mord’a’stigmata

Nine Circles ov…Mistakes Made on End of Year Lists

Chris2 Comments

Sometimes you make a snap judgement on an album. Sometimes in the heat of the moment with the hype and the accolades you convince yourself this or that record IS deserving of a place on the list. Sometimes that record takes the place of a record you find yourself listening to constantly years later.

It happens. Even when your annual end of year list(s) top out at close to 50 records after all the hemming and hawing is over with. And so for this edition of Nine Circles ov… in preparation of the 2020 end-of-year ranking I look back at my past lists and find nine albums that, frankly, I made a mistake on.
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Best of 2019: Corey’s List

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Best of 2019

As I sit here writing out this 2019 list quite literally on New Year’s Eve (I swear I’m later and later with this post every year), I look back a bit and realize that 2019 was pretty much insane. Sure, we’re burning the Earth alive and democracy here is pretty much dead, but from a narrower lens, there were some positives. From a selfish standpoint, 2019 kicked ass. We should all look at the world with a greater perspective, and share in the trials and tribulations the world is going through and aspire for better… for everyone. But within all that, for the sake of sanity, it’s also healthy to look back on personal achievements and moments with some pride. And that’s where I’m at right now. Continue reading →

Best of 2017: Chris’s List

Chris6 Comments

9C 2017 EOY Header Image

And here we are.  A few more pages of the book before it closes.

Two thousand and seventeen years after we decided to start again at zero it feels like a reset is needed more than ever.  And this doesn’t even take into consideration the collective chaos and suppurating hate that seemingly fills the space between the molecules in our media, our politics, and our increasingly hostile behavior toward each other.  That poison surrounds but has yet to work its way into my bloodstream.  It’s a selfish ask, entirely due to my own weaknesses, insecurities and inability to take the steps needed to be just a little better each day: as a husband, a father, a writer, a musician, but most of all as a human being.  It’s been a challenging year, and I have a long road ahead if I want to keep on having challenging years, let alone any years.

More than ever it was music that kept my head above water, allowed a glimmer of land to guide me ashore.   Continue reading →