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Archive for the ‘Fears’ Category

Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez–Locke & Key: Volume Five: Clockworks (2012)

Posted in Christmas Album, Death, Demons, Fears, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ghosts, Graphic Novel, Joe Hill, Revenge, Supernatural, Violence, Yuck! on December 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »

locke5 SOUNDTRACK: ULTRA LOUNGE: CHRISTMAS COCKTAILS Part Two: Another Sound of Cool Holiday Spirits (1997).

xmastails2I enjoyed Christmas Cocktails so much, it seemed foolish to pass on Part Two.  It could never be as good as Part One (that’s where all the best stuff went), but it’s still pretty solid with some great renditions of old songs and new (to me) songs.  And yes, one or two that are even better than disc one.

CAIOLA & ORTALANI/JIMMY McGRIFF-“Sleigh Ride/Jingle Bells” A cool easy listening version with guitars swinging and then switching two smooth violins/organ solo Hammond.  LENA HORNE-“Jingle All The Way” I like that the bass is playing the “I like the sleigh ride” without it being sung.  It’s a fun version (also on Pier 1 Imports).  LOU RAWLS-“Merry Christmas Baby” I don’t typically like Lou Rawls, and I don’t really like this song, but this version fits in good with the rest of the disc.  JULIE LONDON-“Warm December” I don’t know this song, it’s pretty and sweet.  London must be the sweetheart of the Capitol Records stable.

EDDIE DUNSTEDTER-“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!/Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” An ice-rink keyboard version of the songs—cheesey and awesome!  JUNE CHRISTY-“The Merriest”  I didn’t know this song.  It’s a fun unusual song that I like quite a bit, the words are unexpected and full of wordplay.  NAT KING COLE TRIO-“All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)” Also on the Pier 1 disc, I didn’t notice the backing vocalists as much on the other version—they almost drown out Nat on this one.

NANCY WILSON “ The Christmas Waltz” I feel like Ive only become aware of this song this year. I like this version a lot. With strings and Wilson’s lovely voice.  LES BROWN AND HIS BAND OF RENOWN-/FRANK DEVOL WITH THE STARLIGHTERS-“I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm/Jing-A-Ling, Jing-A-Ling” This is a fun instrumental, big band version until the second half when the Starlighters sing–in great 40s era style–Jing-A Ling which I’ve never heard before.  JIMMY McGRIFF-“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”  I don’t especially love this song, but this crazy Hammond organ version is awesome (is it different from the one on the first disc?)?

DEAN MARTIN-“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” A fast version of this with what sounds like a chorus of women responding to Deano.  GEORGE SHEARING/BILLY MAY-“Snowfall / Snowfall Cha-Cha” A pretty, string filled chill-out song that I’m unfamiliar with.   WAYNE NEWTON-“ Jingle Bell Rock” I don’t really like this song in general.  And this is a woman singing so I don’t quite get the Newton connection, but I am amused at how much this song does not rock.  THE VENTURES-“Frosty The Snowman” a fun surf version.  THE DINNING SISTERS & BOB ATCHER-“Christmas Island” I love this song and this version.  It’s always a treat to hear this at Christmastime.

MARTIN DENNY-“Exotic Night” I love Martin Denny and his weird “exotic” tracks. This is a wonderful version of “What Child is This” as done on vibes and possibly glasses? With a pretty piano.  PEGGY LEE-“Happy Holidays” Classic big band fun.  FERRANTE & TEICHER/LES BAXTER-“Sleigh Ride/Santa Claus’ Party”  Les Baxter is another great exotic music fan.  This is the great instrumental version with sleigh bells and cloppy sounds and all. The second half is a vocal rendition of a song I’ve never heard before (“a mountain of ice cream where everyone has his share!”).  Someday I’ll have to make a disc of “old” Christmas songs that are not part of the typical rounds

GUY LOMBARDO & HIS ROYAL CANADIANS-“ Auld Lang Syne” standard Auld Lang Syne fare, although a little slow.  STAN KENTON-“ What Is Santa Claus?” A sweet story about Santa Claus. It’s spoken word with the set up that children are always asking him what Santa Claus is.  Set over a backing chorus of “Silent Night,” it’s very sweet, although he says Santa has 7 reindeer—that’s odd.

[READ: December 22, 2014] Locke & Key 5

I’m trying so hard to pace myself with these stories, but I am so hooked.  I knew I would finish the series by the end of the year, even if I couldn’t post about them until January

This penultimate book opens with a flashback.  A very long ago flashback with a bunch of people who look a lot like the Locke family.  And indeed they are the Locke’s from 1776, when the parents of the family were killed by British soldiers for supporting the local militia.  The children watch the hanging and are told to go to the caves (where the militia is waiting).  When they get to the caves, they learn that the men hiding there have found a door.  The door is marked 11 and has all kinds of designs on it.  The men reveal that the children’s brother was killed fighting off whatever was in that door (so they lost three family members that day).

Behind the door is the creepy spirit dimension that Scout is trying to control.  After a staggering amount of bloodshed, we learn that if the spirits are incapable of taking over a body, they turn into a weird kind of metal.  Which the boy forges into the Omega key.  And, mind-blowingly, Ty and Kinsey are there as ghosts to watch the whole thing.  (And I have to laugh that during all the horror, the goat is just eating people’s hats and whatnot). (more…)

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Derek Kirk Kim–Tune Book 2: Still Life (2013)

Posted in Alternate Reality, Art, Christmas Album, Derek Kirk Kim, Fears, First Second :01, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Graphic Novel, Les McClaine, Loreena McKennitt, Short Books, YA Books on December 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

stilllife SOUNDTRACK: LOREENA McKENNITT-A Winter Garden (1995).

mckenneitLoreena McKennitt has a beautiful voice.  This EP is a beautiful holiday selection (not really Christmas exactly, so that’s fine).  There’s five songs, one of them is from one of her albums as well.

“Coventry Carol” has an excellent full sound–McKennitt’s beautiful voice fits this olde song quite nicely.  “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” opens with Indian sounding drums and a cool fretless bass.  When the fiddles come in it retains a vaguely middle Eastern sound.  It’s a bit long, but very cool.

“Good King Wenceslas” has flutes and cello and nice percussion.  It’s a lovely version.  “Snow” opens with a pretty flute (that has since been co-opted by Titanic).  It’s a pleasant song if bordering on a wee bit too much.  “Seeds of Love” is a pretty song, but it doesn’t feel very seasonal to me.

Overall this is a nice winter record.  It’s not so much Christmasey as pagan.  It’s very pretty and the traditional instruments sound great.  The fact that it’s only 22 minutes is also nice.

[READ: December 19, 2014] Tune: Still Life

So I didn’t spoil the first book, but I can now safely reveal that Andy Go has signed up to be a human living in an alien zoo. He gets $250,000 for his year of service and he gets to go home for the weekends.  Not bad.  He is bummed that he didn’t get to tell Yumi that he loved her, but he can always go tell her this weekend, right?

In the meantime, he gets to enjoy that everything has been perfectly re-created to his specifications.  In fact, the aliens downloaded his memory and replicated everything exactly as he remembered it–his favorite foods, his favorite TV shows, even the magazines under his bed (wow).  Now he just has to learn to pee in front of gawkers and it will be the best job ever.

It even turns out that his bosses are nice.  Well, the one boss is.  She is young (and, yes, sexy even is she has no facial features) and pleasant to him.  She is also amazed by his art.  Sadly, her father is a mean ballbuster.  He hates his art.  In fact, he hates all art.  Their version of reality has done away with art and has ensured that no one has any creativity of any kind.  They even have news feeds piped into their heads 24 hours a day (or however long their day lasts).

Andy also learns that he has a neighbor–Mo.  He and Mo communicate through the air vents.  Mo is an amusing, teasing guy who gives Andy a hard time.  He also tells Andy two things that change Andy’s perception of his job.  The first is that they will send him a female eventually and the second is that the contract he signed stipulates that he will be in the zoo for life, not for a year.  Thud. (more…)

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Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez–Locke & Key: Volume Four: Keys to the Kingdom (2011)

Posted in Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes, Christmas Album, Death, Demons, Fears, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ghosts, Graphic Novel, Joe Hill, Revenge, Supernatural, Tori Amos, Violence, Yuck! on December 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

 locke4SOUNDTRACK: TORI AMOS-Midwinter Graces (2009).

midwinterI had loved Tori Amos for many years, but I got bored with her mid 2000s works, they were too adult contemporary for my liking.  So I wasn’t that excited to hear this Christmas album.  But Sarah bought it for me that year anyhow, and I have really grown to like it a lot.  At the same time there are a few things about it that drive me insane–particularly the crazy and I’ll say it, stupid way she pronounces words in her songs.

If Tori were not a native English speaker I would forgive her (I love a lot of non native English speakers as singers).  But she was born in the US and now lives in England and none of the weird things she does reflect any “accent” nor do they reflect the way she speaks.  She has a very distinctive way of mispronouncing certain words (which she seems to have developed late in her career) which is maddening and often makes the words unintelligible. Why would one do that?

That aside, the melodies and (most) vocals are really lovely.  For this album Tori takes some bits of traditional carols and tinkers with them. The accompanying DVD has an interview in which she explains her inspiration. But without knowing this, some of these versions can be very upsetting.  The first time I heard the first song I just did not understand what was happening–it’s just so wrong.  And while I’m not saying I “get” it now, but I enjoy it more because it uses the carols as a jumping off point..

“What Child, Nowell” is very disconcerting because the song changes so many different things at once.  It has a string section opening and then lyrics to What Child is This (in a very different melody). When she switches the vocal line in the “this this” part, you know something’s up, and when it jumps to the Nowell section (which is also done differently), well, who knows what’s happening.  It’s an unusual track but lovely. “Star of Wonder” has a very cool middle eastern lick. It opens with the we three kings line, but is immediately changed into something different (lyrics and melodies). I just love the chorus of this which modifies “star of wonder” in a cool way.   “A Silent Night with You” is a romantic song (her voice sounds a little funny) But the melody is very pretty.   “Candle” Coventry Carol” I don’t recognize the melody of the Candle part but the Coventry Carol party has a wonderful Victorian melody (it could do with more olde instruments, I think).

“Holly Ivy an Rose” has a pretty piano melody.  I love the melody even more when the chorus comes in.  But I genuinely don’t like when Tash’s voice kicks in—it feels flat to me. I appreciate her using her daughter (and I feel bad criticizing a nine-year old), but I think Tori’s voice sounds so magical that her daughter’s voice just can’t match.  “Harps of Gold” I didn’t realiy like the musical opening of this (the guitars sound really pale compared to the rest of the disc, but I love the drums –simple but so effective). This song is the one where I really noticed how weird Tori emphasizes words now. I was sure that she she was singing “Napoleon” (Nah ha poh ho lee un) which I know made literally no sense for the song.  In fact she is singing “Gloria” (Gluh hoe hoe Ree uh). That speaks volumes about how weirdly she has been emphasizing words on the last few albums.  Despite that weirdness, I really like this song and I will continue to sing “Napoleon.”

“Snow Angel” is a bit adult contemporary for me, but I find myself singing it a lot, so I must like it.  “Jeanette, Isabella” is a pretty song with a lovely melody but for some reason it’s not very catchy.   “Pink and Glitter” is a big band type swing number.  It comes as quite a shock after the mellow song before it). I love the chorus—Tori’s voice works very well with this style of music.  But again, what’s with the weird emphasis. “honorable mention” is sung strangely:  “men she un.”  And worse yet, the song ends with the word “pink” and yet she sings it without the final k so I was sure she was singing “shower the world with pain.”  What gives?

“Emmanuel” begins with the “O come O come” lines. It’s a little too slow.  This is another song where she mispronounces words on purpose–the way she says Israel is crazy.  But as soon as it switches to her own song, it becomes quite lovely.  “Winter’s Carol” is actually from her musical ‘The Light Princess.”  It reminds me a bit of her song Marianne and it’s really quite nice musically, but again, the way the words are sung is insane: “first song oov the robin, i koh through the land” Its a shame her pronunciation is so awful because the song is quite lovely (and the lyrics are good too).  I love the backing vocals–her niece sings them and she is quite fabulous.  The disc proper ends with “Our New Year,” it is a pretty song with nice string arrangements but a rather sad sentiment and kind of a downer way to end the record.

My copy has two bonus tracks: “Comfort and Joy”  It plays on the lyrics of “let nothing you dismay” and “glad tidings.”  It’s a totally different with a slow angsty ballad.  “Silent Night” is a mostly straight but with some different lyrics in the later verses.  But why does she say “pierce” instead of “peace?”

[READ: December 23, 2014] Locke & Key 4

This book opens with a tribute to Bill Watterson, in which all of the scenes in Bode’s head resemble Calvin and Hobbes (somewhat).  Bode is ostracized in school because he’s pretty weird.  His mom wants him to have friends, but he doesn’t seem to be able to make any.  But when he finds the animal key (which Scout used to transform into a wolf), Bode transforms into a…sparrow?  He is bummed until he realizes the power of a group.  And when he and his bird friends are able to take on the wolf, that’s pretty awesome (this is, sadly the bloodiest section so far in the book).

Chapter Two introduces us to the color key, in which Kinsley is able to turn into a black girl.  She does this when she realizes that the woman who wrote her name next to her father’s in that underwater cave is in the nearby madhouse.  The woman, Erin Voss, is black.  And racism is rampant in this section of town (and in the asylum).  Of course, when she screams the word white, it’s not because Kinsey is white, but because of something that Scout has done to her.

Chapter Three is set up in an interesting way.  Each day of the month is represented by some event (with very little in the way of context).  So there’s an embarrassing hockey loss for Ty, a breakup between Kinsey and Zack, and on the weekends they fight shadowy evils.  They also find some more keys, one appears to be for a cupboard filled of all kinds of things, another is a Hercules key.  There’s a lot of tears (and bloodshed) in February. (more…)

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Derek Kirk Kim–Tune Book 1: Vanishing Point (2012)

Posted in Alternate Reality, Art, Christmas Album, Derek Kirk Kim, Fears, First Second :01, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Graphic Novel, Short Books, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, YA Books on December 21, 2014| 1 Comment »

tune1 SOUNDTRACK: STUCK IN THE CHIMNEY (2000).

StuckinthechimneyThis is the second Parasol records Christmas sampler.  I was more excited about this one, but it turns out to be similarly mid-tempo and kind of dull.  Even the band I was excited about The Soundtrack of Our Lives created an uninspired song that I’d never listen to more than once.

THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES-“Jingle Hell (Stuck in the Chimney)” Done to the basic music of “Blister in the Sun” (but slightly different and on keyboard)—a punk blast which then gets really silly full of nonsense.  If this had been an indicator of the rest of the album, I may have enjoyed it more.  THE GREEN PAJAMAS-“O Holy Night” Guitar based, pretty if a little slow.  WHITE TOWN-“December” Nice harmonies a pretty song (even if the lyrics are rather dark).  NEILSON HUBBARD-“Merry Christmas (Whereever You May Be)”  I love that it opens with a toy piano (always fun) but then it slows down way too much.  ABSINTHE BLIND-“Silent Night” Guitar version (which is a nice change).  This is a quiet song with lots of singers—pretty but not sappy.  FONDA-“Last Christmas” I don’t generally like this song (what a weird sentiment) but this version’s simple strummed guitar is cool.  SUKILOVE-“X-Mas for Aliens” Slide guitar and a blues riff propel this slow, funny song.  GEORGE USHER GROUP-“Christmas in the Lion’s Den” Rocking guitar with a heavyish riff.  JENNIFER JACKSON-“Blue Christmas” Slow sad version of the song on simple guitar and vocals.  ERIK VOEKS-“Cruel Tide” A slow minor key riff lets you know this song is not a happy one.  DOLEFUL LIONS-“Jesus Christ” A slow song (I mean jeez look at their name) about Jesus’ birth.  VITESSE-“Ice & Ribbons” a new wave sound, but rather mopey.  FRIENDS OF SOUND-“I Don’t Want Presents” Cool guitar notes and interesting sounds but slow drawly female vocals.  JOHN HOEFFLEUR AND REBECCA RURY AND STEVE UCHEREK-“Christmas @ Friedrich’s” With his deep voice folkie guitar (sounds a bit like Mike Doughty) this song (which is kind of funny) is probably the catchiest song on both discs.  TOOTHPASTE 2000-“7-ELEVEN CHRISTMAS” I enjoyed Toothpaste 2000 on the other disc too.  This one is weird sounding fun and of course it being about 7-11 is also amusing. Then a rocking guitar comes in, and it’s even better.  JOE ALGERI-“Computer Xmas” Light song about getting cool stuff for Christmas.

Overall this disc is better than the first one.  But it’s not something I want to put on a lot.

[READ: December 15, 2014] Tune: Vanishing Point

I love everything Derek Kirk Kim does.  But this series may be the best one yet.  It is funny, it has great art and it is ever surprising.

Andy Go, an art student wakes up to find himself in, a replica of his house being watched by a whole bunch of aliens.  What the heck?

We flash back to see Andy and his two art school friends congratulating themselves on finishing yet another year of school.  They bemoan their lack of coolness until Yumi, the girl who Andy has a massive crush on, comes over.  She celebrates with them and they all wonder what they will do next year.  Until Andy says that he is dropping out of school.  He says he doesn’t need a piece of paper to say that he is an artist.  He has applied for jobs all over the place and they should just come pouring in.  You know what that means. (more…)

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Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez–Locke & Key: Volume Three: Crown of Shadows (2011)

Posted in Christmas Album, Death, Demons, Fears, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ghosts, Graphic Novel, Joe Hill, Revenge, Supernatural, Violence, Yuck! on December 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

 locke3SOUNDTRACK: CHRISTMAS SINGLES (2000).

singles I got this album from Parasol Records because I was looking for alternatives to the standard Christmas carols. I always think its fun to find variations of songs which you won’t hear on the radio or in movies. So this seemed like an interesting indie selection. Parasol put out a few bands that I liked The Soundtrack of Our Lives, White Town) so it seemed like a good place to start.  There are lots of bands I’ve never heard of (before or since) on the disc as well (as befits a label sample).

And I have to say that overall this collection is pretty disappointing.  The songs are all kind of flat and unremarkable.

ERIK VOEKS-“Christmas Singles” a good melody, vaguely 90s alt rock lite. There’s a nice chorus but the song isn’t all that catchy.  ELIZABETH ELMORE-“White Christmas” gentle guitar version of the song. Upbeat and pleasant.  MARK BACINO-“Merry Christmas, I Love You” this sounds a bit like an Elvis Costello song (nice guitar pop) with a nice chorus.  ANGIE HEATON-“Hard Candy Christmas” a slow downbeat folkie song pretty but sad.  GEORGE USHER GROUP-“I’ll Be There on Christmas Day” although the message is upbeat the music is slow and sad.  VITESSE-“The Last Days of December” a mildly electronic song with low vocals…nothing special.  WHITE TOWN-“Merry Fucking Christmas” a buzzy and noisy fast song with inaudible lyrics (something about this is all a waste of time).  But far less mean spirited than the title suggests.  FRIENDS OF SOUND-“Christmas Light, End a Fight” synths and soft languid female and male.  There’s some weird vocal effects in the middle. Not too inspiring either.  ELK CITY-Deer Crossing” upbeat folkie guitar song.  PHILO-“Everyday will be Like  a Holiday” fuzzy, poorly recorded, hard to understand.  KAYLA BROWN-“All I Want for Christmas” this is a pretty, original acoustic folkie song.  TOOTHPASTE 2000-“I Wish That Everyday was Christmas” opens with the lines from “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” but with a very different melody. Then he writes his own lyrics—upbeat 90s alt rock.  This is rocking and fun, one of the best songs on the disc.  SIGNALMEN-“Holiday Wine” a soloing and rocking guitar but not a very rocking song.  SHALINI-“Nutrocker” This is my favorite song on the disc, a swinging and fun instrumental version of the nutcracker.  MATT BRUNO-“Merry Christmas” slow crooning voice over simple keyboard notes. A pretty song but nothing special.  DOLEFUL LIONS-“Auld Lang Syne” guitars and synth a fuzzy version that’s okay.

So yes, aside from a few tracks, this is a pretty mid tempo and kind of dull collection.  Shame.

[READ: December 12, 2014] Locke & Key 3

Even though Rufus doesn’t appear in this book (and he seemed so crucial at the end of book two), this book just made the story get even better.

As the first chapter opens, Scout (Zack) finds the ghost key and meets up with Sam (the boy who killed the Locke’s dad).  They have a huge fight–Sam is mad that Scout keeps using him.  And we learn that Scout is vulnerable in human form.  (I also LOVE that Scout is wearing a Pac-Man ghost shirt).  As the book ends, Scout drops one of the four keys that he now has and Tyler’s mom finds it.

Chapter Two focuses on Kinsey.  She is still without fear and although Zack is hitting on her (and she seems to be reciprocating) she suddenly has a new admirer–a skinhead (mostly) with tattoos who says that he has seen her dad’s name graffiti’d in a cave.  She’s curious (and clearly not afraid) so she agrees to go along.

They head down to the locked off (no trespassing area) of the cave.  But when they get to the cave, it is flooded.  Kinsey, having no fear, jumps into the freezing water.  But after a few minutes of panicking and teasing, the stairs that they are sitting on collapses and all four of them, Scot (the skinhead) and his friend Jamal and Kinsey’s friend Jackie plunge into the water.  It’s a pretty tense moment until Kinsey figures out a way to rescue them. (more…)

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Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez–Locke & Key: Volume Two: Head Games (2011)

Posted in Christmas Album, Death, Demons, Fears, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ghosts, Graphic Novel, Joe Hill, Revenge, Sufjan Stevens, Supernatural, Violence, Yuck! on December 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

 locke2SOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS and FRIENDS present Let It Snow! songs for Christmas vol. 9 (2009).

sufjan 9 Disc 9 of the series is a return to the old style after the freakout of Vol. VIII.  It’s only 21 minutes long and features a number of fun Christmas Carols (done as only Sufjan can do them).

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” sounds traditional with harps and bells.  “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (this is the first time he’s done Santa-centric songs) has fun group singing (which reminds me a bit of Peanuts).   There’s lots of layers of voices, and it’s almost chaotic, but not quite.  “The Sleigh in the Moon” was written and sung by Cat Martino.  It’s a slow pretty song.

“Sleigh Ride” is old school sounding but with some modern effects thrown in too.  It ends with a whole mess of silly sound effects.  “Ave Maria” has such a beautiful melody that it’s a shame he messes with it here. I don’t really care for this version.  “X-Spirit Catcher” has a nice melody.  It’s an upbeat fun song but it gets kinda weird near the end with overlaid vocals sounds.  “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” also has a very unexpected melody–it’s minor key and sad.  It’s a weird way of dealing with the song but it’s very pretty in its melancholy (this is melody he can mess with).  “A Holly Jolly Christmas” also has a tinkered melody.  This time just a tweak, but it’s surprising.  The music sounds like a calliope.  “Christmas Face” ends the disc.  It’s a sweet song, only 40 seconds long. It was written and sung by Sebastian Krueger.

It’s fun to have the Christmas albums of old back from Sufjan.

[READ: December 12, 2014] Locke & Key 2

I enjoyed Book 1 of this series so much I couldn’t wait to read Book 2.  And book 2 not only did not  disappoint, it was even better than the first.

The book opens with the ghost from the well (who goes by Scout, although he is now known as Zack) hunting down an old teacher who seemed to recognize him (from when he was Luke a generation ago).  But this murder gets the police involved, especially when they see that the professor fought back and left some evidence.  But Scout’s real problem is with Ellie and her son Rufus.  She keeps calling him Luke (instead of Zack) and seems to be making his reemergence very difficult.  But at the same time, he knows he needs her so he can’t get rid of her.

Zack is also getting quite friendly with Tyler.  Tyler seems to be adjusting fairly well,  He can’t stop thinking about his father (understandably) but he seems to be making friends (of questionable quality, naturally).   His mom is looking pretty haggard, though, what with everything going on.  And to make things worse, Duncan, the guy who has been helping out around the house and cooking them good food (he’s related in some way although I don’t know how exactly) is ready to head back to Provincetown.  This means bad food ahead for the Locke family.

On the supernatural front Bode has found a new key and this one lets you see inside people’s heads (I adored the way it was drawn, and won’t spoil it).  (more…)

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Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez–Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft (2008)

Posted in Christmas Album, Death, Demons, Fears, George O'Connor, Ghosts, Graphic Novel, Joe Hill, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Revenge, Sufjan Stevens, Supernatural, Violence, Yuck! on December 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »

lcoke1SOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS and FRIENDS present Gloria songs for Christmas Vol. 6 (2006).

sufjan 6I was planning to write about Sufjan Steven’s first collection of Christmas albums, but I had forgotten that I had already done so back in 2009 [Vol 1 here; Vol 2 here; Vol 3 here; Vol 4 here and Vol 5 here.]

The next five volumes (from 2006-2010) came out in 2012.  This collection bucks the rather traditional tradition he had established with the earlier volumes.  Indeed, as the discs progress, they get more and more unusual.

But this first disc is quite traditional sounding.  It has 8 songs and is about thirty minutes long.

“Silent Night” is very pretty with gentle acoustic guitars and lots of backing vocalists. The solo is kind of a singing saw I think—a little odd, but neat.
“Lumberjack Christmas/No One Can Save You from Christmases Past” is filled with fiddles and is quite sweet (with a very familiar melody (and ho ho hos).
“Coventry Carol” I love the introductory melody of this song, it’s so pretty.  The voices feature multiple harmonies;  it’s quite lovely.
“The Midnight Clear” despite the title and first line, this is not “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” but a song inspired by that one. This is a very pretty song with a complex melody and lots of filigree in the instrumentation.
“Carol of St. Benjamin the Bearded One” I love this instrumental opening (about 90 seconds) which plays with a twist on “Hark Hear the Bells” and then plays some different instrumental sections but always returning to that Hark section. It’s very cool.  When the vocals come in it mellows out quite a bit and is still very pretty.
“Go Nightly Cares” has a very Elizabethan feel to it.  It’s a lovely 15th century instrumental.
“Barcarola (You Must Be A Christmas Tree)” is 7 minutes long. It begins slow but gets bigger and bigger with a section from Do You Hear What I Hear (the “following yonder star” melody)
“Auld Lang Syne” is a very pretty version on acoustic instruments with lots of singers.  It’s a nice way to end the EP.

[READ: December 5, 2014] Locke & Key 1

I heard about this graphic novel series when Joe Hill was on Seth Meyers’ show.  I didn’t really know too much about his writing style but I knew he wasn’t someone I was anxious to read (even if his book Heart Shaped Box must have something to do with the Nirvana song, right?).

But Seth made this graphic novel series sound really compelling, so I decided to check them out.  There are six collections in the series and they are all available now.

The first collection is called Welcome to Lovecraft and it sets the story in motion pretty much from the get go.  As the book opens we see two creepy looking youths harassing a pretty woman.  We see that they have killed at least two people, and things don’t look good for the lady.

Then we cut to some kids.  An older boy, Tyler; a young teen girl Kinsey (with dreadlocks and piercings) and a little boy. Bode.  They are all complaining about how much they hate living where they are.

Jump cut to a funeral with a bright red urn and Tyler looking down at it. (more…)

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Simon Rich–The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories (2013)

Posted in Beer, Christmas Album, Fables, Fantasy, Fears, Funny (ha ha), Gods, Hitler, Humiliation, Kissing, Man Seeking Woman, Marriage Trouble, Morality, Myths, NASA, New Yorker, Religion, Sex, She & Him, Short Books, Simon Rich, Zooey Deschanel on December 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

lastgSOUNDTRACK: SHE & HIM-A Very She & Him Christmas (2011).

shehimI love the packaging of this disc (the envelope with the Christmas letter/liner notes is charming).

I really enjoyed Zooey Deschanel’s singing in Elf, I thought it was really pretty and surprisingly unaffected.  So it’s not too surprising that she stared making records herself.  And M Ward seems like a perfect accompaniment to her slow, rather old school style of singing.

I have a hard time getting into the She & Him records though.  They’re just, yes, too slow for me.  The tempo is perfect for her voice, which is naturally very pure and clean.  And she even has a good crooning style, I just need the songs to be a little peppier.  Or like on “Run Run Reindeer,” I find her version is kind of abrupt, perhaps she doesn’t really hold her notes for very long which I find disconcerting.

I like the first two songs, “The Christmas Waltz,” and “Christmas Day” because they are songs I didn’t know already, so I had no expectations.  “Christmas Wish” is really nice with Ward taking lead vocals.   As for Zooey’s leads, I like “Sleigh Ride” quite a lot.  And their version of “Silver Bells” on ukulele is just beautiful.

This collection of songs is quite nice, if not a little too mellow.  It sets a mood and follows through all the way, which is good.  I really do wish I liked it more.

[READ: December 5, 2014] The Last Girlfriend on Earth

I love Simon Rich, but sometimes I lose touch with just how many books he releases.  So when he was on Seth Meyers the other night I learned that he had a new book out, which was great.  But then I also learned that I missed his last two books!  Jeez.  One is a novel and this one is a collection of short stories.

I have said before that I love Rich’s really short pieces–he is so good with a set up and punchline.  Most of these stories are longer, and they are pretty much all very funny indeed.

The book is set up in three parts: Boy Meets Girl, Boy Gets Girl and Boy Loses Girl.  And indeed, the stories in each section do match up to that general setup (it’s quite clever) although they are not connected to each other.  Several of these stories appeared in the New Yorker and it was fun to read them again and to see them in this new context.

Incidentally, they are making a TV show based on this book, airing in the new year on FXX, called Man Seeking Woman–I hope it’s good. (more…)

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Alessandro Baricco–Without Blood (2002) [translated 2004]

Posted in Alessandro Baricco, Alice in Chains, Ann Goldstein, Death, Fears, Foreign Books, Gojira, Iron Maiden, Marriage Trouble, Mastodon, New Yorker, Short Story, Translators, Violence, War on November 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

withoutSOUNDTRACK: GOJIRA-L’Enfant Sauvage (2012).

gojiraGojira is a French heavy heavy metal band, and this album was highly recommended back in 2012 (I didn’t realize it wasn’t their debut–they have quite a few records out already).  This album is quite heavy, but it has a lot of diverse elements to keep it interesting.

At the same time, they do rely on a couple of guitar effects which make the album weirdly samey (no idea if they do it on other albums too).  The two biggest offenders in this “repeated” scenario are the seeming over-reliance on the open high e string to add contrast to the heavy chugging chords.  It’s a cool effect once or twice but they do it a lot (especially in the song “The Axe” where it happens way too much and which is then followed by “Liquid Fire” where they do it again).  The other thing they do is this weird scraping sound.  It happens in the first few notes as the disc opens (in “Explosia”).  It’s a really cool sound and quite distinctive.  When you do a weird sound like that a lot in one song, it feels like maybe too much, but then to do it in several other songs, it feels like a crutch.

Which is a shame because the rest of the album is really interesting–the vocals are growly but audible and there’s occasionally really cool backing harmony vocals (“Liquid Fire”) and some really unusual different parts to songs.

So “Explosia” opens really heavy with a crazy riff and pounding drums (and that weird scraping sound).  I love that at 2:30 it switches from bludgeoning to slower (but still heavy) and that as the song fades out with another heavy section there are slow guitar notes that remind me of a Western.  It’s really cool. “L’Enfant Sauvage” uses that open high E string in an interesting riff (by doing more than just letting the string ring out).  (The scraping sound appears here too, but in limited quantity). I like the way the song’s volume just drops for the last thirty seconds or so.

“The Axe” opens with a pummeling drum and guitar sound.  “Liquid Fire” alternates between heavy guitars and that open high E sound.  “The Wild Healer” is a simple, pretty instrumental.  It is 2 minutes long and the main riff is simple one (again all on one string).  There’s an interesting solo that plays along behind the main riff which is quite pretty–but it all ends very abruptly.

“Planned Obsolescence” jumps right in with some pummeling guitars (an a scrape sound).  It slows down a bit, but towards the end the pummeling double bass drums resume until the really slow sweet guitar section that comes in around 3:45.  “Mouth of Kala” has a heavy riff which is a cool change (even if the riff is fairly simple).  But there’s some nice melodies that alternate with the heavy stuff.  I also really like the way the song ends with a very different riff and sound than the beginning.  (And the backing vocals are really cool too).

“The Gift of Guilt” has an interesting open E string riff (which is similar to Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper,” although they do something very different with it.  This song is just littered with odd effects, like a big heavy “bowh” sound and some high-pitched guitar pyrotechnics.  But I love the way it alternates parts (the growly vocals work really well here, too) and then ends so melodically.

“Pain is a Master” opens with a slow guitar riff and whispered voices, it’s a great change of pace for the disc.  Once the slow part ends, the guitars and drums pound furiously and we get some more odd effects–a siren sound (from the guitar) alternating with the ubiquitous scrape.  But the middle parts are really quite different, slower, slightly more menacing.  “Born in Winter” opens and closes with a slow and atmospheric section (delicate vocals even).  In the middle it gets heavier (and has some really fast drumming).

“The Fall” has an Alice in Chains vibe in one section and then a more cookie monster type vocal on another.  The scraping sound returns for a final showing. I really like the way the album just sort of disintegrated into random sounds as it ends.

So overall I really enjoyed this album. It’s probably nitpicky to complain about the overuse of certain sounds, especially since they are cool.  But they have so much creativity on the disc, that to hear the same things a few times just seems redundant.  Nevertheless the album rocks and is a really enjoyable metal album.  I was supposed to see them open for Mastadon earlier in the month but something came up and I had to eat the tickets (who knew you couldn’t even give away Mastadon/Gojira tickets, come on!).

[READ: November 21, 2014] Without Blood

I’ve been enjoying Baricco so much that I decided to grab this book while I was in the library too. I had already read this book a couple of years ago, or actually, I had read the version that appeared in the New Yorker.  The Wikipedia entry says that the New Yorker version is a”revised form” of the novel.  I didn’t know what that meant exactly.  But basically I gather it means that Ann Goldstein (who translated the New Yorker version) has re-translated the story (or that they edited it for the magazine the first time).

The New Yorker version is really long for a New Yorker story (it is practically the whole novel), so it’s understandable why things were a little shorter for the magazine.  But she hasn’t changed very much for the book.  There’s a lot of little modifications–tenses of verbs (in flashback situations), word phrases are altered, additional details seems to have been added and there is at least one small section in this novel that was not in the New Yorker version.

This “new” section is about a woman who is sitting in the cafe with them.  She asks the waiter about the two main characters and we learn a little about her past as well (it’s not relevant to the story and I can see why it was omitted, but it does flesh out the scene).  I am not willing to do a page by page comparison of the two (even though that is something I tend to do). But suffice it to say that the stories are virtually identical, although I found it more satisfying reading the novel version.

Since my original recap is basically how I would summarize it this time as well, I am including it here almost verbatim.  But in the spirit of the updated version of the novel, I am modifying this post from the original in small details–see if you can spot the differences. (more…)

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M.T. Anderson–The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen (2006) M. T. Anderson’s Thrilling Tales (Pals in Peril Book 2) [audiobook 2006–Marc Carrman]

Posted in Adventure, Anachronisms, Audiobooks, Children's Books, Fears, Funny (ha ha), M.T. Anderson, Mad Scientists, Marc Carman, Meta, The Sound of Music on November 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

[LISTENED TO: November 16, 2014] The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen

linoWe enjoyed Whales on Stilts so much that we were really excited to listen to this second book in the series.  However, this book, while featuring the same main trio, was actually quite different.

The gang has decided that they are going on vacation.  They’re a little bored (Katie’s mom has been doing things like cutting off her own hand just to freak out Jasper), so they take Jasper’s latest gadget and head up to the mountains for a little r n r (and a free dinner with the coupon that Jasper received).

When they get to the hotel (the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort), they realize that they can’t afford a room, so Jasper’s gadget attaches to the side of the hotel and looks just like it is supposed to be a part of it (apparently).  Of course, when they leave their invasive bubble, they have to go out through someone else’s bathroom and he is terrified by the calamitous sound that Jasper’s gadget made while attaching to the building).  They also learn that the coupon for a free dinner was fake.

When Jasper reveals to the hotel clerk that he is indeed Jasper Dash, boy technonaut, the clerk reveals that he is but one of many literary super sleuths in residence that night.  The Manley Boys and the Hooper Quints are there, and so is Eddie Wax and the Cutesy Dell Twins.

Who?  (more…)

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