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Archive for the ‘New Yorker’ Category

Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi–“Gilgul” (New Yorker, August 15 & 22, 2011)

Posted in Advice, Fables, Fears, Fleet Foxes, From the Basement, New Yorker, Short Story, Supernatural, Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi on September 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: FLEET FOXES-“English House” (From the Basement) (2009). 

[DISCLAIMER: This post was published on September 6th see that post for details].

I love watching bands do things that I can’t exactly picture when listening to the song.  Sometimes it’s a scorching guitar solo.  Sometimes it’s an inexplicable keyboard sound. And sometimes, like with the Fleet Foxes, it’s gorgeous harmonies. 

I’m not saying I don’t believe that the Fleet Foxes can create such beautiful harmonies, it’s just that sometimes it has to be seen to be believed.  And in that respect, this video for the gorgeous “English House” is perfect.  It’s really neat to see all four of them hitting these sometimes complex harmonies while playing live. 

It’s also great to hear this wonderful song played in the great setting that From the Basement offers.  The only gripe is that it really looks like The Fleet Foxes could use a bath (which is somewhat less welcomed in HD).

[READ: August 30, 2011] “Gilgul”

I had no idea what “gilgul” meant; thankfully, it is explained in the story.  For some reason, I had a really hard time getting this story started.  I read the opening about three times before I could really settle down with it.  Once I did, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

It opens with a man, Ravitch, who was “encouraged” by a friend to sit with a Jewish “witch” who reads his fortune. She tells him things about himself (which he believes his friend had told her in advance) and offers to tell him when he will die.  He says no, blows it off and goes back to his life. Things the witch foretold start to come true, and while most of it is success for him, he is nonplussed and can’t really enjoy his new “happiness.”  He can’t stop thinking about the witch.    (more…)

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David Means–“El Morro” (New Yorker, August 29, 2011)

Posted in David Means, New Yorker, Short Story, The Flaming Lips, Unfinished on August 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE FLAMING LIPS-Live at Summer Stage, Central Park, NY, July 26, 2010 (2010).

This was a cool show that the Flaming Lips played in Central Park.  It came during the Embryonic tour and the setlist focuses on that album, but they play tracks from many of their more recent discs.  We get “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,” “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” and “Do You Realize??” as well as “She Don’t Use Jelly” (has the band ever not played this song?).

Wayne Coyne is in good form, enjoying the weather and ranting or raving when appropriate.  The dis of George Bush that introduces “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” is rather cathartic.  And the lengthy but enjoyable intro/explanation of “I Can Be a Frog” is really great–drummer Cliph gets to give examples of the proper sound effects for a motorcycle, the breeze, a bumblebee and a sneeze.  And multi-instrumentalist/godlike figure Steven Drozd just plays the hell out of everything–I can’t imagine what the show would be like without him.

I have two problems with this show–I’m spoiled by the NPR downloads, so this bootleg recording from about fifteen rows out isn’t crystal clear.  NYCtaper did a great job setting up in a close location, but while the music sounds good, as he points out:

I recorded this set with my best mobile unit from literally within the first fifteen feet of the crowd — great for atmosphere, but not so good for avoiding much crowd participation. I was so close as to literally be underneath Wayne’s bubble during “Fear”. The listener should understand that this recording was captured from a prime experience location at this show. With that caveat, enjoy!

As I said, the music sounds great, and you can really hear all of the instruments and effects quite well, but Wayne’s voice is not so clear.  There are some bits where you can hardly hear him at all (but hey it’s a free bootleg so shut up), and two–the Lips are one of the most visually stunning bands around, so hearing a live show with no visual, where you know something awesome is happening onstage is a major bummer. I know this is true for every concert that you listen to, it just feels moreso here–I mean, I didn’t even know that he walked around in the bubble during the intro to the set. 

I read some complaints about the setlist–that there were only 13 songs played.  I can see the complaint, but what you’re getting during the show is extended versions of lots of the songs.  Many of the songs have codas at the end or interactive introductions, so “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” comes in around 7 minutes and “The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine” clocks in about 9 minutes total (that’s a combined time of 4 or 5 songs usually).  And yes, Wayne does tend to chat a lot.  But he’s so sincere and his emotions are so genuine, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in them.  When I saw them live about eight years ago, it was one of the most joyous concerts I had ever seen.  And I’m sure they are only more so now (man I’m bummed I missed them with Weezer this summer).

[UNFINISHED: August 23, 2011] “El Morro”

It’s very rare that I don’t finish a story.  I was educated as a reader to carry on and to finish things.  You cant’ criticize something, I was told, if you don’t watch/read/see the whole thing.  But you know what, sometimes you just don’t likes a story. So why should I have to devote time to something if  I’m not enjoying it?

All this is leading to me saying that I didn’t like this story and I didn’t finish it.

I read about two pages of it and I will say this for it: I really liked the dramatic structure and the dramatic risk that Means took.  He has two characters in a car.  One of them won’t stop talking (about the same 4 topics) the other one is sick of him talking.  By the second page, she is actually putting her fingers in her ears to block out the man’s voice.  That’s brave writing because we hear a lot of what this man is saying.  And, while I’m not entirely sure why she didn’t want to hear it, I didn’t want to read it because it was really dull. (more…)

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Dave Eggers–The Wild Things (2009)

Posted in Adventure, Barack Obama, Boredom, Children's Books, Dave Eggers, Maurice Sendak, McSweeney's, New Yorker, Spike Jonze, Threats, Where the Wild Things Are on August 26, 2011| 2 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: President Obama reading Where the Wild Things Are (2009).

A President who is literate!

Apparently my video won’t fit here unless I space this section out better.

I don’t really have anything to say, except that I enjoyed hearing him read this.

And it’s fun to watch the Secret Service pretend to be invisible.

One more line should do the trick.

See the video here.

[READ: August 24, 2011] Wild Things

Okay, so this is a novel.  It is based on Where the Wild Things Are, the film by Spike Jonze and Where the Wild Things Are, the book by Maurice Sendak.  Obviously, Sendak’s book came first.  But, it’s only got about 60 words in it.  So, how do you make a film based on it?  Eggers and Jonze worked together for a long time to craft a screenplay and then (as Egger’s Acknowledgments explain) Jonze more or less took over the film and Eggers went off to write this book.

Hence, the book is fully titled:

The Wild Things: A Novel by Dave Eggers Adapted from the Illustrated Book “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and Based on the Screenplay “Where the Wild Things Are” co-written by D.E. and Spike Jonze

I had read Egger’s except “Max” that was printed in the New Yorker ages ago and I liked it well enough, but it seemed so much like WTWTA, that I wasn’t sure what the point was (I didn’t realize it was an excerpt and, strangely enough, it’s an excerpt from several sections).  And since I had seen the film not too long ago (and honestly was kind of bored by it) I wasn’t really that excited about reading this.

But since I loved Zeitoun and this fur-covered book has been sitting near my bed for a couple of years now, I decided it was time.  And I really enjoyed it.

Well, here’s the thing.  This book is not a novelization of the film.  You notice that right away because the first chapter (which is awesome) is not in the film at all.  In it, Max rides his bike to his neighbor’s house.  His friend is not home but his mother is and when she sees Max all by himself and on his bike without a helmet she freaks out (even though they live about four houses apart).  His reaction and her overreactions are really very funny.

There are scenes from the movie in the book, of course.  It is adapted after all.  Indeed, it is more or less the same as the book, but there are many scenes which Eggers has added that really help to flesh out the story and give depth to everyone involved.  As a matter of fact, Max doesn’t reach the Wild Things’ Island until page 100 (out of 285 pages). (more…)

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Lauren Groff–“Above and Below” (New Yorker, June 13 & 20, 2011)

Posted in Air, Constellation Records, Huh?, Lauren Groff, New Yorker, Short Story, Tindersticks on August 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS: Falling Down a Mountain [CST065] (2010).

Another Tindersticks album comes out from Constellation!  This one features a bit more dissonance than I’m used to hearing from them.  Not crazy noisy dissonance, just sprinkles of it that make the album feel slightly askew: horns that are abrasive, strings that are foreboding and even Stuart Staples usually mellow singing is filled with vibrato (!) at times.

The opening song is an unusual track: a six and a half minute mostly instrumental which ends with some repeated chanting/singing of the title.   Given that this is the Tindertsicks, a band which at this point is possibly known more for its soundtrack work than anything else, it’s not all that surprising to hear an instrumental from them, but there’s something about the structure of the song that sounds different for them–it’s a slow builder with lots of horns. It’s really cool.

“Keep You Beautiful” is a slow, quiet number.  A beautiful showcase of that side of Tindersticks–harmonies and melodies aplenty.  “Harmony Around My Table” is a beautiful shuffling song which sounds like classic Tindersticks.  The twist is that Stuart kind of vamps around the end of the song.  It’s a catchy number with lovely backing vocals and some cool lyrics ( “I found a penny, I picked it up / The other day I had some luck / That was two weeks last Tuesday / Since then there’s been a sliding feeling.” ).

“Peanuts” is a sweet duet with the elusive Mary Margaret O’Hara it has some very sweet lyrics: “You say you love peanuts / I don’t care that much / I know you love peanuts / And I love you / So I love peanuts too.”

“She Rode Me Down” is the best song on the album and one of their best songs in a long time. It features some great mariachi style rhythms (handclaps, castanets, a flute) and wonderful brass section.  There’s also a nifty bass string (viola?) that adds an unexpected melody line.   There’s also the fun to sing bridge: “she rode me, she rode me, she rode me.”

“Hubbards Hill” is an actual instrumental.  It reminds me a bit of an acoustic Air song, all moody and tense.  “Black Smoke” has some creepy violins and Staples’ slightly askew vocals–he seems to be really straining, and it ends up with a wavery vibrato.  “Factory Girls” is a slow, delicate piano song.  It’s similar to some of their older songs, but it seems even more quiet than usual.  The final track, “Piano Music” is a great instrumental.  It’s slow and melancholy with some wonderful piano sprinklings throughout.

Again it’s hard to be surprised by anything Tindersticks do, their output is so varied, but this disc has some real surprises to it.  It’s not unusual for Tindersticks to create instrumentals (they do all those films scores after all, but I kind of associate the band with Staples’ voice.  That there are almost three instrumentals here is unexpected.  It feels like a transitional record, as if perhaps their next one will totally kick ass.   But at the same time, this one is really good too.

[READ: August 1, 2011] “Above and Below”

This story was surprisingly long.  It just seemed to keep going and going.  And that was fine, except that the story was basically about a girl who seemed to fall hard on her luck and then find some kind of circumstance that picked her back up again. And then up and down and then up and down.  Dumb luck seemed to keep her from hitting rock bottom.

So anyway, the main character (unnamed as far as I recall) was until recently a TA in Florida.  When she lost her job, and her funding, she decided to say “the hell with it all.”  She took the last few items she had, piled into her station wagon and took off.  She called her mom and told her not to worry, that she’d call again when she got settled.  Of course, her mom is kind of spacey and unresponsive and the narrator hates her stepdad, so the actually calling part may not really have been that high a priority.

First, she stays in her car until she eventually shoved off by the police.  She finds a new beach and a hotel with a gym where she can shower.  She basically has no intention of doing anything.  She should hit rock bottom but then the first of the unreasonable coincidences occurs: “She was baking on the beach when a leaf slid up over her stomach.  She caught idly at it, and found that it wasn’t a leaf at all but a five-dollar bill.”  Really?  A five dollar bill?  We should all that happen to us.  My suspicions were immediately raised by that detail, although I let it pass. (more…)

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Robert Coover–“Matinée” (New Yorker, July 25, 2011)

Posted in Funny (strange), Huh?, Meta, New Yorker, Robert Coover, The Skinny Boys, Workaholics on August 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE SKINNY BOYS-“Jockbox” (1986).

I didn’t realize that the theme song from Workaholics was from a real song.  I loved the “I’m fresh” bit in the show, but I thought it sounded like it might actually be from something.  Sure enough, the internet led me to this.  The Skinny Boys (evidently a response to The Fat Boys) from the hip hop mecca of Bridgeport, CT put out this beatbox song (with that cool sci-fi keybaord) as a shocase for their member: The Human Jock Box.

This is a pretty bizarre track.  And I’m not even sure what they’re talking about.  But I love the hiccups around the three minute mark.  Note also how by the end of the song, the keyboard plays the riff from Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” and then a little later “America the Beautiful” (with accompanying beatbox).  Wha??

The Workaholics bit is from 1:13 to 1:23.  You gotta be fresh!

[READ: July 25, 2011] “Matinée”

I’m not going to say how I just don’t get Coover.  Every time I read one of his stories I think the same thing: it’s clever but, well, so wha?  I know that Coover is an experimental fiction writer, but I just feel that there’s no emotional resonance to his stories.  Perhaps I like experiemntal art and music but not fiction.

There were some really cool tricks with this story.  All of the (unnamed–don’t get attached to them) characters are watching movies or are in the movies.  And so, in a series of what, infinite regresses? chance encounters? something, new characters are introduced, they watch a film (possibly of the people who were watching them?) they may or may not have sex and then the “camera” shifts to a new couple. (more…)

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Justin Torres–“Reverting to a Wild State” (New Yorker, August 1, 2011)

Posted in Buffalo Tom, Hüsker Dü, Justin Torres, LGBTQ, New Yorker, Sex, Short Story, The Afghan Whigs on August 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: BUFFALO TOM-Birdbrain (1990).

If Buffalo Tom’s first album was a kind of punky Hüsker Dü album (which I contend it was), their second album switches gears towards the Afghan Whigs.  In other words, they still have a raw punky feel, but they’ve added more textures and melodies to the proceedings.

And while Janovitz’ voice is still loud and bold, rather than the screamy sound of say Bob Mould, he’s got a more nuanced sound like Greg Dulli (for some of the disc, anyway).  I notice this especially on the second track “Skeleton Key” which sounds like it could be an outtake from an Afghan Whigs session (it’s not as a good as a typical Whigs song, however).  You can hear more of those Dulli-notes on “The Guy Who is Me.”

The songwriting is somewhat more comlex overall.  The title track “Birdbrain” is catchy not only in the verse, but the chorus is a wonderful surpise–really redirecting the momentum of the song.  Despite some variants in texture and pacing, the disc still retains that raw punk sound of the first.

The album feels kind of long to me, though (and not because there are two acoustic songs tacked on at the end).  At almost 5 minutes, “Enemy” is way too long.  And by the end of the album, some of the sameiness that was eveident on the debut has crept into this disc as well.  The last few songs in particualr seem to have a lot of that screaming voice over a fairly simple riff thing going on.

The cover of the Psyhedeclic Furs’ “Heaven” in a live aocustic setting is a nice change, but really should have been laced around track 7 or 8 to minimize redundancy.  The last track is a live acoustic version of the tenth song off their first album.  How odd to resurrect a very deep album cut in this way.  But, again, at almost 5 minutes (two minutes longer than the original), it just doesn’t hold up.

There are signs of change here, but they won’t become fully evident until their next album, Let Me Come Over.

[READ: July 29, 2011] “Reverting to a Wild State”

This story plays around with a timeline, but not in a crazy way–in other words, the story is out of sequence, but it’s not a gimmick.

In Part 3, we see the narrator “cleaning” a rich man’s apartment, in his underwear.  We have no real context for him or what he’s doing, but it’s an amusing little section, and ends with him seeming content.

In Part 2, we see the narrator fighting with Justin, the man who we learn was his boyfiorned.  They broke up, but are in a diner having what seems like a final hash-out. (more…)

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Edward P. Jones–“Shacks” (New Yorker, June 13 & 20, 2011)

Posted in AV Club, Books about writers, Coheed & Cambria, Edward P. Jones, Essays, New Yorker, The Smiths on August 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: COHEED AND CAMBRIA-“A Rush and a Push and This Land is Ours” (2010).

This AV Club Undercover is from last year.  Coheed and Cambria came in and covered this Smiths song.

As I mentioned the other day I liked just about every Smiths song.  So when I hear a song by them I pretty much automatically think, “Oh I love this song.”  And that’s true with this one.  This is a more obscure track of theirs, but since I was never one for just the hits, I know it and like it very much.  There’s something about the propulsive beat and the cool way Morrissey sings “oooohrush” that is really compelling.

But Coheed and Cambria covering it?  Coheed are a fascinating band in that they play beautiful acoustic melodies but also heavy fast metal.  Who knows what they’ll do with this song.

Well, they play it surprisingly delicate , and quite beautiful.  It’s actually a pretty straightforward cover as well.  But he brings a wonderful yearning to the vocals that the original is lacking (probably because of the tempo of the song).  This is a great cover.

[READ: July 19, 2011] “Shacks”

I didn’t know who Jones was before I read this.  Of the 5 Starting Out pieces this was the least inspiring.  (I’m not sure if any of them were meant to be inspiring, actually).  I guess what I mean is it focused pretty on one thing and stuck with it.  There wasn’t any “moving forward” feeling.

When he went away to college he wrote letters to the girl he loved who did not love him back.  That’s pretty much it.

The thing I didn’t get om the piece was his use (twice) of the, to my ear, awkward phrase “little shacks of life we can build”. I understand what he means, I just don’t think it really flows very well.  I’m not even sure if it works within the confines of the piece.  Like is a shack a shelter or a compartment? (more…)

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Tessa Hadley–“Friendly Fire” (New Yorker, February 4, 2008)

Posted in All Songs Considered, Marriage (Happy), New Yorker, Tessa Hadley, War, Wavves, Work on August 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: WAVVES-Live at Sasquatch, May 28, 2011 (2011).

I learned about Wavves from NPR–in fact I listened to their other NPR concert before even getting their album.  So this marks my second concert from them.  What makes me laugh about Wavves is that the songs are really short and Nathan Williams is a total chatterbox. When I burn these concerts onto CD, I use Audacity and I make tracks for songs and band chatter.  Which means that this Wavves show, which is just under 40 minutes has 20 tracks.  (Whereas S. Carey, at about the same length, has only 11).

This show has 14 songs.  Four of the songs are from their second album, called Wavves (which is also their second album called Wavves).  The rest come from King of the Beach (except “Wavves” from their first album and a couple of newer tracks).

The band blasts through these songs (I’m not even sure who is in the band, since the Wavves albums are a solo endeavor), and they all sound very good.  The album has kind of a tinny sound (on purpose, I suspect), whereas live the songs sound a bit fuller.

Lead Wavves guy Nathan Williams wasn’t that friendly in the previous show; he seems to be having a bit more fun here.  But really it doesn’t seem like you don’t go to a Wavves show to hear him talk, you go for what is undoubtedly the pogofest that is Wavves’ punk.  It’s a good set.

[READ: July 2, 2011] “Friendly Fire”

Pam runs a small but successful cleaning business–but her workers are pretty unreliable.  So her friend Shelley, the real protagonist of the story, helps out once in a while.  Shelley enjoys the work once in a while (she has a real job after all)–she can use the extra cash.

This job was cleaning a warehouse–not the warehouse section itself, but the bathrooms, kitchens and offices.  They arrive early, but the workers come in while they are working and Shelley enjoys teasing/flirting with the men when they come in to use the bathroom and find her bent over, ass waving in their face. (more…)

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Salvatore Scibona–“Where I Learned to Read” (New Yorker, June 13 & 20, 2011)

Posted in AV Club, Biography, Books about writers, Boredom, Essays, Fine Young Cannibals, New Yorker, Salvatore Scibona, Set at School, Sharon Van Etten on August 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: SHARON VAN ETTEN-“She Drives Me Crazy” (2011).

Sharon Van Etten (man, she is everyhwere!) went to the AV Club studios and did a cover of The Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy.”

The first time I heard the Fine Young Cannibals song was on MTV.   There was pretty loud guitar and then Roland Gift walked up to the screen and sing in a prposterous falsetto.  And I laughed really hard because I thought it was some kind of joke.  Over the years I’ve grown to really like the song.  I also really like Sharon Van Etten, who sounds nothing like Roland Gift.

This cover demolishes the oirginal.  Van Etten makes it her own–slowing it down outrageously.  She makes it twangy and more creepy sounding.  And obviouly, she removes those big crashing guitars and sharp angles of the original. There’s some backing vocalists (and a full band) so the song had breadth.  And it is fairly recognizable once you can follow the lyrics (it’s much slower, so it takes a good 45 seconds before you fully recognize the song.  But it is so very different. 

I enjoy the original more, bit this is a cool interpretation.

[READ: July 20, 2011] “Where I Learned to Read”

I don’t know who Scibona is.  As such, I’m wasn’t sure how interested I was in his past.  I mean, did I really need to care about him in this piece (by that token, should I really care about any of  the authors in the Starting Out series?). 

Anyhow, it’s an interesting introduction to the author.  This story talks of how Scibona deliberately tried to fail out of school.  He was happily making $3.85/hr at KFC and new he could get transferred anywhere in the country to another KFC.  It would be an easy way to travel.  So who cared about school.  Who cared about reading?

Well, he did, actually. As long as it wasn’t assigned, he very happily read everything he could get his hands on. But then senior year, a girl showed him a brochure for St. John’s College which offered a Great Books program.  It was just reading. Reaing great books.  Not books about Aristitle, but by Aristitle.  And it was in New Mexico.  He was hooked. (more…)

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Téa Obreht–“High School Confidential” (New Yorker June 13 & 20 2011)

Posted in AV Club, Awkward, Books about writers, Essays, Fears, Humiliation, Kanye West, New Yorker, Parts & Labor, Set at School, Téa Obreht on August 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: PARTS & LABOR-“Runaway” (2011).

Parts & Labor cover Kanye West’s “Runaway” at the AV Club. 

I didn’t know Parts & Labor when I played this, but I was really curious to see how any band of non-rappers would perform this awesome Kanye West track.  It’s a testament to how great the song is that Parts & Labor (who totally kick ass) can play around with it as much as they do (they wisely don’t rap) and retain the greatness of the song. 

Parts & Labor seem like a pretty standard punk-type outfit: guitars, bass, drums and keys (although some of their studio albums belie that simplicity).  But the keyboardist (who opens the song) is playing notes while manipulating effects pedals on top of the keyboard.  It’s a great introduction.  The bassist (with his amazing beard) sings in a couple of different registers that work out the angst of the song wonderfully. 

But for me the guy I can’t stop watching is the drummer. He opens the track with his snare drum on his lap.  While keeping the beat with one finger on a floor tom he is clearly playing the snares of his snare drum with a guitar pick.   When the song breaks half way through and he puts his snare back, he is a maniac of intensity and cacophony. It is amazing.  The second half of the song is a cathartic release for the noisy beginning. 

This is a wonderful cover.  And I’ll be checking out Parts & Labor on Spotify to see what I’ve been missing.  Watch it here.

[READ: July 20, 2011] “High School Confidential”

Continuing with the New Yorker’s Fiction Issue, we get this Starting Out essay from Téa Obreht.  Now, Obreht’s story was the least believable of the five for me.  As you can see by this photo, Obreht is adorable.  Now we all know people who blossomed from an ugly childhood or had a youthful gangly phase or grew into beauty or whatever.  But the introduction of her essay, when she describes herself in quite unflattering terms seems like it may be, if not over the top, then at least wishful thinking.

Téa

She claims she was awkward, tall, gangly with coke bottle glasses a huge gap in her teeth from one that never came in.  In reading it again I guess it’s not as dramatic as I though the first time, and corrective work could fix those things, but still.  It seemed a bit like that MTV show Awkward (second mention in a few days–it’s been a slow summer, TVwise), in which the main character is way too cute to be considered an outcast.

Too cute to be that awkward

But hey, maybe cute people have problems too. 

It’s when Obreht moves past that and talks about being made fun of for what she wanted to be that things get interesting.  

Obreht has always wanted to be a writer and when she let her classmates known that, they picked on her (oh are you going to write about that).  But she pressed on.  She was most devastated when the stories she gave to a boy in confidence were soon being read, aloud, by a girl who hated her.

Maybe cute girls are unpopular too. (more…)

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