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Archive for the ‘Supernatural’ Category

Jillian Tamaki–Super Mutant Magic Academy (2015)

Posted in Cigarettes, Drawn & Quarterly, Feminism, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Jillian Tamaki, Magic, Oddities, Protomartyr, Set at School, Supernatural, Threats, Tiny Desk Concert, Unlikable main character, Violence on December 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

smmaSOUNDTRACK: PROTOMARTYR-Tiny Desk Concert #492 (December 4, 2015).

protoPromtomartyr’s Under Color of Official Right has been one of my favorite albums of the last few years.  Joe Casey’s vocals are more or less spoken (and angry) while the music is propulsive and rocking.  Sometimes punk, sometimes something else entirely.  It’s a weird pairing but it worked wonderfully.

I hadn’t heard their new album yet–I am a little afraid that they’re going to mess with the perfection of their second album–but as soon as I saw they did a Tiny Desk Concert I had to check it out.

“Singer” Joe Casey stands at the front.  He wears a suit and sunglasses (evidently he has some stage fright issues) and he barely moves.  And then there’s the rest of the guys–each wearing all black, looking like the backing band for someone else entirely (the bassist has super long blond hair).  And yet, man, do they play great together.

The band plays three songs.  The first two are from their new album.  “Why Does It Shake?” has a cool interesting bass line and sharp, occasional guitar chords along with drums that are mostly played along the rim.  The song unexpectedly slows down for a middle section.  And all along, Casey asks his tough, threatening lyrics.  The song is over 4 and a half minutes, perhaps one of their longest tracks.

The second song, “”Devil In His Youth” is a fast propulsive song with a great catchy riff that leads to the simple spoken chorus of “the devil in his youth.”  This song is much more familiar in terms of Protomartyr songs and is only two and a half minutes long.

The final song comes from their debut album, No Passion All Technique (which is hard to get and which I’ve never heard). The song doesn’t sound drastically different from the others, but you can hear a different tone, perhaps a little less abrasive?

Naturally for a curmudgeonly band, they don’t play anything from the album I love, but this set is really good nonetheless.  And yes, it may be time to investigate the new album.

[READ: October 28, 2015] Super Mutant Magic Academy

I saw this book when we were visiting Toronto and I wrote down the title to check it out.  I didn’t know anything about it, and didn’t realize that I knew the work of Jillian Tamaki from several great graphic novels

I also had no idea that this was actually a long in progress webcomic that Tamaki has put into book form.

And finally, I didn’t expect it to be a series of one page funny strips that tell an overarching story. (more…)

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Hope Larson–Chiggers (2008)

Posted in Canadian Content, Graphic Novel, Hope Larson, Kacey Musgraves, Oni Press, Romance, Summer, Summer Camp, Supernatural, Tiny Desk Concert, YA Books, Yuck! on December 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

chigerSOUNDTRACK: KACEY MUSGRAVES-Tiny Desk Concert #463 (August 20, 2015).

kaceyKacey Musgraves is probably the most country country singer that I really like.   She makes a lot of music that is really really country–the kind I typically dislike, and yet her lyrics are just so good that I can look past the country sound that I dislike so much (and even start to enjoy it).

I love that she plays with all of the country cliches—her backing band is decked out in matching sequined suits, there’s whoops, there’s a ton of slide guitar.  And yet her lyrics question convention (and have wonderful word play).

She plays five songs (so many more than most people!)

She’s super fun and chatty, making lots of jokes and introducing her band.  She also says she’s not going to leave, which is okay with the crowd.

“High Time” is a fairly conventional country song.  It’s not as funny as some of the others and it has a real slide guitar thing going on.

“Family Is Family” is the first song I’d heard by her and I loved the words then and I still love them.  They are funny without being novelty.

“Late To The Party” is a more traditional song.  It’s a sweet ballad.

“Pageant Material” is another funny song, mocking the conventions of pageantry and poise and beauty.

Bob asks for a suit (they light up!) and she says okay but we’ve never actually seen him in one….  We also learn that the bassist plays the spoons and the spoons that he uses are ones that he whittled himself.

On the day that Musgraves played, the Supreme Court had legalized gay marriage across America mere hours earlier.  She played “Follow Your Arrow,” the most anthemic go-your-own-way jam on Musgraves’ 2013 debut album.  She says that her sister had called her earlier that day just ugly crying out of happiness.  Everyone gets into the song in the office.  It was a feel good moment of the year.

[READ: June 21, 2015] Chiggers

I’ve enjoyed Larson’s work in the past, and I was happy to read this book too.

It’s set at summer camp and while it deals with jealousy and other teenage problems, there is a supernatural element well, which is pretty cool.

Abby is excited to go back to summer camp.  She can’t wait to see her camp friend Rose and some of her other bunkmates from last year.

But this year Rose is a Cabin Assistant.  And while she is the CA for Abby’s cabin, it is also means that Rose is really busy with real things (and had less time for chatting).  Some of the other girls seem to have grown up too.  One has a boyfriend and she is getting her ears pierced (like the woman in the band Spite Storm).  She and her boyfriend are even going to start their own band Glittergloom.

Suddenly Abby doesn’t feel as cool as she did last year.  And she has trouble falling asleep at night.

Then it turns out that one of the girls in her dorm has to go home–and the rumor is that she got chiggers! (more…)

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Quentin S. Crisp–Blue on Blue (2015)

Posted in Alternate Reality, Anachronisms, Brendan Connell, Chômu Press, Enoch Bolles, Film Fun, Hugh Marsh, Jack Raglin, Jacques Brel, Kodagain, Martin Tielli, Nick Buzz, Publishers, Quentin S. Crisp, Snuggly Books, Supernatural, Technology, The Art of Time Ensemble, Unreliable narrator, Veronica Mars on December 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

blueblue SOUNDTRACK: NICK BUZZ-A Quiet Evening at Home (2013).

quietIt seemed like Martin Tielli was done making music after his (so far) final solo album in 2009.  He has been focusing on (gorgeous) visual arts since then.  But then in 2013, Tielli along with Jonathan Goldsmith, Hugh Marsh and Rob Piltch recorded another Nick Buzz album (cover painting by Tielli)–possibly their last as well, but who knows.

This album is almost entirely mellow, with beautiful slow pieces and delicate singing and instrumentation–with some exceptions.  The biggest exception is the first song and single (with video) “The Hens Lay Everyday.”  It is unlike anything else on the album.  It is a weird, electronic fast song with pulsing beats and funny lyrics (and a crazy video).  It’s kind of a shame that it’s on this album because I want more music like that.  But the rest of the album is also wonderful in a very different way.  This song just doesn’t fit.

Beginning with the second song, the album is a beautiful album of wonderful ballads.

“This is Not My World” is a delicate guitar song with simple keyboard washes.  Martin’s voice even sounds different on the song–I almost didn’t recognize him until the last few verses.  “Milchig” opens with a buzzy violin (that sounds almost like a fly).  Tielli did this song with The Art of Time Ensemble (it was called “Moglich”).  It has a gentle guitar and Tielli’s keening voice and spoken word–“he had given me ‘the relax.'”  There’s several sections in this song, and I especially like the slowly lurching middle section.

“Sea Monkeys” opens with some delicate chimes and underwatery sounds.  And once again, Tielli’s voice sounds different.  I love this peculiar song about ordering and “growing” sea monkeys.  He says he only wanted plankton or krill but during that evening, the sea monkeys started building their city, and after 4 and a half minutes, the song turns somewhat more sinister with a section about the Crustacean Monkey Queen.  The delicate music grows harsher and more mechanical sounding.  It’s pretty intense.  And it coincidentally relates to the book below.

“If You Go Away” has a vaguely Spanish guitar feel to it.  It’s a very delicate, slow ballad (I should have realized it was an old song written by Jacques Brel) with strummed guitar and gentle percussion.  It has a lounge feel as well (the romantic lyrics aid in that style).  It was recorded live with audience clapping at the end.

The mood picks up a little with the next song, “The Happy Matador.”  It’s played on acoustic guitar with flamenco-esque runs.  It’s a delightful song even if lyrically it’s a little dark.  “Eliza” is a darkly comic song with a kind of circusy feel.  It opens with accordion, adds a violin and basically makes fun of a woman named Eliza, with the great last line: “The only incredible thing about Eliza is the terrible terrible music she inspires.”

“A Quiet Evening at Home” opens with some strange noises like Circo did, but this is an older, more mellow album and they quickly give way to some pretty, delicate guitar chords.  About two and a half minutes of gentle chords are disrupted by a noisy saxophone and some manipulated spoken words.  This process repeats itself for about six minutes of mellow, slightly weird, but really enjoyable music.

“Uncle Bumbo’s Christmas” continues in that delicate vein, but this time with actual words.  It has gentle echoed guitar and some occasional strings.  It’s not exactly a Christmas song although the lyric “I love everything about Christmas, except Christmas” is decidedly ambiguous.  There’s beautiful overlays of vocals and guitar for the middle two minutes of the song before it resumes with a slightly more uptempo and much more catchy end section.  This song gets better with each listen.

“The House with the Laughing Windows” opens with a tinkling piano melody.  It hovers between ominous and dreamy.  I like the way the song gently, almost imperceptibly, builds over the course of its 4 and a half minutes.  And I love the way the guitars start playing louder as if the song is going to build to something bigger but it never quite does.  John Tielli plays theremin on this track.

“Aluminum Flies” is a slightly louder song which is much more meandering and ends with what I believe is the sound of windshield wipers.  The final song is the lovely “Birds of Lanark County.”  It opens with chickadees chirping and a beautiful delicate acoustic guitar melody from Martin.  Michele Williams sings lovely backing vocals.

It’s amazing how different this album is from Circo–same band members but an entirely different style, and a simply gorgeous collection of songs.

[READ: November 25, 2015] Blue on Blue

I had never heard of Quentin S. Crisp before (he’s not to be confused with Quentin Crisp, the British raconteur who died in 1999).  Except that I knew he contributed lyrics to the most recent Kodagain album.  But I received an advance copy of this book with Brendan Connell’s latest book (its publication date is December 15 (from Snuggly Books)).

This story was fantastic (in both senses of the word).

The story is told in 5 parts.  And what I loved about it was that the central part of the story is a fairly conventional story about love and loss, and yet the other four parts frame the story with an other-worldliness that is almost familiar, but not quite.

The story begins with the statement “I am a citizen of the ASAF, the Alternative State of the American Fifties.”  There’s a footnote attached which explains that the ASAF “ia an artificial history zone ‘reclaimed’ from sunken parallel time.”  This is a potentially worrisome beginning to a book to be sure, and yet the book does not go through any rabbit- or worm- hole, this is simply the set up for the story. (more…)

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Rick Riordan (adapted by Robert Venditti)–Percy Jackson and Olympians: The Titan’s Curse (The Graphic Novel) (2013)

Posted in Atila Futaki, End of the World, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Myths, Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti, Supernatural, Threats, Tiny Desk Concert, Trombone Shorty, Violence, War, Zeus on November 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

percy3SOUNDTRACK: TROMBONE SHORTY-Tiny Desk Concert #162 (September 29, 2011).

tromb Trombone Shorty is from New Orleans and his backing band is called Orleans Avenue.  I can’t think of too many bands that are fronted by a trombone player.

This is a super fun set.  It opens with “Dumaine St.” a short (just over 2 minutes) jazzy number that comes from his then recent album For True.  There’s some great rhythm in the low end–the baritone sax and bass guitar keep a great groove, especially during the trombone solo (!).  It’s short, but it’s great.

Dan “Uncle Potato Chip” Oestreicher, opens the second song with a great bass line on the baritone sax.  The song is called “Lagniappe“ which is “a little gift you get for buying something. It’s an especially common practice in certain corners of the world, including Louisiana, where the term originates.”  It’s an improvisational piece built around the great bass line.  It features a trombone solo and great tenor sax solo by Tim McFatter.  The song builds (for about 5 minutes) to an exciting  conclusion (“a light workout,” Shorty calls it).

The final song has lyrics sung by Shorty. It’s probably my least favorite of the three as the lyrics aren’t that great (although his voice is good).  It’s got a good funky rhythm, but it slows things down when he is singing.  And I just want to hear him play.  Once he picks up the trombone again, the song springs to life and is a super amount of fun–with another great melody.

I wasn’t sure I’d like this set but I enjoyed it a lot.

[READ: November 22, 2015] The Titan’s Curse

The good news was that I could get both the second and third graphic novels at the same time (both with art by Attila Futaki).  The bad news is that apparently the fourth (and fifth) books were never made!  I don’t know if there are plans for them to get made but as of right now, we’re stuck at a to be continued.

Of the three, I found this book to be the most confusing because so many characters looked alike.  There was also the addition of several new characters (and as with the previous book, there was very little in the way of introduction).

We don’t know why, but Percy and Annabeth have gone to a specific place to rescue two orphans, Bianca and Nico.  They are both half-bloods, unbeknownst to them.  Bianca is initially suspicious of the heroes, but Nico is right on board.

In terms of action, there’s quite a lot.  We meet Artemis, goddess of the hunt who has arrived with her hunters.  She speaks formally and is suspicious of men.

After careful consideration Bianca decides to join Artemis’ hunters (which gives her immortality–death may only come in battle–as long as she forswears romantic love, which she has no problem doing).  Meanwhile, Nico decides to return to the camp with the others.

Oh and Annabeth, while fighting a manticore, is thrown over the side of a cliff, presumably lost forever.  Percy is freaking out but they convince him to head back to camp for reinforcements.

A new quest is decided upon, but Percy’s first goal is to rescue Annabeth.  Although we soon see that she is not dead, she just has the weight of the world on her shoulders.  Literally.

And then Apollo shows up in his golden chariot (which is a sports car naturally).

Back at camp, the director has them don helmets for more training, this time hunter against half-blood.  The hunters win every time.  This was a hugely confusing scene since everyone is in battle gear. The book is also hugely confusing because several of the scenes are done with characters in close up and Zoe (whose origin I can’t even recall) and Percy look quite a lot alike

But there’s some really wonderful scenes, like when the horse speaks to Percy and later when Percy rescues the Ophiotaurus (which he calls Bessy).

I liked that the middle section takes place in the Museum of Natural History–which allows for some cool details.  The dinosaur teeth are actually dragon teeth and the lion is really the Nemean Lion.  And when the bad guys get some skeletons to rise from the earth, they are sent on a single mission–to destroy Percy.  And they cannot be stopped by half blood weapons.

There’ a great scene with a large flying statue and then a cool scene at the Hoover Dam.

I typically enjoy when the scenes turn mystical but I was confused a bit when Artemis returned to her sisters.  I think the character of Zoe perplexes me too much, even when she reveals her true identity.

And speaking of true identity, Nico’s reveal is pretty fantastic, too.

The final scene shows a meeting of the Gods again, which I liked.  Unfortunately it seems to set the stage for book four, which we won’t seem to ever get.

More reason to rad the actual novels, then, right?

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Rick Riordan (adapted by Robert Venditti)–Percy Jackson and Olympians: The Sea of Monsters (The Graphic Novel) (2013)

Posted in Atila Futaki, Dmitri Shostakovich, Earl Wild, End of the World, Fantasy, Federico Mompou, George Gershwin, Graphic Novel, Jenny Lin, Myths, Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti, Supernatural, Threats, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence, War, Zeus on November 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »

percy2SOUNDTRACK: JENNY LIN-Tiny Desk Concert #160 (September 6, 2011).

linJenny Lin is an amazing pianist.  So it’s slightly disconcerting that she is playing these beautiful pieces on a Korg keyboard.

The write up says

It’s rare to see a world-renowned pianist willing to make such a sacrifice, but that’s how strongly Lin feels about getting the music out there, knowing that (with even more downsizing) folks could watch her perform this Tiny Desk Concert on their iPhones.

And while I wouldn’t think that a great pianist would have a problem playing an electronic piano, I had to wonder if the keyboard weight impacted her at all.  It sure doesn’t seem like it.

She plays five pieces altogether.  And they are all modern pieces.  I don’t know a lot about Shostakovic, but the blurb says that  Shostakovich, inspired by Bach wrote his own set of Preludes and Fugues in all 24 keys in 1950.  I would have guessed they were Bach, but you can hear differences in his more modern style (and not just because of the keyboard).  The notes are fast and furious (and beautiful).

I don’t know Federico Mompou at all, but the blurb says  “Barcelona-born Federico Mompou was a contemporary of Shostakovich’s, but that’s where the comparisons end. In the 1960s, he completed four volumes of piano music he called Musica Callada, or “Silent Music.” Mompou’s sound, [features]  austere beauty and emphasis on the spaces between notes.”  And you can really hear the way the notes ring out (I’ll bet even more so on a grand piano).

The final song is an arrangement of Gershwin’s “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” which has been “souped up by the late American virtuoso pianist Earl Wild. His arrangement turns the Gershwin song into a kind of stride-jazz extravaganza.”

Watch Lin’s hands fly around the keyboard.  It is hard to comprehend.  I don’t know which hand I am more impressed by.

It’s amazing to be able to watch a master so closely.

The setlist:

  • Dmitri Shostakovich: Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in A minor, Op. 87
  • Dmitri Shostakovich: Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in A major, Op. 87
  • Federico Mompou: Musica Callada — Nos. 1, 15
  • Gershwin (arr. Earl Wild): “Fascinatin’ Rhythm”

[READ: November 22, 2015] The Sea of Monsters

Clark really liked the first graphic novel and asked me to get the rest.  So I did.  And then I had to see how the story continued, too.

Book two of the graphic novel series (also with art by Attila Futaki) begins with Percy at home.  He is told he shouldn’t return to Camp Half -Blood, but his mom won’t say why.  At “regular” school, he is still picked on, but he now has help from a huge boy known as Tyson.  The bullies make fun of Tyson too, calling him a retard, but Percy sticks up for him. [The one problem with the graphic novels is they have to edit down so much, there’s no real introduction to Percy’s school or to Tyson].

On the next page, though, we learn that the bullies are actually demons and that Tyson is able to fight them off because he is …a cyclops.  (It must be very hard to create a cyclops–visually, they are just so wrong–where do you put that eye?  Do the normal eye sockets still exist? I always find them disconcerting to look at). (more…)

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Rick Riordan (adapted by Robert Venditti)–Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (The Graphic Novel) (2010)

Posted in Atila Futaki, End of the World, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Local Natives, Myths, Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti, Supernatural, Threats, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence, War, Zeus on November 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: LOpercy1CAL NATIVES-Tiny Desk Concert #113 (February 21, 2011).

localI’ve decided to cherry pick some Tiny Desk shows for the end of the year–order be damned.

Local Natives are from L.A.  They play (in this Tiny Desk Concert anyway), a folkie alt rock which really emphasizes the band’s gorgeous harmonies.

For this set there are two acoustic guitars, an acoustic bass, a drummer and some cool extra percussion.  It also makes me laugh to see them all packed so tightly in that little space.

The first song “Wide Eyes” has lovely harmony vocals by the guitarist and the percussionist.  But when the backing vocals kick in, the sound really soars.

“Cards & Quarters” has a lovely guitar intro and fantastic three part harmonies.  I love the way the songs builds and builds to the end–it’s very dramatic.

For the final song, “Airplanes,” the percussionist switches to guitar (and sings lead vocals) and one of the guitarists plays the mandolin.  This song is very personal, with lots of details about the singer’s grandfather.  Again, the harmonies are gorgeous.

I’ve heard a lot about Local Natives and now I need to check them out more closely.

[READ: May 23, 2015] The Lightning Thief

I have seen the Percy Jackson movie and now I’ve read the comic book, but I have yet to read the actual novel (or series).  I figure I will some day.  But for now I’ve had this cool graphic novel to flesh out the movie.

It’s interesting how the movie and graphic novel (with art by Attila Futaki) emphasize different things.  It felt to me like the movie spent more time on introducing the characters once they got to “camp,” while the graphic novel seemed to gloss that.  But there were some other adventures that the group went on which were different between the book and movie (which may have just been for expenses).

Okay, so the brief summary of the book is that Percy Jackson is a boy in school.  He has trouble reading and his teacher gives him a hard time.  As we open, the class is learning about ancient Greek myths and the teacher is emphasizing how important they will be for Percy.  On the next page, one of Percy’s teachers turns into a demon and attacks him.   But no one else is aware of it.  Except maybe his best friend, Grover.

When school ends, Percy heads home to his mother’s house.  His mother is living with a totally awful guy (there was more about this in the movie) and explains that Percy’s father left before he was born.  But just as they settle in, Grover shows up and tells them they have to go.  Now. (more…)

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George O’Connor–Olympians 1-6 [Zeus, Athena, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Aphrodite] (2010-2014)

Posted in Adventure, Aphrodite, Athena, C., Children's Books, Cyclops, Death, End of the World, Fears, Feminism, First Second :01, George O'Connor, Graphic Novel, Hades, Hera, Heracles, Homer, Minotaur, Myths, PJ Harvey, Poseidon, Religion, Series, Supernatural, Threats, Tiny Desk Concert, Torres, Violence, Zeus on November 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »

olymmp SOUNDTRACK: TORRES-Tiny Desk Concert #461 (August 10, 2015).

torresI’ve really enjoyed a lot about Torres’ music this year.  Mackenzie Scott has an interesting delivery which reminds me of certain aspects of PJ Harvey, and her songs are angry but measured.

Her songs seem to have a lot of low-end in them (without being bass heavy exactly–in fact in this Tiny Desk, there is no bassist).  And her singing voice is often rather low (and sometimes growly).  There’s a moment in the first song “New Skin” in which the music drops out and then Mackenzie Scott starts playing her guitar anew and it’s a sound unlike any in the song before (even though she has been playing all along).

Guitarist Cameron Kapoor adds cool sounds to what I think is her best song, “A Proper Polish Welcome.”  Erin Manning provides wonderful harmony vocals along with keyboards on this song which is as powerful as it is understated.  The song gives me chills.

“The Harshest Light” is a slow song that has glimpses of light as she sings slightly higher notes in the chorus.  And when her voice breaks near the end, you can hear the intensity in her singing.

It’s a great three song set that only leaves you wanting more.

I had resisted getting this album, but realizing just how good these songs are might tip the tables to a purchase.

[READ: Summer 2015] Olympians 1-6

While I imagined that I might read all of the First Second books this year, I paused about mid way through (more for me next year).  But one of the last things I read from First Second was this series of outstanding mythologies about the Greek Olympians.  It also turned out that a few years back I got these books for C., not realizing they were under the First Second imprint.  I was intrigued by them then, but I’m really glad that I read them now.

George O’Connor is a massive geek and Greek scholar.  He has done lots of research for these books, including going to Greece and visiting sites and antiquities as well as comparing all manner of ancient stories to compile the most interesting pieces. He explains that since these stories were orally passed down, they were modified over the years.  He doesn’t change the myths, he merely picks the story lines that are most interesting to him.  And then he adds a lot of humorous modern touches (and dialogue) which keep it from being at all stuffy.

O Connor’s drawing style is also inspired by superhero comics, so his stories are presented in a way that seems much more like a super hero than a classical hero, which is also kind of fun.

Each book ends with an author’s note which is hugely informative and gives plenty of context.  It also has a bibliography, but more importantly, it has a list of notes about certain panels.  Do not skip these notes!  In addition to providing a lot of insight into the myths of the characters themselves, there are a lot of funny comments like “Greeks raced in the nude (point and laugh)” which really bring new depths to the stories. (more…)

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Brendan Connell–Jottings from a Far Away Place (2015) [prepub]

Posted in マキシマム ザ ホルモン, Brendan Connell, Death Note, Food, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), John Zorn, Maximum the Hormone, Religion, Sex, Short Story, Smarty Pants, Supernatural, Surreal, Violence, Virginity (Loss of), Yamantaka Eye on November 16, 2015| 1 Comment »

jottingsSOUNDTRACK: マキシマム ザ ホルモン–“え・い・り・あ・ん” (2013) [MAXIMUM THE HORMONE-“A.L.I.E.N” (2013).

maxi2This Japanese band has gained some ground in the United States (having two of their songs used in the anime Death Note).  They are a heavy, heavy metal band which explores many different genres.

This song begins with a heavy metal guitar riff.  When the song proper starts, it is clearly a heavy song sing in Japanese.  The second vocalist (who screams like Yamantaka Eye with John Zorn) screams in an unmistakably Japanese way.  And at 1:15, the song slows down into a very heavy almost mosh.

So far so good.  The first big surprise comes at 1:44 when the song is hijacked by a funk metal bass line and the follow up section is a less scary sounding but still heavy metal.

And then it’s back to the speed and noise once more, complete with a pause and a “Go!” and then a series of “He!y Hey! Hey!” metal chants.

maxiBut the real surprise comes at 3 minutes when the whole song slows to a sweet section with whispered vocals by the (female) drummer?  And then the entire song switches to a sweet song–delicate guitar and super sweet vocals with the new lyrics “Stop Stop Winny Upload.”  The boys come back in, but now they are playing along to this poppy (but guitar heavy) “Stop Stop Winny” section.

This runs on until the end of the song which has the band members conversing in Japanese (about what, I have no idea).

It is one of the most jarring songs I’ve heard, combing at least five genres in its 5 and a half minutes (and several of their other songs do this too (check out “Yoshu Fukushu”).

maxi3This is to say nothing of the video, which opens with the band playing in a live setting.  The  guitarist has long hair and a beard and sings the first verses.  The short-haired singer sings the really fast growly stuff and the bassist has a nifty side shave.

As the funk metal stuff starts, the band switches to a studio scene in which, why not, they all grow extra heads and limbs.

The Stop Stop Winny section switches from a segment with the drummer in a wedding dress singing gently.  And then the final section shows the band in a psychedelic set with little kids and balloons.

It’s fantastic.

[READ: November 13, 2015] Jottings from a Far Away Place

Brendan Connell has this new book coming out (on December 1st) from the wonderfully named Snuggly Press.  (I love that it says This is a Snuggly Book) on the title page verso.

Connell has written all kinds of books in his career but this one is something of a new style in his vast oeuvre.  The title word “Jottings” is a giveaway because so many of the parts of the book are very short–notations, indeed, jottings, that may or may not relate directly to the rest of the pieces.  I found the book a little challenging to read at first because of this.  However, when I wrapped my head around what was going on, it really gelled.  And when I read it a second time, with this in mind, it worked beautifully.

Connell has created a kind of labyrinth of a book in which some fragments lead to dead ends, but other fragments lead to longer stories.  And when you hit on the right path you are rewarded with a longer story that is as well written (Connell’s eye for detail is, as always, exceptional) as it is interesting.  But unlike the mythological labyrinth, there is no Minotaur if you take a wrong path–rather there is just a fragment that forces you to think about where it might belong. (more…)

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JP Ahonen & KP Alare–Sing No Evil (2013) [translated 2014]

Posted in Death Metal, Graphic Novel, Hieronymus Praetorious, John Sheppard, JP Ahonen, JP Ahonen, KP Alare, Monks, Music, Perkeros, Stile Antico, Supernatural, Tiny Desk Concert, Translation, William Byrd on November 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

sing no evilSOUNDTRACK: STILE ANTICO-Tiny Desk Concert #86 (October 25, 2010).

stile I’ve said before that one of the great things about the Tiny Desk Concerts is being introduced to bands that I never would have heard of anywhere else.  And that is certainly true of Stile Antico.  I really enjoy this kind of a capella music, although I never listen to it.  And I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for it.

So, lucky for me, I now know a band that performs gorgeous 16th-century choral music.  There are twelve singers.  And it is comforting in this day of pop singers who are more hot than musical that Stile Antico is all about the voice.  They don’t dress flashy or sexy, they don’t really do anything…except sing to the heavens.

They perform four pieces in about 20 minutes.  I don’t know any of them and I honestly couldn’t really tell them apart, but I loved the whole show.

The lead speaker (unnamed in this show) says that William Byrd is the best songwriter of the era, which is why they do two of his songs.  After the first one, he says that they want to transform this office into some kind of Tudor Chapel.

The second piece, “The Lord’s Prayer” is not done in any melody that I have ever heard it (and I assume it is in Latin).

But it’s the final piece that is really the showstopper, and the one that is fun to watch (even though, as I say they’re not actually doing anything–okay not true, they are nodding to each other instead of using a conductor).  Praetorious’s piece weaves 3 choirs together with 12 independent voices.  And the speaker jokes that each of the three choirs wind up flirting outrageously with each other.  It’s breathtaking.

Their voices are simply beautiful, and it’s amazing to see them working together silently as they sing.

The only problem is that now that I know who they are, which of their 11 records do I start with?

The songs:

  • William Byrd: “Vigilate”
  • John Sheppard: “Lord’s Prayer”
  • William Byrd: “Ecce Virgo Concipiet”
  • Hieronymus Praetorious: “Tota Pulchra Es”

[READ: July 10, 2015] Sing No Evil

I saw this book at the library and loved the title.  As soon as I flipped through it I knew I had to read it.  This book was originally written in Finnish (cool!) and was translated by JP Ahonen into English.  It is all about Fininish death metal bands and the devil.  And it is cool and very funny.  It was originally called Perkeros (which is what the protagonist’ band is called) and which I can’t quite define, but that’s okay.

The book opens on Aksel rocking out (in his imagination).  He and his band are getting ready to go on stage and he is nervous.  Aksel is a perfectionist and his riffs and progressions are second to none (Perkeros is a progressive death metal band which I’d rather like to hear).  The problem for the band is that Aksel’s singing is poor.  But the band likes what they do.  So they keep playing.

Here’s the fun part.  The band consists of Aksel and Lily on keys (and here I have to comment that Lily and Aksel don’t look all that different in drawing style but somehow Alarea has made these simple lines create two very different looking characters, and with those simple lines you can see just how pretty Lily is).  There’s also Kervinen, a really old guy with a chest-length beard (he used to be a monk), and, well, a bear, yes, a bear, on drums (the bear’s story is never given).

The band is opening for Nelum Lucifera, a grease-painted death metal band (with names like Belphegor and Samael).  A fight ensures and the bands are banned from every playing that gig again. (more…)

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Noelle Stevenson–Nimona (2015)

Posted in Graphic Novel, Hey Marseilles, Magic, Supernatural, The Decemberists, Threats, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence on November 4, 2015| Leave a Comment »

nimonaSOUNDTRACK: HEY MARSEILLES-Tiny Desk Concert #85 (October 17, 2010).

heymaI knew Hey Marseilles from NPR’s coverage of the 2013 Newport Folk Festival.  But I guess I forgot what they sounded like because I wasn’t expecting this at all.

“Rio” opens with almost flamenco clapping and then the full band–accordion, bowed cello, trumpet, violin and guitar come forth (this must have been chamber music month at the Tiny Desk).  There’s a kind of shanty feel to the song.  The middle section has more clapping (and loud Hey Hey!s) and a trumpet solo (played with a mute).  It is super catchy.

“From a Terrace” starts out slowly, with strings.  It has a bit of a Decembersists feel in the vocal melody.  There’s a middle section with a wheezy accordion solo that transfers to a new section and then another rather jazzy muted trumpet solo.

“To Travels And Trunks” has a beautiful string melody to open.  It is a story song and it flows wonderfully.

[READ: July 25, 2015] Nimona

Sarah brought this book home although she didn’t remember what inspired her to get it.  I liked the look of it and was happy to read it before it had to go back.

The drawing style is quite compelling to me–quite unlike other comic books.  I also loved that the title character was a young girl with crazy hair and a body type that is not, shall we say, sexy and superheroy.  That was quite a nice change of pace.

The one thing I didn’t love about the book was the text.  It was hand written and, dare I admit my age, felt like very small print to me.  It was not an easy on the eyes read.  But maybe that made me focus on it more, because I really got into it.

The story begins in a fairly simple way.  Nimona, a young girl, goes to visit the villain Ballister Blackheart.  She says she is a fan of his work and wants to work with him.  He says no. Then she changes into a shark and he decides that she might be quite useful (I loved that chapter one was two pages).  In Chapter 2 Nimona proves to be a far more ruthless individual than Blackheart–changing his minor evil plans into a plan where the whole village is burnt to the ground.

And then we get a flashback.  In a joust we see Blackheart fighting against a pretty blond man named Ambrosious Goldenloin (the names are awesome).  Blackheart won, but Goldenloin, upon losing, somehow exploded Blackheart’s arm, rendering him incapable of being a knight and thus forcing him into a life of villainy.

And then story proceeds apace with Blackheart being the kind of villain who follows the “rules.”  “Killing solves nothing, Nimona.  It’s vulgar it’s messy.”  But Nimona wants no part of that.  She immediately slays a couple of guards and everyone is shocked.  Then she sets off the self destruct button and is apparently killed.

But of course she isn’t and her reveal is hilarious.  Blackheart wants to know more about her and her incredible powers and she tells a story about rescuing a witch.  Blackheart is dubious (“really, turn the six-year-old into a dragon, that was her idea?”).   The later scene where she shape shifts into him and mocks him “SSCCIEEEENCE” is very funny too–Stevenson gets a comic tone perfectly.

Then we look into the world of Goldenloin and the Institution and it turns out that they are a pretty corrupt organization.  They are working with jaderoot–a poisonous substance which they have banned.  So Blackheart decides to try to use this to his advantage (which involves an apple saleslady named Tabitha).

I loved that although the story seems medieval with knights and dragons, it is set in a slighty futuristic times with phone screen and pagers and such.  They even go to a science expo where a Dr Blitzmeyer has created a fascinating orb which glows of its own power (she is wonderfully clueless).

Since the Institution owns the media, Blackheart is in trouble for things that the Institution has done (the jaderoot).  And soon also the Institution is done with Goldenloin–he is too good for them and his services are no longer needed.  So he is de-knighted.  When Blackheart and Goldenloin briefly meet they have a chance to revisit their joust.

But in the meantime, the Institution has captured Nimona and she is angry (and much more powerful than anyone realized).

I really enjoyed this book a lot.  I loved that Blakcheart was actually a nice guy as a villain–that’s always an enjoyable premise.  I enjoyed the way this story escalated from a simple shape-shifting concept into this apocalyptic setting.  And I really enjoyed the underlying feelings between Blackheart and Goldenloin (whatever they may actually be).  The ending was really rather sweet.

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