Sunday, April 29, 2012

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest/Battle Royale/Winter's Bone

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (1962)
I've never heard anyone say a negative thing about the novel or film edition of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, so my expectations were high. Not only was I not let down, but those expectations were exceded by a long shot. A prisoner fakes insanity to serve the rest of his sentence in an asylum as opposed to jail, and ends up causing many a ruckus while encouraging and convincing the other patients to stand up to the institutional process. There are almost too many characters to keep track of, but it helped that they are all so likable and interesting. Ken Kesey's writing is straightforward but intricate, which is a great combination. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is equally funny and sad, and its complex character studies and stunning ending definitely solidify its classic status.

Battle Royale
Battle Royale - Koushun Takami (1999)
Since late college, I had heard so much about both novel and film versions of Battle Royale. I knew what to expect, and yet I was still completely shocked by how brutal this novel is. In case you didn't know, Battle Royale is about a government program that forces an entire classroom of middle school students into an enclosed area (usually a small island) to fight and kill until there is only one left standing. There are more complex specifications to the "game," as it's referred to, but you get the idea. I will admit that the U.S. translation is a tiny bit week. Koushun Takami's descriptive language and dialogue are mind-numbingly simple, and even too cute at times. Maybe that's just how he writes, but I have a feeling that his actual style was lost a little bit in the translation. Other than that, Battle Royale was pretty great. With so many characters, it was incredibly difficult to keep track of everyone and to know who exactly is involved with what event. In spite of that, these characters are surprisingly deep, even the ones that Takami doesn't spend much time on. Each character is likable in his or her own way, even the villains. The gruesomeness of all the violence and gory details is magnified thanks to that fact that it is kids brutally killing each other, but in some twisted way, I think that's why this novel works. Sure, it's pure pulp, but the critiques of tyranny and dictatorship are not very well hidden either. If you can stomach the idea that it is children creating all this gore (let alone the gore itself) as well as technical, straightforward writing that isn't necessarily the best, I encourage you to read Battle Royale for all the emotional pull and brilliant twists and turns within.

Winter's Bone
Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell (2006)
Winter's Bone is a short, surprisingly fast paced novel considering how much meandering occurs in the plot. Daniel Woodrell writes in an Old Testament/Southern Gothic style, akin to Cormac McCarthy and especially Charles Portis. Main character Ree's father skips bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and if he doesn't turn up for his court date, the family will lose their house. Thus, Ree embarks on a mission to locate the whereabouts of her dad and save her family. In a sense, Winter's Bone is an adventure novel in the vein of True Grit, but very subtly so. At 16 years old, Ree is a gritty heroine with inspiring characteristics and relatable flaws, and all the minor characters mesh together well. Woodrell's descriptive language is simple and cryptic yet equally beautiful. While I wasn't blown away by Winter's Bone, I enjoyed its dark tones, build-up and overall mystery.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Emotional Listening #20

Skeleton
Skeleton - Abe Vigoda (Post Present Medium, 2008)
Who knew that Abe Vigoda's third LP Skeleton, would come to be one of my favorite modern guitar albums? Forming as a result of the No Age/Mika Miko/The Smell LA punk rock scene, it's not surprising that the band is constantly thinking and moving forward and their sound is always unique. Before going all 80s post-punk on 2010's Crush, Abe Vigoda played an artful brand of punk that was highlighted by tropical rhythms, bright, high pitched guitar tones and some insanely tight drumming. Skeleton has a few shortcomings, but they are minute easy to overlook. While the drums sounds classy, the production can feel a little dense between the vocals being buried (and not the most melodic) and some of the harsher guitar tones. Also, I would be the first to admit that the songs all blend together and can be difficult to discern, even after many listens. When I listen to Skeleton, I think of it as many fragments formulating an album as opposed to a record featuring 14 songs, which makes for an attractive and different style of listening experience. Lastly, the record may be one song too long. I could do without the title track, or at the very least, "Skeleton" was the wrong choice for album closer. "Endless Sleeper" should have been it. What I like about the record is many things. I am way into the hyper-reggaeton drumming, even if it all starts to sound the same after a while. The dude has a nice touch and place some impressive beats. I actually like the challenging vocals, as they add an unsettling element to this music that is otherwise very melodic and catchy (at it's most crisp moments, at least). But, mainly, it's the guitars. I love the way these dudes play their guitars. I love the way they sound, and how for much of the album, both guitarists are pretty much exclusively playing lead parts that intermingle wonderfully with each other. The best examples of this are opener "Dead City/Waste Wilderness" and "The Garden." Those are probably the two best songs, also. You should be able to tell how excited I am about this record based on how long this entry is.
Top jams: "Dead City/Waste Wilderness," "Bear Face," "Cranes," "Live-Long," "The Garden," "Hyacinth Girls," "World Heart," "Endless Sleeper"

Last Splash
Last Splash - The Breeders (4AD/Elektra, 1993)
I feel like at least 75% of these entries start off the same way. Something along the lines of, "It's a shame that I haven't really gotten into this record until now. I'm an idiot for sleeping on it." Well, it may have become a lame cliche, but these sentiments are especially true for The Breeders' second and breakthrough (I think, right?) LP, Last Splash. You know, the one with "Cannonball." Why have I never cared that much before? Great question. I would say Last Splash is your typical yet high quality indie rock that would fit in somewhere with Pixies, Nirvana and Pavement, etc. The guitars are gnarly as hell, and Kim Deal is on top of her game, melodically. I'm surprised by how weird the album can be in places. As good of an opener as "Near Year" is, it is an interesting choice. Additionally, the inclusion of a cover of "Drivin' on 9" by Ed's Redeeming Qualities is bizarre. It's obvious why "Cannonball" was the album's hit, but certainly there are better songs, such as "Invisible Man," "No Aloha" and the album's best track, "Divine Hammer," which has to be my favorite song at the moment.
Top jams: "New Year," "Cannonball," "Invisible Man," "No Aloha," "Do You Love Me Now?," "Flipside," "I Just Wanna Get Along," "Divine Hammer," "Hag"

Post-Nothing
Post-Nothing - Japandroids (Unfamiliar, 2009)
When Post-Nothing, Japandroids' debut LP, was first release in 2009, I knew it was good. I loved the slightly shoegaze guitars and upbeat rhythms, even if I thought the songwriting was a bit spotty. My interest in the album was revitalized recently for whatever reason, and in retrospect, I glazed over an entirely important detail: vocally, melodically, and rhythmically, this album is SO emo. And I mean that as a compliment. Post-Nothing showcases some awesome 90s emo chords, and there are moments in these songs where I wonder how much these dudes are honorably aping Braid and The Promise Ring. "Young Hearts Spark Fire" is the greatest offender, and easily the best song here. Very much looking forward to the release of their next full-length, Celebration Rock, this coming June.
Top jams: "The Boys Are Leaving Town," "Young Hearts Spark Fire," "Wet Hair," "Rockets East Vancouver," "Sovereignty," "I Quit Girls"

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Emotional Listening #19

Cryptograms
Cryptograms - Deerhunter (Kranky, 2007)
I can't imagine an album that is more frustratingly sequenced than Deerhunter's breakout 2007 LP, Cryptograms. No wonder it took me forever to finally cave and listen to it. With the exception of one noisy, not very good rock song and one bad ass guitar pop jam (the title track), five of the first seven tracks are long, ambient instrumental pieces. They're pretty and all, but man are they boring. This is a befuddling way to start off one's album. That being said, the band returns to the psych-ish chimey guitar music for four of the last five, and it is a beautiful thing. "Spring Hall Convert," "Strange Lights," "Hazel St." and "Heatherwood" all rank among the Deerhunter greats, with "Hazel St." probably being the best song here. Though the second half of Cryptograms is an obvious indication of the direction the band would take, there are plenty of surprises overall, good and bad. Mostly good, though. I like where Bradford Cox's vocals sit in the mix, but the main attraction here is how luscious those guitars sound. Glad I finally went there with this record, even if I don't love it as much as I had hoped.
Top jams: "Cryptograms," "Spring Hall Convert," "Strange Lights," "Hazel St.," "Heatherwood"

Today
Today - Galaxie 500 (Aurora, 1988)
Galaxie 500 get pegged as "dream pop," but I don't really think that's applicable on their debut LP, Today. This is pretty much a moody jangle pop album with Velvet Underground tendencies. It sort of sounds like a slower version of The Feelies, perhaps with better melodies. "Tugboat" is one of THE ultimate jams, but "Parking Lot" and "Oblivious" are just about as great. Today is an excellent debut, and I look forward to spending time with the rest of Galaxie 500's discography.
Top jams: "Pictures," "Parking Lot," "Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste," "Oblivious," "It's Getting Late," "Tugboat"

Mass Romantic
Mass Romantic - The New Pornographers (Mint, 2000)

I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to listening to The New Pornographers' excellent debut. Considering how great 2003's Electric Version and especially 2005's Twin Cinema are, I shouldn't have been surprised by how good Mass Romantic is. That is quite a three-album run for any band. I'm sure you know this, but The New Pornos play loud, fun power pop with extremely well crafted song structures and some of the catchiest of melodies. A.C. Newman, Neko Case, Dan Bejar and co. are obviously the most top notch of musicians, and it's impressive how well they all work together. "Jackie," "Letter From an Occupant," and "To Wild Homes" are the most noteworthy tracks on this nearly flawless record.
Top jams: "Mass Romantic," "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism," "Jackie," "Letter From an Occupant," "To Wild Homes," "The Body Says No," "Execution Day," "Centre for Holy Wars"

Sittin' Pretty
Sittin' Pretty - The Pastels (Homestead, 1989)
This Pastels record took me a minute to fully get into, but I think I'm sold, now. These are some bad ass pop songs with some fuzzy, jangly guitars and arrogant, snotty vocals.. The Pastels get lumped in with the late 80s and early 90s twee movement, but Sittin' Pretty sounds considerably tougher than its kindred spirits. The brighter feel of the title track and faster tempo of "Swerve" make for an awesome way to end the album, but sweet mid-tempo opener "Nothing to be Done" takes the cake for album's greatest jam.
Top jams: "Nothing to be Done," "Holy Moly," "Ugly Town," "Zooom," "Sittin' Pretty," "Swerve"

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Bee Thousand/Jinx: The Definitive Collection

33 1/3 #38: Guided by Voices' Bee Thousand
33 1/3 #38: Guided by Voices' Bee Thousand - Marc Woodworth (2006)
I've completely slacked on my intake of Guided by Voices records, but even though I've never listened to Bee Thousand all the way through, this is one of the better entries in the 33 1/3 series. Here, the author's voice is not the only one heard, as there are contributions from many, including members of the band themselves. Aside from beating the way the album was recorded to death, it was interesting to read about Robert Pollard's collage art (which is a nice parallel to the way he composes his songs and assembles his bands and sequences his records). I obviously would have gotten more out of it had I been familiar with the songs on Bee Thousand, but the variety of perspectives helped me to maintain interest in the material. Now it's about time for me to listen.

Jinx: The Definitive Collection
Jinx: The Definitive Collection - Brian Michael Bendis (1996-98)
While I enjoyed Brian Michael Bendis' disturbing true crime graphic novel Torso considerably more, Jinx is an excellent, complex crime series that features some truly lovable and fascinating characters. The story is solid, but what makes Jinx so fun to read is the clever, often times hilarious dialogue. The mysteries within may get solved a little too quickly for my liking, but that's just about my only complaint. I most definitely intend to read more of Bendis' work in the future.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

White Teeth/Fight Club

White Teeth
White Teeth - Zadie Smith (2000)
Zadie Smith's debut novel is huge. Not technically in size (though, it is fairly sizable), but in the ground that it covers. It is a post-modern epic of sorts, and its details are too many and too intricate to attempt to cover in a short review. White Teeth tells the mid-life events of two close war buddies and their dysfunctional families. Their stories are rich, complex and often times hilarious. The themes covered are many and include immigration, religion, scientific breakthrough, cultural difference and family history, to name several. Smith weaves all of the themes, characters and plot points together in such a stunning and intricate way. In spite of their flaws, each character, major and minor, is lovable in every way. Smith's descriptive language is similar to that of Jonathan Franzen, and her zaniness, immense knowledge and the way she unravels the disjointed storyline reminds me of David Foster Wallace. White Teeth is just about as close to a perfect novel as one can get, and I recommend it to everyone.

Fight Club
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk (1996)
If you haven't read Fight Club, chances are you've seen it, so I don't need to dig into the plot too much. The protagonist believes he suffers from insomnia, when his mental state is deteriorating into a split personality that basically assembles a small army of men that wreaks havoc throughout the US. It's been a long while since I've watched the film, but as far as I can tell, it seems like David Fincher and Jim Uhls faithfully adapted Chuck Palahniuk's novel. Palahniuk's style here is scatterbrained, which suits the protagonist's narration perfectly, but his language is charmingly simple. The story makes fascinating statements on anarchy, mental status, and, weirdly, togetherness. Despite already knowing how the plot plays out, I still found myself surprised in the right places, and by the end I felt as disturbed as if I had just read a Bret Easton Ellis novel. Reading Fight Club is not essential, especially if you've seen the film, but it was a quality read and feeds my interest in reading more Palahniuk novels.