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Archive for the ‘New Yorker’ Category

Maria Semple–“Dear Mountain Room Parents” (New Yorker, October 24, 2011)

Posted in Defiance of Anthropomorphic Sea Animals, Dinosaur Jr., Maria Semple, Modest Mouse, Neu!, New Yorker, Portlandia, Set at School, Short Story, Squiggleman, Talk Talk, Temple of the Dog, The Clash on February 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_10_24_31.inddSOUNDTRACK: DEFIANCE OF ANTHROPOMORPHIC SEA ANIMALS-“Untitled” (2013).

brockIt’s hard to review a band that you only saw once.  It’s also surprising that said band, which appeared on Portlandia has virtually no web presence–not a video to be found!

In a previous episode, two parents at Shooting Star Preschool are distraught that the music in their children’s classroom includes the likes of Mike + The Mechanics (a gateway band) and are “getting very stressed out that the head of our school does not know about Neu!”  (and doesn’t know that there’s Clash songs before “Rock the Casbah”).  The parents stand up for indie rock: “Who’s to say a kid can’t appreciate a guitar solo in a Dinosaur Jr. song?”  And then Modest Mouse’s Issac Brock brings in a crate of LPs (from the likes of Talk Talk and Temple of the Dog) and is more or less drummed out.

Well in the continuation of this skit, the four parents decide to form a band.  It is atonal and noisy and utterly devoid of melody and at one point Carrie Brownstein screams out “Everyone leaves me!” (all of this to a room full of stunned children).  I would love to get a link to the video, but there are none as of yet (nor of the amazing Squiggleman who headline the concert).

But just remember, kids prefer repetition like Philip Glass rather than Top 40 pop.

[READ: February 3, 2013] “Dear Mountain Room Parents”

Sarah and I have just finished a book by Maria Semple called Where’d You Go Bernadette.  Semple’s bio said that she had written for the New Yorker (and Arrested Development which is all the cred I need).  Interestingly she has only written one thing for the New Yorker (but it still counts) and it’s this Shouts and Murmurs piece (which I read and enjoyed when it came out).

In light of Bernadette, it seems like perhaps Semple has had some hands-on experiences with private school buffoonery.  In this story the teacher of The Mountain Room sends an email to the parents about their upcoming Day of the Dead celebration.  Immediately she has to reply that there’s nothing wrong with  Halloween and that the parents signed up “for Little Learners because of our emphasis on global awareness.”  But of course, it doesn’t get any better for her.
(more…)

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Thomas Pierce–“Shirley Temple Three” (New Yorker, December 24 & 31, 2012)

Posted in Ben Folds, Fraggle Rock, New Yorker, Oddities, Short Story, Thomas Pierce on January 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_12_24_12Viva.inddSOUNDTRACK: BEN FOLDS FIVE-“Do It Anyway” (2012).

doitThis single comes from the first Ben Folds Five album in over a decade.  I have been listening to the album recently and I can’t get over how much I love this single (which has long come and gone and made nary a dent on any chart).  When I first watched this video a few months ago, I was so busy watching it (with the gang from Fraggle Rock and other guests) that I didn’t really digest the song.  But man, it’s got everything, and I’m sad that it didn’t barnstorm the charts.

It’s one of Ben’s loud songs–where he bangs on the piano (a lot) and it’s got that awesome distorted bass that is so Ben Folds Five (the solo at around 4 minutes is great!–I mean, it’s no John Entwistle but it’s still great).  And to hear Ben get really excited singing “Okaaaaaaay” by the third time around is infectious.

I don’t really understand why Fraggle Rock are in the video.  It’s cute though (and Ben and the guests do a  quick cover of the Fraggle Rock theme at the end).  I imagine that having Fraggle Rock in your video might just limit its appeal to a young hip crowd, as well.  But whatever, the song is fantastic.

[READ: January 20, 2013] “Shirley Temple Three”

I tried to imagine what this title would mean–what could this possibly be about?  My logical conclusion was that it had something to do with an indie rock band.  Well, the accompanying drawing is off a small elephant-like creature.  And, indeed, the story is about a miniature mammoth named Shirley Temple III.

Here’s the thing though.  The story is ultimately about a relationship between a mother and her son.  The son is a distant, jerky guy who doesn’t show up to a family wedding and who makes his living on an Atlanta-based reality show.  The mother is a forgiving and loving woman who is God-fearing and hoping for the best for her boy–despite the choices he makes.

And yet, there’s the whole mammoth thing.  The reality show that the son is the host of is a show that brings extinct animals back to life.  There’s no science given to it but they usually resurrect two of the creatures (for TV) and destroy one of them…keeping the other in their extinction zoo.  Totally weird premise, right?  But again the story is more about the family than science fiction or even reality TV.

The plot transpires that the technician who created the mammoth couldn’t euthanize the second one, so the son brought it to his mother’s house (several states away) to avoid suspicion since what they are doing is against the law.  She asks her to watch it for him until the heat is off.  It’s a dwarf mammoth (no idea if such a thing existed) so it’s not going to get big.  Then he goes away for a couple of months.  She keeps it in the pen that used to house their dog Shirley Temple.

(more…)

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Kevin Canty–“Mayfly” (New Yorker, January 28, 2013)

Posted in Fishing, Kevin Canty, New Yorker, Short Story, Travel, Unlikable main character, Vampire Weekend on January 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_01_28_13Colombo.indd

SOUNDTRACK: VAMPIRE WEEKEND-“Arms” (Live) (2013).

TVampire-Weekend-608x287his track is a bootleg-quality live recording of a new Vampire Weekend song which may or may not be on the new album.  The sound quality is lousy, but you can hear all of the elements of the song.

It sounds like Vampire Weekend, but a bit slower than I’m used to.  I love Vampire Weekend more than I should, and while I’m open to them changing, I’ll be bummed if they turn into a different band (as their version of  “Unbelievers” on Jimmy Kimmel suggested).

Every VW album deserves a ballad, but I hope it’s not all slow songs–VW gives you pep!

You can hear it here.

[READ: January 23, 2013] “Mayfly”

This story opens with a beautiful and sad image–thousands of butterflies flying across a street on their annual migration to Mexico.  And hundreds of them getting hit by cars–smashing into windshields and grilles.

James, the driver of the car is not happy about it, but hi co-pilot (in the car and soon in life) Molly is distraught.  She demands he pull over.  Which he does, only to see that tractor trailers and other cars are not pulling over and are similarly smashing into the butterflies.  Finally James says there’s nothing they can do, so they continue on through the carnage.

They arrive at their destination–James’ old friend Sam and his wife Jenny’s house.  Sam and Jenny have three kids, including a new baby.  And they weren’t expecting James until the next day, but they welcome James and Molly warmly.  They have dinner and drinks and a nice time catching up.  James has a business trip to Denver the next morning, but he’ll be back that night.  They agree that Molly can accompany him since she wanted to visit a friend in Denver.  James and Jenny stay home. (more…)

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Tessa Hadley–“Experience” (New Yorker, January 21, 2013)

Posted in Ben Folds, Boredom, Marriage Trouble, New Yorker, Regina Spektor, Sex, Short Story, Tessa Hadley on January 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_01_21_13Blitt.inddSOUNDTRACK: REGINA SPEKTOR-What We Saw from the Cheap Seats (2012).

spektorRegina Spektor’s latest album has gotten rave reviews this past year and deservedly so.  It’s catchy and more than a little weird.  The songs could be huge but they don’t have the gloss that makes for big sellers.  Which is fine, because Spektor’s niche is perfect with her in it.

Amidst the quirk, there are some wonderful piano pop songs with unexpected lyrics.  There’s a great phrase in the opener “Small Town Moon,” “Today we’re younger than we’re ever gonna be.”  But after the pretty piano intro, Regina’s full band kicks in for some rocking verses.  “Firewood” is a gorgeous piano ballad dealing with a common theme in her songs: death (but with jaunty piano lines and a beautiful instrumental section).  And “Open” falls into this category as well–achingly beautiful (and a touch Ben Foldsy in the piano).  Although there’s some really crazy sounds on “Open” too, like Spektor dramatically gasping for breath after lines of verse.

The album is full of electronic “drum” sounds that are what I assume is really Spektor going “doo doo” and then electronically manipulated.  You can hear them on one of the weirder songs, “Oh Marcello” which has Spektor singing in a crazy Italian accent and has a chorus of “I’m just a soul whose intentions are good”–but not in the manner in which it was originally sung).  This drum sound is really prevalent of “All the Rowboats” a fascinating song that seems to offer pity for paintings in museums.

“How” is also filled with theatricality–and Spektor’s gorgeous soaring voice.  “The Party” is another big blockbuster number–lots of instruments and a big soaring vocal.  Wonderful.

“Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)” has one of the catchiest choruses that I have no idea what is being said (because it’s in French).  It also has great orchestration giving it a very worldly feel.  “Patron Saint” is another pretty song, with lovely strings.  The disc ends with an acoustic guitar/piano tune.  A simple song to “Jessica.”  This album is gorgeous and deserves a wider audience.

[READ: January 16, 2013] “Experience”

Tessa Hadley had a story in the New Yorker back in June (she seems to be a favorite of theirs.  I liked that one, and I like this one as well.  Hadley creates interesting scenarios for her stories, scenarios that I can’t really imagine happening (unless things are different in England).  But I feel like that scenario’s set up is neither here nor there for the point of the story.  So in this one, a woman who has very recently divorced from her husband is looking for a place to stay.   A friend of a friend who is going to America for a few months agrees to let her live in her house rent-free.  Now I’m not saying that that kind of thing can’t happen, indeed there is a lot of fiction based on the idea of staying in someone’s house while they are away, but I’ve never heard of it happening in real life.  And despite my saying this, I don’t have a problem with it.  I’m willing to believe it happens all the time.

So the narrator, Laura,  makes herself at home in Hana’s house.   She doesn’t have a ton of money so she is more or less subsisting on what’s around the house until she has to get a job.  She checks out all the rooms and enjoys the comforts of Hana’s well-off lifestyle.  Then one day she finds a key to a locked attic room.  She decides to explore the room and see what kinds of secrets it hides.  It contains largely the ephemera of a successful woman: porn videos, a wetsuit, coffee table books and a number of paintings (Laura believes Hana made her money in the art world).  But then she finds a box that contains more personal effects.  Including a diary.

The diary reveals that Hana had been having an affair with a man named Julian.  Hana describes Julian, who is married, as rough and as someone who hurts her, but that the s*x is great.  I found it charming that Hana wouldn’t curse in her own diary  writing “f****d in the shower” and “Then X and you know what.”  The last words in the diary were “He makes me so happy.”

Reading this makes Laura feel despondent–she has never had any experience like that–she married young, was dutiful and is now divorced.  Her husband was smart and gentle and rather boring–even when they split up it was reasonable.  This causes Laura to mope around a bit.  Until one day Julian knocks on the door. (more…)

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Rivka Galchen–“The Lost Order” (New Yorker, January 7, 2013)

Posted in Boredom, Holly Herndon, Marriage Trouble, New Yorker, Oddities, Rivka Galchen, Sexism, Short Story on January 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

2013_01_07_p139SOUNDTRACK: HOLLY HERNDON-“Breathe” (2012).

herndonI love when Viking (Lars Gottrich) publishes his year’s best lists on NPR.  Between his Metal and his Outer Sound categories, there’s always something weird and cool to listen to that I would not have heard elsewhere.  This year he may have outdone himself with one of the weirdest “songs” I’ve heard.  In one sense there’s nothing weird about it–it’s very natural–but the fact that Holly recorded it, manipulated it, tinkered with it and released it on an album is fascinating.

It begins with Herndon (presumably) inhaling (a gasping, disturbing inhale) and then silence.  A long silence.  Which I believe is Herndon holding her breath.  Then she exhales.  And the process begins again.  The ins-and exs-are manipulated a little bit, making them sound mechanical and somehow even more desperate.  Nearing the end, the breath has been manipulated beyond all recognition as a human sound.  And then it comes back, sounding more male than female.  It’s staggering.

This should absolutely be used for some kind of soundtrack for something.  It’s utterly unique and utterly fascinating.  And, best of all, there’s a youtube clip for it–no video, just the album cover, which means you can just focus on the sound.

 

[READ: May 26, 2012] “The Lost Order”

I was delighted to see that Galchen had a new short story in the New Yorker.

The story concerns a woman who has lost a lot recently.  She is standing in the kitchen not making spaghetti (an arresting opening if ever there was one).  She is concerned that she needs to lose weight, so she is trying not to eat.  She has also recently lost her job–she tendered her resignation (she likes that word, tender).  Her husband has recently lost his wedding ring (it doesn’t “mean” anything–they don’t care for symbols).  And she has just taken a phone call from a belligerent man who orders Chinese food from her.  She listens to the entire order and even frets about making it. But of course, she doesn’t.

I loved the idea of the her taking the man’s order and promising 30 minutes.  This actually happened to me once.  I mis-dialed and the person on the other end took my order, but when I went to the (Chinese) restaurant to pick it up they had no idea what I was talking about.  I did not, as this caller does, call back 50 minutes later and call the person a cunt.  I just waited for my food with a new order.  Because of my personal association with that part I would have liked more of that angle of the story, but it proves just to be one part of a disarming collection of happenings for the narrator.   (more…)

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Zadie Smith–“Some Notes on Attunement” (New Yorker, December 17, 2012)

Posted in Bob Dylan, Books about music, Burning Spear, Chaka Khan, Duke Ellington, Essays, How to Destroy Angels, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, New Yorker, Nine Inch Nails, Talking Heads, Zadie Smith on December 22, 2012| 1 Comment »

CV1_TNY_12_17_12Sorel.inddSOUNDTRACK: JONI MITCHELL-“The River” (2002).

joniMuch like Zadie Smith in the article, I was never much of a Joni Mitchell fan.  We may be one of the only houses in America without a copy of Blue somewhere.  Much of my ignorance about her comes from simply not being exposed to her.  Which also seems absurd and yet it is true.

I know her from covers, which should establish her as a great songwriter, if nothing else.  And by now I know a number of her songs, like this one.  This is kind of a Christmas song (it has the word Christmas in it), although it’s not very Christmassy.  I have a hard time believing that Zadie Smith’s husband never noticed that she is quoting the music from Jingle Bells in the beginning of the song though, as it’s really quite obvious.

It’s a  pretty song, and hey maybe it’s time to see what else is on Blue.

[READ: December 20, 2012] “Some Notes on Attunement”

I love hearing about Zadie Smith’s family–her hip black mother and her dorky white father.  I love that she embraces both sides of her life.  And when she writes about it, she presents it so fully.  So growing up her parents listened to Burning Spear and Chaka Khan and Duke Ellington and James Taylor and Bob Dylan and yet somehow never Joni Mitchell.  And she wonders how they didn’t know or perhaps why they didn’t like her.  [My parents were to old for folk music, so that’s my excuse].

She talks about the first time she heard Joni, at a college party (it was Blue, of course) and frowned at it.  Her friends, both black and white said, “You don’t like Joni?”  But, she explains, “Aged twenty, I listened to Joni Mitchell–a singer whom millions enjoy, who does not, after all, make an especially unusual or esoteric sound–and found he incomprehensible.”

And then at 33 she had another experience–listening to Joni Mitchell in a car with her husband on the way to Wales.  Which is where we hear her saying “And that bit’s just Jingle Bells.”  She says she didn’t expect to get much out of that line “and was surprised to see my husband smile, and pause for a moment to listen intently: “Actually that but is Jingle Bells–I never noticed that before.  It’s a song about winter…makes sense.”  Wait, how could he not hear that before??? (more…)

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Steven Millhauser–“A Voice in the Night” (New Yorker, December 10, 2012)

Posted in Dan Deacon, Holidays, New Yorker, Religion, Short Story, Steven Millhauser, Supernatural on December 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_12_10_12Steinberg.inddSOUNDTRACK: DAN DEACON-“Electronica Hanukkah” (2010).

elechanDan Deacon is rapidly becoming one of my favorite oddball musicians.  I really don’t know very much about him, but he seems willing to give away music to various projects and put them for free on soundcloud (he has a proper album out as well this year which has been well received).

“Electronica Hannukah” is a paean to consumerism–set to a noisy processed electronic beat.  The superprocessed chorus voice is, well, super processed.  Deacon’s song is snarky and funny and yet the harmonies are actually quite pretty.

I’m not sure that this is what the holiday is about.  But you can determine that for yourself.

[READ: December 19, 2012] “A Voice in the Night”

This is a multipart story told in multiple sections.  We have three story lines labeled I, II, III and each story line is broken so that the next can continue.  That may sound more confusing than it needed to be.  So let’s step back.  In story line I, we see the biblical story of Samuel, whom God called in the middle of the night.  In story line II, we see a young boy staying awake in case God calls him in the middle of the night.  In story line III we see that boy as an old man whom God has not called.

There are four breaks in the story, one for each time Samuel was called.  The first three times, Samuel assumes it is his holy master Eli who has called him.  But Eli is asleep and tells Samuel to go back to bed himself.  On the third visit Eli says that it must be the Lord calling him.  And he should answer correctly.

Unlike Samuel, the boy in the second story line is not a believer   His father does not believe and the boy does not want to stay for the religious part of Sunday school.  And yet the story of Samuel stays with him all the time and he tries desperately to stay awake in case the Lord calls.  Which he may not really want anyhow, as it means a lot of work. (more…)

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Alec Wilkinson–“Music from the Machine” (New Yorker, December 17, 2012)

Posted in Alec Wilkinson, Books about music, Essays, How to Destroy Angels, Johnny Cash, New Yorker, Nine Inch Nails on December 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_12_17_12Sorel.inddSOUNDTRACK: JOHNNY CASH-“Hurt” (2002).

cashI had never heard the Johnny Cash version of this song, but since it was mentioned in the article, I wanted to check it out.  I’ve never been a huge fan of Cash.  I like some of his stuff, but I’m not on board with the whole iconic man in black thing.  But I understand his tough guy schtick.

And that’s why I have a problem with Johnny singing this.  It s just too angsty for what I know from Cash.  Cash is a badass, he shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.  I just don’t buy “I hurt myself today to see if I still feel” coming from him.  And I don’t like the delivery of the verses.

On the other hand I like the chorus a lot.  The guitar sounds great here and it is less angsty than the verses: “I will let you down, I will make you hurt.”  That I can buy.  And I like the way he delivers those lines as well.

So I come away from this with a mixed feeling.  And yes, I still prefer the Nine Inch Nails version.

Interestingly, Reznor was really moved by the video, which I have not seen.

[READ: December 20, 2012] “Music from the Machine”

I was a little dismissive of Nine Inch Nails when Pretty Hate Machine came out.  I liked “Head Like a Hole” but felt the whole album was a commercialization of the industrial sound.  And indeed, it was, but I’m less of a purist now, so I can deal with it.

After Pretty Hate Machine, I fell head over heels for NIN, and I think that “March of the Pigs” and all of The Downward Spiral are amazing.  But after The Fragile, I lost interest again.  Perhaps NIN was a phase.

This article reintroduced me to Reznor.  I never really wanted to know that much about him, and thankfully, this piece only gives a little bit of background (unlike some of the really long New Yorker biographies, this one is nice and tidy with some family history but not too much).  It really focuses more on what he has been up to since he put Nine Inch Nails on hiatus (and since he won an Oscar!). (more…)

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Marisa Silver–“Creatures” (New Yorker, December 17, 2012)

Posted in Antlers, Death, KEXP 90.3 FM--Seattle, WA, Marisa Silver, New Yorker, Short Story, Threats, Unreliable narrator, Violence on December 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_12_17_12Sorel.inddSOUNDTRACK: ANTLERS-Live at MusicFestNorthWest, September 10, 2011 (2011).

antlermfnwIt took me a few listens to really appreciate this band.  The initial problem is that I thought they were someone else when I downloaded the show.  I was expecting something a bit more chaotic.  But Antlers play rather pretty alt rock–mildly orchestral with soaring vocals (especially on “Hounds,” which really showcases the singer’s range).  But their music is also kind of somber, not my favorite style.

This concert was recorded during MusicfestNorthWest and comes from The Doug Fir.  All of the songs are from their 2011 disc Burst Apart.  Their previous album Hospice was critically acclaimed, but I didn’t want t listen to a concept album about a person with bone cancer.  Anyhow, this set has a retro 90s pop alt rock feel, and any one of these songs could have a been a slow dance hit at goth clubs.

The set is 28 minutes and I have grown to like it quite a bit.  You can check it out here.  I also have a full length concert that I downloaded from them.  I’ll have to see if their music holds up for an hour as well.

[READ: December 15, 2012] “Creatures”

This story was really well done.  When the reveal is finally given at the end I was genuinely shocked.  And not because the author didn’t earn the shock but because of the wonderful way the story was foreshadowed as well as obfuscated.  There were several possible outcomes, but  I didn’t expect the one we received.

This story is about guns and children (I know, the timing is terrible).  As the story opens we learn that a couple’s little boy is being violent in school.  He’s three and he is in preschool, but he is running around “shooting” at people with a stick.  He in particular seems to pick on one boy (who he ultimately winds up biting).  The parents feel that the school is overreacting, because they don’t allow their child to play with toy guns and they have never see anything but sweetness out of him. (more…)

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Simon Rich–“I Love Girl” (New Yorker, December 17, 2012)

Posted in All Songs Considered, Anachronisms, Art, Death, Funny (ha ha), New Yorker, Pg. 99, Sex, Short Story, Simon Rich, Violence on December 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_12_17_12Sorel.inddSOUNDTRACK: PG. 99 Document #8 (2005).

doc8In yesterday’s post I talked about a pg. 99 concert in which they played the entirety of this album.  Since the album is available for streaming (and download) at Robotic Empire, I figured I’d give it a real listen.

While there’s no mistaking that this is the same band, I was surprised by just how nuanced this recording proved to be.  That almost seems like a joke because it is a blistering punishing punk album, but there are a lot of moments where the band is quiet and there’s only one instrument playing, or when you can actually hear lyrics.

The disc opens with a sampled quote about “Playing whatever you want as sloppy as you want.  As long as it’s good and has passion.”  This album is not sloppy at all–it’ s very noisy and chaotic, but the chops are there–the band is very precise.  I also like the unusual guitar sounds in “Your Face is a Rape Scene.”  “The Hollowed Out Chest of a Dead Horse” sounds much better on album than live–you can really hear all of the diverse parts and the interesting tones that the lack of noise produces.  And the ending is really quite beautiful (maybe if it has been in the middle it could have broken up some of the pummeling).

There are two more songs on the album than were played live.  In the concert, the singer said  that they only learned  those seven songs, which may well be true.  I love the title of the one extra track, “The Lonesome Waltz of Leonard Cohen.”  The Final Track, “The List (FILTH)” has a completely different recording style and sound, so I assume it must be some kind of bonus track.  Indeed, some research tells me that these are both bonus tracks, which makes sense as the end of “Horse” does sound like an album ender.

[READ: December 13, 2012] “I Love Girl”

I’ve said before that I really like Simon Rich’s super short jokes.  And I’m a little less enamored of his longer jokes.  This one was three pages and there was a lot to like about it, but something that kind of bugged me as well.

This “story” is about Oog.  He’s a caveman (duh) and he speaks like a caveman (which mostly means leaving the word “a” out before nouns).  Oog is Rock Thrower.  Oog is not too smart–he can’t make words good and although he understands the numbers one and two, he has trouble with three and four.  And forget about five.  But Girl is smart.  And once in school Girl helped him with his math by saying that four was just two twos.  He still doesn’t understand what she meant.

Oog loves Girl.  But Girl belongs to Boog.  Boog is an artist.  He draws pictures of horses and demands respect from everyone.  He also has sex with Girl right in front of everyone. (more…)

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