Brian James's Blog, page 21

Weekend Music Roundup

Welcome once again the roundup of music I've been playing recently. This weekend, there are lots of old albums that I've picked up over the past several months, some newly released and others much older than me. There's a couple of records on here that I'd been hunting for some time and was happy to have found. I'm happy to say that I don't think I'll ever stop exploring new sounds and hopefully you won't either, and hopefully my lists provide you with some things to explore. Enjoy.
Ultimate Spinach - Behold and See: The Boston psych band released two albums in '68, this being the second one. Though never achieving wide-spread acclaim in their time, they become one of the great lost bands of era and I'd been searching for either of their first two albums for quite some time and came across this one the other day. This is an absolutely brilliant record that blends the San Fran sound with the NYC sound of Velvet Underground to create something totally unique. 

John Lennon - Imagine (Raw Studio Mixes): This was one of a few Record Store Day releases that I was after this year, but failed to make it to my local shop before they sold out, and then didn't want to pay the secondary market prices that popped up after. I recently went to a shop that was closing one of their locations and everything was marked down 40%, and they had this, so I got a great deal. I've always loved Imagine and have owned it on CD for over twenty years, but when this was announced I knew I wanted it. Having heard a ton of John studio bootlegs, I was sure this would be wonderful, and no surprise it is. I like it a fraction better than the original release, simply for its purity. 
Death Hawks - Psychic Harmony: This is the fourth album from the Finish psych rock band, released earlier this year. This is one of those albums that can't seem to figure out what it wants to be. At times, it feels very solidly indie psych, but then it sort of warps into a indie dance record. Somehow I couldn't wrap my head around it properly. I didn't dislike it, but there were just too many moments where it left me tilting my head in confusion to say that I really enjoyed it. 
Kansas - Song for America: This is the second album from hard rock band, released in 1975. This has the classic hard rock feel that albums from the mid-70s had, pounding drums and great guitar riffs. Though frequently cataloged as a prog rock band, and there are certainly prog elements in the arrangements, they are not as proggy as some others, which probably contributed to their popularity. "Down the Road," "Lamplight Symphony," and "Lonely Street" are personal favorites on another solid record.  
Fats Navarro and Allen Eager - Saturday Night Swing Session: Recorded in the spring of 1947, and released later that year. This live session is a wonderful example of swing era jazz, with amazing bass and trumpet interchanges. I've been digging on Fats for a few years and this album really captures the magic of his playing. A nice album that really has that swing sound that gets your toes tapping.

Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus: It's rare that a live album is one of the more popular albums from a band, but that's the case for the L.A. southern rock band (just like Kiss Alive). This double record was released in '78, after their sixth album and spans their early career. Recorded over a stretch of 8 days the summer before, perhaps it's strength is that it's not a concert album in that sense, it's a collection of live tracks taken from more than one show. It's also worth mentioning that southern boogie rock is the kind of music that comes to life when it's played live, and that's what happens on this record. This is the perfect summertime, backyard BBQ jam album.

Fiction Friday (86)

Over the past six months, I've been reading a lot of Middle Grade fiction, mostly because I've felt the pull of that age group's stories for years and have been working on a middle grade novel for the last several months. A couple of weeks ago, I posed a review of the film Mary and the Witch's Flower and discovered it was based on this early '70s children's book, which I immediately requested from the library, and was rewarded with a first edition arriving through inter-library loan with wonderful illustrations by the talented Shirley Hughes. (Yes, I'm a book nerd that cares about things like that).
The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart
(William Morrow, 1972)



In that magical time when summer has come to an end, but Fall has not quite begun in earnest, ten-year old Mary Smith is sent to the countryside to spend time with her Great-Aunt Charlotte...and it is perhaps the most BORING and dreadful thing that ten-year old Mary could imagine. That is, until she discovers a strange flower, an old broomstick, and a black cat that leads her on the adventure of a lifetime.
The beauty of this story is it's sparse prose and tight narrative. Every sentence is carefully chosen and the result is an unforgettable and timeless tale.




 * The copy I borrowed had the complete circulation card dating back from publication. I love looking over these things. I love seeing that E. Wesselmann checked it out three times over three years. (Yes, I'm a book nerd).

Full of Hate...

I've been really looking forward to seeing Once Upon a Time Hollywood and I realized that I still hadn't seen The Hateful Eight. As with most pop culture events from 2015 and the two years that followed, I was busy being a parent who was working full time and going to grad school. So I have legitimate excuses for having missed Quentin's three hour epic, but I rectified that oversight yesterday.
In many ways, this is a typical Tarantino film. It features terrible people who are somehow totally cool. It's extremely violent. It's full of clever twists. And it has great characters who are propelled by colorful dialog. In some ways, the premise isn't much different than Reservoir Dogs. You have characters who are unaware that their motivations are working against each other as they are trapped in tight quarters. 
I loved the old school whodunit feel of how this story unfolds and LOVED Samuel L. Jackson in this movie in a way I haven't loved him in a movie since Pulp Fiction. He was really the center of the movie, the only character really in tune with what was going on. I also loved Walton Goggins (Vice Principals). His partnership with Jackson's character in the last chapter of the movie was a kind of metaphor for the film, that despite learned hatred, in the right (or wrong) circumstances, we can see past that nonsense and see each other for who we are.

Weekend Music Roundup

The days have turned away from another week, moving the year closer to more bearable weather and the onslaught of fall record releases. I eagerly await both, but in the meantime, there are still a ton of new releases from earlier in the year that I'm grooving to, as well as some classic records that have made their way into my collection. There's nothing but rock on this list, from heavy psych to agro, new wave to prog rock, this is a bit of a roadmap to the variations that exist in the far too broad genre. Lots of stuff worth checking out. Enjoy.
The Wild Century - Raw: Released this summer, this is the second album from the Dutch band. This is an interesting record that takes a different approach to the stone rock genre by venturing out of the strict hard riffs blueprint that has been established. It's not afraid to show range, which makes it easier to get into than some of the albums in the genre that can veer toward the repetitive side. In that respect, it plays more like a heavy psych record. "Done Lost Your Good Thing Now," "One Time Event," and the epic "Helpless Thing" are real standouts on this outstanding record. 
Graham Parker - Squeezing Out the Sparks: After releasing his first two albums in '76, and a follow-up the year after, the British new waver artist released this, his fourth album in '79. Graham's sound at this time falls right in line with Elvis Costello, and could probably be mistaken for him to the casual listener. The first two songs on the album, "Discovering Japan" and "Local Girls" were both sides of the first single, and are both fantastic tracks. The rest of the album is equally as solid, making for a wonderful example of the period. 
Pretty Vicious - Beauty of Youth: This is the debut album from the punk band out of Wales and follows an EP released a few years ago. This is political and aggressive and reminds a bit of that other band out of Wales' early days, The Manic Street Preachers. It really took two listens for me to really get this record in a way that made me understand that I truly enjoy it. Lots of great tunes on here about being young, down and out, and feeling like no one cares. Of course, I've moved on from that period in my life, but it still resonates and good to know people are still preaching about the universal experience of youth. 
Foghat - Fool for the City: This was the fifth album released by the London band. It came out in '75, only three years after their debut. The world was filled with blues based hard rock bands and they had a hard time breaking through, until "Slow Ride" hit the airwaves from this album. A spin-off (of sorts) of Savoy Brown, this is a solid blues bar type band that is heavy on groove guitar, and while certainly not original, these guys do it pretty darn well. "Terraplane Blues," "Take It or Leave It," "Slow Ride," and the title track are standouts.

YES - Fragile: The fourth album from the prog rock icons was released in 1971 and features probably their best known song, "Roundabout". As I mentioned in a previous Roundup, this is one of those bands that I just finally got around to giving a grown-up listen to after having written them off in my youth.  I think my problem was that in my younger years, I wanted them to be more space rock, more psychedelic, but since them, I've come to appreciate the mixture of blues rock with prog rock. This is more Traffic than Floyd, and that's okay. "South Side of the Sky" actually has proto-hardcore sound to the chorus while also managing to feel a bit like a hippy, bluesy Red Hot Chili Peppers tune. Very complex and very interesting album. 
DeWolff - Thrust: The fifth album from the Dutch hard rock band was released last year, and follows the the blues rock format of their previous albums. This is pretty standard hard blues rock, with lots of rhythm guitar and drums and soulful rock vocals. They play it very well, but it's certainly nothing you haven't heard before. "Once in a Blue Moon," "Freeway Flight," and "Sometimes" are standouts for me.

Fiction Friday (85)

One of the many great benefits of working in a library is the constant exposure to books that you may otherwise have not encountered. Or rather, constant access to books you may otherwise have allowed to sit on a To-Read shelf for years until coming across a copy. I've always felt that I needed to read more Japanese literature, being such a fan of so many other art forms from the culture. In the 20th century, the Japanese had many great writers who rivaled the French in their approach to the new novel format. Having spent the last twenty years devouring the French writers, I figured it was time to delve into the Japanese.
The Ruined Map by Kobe Abé
(Knopf, 1967)

There was a time in the late 60's and early '70s when Knopf ventured into the world of avant garde literature that was featured on lists by Grove Press and New Directions, and managed to release quite a few now nearly forgotten masterpieces (most notably The Demon Flower by Jo Imog). Though surely not forgotten in its native Japan, this is one of those novels that fits the mold.

In the style of Robbe-Grillet's The Voyeur and Erasers, this is a fragmented detective story on the surface. It follows an unnamed narrator, a detective hired by a woman to find her missing husband. During the course of this futile investigation, the narrator consistently receives unreliable information that leads him in circles, never bringing him closer to his objective. Written in first person, the narration leaves the reader in the same sense of confusion, never quite sure what exactly is going on, but completely aware that there is more going on than either we or the character knows.

The noir facade serves as a metaphor for the loss of identity occurring in the rapid expansion of Tokyo in the late 60's. The sterile suburbs that are being manufacturing seemingly overnight hide the seedy underbelly working behind the scenes, allowing people to easily ignore that it's there. But in the process, they are equally unaware of the manufactured world's ability to erase them out of existence. The sameness of scenery, the blandness of life, all work against the human spirit until one simply disappears into the void.
This was the type of book that one should read slowly. There's a lot going on that remains unsaid, forcing you the really exercise your reading skills. But if you do, it's certainly worth it.

Weekend Music Roundup

The weekend has arrived once again. This week is a pretty varied collection of rock spanning the past 40+ years and the different genres that make up that long history of rock. Some of these are new albums that I listened to on a whim, others are recent vinyl purchases, and still some others are old vinyl records that were gifted to me. Lots of great stuff to uncover in here, almost all of it from bands that fall under the radar (with the exception of The Kinks). Enjoy.
The Jackets - Queen of the Pill: The fourth album from the Swiss indie band. Their sound is garage rock revival, but holds more in common with the revival wave of the early 80s than the most recent one of the 00's, which makes this worth listening to. I love the energy on this album and really dug it. It was my first encounter with them, but probably won't be my last. "Don't Leave Me Alone," "Floating Alice," "Dreamer," and "Be Myself" are my personal favorites. 
Camel - Camel: The 1973 debut from the prog rock band out of the UK was the one missing album from their early catalog in my collection. In these early days, they were a band in the vein of Pink Floyd, but certainly more prog than spack rock. Still there is an audio storytelling to their records that I just love. "Mystic Queen," "Seperation," "Never Let Go," and "Arubaluba" are my personal favorites on this vastly under-appreciated album.
Mounties - Heavy Meta: This is the second album from Hawksley Workman's band, released this spring, five years after the debut. There's a bit of Supergrass meets Animal Collective vibe to this record that I really dug. Certainly an interesting blend of indie pop and experimental rock. "Hitchin' Man," "Python Status," "Canoe Song," "Beauty Won't Fail You," "Burning Money," and the title track are standouts on this rather lengthy album.

The Kinks - Low Budget: Released in '79, their would be only two more LPs to follow in the early '80s. As frequent readers will have noticed, I have been getting into this late era Kinks catalog of late and picked this one for a few dollars recently. The band had developed a great arena hard rock sound by this time, and it's pretty great. There's a slick 70s production value that creates this sound of urban decline that was taking place. "Catch Me Now, I'm Falling," "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman," and the title track are standouts. 
BNQT - Volume 1: Released in 2017, this is a band founded by members of Midlake, Franz Ferdinand, Travis, Grandaddy, Mercury Rev and Band of Horses. I'd been wanting to hear this since it came out, as I appreciate (if not love) all of those bands. I'm always a little nervous about super-groups, but the reason this one works is that the sound of those bands all blend well together to create something new, but similar. Alex Kapranos adds just the right amount of strangeness to keep everything interesting. There is nothing earth-shattering on here, it's kind of what you'd expect, and that is a consistently solid album that is easy to listen to over and over again. "Unlikely Force," "100 Million Miles," "Hey Banana," "Failing at Feeling," and "Fighting the World" are all fantastic songs.
Zebra - No Tellin' Lies: Released in 1984, this is the second album from the New Orleans progressive hard rock band. This is an album that shows the Atlantic label's dedication to the genre, and is also one that shows how prog had been influenced by metal by the early 80's. This is a hard driving rock album that feels a little like early Van Halen with it's up-beat feel good groove, but with a clear Zeppelin influence and prog elements, especially in synthesizer and percussion progressions. "I Don't Like It," "Lullaby," "Takin' a Stance," and the title track are standouts on this very solid record. 

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiders...

I'm not the biggest Marvel fan. I was never a comic book guy. I have not kept up with their cookie cutter blockbuster franchise...actually, I've only seen maybe three Marvel movies. It's just not my thing. But animated movies are my thing, and if they involve Spider-Man, that's even more so my thing. 
I'd been wanting to watch this movie even before it shocked everyone by winning Best Animated Feature at the Oscars this spring, and I finally got the chance to watch it last week. I was totally blown away by the sheer brilliance of this movie, both in its storytelling and in the animation. The story was complex and compelling, and best of all, kept you thinking even after the film ends. 
I loved the varied Spider-Men (and women) from the various dimensions and how they came together in the end. They each had their own quirks, but were unmistakably Spidey. It mixed edge-of-your-seat action with touching relationships and hilarious one-liners. Basically, it's the perfect Spider-Man movie.

Weekend Music Roundup

Welcome back to the Roundup. The heat has fled the area and the listening is easier. This week's list features a couple of new releases, and a good deal of records that I would call catalog completion pick-ups. As I"m sure you're all aware by now, several years into the roundup, that I'm a completest. If there's an artist I like, I will listen to most of their catalog, at least until a cut-off point. However, as recent readers will note, my cut off points have been in the process of changing lately. I'm expanding deeper into a lot of catalogs of artists from the past and have been gifted with great finds in that regards. Enjoy.
Silversun Pickups - Widow's Weeds: The fifth album from the L.A. indie rock band is their first since 2015. This is a band that averages a good three years between releases and I think that helps keep the quality of their records consistent. With each album, they manage to create songs that are catchy in a unique way, and manage to make records that are incredibly even throughout, never having throw-away songs. That's something that takes time, and I imagine they work hard to craft an album, which creates the lag. This is another fine addition to their catalog, and possibly their most consistent to date. "Bag of Bones," "Simpatico," "Songbirds," and the title track are standouts for me.
Elton John - Legendary Covers '69/ '70: Before becoming a star, Sir Elton did what he needed to do to make ends meet, which meant recording covers of hit songs for a label so they could release them and cash in on success. Now they get to cash in on Elton's success, and have been for 30 years since the first compilation came out. The was recently re-released on rainbow splatter vinyl (limited to 500) and I picked one up to complete my Elton collection. There are some songs on here that simply fantastic, and others that are just okay. But it's great hearing these songs sung by Elton and giving it his all.
Sopor Aeternus and the Ensemble of Shadows - Death and Flamingos: The German darkwave band's career has spanned thirty years. Led by the iconic goth, Anna-Varney Cantodea, the band has consistently released eerie neo-classical music that I was first introduced to a few years back. This record isn't as profound as some of their earlier records and feels like perhaps, after 30 years, they are attempting to gain a slightly wider audience. An interesting listen, but I'd stick with some of the older stuff for an introduction. 
Mott the Hoople - Mott the Hoople: The 1969 debut album from the band that would become one of the leading glam rock bands of the early-to-mid 70's is a much different record than their later Bowie sounding albums. This is more a hard-rock guitar driven Bob Dylan than a David Bowie. This is not an iconic record, but is one of those key albums for understanding how blues/folk hard rock morphed into glam rock. This is a band trying to sound like other artists of the time, yet still striving to find their own unique fit, which eventually they would. Not essential, but a solid album to pick up for a few dollars. 
Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly: The fifth album from the Southern soul singer was released in 1973 and features her best known song as the title track. As readers here are aware, I've been a bit of a Roberta kick lately, so when this record turned up in a free box of records I picked up a few months back, I was pretty excited. As with her earlier albums that I've enjoyed, this is more beautiful sadness, and she has a voice that can do that better than most. But the upbeat soul music keeps the record from being a downer. It has a little more of the 70's pop soul sound than her earlier records, but still good stuff. 
The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head: Released in 1971, this is the third album from the San Fran garage rock band. This is a raw blues based, proto-punk record that I'd been waiting to hear for some years. There's a Captain Beefheart meets Jefferson Airplane sound that they cultivate on here, but completely interpreted through garage rock aesthetics. This extended version, released in 1999, includes a ton of bonus tracks including great covers, including one of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day." Other great tracks included "City Lights," "Yesterday's Numbers," and "Whiskey Woman."

Fiction Friday (84)

It's that time again, time to spew my thoughts on another book that I've read. This is a book that had been on my "To-Read" list for over 20 years. I came across a free copy recently and decided now was as good of a time as any. I have to say that this is a book that I'm glad I didn't pick up as a teenager (the age when I think most people probably read it), because there is a complexity to it that might get lost. A teen reader would certainly be able to understand Ender's frustrations, but not sure they'd be able to fully appreciate the actions of the adults and the difficulty they had in making their choices.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
(Tor, 1984)

Ender is a child, only in body and years. The truth is, Ender never had a childhood and was never destined to have one. He is a Third in a future where two children is the law. He was allowed to be born for one purpose only, to become the ultimate weapon in humanity's war against the "buggers", and alien race that had twice invaded our solar system, and twice failed.

Unable to conceive of an enemy that would abandon its desire to destroy, and unable to communicate with the enemy, humans have launched an invasion of their own to destroy the buggers before they return to destroy us.  As the ships are own their way, armed with an ultimate weapon, the race is on to train the perfect commander. As time runs out, Ender Wiggin is the last hope.

Unlike many sci-fi novels that I've read, this is beautifully written and holds literary value. It is able to bring the action scenes to life, but also reveal Ender's inner turmoil. A very powerful story that stays with the reader, leaving him or her to contemplate the moral complexity and ambiguity that exists in this very plausible vision of a future that could come to be.

Mary and the Witch's Flower

Based on the book The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, this Japanese film was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Formerly an animator and director with Studio Ghibli, this project sees him now associated with Studio Ponoc. Not surprisingly, it looks like a Ghibli film and has the same heart for magic as a Ghibli film. 




This tells the story of a young girl named Mary, who has been sent to live with her Great Aunt. One day, she enters the woods to escape her boredom and finds a mysterious flower. Unknown to Mary, the flower holds incredibly power...the power of magic.
Mary is my favorite kind of children's story character. She's brave, though she doubts herself. She's intelligent and resourceful, and she's loyal to her beliefs. It is the kind of character that can overcome any obstacle through will and determination.
After she discovers a secret world of witches and warlocks engaged in dangerous experiments, she will stop at nothing to save her friend and put an end to the horrible things taking place. This is a delightful, slow-paced movie that transports the viewer wholly into its world.