I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: BUILT TO SPILL-“Bloody Rainbow” (2020).

What happens when one of your favorite bands releases an album of covers of an artist that you think is so outrageously overrated that you pretty much hate him?

Yep, I’m the indie poster boy who cannot stand Daniel Johnston.  Everyone that I like and listen to seems to believe that his music is a gift direct from god.

I have heard some of his earlier songs when he could actually sing and I found them to be okay.  But most of my exposure to him is his later work when he couldn’t.  And I can’t help but think there’s some element of exploitation involved as well.

But whatever, his songs are simple an fairly catchy even if lyrically they are questionable.

I had no idea that Johnston had recruited Built to Spill to be his backing band for some of his final shows in 2017.  This album comes from the rehearsals for the tour.

This is the first song I’ve heard from the album and here’s what I learned.

I could listen to Doug Martsch sing anything.  This helps a lot.

Musically the song is exceptionally simplistic.  No problem there, lots of songs are simple.

The Built to Spill band sounds fantastic.  This is the trio format of Martsch, Steve Gere on drums and Jason Albertini on bass.

So basically, if the whole album sounds like this, I could absolutely see me enjoying it quite a lot.  Simple fun weird songs, sung by someone who can sing.  What’s not to like?

Just as long as I don’t have to listen to the originals.

[READ: February 3, 2020] Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 1

I’m always intrigued by Oni Press books that look kind if un-professional. I’m not exactly sure what I mean by that, but many of their books, this one included, don’t look like they are “proper” graphic novels.  I think that’s what first attracted me to the press, that these stories looked like something I could do.  The artwork is good and most of the artists have their own style, but they look more homemade than studio produced.

Space Battle Lunchtime epitomizes that to me.   It feels warm and loved and personalized.  A story that Riess had to tell and enjoyed telling.

We open in a small bakery as Peony is putting the finishing touches on some pastries.  A frog-like creature walks in (on two legs) and asks for some Coo-fee lattes.  Then she notices the cakes and remarks about how cute they are.  While she is talking to them she gets a phone call.  Then she asks Peony if she has what it takes to be The Greatest Chef in the Galaxy.  After a second Peony says Absolutely.

Seconds later, Penny is at an alien television studio.  She says she thought Galaxy was the theme…not the location.  But she has very little time to settle in before it’s show time.

The rules are simple–impress the judges and win a 20,000 solarbuck prize.  Oh and if Peony loses, the frog-creature will lose her job (because she has screwed up too many times before).

The show begins as the announcer Zorp the Octahedral comes out.  We meet each of the greatest alien chefs in the galaxy: Chef Owline, Chef Jacques, Chef Melonhead, Chef Neptunia and Chef Meatabax.  Each chef is given a mystery ingredient. Of course for Peony it is a real mystery because she doesn’t have any idea what the substance even is–or even how to use the stove.

There is some fighting at the lunar larder and when things go wrong the chefs don’t hold back. In fact, the next day, the producer tells them “there are classier ways than outright sabotage, like cooking a decent meal. If you are going to cheat..at least try to be subtler about it.”

The judges are Chef Goops from Slimax 9, Gatorax Capor from Lizard Planet and Critic Bot from Robot Colony 8-12.  The judging is harsh.  However, during the prep time, Chef Meatabax and Chef Jacques got into a fight and Meatabax’s dish was pretty much ruined.  It’s an easy decision.

After a nice dinner and good rest (in which Peony actually makes some friends, including the humanoid cameraman), it’s time for day two .  They each have to use nutritious blocks mined from the finest wreckage clusters from the long-ago millennia health food wars.  They are incredibly healthy but they are barely edible.  Peony decides to turn hers into a crust for a delicious dessert.  She goes to grab some earth sugar (from earth) at the lunar larder, but Chef Owline grabs it before she can.  It turns out that that sugar was actually salt with a cheap label taped on front.  Chef Owline puts excessive salt into her recipe and Judge Goops (who is a slug) reacts quite badly.  Owline is sent home.

Eventually it comes out that the reason they needed Peony is because of one of the earlier chefs left to go to Cannibal Coliseum, the highest rated but privately looked down upon cooking show.

With four chefs left, challenge three is all about teamwork.

Peony is placed with the judgmental Chef Neptunia. (Team Petunia) Neptunia has been very cold to Peony, but when Peony did Neptunia a solid, they warmed up a bit.  However, Neptunia still believes that Peony is only good for cute, inoffensive food.  Meanwhile Chef Melonhead and Chef Jacques (Team Melonjacques) can’t seem to agree on anything.

Our heroes win and are going to face each other in the final showdown.  To celebrate, Peony invites Neptunia to hang out.  Neptunia agrees, but winds up waiting in front of their destination all night because Chef Melonhead has taken Peony on a one way trip to Cannibal Coliseum.

What a cliffhanger!

The end pages give some background detail on the chefs, some initial sketches and a funny multipanel cartoon about the coffee that Peony presumably brought back from earth.