Progressive breaks, electro vibes, great flow, head nodding steadily.
Framewerk – Lotus Land
Martin Stürtzer – Protostar
First off, this is a great ambient record. This has been my go-to focus music for the past week the mindset it creates for me is just awesome.
On the other hand, one feeling I can’t shake off is how much of a generated music this could potentially be. I really don’t know anything about Stürtzer, his past work, and process, I just feel like music like this could exactly be the type that can be generated by AI today. I feel bad to think this, it feels like such an asshole thought to have, but this is just what the ambient genre is plagued with today. And if I look at an artist’s discography and I see several records published yearly that kind of confirms the idea; either that this is generated music or music that’s produced on a conveyor belt.
And after having these ideas at the back of my mind I’m going back to listening to the record and think: I still like it, I find it pleasant to listen to, it helps me focus and work and create stuff. So what does that mean? What if this is generated music really? Am I happy with generated music? No, I shouldn’t be. I want to value a true artist’s human output and genuine creativity. But still… What if this just works? Ahh, I don’t know. I hate the AI generated problems of our lives when it comes to art.
Lone – Always Inside Your Head
Ambient breakbeat, chill-out, ethereal drum and bass, wondering jungle.
Terminal Serious – Tear You Away
Post-rock goth vibes with that classic deep male voice. My only complaint is the drums, which falls in that uncanny valley of not being played live, but mimic that just too closely while not getting there. Something that sounds more like classic programmed drums would work better, or just playing the whole thing with a live band would as well, of course.
Warfare (2025)
I didn’t like to watch this, per se, but it was a visceral experience, I have to give it that. Also interesting how straightforward the message felt to me, and then it turned out that my wife and I understood it differently. Anyways, if it has to be A24 and a war theme, I’m team Civil War all the way.
Barbarian (2022)
After Weapons, this was a must-see, as soon as possible. And this was just OMG all over again. This is even weirder than Weapons: so strange, so much it’s own thing, hard to convey, but as someone who likes horror that’s more weird than gore or scary, I’m here for this. There’s a kinship with Heretic, but this is better.
Weapons (2025)
This was a fantastic movie. Such atmosphere, acting, characters, also music (there’s a track on the OST called The Flight—during the movie it was goosebumps, afterwards it’s a relive). And the biggest of all: such a balancing act of horror, thriller, and some weird dark comedy, that it could so easily fall apart—and it doesn’t. It’s a masterclass in directing. Also, the villain is just… chef’s kiss.
This made me instantly look up more about Zach Cregger and jump on to watch Barbarian literally the next day.
As for the cast, two notes. First, I haven’t really seen anything with Julia Garner, but I hope to see more, she has a captivating presence. Second, I have a newfound love for Benedict Wong: despite the shit that the 3 Body Problem was, his character and acting was easily the most interesting in that one, and he just kills it in this movie as well; I’m actively seeking out movies with him now. Okay, third, Amy Madigan’s Gladys is just pure genius, it’s a phenomenal character design, I was in awe.
Spawn (1997-1999)
So this is supposed to be the OG Spawn comic-to-screen adaptation, since it’s created by McFarlane himself. It’s unlike any animated series I’ve seen before. Not because it’s 18+ in every sense, other have done that; I’m not sure how much before, but surely since, especially lately with ones like Invincible, where gore is done for sport. But Spawn is unique as being the most direct adaptation of a comic book: visual style, characters, narrative, topics and themes that I just didn’t think would be adapted to screen.
That said, it’s also a weird thing to watch, because it’s so much a comic book that it practically didn’t work so much as a film. For example, when a scene is so abruptly resolved like going from one comic panel to another. In a comic book that’s what I expect, but on film there’s something missing.
Anyways, as a Spawn fan, this was a must-see for me, and an important miss to make up for. But I won’t be coming back to it for a rewatch—I rather reread the comic books.
28 Years Later (2025)
I was so confused first. I expected a typical Hollywood zombie movie and this was, well, I’m not sure what this was. Zombie arthouse cinema? It’s a weird one. I needed some time to settle and process it, but after a week I still went back thinking about it and it grew and matured as a memory. Now I think it’s a unique zombie film, and it’s a lot better that it’s that than a run-of-the-mill popcorn flick.
That chanting of the poem while the old war scenes are playing—it still just pops into my mind every now and then, months after watching it.
Top of 2024
This one got left behind. I compiled the lists at the beginning of 2025, but never ended up posting it, so here it goes. Like always, not everything was released in 2024 (or most were not, rather); this is a list of things that I consumed and liked most during the year.
My top albums in 2024
My top genres in 2024
My top music event in 2024
My top movies in 2024
My top series in 2024
My top video game in 2024
