red / radio / music

Festival of Faith and Music 2011, My Brightest Diamond and Matisyahu

2011-04-08T09:09:00.005-04:00

Its only been two years since I posted!

Last night Calvin College's great music festival began with a keynote by Shara Worden and the opening concert. Worden was very interesting talking about her background and why she thinks music and art in general should continue to be performed by community not just by professionals. She also performed and was great using several different instruments and vocal styles to play a wide range of music.

I didn't know what to expect with Matisyahu, but the concert was amazing. Matisyahu sang and beat-boxed with two musicians on acoustic guitars. They played lots of originals plus some Marley and really improvised as they went. Matisyahu mentioned that they felt relaxed at that conference and the seemed quite eager to be creative and daring and it made for a special concert.

I'll be updating on the 2nd and 3rd day of FFM as well, which are full days of speakers and concerts.

FFM Concert -- Over the Rhine

2009-04-06T09:15:00.006-04:00

The end of the Festival of Faith and Music ended with Over the Rhine, Julie Lee and Aaron Strumpel. Strumpel's band was a great opener. Even though the vocals are kind of weird and there is a fair amount of yelling and chanting the music is great. They are kind of a rowdier Plug Spark Sanjay and incredibly talented musicians who even traded instruments during songs. Julie Lee is not my kind of thing, but put on a decent, though kind of awkward set.

OtR was amazing. The played a ton from The Trumpet Child, but played a lot of older classics as well. As usual, they were quite flexible beginning the set more jazzy, then quickly turning into a rock band with two electric guitars and the best drummer I have seen in a very long time. They were really on their game and quite energetic. A cool end to the Festival.

FFM '09, Day 2

2009-04-04T08:08:00.007-04:00

The Bifrost Arts project led a short service featuring the hymns and sacred music that they non-profit group has been attempting to preserve. Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making, was the first keynote speaker of the day and deftly broke down what he thinks makes excellent popular music. He used the Tom Wait song, Picture in a Frame, as his main reference and made some great points. I will be using his points in the way I look at music, especially to see if I agree with his evaluation. Crouch is a great teacher and later I went to his workshop about being consumers and creators. He defined what it means to be a pure consumer and how satisfying and Biblical it is to become more of a producer and kick the habit of consumerism. I Think that so far this has been the session that I will take the most away from.

The artist interview was Cornell West having a conversation with hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco. It was quite entertaining. The most poignant moment was when Lupe said he wanted to be remembered as one who, "did not lead them astray," or if he failed in that goal, he wished not to be remembered at all. West later delivered a powerful keynote, though I am still processing most of what he said.

My other workshop was a conversation between the great David Bazan (former Pedro the Lion) and journalist Jessica Hopper. I am a big fan of Bazan and it was fun to see him talk after hearing him play on Thursday. It was great to hear about the early Tooth and Nail days and great bands like Sal Paradise and Velour 100. Bazan's theological bent is interesting and he is becoming quite the skeptic, but is incredibly thoughtful and genuine.

Out of context phrase of the day: "...older than August..." David Bazan.

Festival of Faith and Music 2009

2009-04-03T08:34:00.004-04:00

I am going to quickly blog from the opening day of the Festival yesterday, so that I don't get behind and never write about anything. The opening day was quite fun, beginning with a neat artist interview with the Hold Steady's Craig Finn. He talked a lot about his background and how it affects how he writes. The most interesting thing was how he likes writing with cinematic elements and about characters which allows him to write fuller songs rather than just writing songs in first-person style.

Mokoto Fujimura was incredibly interesting and deep, however, if I try to recap, I will never be able to re-capture what he said. He made a great case for art and things that might seem extravagant but make the world a better place, humanize our world and depending upon your theological bent, please our creator.

I chose to go see David Bazan instead of The Hold Steady and even though I have seen Bazan a few times, it was quite worth it. He began with a few classic Pedro the Lion songs and then played a ton from his new album coming out in August. I have always enjoyed Bazan by himself better than with a backing band (even though Pedro was great) and he was great, confident, relaxed and really on top of his game last night. I couldn't really get into his last EP, but I am now excited for the new album. Also, I have never been to the Ladies Literary Club and it is a really neat venue downtown.

best teen lit (second post)

2009-01-16T20:45:00.005-05:00

Cairo by G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker

This is my Graphic Novel of the year (actually came out in late 2007) though there were some other worthy titles. The authors weave a story that takes place in Cairo and involves an American tourist, a soldier, a drug runner, a potential suicide bomber and a reporter. Everything fits quite well together and is somehow political, religious and recounts some legends without ruining the flow. This is an outstanding GN.

Best Teen Lit

2009-01-06T20:15:00.004-05:00

So, I have been getting back into writing a little bit and will also start going through my Top Ten Teen books of the past year. I'm still, however, reading a lot of the potential award winners, so the list could be greatly altered as I go and some of them I read almost a year ago. Anyway, the first of my current favorites (revealed in alphabetical order) is:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

17-year old Jenna has woke up from a coma in a new place with memories that don't quite fit with her new reality. Pearson writes a incredibly engaging story as Jenna begins to find out what happened to her. This novel blends a coming of age story with science fiction (it is almost cyber-punkish, but I can't actually go that far). Unfortunately, this is one of those books that if I say anything beyond one or two sentences I will completely ruin the book, so that is all I'm saying on this one.

Best Music in '07 that I Didn't Know About Until '08.

2009-01-01T12:29:00.002-05:00

I'm going to be going through my favorite Cd's of the year, because year end lists are awesome, but first here are two I would have put on my 2007 list if I had heard them soon enough.

Plauge Park by the Handsome Furs.

Plaugue Park is a killer lo-fi combination of electronics, guitars and distortion. This short, 9-track disc shows off the folky sensibilities of Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner, who partners here with Alexei Perry. While this is a moody piece, Boeckner creates a hopeful soundscape that can be listened to on many levels. Obvious comparisons are to Postal Service, though it also reminds me of The Decemberists and Iron and Wine's The Shepherd's Dog.

The Ghost that Carried Us Away by Seabear

Why didn't I know about this band? The only thing I really know about them is that they are from Iceland and they are awesome. Seabear is unabashedly indie-pop and gets the disc off to a great start with the instrumental (should be used in a soundtrack) Good Morning Scarecrow. Top to bottom this is an incredibly solid disc in every way. The lyrics are also interesting like on Arms they write, "left your black gloves on my table/ left your dark horse in the stable/ thinking of a way to get you to stay/ and I'll promise to/ fight the wind and wait for you/ I'm an owl with tired eyes/ I'm a scarecrow in disguise." This is just a fun, stirring album with some traditional folk elements and indie-pop goodness. Fans of Elliot Smith and Death Cab for Cutie will enjoy this.

Oklahoma City Thunder

2008-09-06T18:47:00.005-04:00

I don't usually blog about sports logos and stuff like that since there are already some good blogs out there. However, I'm a little perplexed by the new Oklahoma City Thunder logo. The Thunder are the relocated and re-branded Seattle Supersonics of the NBA. It is such a terrible logo, it looks generic and has very little to do with thunder or weather. I was trying to think of a major league pro team's logo that would be comparable and all I could think of was the Anaheim Ducks re-branding in 2006. At least Anaheim's word mark is slightly interesting and it relates a bit to its mascot.

Except for some of the new NBA Development league teams I can't think of any other logo this plain and out of place. I do think the red-orange color is interesting because they wanted something different than the red of the Oklahoma Sooners and the orange of the the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Anyway, maybe the jerseys will be cool, but this is a disappointing new logo.

The Rest of My Favorites of '07

2008-04-07T09:39:00.003-04:00

I'm finally posting the rest (it is only August!)...

4. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

Adams relaxes and creates a great folk-rock album without trying too hard.

3. Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
OtR turns ridiculously positive on this comforting album that consistently flirts with folk and jazz.
2. Patty Griffin – children Running Through

This is a confident, bold album from a great story-teller.
1. The Good, the bad & the Queen

My clear favorite of the year and I'm still listening to it all of the time. This collaboration features Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, Paul Simonon of The Clash, Tony Allen of Africa 70 and Simon Tong of The Verve. What you get is a combo of pop/rock/electronica that is incredibly compelling.

Wordless (mostly) Graphic Novels

2008-02-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

So, there are a bunch of wordless Graphic Novels out now with Shaun Tan's timeless tale, The Arrival leading the way. Here are a couple of others:

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

There is not a lot I can say about the plot because I do not want to ruin it, but this is an incredible book. Varon writes about a dog who has a robot, but doesn't realize what could happen when he takes his robot to the beach. Things then change drastically for the two in this touching GN. The art is simple and I can't say enough about this wonderful book.

A.L.I.E.E.E.N by L. Trondheim

This is for those of us who still laugh at poopy jokes and the like. Trondheim has found what alien kids read and put this out for us to read. Actually, it isn't really wordless, but I don't know their alilen language so it is basically wordless. Aparrently, alien children really dig cutsey drawings who do disguting things and wade in disgusting things, which doesn't make for that great of a GN, but it is funny.

More Best of '08

2008-01-27T11:38:00.000-05:00

6. Blonde Redhead – 23

Their lush sound is calmed down a little bit, but jangly guitars and some subtle electronic influences create a really cool vibe. This is a great disc with brooding lyrics and some diverse musical styles. Fans of The Arcade Fire will dig this as well.

5. Iron and Wine The Shepherds’ Dog

Yes, I kind of miss the stripped down sounds of early Iron and Wine CDs. But, yes, this is still cool and great. There are some artsy escapes here that may be somewhat unnecessary, but Sam Beam gets a bunch of musicians to fill out their sound with great results. This does solidify Iron and Wine's place in the indie-folk world and I imagine they will be there for a long, long time.

More Top Ten Music

2008-01-20T09:29:00.000-05:00

8. These Friends of Mine by Rosie Thomas

Rosie's latest album includes help from greats like Damien Jurado, T.W. Walsh, Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer. This is a quiet, thoughtful album from Thomas that proves to be quite interesting especially on the REM cover, The One I Love.

7. In the Bedroom After the War by Stars

While this is less of an Indie-Rock/Pop album than Set Yourself on Fire, In the Bedroom After the War is a theatrical take on relationships. This album is not as good as the previous one, but it is still one of the best of '08. Which really shows how good this band is. Stars creates an awesome, layered and laid-back sound and are good storytellers as well.

More Top Ten Music

2007-12-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

9. Neon Fire by Arcade Fire

The follow up to 2004's Funeral is not a disappointment in any way. The Montreal band reverts to more balladry and it make take a few listens to really appreciate it. Even so, the band melds hope and angst, laid-back tunes and anthemic bombast for another good album.

10. The Reminder by Feist

I'm a bit confused about what I think about this album because while it is quite good, I know that she could do better. The Reminder, stylistically, pretty much follows Let it Die, though it is even more jazzy. Lyrically, it is not as potent as Let it Die and that is my main concern. However, The Reminder is a great, quirky collection and proof that she will keep making timeless pop.

Best Music of 2007 -- The Best that didn't Make the Final Ten

2007-12-23T10:54:00.001-05:00

End of the year Best of lists are the funnest things ever, so I can't resist doing my own again. I will post my Top 10 later, but here is my Not Quite the Top 10 but Pretty Good in 2007 list.

Wincing the Night Away by The Shins

They had a lot of pressure put on them to come up with a brilliant album, so I'm impressed that they even released a decent album. The Shins did make a poppier album this go around, which at first seems a bit calculated and maybe it is. However, there are still the cool little moments and experiments that make this a Shins album and a darn good one.

Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird

Singer-songwriter Andrew Bird presents more of his weirdly Gothic and sometimes humorous lyrics. The buzzy guitars, heavy keyboards and steady rhythms nicely complement Bird's crooning voice. Bird has been around for a while, but this well-produced disc seems to be giving him some deserved notoriety.

Boxer by The National

There is not a lot of difference between Boxer and many of its predecessors. The band just keeps doing what it does best which is a lightly adorned blues-rock accompaniment to Matt Berninger's vocals and the band's literary lyrics. This is a very good disc, which some are calling the album of the year.

Flight Vol. 4

2007-12-09T10:50:00.000-05:00

Type: Short Story Collection
Published: Villard, 2007

These are absolutely brilliant. This is the fourth volume which includes a couple of great Graphic Novelists. A ton of writers and artists with styles from all over the map contribute to these collections. Yeah, some are weird, a couple are boring, but some of the best are genius, so I recommend all four of these titles.

Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim

2007-12-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Type: Contemporary Fiction
Published: Minx, 2007

I am mostly reviewing this to note that the titles from Minx (a DC imprint) seem to be getting worse with each release. The Plain Janes was really good and Re-gifters was solid, but Confessions of a Blabbermouth and Good as Lily are just run-of-the-mill contemporary GNs.

This is not to say, however, that Good as Lily is terrible. It takes an interesting premise in 18-year old Grace, who meets and has to deal with three versions of herself at different ages. The intriguing plot does not lead to a real deep story and this is its undoing. Readers of the previous Minx titles will probably enjoy this (and Confessions of a Blabbermouth), but that is the end of its appeal.

Notes for a War Story by Gipi

2007-12-02T15:16:00.001-05:00

Type: Contemporary Fiction
Published: 2007, First Second

Gipi is the author of the wonderful GN, Garage Band, which I just loved. This is good as well, though much more serious than Garage Band. The Italian author follows three youngsters trying to make their way in an unnamed war=torn country. Watching them get sucked into life with some hard=core criminals is heartbreaking. The art is quite similar to Garage Band and probably matches the tone better for this GN. The viewpoint the reader is given from Gipi seem a bit standoffish considering the subject matter, but this is a very good GN.

Aya by by Marguerite Abouet

2007-11-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

Type: Contemporary Fiction
Published: Drawn & Quarterly, 2007

Aya is the story of some African teens in 1978 before their area became ravaged by war. The setting and time really carry this story and it is a unique look at Africa. This 19-year old engages in stereotypical teen behavior worrying a lot about boys, but the changes coming to their land put the whole thing in a weird context. A bit of this dragged for me, but it is a solid and subtly presented story.

Ultimate Galactus Vol. 1: Nightmare

2007-11-24T22:34:00.000-05:00

Type: Superhero
Published: Marvel Comics, 2005

Okay, so this is a bit old, but I had never read these despite the fact I love the Ultimate Universe and all of the titles (except Ultimate Fantastic Four). In this volume the Ultimates and the X-Men go to Russia to find the source of a communication sent to the whole planet. What they find is Russia's answer to America's program during World War II which created Captain America. Both supergroups find creature after creature that have been lying in wait since the '40s. This is a killer beginning to Ultimate Galactus so I will be reading through the rest of these.

Time to Begin...again

2007-11-24T22:27:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm back. After I couldn't see things for a while (long story) I was a little busy catching up on life and just couldn't get revved up to blog again. Recently, however, I realized how much I missed it and so I'm jumping back in. I have decided to focus on Graphic Novels of all sorts and will primarily be reviewing those from now on. Thanks and enjoy, Kip.

Concert Review -- Over the Rhine and Dar Williams

2007-08-12T10:17:00.000-04:00

OtR played Thursday night with Dar Williams at the Meijer Gardens in G.R. While Dar was billed as the headliner, she actually opened the show without her band. Dar played a solid though unspectacular show playing her mostly pleasing tunes with just her acoustic guitar.

Over the Rhine came as a four piece band this time. They opened the show being very jazzy, then eventually morphing into a rock band. They played a ton of songs from their upcoming album The Trumpet Child including the title track, I Don't Want to Waste Your Time and Nothing is Innocent. They also covered a lot of territory gong through their catalog performing several tunes from Drunkard's Prayer and Ohio.

OtR put on an amazing show and showed how versatile they are. Karin handled lead vocals, acoustic guitar and took over keyboards on a couple of songs. Linford added some background vocals, piano and occasionally guitar and bass. Their bass player played standup and electric bass as well as some electric guitar. The drummer had a long solo (I have not heard OtR allow solos since the days of Ric Hordiniski almost ten years ago) that drew quite an ovation. Actually, the new drummer (I don't know his name) is quite a revelation. His layered and driving percussion really drove a lot of the band's songs and added some meat to some lighter numbers.

I could go on and on. It is a rare band who can combine jazz, folk and rock and spin it into such a poetic venture. It was a trademark passionate OtR show and I can't wait for their new album to come out in a couple of weeks. Also, they will back in December so River City folk will have another chance to see them this year.

Concert Review -- Counting Crows, Live, Collective Soul

2007-07-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

Last night I saw the Counting Crows concert that included openers Collective Soul and Live. It felt very much like 1995 sitting in a baseball stadium watching the three bands.

Collective Soul: The band played for 45 minutes trying out one catchy tune from their upcoming album and getting in as many hits as they could. Lead guitarist Joel Kosche laid down their riffs and lead singer Ed Roland has great stage presence. Their songs are quite simple in structure, but Collective Soul put on a very solid show.

Live: The band stumbled through a painfully boring set where they could barely get through their own songs. It was incredibly funny when the lead singer stopped to allow the crowd to sing, but nobody knew the lyrics.

Counting Crows: As usual, Counting Crows put on a very good show. The band did not play to the crowd and just play hits, but chose a mix of songs from most of their albums. It was a weird set, as the band played a ton of songs form August and Everything After and This Desert Life. They did not play anything form their latest album, Hard Candy, until the encore. And in another weird move, they played a strange extended version of Mercury to kick off the encore. Anyway, Adam Duritz said their new album should be out later this year and they kicked last night's concert with a new song that sounded great and reminded me of a lot of the tunes on This Desert Life.

It was fun seeing Collective Soul and Counting Crows, who put on very good shows and worked great in the unique atmosphere of a minor league baseball stadium.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Update

2007-07-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

So, I just finished the book minutes ago. Earlier this afternoon, my wife finished the copy we have been peacefully sharing. I will give absolutely no spoilers this early after the book was released, but I just wanted to say that it is another great addition to the series and a wonderful finale. Happy reading...

Music Review -- Cities by Anberlin

2007-07-21T17:12:00.000-04:00

This is the third full length album by Anberlin and the follow up to 2005’s catchy Never Take Friendship Personal. On Cities, the band attempts to retain their catchy, intelligent punk-pop sound, and continue to tread into the same old territory.

The album focuses on guitar driven tunes with soaring harmonies like Godspeed and Adelaide. Adelaide actually sounds like it should have been on their last disc with its refrain, “Adelaide, Adelaide, you really had me going this time/ Adelaide, Adelaide, you need to quit, quit making a scene.” A Whispter and a Clamour is a great song that is unfortunately almost ruined by its sing-songy quality, but the driving chorus and lines of, “It's not the lies that you sing/ But what the silence will scream…Clap your hands all ye children/ There's a clamor in your whispering” are great. Another standout is the slower, mushier tune Inevitable. Some of the band’s solid writing is evident here with, “I wanna be your last, first kiss/ That you'll ever have/ I wanna be your last, first kiss/ Amazing how life turns out the way that it does/ We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love.”

Once listeners dig into this disc a bit they will realize Anberlin performs their signature style over and over again. Unfortunatley in between some of the catchy and compelling tunes are a few throwaways and this ultimately is the album's downfall. This is not all bad for fans of their earlier emo sound, but there is just not enough to recommend here even though Cities has some good moments. Fans who want another Never Take Friendship Personal will be satisfied, anyone else will not.

1.95 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I’m Reading -- The Navigator by Eoin McNamee

2007-07-16T09:59:00.001-04:00

In this fantasy novel for teens, Owen discovers that he is a Navigator and must save the world from The Harsh, who is causing time to run backwards, thus destroying the whole world. For a time travel novel, however, this is fairly uninteresting. The world McNamee creates here is too run-of-the-mill for fantasy novels. Many of the characters are quite interesting and following Owen, who begins in our world but gets sucked into the battle for time, as he tries to figure out how the world of time keepers work is interesting. This is a solid, though unspectacular teen debut by McNamee.

2007-07-08T17:38:00.000-04:00

I'm back blogging, but I can't figure out how to use the Title bar all of a sudden. What happened while I was gone? Anyway, my wild busyness has settled down and I hope to post weekly again beginning with a couple of books and a CD review. Enjoy and see you next week.

Kip.

2007-07-08T17:35:00.001-04:00

Into the Blue by The Album Leaf

Jimmy LaValle's projects as The Album Leaf continue with last year’s release Into the Blue. LaValle combines some elements of folk and atmospheric music with his background in indie rock. Much of the album is instrumental and the songs build slowly and quietly with muted sounds. Many people compare The Album Leaf albums to Sigur Ros, but this is some much mellower and down tempo. This mostly ambient album is neat, though LaValle could add so much more to his songs as evidenced by tracks like Always for You, which is a great song with killer lyrics like, “In the air I flew/ Through the clouds I fall/ And all the things I've tried to say/ Were never easy to explain/ They were always meant for you.” I hope LaValle keeps performing as The Album Leaf, I just hope he puts more of his talent into his next effort. For fans of Sterolab, Air and Dusty Trails.

2.25 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

2007-07-08T17:30:00.000-04:00

So, my teen reading continues in full force. Here are a couple I read a while ago and pleasantly surprised me.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

This is my first Dessen novel and she has written a ton. Just Listen is about Annabel, who is popular at school and is a promising model as well. Modeling has lost its appeal to Annabel, her sisters' problems are completely ignored by her parents and an incident involving her former best-friend’s boyfriend has ruined her popularity at school. Now an outsider, she begins to notice the allegedly dangerous and brooding Owen. While this is quite similar to Speak and Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dessen does a great job rounding out her main characters and this makes their connection seem realistic. Yes it is a bit mushy, but the author shows us Annabel’s transformation from someone who was taught to ignore the problems around her to someone who will be sensitive to life and bold enough to force change.

The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Hyde has also written a ton of books including 2000’s Pay It Forward. This book follows 13-year old Cynnie, who begins to fall into the same habits as her mother. She becomes an alcoholic and is involved in a couple of bad relationships, though caring for her younger brother who has Down Syndrome spurs her to recover. Unfortunately some of the book seems incredibly realistic, while some of it does not seem real at all. Still, Cynnie is a great character to root for and her horrible home life makes for a gripping read.

Music Review -- Children Running Through by Patty Griffin

2007-05-13T21:05:00.000-04:00

Patty Griffin has already made a lot of good music in her career, though I have never become a real big fan. I did enjoy seeing her live when she was touring for her ’02 release 1000 Kisses. With Children Running Through, I think Griffin has created the most fully realized album of her career.

I have always tried hard on my blog not to gush about music, especially since my perception of albums tends to change drastically with time and more listens. Nevertheless, I have given this over twenty spins and think this is something special.

Griffin seamlessly slides from mellow or mid-tempo songs to rockier songs without worrying about transitioning or creating a certain mood. This creates a jarring and incredibly satisfying ride of emotions. She begins with the quiet You’ll Remember as she croons, “Maybe one day along the way/ You'll remember me on this island/ Smiling at you how I used to/ Maybe one day, you'll remember.”

Griffin does not do as much storytelling on this album as she usually does, but the writing is excellent. Jangly guitars highlight track two, Stay on the Ride, as she tells the story of a bus ride. The masterpiece of the album is Trapeze, a duet with the amazing Emmylou Harris. Griffin writes, “She started with us on the back of a horse/ Just seventeen and already divorced/ She took to the air with the greatest of ease/ Like she was born to be gliding on the old trapeze/ Some people don't care if they live or they die/ Some people want to know what it feels like to fly/ Gather their courage and they give it a try.”

This is a confident outing with absolutely no soft spots at all. There are many gospel tinged songs here along with Griffin’s characteristic folk rock sound. Rarely is a performer this confident in every song and every style that is attempted. My only very minor complaint is that the album loses a bit of its intensity and swagger near the end, but there are no filler songs on Children Running Through and the mellower tunes are just as powerful as the others. This is for fans of Over the Rhine, Nickel Creek or West by Lucinda Williams. I’ll be extremely surprised if this is not my favorite album at the end of 2007.

3.75 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

Listening to this makes you feel like those rare, brief moments when you feel extra confident and maybe just a little cocky.

What I’m Reading -- Rash by Pete Hautman

2007-05-13T21:03:00.000-04:00

Bo Marsten lives in a future where safety is considered the most important thing. Which makes being Bo, a normal boy with a bit of a temper, a tough thing. Eventually, he gets in enough trouble that he becomes part of the country’s large prison labor force making pizzas. That is until the warden discovers that Bo is quite good at an illegal sport, football. This is a good book though it drags a bit when the conclusion becomes obvious. This is an exciting book and Hautman deftly balances the harsh realities of his future world and the great adventures of Bo and his friends.

What I’m Reading -- Its Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

2007-05-13T20:54:00.000-04:00

Ned Vizzini’s latest novel is quite reminiscent of another ’06 Teen novel which is Jordan Sonnenblick’s Notes from the Midnight Driver. In Its Kind of a Funny Story, Craig is having trouble dealing with his life that seems to center around his failure to land the girl he wants and failure to handle his new tough school. This gets to him enough that he considers jumping off a New York City brigde, but luckily he gets checked in to a mental hospital. At the hospital, he starts to recover and tries to get things straight in his life again. Of course, he is put in an adult ward with lots of charmingly weird mental patients. This skews any reality that Vizzini builds up during the first part of the book. The author wonderfully sets up Craig’s life and why it becomes too much for him. After he ends up in the mental hospital, the novel is still entertaining, just in a completely different way. Overall, this is a solid novel with aspirations of begin something more. This is as entertaining as his last novel, Be More Chill, so I hope Vizzini is building up to a book that better combines the elements of his novels with a bit more depth.

What I’m Reading -- Heavy Metal and You by Christopher Krovatin

2007-05-13T20:48:00.000-04:00

Christopher Krovatin’s first novel is a solid effort. While I did not love the book, there is not really anything bad to say about it. This is basically a relationship novel, but from a guy’s perspective under the backdrop of being a metalhead (actually, it is funny that I’m writing this while jamming out to Aqualung, who is not exactally a hard rock band). Much of the novel is about our identities as Sam starts going out with straightedger Mellissa. Things seem great but Sam starts to think he is completely changing for her and wonders if Mellissa is even being herself. The scenes where they meet each others friends are searing and great fun (who hasn’t wanted to yell at yuppies while in a yuppie bar?). It does seem like while Krovatin handles his story and characters well, there is not much special or unique going on here. Still, this is solid and will definitely appeal to teenage boys.

What I’m Reading -- Dead Connection by Charlie Price

2007-04-22T10:45:00.000-04:00

Fiction, Teen -- This first novel from Charlie Price is a god one. I’m not certain why I grabbed this in the first place since I’m not really into creepy otherworldly type things, but this is more of a mystery than you would expect from reading the synopsis. Murray is a weird, lonely high school kid who hangs out in his town’s cemetery where he begins to hear the thoughts of the dead and has conversations with them. At about the same time that a fellow high school student is murdered, he starts to hear a new voice. Pearl, whose father runs the cemetery, becomes intrigued as she sees this odd kid hanging around the graveyard all of the time and becomes involved as well. Meanwhile, Deputy Sheriff Gates, the most interesting character in the book, begins to feel pressure from the community to solve the murder. It turns out that his only connections are a disturbed young man who may have seen something and Murray, who is hard to believe. The whodunit part of the story and Gates’ investigation are very well written and interesting. Readers of supernatural stories and mysteries should both appreciate this story.

What I'm Reading -- Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

2007-04-07T22:27:00.000-04:00

Fiction, Adult -- In this novel, Brockmeier slowly reveals that a virus is sweeping the earth and killing its inhabitants. Part of the story follows Laura, who is on an expedition in Antarctica and begins to realize that there may be a problem back in civilization. The rest of the story is told by those who are dead, but have not moved on yet. The dead live fairly normal lives, but realize they have passed on from Earth and the theory is that as long as they are remembered by someone on earth they remain in this existence. When no one living has memories of those in this in between state, the dead move to whatever is next. This is an absolutely fascinating novel that keeps a tense yet thoughtful vibe throughout. He is a master at revealing things slowly, but giving a reader just enough to keep interest, which reminded me of M.T. Anderson’s The Pox Party. The struggles of Laura to survive and the investigations of the dead as they try to figure out what is going on as their “city” begins to change is as interesting as a novel gets.

What I’m Reading -- Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Helper

2007-04-07T22:24:00.000-04:00

Fiction, Teen -- Scrambled Eggs at Midnight is one of my favorite books in a while. This is basically a romance with two interesting main characters in Calliope (Cal) and Eliot. Both teens are caught in lives they did not ask for and they have created coping mechanisms to deal with their situations. Cal has become used to moving every few months as her Mom works at Renaissance Faires and Cal never talks to her father who has moved on with a new life. Eliot’s family lives in and runs a Christian camp for overweight children forcing him to adopt to his parents strict lifestyles. Basically, this book is Nic and Norah’s Infinite Playlist except that it takes place in a small town (instead of New York) and is not condescending and pretentious. Barkley and Helper do an awesome job making Cal and Eliot realistic as the characters seek to improve their family life and personal lives while cultivating their own relationship together. The story of them meeting while Eliot’s lips are green is hilarious. While some of the plot devices come a bit too easy, this is a great read.

What I'm Reading -- Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2007-04-07T22:20:00.000-04:00

Fiction, Teen -- Pfeffer has created a novel that blends sci-fi and a coming of age story. 16-year old Miranda and the rest of the world watch as a meteor is expected to collide with the moon. What the experts did not prognosticate is that the moon gets pushed closer to the earth after the collision which throws off the balance of things and makes life horrible for everyone. As the world is seemingly coming to an end, Miranda writes about her experiences in her diary. Her musings are candid and seem very real. They range from her silly crush on an Olympic skater to deciding how to divvy up her family’s ever dwindling supply of food. I kind of had mixed feelings about this one. It is written clearly and with much emotion, but something about world ending novels just doesn’t click with me. I’m not sure what it is, but I seem to always doubt the author’s conclusions about how people would react, but this is probably just some of my own silly notions. Anyway, I think this is better than Meg Rosoff’s very similar How I Live Now. Fans of Rosoff will definitely like Pfeffer’s account of world changing events as well.

What I’m Reading -- Mathematicians in Love by Rudy Rucker

2007-04-07T22:15:00.000-04:00

Fiction, Adult -- The latest novel by Rudy Rucker is quite the wild ride. It begins in a parallel universe where Bela and Paul are doctoral math students who are both competing over creating a groundbreaking theory and for the affections of Alma, another student who is graduating and has an uncertain future. From there the plot gets a bit too crazy for me to explain, but it includes hopping to different worlds, discovering crazy mathematical theories and dealing with a litany of thugs and presidential candidates. This is a sarcastic sci-fi that twists reality. Rucker is great at writing these types of characters and weaves them into a fun story. Rucker’s style is reminiscent of Max Barry and Douglas Coupland, but in Sci-fi style.

Music Review -- Subtitulo by Josh Rouse

2007-03-18T11:22:00.000-04:00

Josh Rouse is one of those singer-songwriters that people say I would like, but that I never get around to actually listening to. Rouse’s latest disc, Subtitulo, was on too many “Best of ‘06” lists for me to ignore him any longer. While the CD brings to mind John Mayer and Jack Johnson, it is a much more diverse collection of styles and moods than you could find in any of their albums. Rouse’s laid back style adds weight to the catchy opening tunes of Quiet Town and Summertown. It Looks Like Love is a perfect summertime song with its bouncy melody, jazzy instrumentation and chorus of “There goes that melancholy feeln' again/ it looks like love is gonna find a way.”
Rouse’s introspective lyrics shine throughout the album especially on one of my favorites, Jersey Clowns as Rouse sings, “What a shame he's been away/ Cause he's worked so hard to pay those bills/ He's got two kids from his marriage before/ And I wonder what makes him stay/ You know it ain't the first time / She's played him like this a thousand times…I gotta tell him the truth/ But I don’t wanna do it/ Don't wanna bring him down…”
Rouse has a clear, confident voice that works on his lighter and deeper material. His band is more than capable of performing these songs and does so with an ease that complements Rouse’s vocals. While a little more variety would be appreciated since almost every song is an acoustic guitar-based, jazzy mid-tempo number, this is an accessible yet creative album by a thoughtful artist. This is for fans of the aforementioned artists, Elliott Smith and Wico.

3.00 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

Listening to this makes you feel like you are in that movie with the tennis courts, swimming pools, rainy days and homemade wine.

Music Review -- So Divided by …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

2007-03-18T11:15:00.000-04:00

The new album by …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is a weird one. Their CDs have always been dramatic with lots of peaks and valleys and changes of pace. So Divided seems like the band was caught between producing something marketable, keeping their old formula and growing as a band. The bad news is some of these songs seem completely out of place. The good news is that there are some impressive tunes here. One of them is the driving opening song, Stand in Silence. Much of the writing is dark and they begin with, “All that was left of me were walls of doubt/ I asked a question but the world returned with silence/ All that I wanted to know is where'd everyone else go?” This song is followed by the decent anthem, Wasted State of Mind. Unfortunately a few songs don’t really work including the silly and wandering Naked Sun. The other tunes rang from piano based songs to emo to pop to retro rock and while there are some nice moments there is no cohesive structure in which to build any emotional momentum. Source Tags and Codes is the only disc from these guys that I really get in to and it looks like it will remain that way. I really will still be disappointed if rumors of the band breaking up after this album turn out to be true, because despite the flaws of So Divided this is a band trying to be creative and yet stay relevant in the current pop scene. Unfortunately, the result of their efforts is a moderately pleasing album.

2.30 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

What I’m Reading -- Teen Novels

2007-03-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

So I have been a huge slacker with my blog lately, so I'm posting a few brief reviews to get me halfway caught up with all of the books I have finished in the last few weeks.

Here There be Dragons by James A. Owen

Owen has created a great fantasy realm beginning in the real world during World War I. Three young scholars from England are collected and sent in to a world where all of the world’s mythical lands reside. Here we meet Captain Nemo and other lands and characters from literature. The story of a crumbling world that the three young men must save is quite good. Character development is a bit unrealistic since the three become friends and are convinced to help with the dangerous tasks in a matter of minutes. Also, after I realized who is who at the end of the novel some of the things did not make as much sense to me. Anyway, despite these gripes this is a good fantasy and a quick read. This is very much like Eragon, where it is a teen book that adults should also enjoy.

Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick

In this hilarious book, Sonnenblick writes about mixed up teenager Alex Gregory. Alex narrates his story of a drunken accident which leads to a broken lawn gnome and community service with a grouchy senior named Sol. While not the most realistic of books, Sonnenblick applies a slick balance between humorous situations and the lessons learned from tough situations. This is a good book and one that could produce some good discussions among teen readers.

What I'm Reading -- Graphic Novels

2007-03-04T17:44:00.000-05:00

Superman: True Brit by Kim Howard and John Cleese.

This seemed like a guaranteed quality read to me, but it turned out to be very disappointing. Basically, this is how the legend of Superman would have developed if he landed in England instead of the U.S. It sounds like an amazing idea and John Cleese is involved, but somehow this GN was boring and rarely amusing.

Curses by Kevin Huizenga

This is another one I could not get in to. Huizenga’s short story collection centers on spirituality, mortality and plain old weirdness. The writing just did not click with me. The design of the GN and the artwork, however, is absolutely brilliant. At turns stark and detailed Curse is visually impressive, but the stories are only occasionally intriguing.

The Left Bank Gang by Jason

This is fairly brilliant. The Left Bank Gang features literary giants like Hemmingway and Joyce as graphic novelists. Jason first writes about the group struggling with their art and lack of money they get from publishing their works. The plot then shifts and the group plans a robbery which is told from each of their perspectives. This is great.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

This award winning GN definitely lives up to the hype. Somehow the author is able to weave three completely different stories into one powerful narrative. Jin is forced to fit in to his American high school as the only Chinese-American, the Monkey King struggles with his quest to become a god and Chin-Kee comes to visit his American cousin every year and engages in behavior that fulfills every stereotype and disgusts his cousin. This is one of the best books in any format for any audience of the year.

What I’m Reading -- Bestselling Authors

2007-03-04T17:37:00.000-05:00

I don’t read much in the way of bestsellers, except occasionally for work purposes. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule and those include Nelson DeMille, Jodi Picoult and John Lescroart.

Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille

I got hooked on DeMille when I read 2004’s Night Fall, a novel about the crash of TWA Flight 800. DeMille carries his main characters, John and Kate Corey, over into Wild Fire. John is a former NYPD officer who is now working with a post-9/11 federal anti-terrorism unit with his second wife and FBI agent, Kate. John narrates the story and is a hilarious, sarcastic character.

As for the plot, I do have one gripe. Whether it is books, movies or whatever I just can’t get into the possibility that person A hates country B, so he attacks his own country pretending to be from country B, so that country A will attack country B. This plot is used all of the time and it does not seem that realistic to me.

Anyway in Wild Fire, DeMille writes about the rumored strategy that if the U.S. suffers a nuclear attack on its own soil by a terrorist, the President has a mandatory plan in place to nuke multiple cities in the Middle East. In order to make this come to pass, a group of rich and powerful Americans might be willing to set off some nukes in the U.S. John and Kate become involved in this intricate plot as they investigate why a routine scouting mission turned into the murder of their fellow officer in upstate New York.

This is the epitome of a fun book. The narration is hilarious and the action is about as non-stop as you can get. There are unrealistic moments and the main bad guy reaches James Bond villain status, but they don’t really detract from the book mostly because John and Kate are such likable characters. This is definitely a must read for any suspense fans.

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Picoult’s The Tenth Circle came out early last year. As always Picoult features several intriguing characters in a swirling and surprising plot. Comic book creater Daniel Stone is putting out a new title for Marvel Comics when his troubled daughter is raped. As the investigation ensues, the true personalities and past sins of Daniel, his wife Laura and 14-year old Trixie come out. Dante’s Inferno and Daniel’s comic book hero Wildclaw parallel what is really happening to a family in crisis. Picoult’s characters are true to life as she drives home the point that people can only change so much.

The Suspect by John Lescroart

The thing I like about Lescroart is that he is a writer who writes legal thrillers and not a lawyer turned writer. In The Suspect, Lescroart takes one of his minor characters, lawyer Gina Roake, and gives her a tough case. It seems obvious to police that Stuart Gorman became angry when he wife threatened to divorce him and so he killed her. You can tell how much Lescroart loves San Fransisco, as the city is carefully described in all of his books. I thought this dragged some in the middle, but Lescroart is a good writer and a perfect read-alike for Grisham and Turow fans.

Music Review -- Waiting for Your Letter by Cary Brothers

2007-02-12T09:06:00.000-05:00

Cary Brothers is the performer of two great songs on two great Zach Braff produced soundtracks, Blue Eyes on 2004’s Garden State and Ride (one of my favorite songs from the last couple of years) on 2006’s The Last Kiss. Despite the buzz from the soundtracks, Brothers has only two EPs out, so I decided to pick up the latest one. The five-song disc Waiting for Your Letter is from late 2005.

The album starts with the amazingly bittersweet song Ride. Brothers, in the simply written song, croons, “You are everything I wanted/ The scars of all I’ll ever know/ If I told you you were right/ Would you take my hand tonight?/ If I told you the reasons why/ Would you leave your life and ride?” His brit-rock side comes out in the title track which is an insanely catchy song. Really, what Brothers does best is the mellow, stripped down and wistful songs like Loneliest Girl in the World. While a bit mushy, he has a knack for simple yet meaningful lyrics. In Loneliest Girl he writes, “You are the loneliest girl in the world/ And tonight you’d fall for anyone.” On Wasted One, Brothers stretches out again with a rockier song, then finishes with another emotional tune in Forget About You. Other than Ride, the last track is the best. The speaker seems to see a relationship clearly for the first time and says, “Forget about you/ Forget about all this life we have/ We were the unseen…”

This is a solid effort by Brothers, who is a very solid songwriter, though it would be nice to see some deeper, fuller songs. Until he releases a full length album it is hard to tell what to expect from Brothers, though according to his website he is trying to release a new disc in May. I’m expecting a Pete Yorn type CD with modern rock styling melding with a singer-songwriter’s introspective lyrics. Check out his site at carybrothers.com where he streams quite a bit of his music.

2.85 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

What I'm Reading -- Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

2007-02-03T15:57:00.000-05:00

Last Town on Earth is a novel based on events in the 1918 flu epidemic, when some cities cut themselves from the rest of the world in order to keep out the flu. While told through the eyes of many of the city of Commonwealth’s citizens, Phillip Worthy is essentially the main character. The orphaned teenager has been taken in by the town’s founder. Commonwealth began as a refuge for those looking to run to a lumber mill without the pressures of working under horrible bosses and terrible working conditions. With the outbreak the deadly flu during the First World War, the town closes its doors and prepares to protect their borders from outsiders. When a couple of soldiers approach the town and nearby cities assume there is something wrong going on inside Commonwealth, the townsfolk find themselves in a lot of trouble and doubting their decision to go into quarantine. Phillip is an impressionable teenager, but becomes the center of all of these issues and is trying to figure his way out trouble. Mullen is a bit too transparent in the obvious parallels between his novel's reality and our post-9/11 reality. Nevertheless, this is a powerfully gripping novel as a town and its people wrestles with their place in a broken world.

What I'm Reading -- Saint Iggy by K.L. Going

2007-02-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

The author of the very good Fat Kid Rules the World returns with Saint Iggy. Iggy is a 16-year old son of drug addicted parents. He has some problems doing the right thing and this leads to a misunderstanding that gets him kicked out of school. With the hearing with the school board just days away, Iggy decides he needs to do some great things and make the school board and the world realize that he is a good kid. Things get worse when his one respected friend gets involved with the drug dealer that supplies Iggy’s parents. While a bit overdramatic at times, Going keeps the pressure on Iggy, giving the novel a tense vibe the whole way through. Iggy really is a good kid, making him a character that readers will root for the whole way through. The ominous tone makes the ending less surprising than it usually would be. Going has crafted another touching novel that fans of her earlier work will enjoy.

What I'm Reading -- The Long Run by Leo Furey

2007-02-03T15:44:00.000-05:00

Furey’s debut novel is the darkly comic The Long Run. The book follows a group of boys in a Newfoundland orphanage that is overseen by some fairly deranged priests. At times, the book is incredibly funny. It is especially humorous when one of the Catholic Brothers decides to introduce Japanese customs into their studies, which leads to some bizarre sumo wrestling tournaments. Furey also creates a disturbing world where the group of boys joins together to avoid extreme punishment, pedophilic priests and depression. Eventually, they decide to enter a marathon and train for it at night when the Brothers are asleep. The character development is incredibly strong and makes the novel feel realistic. This is a touching, well-crafted coming of age story.

Best Album Covers of 2006

2007-01-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

Just for fun, here are my favorite album covers of the year. Here is another site that did the same thing and picked a bunch of cool ones. I noted who the artist is if it is not clear from the cover itself. They are roughly in order of best to relatively worst.

The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New

The Crane Wife by The Decemberists

What I'm Reading -- Graphic Novels

2007-01-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

Scott Pilgrim (Vols. 1-3) by Bryan Lee O’Malley
23-year old Scott Pilgrim has to fight and defeat each of his new girlfriend Ramona’s boyfriends, so that he can continue dating her. And he still has his 17-year old girlfriend, Knives Chau, to deal with. This series is absolutely hilarious. O’Malley combines manga stylings with a contemporary realistic setting that throws in comic book and video game references into the plot for good measure. Scott goes through one of Ramona’s exes each volume, so there are four more evil boyfriends for him to defeat. These are sarcastic, crazy and great.

Moped Army by Paul Sizer
Sizer is the author of the very good Little Mouse Graphic Novel series. Moped Army is also set in the future but is based on the real Kalamazoo based group. In this tale, the Moped Army lives in the bowels of a city, where its respected citizens live in comfort suspended above the city. Simone becomes trapped between both worlds after her loser of a boyfriend plays a serious joke on some of the Moped Army members. Sizer takes a good look at making tough decisions in life and creates a solid story while doing it.

Banana Sunday by Root Nibot

This GN is about Kirby, who is in possession of the “Hear no evil,” “See no evil,” “Speak no evil,” monkeys. It is a bit goofy for my tastes but is still pretty funny. One of the monkeys is an intellectual, one is always hitting on the ladies and the other likes napping, eating and breaking things. Kirby is new at school and meets a scheming, though well-intentioned newspaper writer and a charming boy she starts to date. This is well done and illustrated by Colleen Coover in a hip, yet clean style.

Off Road by Sean Murphy

Kent, an art student, goes with his jock friend Gregg, to pick up Gregg’s new jeep. On a whim they pick up another friend and go off-roading. Of course, they have never done this before and have no idea what they are doing, which leads to them getting the jeep incredibly stuck in the middle of a stream. Some other great characters enter the scene before it is all said and done. This is a great and funny adventure with an accurate look at how guys communicate with each other. Definitely recommended.

Music Review -- Born in the U.K. by Badly Drawn Boy

2007-01-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

Damon Gough, who performs under the Badly Drawn Boy moniker, seems to have two personas. One is the quiet introspective singer-songwriter of The Hour of Bewilderbeast and About a Boy. The other is the heavily arranged and orchestrated sound of Have You Fed the Fish? On Born in the U.K., he fully returns to his glossily produced sound. While I miss the intimate sound of his earlier work, Gough is a good songwriter and makes most of these tunes work. The bulk of the songs are piano based with generous helpings of brass instruments and background vocals. It begins with the experimental sounding Swimming Pool then morphs into the seventies inspired Born in the U.K. Actually, this seems like more of an ode to 70’s pop than it does to Bruce Springsteen’s similarly titled Born in the U.S.A. The standouts here are the sing-along tunes like Journey from A to B and the rockier Nothing’s Gonna Change Your Mind. Promises, a mellower tune, shows off Gough’s ability to also write quality straightforward lyrics as he sings, “Just promise you will remember/ A promise should last forever/ Right up to the dying embers/ Of a fire that burns so slow.” I have always had a soft spot for modern bands that throw in some of the 70s pop touches I grew up with and this is why The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by The Ben Folds Five is one of my favorite albums. Badly Drawn Boy is definitely as talented as others in the pop songwriter genre like Ben Folds or Grant Lee Buffalo. While this is a quality album, it never reaches its potential with its standard arrangements and production. This is for fans the aforementioned artists, Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright.

2.50 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

Music Review -- Let's Get Out of This Country by Camera Obscura

2007-01-15T13:09:00.000-05:00

Camera Obscura’s Let’s Get Out of This Country is a great album of background music. Unfortunately, the band just does not seem ready to create a fully realized album. Camera Obscura raids the pop sounds of fifties and sixties bands, while sounding quite a bit (though in a good way) like Belle and Sebastian. Everything about this CD is solid, including the writing, but they rarely elevate themselves past average songs. The band continues their signature laid-back indie-pop sound, which I greatly enjoy. The hipsters’ tunes create a great ambiance, but don’t really hold up to closer listening.

1.90 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

What I'm Reading -- Son Moon Stars Rain by Jan Cheripko

2007-01-15T13:05:00.000-05:00

Cheripko writes this story with grace. Danny is home from college after a relationship went bad and he just couldn’t stay there anymore. He knows he is wasting his piano scholarship, but is trying to settle some things first as he returns home to his Mom in the Northeast. Once home, he meets an ornery land owner who is trying to save his woods from the government and Stephanie, a pretty single mother. Cheripko packs a lot in 160 pages including all of the emotions present as Danny is trying to figure out where to go next and how to deal with his part in his father’s accidental death. The characters, antagonists and settings of Sun Moon Stars Rain are written with simple and poignant observations. A comparable work is Tom Drury’s stark and haunting Driftless Area.

What I'm Reading -- Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling Vol. 1 by D.M. Cornish

2007-01-05T19:24:00.000-05:00

Rossamund is an orphan boy with a girl’s name. In this substantial fantasy, Cornish introduces his innocent, but tougher-than-he-seems character. Rossamund is hoping that he will be drafted into the military so that he can fight the monsters that roam near the world’s cities. Instead, after weeks of waiting he is forced to become a lamplighter, which he assumes is boring. He is then expected to travel to his new home by himself. Naive to the world around him, Rossamund falls into a series of adventures with pirates, monster fighters and giants. It took a little while for me to get in to it, but once I did, I was amazingly hooked. Cornish has created a wonderfully complex world and an engaging character in Rossamund. This is a must read fantasy series and I am looking forward for Vol. 2. There is a lot to digest about Rossamund's world to appreciate this book, but I thought it was well worth it.

What I'm Reading -- Playing it Cool by Joaquin Dorfman

2007-01-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

This debut novel from Joaquin Dorfman is a good one. 18-year old Sebastian helps his fellow students with their problems, as long as he gets a favor back. As the book opens, Sebastian is helping a young girl who needs an abortion and is ready to introduce a son to his long lost father. Things get quite complicated when Sebastian’s friend’s real father turns out to be an adult version of Sebastian. Sebastian scheme's start to turn his friend against him and could leave him in trouble with the new girl he meets. This is a fun and fast moving story, though readers have to take some logical leaps to follow the plot. The characters are very interesting, especially Sebastian and his friend’s father Dromio. Unfortunately, the end left me wanting more since it did not make a good connection between how Sebastian’s life was affected and changed by the concluding events. Unrealistic plotting aside, Playing it Cool is an enjoyable and interesting debut by Dorfman.

2006 Music

2006-12-26T16:22:00.000-05:00

I love end of year lists. Around February every year I become sad that I have read all of the “Top Ten” type lists and have to wait for almost a year for more. Most of the CDs mentioned, I reviewed earlier this year. Use the search feature to track them down, if you are interested.

Best Overall Albums or Albums that I Keep Listening to Like Crazy

I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass by Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo returns from some mellower albums with the coolest named album of the year. Though less playful than some of their albums, the trio covers all of the bases here. Some of the tunes are long, soaring, artistic pieces, while others are quiet introspective folk songs. They do a little bit of everything on this album and do it all well. This is one of the best from YLT in years and that is saying something from such a consistent band.

Eyes Open by Snow Patrol

The incredible lyrics and sweeping choruses have not grown old after numerous listens. Gary Lightbody’s superb lyrics are what keep the album fresh. The simple rock song structures and harmonies are solid but belie the overall strength of Snow Patrol as a band that is much, much more than a U2 or Coldplay wannabe.

Nightcrawler by Pete Yorn

It took a while to grow on me, but the combination of modern folk-rock and buzzy modern rock songs makes for a great album. It is not easy to make quality albums when your first disc will probably be your masterpiece, but Yorn rebounds well on his third album. Lyrically, Yorn takes on nightlife and is not as quite as introspective as in the past, though it is a completely successful undertaking. The fact that Yorn is just as comfortable with rocking out as he is with storytelling, shows just how talented he is.

Best Albums that Grew on Me Throughout 2006

Year of Meteors by Laura Veirs

This album is absolutely charming. Yes, it is a bit over produced and she needs to learn to take more risks, but this is a quality outing by Veirs. Her writing is quite deep and highlights the inherit challenges of relationships. I’m glad I kept listening to this one.

It’s Never Been Like That by Phoenix

Danceable rock by a French band...very cool.

Biggest Disappointment of 2006

Sam’s Town by The Killers

I did not review this because it was so horrible. Their debut was full of synth laden pop, while their sophomore effort is pure schlock. Pretending like you are Meatloaf or a bad version of U2 is not a good way to keep an audience. And for that matter, neither is writing horribly pretentious stereotypical songs about America.

Biggest Surprise of 2006

The Eraser by Thom Yorke

I wanted to dislike this album for several reasons. 1. Pretending this is a solo disc and not a Radiohead CD is silly. This is a Radiohead album. 2. The music press wants everyone to like this album in a big way and Yorke was in every music magazine for weeks. 3. While I like a bunch of their music, the overall philosophy of Radiohead as a band that creates postmodern pessimistic landscapes somehow bothers me. The Eraser, though, is great. Yorke’s writing is superb. He writes intensely introspective and hopeful songs that are consistently good and interesting throughout the CD. This is another of my most listened to discs of the year.

Best Comeback Album of 2006

The Garden by Zero 7

In 2004, Zero 7 followed their wonderful debut, Simple Things, with a lackluster disc in When It Falls. Luckily, the duo created a great third album in The Garden. They make the move from the mellow and mostly boring songs on their sophomore disc to lush, interesting pop songs on The Garden.

What I'm Reading -- Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

2006-12-18T21:32:00.000-05:00

Nick, written by Levithan, and Norah, written by Cohn, meet one night after Nick’s band plays in a New York City club. And by “meet” I mean they started making out, because Nick needed a pretend girlfriend for five minutes to help him avoid his ex, Tris. Things are not that simple of course. Norah realizes she sort of knows Nick since she is friends with Tris and listened to the mix tapes that Nick made for her. Thus begins a night where Nick and Norah deal with various issues of the past so they can begin a relationship with each other in the present. Things begin a bit rocky, but the authors invite readers to root for the nice guy and the snarky, but well meaning girl.

The writing, however, overshadows any plot devices. Nick and Norah’s dialog is quick and smart. Cursing is an art form and if I could curse as well as they do, I’d do it a lot more. Cohn and Levithan clearly paint the backdrop of the city that the young hipsters use to spend their night.

There was something about this book that bugged me, though it was hard to figure out what it was. The authors give the novel an appreciated edge, but I seemed to catch an elitist and almost condescending bent to the novel. At times the book also seems to drag a little, since the conclusion is obvious from the beginning. Nevertheless, the authors have put together a good read that should appeal to both guys and girls.

What I'm Reading -- Clay by David Almond

2006-12-18T21:28:00.000-05:00

Award winning author David Almond’s latest novel is a horror story called Clay. Clay is actually a Frankenstein-type monster created by 13-year old Davie and the creepy new kid in town, Stephen. Clay takes place in England following Davie and his friend, who are both altar boys. The lads are then led to befriend Stephen, who has a mysterious and possibly demonic past, but who might be able to help them handle the equally scary neighborhood bully. This is an incredibly creepy novel and basically becomes a psychological thriller since Almond leaves Davie confused about what is really happening for most of the book. Davie and the reader are never certain who has powers and what actions are actually affecting the world around them. This is quite scary, but fun and well written. More mature readers of Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak series will appreciate this.

Music Review -- Yellow House by Grizzly Bear

2006-12-09T15:33:00.000-05:00

Grizzly Bear has created a bit of buzz for themselves over the last couple of years, though Yellow House is my first time listening to them. Grizzly Bear’s mellow neo-folk is both experimental and accessible, which is quite a feat. The soft acoustic feel is combined with some soaring choruses, amazing harmonies and sonic touches. Banjo and woodwind instruments give the album its clean sound, while Grizzly Bear mixes that up every once in a while with some murkier sounds. This is an incredibly creative album that creates an amazing soundscape. This is one of the best albums of the year and is for fans of Iron and Wine, Yo La Tengo and Sigur Ros.

3.50 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

Listening to this sounds like the breeze is trying to tell you something again.

What I'm Reading -- Graphic Novels

2006-12-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

The Squirrel Mother: Stories by Megan Kelso

The stories collected here are extremely varied. Kelso writes very personal stories and also includes some on American History. I could not get into her writing at all. The art and the books overall design is perfect down to the smallest details. It’s too bad that the writing was not up to the level of the art.

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K Vaughan

This is another amazing Graphic Novel from Runaways creator Brian K Vaughan. This is based on the real life story of a pride of lions that escaped from an Iraq zoo when the U.S. bombed the country in ’03. The animals of the zoo all had different thoughts about whether their life as captives was good or bad. When the bombs strike, however, they have no choice but to flee to the outside world. The four lions band together to cope with their new existence and survive. This is incredibly poignant and Vaughan somehow is able to include political overtones without being pretentious. Pride of Baghdad is a must read for anyone.

What I'm Reading -- Nailed by Patrick Jones

2006-12-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

Nailed is the new raw creation of Patrick Jones. 16-year old Brett Hendricks is a talented actor who is also in a band. His biggest problems include his dad, who doesn’t act like he even likes Brett, his principal and the jocks at school. When his band kicks into gear and he hooks up with long-time crush Kaylee, things start going quite well for him. When things start to go wrong, however, he starts to spiral wildly out of control. Jones wrote this part extremely well and I was incredibly scared for Brett. The author does not hold back in describing Brett’s pain or the intolerance and hatred of those who want him to conform. When it is all said and done, some good adult role models do step up to help Brett. Unfortunately, there were some unrealistic elements and the ending just did not ring true. Jones does a great job profiling those that insist on conformity and the risk in being the nail that sticks out the farthest. This is a solid effort from Jones.

Music Review – The Last Kiss Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

2006-12-03T18:42:00.000-05:00

Zach Braff has produced the unofficial follow up to 2004’s Garden State Soundtrack. The Last Kiss is another moody, bittersweet ode to indie pop and adult alternative music. Here, Braff mixes the mainstream sounds of Coldplay and Fiona Apple with less known bands like Turin Brakes and Remy Zero. One of the quirkier additions was Athlete’s jaunty El Salvador. I actually like more of the songs here, though Garden State had some odd choices that worked great like tunes by Zero 7 and Frou Frou. The standouts here are Cary Brothers’ folky Ride, Turin Brakes’ retro Pain Killer and Remy Zero’s rocker Prophecy. Except that the Aimee Mann song seems a bit out of place to me, this is an awesome collection. The Last Kiss is a bit more predictable that Garden State, but Braff created another great collection for fans of thoughtful music.

3.25 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

What I’m Reading -- Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson

2006-12-03T18:39:00.000-05:00

This is one of those books I chose just because of its cool cover. Horns and Wrinkles is by Joseph Helgerson with the artwork by Nicoletta Ceccoli. The story begins with 12-year old Claire being terrorized above a river by her cousin Duke. When Duke falls into the river, however, he begins to grow a horn every time he does something bad, which is quite often. Thus begins an adventure in which Claire tries to free her cousin from the grasp of three river trolls that he starts hanging out with as his nose continues to grow. The plot is quite complex as readers learn about a history of odd happenings around the river, or as Claire’s Grandpa says, “rivery things”. This is a good humorous fairy tale for readers for 4th to 7th graders. Helgerson goes a bit long in some areas, but provides some great vivid characters, especially in Claire’s family. Older readers may find it a bit juvenile, but this is a fun fantasy.

What I'm Reading -- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

2006-12-03T18:34:00.000-05:00

Vin Swanson's Teen-Reading-O-Rama continues with the newest book by Looking for Alaska author John Green. An Abundance of Katherines is about Colin, a super intelligent high schooler who has only dated (and been dumped) by girls named Katherine. His best and only friend Hassan tries to get Colin away from moping about Katherine XIX and drags him on a road trip which ends in Gutshot, Tennessee. In Gutshot, they get jobs and meet some nice girls as Colin tries to create his legacy by producing a theorem that can map the ups and downs of any relationship from beginning to end. The author deftly gives us two characters that are at each end of the ambition spectrum. Colin is ultra ambitious and feels his life is getting away from him already and he is not even in college yet. Hassan is fine living off of his parents and avoiding college. The friends are amazingly funny and of course, find many ways to get in trouble on their vacation. I had an extremely rough time identifying with the characters and this could be a problem for other readers. It is, however, one of the funniest books I have ever read, so that did not dampen my enjoyment of this book very much. I don’t know if this is better than Looking for Alaska, but Green does a better job putting together a full and concise story in An Abundance of Katherines. This is book I would not hesitate to recommend to many readers of Teen Lit.

What I’m Reading – Scott Westerfeld

2006-11-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

So I am incredibly behind in my reading of teen novels and have a huge reading list to prove it. Step one was to read Peeps and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. These books have gotten a ton of buzz already, so I’ll make the review part brief and then ramble about some observations between the two.

Synopsis: Peeps: In a world where vampirism is sexually transmitted, 19-year old Cal is infected. His current job is to find others, called “peeps”, who are being destroyed by the parasite. This is a fast paced adventure that is quite good.

Synopsis: Uglies: This is the first in a trilogy of the same name. Tally lives in a future world where turning 16 means a surgery takes place that changes your entire appearance ant thus your standing as an “uglie” changes to a “pretty”. This is a fairly deep story and Tally, who wanted more than anything to become a “pretty”, meets a new friend and starts to realize there is more to the world than just her isolated city. This is very good because it combines a lot of action with a complex plot and likeable characters.

Since I read the books back to back, it was fun to compare the worlds and themes of Peeps and Uglies. The two worlds Westerfeld created are quite similar. In Peeps, the country is split between those who understand the world and those who don’t. Westerfeld seems to be quite influenced by Cyber-punk and The Matrix. Most of the country is going about their regular business, while vampires are slugging it out below New York City. This is not a new development. Cal’s organization was created early in America’s history to keep the virus in check.

Possible spoilers in this paragraph: Interestingly enough, at the end of Peeps, we learn that it is not so clear who the good guys and bad guys are. Westerfeld goes are far as to employ the philosophy that the greater evolved beings were allowed to thrive, so they can take on the world’s next threat. Thus Peeps’ heroes are those whose intentions are more important than the moral foundation of the world they operate in. The author juggles the importance of relationships and trust with the fact that only those that become infected and therefore stronger will have the best chance of surviving the world’s dire situation.

In Uglies, Westerfeld takes the fairly simple world of Peeps and kicks it up a notch. In this world, their goal is to make everyone equal by transforming their appearance. Those that don’t want this life are not just exiled from their city, but tracked down and forced to cooperate. Set far in the future, the only thing left of our society is some scattered ruins of long abandoned cities. I found it interesting that the Smokies, those living in the wild under their own rules, are trying to balance the world of the past and the present. The past was seen as completely misusing the planet, while the present leaders are isolating their people from the world. Like in Peeps, Uglies is mostly about those that realize there is something wrong in their world and are trying to figure out what to do about it.

Most people have read these by now, but for those who haven’t they are well worth it. Neither book is perfect, but Westerfeld created two great stories.

Music Review -- In Colour by The Concretes

2006-11-19T20:09:00.000-05:00

The Concretes are a Stockholm based band that got buzz for a commercial featuring their great song, Say Something New. In Colour is the band’s second full length studio album. This disc continues the indie-pop sound of their self-titled debut, but their ideas are more fully realized here. The band combines some catchy hooks with textured music. Most of the songs include keyboards and brass instruments that meld well with Victoria Bergsman’s wispy voice. The album bogs down a little with some tunes that sound the same and they never really step out from their indie-pop foundation. I hope they grow creatively in the future, but for now songs like the lush, but hooky Chosen One are fun and worth a listen.

2.50 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I'm Reading -- The World to Come by Dara Horn

2006-11-19T20:06:00.000-05:00

The World to Come has one of the most complex plots I have read. The main character, though there are technically many, is Ben Ziskind, who steals a painting that he believes belongs to his family. The rest of the characters also are connected, in one way or another, to this Marc Chagall painting. In the present time, Horn follows Ben, his art-loving pregnant twin, her Russian refugee husband and Erica, the museum employee who needs to get the painting back because it was stolen on her watch. The relationship between the twins and the fact that Ben and Erica have the beginnings of a romantic relationship makes things complicated. The author also lets her readers into the world of Russian Jewish artists in the 20's like Chagall and author Der Nister. The painting originally gets into the Ziskind family, through Ben’s relative, who grew up in an orphanage in Russia. There is too much for me to cover here and Horn also weaves some Yiddish stories into the narrative. This is an inventive novel with several fully developed characters. Horn seamlessly bounces between countries, times, realities and characters to create a wonderful novel in The World to Come.

What I'm Reading -- De:Tales Stories from Urban Brazil by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba

2006-11-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

I realized that I seem to say that every graphic novel I read is great. While this is fairly accurate, when I do find an amazing graphic novel people probably say, “He thinks everything is great. I’m going to ignore him now.” Nobody, however, should ignore this graphic novel. Maybe it just clicked with my sensibilities, but De:Tales is a special book. Moon and Ba are twins who grew up in Brazil. All of their stories in this collection take place in Brazil, though the country is mostly just context for the stories. Most of the stories are actually quite similar. The brothers begin with a dream that helps them know what to write and then they go from story to story that are similar in tone, but subtly cover different aspects of life and love. In Too Late for Coffee, a man sees a younger girl he has never met. She greets him by saying, “You're late. It’s too late to fall in love with me.” Other stories include throwing a Birthday party for a long lost friend, a bunch of friends talking about work and Brazil and a guy who hesitates to talk a girl and then starts seeing other versions of himself who never took any chances. The stories are sparsly written but fairly powerful. The art is simple balck and white, though the brothers draw their characters in exquisite detail. This is an amazing collection. There are a couple of adult moments, so this is not really for younger teens.

New Discoveries

2006-11-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

Here are a few neat things I have found lately.

T.W. Walsh is the drummer for David Bazan’s Pedro the Lion. Pedro and side project Headphones, are lead by Bazan though the bands occasionally do some of Walsh’s material. If I understand it correctly, another side project, The Soft Drugs, is solely based on Walsh’s songs. Walsh actually wrote one of my favorite Pedro songs, Start Without Me, which is on their MySpace page. Anyway, this is a really confusing band, but my point is thatThe Soft Drugs material is really good. A friend kept bugging me to listen and I thought I had and didn’t like it. Eventually I went back and realized they were all new songs to me and are really good. So, check out the streaming stuff on the MySpace page or download the mp3s at thesoftdrugs.com. Walsh creates a simple indie rock sound similar to Pedro and the writing is quite good. The song I love is the very 77’s-like Defending the Paint.

While reading the Nov/Dec ’06 issue of Poets and Writers, I saw that poet Paul Muldoon is in a band called Rackett. The music is not that good, but with Muldoon as their lyricist, the convergence of poetry and music is really interesting. Check out their website and make sure you read through Muldoon’s lyrics because most of songs are very well written.

The November 2006 issue of Wired had possibly the coolest article I have ever read. In "Very Short Stories," Wired found 33 writers to pen Sci-Fi short stories that had to be six words long. Then they went to five graphic designers and had them design the pages for the article. The people they found to write are a great group and include Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith and Neil Gaiman. The results are amazingly cool. The stories can be seen in Wired’s archive, though you really need the hard copy to fully appreciate it. My favorite is by Harry Harrison, “Time machine reaches future!!!...nobody there…”

Music Review -- Under the Iron Sea by Keane

2006-11-05T14:33:00.000-05:00

At one point I was buying any CD that anyone compared to Coldplay. The results ranged from good additions to my collection(The Doves, Clinic) to bad additions(Keane, Embrace). So, I bought their debut album Hopes and Fears without hearing any of their music. While the band is definitely talented, only a few songs combined solid songwriting with interesting music. Overall, Hopes and Fears was a sub-par and dry debut.

With their sophomore effort, Under the Iron Sea, the band stretches out and becomes more of a rock outfit. They still avoid guitars and their tunes are mostly piano based. There are two main changes between their two albums. The first is that there is much more depth in the construction of their new songs. Too often, Hopes and Fears felt like a basic pop album, despite the oblivious talent of the band’s members. The other change is a definitive move to create the U2 vibe of soaring hook laden choruses. This works on some songs, but not others.

To me the standout is Is It Any Wonder?, a great song that sounds like it should have been on U2’s Pop album. Tom Chaplin sings, “But now I think how I was wrong/ And you were laughing along/ And now I look a fool for thinking you were on, my side/ Is it any wonder I'm tired/ Is it any wonder that I feel uptight / Is it any wonder I don't know what's right.” These arena rock/Coldplay-like songs succeed when the lyrics are tight, but some like A Bad Dream border on goofiness.

Keane has created an album with some great moments. Unfortunately, I don’t think the band will hit its stride and craft truly creative music until they stop trying to be U2 or Coldplay. The good news is that Under the Iron Sea makes it sound like they are on their way. For now. at their best Keane is a more melodic and accessible Snow Patrol and at their worst they are an over hyped Something Corporate or The Fray.

2.25 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I'm Reading -- Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

2006-11-05T14:28:00.000-05:00

Fun Home is a memoir in graphic novel form. Bechdel wrote and illustrated this powerful book about her childhood. Fun Home really centers on Bechdel’s father who was an English teacher, ran a small town funeral parlor and obsessed over the old mansion they lived in. Growing up, the author feels secondary to the house her father is so passionate about. As she learns more about her father, she realizes their lives are parallel to each other. His hidden relationships with other men are comparable to Bechdel’s sexuality that she slowly reveals to her parents. This is a fairly long graphic novel, though the author packs it with information the reader needs. Bechdel illustrates the comic with simple drawings and just a touch of color. This is a very raw telling of a girl growing up under some tough emotional circumstances. Fun Home is a bit heavy, but quite good.

What I'm Reading -- The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas

2006-10-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

Scarlett Thomas is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I absolutely loved Popco and reviewed it earlier this year. This time Thomas is writing about a mysterious book that could be cursed. Everyone involved in the book ends of dead or missing. Ariel, a graduate student working on studying the book’s author, ends up with the only remaining copy of The End of Mr. Y. Her professor at the university goes missing, but Ariel decides to read it and solve the mystery. Thus begins a wild adventure which partly takes place in this world and partly in a parallel universe made up of thoughts, evil children, trains fueled by fear and the god of mice. This is an incredibly bizarre and trippy book and I did not realize it would become a Sci-Fi Adventure story when I started reading it. Thomas has to lay down a lot of background information into religious beliefs and especially thought experiments by people like Albert Einstein, so that the story makes sense. The characters are very well written and Thomas presents a smart female lead character similar to her heroine in Popco. The End of Mr. Y is a thoughtful, weird and raw novel. This is highly recommended, though it is not an easy read by any means.

What I'm Reading -- The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

2006-10-23T14:47:00.000-04:00

Two veterans of the comics industry decided to create a graphic novel version of the 568 page 9/11 Commission Report. Every time I read about this somewhere it seems like I see a new controversy over it, so let me take care of those right away.

1. There is no bias here by Jacobson and Colon. They are just putting the original report in a more readable format. This is a paraphrase of the whole report and the authors did try to quote it as often as they could. Also, the Foreward is written by the Chair and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission, so this is a legitimate document.
2. This graphic novel is not intended to fix any of the problems of the commission. This is just a digested version so any biases and mistakes the commission made comes out in this book as well.
3. Some have said that the drawings are made to make some people look better than others and that there is some inherit racism in how the terrorists are drawn. I did not pick this up at all, but others may see it differently.

I was incredibly excited when I heard about this and I was not let down. Reading many of the details of the 9/11 Commission Report is incredibly interesting. The art is quite good and helps move along the commentary. They also organize the information so that it is easier to understand. In one section, the reader can see a timeline of September 11, 2001 from the perspective of each hijacked plane. The authors cover this sensitive material with great maturity. This is a great read, though it is obviously sad and alarming.

What I'm Reading -- Adverbs by Daniel Handler

2006-10-23T14:42:00.000-04:00

Daniel Handler, who writes the Series of Unfortunate Events as Lemony Snicket, has written another novel for adults. Adverbs is not quite a series of short stories, but close. Handler puts together a bunch of snippets of lives of characters that eventually cross paths. The theme of the book is all about defining love. Handler unfortunately explains this over and over and over. I did not find many of these snippets very interesting or realistic. I did think a couple of the stories are quite interesting, but it was just not consistent enough. This is for those who enjoy Hander’s style of writing in the Unfortunate Events series and are more interested in the language used to write a story than in the actual story itself.

Music Review -- Continuum by John Mayer

2006-10-14T21:04:00.000-04:00

John Mayer’s third full length studio album has received almost completely positive reviews from music critics. Actually, if it were not for these reviews I would have written this a week ago and proclaimed this one of the worst albums ever. Since I figured I was missing something that was obvious to others, I gave Continuum a few more listens.

Mayer was admittedly in a weird place in his career when getting ready to record Continuum. He had created two popular and well-done pop albums with Room for Squares and Heavier Things. His writing was much deeper than most popular artists and it worked well with the acoustic pop of RFS and more mature Adult Contemporary sound on Heavier Things. In 2005, he created the John Mayer Trio and moved from singer-songwriter mode to blues/soul mode on Try. Continuum is a mix of Mayer letting out his blues/soul side, while still attempting to create accessible pop music.

Unfortunately, it does not work so well. Mayer’s lyrics just don’t resonate the way his earlier works did. Waiting on the World to Change (“We keep on waiting/ Waiting for the world to change/ One day our generation/ Is gonna rule the population”) and Belief (“Everyone believes/ And no one’s going quietly”) are so vaguely political that they don’t really mean anything. Many of the other songs are about heartache and losing love, though most of them show little depth. The theme of bittersweet relationships runs throughout the album and occasionally scores a victory like I Don’t Trust Myself with Mayer singing, “No, I’m not the man I used to be lately/ See, you met me at an interesting time/ And if my past is any sign of your future/ You should be warned before I let you inside.” This is a brilliant song in the soul tradition and Mayer lets the subject of the song know he wants what is best for her, but it is not necessarily him.

Musically, the album is completely solid. The only misstep is that his voice just can not handle the chorus of Vultures and give the song the smooth falsetto that it needs. Mayer uses bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan from his Trio and the three are great together. My biggest problem besides the lack of quality lyrics is the production. Mayer and Jordan produced it together. They employed a slick sound that is often too tinny making some of Mayer’s guitar and vocals sound really corny. Never have the blues sounded so shinny and unthreatening.

There are some wonderful moments here and I Don’t Trust Myself, The Heart of Life and Stop This Train are definitely standouts. I’m glad I listed more closely to it. Overall though, it is still a big disappointment. This will probably appeal to many of his Adult Contemporary fans, but Mayer is too talented to create this uneven and poorly produced album. Of course, remember that there are dozens of critics who disagree with me.

1.75 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I'm Reading -- The Fate of the Artist by Eddie Campbell

2006-10-07T19:46:00.000-04:00

Campbell uses various forms of art to communicate his story in this brilliant graphic novel, The Fate of the Artist. One day, Campbell, an obsessive artist, is discovered to be missing. Campbell’s many quirks are explained as his wife and daughter fill in the responding police officers. The author uses these conversations, odd bits of history, children’s drawings and newspaper comic strips to tell the story of Eddie Campbell. The character’s bizarre behavior on the surface can seem like a stream of random musings, but this is really a look at perceptions of reality. Through the eyes of family members and fans of the character’s art, several layers of life and art are explored. Campbell gives no conclusions or signs to let readers in to any reasons behind his behavior. Instead he presents a humorous, but sad portrayal of everyday life clashing with creative art. I don't know if some readers will appreciate this grahpic novel's strange way of telling the story, but this really is an amazing read.

Music Review -- Alligator by The National

2006-09-30T14:18:00.000-04:00

The National has roots in both Ohio and New York and it shows. Actually, this band would make a great trivia question. What band has members from Ohio that finally formed in Brooklyn and includes two sets of brothers? Anyway, the band combines a punk rock attitude and lyrics with a roots rock vibe.

Lead singer Matt Berninger presents an almost spoken delivery with his deep baritone voice. The guitar work from Aaron and Bryce Dessner is intricate and melodic and really drives some of the tamer songs. Berninger’s lyrics combine real life sensitivity with some deep angst. The great opening track Secret Meeting starts out, “I think this place is full of spies/ I think they're onto me…Didn't anybody tell you how to gracefully disappear in a room?”

The band seems somewhat reserved and laid back on most of the album’s tracks. It is like they can rock and they might be about to rock, but they never really decide that it is time to rock. The combination of the singer’s voice, their lyrics and the excellent guitar work make the album fairly enjoyable, though on many of these tunes one or more of these elements are missing. Alligator, which came out mid-2005, is a solid disc, though I wish more of their songs were crafted as well as tracks like Karen, Lit Up and Friend of Mine. The National comes off as a less arty Arcade Fire or an artier The John Doe Thing. It’s a rare band that could appeal to both the alt-country and post-punk set, but The National pulls it off.

2.50 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I'm Reading -- Graphic Novels

2006-09-24T21:05:00.000-04:00

Ultimate Spider-Man 15 by Brian Michael Bendis: Silver Sable enters the Ultimate Spider-Man universe and is hunting for Peter Parker. Vol. 15 is another good story arc by Bendis and also includes an interesting relationship forming between Parker and Kitty Pryde. These are consistently some of the best graphic novels out there.

Ultimate Iron Man by Orson Scott Card: This is great. Card reworks the Iron Man story beginning with a young Tony Stark and his father. My only complain is that this reworking is so different from the original that it sometimes seem like it’s not an Iron Man comic at all. Despite it being so different, this is a great sci-fi heavy version of Tony Stark.

House of M by Brian Michael Bendis: When one of the most powerful mutants in the world is not happy, then no one else is happy. The Scarlett Witch, in an attempt to have the life she wants changes the whole world and the only one who remembers how life used to be is Wolverine. The new world is basically what Magneto always dreamed of. Mutants rule over humans and it is up to Wolverine to figure out how to get things back to normal. This is very good.

Avengers Disassembled by Brian Michael Bendis: This is purely for big Avengers fans. The story is boring and keeps going back to even duller flashbacks. The art is quite uneven as well. Basically, the Marvel Universe is changing and it seems as if everyone has it out for the Avengers, who must consider disbanding.

Music Review -- Open Season by Feist

2006-09-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

Open Season is the b-sides/remix version of her debut album Let It Die, which I reviewed earlier this year. Let It Die is a splendid folk-pop album in the vein of Over the Rhine and Beth Orton. Many of the songs on Open Season were on the first CD. Two of those songs actually get six different treatments here. Guests here include Deathcab’s Ben Gibbard. Many of the tracks get completely different takes like the acoustic cover of the Bee Gees’ “Inside and Out”. A lot of the songs get overhauled in a jazz or R&B style, but this is a very eclectic album. Like her first album, this comes highly recommended, despite the fact that like all remix albums it is incredibly uneven. Feist is an amazing creative talent and I can not wait for whatever she does next.

3.00 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

Music Review -- Nightcrawler by Pete Yorn

2006-09-17T17:53:00.000-04:00

Pete Yorn has created the follow up to 2002’s awesome modern rock album Musicforthemorningafter and 2003’s folkier Day I Forgot. While the debut disc was mostly a look at relationships and regret and his sophomore disc was more about stories from everyday life, Nightcrawler is about the nervous energy and ups and downs of nightlife. Yorn mostly abandons the rootsier sound of Day I Forgot and his writing is not nearly as consistent as in the past. Nightcrawler took quite a few listens for me to get used to it and understand what Yorn was trying to do here. The first few songs are buzzy rock songs that are muddled and do not seem to click. Yorn really does not hit his stride until track five, a folk song called The Man. Starting with The Man, the disc starts to seem like a natural progression from his debut, except that I’m surprised that he chose to make such an unforgiving rock album. Playing most of the instruments himself, and performing a bevy of melodic rock songs makes this album really click, despite the troubled beginning.

The disc really takes off with my favorite, Maybe I’m Right. One of the most upbeat and positive songs (and somewhat corny, but still cool) it is a great rocker with Yorn crooning, “Maybe I'm right, right on/ I said, "Hey, baby, baby, baby, I'll take you tonight."/ And I'll see you on the other side, sugar/ Your pleasant face, your crooked smile/ Maybe tomorrow is a lifetime away.” While not as deep as earlier efforts, Nighcrawler has some good writing and often has his characters feeling lonely in a crowded and busy life. It was not as I expected, but Pete Yorn fans, who especially those who liked Musicforthemorningafter should enjoy this as well. Yorn's voice is quite emotive and drives several of these songs to a great sound nearly on its own. Those who like melodic rock and Brit-rock like Razorlight, the Dandy Warhols and the Charlatans U.K. should also be in to this. Oh, and I suggest buying the disc with two "bonus" songs, which makes this a long 16-track album.

2.75 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I'm Reading -- Londonstani by Gautam Malkani

2006-09-09T19:54:00.000-04:00

I was extremely tempted to bail on Gautam Malkani’s debut novel, Londonstani. This is novel about four Indian teenagers living in London and raising hell. The slang and colloquiums are so heavy that it was jarring to read until I got used to the style. A snippet from page 9:

--U hear wot ma bredren Jas b chattin? Hardjit says, welcoming my input. – If you b getting lippy wid me u b getting yo’self mashed up.

Oh yeah, there are also no apostrophes to distinguish dialog. Once you get used to this shorthand style of writing the book really takes off. Jas is kind of a nerd, but he is living a new life after being accepted by three schoolmates, who are some small-time gangsters. Things get serious for the group when their business with illegal cell phones turns into a bigger job. Also, Jas, who now has a bit of cash to throw around, is making moves on a Muslim girl, which has his whole community turning against him. Things, of course, in the end go wrong for the whole crew. Racial tensions and traditions are a big part of this book. Malkani does a good job being serious and funny at the same time. This is a harsh, but good coming of age story.

What I'm Reading -- U.S.! by Chris Bachelder

2006-09-09T19:50:00.000-04:00

Chris Bachelder is the author of the brilliant Bear v. Shark. In U.S.! he writes about an America where people can and often do raise others from the dead. In this case, readers meet the recreated former author and politician Upton Sinclair. Sinclair’s careers after his first life are followed in the forms of letters, emails, Amazon.com-type reviews, EBay-type product listings and some normal storytelling. While obviously satiric, Bachelder makes Sinclair seem really quirky and cool. Sinclair is resurrected every few years by the dwindling number of Socialists in the country that are hoping that the author of The Jungle will help their cause. Unfortunately for Sinclair and his many secretaries, America is not ready for Socialism and so the muckraker keeps getting assassinated. Bachelder goes right after American culture without holding back. At times, the book seems to wander aimlessly, but after a while the book leads to a seminal moment at an Anti-Socialist 4th of July Celebration and Book-burning in Greenville, South Carolina. The result is an amazingly well done and hilarious look at this country, pop culture and politics.

What I'm Reading -- The End of California by Steve Yarbrough

2006-09-09T19:47:00.000-04:00

Pete Barrington leaves California and drags his family to his small hometown in Mississippi. Yarbrough follows the family’s transition to a place they don’t really want to live. Nevertheless, Barrington is trying to get away from controversy in California and his wife and daughter have no choice. Unfortunately for Barrington, some of his old demons never left his hometown and he has some things to deal with all over again. The End of California is a decent look at dealing with a troublesome past which keeps barging into the present. Yarbrough is a good writer and balances the family drama and murder mystery elements well, though the book really never rises above the horde of authors with works following messed up people and their families.

Music Review -- Blue on Blue by Leigh Nash

2006-09-02T10:52:00.000-04:00

Blue on Blue is the solo debut of former Sixpence None the Richer member Leigh Nash. 6p had a long and tumultuous career putting out only four full length albums between ’94 and ’02. The band’s core members were Nash and multi-instrumentalist and lyricist Matt Slocum. Slocum’s only appearance here is that he co-wrote the album’s first single My Idea of Heaven.

Nash wrote or co-wrote every song of the album. Despite her varied influences and her past with 6p, this is purely a pop album. The Kiss Me, 6p’s biggest hit, of this album is My Idea of Heaven. Though a bit bland and sappy, it is not a bad tune. Most of the songs have a dreamy quality and are heavy on the keyboards.

While a few of the songs are written a bit too preciously, like Nervous in the Light of Dawn, the writing is solid and well-structured. Nash is never preachy, but does focus on some spiritual and philosophical issues. Mixed in, as well, are some pure love songs. On songs like More of It and Cloud Nine it is nice to hear Nash write as if she is speaking to someone specific. Too many songs these days lack any punch because they are written as if they are addressed to “whom it may concern”.

The album really gets moving a few songs in. The best songs on Blue on Blue are the faster paced tunes which force Nash to stretch her voice a little bit. Her soft voice belies her range and strength, which is shown on Never Finish where she sings, “You want me all to yourself/ Well you’ve got me now/ I’ve got to think to myself/ Where do you end?/ And where do you begin?” Angel Tonight and Blue are other tunes that step out a little from the ranks of the mid-tempo songs and are quite good.

Repeated listening reveals more depth than there is on the surface. Nonetheless, the problem with this album is that there is no edge at all. And again I stress “at all”. The CD is well produced and the musicians are all good, but the shiny, shimmering songs are all a listener gets. I know this is unfair, but some of Slocum’s guitar work and edgier lyrics would add a lot to a work like this. Nash has proven with Blue on Blue that her voice is still great and her songwriting is solid. Her debut will not help anyone deal with missing Sixpence None the Richer, but it is good on its own standing.

2.60 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

Listening to this makes you feel like everyday could be a breezy, sunny Tuesday afternoon.

My Top Ten Favorite Football Books

2006-08-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to post something different than usual. So, with the begining of the NFL, EPL and stretch run of MLS, I decided to list my favorite football books.

1. The $1 league: The Rise and Fall of the USFL by Jim Byrne (1987). You have to enjoy the business side of sports to like this book, but I have read this book about the creation of a new pro football league in the 1980s several times. The star of the book becomes New Jersey Generals owner Donald Trump who basically ruins the USFL by wanting to take on the NFL.

2.A Season with Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusion, National Character, and...Goals! by Tim Parks (2002). Parks, an English teacher in Italy, watches every match of his favorite club, Hellas Verona. Parks is a great writer and covers much more than just Serie A action, as he goes into the character of Italy as a country.

3.Next Man up: A Year behind the Lines in Today's NFL by John Feinstein (2005). Feinstein is a brilliant sports writer and he gets incredible access to follow the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens for a year.

4.Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton by Walter Payton and Don Yaeger (2000). This heartbreaking memoir was being written when Payton passed away from liver cancer. Yaeger finished the book and used tons of interviews with Payton’s friends and family to turn it into more of an oral history.

5.Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger (1999). This also made for a great movie, but the book that follows a High School football team in Texas is extremely poignant.

6.Going Long: The Wild Ten-Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League in the Words of Those Who Lived It by Jeff Miller (2003). Just like the overly long subtitle says.

7.Now You See Him ...The Barry Sanders Story by Barry Sanderss and Mark E. McCormickk (2003). Some of this bored me, but getting a look into his personality and why he quit football is quite interesting.
8.Long Bomb: How The Xfl Became Tv's Biggest Fiasco by Brett Forrest (2002). I don’t care what anyone says the XFL was so silly it was cool. Forrest followed the crazy league and one of its teams, the Las Vegas Outlaws, for the XFL’s only season.

9.I Am Third by Gale Sayerss and Al Silverman (1970). The greatest football movie of all time, Brian’s Song, was based on Sayers autobiography that stars himself and teammate Brian Piccolo.

10.Proving Ground: A Season on the Fringe in NFL Europe by Lars Anderson (2001). The league that created Kurt Warner and other NFLers gets its due in this book. Anderson spends the year following the now-defunct Scottish Claymores and several of their players who went overseas to get another shot at the NFL.

New Discoveries

2006-08-20T19:54:00.000-04:00

Here are a few random things that I have happened upon lately.

Former Over the Rhine guitarist and Monk frontman Ric Hordinski is now on MySpace. He has some songs up that are catchy pop tunes. Not his normal thing, but still enjoyable. He explains more at his new homepage.

Also, Sarah Masen has been updating her site now and again with new songs. The best is her cover of Elvis Costello's Veronica, though there are some other good tunes on here. Apparently at some point, she was working with Hordinski, who is a good producer. Her last CD is still Dreamlife of Angels from 2001. I'm hoping she records again, especially if she can re-create the vibe of 1998's less poppy and more organic Carry Us Through.

Finally, for those who know of my Christian Music past (don't tell anyone), then this article from last year may be interesting. Kate Bowman's "Secular, Sacred or both?" makes a couple of good points about the place (or lack thereof) of Christian music in the current music scene.

Peace...

What I'm Reading -- The Driftless Area by Tom Drury

2006-08-20T19:47:00.000-04:00

Tom Drury’s main character is Pierre Hunter, a thoughtful 24-year old bartender. Hunter is saved from a nearly fatal accident by a beautiful girl, who is in the same town but lives alone and rarely leaves her old mansion. Pierre continues to float through life, but starts to realize he is part of a bigger plan that involves his new girlfriend, some mobsters, $77,000 and a strange old man. There also is a bit of mysticism thrown into the story that creates some weird situations and a groovy ambiance. Pierre seems to have no problem being a part of something bigger, but Drury gives little indication of how the story will be resolved.

This is an incredibly well written book. Drury tells the story with an amazingly concise style of writing. He gives his readers exactly what he wants them to know, no more and no less. The dialogue is quick and witty. The characters are all smart and enduring. Besides the somewhat creepy cover this book is absolutely great. This is one of my favorites over the last few months. The Driftless Area is a bit similar in tone and story to Markus Zusak’s I am the Messenger.

What I'm Reading -- Hello I Must be Going by Christie Hodgen

2006-08-20T19:41:00.000-04:00

In Hello I Must be Going, Hodgen follows a mother and her two children following the death of their husband/father. The main character is 9-year old Frankie, who like her brother, worships their Vietnam-vet father. Following his death, Frankie becomes quiet and focuses on her drawings, her brother begins some bizarre behaviors and her mom becomes obsessed with weird boyfriends and pills. Hodgen excels when following the slow but consistent growth of Frankie as she becomes more confident and plans for college. Some of the book’s situations are a bit too farcical considering the overall tone of the novel. This is a good solid read, though it does not live up to better and more realistic portrayals like Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Music Review -- Eyes Open by Snow Patrol

2006-08-12T19:41:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while a band seems on the verge of creating an epic album. This often makes the band’s next release seem mediocre compared to expectations. Eyes Open is the follow up to Snow Patrol’s great Final Straw. Final Straw had an amazing combination of textures, sonic influences and modern rock that garnered obvious comparisons to Coldplay and Radiohead. Eyes Open is a wonderful album, but it is a bit disappointing that they made the same transition to arena-ready songs that Coldplay did between A Rush of Blood to the Head and X&Y. The results are still quite good. It would just be nice to see Snow Patrol (and Coldplay) working outside of the parameters of soaring, arena-freiendly songs.

The emphasis here is on Gary Lightbody’s songwriting. These are wonderfully written songs with introspective lyrics that look at every side of bittersweet relationships. The writing is similar to, but even more biting and personal, than Ben Gibbard’s work with Deathcab for Cutie and The Postal Service. The opener is a high energy, sing-along with Lightbody singing, “Electric shocks on aching bones/ There is a darkness deep in you/ A frightening magic I cling to…It’s so clear now you are all that I have/ I have no fear now that you are all that I have…” The lyrical maturity on this album is impressive as the writer’s subjects long for peace, look for anything they can do to force their worlds to behave as they wish and even yearn for anything tragic to rouse them to greater things or personal defeat. On Headlights on Dark Roads he writes, “For once I want to be the car crash/ Not always just the traffic jam/ Hit me hard enough to wake me/ And lead me wild to your dark roads.”

Musically, this is much lighter on sonic influences and heavier on guitar and hook driven tunes than previous efforts. The downfall of the disc is that they try too hard to be catchy and hit an emotional note in song after song. This is an amazingly capable band and Lightbody’s voice is an instrument itself. The producer did a great job not allowing his somewhat wispy voice to be lost under the crunchy guitars, though I wish they would allow him more time singing alone without the constant harmonies.

Maybe someday, Snow Patrol will create their own Sgt. Peppers, but for now they are proving to be one of the best bands around.

3.25 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

Music -- Johnny Cash

2006-08-06T22:14:00.000-04:00

I have listening to a lot of Johnny Cash lately. I won’t review them too deeply because if you don’t already know that Cash was the man then you have more problems than I can fix. One is Cash’s Personal File, which came out in May. This collection covers 49 tracks he recorded in the 70s and 80s. Personally I like the earlier era of Cash and this comes after the young, brash, rocking Johnny Cash. Still, its nice to hear Cash do a ton of standards and hymns when his voice was younger and stronger and he was deeply ensconced in his folk roots. The other disc I’ve been listening to is American V: A Hundred Highways that was released last month. This is the last of the CDs of an older Cash singing covers, standards and an occasional newly written song. This is my other favorite period of his music. In this fifth installment, his voice wavers as he sings this collection of songs that are mostly about death, or seem like they are about death because of what we know about the singer. I recommend his early music or the collections from the last few years to newer fans, though Personal File is fun to hear another part of the great artist’s career.

What I'm Reading -- Literacy and Longing in L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack

2006-08-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

I was expecting a deeper book when I chose to read Literacy and Longing in L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack. Once my expectations changed a bit though, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. The book follows divorced, former news writer Dora. The 35-year old recounts her life being obsessed with books, being out of work and trying to figure out what to do with herself. She meets a handsome, intelligent book store clerk and they start a relationship that changes once she finds out about his family and more about his personality. Anyone who is well-read will enjoy the literary references and there are a ton. Really, this is more of a chick-lit type novel, but since I recently bailed on a book halfway through, I had to finish this one. Anyway, Dora does tons of worrying about her looks, avoiding the L.A. highways and all sorts of things expected in chick-lit. The authors, however, do a nice job giving Dora and her fling some depth, especially when they introduce Fred’s family situation. Dora is funny and tries quite admirably to do the right thing despite her situation and hang-ups. This is a good book for deeper readers looking for something lighter or general chick-lit fans looking for something a bit more substantial.

What I'm Reading -- Grab on to Me Tightly as if I Knew the Way by Bryan Charles

2006-07-30T15:49:00.000-04:00

The Unbiased Part: Bryan Charles follows new high school graduate Vim Sweeny as he tries to decide what to do with himself. Vim has plenty of Gen-X angst in Kalamazoo, MI circa 1992. He plays in a grunge band (very Pavement-like), is falling for a band mate’s girlfriend, wants to quit his dish-washing gig and is trying to avoid his father.

Initially, I found it quite interesting, but too disjointed. Then about halfway through the book, Vim heads to northern Michigan to hang out with his cool, rocker uncle. At this point, Vim’s decisions on how to live his life drive the book to its focused conclusions. The peripheral characters are also quite realistic and the hero of this book is really Vim’s hard-working, intelligent step-father. Once it hits it's stride, the concise writing style gives it a lyrical slant, which is very appropriate considering the important role that music takes in the novel. The cover art is also well designed and looks like it could be an album cover.

The Biased Part: Reading a book about ’92 Kalamazoo is fun. Charles writes about tons of hangouts, restaurants and areas of the city. I’m biased because I was around there at the time and the same age as Vim. Charles does a great job chronicling the city and the vibe among the Gen-X crowd.

I definitely think this book is a great complement to other novels about my generation like Douglas Coupland’s Generation X and Microserfs, Max Barry’s Syrup and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. Also, I need to figure out how to say "Grab on to me tightly as if I knew the way" in normal conversation because it sounds so cool.

Music Review -- It’s Never Been Like That by Phoenix

2006-07-30T15:44:00.000-04:00

The French are not often thought of being creators of great rock, but Phoenix should change that. Their electronica-tinged rock is about as catchy as possible. The band excels in mid-tempo tunes driven by their jangly guitars. They also just rock out now and then like the opener Napoleon Says where they sing, “Look at what you look like /You know it suits you well/ Napoleon says to take off your coat/ Take off your long johns too…” The lyrics tend to be somewhat bizarre, but complement the music well. They sometimes sound like the Strokes, but Phoenix is more eclectic. They seem influenced somewhat by the synth heavy 80s bands, but it doesn’t dominate their sound like The Killers or The Bravery. So if you feel like some danceable, catchy, jangly, French rock, then this is for you.

2.60 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I'm Reading -- The Big Happy by Scott Mebus

2006-07-30T15:38:00.000-04:00

This is Mebus’ follow up to his debut novel Booty Nomad. It seems like the lad-lit moniker is already retired, but that is what Mebus does. Lad-lit attempts to be like Nick Hornby, but ends up creating the guy equivalents to chick-lit. This is actually a good thing because while they tend to be a bit shallow, the best writers of the genre (Mebus, Kyle Smith, Jonathan Tropper) are also very funny and somewhat insightful concerning the world of men.

In The Big Happy, Mebus continues to follow 30-something New Yorker David, who is trying to find his course in life after quitting his job and writing a novel that might not get published. His friends, also carried over from Booty Nomad, are also changing but the hardest on David is the transformation of Annie. David’s best friend has just moved back to NY, but returned with a fiancé who somewhat resembles a rat. David is also thrown off by a waitress he meets while performing as a wedding DJ. So, yeah, it is not the deepest book in the world. Still, while not as funny or enlightening as his debut, Mebus again does a decent job keeping his readers interested.

Music Review -- Soundtrack to Your Life by Ashley Parker Angel

2006-07-30T15:27:00.000-04:00

At any point in my life, I am usually addicted to one embarrassing television show. Currently, it’s Rock Star: Supernova. Before that it was the first couple seasons of the O.C. Way before any of these, it was the original Making the Band. This hilarious show followed the creation of a boy band called O-Town. One of the first members was Ashley Parker Angel who has just released his first solo album.

Reviewers have actually been fairly kind to the album. APA has taken the rock route for this disc, though it is clearly made for the masses. A super slick pop-punk sound comparable to the All American Rejects permeates the album. There are a couple decent songs like the groovy Beautiful Lie, but most of the lyrics are completely sickly-sweet with cutesy titles like Let U Go and Crazy Beautiful. Despite finding this CD interesting because of the show and recognizing that APA definitely has some sincerity and talent, this is too overproduced to listen to.

1.50 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

Music Review -- Simpatico by The Charlatans UK

2006-07-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

The new CD by The Charlatans is a bit mixed up. They have always been a fun Brit-rock band sounding a bit like U2 or Oasis, but with more sonic tendencies. Here, The Charlatans have expanded their sound, revelaing influences beyond U2 to include Robbie Williams, the Rolling Stones, 80’s synth-rock and even ska. I think they work best when they mimic the bombastic, arena era U2, with tunes like Blackend Blue Eyes and Muddy Ground. While I appreciate a fairly eclectic album from a genre (Brit Pop/Rock) that does not generally allow for a lot of creativity, I would like them to stick closer to what they do best, which is buzzy guitar driven rock with soaring harmonies and hooky lyrics. Simpatico is an album that strives to be a great eclectic rock album, but unfortunately ends up quite mediocre.

1.90 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

New Discovery -- Boards of Canada

2006-07-23T15:26:00.000-04:00

This is a band that is completely new to me. Boards of Canada are two Scottish musicians who have released three major label electronica collections since ’98. On Music Has the Right to Children, they use very simple and subtle hip hop beats. On The Campfire Headphase they add some electric guitar, but their signature is still the mid-tempo beats and light scratches. While their music is mostly ambient techno, the subtle combination of trip hop makes for some fun, laid back tunes. Check these guys out at boardsofcanada.com

What I’m Reading – Graphic Novels

2006-07-16T14:54:00.000-04:00

Flight Vol. 2 is a short story collection in Graphic Novel form published by Image Comics. The volume collects mostly young authors with a couple of veterans, like Bone’s Jeff Smith thrown in. I found Flight to be incredible. The creativity is so strong it is intimidating. The stories range from typical short stories to collections of random thoughts to stories of robots. Each story has a completely different art style, most of which are brilliant.

Trailers, by Mark Kneece (story) and Julie Collins-Rousseau (art), is hilarious and haunting. Josh is a teen who is forced to put up with his unstable mother, who kills an abusive boyfriend at their trailer park. Josh is trying to hide the body, care for his brother and sister, date the girl he has a crush on and deal with his mom’s new scary boyfriends. The body he buried, however, keeps showing up in weird ways and Josh is unsure as how to handle everything. This is super good.

Brian K. Vaughan’s great series The Runaways continues with volume five. The character development continues to be impressive in these books. Vaughan also adds guest spots by a couple of New Avengers. My only complaint is that one interesting plotline at the beginning of volume five is introduced and dropped very quickly, though maybe it will resurface in the next collection.

What I’m Reading – The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau

2006-07-16T14:42:00.000-04:00

The Prophet of Yonwood is actually a prequel to The City of Ember and The People of Sparks. City of Ember was a great book that follows a couple of citizens of Ember. Ember is an underground town that completely relies on electricity and reusing all of their goods. DuPrau created a great adventure as things start to go wrong in the city. It is a wonderful book, however, the two follow-ups are not nearly as good. In the People of Sparks the author sucks all of the fun out of the series and prattles on about her politics as the residents of Ember meet another community.

This brings us to The Prophet of Yonwood, which is not a bad book in and of itself. DuPrau is writing in the modern world this time, as war is possibly reaching to the U.S. 11-year old Nickie and her aunt travel to North Carolina to take care of a huge house they inherited and intend to sell. However, the city of Yonwood has a “prophet” who is guiding the town through a series of weird decisions in order to avoid the coming destruction in the prophet’s vision. Some of the town’s leaders are overly hyper in following the prophet’s messages and bans the citizens from things like singing.

Its not terrible and the author creates some neat characters and some incredible worlds, but a few things wreck it. DuPrau is too transparent and the plot reveals its secrets much too soon. Also, this is really a standalone title. It technically connects to the other two, but it’s a loose relationship. I wholeheartedly recommend The City of Ember, but despite the positive reviews by SLJ and others, the other books in the series are not of the same quality. Readers interested in the themes of DuPrau’s work should read Meg Rosoff’s solid How I Live Now and Mark Dunn’s great Ella Minnow Pea.

Music Review – Where the Humans Eat by Willy Mason

2006-07-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

This is the 2004 release by Willy Mason, which I’m reviewing by request (thanks Jackie). I’m actually a bit embarrassed that I did not know of Mason. 18 when he recorded this, Mason’s voice sounds like that of a seasoned singer who has played in too many smoky bars. Mason is a great writer and I think this is a rare album that would satisfy both fans of traditional folk and new folk. Most of the tunes are cool, but I love the gospel-tinged, hymn-like Fear no Pain where Mason sings, “I ain't gonna fear no pain anymore/Ain't nothin' worth that strain/I'm gonna walk in the hands of the Lord.” This is a mostly acoustic album and heavily influenced by the blues and Johnny Cash. With bands like Bright Eyes getting the deserved attention they get, I’m surprised Mason is not better known. Fans of Bright Eyes and Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis will dig this CD.

2.85 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale.

What I’m Reading – Last Wave and Theft

2006-07-09T18:39:00.000-04:00

Last Wave by Paul Hayden is actually from 2003, but I just recently heard about it. Hayden is yet another Australian author writing books tuned towards young adults, though in our cooperative this is actually considered Adult Fiction. This is about 17-year old Matt, who is graduating and ready to spend his last summer partying with his surfer friends until they split up to do whatever is next. Matt, however, becomes mixed up between a couple of girls and could see his surfing days end, while his best friend is dealing with a potentially unwanted pregnancy. Later, more tragedy takes place, leaving Matt depressed and unsure as how to act around his friends and his family. This is quite good and Hayden pours on the Australian dialect, which is fun to read. This is a good read for teens and adults alike, though the book is fairly raw. At one point, I thought I was seeing some inconsistencies with the plotting, but as it went on I think that Hayden just knows how to write about the fluidity of life and people’s emotions. The fact that life gets weirdly inconsistent is partly the point of Last Wave.

Peter Carey has written quite a few novels, though Theft: A Love Story is the first I have read. I tried to get through this book, but could only get about halfway. I’m not saying it is a bad book, it is just more challenging than I was willing to put up with at the moment. Theft is basically about a painting that gets stolen. The story is told from the standpoint of three characters: “Butcher” a pretentious painter, his emotional brother and a mysterious woman who is the daughter of the artist who painted the missing work of art. It is a great plot, but the characters’ ramblings are hard to follow and Carey forces his readers to take in every little detail in order to follow the story. It is good, just not for me at the moment.

Music Review – Nooma Soundtrack Volume 001

2006-07-02T13:36:00.000-04:00

The Nooma Soundtrack features music found on the short videos of the same name. Brie Stoner and David Vandervelde contribute all of the CD’s thirteen tunes. As a whole the album creates a laid back ambient mood like Dusty Trails, Yo La Tengo or Starflyer 59.

David Vandervelde’s tracks range from retro rockers to moody instrumentals. The mellower songs are actually much better and create a great soundscape with some electronic elements. He can rock a bit, though. I think Indiana is one of my new favorite songs because it is just so incredibly hooky. All My Prayers is great too, though he unfortunately ends the CD with two poor tunes. Heaven Weeps and Flowers are overproduced retro rock that sounds like bad Dandy Warhol’s songs.

Brie Stoner is someone who has played venues around G.R. for a while. Her contributions to this soundtrack are great. All of the songs are fairly moving with Can You Love Me as a standout. Brie is solid singer-songwriter, though on most of these tunes she brings a more atmospheric modern rock sound (see: Ivy). Her sound is mature and her voice clearly supports the messages of hope and longing in her writing.

Overall, this is a wonderful collection of bittersweet and hopeful songs.

Find out more about them at www.myspace.com/davidvandervelde and www.briestoner.com

3.25 out of 4.00 on the Vin Swanson Scale

Listening to this makes you feel like those times when you know its all going to work out, but you just wished you knew how.