This is an incredible quote from Christian Nyby in response to the constant questions about whether The Thing from Another World was actually directed by Howard Hawks.

Starting the night with Patrick Tam’s My Heart is that Eternal Rose.

Watching The Hunt for Red October for the first time in honor of Sam Neill’s passing.

NTM #165-#168. Texture-focused genre-agnostic vocal album from Irish electronic vet. Adventurous pysch duo with chamber pop/prog/post-punk elements from Wire/Electrelane members. Electroclash reggaeton hedonism from Argentina. Circuital, multi-layered whirligigs from avant-guitar legend.

NTM #161-#164. Phoenix rapper's rough flow cuts through airy instrumentals. Soft-spoken LA singer over boldly expressive, minimalist production. Expertly curated all-women ambient comp. Dynamite, thrillingly varied electronic album from Montreal duo spanning dub techno, house, garage, shoegaze.

I really like this passage from Walter Kerr’s essay, The Keaton Quiet, about Buster Keaton as a being of stasis in a world of motion. The nickname of “the hole in the doughnut” is so perfect.

NTM #157-#160. Laptop drone from Berlin-Nairobi sound artist. Eclectic, shapeshifting electronic music from Portland duo that circles back to soothing ethos. NY producer's first LP is pitch-black dub techno with fragments of dubstep/garage. Comp of cutting-edge gqom, amapiano, 3-step from SA.

NTM #153-#156. Achingly gorgeous sketches from avant-garde guitarist lifer and Guatemalan cellist. Interlocking yet abstract chamber-folk in 3rd LP from Austin artist. Desolate, modular synth epics from enigmatic UK artist. One of contemporary country's finest songwriters reflects on the industry.

NTM #149 - #152. Dry, illuminating interpretation of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes. Post-Music misstep doubles down on processed guitar/autotune and self-effacing lyrics about fame. The Pharrell Madonna album, way less fun than that sounds. Full bandwagon pandering, but not unlistenable.

NTM #145-#148. 5th LP from UK space rock fixture, listenable whether inspired by Longfellow or vampiric swords. Popular and radical album from Argentine nuevo tango bandoneón master. Chic 00s electronica melding tango and downbeat/trip-hop elements. Traditional (and sublime) set from Gospel legend.

1991 was a great year for movies.

Not sure that I’m in the mood for a three hour movie right now, but going to try Maurice Pialat’s Van Gogh biopic.

Watching an unseen Buster Keaton classic, Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Celebrating bleak week tonight with a first watch of Gus Van Sant’s Last Days.

NTM #141-#144. Feted producer's latest is restless collagist love letter to Nigeria. French duo make crackling, percussive Occitan folk. Intricate jazz fusion/yacht rock from Happy End guitarist. Diffuse prog pop/folk/rock from acclaimed collab between Polish poet and expanded band.

I wonder what William H. Macy is up to in 2026. Can Soderbergh or the Coens or someone else help him?

Multitudes, etc. Magellan's great.

I am still regularly updating my letterboxd list of notable 2026 releases available on streaming releases. Here are some recent additions. letterboxd.com/msnydel/list...

NTM #137-#140. Throat-shredding electric blues set with big hooks and even bigger brass stabs. Shallow but essential scene overview, Mars/Defunkt only new listens. Playful and fiery but rarely alienating breakthrough bop set, Roach steals the show. Two-hander with Hall, less euphoric but confident.

NTM #133-#136. French dance punk unit venture further into digital slipstream. Montreal dj thrives in trip-hop/trance song mode. Japanese noise-rock vets remain as twitchy and unpredictable as ever. Perfect song cycle from Queen of Soul - equal parts brill building and force of nature presence.

NTM #129-#132. Mediterranean kosmische from Spanish quartet. Coruscating art-rock from London with vocals evoking Smith/Siouxsie/Bush. NIN collab pinpoints danceability of career through immediate EDM hooks. 90s oddballs meld alt-metal low-end/grunge effects-crunch for MTV 2 favorite status.

I hardly ever do these, but it’s been a pretty good week for movies.

Going through more beloved 2020s movie blindspots.

NTM #125-#128. Detroit soul/funk from powerhouse trio and House titans. Paraná mc skips across BR genres; exciting to hear artists like d.silvestre shaped into right-of-dial global pop. 3rd LP from buzzy songwriter is cutting, articulately colorful pop. Avant-cellist crafts expressive soundscapes.

I have a bad habit of making wildly unrealistic plans of movie watching for the month. Here’s a slightly more reasonable attempt for May. boxd.it/UeGbS

NTM #121-#124. Austin group add more industrial textures to their distinctively grody sound of blackened screamo. Seasoned rocker sounds at ease; excels when riffs pretzel. Spectacularly produced jazz-fusion from Brazilian session vet. Effervescent, well-read indie-pop is spread a bit thin by end.

NTM #117-#120. Hyperpop darling bridges Imogen Heap, brostep, and bedroom pop longing. Virtuoso percussionist collab with itchy IDM for organic/programmatic blend. Under-curated/overlong but mostly delightful return from New Orleans legend. Grandiose, dense acoustic chamber pop from ex-Black Midi.

Here’s a screencap of all of them.

I was really hoping to see this for the first time in a theater, but I’ve missed it the last two times it was playing. Checking off one of my biggest blindspots of the 2020s.

NTM #113-#116. Skunked-out plugg miniatures with dose of Miami bass from Florida phenom. Blocky drum machine boom-bap from 80s NY rap pioneer. Skittering techno and sleek electro collab highlight from early '20s. Infectious NY posse flexes/pillow talk over sexy drill and jersey club backdrops.