. 

Year-in-Review: 2017 Metal

Just a little late to the party, but the early part of 2018 has been a busy (and productive!) time for me. All the better, because now I know which albums stand the test of time and were not mere flashes in the pan. Overall, 2017 was an outstanding year for metal in my books - easily surpassing 2016 in terms of quality, and helping me weather last year as well as this year's early storm of bustling activity. The downside was that picking only a select few albums was difficult! Hence, as opposed to last year's 15, here is a list of my twenty top records from last year, ranked in order of enjoyment (from "most enjoyable" at 20 and "incredibly-super-duper enjoyable" at 1). As always, click on the album covers for links to songs:

Honorable Mentions:

• Blut Aus Nord - Deus Salutis Meæ: Another fine addition to Vindsval's impressive outpouring of ambient horror black metal.
• Squalus - The Great Fish: A progressive/sludge concept album about Jaws.
• Black Sites - In Monochrome: An impressive debut mixing Mastodon, Voivod, Pantera, and everything good about those bands.
• Mastodon - Emperor of Sand: Still not Crack the Skye; However, still catchy, still relevant, still groovy.
• Godflesh - Post-Self: Dirty, glitchy, and droning, a huge improvement from 2014's comeback album.
• Morbid Angel - Kingdoms Disdained: Talk about coming back to life...
• Iron Monkey - 9-13: Their first full-length in 19 years! As raw, crunchy, and punky as ever.
• Pain of Salvation - In the Passing Light of Day: A matured, travelled band returns to progressive metal - awesome stuff.
• The Great Old Ones - EOD: Lovecraftian atmospheric death metal has never been done this genuinely.
• John Frum - A Stirring in the Noos: Technical death metal with all its structure and fury made "light" with post-metal and jazz passages.
• Fleurety - The White Death: Dissonant, artsy, theatrical, nostalgic, quirky, and belligerent black metal.
• Hellripper - Conjuring Darkness: Infectious black/thrash that injects new fuel to the field with riffs that would make Aura Noir and Venom proud!
• Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrice Woven: The black metal soundtrack for Game of Thrones. Or it could be.
• Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper: One one-hour long song of intricate funeral doom; exhausting and expansive.

20. Chaos Moon - Eschaton Mémoire

Haunting, hellish, and chaotic, Eschaton Mémoire is by far Chaos Moon's finest hour. The album veers between frenetic, technical tremolo-picked riffs and incredibly lush, rich passages structured around evocative melodies and gut-wrenching howls. Although there are several clones, there aren't many bands that are genuinely advancing the Xasthur/Leviathan/Krohm model of depressive American black metal like Chaos Moon.

19. Usnea - Portals into Futility

Dirge-like funeral doom is hard to do without putting the listener to sleep but Usnea excel at this art form. They manage to conjure up an utterly bleak landscape and hold the listener's interest by building on sorrowful melodies alongside slabs of thick sludgy riffs.

18. The Ominous Circle - Appalling Ascension

Hearkening back to the raw, buzzing guitars and bludgeoning wall-of-riffs reminiscent of early death metal classics such as Onward to Golgotha or Osculum Obscenum, The Ominous Circle create a 'blackened' atmosphere on Appalling Ascension with an aggressive and gritty edge.

17. Impure Wilhelmina - Radiation

Impure Wilhelmina's Radiation is exceptionally catchy, rocks out when it wants to, broods, purrs, and has multiple existential crises throughout its course. This album feels like the logical successor to Katatonia's Discouraged Ones with equal parts doom metal and equal parts The Cure, without losing the charm of either.

16. Dyscarnate - With all their Might

Although #16 on my list, With All Their Might wins the competition for Best Gym Music of 2017 as well as Best Music to Break Something and/or Everything. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of self-styled "modern death metal" but my word, there are some riffs here that would make the most kvlt of old school death metal fans nod their head in wishful appreciation.

15. Elder - Reflections of a Floating World

I thought this album would feature higher on my list, especially after my self-proclaimed adoration for 2015's Lore - but that seemed to be the problem, that there was nothing like Lore before it, but Reflections of a Floating World is very much like Lore. I am unfair of course because Elder has put out yet another incredible album that ebbs and flows with free-flowing psychedelic melodies and seamlessly marries desert rock and progressive metal.

14. Archspire - Relentless Mutation

Archspire tread that fine line of overt virtuosity and brutality that borders on the tongue-in-cheek and the finesse of writing a technical death metal song remotely memorable and groovy (like Martyr or Spawn of Possession) --- and they do so really well on Relentless Mutation! Those still disappointed that Necrophagist's fourth album never materialized ought to be satiated by this offering.

13. Unearthly Trance - Stalking the Ghost

Claustrophobic sludge/doom delivered the way only Unearthly Trance can, Stalking the Ghost is a crushing, heavy, and destructive piece of work. It is an intense and grimy listen with slab-after-slab of filthy riffs that carry forward the legacy of Morbid-Tales-era Celtic Frost into a dark, relentless, and unforgiving future.

12. Planning for Burial - Below the House

Below the House is tough to pin down. Jon Rosenthal over at Invisible Oranges writes "Depression and depersonalization have historically set the stage for Planning for Burial’s idiosyncratic fusion of metal, slowcore, shoegaze, post-rock, and drone." I am surprised by how warm and nostalgic this album sounds despite its hardcore-tinged sound and psychotic disposition. I equate this album to the deranged heavy music doppelgänger of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, recounting an altogether different perspective of suburban landscapes.

11. Dying Fetus - Wrong One to Fuck With

Nothing more to say about this than what the title says: do NOT mess with these battle-scarred veterans; they are at their peak performance. If you're a fan of anything even remotely close to death metal, there is no reason you will not enjoy this blisteringly fast, incredibly technical, and downright groovy album.

10. Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

These guys have come a long way since I saw them ~8 years ago at the old Emos in Austin, TX. Nightmare Logic is a catchy, catchy thrash metal album, plain and simple. Chunky guitars, neck-snapping riffs, in-your-face drumbeats, politically charged lyrics, and an "I don't care" attitude only found in pre-1995 albums make Nightmare Logic an absolute delight.

09. DVNE - Asheran

This album is an incredible journey, with a complex and elaborate approach to stoner metal songwriting. Although there are riffs aplenty for the seasoned headbanger, Dvne bring in an epic, vibrant, and theatrical atmosphere to the tried and tested formula. Although the comparisons to Elder are warranted, Asheran was a far more enjoyable (and heavier!) listen than Reflections of a Floating World.

08. Biblical - The City that Always Sleeps

This album caught me by surprise. Admittedly not (entirely) metal, The City that Always Sleeps is psychedelic rock that is progressive like a Pink Floyd album, memorable like a Blue Öyster Cult (or Ghost) album, jarring like a CAN album, and fluid like a toe album. It is immersive, relaxing, and highly intriguing.

07. A Pregnant Light - Devotion Unlaced

I simply do not know how Damian Master is as prolific and consistent (and peculier) as he is. Even though Devotion Unlaced is not a full-length, and is an EP, the material on it, like most of his other EPs is fantastic. A Pregnant Light makes music that brings together black metal, shoegaze, indie rock, and gothic rock, in a manner that's lush yet sparse, bleak yet hopeful, and gray yet vibrant. Devotion Unlaced is as good a place to start with A Pregnant Light's catalog as any of the other albums or EPs.

06. The Night Flight Orchestra - Amber Galactic

Night Flight Orchestra is pure, unadulterated fun. If you think that a group of Swedish melodic death metal musicians getting together to play late 70's/early 80's pop-rock would be a barrel of fun - you're absolutely right. And we're talking full. on. early 80s here - think Police/Toto/Supertramp/Billy Joel - yes, this is #6 on my 2017 "metal" album list. Go check it out!

05. Toke - (Orange)

(Orange) exemplifies the less is more formula: its an incredible thing listening to a band that doesn't stray far off from the major root of stoner/sludge/doom metal - Black Sabbath - and one that simultaneously manages to be unquestionably fresh in their approach. Toke unabashedly wear their influences on their sleeve and deliver catchy, Southern-rock-tinged sludge metal that you can't help but nod your head to and listen to them plod along. (Orange) is as if Iron Monkey released an album in 2017 - oh wait they did - this one is better!

04. Night Demon - Darkness Remains

This is sheer, good ol' classic heavy metal at its very best. Of course, you could write this off as Iron Maiden worship and enjoy it just as much, but you'd miss out on all the other NWOBHM tributes lurking throughout this riff-packed album including Diamond Head, Thin Lizzy, Jag Panzer, Angel Witch, Satan, and Dio. However, Darkness Remains is much, much more than a generic NWOBHM tribute and is an impressive album in its own right with a distinctive take on dueling guitars, galloping bass riffs, soaring choruses, and triplet drum fills.

03. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun

What an ambitious effort! Singer/songwriter experimental sludge doom - who knew that could be a thing done so well? Hiss Spun twists and writhes as Chelsea Wolfe's haunting voice and brooding lyrics crawl alongside the massive wall of sound created by Ben Chisholm's guitars, static noise, and industrial glitch.

02. Unsane - Sterilize

Unsane's latest addition to their unique noise-fueled approach to metal is best chronicled by vocalist Chris Spencer on the opening song of Sterilize (in his distinct, painful yows): "Welcome back to this world of confusion." Unsane are back and show no signs of slowing down since their debut ~26 years ago! This time though, their chaotic, manic, and aggressive breed of noise metal has a characteristic wistfulness and uneasy warmth about it. Rather than portraying a menacing mood throughout its course, Sterilize details the soundtrack of the moments of clarity oscillating between insomnia and insanity - a grand accomplishment!

01. Hell - Hell

Oh wow, this album came out of nowhere. Hell is the soundscape of the apocalypse rendered in sludge format. Hell consists of thick, viscous, brownish riffs repeatedly drilled into your cranium without any sign of subsidence, as the drums and bass summon up an ominous and ethereal background hellscape. The word demonic is freely used and abused in metal literature, but I cannot think of a more appropriate descriptor for the vocals on this record. Hell also shows signs of unexpected sophistication where the closing tracks utilize acoustic guitars and violins to color the hellscape with even more malevolence.

LaTex on iOS? Texpad is one way to go!

LaTeX

If you’re not familiar with LaTeX or haven’t used it yet: don’t panic; chances are, you might be more productive and efficient without it! According to empirical research by Knauf & Nejasmic in 2014, LaTeX users were especially susceptible to grammatical and orthographical errors. Although (importantly, I feel), the study also found that LaTeX users reported enjoying their respective software editors a lot more than their counterpart WYSIWYG (or What you see is what you get editors) users. 

Essentially, LaTeX is a plain text writing interface which formats a document you are preparing in as simple or as complex a structure as you’d want, using relatively simple syntax. It's easy to get started with LaTeX (this is a great resource) and there are plenty of editors available that can show you real-time previews of your document. Regardless of average productivity, there are some reasons why I prefer writing academic text in LaTeX and why it works for me:

• It provides a distraction-free environment for academic writing: when I open up my LaTeX editor, I know it’s go-time!

• The structure of formatting equations, symbols (such as δ¹⁸O for example), tables, and figures is intuitive and simple. This can be particularly boosted with the use of text expanding software (such as aText) or Apple Scripts.

• Academic journals usually share LaTeX templates formatted according to their specifications. This makes reformatting into another journal’s format a breeze.

• BibTeX makes the insertion of citations and formatting of references effortless. My article management system, Papers3, has an easy-to-use BibTeX record export for any papers I might need to cite for a particular manuscript or proposal.

• It’s free and open source!

Texpad

Although LaTeX itself is a free and open source software, there are several pay-to-use editors with varying degrees of utility depending on the purpose and user. I’ve tried out quite a few editors to varying degrees of (personal) success. Currently, the one that works best for me is Texpad. First off, Texpad is only compatible with Apple and is not particularly inexpensive: the Mac version is $25 and the iOS version is $15. This has proved worth it for me though, especially since I have configured the iOS version to sync via iCloud. This means I can simply sit on my couch with the iPad and continue writing a manuscript where I left off on the MacBook book in the office! With the advent of iOS 11, it has never been easier to move complex tasks usually suited for the laptop over to the iPad, and Texpad brings this same functionality to LaTeX. The nerd in me delights at the prospect of taking a piece of glass wherever I want and still type an academic manuscript.

Advantages of Texpad:

• The editor is light yet powerful.

• The editor is enabled with a spellchecker! 

• The editor can autocomplete citations and other commands.

• It “knows” your code with effective highlighting and parsing, as well as recognizing bookmarks and structures in your document.

• The design and UI is clean, minimal, highly customizable (themes and fonts!), and helps me focus.

• It is also compatible with Markdown.

• There is an iOS version with a local, offline typesetter that actually works!

Setting up Texpad on iOS with iCloud

Document Picker

Use the document picker to access your iCloud folders

iCloud Access

Make sure you have your LaTeX folder saved in an iCloud-synced folder on your MacBook to access it via the iOS Texpad app

File Access for Typesetting

For journals with their own templates, make sure you open all the files via the document picker to load them into the organizer on Texpad, making sure that the typesetting proceeds smoothly.

Bundle Manager

For the smoothest local typesetting operation: keep all your bundles and packages up-to-date and thorough. If something is missing, Texpad should prompt you for the correct download.

Typeset!

You are ready to hit go and preview a beautiful PDF of your manuscript.

Texpad on the iOS has a file browser that is compatible with the new Files app and also has access to Dropbox and WebDAV. Texpad has its own cloud platform called Connect for syncing projects, but I found this to be really buggy and incapable of handling journal-based projects (even the AGU template for example) on the iPad (lots of crashing and heartbreak!) Next, I tried the Dropbox sync (I am a Dropbox user) but even this proved to be somewhat buggy. Finally, I went back to the Files app and tried to sync my projects with iCloud: this was a resounding success, regardless of project size or complexity! Here’s how I set it up:

1. Download the Texpad iOS app.
2. On your MacBook, create an iCloud-synced folder entitled ‘Texpad’ (or some variant) and make sure you save your LaTeX project here on the Mac-version of Texpad, including the .bib, .sty, and .bst files for your journal formatted manuscript.
3. In the iOS app, under File Browser, click on Open From Document Picker under ‘Local’. (Note Open versus Import will depend on what type of versioning history you’d like to set for your project).
4. This will open the Files app, and once you navigate over to your iCloud Drive, you will see your saved projects under the Texpad folder you created.
5. Open the .tex file.
6. Before hitting ‘Typeset’ (I know it’s tempting!), go back to the File Browser, and open all the other files (BibTeX etc.) related to your project. This will ensure that these files are accessible for typesetting on your iOS device.
7. Last step before typesetting: make sure that you download all the bundles that your LaTeX typesetter needs including all those fancy fonts
8. Typeset and enjoy!