Total Mood Killer

by Merritt K., Niina Pollari

Total Mood Killer pairs the newest work by Niina Pollari (Dead Horse) with merritt k's (Videogames For Humans) poetry debut to vivid, visceral effect. In this collection, two unique and distinct voices converge in their shared faith in black humor and a relentless, intelligent deconstruction of our modern condition.

Genres: Poetry

74 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2017

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the Golden Age of two poets putting their poems into one book like a dripping PB&J sandwich that someone snuck salt and pepper into.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t tell if I actually liked this more than other poetry I’ve read or if I just I understood it better? Should I feel bad that I only “get” poetry if it’s about shitty NYC apts and fanfiction and the cartoon fox version of Robin Hood? Idk, but many parts of this hit home. I especially liked the merritt k half, and I def want to read more by her.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lil collection of poems fed me. Loneliness & queerness & nostalgia.

[Lei]

Favorite poems:
- “What I Meant When I Handed You the Key”
- “Ordinal”
- “Reddit”

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Structured like a good album. Side A collects merritt k's short hit singles, by turns witty and yearning, always deeply empathic. Side A is Niina Pollari's equally relatable and resonant modern epic "Golden Age." Between them they capture so much of what it feels like to live in this strange current moment and place, North America at the start of the 21st century and the collapse of everything: hyperconnected and lonely, relatively wealthy and precarious, full of self-knowledge but lost.

[Jacob Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book, but it makes you feel bad. Curious.

[evil dean venture · Rating 3 out of 5]

merritt: 4/5. there's some 2017 groaners for sure but "sorry i dont mean to reinforce heteronormativity. but its the weekend" is a scorcher. "she says there's no genders but one of us still has to be the man one"...she was in that mode. i think my plebian preference for prose would like to see merritt take this voice and give it more structure, but like she got me. i laughed. maybe not a strong 4/5 cause i dont remember much else outside of the punchlines but it severely exceeded my expectations

niina: 2.5/5. i like open mike eagle's version better. i like the way he says "watch twin peaks on ur mobile phone" and rhymes it with "Toblerone". or when he brings up lord fountlroy. the threading of like gentrification guilt and the line where shes like "i wrote this on the toilet and finished it in the kitchen, is this apolitical. im not asking"...those are good tho

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

suppose they could place your body
in a massive vice
and crush down your grace
jones shoulders into something narrow and correct

would you still feel after all that
like you were carrying everything

[Emma Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part was a little disjointed and hard to follow, but I really enjoyed the second section. It flowed better and was an interesting juxtaposition of the dream and reality of the so called “golden age” we’re in.