Paul’s Favorite Albums of 2024

Below you will find some of my favorite albums of 2024.

Many of them are hardcore and metal records.

What can I say? I’m a fan of heavy fucking guitar (HFG), and 2024 was a good year for HFG.

That, and maybe I was angry this year…lol.

So with that said, let’s dig into my favorite records of 2024, ranked in some type of “best of,” because who doesn’t love a hierarchy list?

#15) Public Acid – Deadly Struggle

This is crust punk at its finest.

Blackened vocals? Check.

D-beat drumming? Check.

Heavy guitars? Double check.

More of this, please.

#14) Poppy – Negatives Spaces

I love Poppy. While Negatives Spaces isn’t quite the masterpiece that I Disagree was (that album was a 10/10), I still can’t stop listening to her newest record.

Negatives Spaces is synth-pop meets metalcore, in all the right ways. Good stuff.

#13) 200 Stab Wounds – Manual Manic Procedures

This is the way death metal should sound: fast, precise, and brutal.

One critique of heavy music is it can start to sound repetitive after a while.

200 Stab Wounds is aware of this, and keeps this album short, at only nine songs. Smart choice.

#12) High Vis – Guided Tour

Fuck… “Mind’s a Lie” is a great song (embedded above) and that alone would make it deserving of this list.

But the rest of the album is post-punk goodness, combining hardcore and Britpop (like Oasis or Blur) in a way that seems new.

#11) Gouge Away – Deep Sage

Continuing our post-punk trend, we have Gouge Away. While High Vis is bright, Deep Sage is dark. But also infectious and groovy.

#10) Bad Nerves – Still Nervous

I’m a sucker for catchy, garage punk.

Well, leave it to England to produce one of the more exciting bands to play the genre in the 2020s.

Also, their debut album is pretty choice too.

#9) Mean Jeans – Blasted

This record speaks to me.

A pop-punk concept album, about the opportunity cost of being “punk.”

As someone who has asked the question, “What am I doing here?” as I’m surrounded by drunks while watching some “eh” punk band, I’ve thought about the dangers of attaching yourself to a youth subculture.

But Blasted is so good, that the next time Mean Jeans rolls through town, I’ll likely find myself at some dive bar surrounded by drunk punks. Funny, that.

#8) Candy – It’s Inside You

Candy is arguably the most innovative band in modern hardcore, and this album shows why.

They mix electronics and other weird beats in a creative way, while still being 100% aggressive. The result is what they call “Hypercore.”

It’s Inside You shows there’s still new ground to be covered in hardcore music.

#7) Drug Church – Prude

Drug Church answers the question “What if the Pixies were a hardcore band?”

The answer: it would be loud, catchy, and smart punk rock.

Drug Church keeps getting better with each record, and Prude shows the boys aren’t stopping yet.

Also, if you see them coming into town, see their show. They’re truly an incredible act to see live.

#6) Dummy – Free Energy

I don’t even know what to call this album.

Shoegaze? Electronic? Jazz?

Fuck if I know. But let’s just call it “awesome” and move on.

#5) Denzel Curry – King of the Mischievous South

Honestly, I think everything Curry has put out has been great.

Ta13oo and Melt My Eyez See Your Future are some of the best hip-hop albums to come out in the last ten years, and Curry adds to his outstanding discography with this year’s release.

Also, this Tiny Desk Concert he did a few years ago is amazing.

#4) Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven

Mannequin Pussy is another act that keeps getting better with every album.

2019’s Patience was always going to be a hard record to top. Yet here we are.

I Got Heaven flips between indie rock, pop, and hardcore like it’s nothing. Yet it doesn’t sound schizophrenic. It sounds fluid.

Not an easy thing to pull off, but Mannequin Pussy does it with such power and emotion, they prove that punk still has new territories to explore.

#3) The Calamatix – The Calamatix

There was a time in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, when Hellcat Records was releasing some of the best ska, rocksteady, and reggae records.

And here we are in 2024, and Hellcat Records has released one of the best ska, rocksteady, and reggae records.

I fucking love this debut album from The Calamatix. I can’t wait for them to tour.

#2) Nails – Every Bridge Burning

Did anyone release an angrier record than Nails this year?

Don’t bother checking, the answer is “no.”

Every Bridge Burning flips between death metal, hardcore, grindcore, and well, just about every “core” I can think of.

Plus, some of it is REALLY catchy, like “Give Me the Painkiller.”

One of the best hardcore/metal albums of 2024, no doubt.

#1) Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To

Knocked Loose has made a lot of folks’ “best of 2024” lists.

And for good reason.

You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To (YWGBYST) is heavy, but sounds beautiful. The production really is top-notch. And at only ten songs, the album is short, with every song earning its place.

I know Bryan Garris’s high high-pitched vocals aren’t for everyone. But they’re for me.

While a lot of metalcore can fall into the “tough guy” category of frontmen, Garris’s vocals don’t make him sound like an aggressor. They make him sound like a victim.

Almost like he is being tormented by the music.

When this album came out, I listened to it once daily for over a month. For that reason alone, it needs to be at the top of this year’s list.

That’s all folks!

Goodbye 2024. It’s been emotional.

Love,

Paul

March 11, 2021April 5, 2021

I Volunteered at a COVID Vaccination Site (and You Should Too)

Did you know that you can volunteer your time in exchange for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2?

Until a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t. It’s not widely publicized.

But these volunteer-in-exchange-for-a-vaccine locations do exist. When I found out about them, I took action.

You can and should too.

Here’s what you need to know.

An Important Note

First, I need to acknowledge that not every COVID-19 vaccination site will offer a shot in exchange for your help.

But many of them do.

The ones that don’t suck, so we’ll ignore them for the remainder of this article (get it together no-trade-vaccine sites).

I volunteered at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona, received a vaccine for my help, and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Now, let me paint the picture of the scene.

Life at the Cardinals Stadium Vaccination Site

Over 500 volunteers help distribute over 9,500 vaccines a day at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

The 24-hour operation is a sight to be seen.

An aerial shot of the State Farm Vaccination site.

The vaccination site feels like a combination of a:

Hospital
Military operation
Drive-thru lane

Recipients of the vaccine remain in their car. The whole process takes place in a parking lot.

If you’re getting the vaccine, you:

Drive up and give your appointment information.
Drive to a confirmation center.
Drive to vaccination tent.
Receive a shot while remaining in your vehicle.
Book a follow-up appointment (from your car).
Drive to a final nurse for check-out.

I used the word “drive” a lot here intentionally. One of the risks of being a volunteer at State Farm Stadium is being hit by a car.

I was one such volunteer. I did not get hit by a car.

I did get the Pfizer vaccine.

The Pros of Volunteering at a COVID-19 Vaccination Site

Let me list out a few pros for you here, in an effort to convince you to go volunteer.

#1) You’ll (Probably) Get a Vaccine.

While it may be selfish, this is the #1 reason I helped out in Glendale. I’m fucking sick of this pandemic and volunteering seemed like the most ethical way to jump the line for the vaccine. If you want to skip ahead (and still feel good about it), this is the way to go.

#2) You’re Creating the Solution.

Again, I’m fucking sick of this virus. So being part of the remedy felt good. America needs vaccines to stop the devastation of this novel coronavirus.

A gif of a vaccine destroying the coronavirus.

I’m glad I could help.

#3) You’ll be part of history.

When they write the history of 2020, COVID-19 will take front and center. When they write the history of 2021, the vaccine rollout will be a major factor. Our grandchildren will learn about the mass vaccination of the American public. Go be part of it.

Alright, that’s the good. But we need to talk about the bad now too, to prevent a lopsided article.

The Cons of Volunteering at a COVID Vaccination Site

Volunteering at a COVID vaccination site isn’t all smiles and rainbows. I need to chat about:

#1) Being Exposed to the Public.

I was around A LOT of people when I volunteered. For someone who’s been living like a hermit for the last year, it was jarring. For example, lots of fellow volunteers invaded my personal bubble while I worked. I had to lean into cars to hear people speak, so I invaded THEIR personal bubble.

What I’m trying to say is many personal bubbles were invaded.

While I wore a face shield (like a motherfucking doctor), I was still around a lot of people in the middle of a pandemic.

Someone coughing in Moe's bar from the Simpsons.

Gross.

#2) Working in a Parking Lot.

You know those people at In-N-Out Burger, who take orders while walking up and down the line? My job as a volunteer resembled that.

I was:

Confirming appointments via a drive-thru-like-lane.
In the sun.
Breathing car exhaust.

It’s not the best working conditions (did I mention dodging traffic?).

#3) It’s a Mild Shit Show. The vaccination site is largely volunteer-run. Most people just volunteer once to grab a vaccine. So it’s a lot of people’s first time on the job.

Oh, and the person training you? It’s their first time on the job too.

In other words: first-time volunteers train other first-time volunteers.

We experienced the Telephone Game as a result: people weren’t exactly sure how to do their job.

A gif of a Pokemon with the caption "I have no idea what I'm doing."

Sure, we knew enough to check-in cars and keep things moving. But since everyone learned the job from someone who just learned the job, mistakes and confusion resulted.

Despite the cons here, I think anyone who’s able should volunteer at a vaccination site. Just know what you’re getting into.

How to Volunteer for a COVID Vaccination Site

To find volunteer gigs, google “COVID vaccine volunteer [your state].”

Onboarding may take a week or two (some locations require background checks), but even if you don’t have medical training, most sites have volunteer opportunities.

But they go quick. I had to refresh the sign-up page for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona dozens of times before I got a spot.

Hang in there.

Oh, and if anyone tells you that volunteering just to get a vaccine is unethical, please encourage them to fuck off. Vaccination sites need your help. You need a vaccine.

It’s a win-win.

Love,

Paul

November 3, 2020

Reviewing ‘Totally Under Control’

This photo shows the poster for Totally Under Control

If you feel like screaming at your TV for two hours, go watch Totally Under Control.

The documentary follows the Trump Administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and offers a “report card” of sorts on their handling of the disease.¹

How does Trump do, according to Totally Under Control’s filmmaker, Alex Gibney?

While Gibney refrains from giving a specific grade, the documentary clearly suggests the Trump Administration earns an “F” for their response to the virus. By interviewing many who warned of the pandemic as far back as 2019, Gibney shows how these experts were completely ignored by Trump, with the catastrophic consequences we all know.

That’s why this film is so frustrating: Totally Under Control acts as an examination of how and why America continues to flounder during the coronavirus crisis.

So, ah, actually, even if you don’t want to scream at your TV for 120 mins, you should still see Totally Under Control.

Who is Alex Gibney?

Alex Gibney is a badass documentary filmmaker.

Perhaps you’ve seen a few of his films:

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. This film dissects the 2001 collapse of Enron and the fraud and corruption that lead to it. It won numerous awards for “best documentary” and was actually required viewing for my degree from Arizona State University. The W.P. Carey School of Business wanted to ensure that all its students understood the dangers of unethical leaders, since so many Enron employees lost their pensions and life savings after the company disintegrated. Although to be honest, I could write a whole article on how Enron ripped off society at large.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Thompson was a bad motherfucker and he changed the world of journalism forever. Gibney’s film on Thompson is a must-see for anyone interested in Thompson, as a better biological documentary has never been done. Also, it’s narrated by Johnny Depp, so that’s fun.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. Scientology is a powerful institution. Gibney analyses the religion and some of the dubious actions it takes to silence its critics. This film really makes you question the line between a religion and a cult. Although I might be seeking the wraith of Scientology by writing this…
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. This documentary follows Elizabeth Holmes and her former company Theranos. Much like Gibney’s work on Enron, this film analyzes the fraud and corruption that lead to the collapse of a major up and coming company. The Inventor also offers a cautionary tale of the hubris of Silicon Valley, as Holmes’s characteristics can be seen in other leaders around San Francisco’s tech community.

As you can see, I respect Alex Gibney’s large body of work. Gibney puts a lot of careful thought into his films.

For his latest documentary, Totally Under Control, Gibney sought out key individuals from the early days of the coronavirus to appear on camera. Knowing what we know now, their warnings seem very prophetic.

**Why Should I watch Totally Under Control?**

Totally Under Control takes us chronologically through the coronavirus pandemic with interviews from those who were there.

The film starts by comparing two countries who reported their first COVID-19 case on the same day: South Korea and the U.S.A.

The differences in managing the virus are painfully clear:

South Korea was honest with its population and took proactive measures to find and limit the reach of the coronavirus.
The U.S. did not.

The result?

South Korea has been able to avoid economic shutdowns while managing the spread of COVID. The United States… not so much.

Kim Jin Yong, a South Korean doctor, gives an interview in the film that provides some context for the comparison.

Dr. Yong recounts how he admired America and the CDC.

He highlights that 90 percent of the medical textbooks in South Korea are American. Plus, America paved the way for many medical advances, including inventing the N95 face mask.

That’s why Yong admits it’s “so sad” to watch America’s incompetent response to COVID.

While Yong’s interviews is great, there are actually a lot of doctors who provide heartbreaking testimonials in Totally Under Control.

The director of the Intensive Care Unit at the University of Virginia Medical Center center, Taison Bell, gives one such interview where he describes feeling helpless against COVID-19.

Bell looks beaten down when discussing how frontline workers were unprepared for the onslaught of coronavirus patients they received.

To make this scene even more powerful: right before Bell’s gutwrenching confession, Gibney shows a clip from Trump stating that America “wasn’t built to be shut down.”

That’s the thing Totally Under Control captures well: the Trump Administration really doesn’t give a fuck that there are 1,000 new cases of coronavirus a day.

But whether you care about it or not, the coronavirus has changed all of our lives in 2020.

Take how they had to film Totally Under Control: to capture many of the interviews for his documentary, Alex Gibney wrapped his camera and crew in a shield of plastic, protecting the interviewer from the interviewee.

The odd setup of camera equipment suggests the filmmakers takes the COVID-19 pandemic more seriously than the current U.S. President.

Now what?

Unlike Alex Gibney’s other films, Totally Under Control doesn’t have a neat end.

It basically just cuts to a screen that says “OMFG, right after we stopped filming, Trump caught COVID. Wut.”²

That’s what happens when you’re making a documentary about events that are currently unfolding: you really have no clue what will make the final edit.

Perhaps someday Gibney will make a sequel to Totally Under Control, to provide a summary and bookend to our 21st-century pandemic.

Until then, let us look towards the South Koreans and ask ourselves “could we have handled COVID-19 better?”

Judging from Totally Under Control, the answer would have to be “yes.”

Stay safe out there.

Love,

Paul Aguilar

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Photo source: Administering Flu Vaccine.

September 26, 2020October 1, 2020

Debunking COVID-19 Conspiracies (for Funsies)

I see a lot of silly things on Facebook:

Photos of people’s babies
Photos of people’s pets
Photos of people’s babies riding their pets

Why am I always the horse in these fucking games?

Animal abuse aside, this use of Facebook seems harmless, if not just frivolous.

However, it’s the conspiracy theories that draw my concern.

You’ll come across all sorts of ideas, like:

The Earth is flat.
Someone is dumping chemtrails on me.
The coronavirus is “like the flu” and the death tolls are rigged.

While I do like a good conspiracy (what the hell IS in Area-51?), occasionally I like to see how quickly I can dispel some of these…for funsies.

So let’s talk about the coronavirus being some flu that the “libtards” are amplifying.

The “COVID is like the flu” theory goes something like this:

Most people who die of COVID-19 had some type of pre-existing condition.
Hospitals are incentivized to claim any death a “COVID-19” mortality, because of money. So even if someone dies from a shark attack, if they had the coronavirus at the time, it was a COVID-19 death. Shark or no shark.
COVID-19 is no worse than the flu and we should all go on with our lives. Come here, Grandma!

That’s more or less the gist.

First things first.

Anecdotally, there very well may be loads of people who are incorrectly labeled for their cause of death.

I can see that.

Some people also go into a hospital and get the wrong leg amputated.

Now that we’ve practiced on your left leg, let’s take care of that ulcer on the right.

Mistakes happen, and when money is involved, I’m sure it only exasperates the problem.

(Part of the CARES act funneled money to hospitals for COVID-19 related deaths.)¹

However, anecdotal evidence shouldn’t be completely trusted. That’s why I’m skeptical of anywho who says aliens abducted them so they could examine their rectum.

I want to believe.

So let’s look at some math and data, because math and data rule.

Of the people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States of America, about 3% of them die from it.²

What is it throughout the world?

While it’s a little all over the place depending on the country, it averages out to be about 2.94%. Just what you would expect if this virus on average killed about 3 out of 100 who test positive for the disease.

Note: the variation in death rates makes sense. Hospitals aren’t exactly top-notch in modern-day Syria.

Life expectancy in Myanmar is about 56 years old. Yikes.

Okay, back to slightly less depressing topics…

My conclusion: the death rate in the U.S. is more or less what you’d expect, given the impact of the disease throughout the world.

Now, the counterargument here is medical reporting in the entire world is off, John Hopkins can’t be trusted, blah blah blah…

To me, that’s some “lizard people control the world” type level of conspiracy, which would require some substantial evidence to support.

Like an actual lizard person that I could talk to:

I…want to believe?

But okay, I’ll bite.

If you’re not convinced by data from around the world, we can look at how mortality rates themselves have changed in America in 2020:

A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found there to be 122,300 more deaths in the U.S. than expected between March and May of 2020.

Meaning 120k more people died in the spring of 2020 than in the spring of 2019, 2018, etc.

The COVID-19 death tally from this period is 95 ,235, so this number is actually 28% percent higher than expected.³

The authors of that study attributed it to the “likely undercount deaths due to the virus.”

For reference, about 12-61K die from the flu per year, and COVID-19 doubled that high tally IN THREE MONTHS.⁴

So when John Hopkins says this novel coronavirus is “possibly 10 times or more” deadly than the traditional flu, the data matches this expectation.⁵

At this point, I need to get on my soapbox and remind you to:

Wash your hands.
Wear a mask.
Stay six feet away from others.

Good luck everyone! Judging from my feed on Facebook, we’re gonna need it.

Love,

Paul Aguilar

PS: They probably just test weird aircraft at Area 51, but that’s for another day.

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Featured Image is taken from here.