SOUNDTRACK: LUCY DACUS-“In the Air Tonight” (2019).
For 2019, Lucy Dacus has been releasing songs that correspond with the holidays (to be pt out on an EP soon). For Halloween she decided to cover Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” I have heard the original song a million times. I loved it, then I got sick of it and then started to really hate Phil Collins and really never wanted to hear it again.
So it’s fun that Lucy has dug it from its grave to release for Halloween.
In a n interview she was asked why on earth it was this song. She said that she knew this song from her childhood–it was one of the first songs she remembers hearing with her mom (who used to sing along with the radio in the car all the time).
Lucy–like everyone–could never hold back on air drumming to the big drum part in the middle. Her band was listening to it one day when everyone air drummed along and they knew then they had to record it.
She also said you never realize quite how dark the song is until you really listen to the words.
Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand
I’ve seen your face before my friend, but I don’t know if you know who I am
Well I was there and I saw what you did, I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you’ve been
It’s all been a pack of lies
Lucy’s version is pretty great–understated and whsipery.
It starts with the drum machine and some distant keys. Lucy’s voice is quiet with a soft echo–possibly with a different take in each ear?
The synths stay quiet and subtle throughout the verses.
By the midpoint the music grows louder–to good effect–and there’s some creepy echoing on her voice. Her delivery lets me understand lyrics that I never knew before (and her vocal processing is much more subtle too).
The big drum part is pretty great and the live drums continue throughout to the end. I don’t honestly recall what the music of the original end part sounds like (apart from that prominent bass) but Lucy throws in some cool distorted guitar noises throughout to add just some more chaos to the proceedings.
And then the chilling matter of fact ending.
[READ: October 20, 2019] Fake Blood
Lots of times I don’t know what graphic novels are about before I read them. Usually if someone in my family likes it, I’ll check it out.
I didn’t really even give much thought to the title (and cover) of this book before reading it. I just read it because my daughter liked it. So I didn’t really think to much about how vampires would appear in this book until people started talking about them.
AJ is entering sixth grade and he believes things are going to be different. But things aren’t. As he heads toward the bus his friends Hunter and Ivy race past him–seeing who can be first–because everything is a competition with them. Like always. When they reach the bus stop, Hunter is thrilled to be first but AJ is upset because they actually missed the bus…again.
As they walk to school, Hunter tells his story about his wild summer bungee jumping. Ivy talks about hiking to the top of Mt. St. Helen’s. And AJ… read like ten books.
The competitions between Hunter and Ivy continue throughout the book. Hunter grew a bunch over the summer and when Ivy says she is on track to be five foot ten some day Hunter bets her that he will grow six inches this year. Later this competing gets them in trouble and threatens their friendship with AJ who was in the crossfire of the trouble.
Things in school are a little different, though. They have a new teacher, a British gentleman named Mr. Niles (nice Buffy the Vampire Slayer nod there). After going through some amusingly dumb questions about Britain, Hunter asks Mr. Niles to say Tinfoil. Mr Niles does. But it sounds the same. Then AJ says, you mean aluminum. But the teacher just wants o move along, shall we.
While AJ is absorbed in reading Mary Potter: Don’t Mess with Witches, in bursts Nia Winters. She is reading The Vampire: A Casebook which the teacher says is an interesting choice.
AJ knows three things about Nia Winters: she’s the smartest girl at Spoons Middle School; she’s absolutely crazy about vampires; she has no idea AJ exists. BecauseNia is so into vampires AJ never misses an episode of Fang Squad.
There’s a lot of funny stuff in this book like that. Also funny: Hunter’s mom had them go off of sugar all summer. “Do you know how many things have sugar in them? “Literally everything. No joke.” And that’s why Hunter is eating every sweet thing he can.
I really enjoyed the relationship AJ has with his sister. She is older than he is (she’s 15) but she tries to commiserate with his problems. AJ has none of it though because “its different for girls. Girls are already mysterious and cool.” After he says that, she farts on him and says “How’s that for mysterious and cool?”
Nia and AJ are forced together because of a school project. They are to pick a geographical location and do a presentation about it. Of course they pick Transylvania.
To do research, AJ steals his sister’s copy of Moonlight by Bethany Fryer (ha). He is instantly bummed to find out they are not even in Transylvania and pledges not to finish the book.
In school, while studying about Transylvania, AJ jokes about bloodsuckers and Nia gets upset–she takes that stuff super serious, you know. The exciting news they discover though is that the real Dracula’s castle, called Bran Castle is for sale! Mr Niles comes over and says maybe its time to use books rather than the internet and he takes the laptop away.
They whisper about the castle and Nia admits that she is obsessed with vampires.
A light bulb (a dim light bulb) goes off in AJs head and he begins to try to look more like a vampire. He puts dark circles under his eyes and wears a hoodie. But Ivy says he needs to fix his belt and his hair and get real sunglasses (not the free ones he got from the library from the summer reading contest).
The last touch is plastic vampire teeth–but everyone convinces him that those are really dumb. So instead he goes for fake blood–which Hunter agrees looks pretty authentic.
AJ and Hunter head to the bathroom where Hunter says if you’re a vampire then Hunter should be that wolf guy (he’s got a lot of hair) and he howls. Mr Niles walks in asks what’s whats going on. But before they can say anything Mr Niles’ phone rings. The boys laugh at him: phones aren’t allowed in school, teach. He says he can never get it to vibrate instead of ringing.
The next morning AJ catches the bus and rides with Nia. They listen to an audio book together Natalie and the Ninja Star and it is a very sweet scene.
In class the next day, Mr Niles is very sleepy. He grabs his thermos and drinks from it, which seems to revive him. As AJ walks past, Mr Niles tips his cup up to him and says “cheers.” Its kinda weird. The next day he asks AJ if he can get the Hemo app to work on his phone. AJ really doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Later that day on the way home, Nia says she’s been noticing things about him.
She says she’s been paying attention.
He says Well, you’re just the coolest girl I’ve
And they both say what?
She says she’s been waiting all of her life to meet someone like him and now she’s afraid she’s going to lose her nerve.
She’s not supposed to like vampires… She’s supposed to SLAY THEM!
And she chases him with a pointed stick until gets home shouting What is HAPPENING!
The next days she declares a truce in school, but right after the hunt is on. Until she discovers his tube of fake blood. She apologizes a lot but says how great it would have been to actually hunt a vampire.
Then AJ reveals a secret suspicion. It happens to coincide with the fact that Hunter is now missing!
The end of the book involves an epic battle between vampire, vampire slayer and her posse. It’s pretty funny and pretty exciting and somehow even involves AJ’s sister.
I enjoyed this story quite a lot. The characters were great the and the art was really cool too. I loved the wonderful mash up of familiar stories with new ideas and Gardner’s interesting perspective.
I Just Read About That... 
Leave a comment