SOUNDTRACK: KEVIN DEVINE & THE GODDAMN BAND-“Nobel Prize” (2013).
I’d never heard of Kevin Devine before (he apparently has 7 solo albums out). This track is his first single with his new (radio friendly it seems) band called The Goddamn Band. Interestingly, the album is called “Bubblegum” and it’s that sentiment that sticks out with this song.
Over buzzy guitars and pounding drums, a screamed (but not unpleasant) voice comes piercing through the fuzz. And once the guitars come in, it’s all bubblegum pop (fuzzy and distorted absolutely, but pure bubblegum chord structures). The song (including the voice) remind me a lot of Cheap trick–simple, catchy melodies with vocals that are urgent and intense. Even the quieter spoken word section sounds like Cheap Trick. The very mellow bridge or chorus or whatever it is mixes things up when it brings in picked strings and a gentle vocal.
It’s catchy as hell and could fit into a lot of playlists of poppy rock. At only 2 and a half minutes it’s a pop gem. Too bad no DJ would ever say the band’s name.
[READ: September 19, 2013] “The Way Things Are Going”
As the story opens we read the Gwen had insisted that “Ma and I” move to America (from South Africa). Gwen wanted them to move because “sooner or later…it would happen again.” The narrator says that what had happened was actually her fault. But really what difference did it make whose fault it was—once they were tying you up. She only let them in the first place because she was trying to be mannerly.
The story flashes back to what happened. The narrator had been struck across the head with a gun, praying that the men would leave her alone—just take their few valuables and go. And then she had to worry about her mother, who was upstairs by herself. It was only the phone call (and the answering machine) which saved them from further damage because a neighbor said she’d be right over. (more…)
After Angel Rat, original bassist Blacky left the band. That’s never a good sign. After the tour for this album, original singer Snake left the band. That’s an even worse sign. I still can’t quite figure out exactly why Snake left (personal problems) but he went on to form the band Union Made. For a very detailed history of the band, check out this very cool timeline at Voivod dot net.
The Outer Limits got a pretty big release. I have an original copy that came with 3D glasses and all of the illustrations in 3D. But I was a little disappointed in Angel Rat and I don’t think I gave The Outer Limits much of a chance. It was no Nothingface. But the band was always morphing. Since Angel Rat went very commercial, this album brought things back into the prog realm (with a 17(!) minute song) but also had a lot of commercial songs.
The album opens with “Fix My Heart” which starts out much heavier than anything on Angel Rat. It’s also got some metal guitar pyrotechnics (squeaks and harmonics). Snake’s voice isn’t quite as pretty as on Angel Rat either—he growls a bit, but maintains his nicer voice overall. Nevertheless, “Fix My Heart” is a pretty commercial enterprise (as the title might even suggest). There’s some good “spacey” guitars sounds which bode will for the sci-fi angle of the album (and there’s some cool effects that reward headphone use). “Moonbeam Rider” starts with a very classic rock sounding riff and then morphs into a kind of pretty, mellow verse. But the interstitial guitar is all speed. It’s a nice mix of fast and slow. This song features some interesting bass work—nothing fancy but for the slow parts it is actually keeping the beat instead of the drums. The bassist was a studio musician for this album. There’s also what sounds like a bong during the pre-guitar solo section (the solo is fairly traditional).
“Le Pont Noir” is a mellow, slow guitar song with a very cool delay effect and Snake’s whispered vocals. The bridge gets heavy with a wonderfully weird Piggy guitar riff. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album.
Then the band’s second Pink Floyd cover appears. This time it’s the even more obscure “The Nile Song.” They have rather heavied this one up with crunching guitars and Snake’s distance screaming filling in the void (although in fairness the original vocals are also screamed). It’s not as dynamic or exciting as “Astronomy Domine,” but it’s still a cool cover. “The Lost Machine” starts off heavy with Away’s double cymbal work (a noisy splash and a fast ride cymbal). Then Piggy’s guitars have a slight delay on them which makes the opening chords sound especially odd. The bridge is a place for Piggy to show off some more weird spacey chords and some very cool guitar riffs. There’s even a spoken word narrator in the middle of the song that explains the “mission” “Time Warp” opens with a very bright and up beat sounding verse. But it quickly disintegrates into (intentional) musical chaos as the narrator gets lost in space.
This all leads up to the 17 minute “Jack Luminous.” If anyone doubted their prog rock leanings, this should dispel that immediate. 17 minutes, multiple parts, a sci-fi epic, it is prog (but heavy prog) at its finest. There are some incredibly catchy parts as well as some less catchy parts, and sections seem to change every two minutes or so. The slow down at 10 minutes is very cool—different guitar effects and the suspenseful bass line. There’s repeated sections as well, which means if you like some guitar line (the spacey part near the end) it comes back! It’s not quite as dynamic as say 2112, but it’s a very successful sci-fi epic.
“Wrong Way Street” returns to the normal and more conventional. The bass that opens the song sounds great and the chords are fairly conventional–the chorus is even really catchy. “We Are Not Alone” is a break-neck metal song, The drums are super fast, the guitars are relentless and the chorus even has an echoed “Hey!” that gets you to sing along. The song also features a cool slow, almost jazzy bass and drum section that lets Piggy throw some soloing in before returning to the fast paced verses.
There’s lots of theories about what happened to Voivod after this album. The success they had achieved earlier was now gone and the band seemed like they couldn’t decide to be metal or prog or is they should go for more pop music. The problem of course is that they were too weird to get mainstream acceptance anyway.
So Snake left and then there were only two original members. The next step would be a drastic one.
[READ: July 9, 2013] Grantland #7
This issue seemed to come hot on the heels of #6. But I enjoyed it just as much. A few notes: no Jeremy Lin in this issue. Lots of LeBron James, three articles about soccer! And a few pop culture moments that I had forgotten about.
REMBERT BROWNE AND DUSTIN PARKER-“The Jeopardy! Teen Tournament JUST. GOT. REAL.
Leonard Cooper didn’t know the final Jeopardy answer but he still won and he made a hilarious joke at the end (in cartoon format);
BILL SIMMONS-“Daring to Ask the PED Question”
Simmons talks a lot about PED’s in this forum. Of course, to me PED is my initials. For him (and sports fans) it is performance enhancing drugs. He asks why sports doesn’t do more about it. There are so many people who do it that every time we see someone who might be doing it or who suddenly has a good season, we assume they are doing them too. It would be a service to the players and the fans to have rigorous testing or none at all.
CHRIS RYAN AND ROBERT MAYS-“The NFL Coaches Family Portrait By the Numbers”
A silly analysis of a photo of NFL coaches.
WESLEY MORRIS-“Jodie Foster’s Big Night”
What exactly did Jodie Foster say at the Golden Globes? (This was in January and everybody talked about it and now it’s September and I’ve completely forgotten about it—funny ephemera of pop culture).
JONATHAN ABRAMS-“Out of Africa”
A serious look at trying to bring basketball to Africa. How the culture and language problems make it very difficult to establish any real cohesion in the diverse country. But there are a few examples of boys coming from Africa and benefiting from host families and then heading back to help those who love basketball back home. The main focus is on a 15-year-old Alexis Wangmene who came to the States (and left his family!) to try to gain an education and basketball skills. It’s a heartfelt story.
MOLLY LAMBERT-“Modern Love”
About the show Catfish which just goes to show we can sink even lower as a culture.
CHUCK KLOSTERMAN-“Mental Health Protocol”
About Royce White again. Last time there was a lengthy look at him. Now we get to hear that he thinks that everyone has some kind of mental health issue.
ANDY GREENWALD-“Eat Bray Love”
How cooking shows have gone from educational to crazy and annoying. He dislikes Top Chef and the new Anthony Bourdain show The Taste (which he says is awful) but he likes a decent show called Chopped.
ZACH LOWE-“The Fragile Science of Basketball Chemistry”
Sure the Heat were great this year, but it’s the way they evolved as a team, creating chemistry, that is so impressive.
RAFE BARTHOLOMEW-“The Pariah”
Timothy Bradley beat Manny Pacquiao in a disputed judges call. Instead of rising to fame, he has been avoided like the plague.
BILL SIMMONS-“The All-Manti Te’o Mailbag
Remember that crazy story about the football guy with the dead girlfriend who turned out to be fake? I never really understood the story and while they spend a lot of time talking and theorizing about it I still don’t get it. Did they ever find out the truth about it?
CHRIS BROWN-“Speak My Language”
When you play for the Patriots, you learn their way of doing things—it is simple and efficient, a streamlined version of what other coaches try to do.
KIRK GOLDSBERRY-“The Evolution of LeBron James”
Using diagrams, we see how much of a different player James is in just the last few years with The Heat. This article has made me want to watch James in a game while he is at his peak. So, Heat vs Bulls at the end of October, you’re on my schedule.
SEAN McINDOE-“The Non-Hater’s Guide to the NHL”
Even people who hate everyone in the NHL (which is everyone) can agree that there are some players who are universally admired: Martin Brodeur, Pavel Satsyuk. Teemu Selanne, Jarome Iginla, Jonathan Toews, Martin St. Louis, Gabriel Landeskog, Patrick Elias (Devils get two!), Ryan Smyth, Steve Sullivan, Saku Koivu, Henrik Lundqvist.
ALEX PAPPADEMAS-“God Needs a Hobby”
A look at Dan Harmon and his podcast Harmontown. Harmon seems like he might be a crazy alcoholic, but he’s also pretty darn funny.
MARK TITUS-“Duke’s Ignominious Son”
Everybody hates Christian Laettner, but that’s only because he’s pretty and he made The Shot
MARK LISANTI-“Three Days in Austin”
Dealing with the craziness of the South by Southwest film festival. Sounds awful.
HUA HSU-“The Alien Has Landed”
Soccer legend Ronaldo returns to Old Trafford
BILL SIMMONS-“The Greatest Action Franchise That Ever Was”
Live blogging the Fast and Furious 6 trailer. I admit I may have to see these films after reading this.
ZACH LOWE-“Lights, Camera, Revolution”
There’s some kind of new technology that will change the NBA forever. I pretty much don’t care.
TESS LYNCH-“Nostalgia Bites”
Watching old Real World episodes shows how much things have changed in reality TV, but also how much certain behaviors are not new.
BRIAN PHILLIPS-“Maradona, Then and Now”
Maradona was an amazing kid—at 15 he was remarkable at his ball control. Now at 52 he’s a crazy loon. What exactly happened in between?
ANDY GREENWALD-“From Big to Small, From Movie to TV”
Why not make Men in Black into a TV show—with some other film recommendations.
AMOS BARSHAD-“How Soccer Explains Israel”
I didn’t expect to enjoy this but I found it very interesting. An Israeli soccer team has signed two Muslim players and it has caused incredible animosity and even arson. How this look at a team is like a microcosm of the whole Israeli situation.
LOUISA THOMS-“Back to School”
Missy Franklin won a ton of medals in the Olympics. And then she went back to high school. What’s it like to be on her team at Regis Jesuit?
WESLEY MORRIS-“Run, Frank, Run”
Frank Ocean apparently wasn’t as huge as I thought he was.
MALCOLM GLADWELL AND CHUCK KLOSTERMAN–“The Lies He Told”
More about Manti Te’o. This discussion was a bit more helpful about what happened and how crazy it is.
CHRIS RYAN AND REMBERT BROWNE-“A List of Possible Reasons for Rob Gronkowski’s Arm Infection”
Hypothetical humor.
JORDAN CONN-“The Invisible Man”
Marc Gasol is extremely respected by scouts and agents, but the fans all think of him as Pau Gasol’s chubby little brother.
REMBERT BROWNE-“French Quarter Lessons”
While in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, Browne decided to go to a bunch of used bookstores. This is very funny and enjoyable.
JAY CASPIAN KANG-“Fiercely Disputed”
Mike Tyson’s one man show is weird and strangely affecting.
KATIE BAKER-“Do Svidanya to All That”
Several NHL players went to Russia’s KHL during the lockout. And some don’t want to come back.
CHRIS RYAN-“The All-Star Circus”
NBA All-Star weekend is a crazy circus (and sounds worse than the above SXSW festival).
CHUCK KLOSETRMAN AND ALEX PAPPADEMAS-“The Nobituary”
There was a serious rumor that David Bowie was on death’s door. Klosterman and Pappademas imagine writing his obituary.
DAVID SHOEMAKER-“Glenn Beck vs. WWE”
The WWE has always had racists as part of the act. What happens when some goons start acting like the Tea Party?
DAVID JACOBY-“The Pure Heart Meets The Bachelor”
Jacoby’s grandmother watches The Bachelor and he feels badly for her.
STEVEN HYDEN-“Is This It?”
The Strokes’ fifth album had just come out [really?]. It could be their last, but Hyden thinks their last two have been quite good.
BILL SIMMONS-“The Heat in Hindsight”
The Miami Heat came close to breaking the longest winning streak in the NBA. Simmons looks at the fallout and who “wins” and “loses” in the effort.
CHARLES P. PIERCE-“Bleu, Blanc et Rouge”
I had no idea that Charlie Pierce was a Canadiens fan!
KATIE BAKER-“The Ethics of a Family Plan”
Is it ethical to pretend that you are married to your roommate to get a family discount a ta gym? Hell yes.
EMILY YOSHIDA-“A Dark Force”
J.J. Abrams is going to direct the next Star Wars films. Why, when sci-fi is so multifaceted and so different is everything coming down to J.J. Abrams?
SEAN FENNESSEY-“The Case Against Justin Timberlake”
Timberlakes’s previous album was amazing. Then he took years off to make (bad) film and (good) TV. His star would only continue to rise if he stopped making music and only hinted that he would make another album. But the release of his new album (which isn’t that good) can only hurt him.
BRYAN CURTIS-“Waiting for Bettman”
While many New Yorker’s didn’t care about the NHL strike, Canadian writers camped out waiting for Bettman to announce the strike was over.
WESLEY MORRIS-“30 Rock Landed on Us” 30 Rock was many things, but it dealt with racial issues (at least between blacks and whites) better than any show.
RANY JAZAYERLI-“Fall of the Evil Empire”
The New York Yankees look like they won’t make the playoff this year (this was written in March and as of my writing this they have a slim chance at getting the wild card slot). It will be the firs time in a while, perhaps, just perhaps, it’s the start of a new drought for the Evil Empire.
BILL BARNWELL-“The Master Raven”
Ozzie Davis knows how to pick players for the Baltimore Ravens.
REMBERT BROWNE AND DUSTIN PARKER-The Best Chappelle’s Show Sketches of All Time”
Done as a series of cartoons (by Parker); Browne picks his eight favorites:
Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Prince
Wayne Brady’s Show
Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Rick James
Black Bush (especially now that Obama is president)
Clayton Bigsby: Black White Supremacist
Making the Band (P. Diddy)
The Racial Draft (Tiger Woods Now 100% Black)
The Niggar Family (uncomfortable and hilarious no matter how many times you watch it).
Once again, there’s another great issue of Grantland. Once again, I wish they would follow up on some of their speculative stories. But it’s fun to have a time capsule of events that occurred just a few months ago and yet which I have totally forgotten about.
And here’s the cover of The Outer Limits in non 3D style (which I haven’t see before)
I can’t get over how much I’ve been enjoying Kanye West’s music as of late. So much so that I went back and bought Late Registration. I wanted to check out his early stuff, so naturally I started with…his second album. And it’s a really enjoyable, soulful, gospel-filled rap album. Complete with Kayne’s bizarre, humorous and often offensive lyrics.
Musically the samples are wonderful—they create a very specific feel of pop soul that both works with and sometime against the lyrics. The album suffers from two things that I’ve found I do not like in rap, and in articular in Kayne’s albums. It bugs me when rappers intro their songs with several “uh, yeah”s. I don’t know why but it does and that’s how Kanye opens the disc.
And, I wish there weren’t so many guests on the record. While I understand the guest singers who provide backing vocals, I don’t get all the guest rappers (and there are a lot: Paul Wall, GLC, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Game, Jay Z, Really Doe, Nas, Cam’ron Consequence). I mean, I’m not here for them, so why devote so much time to others, it makes you seem like you couldn’t thin of enough to say (and we know that’s not true about Kanye). After a few listens, I have grown to appreciate the guests, but I like Kayne’s style so much that the other guys are just distractions.
Late Registration is largely produced by Jon Brion, who has made some amazing music with Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann—and while it is certainly stripped down Brion, the flourishes that Brion often employs are apparent here. Like the tinkly pianos and farty bass that opens “Heard ‘Em Say.” There’s some falsetto R&B-esque vocals from the singer from Maroon 5 here—I had no idea he sang like that. It fits very well with the song. And the instrumental section at the end is very Brion.
“Touch the Sky” uses a long sample (slowed down quite a bit) of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up.” But the sample is so much of that original song that it almost seems like cheating. Except that he has slowed it down and modified it somewhat, and…his raps work perfectly with it. The other really crazy sample is from Gil Scot-Heron which samples “Home is Where the Hatred Is.” The strange thing is that the song is 1:44 and the last 45 seconds of the song are just Scot-Heron’s song playing along by itself. It’s weird to have given up that much to another song…but it sounds great.
“Gold Digger” is a very funny song about, well, gold diggers. The topic isn’t new (the fact that it samples an ancient Ray Charles song attests to it), but the chorus of “I ain’t saying she’s a gold digger, but she ain’t messin’ with no broke niggers” is great. There’s also an intro section with Jamie Foxx doing his now patented Ray Charles. It’s a pointed song but done with a very funny twinkle in his voice (the Kayne twinkle). “Drive Slow” is a cool slow-tempoed number with a great sample from Hank Crawford and an interesting slowing effect at the end of the song. “Crack Music” is a great political song equating making records to selling crack. The metaphor works well. And this is one of Kayne’s strong pro-black songs. It’s really powerful.
The surprising thing is the two really sensitive songs: “Hey Mama” which is a sweet song to his mother in which he promises to go back to school and get his doctorate and “Roses,” which is an angry but beautiful song about his grandmother being in the hospital. There’s a great verse about her being poor and therefore not getting the best care: “you telling me if my grandmother was in the NBA right now she’d be okay” As well as a line about a nurse asking for his autograph while they are worried about his grandmother—although, realistically, how often is a nurse going to meet a star like Kayne? The end of the song has some great soulful crooning by (as far as I can read) an uncredited singer. And I feel like Brandy, who opens up the next song really falls flat in comparison to this unnamed singer (I don’t care for the way newer black singers wail their scales). But the Etta James sample of “My Funny Valentine” that floats through “Addiction” is gorgeous.
“Diamonds from Sierra Leone: is a surprisingly political song that samples “Diamonds are Forever.” There’s two version on the album. I like the remix featuring Jay-Z a lot less, in part because I’ve never been a huge Jay-Z fan, but also because his verses completely interrupt the flow of the song. “We Major” has a very retro, almost easy listening vibe. There’s a lot of backing vocals going on and they remind me somewhat of Ben Folds Five’s backing vocals (which is pretty weird, I suspect). This song is interesting for its talk of worrying about daughters—as with many rappers, women are bitches and hos unless they are your grandma, your mama or you daughter—which is kind of awkward, really.
“Celebration” is perhaps the weirdest juxtaposition of contents. It’s a celebration, bitches. A celebration apparently about the fact that he and a woman (who had a fatty) accidentally had a baby (“You my favorite accident”). That line makes it sound like the child is at the party, which makes the chorus “Grab a drink, grab a glass, after that I grab your ass” hard to fathom.
“Gone” has a nifty piano melody (and some cool interstitials very Brion-infused melodies) that plays under Cam’ron and Consequence’s raps. The song is kind of a muddle (although a funny muddle) until Kanye comes in at around 4 and a half minutes. I really like the way the album ends: with Kayne rapping “Sorry Mr West is gone” and the music completely cutting off.
The bonus tracks include the original of “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and “We Can Make It Better” (which features Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, Common and Rhymefest). It’s an interesting track (especially the sped up backing vocals) but it seems like a bit of a throwaway (which is surprising given the number of guests). “Late” is a unlisted bonus track which is very strange. There’s lots of “ah ha ha has” in a posh sounding falsetto). But there’s some witty lines in here, especially this verse:
They said the best classes go to the fastest
Sorry Mr. West there’s no good classes, and that’s what yo’ ass get
Not even electives? Not even prerequits?
You mean I missed my major by a couple of seconds?
Now I’m in the shop class or the basket weavin
With all the rest of the muh’fuckers underachievin
So Kayne is clever and stupid. A great rapper and a not so great singer. And amazing producer and a good song writer. And this is as good an album as I’ve heard it was.
[READ: August 8, 2013] The Commitments
I have been reading a number of big, heavy books lately (which I have yet to post about…later in the week), so I decided to take a break with a light, fun book. And one that I’ve read before (and seen the movie of many times). I looked on the inside cover where I wrote the date of acquisition (a thing I did for a while until I realized it was kind of silly, and yet I’m glad i did it here) October 1993, almost twenty years ago.
But aside from Jimmy playing songs on vinyl, there’s very little that’s dated about the album–which may even be the point of the book.
This is the story of a bunch of misfits in Ireland who join together to form a soul band. The nucleus of the band is Jimmy Rabbitte, a local kid who lives and breathes music. He had Frankie Goes to Hollywood before anyone else and he knew they were shit before anyone else.
Some of his mates have started a band (called hilariously And And! And) which plays new wave. Jimmy tells them they should play soul instead. He plays them some James Brown and they love it. Which leads to the talk of music and sex. And they are really into it. And then there’s the oft quoted line from the movie: “The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once and say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud.”
And so they begin a quest to find the rest of the band. Jimmy puts an ad in Hot Press (the Irish music magazine) and interviews everyone (some very funny jokes in there). And the recruits form a crazy quilt of characters. (more…)
To my dismay, my friend Lar recently informed me of a terrible thing that is happening to Phish’s LivePhish series of CDs. This series came out from 2000-2002 and consisted of 20 CD sets of full concerts. The “nifty” thing about them was that they were packed in plastic sleeves (4 discs to a sleeve) which had three holes in them so you could store them in a binder (the LivePhish binder with secret pocket for your stash).
Well, it turns out that whatever material they used in the plastic sleeves leeched out of the sleeves and onto the CDs. For many CDs, it left a goopy residue that wiped off with a little effort. But on other CDs, the goop actually ate through the paint and, apparently (although I don’t know how) through the music. When you look at the discs there are clear “holes” in the paint, so you can see right through the disc. When you play the discs, it ate away at the music as well.
Since this was over a decade ago and Phish is no longer with Elektra and the collections are long out of print, it looks like fans are simply shit out of luck. I have at least 8 sets that have at least one disc that was eaten away like this.
The shows are available for download at the Phish Dry Goods Store, but then you’re paying $10 for something you already own.
Those sleeves seemed like a great idea, but they clearly weren’t tested for long term durability.
I don’t believe there’s any recourse for this, but if you know of any, do pass it along. I’m sure fans must have the concerts online somewhere too, but that’s not the point. Seeing as how the sets are fetching as much as $300 on eBay (which I’m sure no one is paying), there was the possibility that these would have collector’s value. But clearly not anymore. Major buzzkill.
[READ: July 29, 2013] In My Home There is No More Sorrow
This book came with McSweeney’s 40. It is a book unto itself, hardbound and with its own ISBN, so I didn’t feel compelled to read it right then (especially given that the subject was Rwanda and it didn’t seem like an especially happy book to be reading).
But I decided now I was up for it and so in I dove. And it’s not an especially happy book to be reading.
Bass is a writer with many books to his credits (although I didn’t know him). He was sent to Rwanda on an assignment. I gather that as part of the assignment he was sent to teach a writing workshop to local writers. (The actual purpose of the trip, as far as logistics goes, is a little vague I must say).
At any rate, bass and his family (his wife and teenaged daughter) went to Rwanda for ten days. And the first few days are as harrowing as one might expect. I was familiar with the atrocities in Rwanda, but only insofar as I had heard bits and pieces of the story from the news. I had no idea about the extent of the violence–millions of Tutsis killed by Hutus. Nor the extent of the way the survivors have dealt with the atrocities in the seventeen years since they happened. Which is: they have created shrines to the dead and in many cases have not cleaned up or in any way hidden what happened.
And so , we have churches with blood on the walls where people were murdered (I will spare some of the details of the way the children were killed, but I will certainly never forget it). The family also goes to a shrine where the bodies were exhumed and placed in this area for fuller viewing. And the creepiest thing about this shrine is that the bodies were packed so tightly in the mass grave–with no oxygen and with quicklime poured on them , that they did not really decompose–they were more or less mummified–their skin just sort of shriveled. These bodies are practically like living skeletons, left ion their death poses. That’s another image I will not be able to expunge from my mind any time soon. (more…)
I really really liked Foals debut album. It was weird and off-kilter and was one of my favorite albums of that year. I had heard that their follow-up was very different, less weird, more conventional, and I have yet to hear it (narrow-minded, I know). But then I heard that their new album was really great. “Inhaler” was the first song I heard.
Man, do I love it. The song opens kind of funky with some noisy echoed guitars. After a few verses the bridge comes in and the big excitement of the song comes when he gets to the chorus, “I can’t get enough SPACE!” It’s not so much that he yells “space,” which he does, it’s more the way the whole song explodes with a new exciting riff and it just seems to get bigger and bigger. It blows me away every time.
After the first chorus we drop right back to that falsettoed slow verse delivery. And the song slowly builds back up again. The length of the bridge as you anticipate the big chorus is just excruciatingly wonderful.
[READ: April 5, 2013] Cousin K
I found this book when I was cataloging it at my job. I don’t know what grabbed me about it (there’s nothing special about the cover). I think it may have been the French Voices label in the corner (and its brevity). I thought, hey why not read a contemporary French novella for something different.
Well, to my surprise, that is not what I got. Indeed, nothing in this book is as it seems.
Yasminia Khadra is a pseudonym for Mohammed Moulesshoul. He chose the name to avoid military censorship (that’s all the book says, I don’t really understand what that means). Moulesshoul was born in the Algerian Sahara. He is now retired from the military and is living in France.
But so, instead of this being a story from a French woman, the story is actually from a Male Algerian. Which doesn’t really matter in the long run, but I assumed that the narrator was a girl (based on the “author = narrator” theory that is an easy shortcut in fiction. This was really only confusing because the narrator is unnamed for quite a while in the book.
But what a book. In just 80 some pages, Khadra turns in a fascinating psychological picture of neglect and psychological abuse. But it is such an elliptical book that there are almost as many questions as there are answers. It is this elliptical style which provides some of the confusion, but a lot of the interesting structure of the story. (more…)
I loved Version 2.0 but never really absorbed just how poppy it was. So Beautiful Garbage took me by surprise. It seem like more of a natural progression if you listen in sequence but it’s impossible to imagine that the buzzing guitars of “Queer” would morph into something like “Can’t Cry These Tears” in just two albums. “Tears” is practically girl groupy, it is so poppy and Spektorish. Yes, there are some buzzy guitars, but wow. What’s more surprising though is the amount of manipulation that is done to Manson’;s voice. Garbage was always about deconstruction and technology–they always mixed genres, but “Til the Day I Die” uses some pretty generic voice scratching as if trying for a pop hit. Or more specifically a dance hit.
The single from the album, “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go)” doesn’t even sound like Garage–Manson’s voice is so treacly it has to be processed (and indeed it was sped up for the song). “Shut Your Mouth” also seemed to head straight for the dancefloor and the rather anemic introductory sounds of “Androgyny” were a surprise. What’s weird is that even the aggressive guitar riff is really so wimpy compared to the earlier albums. Which is not to say that the song is bad–the riff, wimpy though it may be is still a good one and the chorus is catchy as anything. It’s just a different audience.
“Cup of Coffee” removes all of the dancey/techno and is a simple ballad. And it sounds like the Garbage of old. It’ a very pretty, sad song. “Drive You Home” is also a beautiful natural-sounding ballad.
But “Breaking Up the Girl” is the closest to the Garbage sound of old(ish) it could easily have come from 2.0. “Nobody Loves You” has a much more interesting guitar based sound as it opens–implying something grand. But after the opening, the song slows down into a more dark feel. “Uncountable” returns to the dance floor (and even has some”uh uh”s).
So, overall this is a weird and unsatisfying album. It sounds like they gave up on the rock side of things because their poppy songs were such a hit. But at the same time it sounds like their hearts just aren’t in it. Even Manson’s lyrics are kind of lame. Which is not to say the album is a disaster, it’s just…different.
[READ: February 6, 2013] “The Embassy of Cambodia”
In Zadie Smith’s previous piece in the New Yorker (which was an excerpt from her novel), she broke her story into a series of small sections. It was unexpected from her. And now she has done it again. The story has as a basic plot point a game of badminton. Accordingly, all of the chapters are listed as a badminton score (a one-sided rout actually): 0-1, 0-7, 0-21.
The sections are mostly brief and kind of bounce back and forth between the main character of the piece, Fatou, and the citizens of Willesden (represented by a a single person–who took it upon herself to represent them, even if they didn’t want her to). This unnamed narrator gives background information about Willesden and the eyes of the community who watch Fatou go about her business. The narrator also talks about the titular embassy and how it’s not that unusual to see a building like it on their street, even if they never really see anyone Cambodian going into it,
The only thing that people can really see from the outside of the embassy is the shuttlecock which can be glimpsed over the top of the wall that surrounds the embassy Clearly there is some kind of field there, although no one has ever seen it. They just see the birdie arc over (and then get slammed back).
And Fatou enjoys watching it and imagining the people inside. For Fatou is a housekeeper and sort of child watcher for a family that lives down the street (the Derawals). Fatou is African and her prospects are bleak. She is not paid to work for them–she gets free room and board in exchange for her services. In fact she does not even know where her passport is (Mr Derawal took it and she hasn’t seen it since). At one point, after reading an article about a slave girl, she even wonders if she might be a slave. (She decides she is not). (more…)
Parts & Labor have changed t heir style over the years going from noisemakers who have a melody to being melodious noisemakers. This album is one of their earlier releases when noise dominated. Right from the opening you know the album is going to be a challenge. The first song has pounding drums (electronics that sound like bagpipes) and heavy distorted shouty vocals. By the end of the songs there is squealing feedback, punk speed drums and screaming distorted vocals (complete with space sound effects). It’s an aggressive opening for sure. Song two opens with a long low rumbling and then “Drastic Measures” proves to be another fast-paced song.
“A Pleasant Stay” is 5 minutes long (most of the rest of the album’s songs are about 3 minutes). It continues in this fast framework, although it has a bit more open moments of just drums or just vocals. The way the band plays with feedback in the last minute or so of the song very cool.
“New Buildings” has a hardcore beat with a guitar part that sounds sped up. “Death” is a thumping song (the drums are very loud on this disc), while “Timeline” is two minutes of squealing guitars. “Stay Afraid” has a false start (although who knows why–how do these guys know if the feedback sounds are what they wanted anyhow?). The song ends with 30 seconds of sheer noise). The album ends with the 5 minute “Changing of the Guard” a song not unlike the rest of the album–noisy with loud drumming and more noise.
The album is certainly challenging, it’s abrasive and off putting, but there;s surprising pleasures and melodies amidst the chaos. Indeed, after a listen or two you start to really look forward to the hooks. If you like this sort of thing, this album s a joy. It’s also quite brief, so it never overstays its welcome.
[READ: April 15, 2011] McSweeney’s #13
I have been looking forward to reading this issue for quite some time. Indeed, as soon as I received it I wanted to put aside time for it. It only took eight years. For this is the fabled comics issue. Or as the cover puts it: Included with this paper: a free 264 page hardcover. Because the cover is a fold-out poster–a gorgeous broadside done by Chris Ware called “God.” And as with all Chris Ware stories, this is about life, the universe and everything. On the flip side of the (seriously, really beautiful with gold foil and everything) Ware comic are the contributors’ list and a large drawing that is credited to LHOOQ which is the name of Marcel Duchamp’s art piece in which he put a mustache on the Mona Lisa. It’s a kind of composite of the history of famous faces in art all done in a series of concentric squares. It’s quite cool.
So, yes, this issue is all about comics. There are a couple of essays, a couple of biographical sketches by Ware of artists that I assume many people don’t know and there’s a few unpublished pieces by famous mainstream artists. But the bulk of the book is comprised of underground (and some who are not so underground anymore) artists showing of their goods. It’s amazing how divergent the styles are for subject matter that is (for the most part) pretty similar: woe is me! Angst fills these pages. Whether it is the biographical angst of famous artists by Brunetti or the angst of not getting the girl (most of the others) or the angst of life (the remaining ones), there’s not a lot of joy here. Although there is a lot of humor. A couple of these comics made it into the Best American Comics 2006.
There’s no letters this issue, which makes sense as the whole thing is Chris Ware’s baby. But there are two special tiny books that fit nearly into the fold that the oversized cover makes. There’s also two introductions. One by Ira Glass (and yes I’d rather hear him say it but what can you do). And the other by Ware. Ware has advocated for underground comics forever and it’s cool that he has a forum for his ideas here. I’m not sure I’ve ever read prose from him before. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: THE BOARD OF EDUCATION-“Why is Dad So Mad?” (2012).
I heard this song on Kids Corner and I am frankly shocked that it didn’t make the top ten songs of the year (kids have no taste). Why is dad so mad? Because of what George Lucas has done to the Star Wars movies! “Why does dad get so mad about Star Wars. Mr Lucas what have you done?”
The lyrics are so good I didn’t even really notice the music at first (check out: “and I wonder why it’s so bad that Greedo shoots first at Han.” “He’s always excited when those yellow words come on, but by the end he’s mad about that new Ewok song.”
But the music is great too. It has a kind of Ben Folds vibe (in the slow piano section) mixed with a little Ralph’s World, but the whole package is a wee bit heavier–the guitars are a little distorted (but not very) and the pace is brisk and fun.
The song is also full of cool spacey sound effects (and a nice nod to the soundtrack). The chorus is catchy and poppy. A wonderful song. I’m going to investigate The Board of Education a bit more. In the meantime, check out Why is Dad So Mad?.
[READ: January 19, 2013] Cigars of the Pharoah
This second (technically fourth) Tintin book was a lot more focused than In America, which, although excellent, tended to ramble all over the country.
This book sees Tintin in the Mediterranean Sea on a cruise. The action starts right away when a bumbling man named Dr Sarcophagus, an Egyptologist, crashes into Tintin saying that he lost his valuable papyrus. The papyrus blows out to sea, but the Dr says, that indeed it wasn’t the valuable papyrus at all, which is safely in his coat. It’s a weird moment, but we slowly learn that the Dr is more than a little absent minded. Nevertheless, the papyrus has a map on it that he believes will lead to the undiscovered tomb of the Pharaoh Kih-Oskh (nice joke there).
I said that the last Tintin book wasn’t quite for kids and the same is true here. Two men, Thompson and Thompson (more on them) accuse Tintin of smuggling opium and cocaine (again, did kids read this in the 30s?). Thompson and Thompson are funny in that they look alike and when one says something the other twists the words slightly to radically alter their meaning while using most of the same words. Anyhow, they “arrest” Tintin, but as in America, he escapes in an unlikely way and meets up with Dr Sarcophagus.
Tintin, Snowy and Sr Sarcophagus escape some violent deaths in a number of funny ways (like when the sheik who hates Westerners recognizes Tintin from his adventures (he even has a book–although in this later edition it is actually a book that came out after this one.
In another scene, Tintin rescues a woman who is being beaten, only to find out that he is actually on a film set. Later, he winds up on a ship of smugglers, is forced to enlist in the Arabian army and is eventually made to face a firing squad. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: THE DIGGITY DUDES-“My Science Project” (2012).
The Diggity Dudes are getting a lot of airplay on Kids’ Corner on WXPN. I like them in theory but I don’t really like the style of music they play–it’s a little too generic. That being said, I do rather like the lyrics of this song.
It’s all about doing, yes, a science project. “Measure twice or you’ll have a disaster.” The problem is that the verses are done in a rap style that’s not very good. And the rhymes are awful.
I give them credit for writing about cool subjects for kids (like “To the Library” which I would have reviewed but they didn’t have it playing on their site). But if they weren’t a kid’s band, I wouldn’t like them at all. Despite that, I imagine they put on a great live show–they seem like they’d be a lot of fun.
[READ: Jauary 10, 2013] Tintin in America
I have known of Tintin for years (Sarah and I even have an inside joke about the boy journalist). When we went to Brussels, we went to the art museum and saw the history of Hergé’s works (Hergé’s real name is Georges Prosper Remi)and the tons of souvenir Tintin things that are for sale. And yet I’d never read any of his stories.
I saw some in the library and decided to check out volume one. Interestingly, this volume starts with Tintin in America. While reading it I quickly determined that this was not the first book in the series. Indeed, America is the third book after Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin in the Congo (neither of these two are readily available in the US–the first because Hergé later felt it was too crude to redo for collections and the second because the depiction of Africans was deemed offensive). So, most collections begin with this book (which is only a little odd because he is already well-known and the story seems to start in the middle because he dealt with some of these thugs in book 2).
SOUNDTRACK: DEERHOOF-Live at CMJ Gibson Showroom (2008).
I don’t know much about Deerhoof (I certainly didn’t know they’d been around over a decade). I heard them on Pitchfork TV (they had two videos on it about two years ago which I rather liked). This set was recorded live at CMJ by KEXP.
The DJ is very familiar with the band, and the repertoire is casual and funny (although the Gibson joke falls flat). They play four songs and each one is virtually an instrumental. The voice is mixed so low on “Blue Cash,” I didn’t even realize she was singing until the third time I listened, so I don’t know which songs have words. “Tears of Music and Love” is a bit wilder (with some great crazy drumming in the middle). “Fresh Born” has a bit more of a sinister edge what with the intense riff and the scratchy feedbacky bridge. It’s my favorite song of the set. “Basketball Get Your Groove Back” sounds a bit like “Roadrunner” so it’s less than thrilling end to the set.
I expected the band to be a lot weirder than this, I admit, but it’s still a good set. You can listen here.
[READ: September 20, 2012] How to Be Black
Karen at A Just Recompense posted about this book a little while ago and after just a few lines, I had to stop reading her post so I could get the book. I had no idea who Thurston was before I read the book, but it sounded so good. And it was. Although it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
This book is a combination autobiography of Thurston and “how to” book. Thurston went to a Quaker School and a black militant program at the same time and also went to Harvard before becoming a stand up comedian; he’s co-creator of Jack & Jill Politics and director of digital at The Onion (that’s some serious cred for a geek like me). As I said, in addition to being his autobiography, this is also something of a how-to manual for being black. It’s funny, but not cheesy-over-the-top funny (stereotypes are played with but also deconstructed), it’s “serious” funny, and it’s very enjoyable. And it covers topics that one might not expect, like talking about the Nigerians he has met who are offended at his name. Baratunde is a twist on a Nigerian name, although his family is not Nigerian, his mother wanted him to have a traditional African name. And he is quite annoyed at the Nigerians who assume he doesn’t know what his named means. He does (and the example he gives is very funny). (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: KEVIN DEVINE & THE GODDAMN BAND-“Nobel Prize” (2013).
I’d never heard of Kevin Devine before (he apparently has 7 solo albums out). This track is his first single with his new (radio friendly it seems) band called The Goddamn Band. Interestingly, the album is called “Bubblegum” and it’s that sentiment that sticks out with this song.
I Just Read About That... 