Weekend Music Roundup

The theme weeks are over for now as this week's roundup returns to the standard format of giving you reviews of a random list of albums that I've been grooving to recently. I spent much of this week contemplating my next manuscript. Typically in that stage, I tend to steer myself to more familiar sounds that I know will fit the mood that I'm trying to establish. So a good deal of items on this list are either albums I revisited after a long time of silence, or are simply new albums but sounds that are familiar to me. As a result, this week has ended up with a strange list of albums, but all of which are well worth sharing either for their greatness or as a curiosity--after all, I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to music, enjoying the connectedness and story sometimes as much as the music itself. Enjoy.

Madrugada - The Nightly Disease [Deluxe Edition]: A few months ago, I did a Weekend Roundup focusing on this incredible Norwegian band (here). While in Switzerland, I picked up this just released deluxe edition of the 2001 album. One of my favorite albums of the last decade, I was thrilled to get my hands on the 180 gram, 4 record vinyl edition. The original album is amazingly gloomy rock and the album of bonus material includes some demo versions of the songs along with a slew of unreleased tracks that are equally as good as the album. A special treat is the cover of Neil Young's "Thrasher". If you don't have this album, you should. And when you're searching for it, do yourself a favor and pick up the deluxe edition, it's worth it.

Supergrass - Strange Ones: A Collection of Rare Odditites: This bootleg belonged to the Missus before we met and has been in our merged music collection for over a decade without my ever having listened to it. The reason for that is partially because I've never been a huge fan of the Oxford trio's 1995 debut album and this collection is basically just live versions of those songs. However, it bothers me that I have albums that I have never listened to, and since I was feeling a bit upbeat this week, I decided to put it on. I found the live versions to be much more playful than the album versions and really liked it. They're are some fantastic songs on that album, "Alright", "Time" and of course "Caught by the Fuzz." It made me want to revisit the album I'd written off years and years ago.

Joey Doyles - Get Money Give Love: For too long, hip hop has been ruled by party anthems and dance beats. My hip hop roots were born in East Coast, NYC hardcore of the early to mid-90's, a style that has been under-represented in recent years, or only represented by old timers from back in the days. This album hopefully changes that. Taking inspiration from that style, but in no way derivitative, this album is the real deal. And unlike a lot of hip hop artists, Joey Doyles has several different flows that keep the record interesting. The beats are tight, the rhymes are dope...check it out if you're looking for some real hip hop.

Nirvana - Out of the Womb: This week, I started reading the In Utero book in the 33 1/3 series of books documenting the recording process of an album. This has always been the band's artistic masterpiece in my opinion and one of my favorite records of all time. The book discusses the initial studio recording and its subsequent rejection by the label. That's when I remembered this bootleg that I purchased back in 1994, which is that original mix of the full album plus the other songs recorded at the session that would eventually be used as B-Sides or on other compilations. This version is more raw and aggressive and the levels aren't as smooth. In a way it sounds like a live album. I love this version of the album, though I admit to liking the final version better. It's interesting to hear how a raw album is affected by production.

Newermind - Tribute Album: My interest in this recently released covers album came about due to my listening of the above album. Gathering a slew of known and unknown artists, SPIN magazine created this uneven version of Nevermind. The songs that work best are the ones that reinterpret the original songs. There are a handful of straight forward covers which don't really appeal to me, not seeing the point. But a few songs really blew me away. "Lounge Act" is redone as a beautiful folk song by Jessica Lea Mayfield. "Polly" is made even more haunting by Amanda Palmer (of Dresden Dolls and Evelyn Evelyn). The Meat Puppets and The Vaselines (two bands covered by Nirvana) do a nice job with their songs as well. As a side note, the cover of "Come As You Are" might be the worst cover I've ever head.

Jessica Lea Mayfield - With Blasphemy So Heartfelt: I picked this up after hearing her cover on the above album and was very impressed with this 2008 debut. It's a singer songwriter album of beautiful folk songs. She has an amazing voice, the kind that you can listen to all day long. I listen to a lot albums like this and for one to stand out the way this does is an exception worth paying attention to. She has another album which came out this past February which I hope to get soon.

A Fanfare for Neutral Milk Hotel Volume II and Volume III: I discovered the existence of these tribute albums while working on the Elephant 6 edition of the Roundup two weeks ago. Produced by a fan forum, there are five volumes in this series where various fans submitted covers of NMH songs and the best were chosen for the compilations and distributed for free (these volumes are the most readily available). Though a good deal of these are simply people sitting in their bedrooms doing their best Jeff Mangum impressions, there are certainly some amazing covers on here. A live version of "Engine" with Jordaan Mason (who went on to record one of my favorite albums of 2009) is pretty cool. Other songs worthy of note: "My Dream Girl Don't Exist" by Bootleg Kazoo, "Wood Guitar" by Glow Worm, and "King of Carrot Flowers" recorded live by The Jesus Vibes. Certainly interesting for NMH fans.

Jeff Mangum - Live at Jittery Joe's: This live solo album by Neutral Milk Hotel front man was recorded in 1997 but remained unreleased until 2001. This show was played around the time In Aeroplane Over the Sea was recorded and features many of the songs on there as well as some tracks from the first album and a few unreleased tracks. The atmosphere is amazing on this album. There's a baby that babbles and cries between songs, which in my opinion adds to the mood and the dreamlike quality of Jeff's songwriting. There's some bootleg NMH shows that are probably better, but this one is right up there with the best of them.

Everything Old is New Again

As I rule, I'm not usually a huge fan of remakes, and I especially hate the 'reboot' term as a way of trying to disguise a reinventing of a previous vision as somehow your own piece of imagination. Also, I really take issue with things being redone almost immediately (I'm talking to you Spiderman). So, with that said, I'd like to rave for a bit about a few remakes that have been exceptionally good of late.

Two episodes into the new Thundercats and I'm pretty much ready to declare it the best American cartoon since Avatar: The Last Airbender. The look of the characters is great. The story is dark and brutal in the opening, the way a story of this nature should be. There's a focus on character and story arch that avoids cartoon cliche. So far they are making a true middle grade series without pandering down. Even Willykit and Willykat, the comic relief, are realistic in their humor. I hope the series stays this good throughout because I already can't wait for the next episode.

Another cartoon that has been airing this year is G.I. Joe Renegades. I was nervous about this show given the terrible movie of two summers ago. Plus, the movie was a 'reboot' that changed the traditional story, rewriting the origins and creation of the key players. So when that was a disappointment, the idea of redoing it all over again with even newer origins kind of made me angry. I gave it a shot anyway and after a few episodes, it totally won me over. Again, this is darker than the original and presented in very comic book fashion. The characters have some depth, which is more than can really be said for any previous G.I. Joe incarnation. I also like the serialized nature of the show, building with each episode into a bigger story (something that is also true for the Thundercats so far). This show works much better than the Transformers cartoon that airs in the same hour block.

Lastly, I saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes yesterday and thought it was really well done. I admit to being nervous about it given the disaster that was the Tim Burton remake several years ago. Thankfully, this movie had no connection to that and avoided all the stylization. I was impressed with how realized Caesar was as a character. There were moments of CGI overload, but other than that, it was a very good. It didn't try to be an overkill action movie, instead electing to attempt a thought provoking story within the context of action.

Despite my praise here for these projects, I'd still like to see more original ideas getting a chance to thrive. Remakes, reboots, reinventions, etc...They are all simply an easy way out for studios and networks. It's much easier to advertise and market something with a recognized name and potentially built-in audience than to create entirely new franchises out of the literally thousands of amazing books that have never been made into movies or television shows. It worries me that soon we'll reach a time when the slogan will be 'Everything New is Old Redone.'

The Wrong Way First

There are two reactions that a writer will usually have upon reading their own work. For some pieces, its love at first sight. Other pages leave a sour taste in your mouth. And while it can be easy to point out what you love about the things you love, it's just as important to identify why you hate the bits you hate. This can be one of the hardest tasks for a writer. You know something's wrong with a manuscript, but you don't know quite why. After all, it seemed so great as you were doing it.

As I mentioned in a post last week, I'm currently trying to rework something I wrote several months ago. As I started to think how I could change this or that element, I decided the only way to figure it all out was to make a list of all the things that weren't working. If I could see clearly what had to go, I could think about the replacements one at a time. I find this method always works well and often the solutions tend to run into each other, solving many problems at once.

I frequently tell young writers that it's not simply enough to know when something isn't working. You need to spend time with it and figure out why it isn't working. Even if it's months later, it's a key step to the writing process. It's the only way to learn to refine the craft and to hopefully avoid making the same mistakes down the road.

Last Exile (Episodes 19-21)

(Catch up on previous episodes here)

When I left off, the new alliance between the two nations of Anatoray and Disith were preparing a surprise attack against the oppressive Guild, which controls all air travel and therefore is able to manipulate the two nations. Following another clever device in storytelling, the show has kept the Guild a shadowy institution until near the end of the series. Or rather, there was a shifting enemy that changed as the viewer gained information along with our hero Claus. At first, the enemy is the Disith...then the mysterious Alex Row...then the Emperor, but by episode 19, we know those forces are all united against an enemy far more dangerous and far more powerful. The build-up of this aspect of the story is a great example of how following a character through a story can aide plot development and create plot twists.

In these three episodes, we get another shift in the story, most likely the last one before the climax. Now Empress, Sophia returns to the Silvana, bringing with her the Urbanus (the Empire's best warship, which has tangled with the Silvana in previous episodes.) The two superior ships join forces to enter the Grand Stream. The Disith have provided them with a map of the Grand Stream and a recording of Exile's engines. It is still unknown what Exile is, either a ship or a life form, but in order to defeat the Guild, apparently they need to capture it.

Flying through the swift stream, which is essentially a powerful corridor of converging jet streams, the ships finally locate Exile and launch vanships that will attempt to connect Exile to the Silvana with cables. Once they do, one of the earlier story lines comes back into the play. The four poems known as the Mysteria supposedly have the power to unlock Exile and little Alvis is the key to opening them. Finally, all of the hints from earlier begin to converge.

As the vanships approach Exile, its defense system takes out all but the ship piloted by Claus and Dio. Using his exceptional skills, Claus is able to accomplish the mission. Meanwhile, back at the Guild palace, Maestro Delphine discovers that her brother, Dio, has been hiding on the Silvana and sets out to bring him back. When Claus and Dio dock again, they find the Silvana seemingly deserted only to discover it has been taken over by the Guild. Delphine is there in person and takes Claus, Alvis and Alex with her back to the Guild palace in the sky.

Claus and Alvis are treated as guests, though they are aware that they are truly prisoners. They are disgusted by the extravagance of the Guild when people on the surface starve. In another part of the palace, Dio is forced to undergo a mysterious Guild procedure that will make him an adult. When he next sees Alvis and Claus, he's completely changed. Everything seems to be going Delphine's way. Have the alliance's plans been ruined and is all hope of defeating the Guild lost? Another classic storytelling technique, stacking the odds even more against the heroes.

Weekend Music Roundup (Oasis 'Late Singles' Edition)

For the longest time, my most viewed post was the Weekend Music Roundup featuring Oasis after their breakup in 2009. It recently has fallen to second most viewed, but still it gets a lot of views (here). I figured it was about time for another Oasis edition, given the release of Noel's first single and given the fact that I've had a collection of their later singles ready for review for quite some time. Now I'm only including singles from Be Here Now and later, and only singles with B-Side tracks beyond remixes and just live tracks. Oasis had always been a band that gave great value in their singles, often including two unreleased songs, most of which were as good as anything on the album and sometimes even better. I also didn't include singles that I have reviewed before. Since these singles were all released after the classics, I'm hoping a lot of them will be new to you and you'll check them out. Enjoy.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The Death of You and Me: The first track from Noel's solo album was released online last week. From the first listen this song kind of blew me away. Sure, it sounds like an Oasis song, possibly left over from "Don't Believe The Truth" but then those Dixieland horns come in and transform the song into something completely different. Noel's voice, which always sounds great, is slightly hidden under the music and creates this wonderful effect. I can only hope the album is this good.

Oasis - Stand By Me: One of the underrated songs in the Oasis catalog, and probably the best to be released as a single from Be Here Now, "Stand By Me" is a song that is just as good as any of the hits from What's the Story. Three B-Sides add to the single. "My Sister Lover" is also a song that feels more like Oasis from the previous album than from the tracks on this record, an up tempo rock song. "Going Nowhere" is a Noel sung track with Belle & Sebastian type horns. A little subdued, but captures that working class feel that the band was known for. Lastly, "(I Got) The Fever" is song that is very much in keeping with the big guitar sound of the album.

Oasis - All Around the World: Though a huge hit, the A-Side isn't one of my favorite Oasis songs. At nearly 10 minutes, many of which contain repetition of the chorus, the song drags in my opinion. Thankfully, the single includes three B-Sides. "The Fame" sounds like a B-Side, a fun little romp about the emptiness of fame, but nothing groundbreaking and easily fits in with the album's tone. "Flashbax" is quite better. A Noel song, singing in a slightly different style than typical, it's got a Verve feel to it that really works well. Lastly, there's a cover "Street Fighting Man", not my favorite Rolling Stones song, but it's nice to hear the band that's always compared to the Beatles singing the Stones.

Oasis - Sunday Morning Call: One of the few amazing tracks on the weakest Oasis album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, the A-Side is a wonderful sad song that laments the world and how it interferes with the lives we dream for ourselves (a familiar Oasis theme). The B-Sides for this are amazing, making this one of the great singles the band ever produced. "Full On" is a monster rock song that comes hard and fast and never quits. "Carry Us All" is a song that reminds me of "Don't Look Back in Anger" and I can't imagine how it didn't make it onto the album. Also worthy of note, all three songs are sung by Noel, which I think is the only time this happened.

Oasis - Go Let It Out: The A-Side from Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is bit too much of a coke fueled number, as most of that album seems to be. However, for the band's worst album, it produced some amazing B-Sides, nearly all of which are better than most of the album tracks. "Let's All Make Believe" is an amazing song, full of the discontent of a generation: "Let's all make believe that we're still friends and we like each other." The other B-Side "(As Long as They Have) Cigarettes in Hell" is a song that feels like a Definitely Maybe track, with Noel singing about how he can forget about heaven as long as...well, the title says it all. Another classic sounding Oasis song.

Oasis - Stop Crying Your Heart Out: A really good track off a really great album, Heathen Chemistry, the A-Side hearkens back to Be Here Now. Two B-Sides accompany the track. "Shout It Out Loud" is one of the best Oasis B-Sides, a moving Noel song with amazing guitar work. This is the album where the new line-up really shines and you can hear it musically. The other B-Side "Thank You for the Good Times" is decent, but not amazing.

Oasis - Little By Little: The A-Side from Heathen Chemistry is another classic sounding Oasis track. This is the album where the band got back to the basics that made the first two albums unforgettable. This is another working class anthem tinged with sadness that Noel does so well. This single is a double A-Side, also including "She is Love", one of the less interesting tracks from the album. The only B-Side is a cover of "My Generation" which Liam sneers to perfection and what makes it all worth it.

Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle: This single from Don't Believe the Truth is very representative of the band's shifting sound on that album and one of my favorite tracks from it. A great track accompanied with some really good B-Sides. "Pass Me Down the Wine" is a great bluesy track and Liam sounds amazing. "The Quiet Ones" is a very much a Beatles sounding song, a slow acoustic track with nice George Harrison wah-wah backing guitar.

Oasis - Let There Be Love: The last track on Don't Believe The Truth is typical sort of Oasis album closer, hopeful and high energy. The one original B-Side is a nice little track called "Sitting Here in Silence (On My Own)." It uses a Beatles melody, but Noel's lonesome vocals add a depth to it. Not even 2 minutes long, it's just a really nice forgotten Oasis track. The other B-Side is a live version of "Rock 'N Roll Star". It wasn't uncommon for Oasis to include live versions of their older classics to promote new singles.

Oasis - Lord Don't Slow Me Down: Released in 2007, between albums, this is a track that doesn't appear on any album. It was a digital download only (though a limited edition 12" vinyl was also released). It completely sounds like a track from Don't Believe the Truth. It's got a driving guitar riff and features Noel singing a more rocking song that typically would have been giving to Liam to sing. A lot of people dismiss this song, but I think it's kind of awesome. Also includes live version of "The Meaning of Soul" and "Don't Look Back in Anger."

Oasis - Falling Down: The last single from the bands last album Dig Out Your Soul is one of the best tracks from the band's end period. This single features a few remixes of the song (Though it doesn't include the 20 minute psychedelic version that was released as its own EP and which I highly recommend). The only B-Side is the very solid Beatles-esque "Those Swollen Hand Blues" that could easily have been an out take from Sg. Pepper, once again showing that the band was finally moving into that much anticipated psychedelic stage at the end of their career.

Rearranging the Pieces, Finding Other Pictures

I never like to take too long between projects. So even though I just finished a manuscript, I've already starting thinking of different stories. Or more accurately, I'm thinking of old stories. There's a manuscript I wrote between Thanksgiving and Christmas that suffered from some construction issues in the first draft. There were elements of the plot that didn't work as well as others and I've been thinking about ways to reinvent the core of the story.

There are some stories that you leave behind when they don't work. You dissect them, surgically removing the usable parts for transplant into other stories. But there are others that you know there is something there if you only can figure out what its trying to say. Sometimes the characters and setup are simply too strong to abandon. Yesterday I came up with some new ideas that will eventually change the story completely. Sometimes a few months away from a story helps me see it more clearly.

Through the Woods Safely

In a wave of energy at the end of last week, I finished the manuscript I've been writing for the last month and a half. The story moved so easily through the last sixty pages. The threads began to weave together on their own without my manipulation. As any writer will tell you, the story benefits from that. Writers tend to get in the way with all of our words.

I read through the draft yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed what I had written. For a book that came about sentence by sentence, it surprised me how effortless it sounded. As I was writing, I felt myself becoming a bit of a perfectionist with each phrase. I've written like that before. Dirty Liar and Thief were written that way. But I haven't written in that mode for a while and was afraid it would feel too forced. It didn't and I'm very pleased with the results.

Hopefully I'll be able to share more details soon. For now, the illustration above captures something of the mood of the ending.