I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: TV ON THE RADIO-Nine Types of Light (2011).

I loved most of TV on the Radio’s releases.  On this one they scaled back some of their sound and they really highlight their assets, namely the vocals of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone.  This album feels like something of a continuation of the style from Dear Science.

Indeed, some of the songs are downright simple. “Second Song” is completely straightforward; I really enjoy the falsetto vocals on it.  “Keep Your Heart” is so straightforward it has almost no music in the verses.  It’s very much back to basics. “Killer Crane” is also very simple, with a gorgeous melody.

But don’t count uberdude Dave Sitek out of the game, he throws in some very interesting sounds and textures on a number of tracks.  “No Future Shock”  introduces all kinds of wonderful sounds and repeated lyrics which work as a mantra.  One of my favorite songs is the weird and wonderful “New Cannonball Blues” great synth sounds, cool harmonies  (that falsetto is on fire here!) and a nice staccato chorus.  “Repetition” has some cool repetitions (it’s in the title after all) that really becomes a mantra, with some great musical accompaniment.  And the drums sound amazing.  And “Caffeinated Consciousness” has some more cool sounds: orchestral hits and the like followed by a very mellow bridge.

And then there’s “Will Do” a perfect blend of the two styles–rich melodies, cool effects and great vocals (which is why it was the single).

The simple songs are a good introduction to the kind of stuff TV on the Radio is capable of, but it’s clear they have a love for the unexpected and that’s why I enjoy them so much.

[READ: February 5, 2012] Tales from Outer Suburbia

Shaun Tan is an Australian author/artist who drew the amazing wordless The Arrival (it is stunning!).

This book is a collection of fifteen (very) short stories that come chock full of drawings.  Some drawings add to the story, some drawings tell the story and some drawings tell a kind of parallel story.  As with The Arrival, his artwork is weird and wonderful.

The library filed this book under YA Graphic Novels.  I’m not sure it’s either of those (The Arrival was filed under kids picture books).  While there are pictures, it is certainly not a conventional graphic novel.  And while the themes and idea aren’t risqué or anything, I feel like the ideas are more adult than teen oriented.  Of course, having said that, most of the protagonists are young, so maybe teens do enjoy stories about existential confusion!

“The Water Buffalo” opens the book with a very short story about, yes, a water buffalo.  And it really encapsulates the kind of thing that Tan excels at.  The opening sentence: “When I was a kid, there was a big water buffalo living in the vacant lot at the end of our street, the one with the grass no one ever mowed.”  The buffalo doesn’t talk but he does give cryptic advice.

“Eric” is a longer story about a foreign visitor (who is merely inches tall and has a head like a leaf).  His arrival and departure are a surprise, but he leaves a lasting impression (and gifts).  Quietly wonderful.

“Broken Toys” takes the conceit of a crotchety old lady keeping your toys and ups the danger.  It also takes the conceit of her being angry because she is lonely and introduces a very surprising element.

“Distant Rain” is told entirely as a graphic story and is about all of the lost poetry that people write and discard.  It is really beautiful.

“Undertow” takes some wonderfully surreal elements–a dugong landing on someone’s front yard and the towns ease at dealing with it–and superimposes it on a story of a very unhappy family.  The two stories don’t seem to relate, but they fit together very nicely.

“Grandpa’s Story” is the longest of the bunch but that’s because there are several pages of just pictures in the middle of the story.  It is the weird story of how their grandparents met and the trials they went through on their wedding day (like being chased by angry televisions).  It seems like the grandfather is trying to tell the kids a moral lesson, but what that might be is never clear.  Great pictures though.

“No Other Country” is a story about seeing unexpected beauty in what’s around you.  Although it is literally about a magical room inside a family’s house.  The “punchline” (which isn’t a jokey punchline or anything) is really wonderful.  Again, amazing pictures.  This is one of my favorites here.

“Stick Figures” is another story about people not belonging.  In this case, actual stick figures (made of sticks) who live in town.

“The Nameless Holiday.”  I admit I didn’t get this one, although it had a cool magical element.

“The Amnesia Machine” is notable because it is written as if it is part of a newspaper.  It’s very short, but don’t skip the other newspaper story excerpts, they really flesh out the story.

“Alert but not Armed” is a wonderful story about how every family gets their own ICBM.  And what they ultimately do with these huge pieces of metal that are taking up so much of their yards.  It’s a hopeful tale and one that is absolutely good for children and adults.

“Wake” is a sad story, one of the few that are genuinely sad and not just thoughtful.  The drawing is weird and very cool.

“Make Your Own Pet” is fully graphic as well and it is quite amusing.  And brings a whole new level to “recycling.”

“Our Expedition” was my favorite story in the book.  It concerns two brothers who fight about a map in their father’s car.  The last map in the book is Map 268 and there is no indication that it should be continued on another map (as most street guides will say).  They get into a verbal sparring match about what they will find at the end of the Map 268.  Which leads to a bet.  Ultimately they go searching for the answer.  It’s a wonderful story with a wonderful result.

“Night of the Turtle Rescue” was, like the first story, very brief and was surreal and yet somehow grounded.  It’s fun to be in Tan’s imagination once in a while.

The inside back cover has a wonderfully designed Thanks Page and the inspiring note that the project as been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council its arts funding and advisory body.  Canada also has lots of arts funded by the government and I think it’s awesome.  I feel like the US either doesn’t fund enough or doesn’t fund enough good art.  Shame on us.

But definitely check out this book, it is beautiful and wonderfully off.