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Joseph O’Neill-“The World of Cheese” (Harper’s, February 2009)

March 30, 2009 by Paul Debraski

harpersfebSOUNDTRACK: BAND OF HORSES-Cease to Begin (2008).

band-ofOur friends Eugenie and Jarret introduced us to Band of Horses.  We liked the first one so much we couldn’t wait for the release of this follow up.  And it doesn’t disappoint.

The songs are so poppy that it’s shocking to me that they’re not everywhere (of course, I have limited exposure to the world, so maybe they are).

A funny thing is that even though BOH will always be associated with our friends, the song “No One’s Gonna Love You” is now linked with an episode of Chuck (a great resource for music these days).  In a very romantic scene, they used this mostly romantic BOH song. It fit very well, and now the song makes me think of the show.

Cease to Begin isn’t very different from their debut, although overall it is stronger and more complex.  The vocals are a high tenor, something that has become somewhat fashionable lately, and there are times when it’s not always easy to immediately tell BOH apart from say Fleet Foxes or My Morning Jacket, but since I like all those bands that’s okay.

The songs vary through a small sonic palate, from rocking numbers to more subtle, shimmery tracks.  There’s even some humor in the disc, on “The General Specific.”  All the tracks are really good.  I’m very thankful to Eugenie and Jarett for introducing them to me.

[READ: March 26, 2009] “The World of Cheese”

This is a sad but tender story about Breda Morrissey and the strained relations between herself and her husband and herself and her son.  As the story opens, we learn that her son Patrick has called her persona non grata.  All of this stems from her grandson’s upcoming bris.  Clearly, the Morrissey clan is Irish.  But her son has married a Jewish woman, and with the impending birth of their son, the talk of circumcision has raised its head. Continue Reading »

Posted in Airlines, Band of Horses, Chuck, Fleet Foxes, Harper's, Joseph O'Neill, Marriage Trouble, My Morning Jacket, Religion, Short Story | Leave a Comment »

Erik P. Kraft–Miracle Wimp (2007)

March 28, 2009 by Paul Debraski

miracleSOUNDTRACK: QUATTE.F- “I’m So Glad” from My Space (2009).

Quatte.f is a patron at my library.  He had asked me to help him transfer some photos and eventually to help him upload his demo song to his MySpace page.  He told me that he was in a local group of some sort–I don’t recall who they were–and this was his chance to go solo.

I’m not much of an R&B fan (NO!), but after we uploaded the track, he asked me to listen and I did.  And I have to say I really liked it.  It’s catchy as heck.  And his voice is really strong.  He also avoids most of the histrionics that I dislike so much about R&B.

So, I wish him much success, and since I doubt he’ll ever see this, if you click on his link and listen to his song he’ll be pretty psyched that he’s suddenly gotten all of these listens to his song.  And if you’re from a label, he’s currently unsigned.

Check it out.

[READ: March 22, 2009] Miracle Wimp

Sarah got a copy of this in the mail.  She said, hey, this looks like something you’d like.  So I read it, and finished it in like three hours.

At first, I was afraid that it was  just jumping on the bandwagon of the Diary of Wimpy Kid phenomenon.  But when I checked the release dates I found that the first Wimpy Kid came out in 2007 and so did this book.  We got a pre-released copy of the paperback edition (which is soon to be released in 2009) so no complaints about riding on coattails!  (Although, the online cartoon started in, I believe, 2005).

The book is about Tom Mayo, a junior in a high school set in the boonies of western Massachusetts.  The book details the ritual humiliations that come with being a wimp in high school.  There aren’t diary entries per se, but each page has a title and about a page worth of stuff that happened about that topic.  There’s also some rudimentary drawings (not as charming as Wimpy Kid’s, which is especially weird since Tom wanted to be in art class) that convey what happened in that “entry.” Continue Reading »

Posted in Erik P. Kraft, Funny (ha ha), Jeff Kinney, Quatte.f, Set at School, Short Books | Leave a Comment »

José Da Fonesca & Pedro Carolino–English as She is Spoke: The New Guide of the Conversation, in Portuguese and English, in Two Parts (1855) [THE COLLINS LIBRARY No. 1 (2002)]

March 27, 2009 by Paul Debraski

spokespokehcSOUNDTRACK: ISLANDS-Arm’s Way (2008).

islandsI enjoyed Islands’ first album (and, in a weirder way, their earlier band The Unicorns).  This album seems to have made a lot of 2008 Top Ten or at least Top Fifty lists. What’s so strange about the whole affair is that I absolutely love the first 8 songs on this disc, and based on those alone, I would put it on my top ten as well.

But after that….

Well, let’s put it this way, the eighth song “In the Rushes” is a wonderfully weird 7 minute song that ends with a direct quote/pseudo-parody of the Who’s “A Quick One, While He’s Away.”  The “tribute” comes in all of a sudden after five or so minutes, and ends with the lyrical change from The Who’s “You Are Forgiven” to their own “You Are Forgotten.”  But musically it’s spot on.  And I’ll tell you, that just feels like the end to me.  “A Quick One” ends The Who Sell Out, and so it should end this too.

And those last four songs, which actually totally about half an hour (!), I just can’t really enjoy for some reason.  Perhaps if they left them as a separate EP…?

But back to the rest of the disc.  The opening salvo of songs is just so fantastic. “The Arm” is catchy and weird with cool breaks and a bitchin’ chorus.  “Pieces of You,” not anything to do with Jewel, is another great catchy song.  The next three tracks are great little rockers with some thrashy parts and more off-kilter aspects.  “Kids Don’t Know Shit” starts mellow but has a cool string-filled chorus.  And then of course, you get to “In the Rushes.”  So these 8 tracks come in at 37 minutes, and I swear I’m just done with the disc.

Those next four songs are good (In fact, listening to samples of them right now, I do like the songs, and “To a Bond” is an especially good song, too). I guess I just feel like the album is done by then.  And when you think an album is done and there’s still 30 minutes to go, well, it’s just daunting.  Too bad, really, because it is a good disc.

[READ: March 17, 2009] English as She is Spoke

I bought the hardcover edition of this book many many years ago as soon as I heard of it…anything with a rave by Mark Twain must be worthwhile, right?  When I was looking for it again recently I couldn’t find it anywhere.  So, I saw that McSweeney’s were having another sale and I picked up the paperback edition.  The text is exactly the same; however, the introduction is slightly different and for that reason alone I’m glad I have the new copy too (I did find the hardcover a few days after I received the paperback, of course).

The paperback edition contains an update to the introduction.  The hardcover was rather popular and one of its readers–a UCLA linguist–wanted to absolve Fonesca of some of the blame for the book.  It appears that Fonesca had written a very good phrase book which Carolino basically used for his own purposes in creating this hilarious enterprise.  Rather than just plagiarizing Fonesca, Carolino gave him full credit, thereby giving him a lifetime of undeserved infamy.  So, thanks Paul Collins for setting the record straight.

As  to the book itself…. Continue Reading »

Posted in 19th Century, Canadian Music, Dip-in Books, Foreign Books, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Islands, Jewel, José Da Fonesca, McSweeney's, Paul Collins, Pedro Carolino, The Collins Library, The Unicorns, The Who | Leave a Comment »

Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black–The Spiderwick Chronicles [Books 1-5] (2003-2004)

March 26, 2009 by Paul Debraski

s11SOUNDTRACK: FLAMING LIPS-She Don’t Use Jelly (1993).

jellyThis single contains three B-Sides:  “Translucent Egg” is something of an instrumental version of “She Don’t Use Jelly.”  It uses the same opening guitar riff, but it changes a few things along the way.  The highlights though are the other two tracks: variants from Transmissions from the Satellite Heart.  “Turn It On [Bluegrass Version]” is, as advertised, a stompin’ bluegrass version of that track (with help from the Butthole Surfers), and “******* [Porch Version]” is a solo acoustic version of “Plastic Jesus.”  Probably not an essential disc, but the alternate versions do highlight the quality of the songs and not just the raucous effects on the main disc.

[READ: Fall 2008 & March 24, 2009] The Spiderwick Chronicles

I started this series in the Fall of 2008, and for some reason, didn’t finish volumes 4 and 5.  I saw them on my night stand and decided it was time to polish them off.  And so I did.

I had originally intended to write about each volume, but that is not feasible now.  So, instead I’ll give a summary of events and some overall commentary.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Children's Books, Demons, End of the World, Fantasy, Harry Potter, Holly Black, Short Books, Supernatural, Threats, Tony DiTerlizzi | Leave a Comment »

Amy Fusselman-The Pharmacist’s Mate (2001)

March 25, 2009 by Paul Debraski

fusselmanSOUNDTRACK: MOGWAI-The Hawk is Howling (2008).

mogwaiI’ve been a fan of Mogwai since I first heard of them back in 1997 with their Young Team debut.  They have progressed their sonic explorations of instrumentals into unimagined complexity and sonic booms.

I don’t think anyone walks around humming the melodies of Mogwai songs, but as soon as the songs start they are immediately recognizable, catchy and wonderful.  And this album is no exception.

The big difference on this disc is the amount of piano.  I always think of Mogwai as a squealing feedback production (although that’s not really true exactly), and I’m sure this isn’t their first use of piano on one of their discs, but it comes as a surprise to me that the disc opens with a piano melody (especially since the first single “Batcat” comes next and is one of the noisiest, most aggressive songs in their entire catalog.

“The Sun Smells Too Loud” has an amazingly catchy guitar riff going on which sustains it for the duration of the song.  And “Scotland’s Shame” also has a really great, albeit slower theme as well.

It’s a really strong showing from Mogwai.  It doesn’t feel as immediate or as intense as previous ones, especially their lats one, Mr. Beast, but it’s a great release nonetheless.

[READ: March 20, 2009] The Pharmacist’s Mate

I’ve had this title for a while, and I’ve been meaning to read it , yet for some reason I never did. I think I figured it was so short that I could read it at any time. And, following that logic, I finally decided to.  I was also very pleasantly surprised to see a blurb from Zadie Smith on the back, too. Continue Reading »

Posted in Amy Fusselman, Marriage (Happy), McSweeney's, Memoirs, Mogwai, Pregnancy, Short Books, War | Leave a Comment »

Sheila Heti–The Middle Stories (2002)

March 24, 2009 by Paul Debraski

hetiSOUNDTRACK: COLDPLAY-Prospekt’s March EP (2008).

prospecktThis EP was released hot on the heels on Viva La Vida. So hot, in fact, that since our copy of Viva was lost, I listened to this EP first.

If you absolutely love Viva La Vida, and wish it were longer, than this EP is perfect for you.  It has three remixes of songs from Viva.  I find the “Lovers in Japan [Osaka Sun Mix]” to be more satisfying that the original.  The opening track “Life in Technicolor ii” fleshes out the instrumental from Viva into a 4 minute song with lyrics.  And then there’s “Lost+” which tacks on an ill-fitting rhyme from Jay Z.

The rest of the disc is new songs in the vein of Viva.  They all contain that orchestral feel of the disc, especially “Glass of Water.”  Although the last track, “Now My Feet Don’t Touch the Ground” the a title that you would think would be over the top, is a more acoustic style ballad.

None of this is essential listening, but as a fairly cheap EP, it’s a not a bad addition to the Coldplay collection.

[READ: March 19, 2009] The Middle Stories

This seemed like it would be a fun little book. The cover (hand vandalized by Canadians, the website promised) has a photo of a man (see above). [In my picture, he is adorned in with a birthday hat, balloons and candles. I bought this from McSweeney’s recently (for a $5 sale, I believe) even though it was one of their first published titles.

Heti has two stories in McSweeney’s issues (#4 & #6), which are included here, but which I didn’t remember from before.  And that’s enough introduction. I really didn’t like this short story collection at all. Continue Reading »

Posted in Boredom, Coldplay, McSweeney's, Sheila Heti, Short Books, Short Story, Unlikable main character, Virginity (Loss of) | Leave a Comment »

Edmonton Folk Festival 2009 (Part II)

March 23, 2009 by Paul Debraski

I don’t have any news to add about the Festival yet; however, I just learned that I could add a map to my blog post, so, here’s a map to the Festival.

I was also looking at the lineup for last year’s Festival, and although there’s only a few artists signed up for this year so far, last year’s lineup is pretty impressive.   There were 70 artists altogether, including (band links are to the Festival’s site):

Broken Social Scene
Cat Power
Dervish
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Jian Ghomeshi
Aimee Mann
Joan Osborne
The Sadies
Ron Sexsmith
Martha Wainwright
Dar Williams

Pretty cool.  These are some of my favorite artists.

And here’s the cool interactive map!

Posted in Aimee Mann, Broken Social Scene, Canadian Music, Cat Power, Dar Williams, Dervish, Edmonton Folk Festival, Funky Web Sites, Jian Ghomeshi, Joan Osborne, Martha Wainwright, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ron Sexsmith, The Sadies | Leave a Comment »

Kurt Vonnegut–Mother Night (1961)

March 23, 2009 by Paul Debraski

mothernightSOUNDTRACK: COLDPLAY-Viva la Vida(2008).
viva-la-vidaI have a very vivid memory of listening to Coldplay for the first time.  I was driving a very annoying person to her revolting house in upstate New York.  I was delighted to be getting her out of my life, and I was listening to Coldplay’s first album, Parachutes.  I knew “Yellow” from either the radio or from some Britpop fascination of mine.  AT the time, Coldplay were considered the next Travis, whose “Why Does It Always Rain on Me” had just soared up the charts. “Yellow” was described as Travis-like and something of a rip-off (a claim thrown at Coldplay to this day).

As an indie guy, Coldplay should be anathema to me. And yet since “Yellow” I’ve always liked them, despite their ridiculous name.  And I’ve always thought of them as a sort of underdog (that whole Travis thing), even though all the entertainment magazines say they are the biggest band in the world (even bigger than U2!)

And so, here is their latest disc.  Amusingly, we had played it in the house and then suddenly the disc was gone.  Couldn’t find it for a month.  (It eventually turned up in the REM Accelerate case (those cardboard sleeves with two openings tend to hide discs).

And now I’ve given it a listen, and man is it good.  Yes, I know, they’re huge stadium anthem rock, but even though I like lo-fi indie, I also like stadium rock when it’s done right.  It’s also funny about their backlash because they haven’t really changed their style over the course of their career.  It’s not like they’ve suddenly become commercial.  They’ve just been commercial-in-waiting.  And frankly, I’d rather them be on the radio than some other Top 40 bands.

So Viva la Vida is chock full of hits, and chock full of great songs. It opens with a short instrumental “Life in Technicolor,” a string-filled 2 minute intro that sets the tone quite well.  And each of the following 3 minute pop songs are great: swells of orchestra, great punchy choruses and then…done; leaving you wanting more to sing along to.

The amount of strings on this record is really notable.  And surely the breakout single “Viva La Vida” is the most string-heavy rock single since The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.”

The only compliant I have about the record is the three songs that last over 6 minutes.  Despite the bombast of their songs, most of Coldplay’s work fits comfortably under 4 minutes.  These three 6 minute songs are really 3 minute songs with a 3 minute coda tacked on at the end.  And, the problem is that those codas are usually just repeated instrumental moments that slow down the proceedings.  (And since I dig bands like Mogwai who make fantastic instrumental music, I know from instrumentals).  This doesn’t ruin the disc by any means, although it does tend to wreck the flow a little.  Nevertheless, the next song kicks in and you’re back to singing along.

[READ: March 19, 2009]: Mother Night

It was with some trepidation that I started this Vonnegut novel. The reasons being A) I had never even heard of this title. B) Cat’s Cradle, regarded as one of his masterpieces comes next in order, and C) it’s about Nazis…how much fun could that be?

Well, as it turns out, my fears were unfounded.

Mother Night has a few layers to it. So we’ll start with the basics. The book is written by Howard W. Campbell. The book has been edited by Kurt Vonnegut, and Vonnegut’s introduction makes clear that he tried to follow Campbell’s wishes as best he could. (All of this, of course, is pure fiction, but it’s a good one). Continue Reading »

Posted in Coldplay, Funny (ha ha), Kurt Vonnegut, Meta, Mogwai, Prison, R.E.M., Racism, Religion, The Verve, Threats, Travis, U2, War | Leave a Comment »

Joyce Carol Oates–“Pumpkin Head” (New Yorker, January 12, 2009)

March 22, 2009 by Paul Debraski

ny112SOUNDTRACK: SANDRO PERRI-Plays Polmo Polpo [CST042] (2006).

polmoThis EP has Sandro Perri, mastermind behind Polmo Polpo, playing previously released songs by Polmo Polpo.  Why? You may ask.  To rework them entirely, of course.  The original pieces were electronic and very textured, creatively designed that you almost forget there are songs underneath. And so Perri has brought back the songs underneath the songs, creating an acoustic soundtrack that brings out the subtlety of the originals.

And yet, that’s not exactly correct either.  Because three of these tracks appear on the Polmo Polvo release Like Hearts Swelling, in much longer versions.  In fact, “Sky Histiorie” drops from 13 to 4 minutes.  Indeed, aside from lyrics, the songs are almost unrecognizable except as kernels of ideas from the original.

This is a delicate EP, acoustic and either solo or with suitable accompaniment.  It’s not going to blow your mind, but it might get you hooked.

[READ: March 5, 2009] “Pumpkin Head”

As Hadley is waiting in her house, a pick-up truck pulls into her driveway.  She vaguely recalls asking Anton Kruppev to stop by.  And yet she is full of trepidation while the truck sits in her driveway.  As the driver gets out of the car she sees that it is in fact a large pumpkin-headed man.  The pumpkin head becomes more sinister as it gets nearer and nearer, unspeaking.  Although surely it must be Anton, for that is his truck.  Lest  you think that JCO has gotten all surreal, the pumpkin head is actually a jack -o-lantern carved out by Anton and worn on his shoulders.

Despite her obvious nervousness, Anton laughs off the joke and presents her with the very large jack-o-lantern as his gift to her. Hadley ‘s thoughts wander as Anton offers to do some work around her house.

Hadley is recently widowed and while she’s not terribly attracted to Anton, his rugged good looks and physical strength let her ponder some possibilities.   After inviting him in for a drink, she immediately regrets it.

Anton wanders around her house scrutinizing all of her things, her prizes, her memories of her husband.  And, as he drinks more, he grows more belligerent.  Belligerent about the head of his laboratory who has stolen Anton’s work (and gotten him fired in the process) and against America itself (a supposedly tolerant nation).

JCO pervades the story with tension.  Every move that Anton makes, from his initial awkwardness to his eventual drunkenness is fraught with meaning.  And yet the whole time, you get the feeling that Hadley’s just being foolish in her fear. You want her to lighten up. She knows this guys, he’s harmless, almost childlike.  But even though she doesn’t let up her guard, her worst fear comes true.

It’s available here.

Posted in Canadian Music, Constellation Records, Drinking, Funny (strange), Joyce Carol Oates, New Yorker, Polmo Polpo, Sandro Perri, Set in New Jersey!, Threats | Leave a Comment »

Italo Calvino–“The Daughters of the Moon” (New Yorker, February 23, 2009)

March 21, 2009 by Paul Debraski

ny223SOUNDTRACK: THEE SILVER MT. ZION ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA BAND-Thirteen Blues for Thirteen Moons [CST051] (2008).

13-bluesI’ve enjoyed most of the output by (A/Thee) Silver Mt. Zion (Orchestra (& Tra-La-La Band)) over the years.  So, I naturally picked up this one when it came out.  And I’m torn by the record.

This disc contains 4 lengthy tracks.  But unlike fellow Constellation label mates Godspeed you Black Emperor, they are not orchestral pieces that ebb and flow until they reach a climax.  Rather, they are almost punk-orchestral pieces.  They have different sounds throughout the disc, sounds that are powerful, tender, angry and very raw.

And musically I think the album is pretty great.  The problem I have, which I hadn’t noticed on previous releases, was how much I don’t like singer Efrim’s voice.  He simply doesn’t have a very good or strong voice.  It sounds weak and exposed, and, given the content of what he’s singing about, that is either perfectly appropriate or wildly off base.  It seems to work well on “1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound” and yet for “blindblindblind” I just want him to be quiet and let the gorgeous backing choir take over.

And that’s the thing about SMZ, the backing vocal chantings are sublime: whether they are beautifully supportive or disconcertingly discordant, they are perfectly apt to the songs.

I guess when I think of SMZ I think of them as a collective band, an orchestra who works together to create their sound, and in many instances on Thirteen…  Efrim just stands out too much.  And who knows, maybe that’s the point, maybe that’s the punk aesthetic they wanted to bring to the album, I just think it takes a little something away from the beautiful noise they make.

[READ: March 4, 2009] “The Daughters of the Moon”

This is the first piece I have read by Italo Calvino.  Calvino’s name has been around for ages, but I honestly didn’t know a thing about him.

This story was written in 1968 (and was just translated into English) and as soon as I began reading it, I knew that it was a dated piece.  Not because of things like mentioning Life magazine, but because the naked women that populate the story were all referred to as “girls.”  And there was something about it that made my pop culture references hit upon Woody Allen’s early 1970s movie where he calls all the women that he’s interested in “girls.”  It seems strange that that stood out to me so much, but it just came across as something that a writer wouldn’t write anymore, or even pre 1960s.  At least as far as naked women were concerned.

And, about the naked women…

The story concerns the disintegration, capture and removal of the moon.  It is told by Qfwfq, who fills in the details of this extraordinary event.  Despite the fact that the narrator is named Qfwfq and it concerns the destruction of the moon, the story is set in Manhattan.

The moon is off course, it is wobbly and disconsolate.  And so are the residents of Earth.  One night, when Qfwfq is passing Central Park, he sees a naked woman in the park; she has removed all of her clothes and is lying prostrate to the moon.  She climbs on to his car and they race across the city to a large junkyard, where she and many other naked women support the moon with their power.

But soon a crane comes and tries to add the moon to the junkyard’s pile of old, discarded materials.

The story is a thinly veiled allegory of consumerism and disposable culture.  And I suppose that the allegory is so thinly veiled that I found it a little too obvious.  Maybe, it’s because the story is nearly 40 years old, and the topic is always in discussion now, but it seemed very obvious to me.

Posted in Constellation Records, Consumerism, Dystopia, End of the World, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Italo Calvino, Life, New Yorker, Outer Space, Short Story, Silver Mt. Zion, Supernatural | Leave a Comment »

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