SOUNDTRACK: THE TRASH CAN SINATRAS-Cake (1990).
Back in college I had all kinds of disposable income. And so rather than buying beer or smokes, I bought CDs. And I bought a few CD’s based on the band’s name or cover (not a great idea). Some paid of handsomely while other, eh, not so much.
Anyhow, this is one of those bands that I bought based on their name. I stumbled upon the disc the other day and decided to give it a listen (it gets very high marks on allmusic).
This disc is very much of its time, a jangly UK band that could have been the Charlatans or any other band that was huge in the early 90s. The album has a more acoustic feel to it than the big college bands of the time. In fact, they seem to be trafficking in the same style of music as that other huge Scottish band (at the time) The Proclaimers: harmonies, jangly guitars and upbeat choruses (although nowhere near as upbeat as The Proclaimers).
[READ: March 3, 2011] “Paranoia”
This was a really engaging story. And what I especially liked about it was that there were two threads that intermingled, but it wasn’t obvious which was the “main” story. So the story lulls you into thinking one thing and then slams you with something else. It was very effective.
The story is about a young white man, Dean, who befriends a young Chilean boy, Roberto. Roberto is an illegal alien. His father (and family) was invited here to complete an advanced degree; however as soon as he finished it, the family were sent home. But Roberto did not want to go back home, he wanted to finish high school, so they let him stay by himself (he was about 17). He made some money, learned English and made friends with Dean, who was willing to help him out financially.
The second thread concerns the war. I assume it’s the current Iraq war, (it is described as being a quick, in-and-out operation) but that is never specified. So it could be the 90’s Iraq war. There are news flashes about it, flags are everywhere, and there’s even a fourth of July parade timed to coincide with the troops’ departure. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 