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Archive for the ‘Magazines’ Category

Steven Blush–American Hair Metal (2006)

Posted in Books about music, Creem, Gilmore Girls, Guns n' Roses, Kerrang, Short Books, Steven Blush, Virginity (Loss of) on February 14, 2009| 1 Comment »

metalSOUNDTRACK: Hmmm….

There’s so much to choose from to go with this book.  And yet, despite how much I loved metal in high school, I really didn’t like hair metal at all.  In fact, when looking at the bands listed at the end of this book, there were very few that I own or intentionally listened to.

The bands that I liked in this book were: Ratt and Whitesnake.  I also liked Motley Crue’s first two records, but I gave up on them once their makeup went from Kiss to CoverGirl.  Nevertheless, I’m not going to review any of that music here, I’m just going to let you soak in the beauty of this book.

[READ: February 8, 2009] American Hair Metal

My brother-in-law received this book for Christmas. And he proudly showed it to me when we were visiting this weekend. I was immediately hooked, and rather than just flipping through the photos as I thought I might, I actually read the thing cover to cover.

So this book is a loving (or so it says) look at American hair metal of the 1980s and 1990s. The book is basically comprised of three things: outrageous photos, hilarious quotes and occasional comments from Blush. (more…)

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Colson Whitehead–“The Gangsters” (New Yorker, December 22 & 29, 2008)

Posted in Boredom, Christmas Album, Funny (ha ha), Gangsters, Holidays, New Yorker, Sufjan Stevens on January 9, 2009| Leave a Comment »

TNY 12.22&29.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS–Astral Inter Planet Space Captain Christmas Infinity Voyage-Songs for Christmas Vol. VIII (2008).

sufjan-viiiI downloaded this disc from an online source.  And no I don’t feel bad about it because it wasn’t officially released, so no one is losing money.  If it ever gets released I’ll surely buy it.

Volumes VI and VII are unavailable anywhere, so maybe when he finishes vol X, Asthmatic Kitty will release another box set of his Christmas EPs.

So this disc is a radical departure from the five volumes in the box set (who knows what he got up to from 2006-2007).  It is so different that I had to wonder if it is actually his release or just an internet prank. I mean, the cover is crazily different, the title is outrageous, and the music is…well, I’ll get to that.  On the other hand, Sufjan’s voice is so distinctive, that it’s hard to see how anyone could have pulled that off.

The title certainly implies space-age keyboardy stuff and that is exactly what you get.  There are virtually no acoustic instruments at all (except for “Christmas in the Room,” which is done mostly on piano.)

The traditional songs include: “Angels We Have Heard on High”  which has a fully electronic sound, but which works very well with the ethereal nature of the song.  “Do You See What I See” on the other hand is very mechanized.  It has vocals processed through a robot voice for some of the song.  And the backing vocals seem to be deliberately dissonant. The chorus, on the other hand is still quite cool.  “Good King Wenceslas” has the same electronic robot type voice, but that voice performs the entire song.  It’s disconcerting at best.  “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” is a keyboardy instrumental, with space effects thrown in for good measure.  “Joy to the World” is next to last.  It runs over seven minutes and is very mellow.  As with his previous recording of the song, I don’t care for the pacing of this version.  It’s very slow and meandering for what I often think of as a, well, joyous song.

“Christmas in the Room” is an original that is sung by someone other than Sufjan (no liner notes for the download).  It’s the only song that is not electronic, being done on a piano (although there are some keyboard flourishes in the background). “The Child with the Star on His Head” is a 13 minute (!)  song that is primarily instrumental. The first half of the song is very mellow (with gentle horns and a mellotron, I think).  The last 7 minutes are a cycle of the same refrain (with la la las) and a gorgeous trumpet solo (!).  The final three minutes are sort of a keyboard winding down, almost like a space ship lullaby.  It’s a beautiful piece even if it is wholly unexpected on a Christmas EP!

[READ: January 6, 2009] “The Gangsters”

I enjoyed this story immensely.

This line sort of sets up the basis of the story: “According to the world, we were the definition of paradox: black boys with beach houses.” (more…)

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Zadie Smith–“Dead Man Laughing” (New Yorker, December 22 & 29, 2008)

Posted in Andy Zaltzman, Christmas Album, Comedy Album, Edward Aczel, Essays, Fawlty Towers, Funny (ha ha), Holidays, John Oliver, Monty Python's Flying Circus, New Yorker, Political Humor, Smarty Pants, Sufjan Stevens, The Daily Show, Zadie Smith on January 8, 2009| 1 Comment »

TNY 12.22&29.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS–Peace! Songs for Christmas Vol. V (2006).

peaceThis EP comes very close to being my favorite; it may even beat vol 3.  In part because the disc is 35 minutes long (still short for Sufjan Stevens but longer than some bands’ full lengths).

Four songs are sort of repeated from other discs.  “Once in Royal David’s City,” “Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming,” (a pretty piano version) “Jingle Bells” (a bouncy piano version) and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (a slow piano version) are short instrumental reprises and act as nice segues between the more meaty songs.

“Get Behind Me, Santa!” is something of a Santa bashing song, but it’s still pretty fun (with some great prog rock synth sounds).  But it is nowhere near as delightful as “Christmas in July,” another original that is totally Sufjan, from start to finish.  It’s a great song regardless of the season.  The pair of “Jupiter Winter” and “Sister Winter” are two originals: one mellow, the other less so.  While I don’t love “Jupiter,” “Sister” is fantastic.

“Star of Wonder” is not the part from “We three Kings” but an original song full of Sufjan’s orchestration.  It is mesmerizing. “Holy, Holy, Holy” is another beautiful rendition of a classic Christmas song (the delicate harmonies are really affecting).  And finally, “The Winter Solstice” sounds just like its title: chilly and spare.

And that completes the box set, one of my favorite Christmas collections.

[READ: January 4, 2009] “Dead Man Laughing”

I have only read On Beauty (and a piece in The Believer to be reviewed later) by Zadie Smith and yet I feel that she has rapidly eclipsed many of my favorite writers.  There is something about her style that is just beautiful to me.  She writes deliberately and powerfully without overembellishing or resorting to anything beneath her.  People often say that they could listen to so and so sing or recite the phone book, their voice is so good (I feel that way about Patrick Stewart).  Well whatever the equivalent for a writer is, that hows I feel about Zadie Smith. (more…)

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Roberto Bolaño–“Meeting with Enrique Lihn” (New Yorker, December 22 & 29, 2008)

Posted in Books about writers, Chris Andrews, Christmas Album, Dreams, New Yorker, Roberto Bolaño, Sufjan Stevens, Supernatural, Translation, Unreliable narrator on January 7, 2009| 1 Comment »

TNY 12.22&29.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS–Joy! Songs for Christmas Vol. IV (2006).

joyThis disc has only one guest on it: Bridgit DeCook.  And she adds some very nice harmonies to some of the songs.  It also contains only one short (less than a minute) instrumental: “The First Noel” (which is a lot of la las and is really nice)The rest of the disc stays around the 3-4 minute mark, with no long songs.

There are two full-length traditional Christmas songs: “Away in a Manger” in a a beautiful simple folk rendition.  And there’s also the best rendition of “Little Drummer Boy” I’ve ever heard: it’s understated and moving with beautiful harmonies (and virtually no drums).

There are three Sufjan originals on this EP.  “Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time” has that distinctive Sufjan original sound.  Even though the instrumentation is simple guitar (really fuzzy out in the opening notes), it is clearly an original and a good one.  “Did I Make You Cry on Christmas? (Well, You Deserved It!)” is one of those songs that is stark and negative and yet it is so catchy.  It’s something that Sufjan does very well.  The third original is “The Incarnation.”  It’s a brief instrumental, which sounds rather mournful.

The final song, “Joy to the World” is a bit more subdued than I prefer this song to be, but it’s still pleasant, and the unexpected guitar riff between verses is unusual but very cool.

[READ: January 5, 2009] “Meeting with Enrique Lihn”

I had been hearing a lot about how Bolaño had died while finishing up his latest and last novel 2666.  And since the book was just released here, I had it in my head that he had just recently died.  However, as most anyone knows, this U.S. edition is a translation; the book was actually published a few years ago.  And Bolaño died in 2003.  This doesn’t really make a big difference to anything, it just somehow means I didn’t “just miss” reading him while he was alive.  But regardless, that has little impact on this story.

I just had to look up to see if Enrique Lihn was a real person (which shows my unsurprising dearth of knowledge about Chilean poets).  (more…)

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Alice Munro–“Some Women” (New Yorker, December 22 & 29, 2008)

Posted in Alice Munro, Canadian Content, Cancer as plot device, Christmas Album, Marriage (Happy), New Yorker, Short Story, Sufjan Stevens on January 7, 2009| 3 Comments »

TNY 12.22&29.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS–Ding! Dong! Songs for Christmas Vol. III (2006).

dingdong1Disc Three of the Sufjan Christmas collection is my favorite.  It returns to the more mellow, folksy style of the first disc (and is replete with banjo!).  It opens with some thing of a reprise of “O Come, O Come Emanuel” (only a minute long).  It’s piano and vocals and very pretty.  It proceeds to his boppingest, Christmas song on the whole set: “Come on, Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance” with multiple singers and lots of instruments (and a fugue pattern of voices, too).   It continues with two traditional songs: “We Three Kings” (possibly the best version I heard all season) and “O Holy Night.”  I’ve mentioned that “O Holy Night is one of my favorite Christmas songs, and this version is quite good, with lovely harmonies (from different people listed although, no one credited specifically for the track) and the way it builds to such a full song by the end.

Despite the title, “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!” sounds beautifully reminiscent of Sufjan’s catchiest banjo-infused songs on Illinois (the mellow ones without orchestration).  “Ding! Dong!” is a short instrumental.  “All the Kings Horns,” is an original.  And the disc ends with “The Friendly Beasts,” which some will note is Sarah’s favorite Christmas song.  I like this version more than most others, although the doubling vocals make it a little hard to understand.

So, hooray for Vol. III!

[READ: January 5, 2009] “Some Women”

Alice Munro continues to be shockingly prolific.  At this rate I’ll have read her entire forthcoming short story collection before it even comes out. (more…)

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Donald Antrim–“Another Manhattan” (New Yorker, December 22 & 29, 2008)

Posted in Christmas Album, Donald Antrim, Drinking, Funny (ha ha), Marriage Trouble, New Yorker, Short Story, Sufjan Stevens, Suicide on January 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

TNY 12.22&29.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS–Hark! Songs for Christmas Vol. II (2006).

harkIf we imagine that Sufjan had fun with vol. 1 one, then he must have had twice as much fun with vol. 2.  It’s nearly twice as long and full of a lot of short ditties.  “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” are short (less than a minute) instrumental versions (on keyboards which almost sound like a music box) of those songs (something that will become prominent throughout the series).  I love his version of “I Saw Three Ships,” the instrumentation is exotic and wonderful.

“Put the Lights on the Tree” is an original that sounds the most like Sufjan’s Illinois record.  It has those Michael Nymanesque fugue-like keyboard/orchestra bits and lots of backing vocals.  It’s only a shame it’s so short.  “Come Thou Font of Every Blessing” is a another mellow banjo folkie song that dates from the 18th century.  And “Only at Christmas Time” is another original, delicate and mellow.  I love that he can do such mellow songs even though he is known for his full orchestration.

“Once in Royal David’s City” (with lead banjo) and “We Three Kings” are sung by a guest vocalist: Vito Aiuto.  His voice is quite similar to Sufjans’s but is a bit more powerful.  “What Child is This Anyway” is a 6 minute keyboard-infused epic of the traditional song.  It’s very cool, with some interesting fuzztones on the keybaords.  And finally, “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella”  is a subdued ending to the disc, sounding like it was recorded on an old phonograph.

It’s a nice progression from the first EP.

[READ: January 5, 2009] “Another Manhattan”

Some stories move along at a very brisk pace.  This is one of those stories.  Admittedly, in the beginning it was a little tough keeping the characters straight, but after a few paragraphs, it all falls into place.

The story is about two couples: Jim and Kate and and Elliot and Susan.  Jim & Kate are married, and Elliot & Susan are married.  (more…)

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Mark Twain–“The Privilege of the Grave” (New Yorker, December 22 & 29, 2008)

Posted in Christmas Album, Free Speech, Mark Twain, New Yorker, Smarty Pants, Sufjan Stevens on January 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

TNY 12.22&29.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS-Noel: Songs for Christmas Vol. I (2006).

noelI haven’t been reviewing the individual  Christmas CDs that I listened to.  However, since there were  a whole bunch of stories in this one New Yorker magazine, (easily  the most I’ve read in one issue) and since there are 5 Sufjan Stevens EPs in this collection, it seemed like a good fit.

Vol 1 is the shortest disc of the five in the box set.  It was recorded in his basement in 2001.  But lest you think that this is a lo-fi affair like the kids are so into these days, you’d be mistaken.  Sufjan’s basement must be ENORMOUS!  This disc is multitracked, with harmonies, and all manner of esoteric folk instruments.

It has four familiar traditional songs, “Silent Night” (a beautiful brief guitar instrumental) “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” (a lovely acoustic number done slightly differently than normal) “Amazing Grace,” (a mellow banjo version) and what he titled, “Holy Holy, etc.” (a pretty, short instrumental). Two originals, “We’re Goin’ to the Country!” (a fun folky song with sleighbells) and “It’s Christmas, Let’s Be Glad” (rollicking an fun) and one traditional song that I’ve never heard of (and this is a trend on each disc) “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” (a 15th century German carol).

The disc is mostly sung by Sufjan, with his delicate voice and earnest falsetto.  And, as I said, the music is folkie, but with unexpected instruments.  In fact, his version of “Amazing Grace” is really delightful.  It’s cool to hear it in a more subdued version than some of the overblown carols out there.  It’s a promising start to what would become an annual tradition.

[READ: January 4, 2009] “The Privilege of the Grave”

This was a banner issue of The New Yorker.  Usually I read a few things, but this one was chock full of great stuff.  It started with this unpublished piece from Mark Twain that was written in 1905. (more…)

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Peter Behrens–“Feel This” (The Walrus, December 2008)

Posted in Canadian Content, Cancer as plot device, Drinking, Fishbone, Marriage Trouble, Peter Behrens, Ska, The Walrus, War on January 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

boniwalrus-dec08SOUNDTRACK: FISHBONE-Set the Booty Upright Bonin’ in the Boneyard single (1990).

This is a slight remix EP of their classic “Bonin’ in the Boenyard.”  The two remixes of the song (Bonin’ in the Jungle) and (New and Improved Bonin’) are okay (really nothing beats the original which is not included).  But the 3 other songs are fun b-sides.  “Love and Bullshit” is particularly good (even at under 2 minutes). It’s fast and furious.   “In the Name of Swing” is a jazzy romp with a few different sections for fun, and it features the nonsense that the band members talk and shout to each other in the background.

This is not essential by any means.

[READ: December 26, 2008] “Feel This”

This story about a brother returning from WWII has more depth than it might at first appear.  As we learn that the brother, Jack, has returned from the front under special circumstances, we see the family’s reaction to how he was discharged…honorably? …dishonorably? …or something else.

But really the story is about the family’s father, and how he handles disappointment (grief not really being an option for him). (more…)

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Heidi Julavits–“The Santosbrazzi Killer” (Harper’s, January 2009)

Posted in Fishbone, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Gangsters, Harper's, Heidi Julavits, Short Story, Ska, Supernatural, The Believer, Threats on January 6, 2009| 1 Comment »

haroers109SOUNDTRACK: FISHBONE-Truth and Soul (1988).

truthsoulFishbone opens up yet another album with a fantastic one-two punch. Truth and Soul is  Fishbones’s perfect blend of ska, punk and hardcore.  This album has a few heavy moments but it was recorded before they got the heavy metal into their system.

The disc opens with “Freddie’s Dead.”  Which is just a blast of rocking funk.  It is catchy, it is fun to sing along to, and it rocks. It’s followed by “Ma and Pa” a fantastic ska song that is darkly humorous [“Hey Ma and Pa, what the hell is wrong with y’all?”].  It also features great vocal effects throughout the song: grunts and groans in place of beats and notes.  It’s just fantastic. These are probably two of the best songs of the late 1980s. The following two songs slow things down a bit, with “Pouring Rain” being a 5 minute long ballad.

“Deep Inside” follows with a blast of punk and call and response vocals.  And “Mighty Long Way” is an upbeat, keyboard heavy track about friendship.  It also has a great guitar riff (and really shows off the wailing guitar solos that will come up on later records).

This all leads to the majesty of “Bonin’ in the Boneyard” (the lyric sheet for this states: “If you can’t figure this one out, then you are lame!”).  This song is just an amazing horn-filled, bass slapping riot of a good time.  In general I don’t like horns in rock, but there is something about horns and ska that are just perfect.  And I could listen to this horn section all night long.

“One Day” comes next.  It’s less hectic, but contains more great guitar work and some great harmony vocals.  It’s a very catchy song about racism.  “Subliminal Fascism” is another short song that shows some of  their newly found metal leanings.  “Slow Bus Movin'” deals more overtly with racism, and yet its comical use of western-style music is something of a surprise.

“Ghetto Soundwave” and “Change” end the album with another one-two shot of greatness.  “Soundwave” is a fantastic horn-filled song.  And “Change” is a truly beautiful ballad.

Truth and Soul is a great album.

[READ: December 29, 2008]: “The Santosbrazzi Killer”

I’ve been meaning to read Julavits’ novel The Uses of Enchantment for some time, but it keeps getting pushed back by other titles.  So, this is my first exposure to her as anything other than editor of The Believer.  And I enjoyed this story very much.

The main character is a overseer–she travels to a Cincinnati-based subsidiary research outfit and criticizes them.  At some point in the story she admits she’s pretty much an asshole: officious, nitpicky, antisocial, and really quite unpleasant (Sample: “I arrived with my insulated travel mug filled with clearly superior off-site coffee”).  On this particular trip something different happens: she gets to stay in a different hotel than her usual place: The Tuck Inn.

After doing her job (and making everyone very tense), she returns to her hotel and inquires about a place to eat.  The concierge explains that there’s a bar/cafe downstairs.  The snooty waiter/bartender offers her a “bible” of a menu (with at least 476 pages).  Among her choices are: the Grinning Necrophiliac and the Vengeful Subsidiary (which she requests, but is not allowed to have due to the bartender’s lack of an essential tool).   And so, she settles on the titular Santosbrazzi Killer.

After waiting some time, a gentleman sits down.  He explains that what she ordered was not so much a drink as, well….  I’m not going to give it away.  From this point the story gets very interesting: the tension mounts, and yet the dark humor never departs.  It was a very enjoyable story.

It also introduced me to a new verb: to jick.  It is used throughout the story.  Initially it described the action of clicking a ball point pen.  But as the story progresses, the verb is used in a few different places (usually denoting a sound), with the meaning always being relevant.

Assuming this is representative of Julavits’ work, I’m looking forward to reading her novel one of these days.

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Jonathan Lethem–“Lostronaut” (New Yorker, November 17, 2008)

Posted in Cancer as plot device, Epistolary Novel, Fishbone, Jonathan Lethem, New Yorker, Outer Space, Selecter, Ska, Technology, The Specials, Threats on January 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

ny1117SOUNDTRACK: FISHBONE-In Your Face (1986).

inyourfaceFishbone’s first full length starts out with two great songs.  “When Problems Arise” has the great stop/start techniques that Fishbone uses so well, as well as a great riff and some fantastic funky bass playing.  The second track “A Selection” has  a great ska feel, and could easily be The Specials or Selecter; however, Fishbone throw in a bit of humor (“No toothpaste?”) to make the song their own.

The rest of the album is good, but it stands in the shadows of its follow up.  (And, actually a bit in the shadow of the preceding EP).   The album admirably mixes up styles throughout.  It includes some of Fishbone’s lightest, most soul/gospel songs like “Movement in the Light,” but it also has some rocking tracks, especially the ending pair: “‘Simon Says’ The Kingpin” and “Post Cold War Politics” (the two songs together are less than two and a half minutes).

My copy still has the Used: $5.99 sticker on it, and I know I got it much later in my Fishbone appreciation.  But really the only problem with the disc is that Truth and Soul and The Reality of My Surroundings are just so good, this one can’t compare.  It’s a good stepping stone though.

[READ: December 26, 2008] “Lostronaut”

The title tells you pretty much all you need to know about this story.  “Lostronaut” is set up as a series of letters from Janice (an astronaut) to her boyfriend, Chase.  Janice is an astronaut at a space station called Northern Lights.  Things are going pretty badly for all on board, and each letter tells of the deterioration of both ship and spirit. (more…)

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