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Archive for the ‘Tom Gauld’ Category

Tom Gauld–Goliath (2012)

Posted in Art, Bible, Black Sabbath, Comic Strips, Death, Drawn & Quarterly, Fables, Myths, Short Books, Tom Gauld, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, War on July 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

goliathSOUNDTRACK: UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA-“No Need for a Leader” (live at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C, May 23, 2013) (2013).

umoI have been hearing about the Unknown Mortal Orchestra for a little while now  The name is intriguing and really could indicate so many different styles of music.  With the internet, it’s very easy to hear a sample of a band, but I like to happen upon them a bit more organically.  So, here was a track from a recent live show that NPR was sampling for us.

UMO is from New Zealand and they have a kind of psychedelic-meets-Black Sabbath feel.  The song isn’t really heavy so much as just riff-based and speedy.  The song has an appropriate Sabbathesque quick riff at the end of each verse and a boatload of flange and vibrato tossed on, too.

But I don’t really care for the vocalist, who seems kind of pinched and tight–almost exactly the opposite of what this expansive song is crying out for.

So this song is ultimately a mixed bag–I like the vibe of the band, but I don’t feel compelled to hear any more from them.

You can watch the video (and groove on the singer’s shirt) here.

[READ: July 5, 2013] Goliath

I enjoyed Gauld’s You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack enough to track down Goliath, his previous book.

Although Jetpack is a collection of strips, Goliath is a telling of the story of David and Goliath (which everyone knows is the great underdog story).  The big difference here is that we see the story from Goliath’s point of view (which I believe we do not ever see in the Bible–it’s been years since I’ve actually read it).

In this version, Goliath is a simple man.  Despite his size, he would rather do office work than fight.  Indeed, when given the opportunity, he jumps at the chance to do administrative paper work rather than practice with weapons.  But the Philistines are at war and everyone needs to help.

That’s when one of the soldiers gets an idea.  Goliath is to go into the valley and proclaim to all who can hear: “I am Goliath of Gath, Champion of the Philistines.  I Challenge you: Choose a Man.  Let him come to me that we may fight.  If he be able to kill me then we shall be your servants.  But if I kill him then you shall be our servants.” (more…)

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Tom Gauld–You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack (2013)

Posted in Art, Books about writers, Comic Strips, Consumerism, Death, Demons, End of the World, Fables, Fantasy, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Golems, Meta, Myths, Nature, Neurotics, Noir, Short Books, Smarty Pants, Surreal, Technology, The Future, The Guardian, Time Travel, Tom Gauld, Travel, UFOs, Video Games, War, We Were Promised Jetpacks on July 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

jetpackSOUNDTRACK: WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS-“Quiet Little Voices” (2009).

jetpacksWhen you have a book with “Jetpack” in the title, the appropriate band is We Were Promised Jetpacks, no?  I’ve heard a lot of good things these guys.  But all I knew for certain was that they were Scottish.

I listened to their debut EP, The Last Place You’ll Look, which I liked a little.  But I didn’t care for the sound of the EP itself, it was rather flat.  A few listens got me enjoying the melodies and such but it never grabbed me.  Especially when I compared it to “Quiet Little Voices,” the lead single from their debut full length, These Four Walls.

The vocals are a bit stronger, the guitars and bass are both more clear.  The overall feeling is just brighter.  Now this may be a sign of selling out (is that something bands still do?), but really I think it’s just a better production for this song.  Which has a big chorus (and good backing vocals).

I listened to a few more tracks from These Four Walls and they are all good too.  I guess start with the albums and save the EP until after you’ve absorbed the band.

[READ: July 5, 2013] You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack

Gauld makes comics like no one else I know.  Most of his people are silhouetted or are the most rudimentary designs–simple triangle-shaped clothes, circle heads with dots for eyes and little else–maybe a nose if it’s profile. (Okay, there’s a bit of Chris Ware, but more like a much more relaxed Chris Ware).  And the wonderful thing is just how much he can convey with these painstakingly simple drawings.

The content of his comics is usually quite clever and often literary.  While I admit there were some I didn’t get (Like the Eric Gill cartoon–shame on me?–Aha: “[Gill’s] personal diaries describe his sexual activity in great detail including the fact that he sexually abused his own children, had an incestuous relationship with his sister and performed sexual acts on his dog.”  Geez, now the comic is very funny.).  There were some in which I liked the set up but would have preferred something funnier (like the Tom Waits comic–shame on him?)

But overall this collection was really enjoyable.  And I laughed a lot. (more…)

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