Playing Your Level

It was a weekend of many things, not least of which was my brother-in-law hefting out his portable Connect Four game from the basement with a mischievous glint in his eye.  An open challenge was issued and answered by his sister/my wife, who proceeded to hand him his ass on a platter in two short, successive games. 

Looking for a chance to redeem himself, he tossed the Milton Bradley glove in my direction, knowing from my own admission that I wasn't very good.  Less than two minutes later I had beaten him twice.

The above picture was his final chance to tackle someone he had even the smallest chance of beating.  I leave it to you to guess the outcome...

Pot Luck Review #14: Adventure

WHAT: Television's Adventure (1978)

WHY: My first experience with Television came via Elektra's Rubiat compilation, where the Kronos Quartet covered the band's "Marquee Moon." A couple weeks later my friend Mike (who basically was back in the late 80s and early 90s what Indie Maven Sean is for me today) gave me a copy of the album Marquee Moon, and my mind was properly blown. A New York mix of new wave via Talking Heads, punk via Patti Smith, but all with a musical proficiency that was a notch above what everyone else was doing, Television sounded like nothing else at the time. Marquee Moon is one of those "perfect" album - every track strong and part of an integrated whole that never overstays its welcome.

I picked up Adventure, their second album, released in 1978, a few months ago and then promptly forgot about it in the hustle and bustle of holidays and kids. After a thorough virtual dusting, it's ready to play:

1. Glory - Lots of instrument separation. Tom Verlaine's vocals always give me a moment's pause - I always think I'm listening to another band, then it all kicks in. I love the chord being hit on the down beats in the background. A bit of slide infects the solo, giving things a soft, easy vibe. Nice, casual opener...very relaxing.

2. Days - Television just might be the softest "punk" band to come out of the 70s New York scene. They're more punk in the sense that a poet is punk - it goes against a lot of what was considered the tenets of the genre at the time. Everything's so tasteful, almost a little too tasteful. "Days" is another contemplative song - vaguely sorrowful in its chorus. Verlaine's got such a clean, ringing guitar tone. I read that Adventure was more subdued than Marquee Moon; that's true, but the prettiness that permeates Moon's tracks is nicely emphasized here.

3. Foxhole - The gain gets turned up, the distortion crackles a bit, and there's a nice lead before the vocals kick in. I love how the songs feel very much assembled: you can hear each piece and how it fits into the larger song. "Foxhole" is more along the lines of the previous record. Great guitar playing all throughout the track.

4. Careful - Is the whole album comprised of one-word songs? "Careful" is bouncy and more playful than the other tracks, and for some reason I'm getting a weird Who vibe here, although it's a Who vibe from more of their obscure early stuff, not the bombastic (and awesome) period of Who's Next. There's a bit of a shuffling, country feel to "Careful" that, while nice, isn't my favorite track on the album. The solo is a lot of fun, though, and has that melody that can stick in your head if you're not careful. Which was completely unintentional, by the way (though leaving it in was, definitely, intentional).

5. Carried Away - I guess adding the extra word took too much out of the band; "Carried Away" is a slow, ringing tremolo laden track. It's okay, full of jangling chords, a sad organ solo, and wistful lyrics. I have to admit...my mind starting drifting about halfway through this song. Almost as if it was...(wait for it)...CARRIED AWAY!

Ha. I kill me.

6. The Fire - A somber intro that's calling out, "This is the epic of the album." A quick check of the run times confirms that "The Fire" is only the second-longest track on the album...you'll have to earn your "epic" status, boys. This is more of a hesitant, poetic ode to loss, the instruments all echoing a plaintive cry. Verlaine's lyrics work with or without accompaniment: You ran with it/I wish I could/Sleep is not sleep/My eyes repeat/You take the voltage that watches you weep. Right now this is my favorite track on the album.

7. Ain't That Nothin' - Ooh! Apostrophes and distortion! This must be a rocker! Well, it's more upbeat, but something about it feels lackluster. The chorus is kinda meh, although a nice solo pops up in the middle of the track. There's the sense of space the marks a good Television track, but "Ain't That Nothin'" besides a few nice guitar interludes and the aforementioned solo doesn't work for me.

8. The Dream's Dream - Here we go, final track and longest track. The beginning, full of harmonics and overlapping parts feels very much like the Television that I love. 1:30 in before we get any vocals, and what we do get is a wonderfully obscure little rhyme that carries the logic of a dream as dreamed by a dream, if that makes any sense. "The Dream's Dream" is Television's excuse to play with sounds and forms, and is probably the most "adventurous" song on Adventure. At this point my bad punning is starting to affect even my demeanor, so I'll check clock out and listen to the stellar guitar playing and reflect on Verlaine's snippet of lyric:

The elevator called me up.
She said you better start making sense.
The stone was bleeding, whirling in the waltz.
I went to see her majesty. The court had no suspense.
She said, "Dream dreams the dreamer."
I said it's not my fault.

BOTTOM LINE: B-  It's certainly not the achievment that Marquee Moon is, but there a couple of songs that make Adventure a nice notch in any music collection.  The promise on tracks like "The Fire" and "The Dream's Dream" would be sadly unfulfilled due to the band's breaking up a few months later.  I have no idea what 90s era Television sounds like, and I probably don't want to.

Pot Luck Review #13: Crack the Skye

It's been a long while since I've done any of these, and the pile of un-listened records rise higher and higher on my virtual (and physical) shelf. So for the next several days I'll take a deep dive and pick a bunch of both new and old records to post on the site. First up: one of my most-anticipated (for varying reasons) releases of 2009.

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WHAT: Mastodon's Crack the Skye (2009)

WHY: Mastodon is the current "band to hate" according to the pundits on many a metal message board. Rallying on fan support for years based on massive slabs of sludge-metal like Remission and Leviathan, the tide began to turn after they signed to a major label (Warners) and released Blood Mountain, which eschewed their normal blood and thunder (heh*) for a more proggy, if equally inaccessible to the mainstream, sound. Critics loved it, and it made Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2006 (at #9, no less). When word got out they were going even more proggy, and utilizing decidedly non-metal producer Brenden O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen), the dander was, as they say, up.

OK...throw out your razor and grab your bong:

1. Oblivion - Odd time signatures, clean singing, solos that bend and sustain...right off the bat things feel more mature. It's hard to think that Mastodon are reaching for a wider fanbase with music that sounds like equal parts Rush, Black Sabbath and Isis, but I have to admit things feel a little dialed back in terms of the whole "in your face" vibe that earlier albums had. I like it, but was hoping for somethint a little more aggressive for an opening number.

2. Divinations- There's a definite Iron Maiden vibe in the guitars, and things are definitely picking up a lot. Still no roaring in the vocals, which for better or for worse shows how odd the lyrics are. "No Escape/Trapped in Time Space" is part of the chorus. These guys are monster musicians and not afraid to show it. This is a short charger (less than 4 minutes) that manages to stay in your head. Who said prog rock had to be so damn long?

3. Quintessence - Starts off similar to much of Blood Mountain, moving in and out of time signatures. The guitars really intertwine around the vocal delivery, which is more of the same monotone whine/roar. I'm still wishing for a little more up-front production, it may be that I'm listening on headphones and need to turn the volume up...it'll get the real test on the way home in the car. Spacey and psychedelic, although it kinda feels like it goes on a little long without a clear sense of direction.

4. The Czar (parts I-IV) - Ah, the big multi-part epic...of course it has to start with some 70s keyboard. This is Mastodon letting loose their inner geek, with lyrics about assassination, usurpation, illumination...basically a lot of -tions, all the while kicking the music to 11. At about the 4:00 marks things really start to groove, and Brann Dailor's drumming takes center stage. At 7+ minutes we go a little Judas Priest-y with the dual harmony guitars, a la "The Sentinel" before dive-bombing back to 1977 and Ritchie Blackmore's basement. The end of the song is pure Air Guitar Heaven.

5. Ghost of Karelia - Color me crazy, but so far I think I'm definitely getting into Crack the Skye more than Blood Mountain. Even though this is a bit of a come-down after the enormous stuffed pants of the previous track. I have absolutely no idea what this song is about. Each album is a concept whose plot intricacies would shame Tolkein. The drums and rhythms take a circular approach to the tune, always coming back upon itself, Orobous-style.

6. Crack the Skye - Is this the first time Mastodon have a title track? The song has a HUGE benefit in the guest vocals of Scott Kelly from Neurosis. Things get a little more spacey in this track, but this is the first big moment where everything seems to feel perfect in terms of the production, all echoes and layers that swarm over your in a tidal wave. Undulating...I think that's the word I'm looking for. Part of me can;t help but think of what this would sound like with Matt Bayles behind the boards, but all is forgiven when I hear Kelly's vocals rip through the track. Scott, I know not to expect a new Neurosis album any time soon, but when's that Shrinebuilder coming out?

7. The Baron - Apparently Mastodon are so bad they need TWO epic songs on Crack the Skye. "The Baron" clocks in at 13:00. The vocals get a little breathier, and the lumbering pace feels comfortable for a closing track. Reading the lyrics I have no idea why this song is called "The Baron" - the lyrics seem to be about being lost and asking for help, for guidance to be at rest. Oh...wait. He does say "baron" a couple of times. Doesn't really matter, as the music's the thing here, again all twisty and entwined within each other. Things actually get a little Zappa around the 6:00 mark before sailing back to firmer ground. Too bad...I was digging it while it lasted. Back to moving in my seat two minutes later. This is goooood.

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BOTTOM LINE: B+ Give me "Divinations", "The Czar", "Crack the Skye" and "The Baron" and this would be an A-. The other songs are strong, but don't hold the same power and rock freakitude the others do. I seriously don't get the whole "hater" attitude toward Mastodon - can any metal band really sell out in a world intent on offering up nothing but Top 40 pop and electronic music? It's not like this is ever going to compete sales-wise with Lilly Allen or Coldplay.

Although wouldn't that be cool?

*See, 'cause "Blood and Thunder" was a song from their Leviathan album. Get it? I kill me!

Waylaid by Jackassery

Behold...Season 3 of the sublime Venture Bros., in all its wonderful Atari 2600 glory...

Book #8: Re-Reading "Watchmen"

NOTE:  I busted out my ABSOLUTE WATCHMEN and read it cover to cover...twice.  This review really goes all over the place...you've been warned.

What would happen if Batman suddenly just gave up? Retired to his Batcave and went to seed, telling himself that the world which had for so long despised him was finally right? What would happen if Superman finally came to the realization that the concerns of humanity were really insignificant compared to the knowledge and power that is his to explore? Just how crazy do you have to be to put on a mask and cape and fight crime? And how does a world, already paranoid with the threat of nuclear proliferation and competing ideologies, react to the existence not only of these vigilantes, but actual super-powered people? By stripping the veneer that we typically associate with the superhero archetype, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons set out to answer these questions, and in the process redefined how comic books work, changing the superhero landscape forever.

Folks, THIS is Watchmen.

I've now read the book about five times, and each time more and more things become clear.  And yet, summarizing the basic plot of the book continues to be hard to pin down.  If I were pressed, I would guess the "hook" of the story is about the murder of a costumed avenger, the reformation of a group of heroes as they investigate the murder, and how all of this leads to an evil plan that will potentially kill millions of people.

But that really says nothing of what Watchmen is really about. By showing its heroes as very flawed humans who, for various reasons, are compelled to dress up in ridiculous outfits and rail against the injustices as they see them, Watchmen not only deconstructs what we normally think of a "superheroes" but also what we think of a comic book.  The book is laid out in a very rigid 9-panel pages, with occasional merging of the panels to provide emphasis on key moments.  One issues is entirely comprised of a panel scheme that mirrors its opposite page.  

It's not just the layouts and physical structure of the book that makes Watchmen unique - each chapter ends with a substantial bit of prose that serve to flesh out the world and the motivations of the characters.  The first few chapters are devoted to "Under the Hood", a tell-all memoir penned by Hollis Mason, the first Nite-Owl from the 40s.  You also get a scholarly article on owls and mythology from Dan Dreiberg, the current Nite-Owl, newspaper articles from the New Frontier, and the arrest reports and psychiatric studies of Rorschach.  Each piece takes its own style, and fills the gaps that lie between the panels of the book proper.

But then what to make of the story-within-the-story, of the Black Freighter?  On the surface the "pirate" story, about a devastating attack by a mysterious ghost ship, and the sole survivor who does what he must to survive and return to civilization, feel superfluous.  But Moore carefully blends the narration of the pirate story next to the actual Watchmen story, and the result is a reflection of the underlying feelings of the folks at street level, echoing the fears and paranoia of the country as events come to a head.

So, as a manual for a new direction in comic layout and structure Watchmen is genius.  But none of that would probably matter if the overarching story wasn't as engaging as it is.  Let me try one more time to get to the heart of the story.

It's New York, 1985.  History has split from what we know and the 40s see the beginning of the costumed avenger.  No powers - just people dressing up and fighting crime.  A group bands together calls themselves The Minutemen.  Then, something spectacular - Jon Osterman, aka "Doctor Manhattan," the victim of a horrific science experiment is gifted with awesome powers that allow him to re-arrange reality at the atomic level.  The United States has found its first superhero, and so begins the twist that brings us to the present: with Doctor Manhattan's help the US wins the war in Vietnam, and Nixon is elected to the presidency 3 times, and is in fact still president when the novel begins, with the murder of the Comedian, a "hero" from the 70s incarnation of the Minute Men (called the "Crimebusters").  His death is noted by Rorschach, another "hero" currently working against the laws of the country, since the Keane Act of 1977 has banned vigilantism against threats of riots and police strikes.  Convinced there's a "mask killer" on the loose, Rorschach contacts the now-retired members of the Crimebusters in an effort to find out who killed the Comedian.  In the process unresolved issues between members are brought to life, motivations are uncovered, and a massive plot to save the planet from itself is revealed.

Even that fairly in-depth summary doesn't do justice to what the story is about.  It's about the nature of time, about our role in the larger scope of society, about the frailty of all our heroes and, ultimately, it's about the two fundamental questions raised directly in the book:

Who Watches the Watchmen?

Who Makes the World?

Pretty heady question from a book starring a naked blue guy and a bunch of people in tights.