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Archive for the ‘Short Story’ Category

Vladimir Nabokov–Pnin (1957)

Posted in 19th Century, Elvis Costello, Funny (ha ha), Marriage Trouble, Russia, Set at School, Short Story, Smarty Pants, Universities, Unreliable narrator, Vladimir Nabokov on November 27, 2008| Leave a Comment »

pnin1SOUNDTRACK: ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE IMPOSTERS-Momofuku (2008).

momfukuI’ve enjoyed Elvis Costello for many years.  I’m not a die hard fan, but his Best of is often in play in our house.  I got into a little phase where I was buying a bunch of his things, but that has more or less subsided now.  And, since he has become somewhat more classically oriented I’ve basically just stopped listening.  So, when I heard that on this release he was returning to his rocking days, well, I figured I’d give it a go.

My initial reaction was somewhat muted as I thought I’d be getting a whole disc of “Pump It Up”s and “Oliver’s Army,” which you don’t.  But what you do get is almost costelloa condensation of his albums from My Aim is True through to about Spike (a long period, granted, but it makes sense).

The album opens with a few rocking tracks that hearken back to his earlier punkier songs.  Although “No Hiding Place” sounds “fuller” than his 1970s records, it doesn’t sound out of place with classic tracks.  But really, it’s “American Gangster Time” that brings back that classic Costello organ sound.  This track could have been written thirty years ago and would easily fit on any Best Of.  “Harry Worth” hearkens back to Costello’s ballads.  It’s a bit less punchy than say “Everyday I Write the Book,” but the wit is in high marks. “Drum & Bone” has the fun tongue twisting chorus of “I’m a limited, primitive kind of man.”  One of the highlights is “Flutter & Wow” a potentially timeless love song that somehow rings of Van Morrison.  It’s really stellar track.

Side Two (his phrase not mine) starts off rocking once again, and, while “Stella Hurt” rocks pretty hard, it tends to drag on a bit long.  But it quickly moves to another beautiful ballad, “My Three Sons.”  The album ends with “Go Away” another organ-heavy rocker.

And so the album is mixed nicely with some rockers and ballads balancing out the totality of the disc.  Lyrically, the songs are tight and witty.  The ballads are lovely.  I don’t know if Costello’s work with more more mature performers has affected him a lot, but it certainly hasn’t impacted his ability to write good rock songs.  Welcome back Elvis.

[READ: November 20, 2008] Pnin

pnin2

I harp on the appearance of book covers a lot.  I know that the contemporary covers are fine and they try to retain a consistency for each author.  But, I love this early cover.  I especially like that there’s an artist’s rendering of Pnin himself.  It really paints an immediate picture of the man.

I bought my copy of Pnin many, many years ago, probably right after I had read and enjoyed Pale Fire so much (I had a coworker who really loved Nabokov and insisted that I keep reading him).  It has been sitting on my bookshelf for all this time just waiting for me to read it.  About three months ago, I decided I would like to read all of Nabokov’s works, so I brought it out of the basement and left it next to my bed.  Then, I got the October 2008 Believer.  The first article, “Amerikas,” by Adam Thirwell (excerpted here) was about novels and translations.  And, since Nabokov is a novelist and translator, he was included in the article.  About seven pages into the article is an excerpt from Pnin.  And the excerpt was quite amusing, so, I took it as a sign to read Pnin next.

The most fascinating thing to me about the book is that is told by a narrator whose name we never learn, and whom we don’t actually meet until the last chapter. (more…)

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Vladimir Nabokov–“Natasha” (New Yorker, June 9 & 16, 2008)

Posted in Loudon Wainwright III, New Yorker, Paul Debraski, Russia, Short Story, Vladimir Nabokov on November 26, 2008| Leave a Comment »

ny060913SOUNDTRACK: [REVISITED] LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III-Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up (2008).

loudoWe used Loudo’s “Daughter” from this soundtrack in the birthday video that we made for my daughter.  (We also used Dolly Parton’s “Shine” for the first half).  Because we were listening to the song, I listened to the rest of the disc as well and wanted to make a few extra comments from the last review.

Overall, the disc seems much more upbeat lyrically than his usual fare.  He’s almost always funny, but on this disc, the humor isn’t as sarcastic.  Also, his voice seems gentler, too.  Is this the dawning of a kinder Loudon?  I haven’t heard his latest disc, so I don’t know.  But I really enjoy this whole disc.  The only exception is two tracks which are full band with backing vocals.  There’s something about the tracks being so polished that seem to take away from Loudon’s voice…and really its all about a guy with a guitar. But it’s a small complaint given how good the rest of the disc is.

As for our daughter’s video, we spent I’d say about ten or twelve hours editing, syncing, and making sure the video was more than just picture one, fade, picture two, fade.  We’ve made a video for each of the kids birthdays, but we’re especially proud of this one.  You can see it here:

[READ: November 25, 2008] “Natasha”

I read this story a few months ago, but felt I should re-read it given how little I remembered. So, I re-read it last night.  I think I was surprised by it because of how un-complicated it was (especially compared to Nabokov’s novels).  Well, I learned that the story was written in the 1920s, long before he had written Lolita or Pale Fire, or anything in English.  (more…)

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Roddy Doyle–“Sleep” (New Yorker, October 20, 2008)

Posted in Canadian Music, Marriage (Happy), New Yorker, Roddy Doyle, Short Story, The Go! Team, Tokyo Police Club on November 18, 2008| Leave a Comment »

ny1020SOUNDTRACK: TOKYO POLICE CLUB: A Lesson in Crime EP (2006).

tokyoWhen Toronto’s Tokyo Police Club released their album Elephant Shell, there were quite a lot of rave reviews for it, but almost all of the reviews talked about how great this EP was.  So, I opted to check out their EP first.  And how can you go wrong with a seven song EP that totals about 16 minutes?  Even though I am fond of the long digressive progressive rock style, I also really love really short songs.  And these are short, and very good.

Despite the speed of the EP, and the shortness of the songs, the band isn’t hardcore, and is sort of barely even punk.  Rather, they play high energy, no frills rock.  Their sound is more high end with guitar lines playing melodies and the bass taking a back seat.  The start of the album is a little misleading what with the singer screaming “Operator. Get me the President of the World” suggesting that chaos is forthcoming.  But rather, the songs are very fun, with spazzy guitar lines and really catchy choruses.

“If It Works” even has a break for a second of silence (unexpected in a song that’s only 2 minutes long). “Citizens of Tomorrow” has a few softer moments in it (followed by a chorus that reminds me of The Go! Team). They fit in nicely with the rock revival bands that have been making the rounds lately.  I’m very interested in their full length.

[READ: November 12, 2008] “Sleep”

This is a short, affectionate story by Roddy Doyle.  I enjoyed it very much.  It concerns a long-married couple and how much the husband enjoys watching his wife sleep.  There’s some flashbacks, including the time she slept from Friday night until Sunday morning, as well as some medical revelations that are scary but which he believes they can get through.  It’s nice to read a short, sweet story that, despite the difficulties, ends happily.

It’s available here, and if you’ve not read anythign of Doyle’s (or anything since his earlier funnier works) this is a good story to get a feel for his more mature stories.

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George Saunders–“Hypocrites” (New Yorker, June 9 & 16, 2008)

Posted in Essays, George Saunders, New Yorker, Religion, Short Story, Yo La Tengo on November 18, 2008| Leave a Comment »

ny060912SOUNDTRACK [RECONSIDERED]: YO LA TENGO-I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (2007)

yolaWhen I reviewed this record a while ago, I had enjoyed it, but it didn’t leave that much of an impression on me.  Well, I just listened to the disc again, and I was amazed by how much I remembered the riffs and choruses of just about every song.  I was also impressed thinking that no matter where you were to drop the needle (as it were) on the record, you’d get a different style of song, one that would be interesting and entertaining.

I think part of the reason last time why I felt nothing really “stuck” is because of the varied nature of the disc.  Typically, Yo La Tengo albums have a “feel” to them, but this one is so all over the place that it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.  But each song, taken by itself, is very strong and very fun: Piano pop (with horns- “Beanbag Chair” and without horns-“The Weakest Part”); Mournful ballad (” I Feel Like Going Home”); Falsetto faux funk (“Mr. Tough”); A winding, beautiful song (“Black Flowers”–which sounds uncannily like Arcade FIre’s “Celebration Guns”); Feedback/folksy 60’s style song (“The Race is on Again,” “I Should Have Known Better” “Point and Shoot”); Memorable keyboards (“The Room Got Heavy”); Garage/Grunge Rock (“Watch Out for Me Ronnie”).  It’s all done very well, and not at all like they are simply aping the styles.

Granted, it is a long album to listen through in one sitting, but it’s still pretty great.

[READ: October 25, 2008] “Hypocrites”

This is a short reminiscence about religion and the nature of hypocrisy.  I assume this is a true story, so I’ll say that young George stumbled upon a priest and a nun making out in the back of the chapel where he was supposed to practice a reading for the day.  He wondered if this one act destroyed all of Catholic faith, since these two were supposed to uphold all that was sacred. (more…)

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Wells Tower–“Leopard” (New Yorker, November 10, 2008)

Posted in Ferris Beuller's Day Off, Grinderman, New Yorker, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Short Story, The Birthday Party, Wells Tower on November 17, 2008| 1 Comment »

tny 11.10.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: GRINDERMAN-Grinderman (2007).

grindermanNick Cave has been making interesting and varied music for decades.  From his original noisemakers The Birthday Party to his countless albums with The Bad Seeds, there isn’t really a style that Cave hasn’t explored.  In fact his last four albums with the Bad Seeds cover some vastly different terrain right there.

So, why, one wonders, does he need to create a side project?  I’m not sure if the project was his idea or for some of the Bad Seeds to get a chance to play without the others (the other three members of Grinderman are in the Bad Seeds), or if it was just a fun and loose way  to play some tunes, but regardless: with Nick singing, you’ve basically got a Bad Seeds project.

Nevertheless, this project experiments with music in a way that the Bad Seeds haven’t really, or for that matter, in a way that Cave hasn’t since The Birthday Party.  There is a lot of distorted/feedbacky guitar, and strange effects that fill these songs.  In fact, there is no acoustic instrument on this disc…not even Cave’s piano!

“Get It On” starts the record in a suitably raucous way: “I’ve got some words of wisdom. (He’s got some words of wisdom)”.  “GET IT ON! GET IT ON!” etc.  And “No Pussy Blues” is a wonderfully funny blues about, well, the title says it all.  I particularly like that he sings the verses of the song seemingly too long, so that they overlap the “But she didn’t want to” parts where the music changes at the end of the line.  “Depth Charge Ethel” is all chaos and noise and “ooh ooh” backing vocals.  And “When My Love Comes Down” and “Love Bomb” keep up the rocking, noisy experiment.

“Electric Alice” slows things down, but adds to the noise and distortion.  And “Go Tell the Women” is a very funny, borderline spoken-word piece: “We are scientists We do genetics We leave religion To the psychos and fanatics But we are tired We got nothing to believe in We are lost Go tell the women that we’re leaving.” The guitar is simple and plunky and might even come from something Tom Waits did, and it works perfectly.  “Man in the Moon” is a sad ballad, where you might expect the piano, but which keeps the electronics high.

“I Don’t Need You (To Set Me Free)” is the most Bad Seedsesque song of the bunch, and could easily have been on, well, any of his recent records.

I guess in answering my initial question, if there’s a reason to make this a side project release it is to let the Seeds have a lot of fun.  You can feel how loose this record is and tell that it was a blast to make.  Not that his Bad Seeds records are a tight ship of control (see the 15 minute “Babe, I’m on Fire” from Nocturama for an anything-but-tight ship).  This collection also really lets Warren Ellis shine.  I don’t know how much he contributes to the Seeds in general, but his work is all over this, and it’s a fun difference for Nick’s voice.

[READ: November 13, 2008] “Leopard”

Wells Tower is a name that you don’t easily forget. I had read a story by him in McSweeney’s and enjoyed it.  But I think his name stayed with me more than the story.  When I saw his name again, I was intrigued.  The first few paragraphs were also very intriguing so I read on.

The story starts with a youngish boy not wanting to go to school (in a very funny scene, his cold sore is described as a hamburger).  He finally convinces his mother to let him stay home.  But, unlike Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, the story takes a rather dark turn.

We learn about the youngish boy’s stepfather who is a tough disciplinarian and who expects hard work out of him.  He does the work but resents his stepfather greatly.

On this, his day off from school, the young boy tries to avoid his stepfather.  However, he is put to the task of getting the mail—half a mile down the driveway.  He tries to make a point and show up his stepfather by faking an accident in the driveway.  His plans go somewhat askew when it’s not his mother who pulls in the driveway, but a stranger.

The story, although dark, was enjoyable.  It won’t be hard to remember Wells Tower’s name, but I’ll keep an eye out for it in the future. This story also happened to be the second story I read that day (I had just finished the last few pages of Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach) that mentioned splitting logs for the “wood burning furnace.”  Not exactly an unheard of activity, but not entirely common either.  What a weird coincidence.

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Louise Erdrich–“The Fat Man’s Race” (New Yorker, November 3, 2008)

Posted in Cat Stevens, Dreams, Glen Hansard, Louise Erdrich, Marketa Irglova, New Yorker, Once, Short Story, The Frames, Van Morrison on November 14, 2008| Leave a Comment »

tny 11.3.08 cvr.inddSOUNDTRACK: Once Motion Picture Soundtrack (2007).

onceSarah and I saw a preview for this film a long time ago and promptly forgot about it.  Then, she remembered it was called One or The One or something….  Luckily Netflix set us straight, and we rented Once.  We were amazed at how much we liked it.  It’s clearly a labor of love for the creators.  You can tell it didn’t cost a lot of money to make, but the performances are top notch.  What was particularly cool about the movie (aside from the music) was that it starts like a typical romance of boy meets girl: they play music together and he falls in love.  But it very quickly deviates from that path and turns into a much more complex storyline.  It’s not hard to follow, but it’s a lot more complex than you’d at first think.  But clearly the movie is a showcase for these songs.

We were also delighted that about a week after we watched the film. “Falling Slowly” won the Academy Award for Best Song.  That was nice synchronicity for us.

“Falling Slowly” is a beautiful song, as are just about all of the songs on this soundtrack.  Glen Hansard (the redhead in the Commitments, currently of The Frames–who I’ve not heard aside from this disc, but who I’m led to understand are quite good) has a great, strong, rough voice that sounds a bit like Cat Stevens mixed with some Van Morrison.  Marketa Irglova (about whom more in a moment) is a Czech singer with a really heavenly voice.  Together, their harmonies are really something.  His, rough and strong, hers soft and delicate.

One of the strongest songs on the disc, and in my opinion better than “Falling,” is “When Your Mind’s Made Up.”  The movie shows the band recording this song in full in the studio.  I was happy that the scene wasn’t one of those where the band screws up and they do take after take.  Rather, they play it through solidly and it sounds great. It really makes the song stand out in the movie.  And, there’s something about the way that Hansard screams the chorus as it builds to an impossible crescendo that is really breathtaking.

The rest of the disc features more songs from the movie (there’s a special version of the disc with extra tracks but we didn’t feel compelled to get it).  And the selection is fairly diverse within the strictures of his acoustic guitar and her piano.  She has a ballad of her own, and they do many duets.

As for Marketa Irglova, I didn’t know this until I just looked her up, but apparently, she was “discovered’ by Hansard when she was 13, and she toured the Czech Republic and Ireland with the Frames.  Evidently she and Hansard started dating sometime around the filming of the movie.  I’m not really prudish but there’s something about the 38 year old Hansard dating the 19 year old Irglova that’s a little creepy.  Nevertheless, the music they make together is pretty great.

[READ: November 6, 2008] “The Fat Man’s Race”

The author’s name sounded familiar so I thought I’d give this a read.  Then when I saw it was about a page and a half long, how could I refuse?

Recently I’ve read a number of stories that seemed like the weren’t finished.  I am happy to say that despite its length, this story was clearly done.  (more…)

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Patrick Lane–“Red Dog, Red Dog” (The Walrus, October/November 2008)

Posted in Alice Munro, Canadian Content, King's X, Marriage Trouble, Patrick Lane, Short Story, The Walrus on November 14, 2008| Leave a Comment »

walrus-octSOUNDTRACK: KING’s X-XV (2008).

xvIt’s funny that it was the release of this King’s X album that got me to re-listen to all of them.  I was really pleased with this record when it came out because I had felt that I wasn’t enjoying King’s X as much as I used to.  But upon listening to this one again, I found I didn’t like it as much as some of their other more recent releases.

I’m not sure what it is, but something seems slightly less substantive on this record than say, Ogre Tones.  But I don’t think it’s the songs themselves, if that makes sense.  It has to be something about the overall feel of the disc or the track listing or even the production that detracts, because there’s not really a bad song on the disc.

“Pray” is as excellent a rocking single as you’ll hear these days: the bass is that cool watery sounding bass that Doug has been experimenting with lately.  And, while some may think it is a return to religious songs, I think it is just the opposite.  “Blue” and “Repeating Myself” are decent ballads from Doug and Ty respectively.  While “Rocket Ship” is another one of their Huh? songs, with the inscrutable chorus “Would you like to spend the night in my new rocket ship?”

But overall, the album seems to spend more time with their softer side.  Not that’s there’s anything wrong with their softer side, but their softer side has changed somewhat.  On earlier discs, the softer songs were beautiful, layered, harmonized ballads, but these seem to be mid-tempo rockers.  “Julie,” “I Just Want to Live,” and ” I Don’t Know” are mellow certainly but they lack the celestial quality of their earlier songs.  Again, they’re not bad, but they’re just good songs.  But lest you think they’ve gotten too old to rock, there’s still “Alright” and “Move” which get things back on the harder/faster track. The album ends with the raucous, awesome sing-along “Go Tell Somebody.”

There are two bonus songs (what does a bonus song mean anymore anyhow?  They used to be there to get people to buy CDs over LPs, so, where are these “bonus” tracks NOT available?”).  Love and Rockets (Hell’s Screaming)” is the heaviest/darkest thing on this album, or possible any album by them.  While “No Lie” is a fun little blues jam.

In re-listening, I can’t say that I dislike any of the songs and hearing any song by itself would be great. And even a few days later while writing this, “Alright” (one day (one day) it’s gonna be (it’s gonna be) alright (alright) alright! (alright!) just won’t leave my head.  But somehow the flow of the album is just not quite perfect.  Maybe I miss the gorgeous harmonies, or some of the real highs and lows of a typical KIng’s X album.  In fact, this may be their most mainstream sounding disc, suitable for all, and maybe that’s why I don’t like it quite as much.

[READ: November 6, 2008] “Red Dog, Red Dog”

This story follows in a tradition of rural Canadian stories full of bleakness and despair. Its temperament reminded me somewhat of Alice Munro, except there was no really redemption, which you often get from Atwood. (more…)

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Mary Gaitskill–“Don’t Cry” (New Yorker, June 9 & June 16, 2008)

Posted in Canadian Music, Chuck, Mary Gaitskill, Missile Command, New Yorker, Pregnancy, Rush, Short Story on November 12, 2008| 4 Comments »

SOUNDTRACK: RUSH-Moving Pictures (1980).

movingpicturesThe other night on the show Chuck, Rush was described as “the music of the universe” (which enabled our hero to defeat Missile Command and get secret codes–thereby saving the lives of millions.  I have taken this as a sign that geeks have totally taken over the world.  They played “Tom Sawyer” 3 times during the show.  It was pretty awesome.  And my 13 year-old self would have been so excited, it might have been too much for me.

Since about 8th grade, I’ve been a huge Rush fan. And, yes, I do play bass guitar, thank you for asking.  I’m still a fan, although not nearly as rabid as I was back in the day.  Nevertheless, it’s pretty exciting to see these guys making inroads into pop culture, and it has only taken some thirty-four years after their first record.

Having said that, everyone knows Side A of this record (“Tom Sawyer”, “Red Barchetta”, “YYZ” and “Limelight”).  So, I’m not even going to mention it.  Rather, I’ll focus on Side B (how quaint am I with this terminology?).  I think the overexposure of Side A led me to really investigate Side B.  And, for my money, Side B is the more enjoyable side.

“The Camera Eye” starts it out with a wondrous eleven-minute epic.  It has different sections, it has repeating motifs, and it’s probably the most overlooked song in their catalog (their other epic tracks were usually A sides which meant more notice).  It doesn’t have a lot of the drama of Rush’ other ten-minute-plus songs, rather, it’s a meditative look at life in the city.  And yet, all of the parts are essential, with a few minutes of little bits and pieces throughout the track.  And then suddenly you’re eight or so minutes in and totally hooked.  I’ve always has a soft spot for this song.

“Witch Hunt” has such a fantastic drum opening.  My friend Joe was the drummer with whom I jammed to Rush back in the day.  Now, no kidding, Neil Peart is an amazing drummer, but sometimes you have to really listen to a song through the ears of a drummer to hear how amazing he is.  The opening drum motif is so complex, it’s amazing that one man could play it.  And then he throws in a cowbell to boot!  It also has some fantastic lyrics that I find myself singing a lot lately when I think of rabid right-wingers: “Confident their ways are best. The righteous rise with burning eyes, of hatred and ill-will….”  “Those who know what’s best for us, must rise and save us from ourselves….””Ignorance & prejudice and fear walk hand in hand….”

As “Witch Hunt” has a crazy opening drum motif, “Vital Signs” has a great guitar intro.  The guitar chords aren’t terribly complex, but Alex Lifeson plays the chords in a different pattern during alternate lines.  Boy is that fun to play.  This also features one of the great early keyboard workouts for Geddy Lee.  The keyboard riff in “Tom Sawyer” is pretty memorable, but in “Vital Signs” it’s intense.  The two main sections of the song don’t seem like they should fit together, but they segue nicely with drum fills and a smooth and fun bass solo.

It was in listening to the the Snakes and Arrows live CD recently that I was reminded how much I love “Witch Hunt” and what a great song it is.  My only regret is that I never got to see that one live.

[READ: October 31, 2008] “Don’t Cry”

I was introduced to Mary Gaitskill’s writing about a decade ago.  I really liked her short stories.  It’s been a while since I’ve read her work, and I basically forgot what her main themes were.  So it surprised me to find that this story was set in Ethiopia. (more…)

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Greg Hollingshead–“Whyte Avenue Blue,” David Bergen–“Just the Thing,” Charlotte Gill–“Terminal City,” Donna Morrissey–“Red Carpet Caper,” Michael Winter–“Beyond the Overpass,” Heather O’Neill–“The End of Pinky” (The Walrus, January/February 2008)

Posted in Canadian Content, Charlotte Gill, David Bergen, Donna Morrissey, Gangsters, Greg Hollingshead, Heather O'Neill, King's X, LGBTQ, Michael Winter, Noir, Sex, Short Story, The Walrus, Threats, Violence on October 29, 2008| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: KING’S X-Ogre Tones (2005).

No one should be made to feel ALONE! And with that Kings X are back.  It’s the most aggressive scream I’ve heard from King’s X (and it comes from Ty, not Doug no less).

After what seemed like something of a hiatus with Black Like Sunday and Live All Over the Place, King’s X seem rejuvenated and excited to be rocking out.  Despite the hardcore opening scream of “Alone,” the song is their catchiest single yet.  Lyrically the song is about tolerance and compassion.  Its also pretty short (just under 3 minutes), as are the next 4 songs.  It’s as if they had these great ideas and just had to get them out.  “Stay”  returns to the style of old King’s X, with a minor change: it’s the vocal harmonies that are dissonant not the guitars.  “Hurricane” also tinkers with the formula where part of the chorus revels in their harmonies of old and the other part plays with a new aspect: gang vocals, bringing power rather than subtlety.  “Fly” is yet another great shoulda-been a single.  And “If”is yet another Stellar ballad, where Doug sings verses and harmonies bring in the chorus.

A controversial song (for fans anyway) is “Bebop.”  This is one of their experimental tracks, and it kind of hearkens back to some of the tracks off of Bulbous with very staccato guitars, unusual bass lines and the nonsense lyrics of “Bebop be alive ya’ll. Awhop boba lo bop a wop bam boom!.”  While it’s not their best work, it’s certainly catchy as anything, and I give them credit for throwing in some experimentation.  And frankly, it’s pretty fun if you loosen up a bit.

The next few tracks play with the basic formula of the album, until you get to “Sooner or Later” which, lets Ty noodle around on the guitar for 5 or 6 minutes, like an extended jam off of Faith Hope Love.  “Mudd” ends the album proper with a really touching, sweet song.  It could easily fit on Gretchen.

The last two songs I don’t really count.  “Goldilox (Reprise)” is, as you might guess a remake of “Goldilox.” I don’t know why they’d remake one of their most beloved songs.  Aside from the fact that they’ve been playing it since 1987, and the band has changed their style somewhat, they could show everyone what it would sound like if they made it now.  Otherwise, why bother.  It does sound good, mind you, but the original sounds better.  The last track, “Bam” is a historical recording of Thomas Edison’s phonograph.  It’s a weird way to end a record.  But nothing can take away from the fact that King’s X are back in form and they still sound great.

[READ: October 24, 2008] “Whyte Avenue Blue,” “Just the Thing,” “Terminal City,” “Red Carpet Caper,” “Beyond the Overpass,” “The End of Pinky”

I had put off reading these stories because I was in the middle of a couple of other things at the time.  When I finally got around to reading them (and they’re all very short…about a page or two each) I had forgotten that the “theme” behind the stories was noir.  When I started reading them, I kept thinking…none of these stories is even remotely believable.  It’s like the authors are trying really hard to craft stories that are transgressive, almost beyond belief in some way.  Well, when I re-read the sub-heading for the stories, I realized: “The Walrus asked Canadian novelists to sketch their cities as grittier, sexier, and darker than you might ever have imagined…”  So that explained it. (more…)

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Lewis Padgett–“Mimsy Were the Borogoves” (1943)

Posted in C.L. Moore, Constellation Records, Fantasy, Funny (strange), Henry Kuttner, Lewis Carroll, Lewis Padgett, Marianne Faithfull, Short Story, The Last Mimzy, Wikipedia on October 16, 2008| 1 Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: HRSTA-Ghosts Will Come Down and Kiss Our Eyes [CST048] (2007).

Hrtsa has another record out from Constellation.  This band is the brainchild of Michael Moya.  Moya writes some really fantastic melodies with interesting and unusual instrumentation.  The first song contains a pump organ, I believe (the liner notes don’t go into any detail).  And throughout the album, whether the songs are long or short, either the guitar lines are great or the different instruments creates atmospheric swells that are really something.

My only problem with this record is the singing. There is occasional singing.  On my first listen, I thought the voice was a woman with a deep husky voice like Carla Bozulich or Marianne Faithfull.  On the second listen I realized the voice is probably that of Moya, making it a reedy tenor voice.  At times he sounds a bit like Gordan Gano from the Violent Femmes.  The problem is that his voice doesn’t really have the power to pull of the songs.  The voice often gets lost in the mix or just distracts from the instruments.  This disparity is heightened even more because there are a number of fantastic instrumentals on the disc.

I certainly enjoyed the disc, I just would have preferred no words or a more interesting singer.

[READ: October 2, 2008] “Mimsy Were the Borogoves”

Sarah and I watched The Last Mimzy a few weeks ago.  I didn’t know it was based on a short story.  I also had never heard of the author.  Well, it turns out that the author is a pseudonym of Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore, two other authors I also hadn’t heard of.  This edition of the story comes in a book attributed to Henry Kuttner (originally published as The Best of Henry Kuttner, but released now as The Last Mimzy). Phew.

So, where was I?

Well, if I didn’t know that the story was the basis for the movie, I never would have guessed.  The only thing relating to the story is that two kids find a box full of inexplicable toys which behave in a manner that is unlike anything on earth. (more…)

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