Series of Unfortuante Events (Carnivorous Carnival)

The ninth book in Lemony Snickett's children's book series makes up the plot of the two second season finale of the Netflix adaptation. After fleeing the fire that consumed the Heimlich hospital in the previous episode in the trunk of Count Olaf's car, the Baudelaire orphans find themselves transported to a dying carnival deep in the Hinterlands where Count Olaf hopes to find answers to the question of a surviving Baudelaire parent raised in the last episode.

The carnival is populated by three "freaks" and a familiar fortune teller. In this episode, the good guys borrow a trick from Olaf by disguising themselves and pretending to be who they are not. This includes the orphans who pretend to be freaks in order to stay at the carnival and learn the secrets the fortune teller shares with Count Olaf.  (My personal favorite is Sunny as a feral half-wolf child).

Seemingly one step ahead of Count Olaf this time around, everything appears to be on course for a breakthrough that will end the series of unfortunate events...but alas, that is not to be. When a pack of starving lions are recruited for the show, things take a deadly turn that ends with another V.F.D. volunteer's demise, once again leaving the orphans without a friend to help them. It also ends with another fire setting the carnival ablaze as the motif of starting fires and putting fires out (both literally and figuratively) continues to weave through this epically miserable tale that ends with a cliffhanger...literally and figuratively.

Series of Unfortunate Events (Hostile Hospital)

After a brief break to avert my eyes from the tragedy of the Baudelaire orphans, I returned to watching the Netflix adaptation for the eighth book in the series. This is perhaps the bleakest setting in the series, a grimy hospital of horrors. After escaping the V.F.D. village in the fire truck, the orphans end up at Heimlich hospital in the middle of the Hinterlands.

Now I've always been of the persuasion that hospitals are terrifying places. This is probably why so many horror movies take place in them. Aware of this fact, the show does a great job of playing with this troupe. There are many references to famous horror films in this story and they are done wonderfully.

The orphans find themselves trapped in the hospital once again with the Count and his band of evil actors. Their one hope is that the hospital's Library will hold the answers to secrets that seem to surround them...and it does. Only, as is always their luck, they are never able to discover the whole truth, but do gain yet more pieces in the mystery that has become their lives. 

The dramatic concluding scene in the Operating Theater of this episode is probably the best scene of the show to date. It is truly a horrible and hostile predicament that the Baudelaire siblings find themselves in, seemingly with no way out. Yet their resourcefulness shines through once again, helping them long enough to continue on to the next terrible series of unfortunate events.

Weekend Music Roundup!

It's the weekend which can only mean it's time for ramblings about music, because honestly, what else is a weekend for. This week I take a look at some releases from last year that I just got around to hearing, as well as some recent old time finds. There's a wide range of music on here, from psychedelic rock, to hip hop, jazz, folk and indie pop. There's something here for everyone, so hopefully you'll find something new to listen to. Enjoy.

Pink Fairies - Never Never Land: This 1971 debut from the psychedelic rock band is an album that has eluded me for twenty five years. It was never available on CD in the early 90s when I first tried to track it down and I hadn't come across it on vinyl in the wild before recently. Of course, I snatched it up. This is one of the first heavy psych albums. The band, led by Twink, were contemporaries of Pink Floyd and Hawkwind and were cut from the same mold. It opens with the iconic proto-punk "Do It" and leads into the Floydian "Heavenly Man" and right away you know you're hearing something special. Other standout tracks on this masterpiece are "Thor" and the epic "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout." 

Wizard Must Die - In the Land of the Dead Turtles: The debut album from the French stoner rock band has an Alice in Chains meets Helmet mixed with noise rock feel that I really dig.  There isn't a ton of range in this genre, so when I hear something that sounds refreshing, I take notice. This is one of those albums. "From the Blood to the Sea," "Umibe no Kafuka," and "Odyssey" are standouts. Definitely worth checking out and a band worth watching.

The Essex Green - Hardly Electronic: The Elephant Six band released three great albums in the late '90s and early '00s before morphing into The Sixth Great Lake. They went quite about 15 years ago, until this album appeared over the summer, without me even knowing. I came across it in the store and was shocked. Like their earliest albums, this is an indie pop record with 60's psych garage influences. They've always been a bit of an American Belle and Sebastian and this record is no different. "Don't Leave It In Our Hands," "Sloane Ranger," "Modern Rain," and "Bristol Sky" are personal favorites of mine. 

Erroll Garner - Afternoon of an Elf: This 1955 album is one of the classic swing / bop jazz records that is not quite as well known as some of the bigger figures of jazz, but no less fantastic. These are all solos, but at times is sounds like a whole orchestra. More amazing, these sessions were recorded while he had the index finger of his left hand in a splint...so yeah, nine finger jazz piano. Legendary stuff. "Don't Be That Way," "St. James Infirmary," and "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" are my personal favorites.

MIKE - War in my Pen: Released late in December, this is the newest mixtape release from Bronx native. Over the past few years, he's been making a lot of noise and getting some attention, so I figured it was about time to check out his work. He has the kind of lethargic flow that has been gaining popularity recently, but what really makes this standout is the amazing beats. They bring the tempo up, masking his words with an eerie allure. Very worthwhile.

Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou - Fair Lady London: Originally recording under the name Indigo Moss, this duo was on the forefront of the British folk revival last decade. With the fourth album under their names, they continue to draw on traditional British folk to create beautiful music. One of the problems most folk artists have is the difficulty in sounding at all different from what they (or others) have previously done, and they are no different. "When Spring Calls," "Minds on the Run," and "Johnny the Lightning" are standouts. 

Series of Unfortunate Events (The Vile Village)

I've now completed watching the adaptation of the sixth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, "The Vile Village." As this episode begins, the Baudelairs are being taken to the town of V.F.D. and assume that they will get all the answers they seek about the secret organization of the same initials. Against all better judgement, they are hopeful that this will be a good place and that the town's slogan of "It Takes a Village" will mean they are entering a place where kind people will care for them. Of course, they're wrong.

The village is truly vile, run by a council of elders who see the children as free labor to do all the town's chores. And feeling momentum on his side, Count Olaf wastes no time in arriving at this new local. He and Esme literally followed them into town and unleashed their new plan immediately. 

Violet and Klaus know that means their friends, the Quagmires are nearby and set in motion a plan to locate and rescue them. All seems to be going well when Jacque Snickett shows up and quickly arrests Olaf. But as we've learned over the course of a season and a half, the Count isn't as clueless as he once seemed. He's actually a very capable foe whose plans are coming closer and closer to dooming the orphans.

Thankfully, the children are smart and capable as well. They manage to save their friends, but are unable to flee with them. The episode closes with them running away once again. Let's hope it works out better than the last time...though, I surely doubt it.

Series of Unfortuante Events (The Ersatz Elevator)

The most recent episode in my binge watching covers the sixth book in the children's literature series, The Ersatz Elevator. Just as the Wide Window did in the first season, this second installment of the second season brings some light to the darkness of the previous episode. Not exactly joy, or hope, but lightness. It seems appropriate to mention the word play of the phrase "red herring" that runs throughout this story because it functions as one, giving the viewer optimism throughout. Optimism that they will save their friends, that they have found an adult who finally isn't clueless, and that they will be saved from Count Olaf's clutches. Of course, none of that happens.

This episode takes us to a new world of sorts, that of the upper class city folk. The sets are elaborate, stylish, and as always, mesmerizing. As a result, the characters in this one are a different breed and extremely interesting. Gunther is perhaps my favorite Count Olaf disguise and Neil Patrick Harris pulls it off brilliantly.

The children have fully embraced their heritage by now and are basically operating as rouge agents of the V.F.D. to defeat Count Olaf. They've seen enough of his schemes to figure out his plan, but they are still learning of the vast extent of this conspiracy. The shocking twist that takes place in the middle of the second part of this episode is amazing.

Series of Unfortunate Evens (The Austere Academy)

Despite all warnings to the contrary, I continue to subject myself to the misery of the Baudelaire orphans. The second season of the Netflix series picks up with Book 5, The Austere Academy. After the running away to the Mill, Mr. Poe decides that it is best for the orphans to go to a boarding school, the dreary and depressing Prufrock Preparatory School. As it turns out, this horrible place is the alma mater of several characters in the show, including Count Olaf.

No surprise, the school is run by yet another incompetent adult, Vice Principal Nero. He is more concerned with his violin skills, or lack thereof, than in the well-being of the students. Besides the first episode, this is possibly the worst and most abusive situation the orphans have encountered, because, like Count Olaf in that episode, the other characters take such glee in their misery and to subjecting them to more. 

The only bright side for the twins in this episode is the friendship they strike up with the Quagmire triplets (though only two have survived a mysterious fire). It turns out, their parents were part of the same secret organization as the Baudelaires. Finally, they have partners to help them them...though, it doesn't last long as they are kidnapped once Count Olaf is exposed.

This was a natural start to a second season as it answers some questions, while raising so many new ones.

Weekend Music Roundup

The weekend is here and it's bringing Snowmageddon in a few hours. That's a perfect time to hunker down and keep the turntable spinning. This week I'm taking a look at some recent pick-ups, some old and some from last year that I didn't get around to listening to before the end of December. There's a range of rock, metal, and folk on here. Hopefully you have some time to sit back and enjoy.

J Mascis - Elastic Days: The new album from the Dinosaur Jr. frontman is his first solo album in four years and was released late last year. One thing that can be said about Mascis is that he's consistent. Whether it's the Dinosaur Jr. albums of the last decade or his solo work, he's tapped into his psyche and developed a sound that allows for the expression. If there's a downfall to this, it's that there isn't much difference between albums and few surprises, but when every able is consistently good, I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

Mick Ronson - Slaughter on 10th Avenue: The debut solo record from the Spiders from Mars and legendary glam rock guitarist was released in '74. I'd been looking for a copy of this record for a while and found a beautiful "test pressing" in the local shop and couldn't resist. It's the first test pressing that I've ever added to my collection. This is a fantastic Bowie-esque record with some classic glam tracks that places it in the category with Ziggy and All the Young Dudes.  

Ryley Walker - The West Wind: This EP was released in 2013 as a limited edition vinyl and I recently came across a copy in the store. Being as Ryley is one of my favorite new songwriters of the decade, I was super excited to give this a listen. The three songs on here are classic Ryley style dark folk that reminds me of Dave Van Ronk and Nick Drake. 

Blue Öyster Cult - On Your Feet or On Your Knees: The NY heavy rock band released this live double album in 1975, just when they were reaching their creative peak. This was a time when heavy metal was beginning to break free from hard blues and this album represents that early metal sound that AC/DC were just beginning to do. The energy on this record is fantastic. Some standout tracks for me are "Hot Rails to Hell," "Buck's Boogie," "Last Days of Man," "Cities of Flame," and the incredible "Born to Be Wild" cover to close.

Emma Ruth Rundle - Some Heavy Ocean: Over the past few years, Emma has emerged as one of my favorite performers and I recently went back and found a copy of this 2014 release, her second solo record. Though still beautifully gloomy, she's definitely grown darker in the past few years. This is another wonderful record with lots of dark wave dreampop. "We Are All Ghosts" and "Arms I Know So Well" are pure brilliance. I really hope this is an artist who gets wider attention really soon.

Ghost - Prequelle: The fourth album from the Swedish metal band was released this summer and has become the band's biggest success, rocketing them to stardom here in the states. After being disappointed by their last album, I was bit skeptical about this one, but it's quite good. The incorporate some glam metal elements into their sound and it all comes together to create one of the most listenable metal albums in some time, and therefore no surprise to me that it's been so popular. 

Series of Unfortunate Events (The Miserable Mill)

Last night, I continued my binge watching with the concluding episodes of the first season of the Netflix adaption of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The two-part conclusion covers material from the fourth book, The Miserable Mill. Along with the The Wide Window, this was my favorite adaptation of the first season. It got everything right. Balancing the mood between utterly hopeless despair and joy found in the children's resourcefulness is the biggest challenge of this story, something that isn't always accomplished even in the books. Those two episodes manage that challenge wonderfully.

Having once again escaped Mr. Poe's incompetence and the clutches of Count Olaf by running away to the Lucky Smells lumber mill at the end of the last episode, the Bauldelaire orphans are content to work at the ghastly mill if it means they can live there, safe from Olaf. Of course, the eye shaped building that overlooks the mill should assure them that they are never safe from the dastardly plans of the Count.

The wealth of secrets revealed in this episode make it an extremely satisfying way to end the season. We also see the siblings beginning to move past their tragic circumstances and develop into very capable foes to the menace facing them, which we now know is far greater than simply Count Olaf and his evil theater troupe. 

Don Johnson's guest appearance is spectacular, as is Rhys Darby. The casting for this program has been so amazing, always picking the perfect person to capture the absurdness that comes with the character. It's not a coincidence that Samuel Beckett is mentioned in this episode as the absurd abounds.

Series of Unfortunate Events (The Wide Window)

Avoiding the advice of Lemony Snicket and the words of the theme song, I did not look away. I continue to view the miserable circumstances of the Baudelaire orphans and the endless pursuit of the ruthless Count Olaf as he seeks to dispose of them and get his hands on the fortune they are set to inherit. Last night, I watched the two part adaptation of the third book, The Wide Window.

Admittedly, this was my least favorite episode so far, but I still really enjoyed. The sets in this one were spectacular and reminded me of The City of Lost Children. The sailor themed costumes also nodded back to that film, which is one of my favorites. 

Aunt Josephine was never my favorite caregiver as I find her more frustrating than some of the others. She was played a bit over dramatically, but somehow it still worked. It was also at this point in the book series where Mr. Poe started to get on my nerves. WHY CAN'T ANYONE DO RIGHT BY THESE CHILDREN! But therein lies the joy for child audiences. They are the superior characters.

The Baudelaire siblings however really grew up in this episode, become far more active, brave, and confident. Neil Patrick Harris was brilliant once again as Captain Sham. All in all, it was another great episode and lays the groundwork for some of the action that is to come.

Series of Unfortunate Events (The Reptiel Room)

As I wrote yesterday, I'm continuing to make my way through the Netflix adaptation of Series of Unfortunate Events. Yesterday, I finished the two-part episode of the second book, The Reptile Room. This episode was fantastic, and even more Wes Anderson inspired than the previous one.

The Baudelaires, having escaped the care of the evil Count Olaf are placed in the care of Uncle Monty, as their parents had requested in their will. Naturally on guard, the siblings are reluctant to accept this eccentric new caregiver but find that he's as warm and kind as he seems. 

It doesn't take long for a poorly disguised Count Olaf to find them and begin to work a new elaborate evil plot to secure their fortune. One of the things that I love about this series, both the books and the show, is how the adults are basically clueless to things that should be so obvious, which is one of the facts of childhood from the perspective of children. This really comes through in these episodes.

Another great part of this episode is the elaboration on the bigger story of the secret organization, V.F.D.  The weaving of this aspect of the books into the show is so wonderfully done.

The acting continues to be a strength. Aasif Mandvi is brilliant as Monty, and Neil Patrick Harris shows his range as he takes on the first of Olaf's many disguises.

Series of Unfortunate Event (A Bad Beginning)

With some free time this week, I decided to dive into the Netflix interpretation of the great Lemony Snickett books. When these books came out, I devoured the first six or seven before abandoning it because it got even a little too depressing for me, someone who loves depressing art. I did watch the movie when it came out fourteen years ago, and while I found it entertaining, it was disappointing, as would be expected when you try to cram so much material into one film. So I was intrigued to see how it would play out in longer serial television format.

The first two episodes cover the first novel. I will admit that I nearly gave up on it after the first episode, because it was so horribly dark. The Baudelaire siblings live through the most abusive situation in this book and it's a little difficult to adjust to the twisted humor of the story. But thankfully, by the second episode, they were able to figure out how to portray the lighter, loving aspects of the story in a way that made it much more enjoyable to watch. 

The cast of this show is phenomenal. Neil Patrick Harris is practically mesmerizing and the kids are perfect. The look of the show is like something out of a Wes Anderson film and very effectively captures the mood of the stories. 

I love how the show has the meta element of being aware of itself. Along these lines, the addition of Lemony Snickett as a character and a framer of the story is brilliantly done. This show once again proves that television is currently the better format to capture the complexities and breadth of series publishing.

Weekend Music Roundup!

Welcome to the first Roundup of the new year! As the first releases begin to trickle out, I'm always excited to see what another year of music will bring. In the meantime, there's still mountains of music from years before that needs to be heard and digested. I still have a bunch of music from last year that I hadn't had a chance to properly hear. I'll be sharing some of those in the coming weeks, as well as discoveries from before that. Enjoy.

Welles - Red Trees and White Trashes: The debut full length album from the California native is very enjoyable indie rock that has throwbacks to the 00's and even late '90s with garage rock and grunge influences that sound inspired by the music coming out during the last decade. This was one of those albums that I knew I liked upon first listen, and then come to really like on second listen. "Seventeen" and "9.8" are two of the best songs I've heard in a long time. 

The Decemberists - Traveling On: This new EP follows the Portland bands wonderful full length album released earlier in the year. These songs were tracks that didn't make the cut, but are no less wonderful than what was included. The title track is amazing, but fans will certainly love every song on here. Once again, they affirm themselves as one of the best bands of the century so far.

Neon - Neon: The one and only album from the psychedelic blues band was released in 1971. I picked this up at the local shop a few weeks back based on the cover and some listener ratings. This is nothing too earth-shattering, but it's a good hard rock record. Having never been released on CD and never re-issued on vinyl, it's become one of those obscure albums that dealers like to over-charge for. Luckily my local shop keeps prices reasonable. Definitely worth checking out if you're into heavy blues rock from the era. 

Sleep Party People - Lingering Pt. II: This is the Danish neo-psych band's fifth album and I took a chance on it based on the fact that they used a Mark Ryden image for the cover. This is a bit on the quiet side, as the band title might suggest. It reminds me a bit of MGMT at their lazy moments, but that's not to suggest there isn't something pleasing about the record, it's just kind of background music. Enjoyable, dreamy, and a bit experimental.

Craig Wedren - Adult Desire: The Shudder to Think singer's fourth solo record was released in 2017, and recently re-released in this deluxe edition. I've always been a fan of his work, but missed this one when it came out, so I was glad to catch it this time around. It follows the lo-key style of his other solo work, but infuses glitch pop into the sound and does so very effectively. His work is so subtle that I think it's often overlooked, especially considering how dynamic and different Shudder to Think were in the 90's, but I think that's one of things that makes it special.

Peel Dream Magazine - Modern Meta Physic: The debut album from the New York musician, Joe Stevens, is an experimental lo-fi piece that is interesting, if not altogether absorbing. There's a lot of tape looping here and lots of recorded old television playback and it's all mashed together to create a sonic scrapbook of sorts. Definitely an interesting listen, but nothing particularly new or earth shattering.

T.I.T.S. - Throughout the Ages: The debut album from the San Fran female noise rock band was released as a split with Leopard Leg. Picked up this 2006 noise rock record a few months back for $1 and it's a surprisingly great improvisation of noise rock. With roots in '90s Rrriot Grrrl bands like Bikini Kill, Cake-like, and Babes in Toyland, this is record takes that sound and interprets it through darkwave noise rock that reminds me of Queenadreena. Each side of the record contains one track that weaves it's way through a soundscape of pleasant nightmares. I love making discoveries like this.

We All Float On...

The new year has always truly felt like a new year in my life because my birthday falls on the last day of the first week of the calendar change. I've often wonder what significance a new year had on people whose birthday fell much later in the year because it would seem so artificial to me, the cycle of my life having always been tied to Earth's journey around the sun.

Something else that I find interesting is how the journey changes during adulthood. The passage of time becomes one of things that is tracked not by numbers but by experiences. As a parent, the passage of time is something I see in the changes in my daughter more than in myself. It's made me more appreciative of the journey.