Brian James's Blog, page 3

Fiction Friday (134)

 

 

My continuing examination of YA books continues with this novel that was released earlier this year. I read as a choice for a Teen Book Club selection after seeing how well-reviewed it was. It was certainly different than most of what I choose to read, and though I didn't love it, I did enjoy it.

The Project by Courtney Summers(Wednesday Books, 2021)

Lo is lost. At 19, she is alone in the world and angry at the circumstances that have brought her to where she is. After her parents died in a car accident, in which she was severely injured, Lo's sister Bea is drawn into a community known as The Unity Project. The Project calls on members to abandon their lives before in order to live the path of God. For Bea, that means leaving her sister.

The hole left in Lo's life manifests in anger and suspicion of The Project. Working for a respected journalist, Lo wants nothing more than to expose The Project as a fraud. After a curious incident in which a member leaps in front of train before her eyes, Lo is more driven than ever to bring down The Project. However, in order to do that, she has to get closer to it than she ever wished to, and potentially falling under the spell The Project's leader Lev tends to have over his followers. She soon discovers that the seeking answers uncovers more mysteries than truth.

This one took me a little while to get into, but by the last half, it was thoroughly compelling. Though labeled YA, I'm not sure I would call this book YA. With the exception of the main character being 19, there is really nothing that links this book to that label. I'm not even sure the themes would be of particular interest to teens, though certainly appeal to a slightly older audience.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

It's the weekend once again! Last week, I went to an annual record fair that happens in my corner of the world and picked up a bunch of eclectic vinyl records which I will share over the coming weeks. I've also been listening to plenty of new releases while working in the art studio. This week's list represents a little of both. Hopefully you'll find something of interest. Enjoy. 

Royal Blood - Typhoons: This is the third album from the UK duo who has a mix of blues rock meets alternative dance, much in the vein of another duo, Death from Above. This is their first album in four years, following one of my favorites of 2017. Therefore, I was very excited about this one. From the opening tracks, this album kind of rocks. This is certainly nothing groundbreaking, but there are few bands out there that do this sound right and these guys are one of them. A really great high-energy rock album. 

Coral - Spoon: The debut album from Swedish dream folk artist Miranda Coral is a beautiful laid back surprise. When I saw it, I assumed it was The Coral and was at first disappointed that it was not. However, when I stopped to listen, I heard something quite enjoyable. She reminds a bit of Holly Miranda and this is one of those albums that feels like a novel. A very relaxing ride that I recommend taking. 

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack: For the longest time, I was convinced I didn't like Queen. It was while watching Bohemian Rhapsody that I realized a lot of the songs I thought I hated were really just songs I'd heard too many times. I've since listened to and really loved their second album, "Queen II". This is their third album and came out in '74 and dynamite glam rock album. "Killer Queen" is probably the best known song on here, which is fair since it pretty much sums up their sound on this record. I can certainly hear it's influence of Scorpion's "Virgin Killer" released two years later. A classic for a reason. 

Runt - Runt: Todd Rundgren's 1970 solo debut after the departing Nazz. Over the past half-decade or so, I've gotten into Nazz and Todd in the way I always like to support Philly bands. I found this for $5 and snatched it up. It's super groovy, blending the Nazz psychedelic pop with the emerging pop rock sound that would come to dominate the next several years. "We Got to Get You a Women" is total blue-eyed soul that Bozz Scags would come to emulate. "Who's that Man" is a Elton piano jammer. There's a freshness and confidence of youth that blazes up and and down the track list. A total banger of a record. 

Pearls Before Swine - One Nation Underground: The '67 debut from the psychedelic folk band. For years, I've known their '68 - '70 albums that followed and enjoy them. I was pretty excited to come across this one for a few dollars. It was a little beat up, but a good cleaning took care of that. This one might even be more in my wheelhouse than their later albums, more acoustic Floyd or Velvet Underground demo style. This is a magical album that blends a lot of different folk and folk rock styles into a mellow void of a dreamy afternoon of uncomfortable visions. 

 

Portugal. The Man - Oregon City Sessions: Recorded in 2008, this live session was just released by the band, their first release of any kind since 2017's breakout album Woodstock. This period of the band is one of my favorites, right as they are reaching their peak and exploding with creativity. The set list features many of their best songs, and is probably meant as album to reach some fans that only discovered them shortly after with their Evil Friends album, while also pleasing long time fans.

 

 

Fiction Friday (133)

 

 

It's the end of the week and I recently finished reading yet another contemporary novel. This was another selection that I read for the library's book club that I lead. I'd heard good things about this one and was excited to read it, whereas many of the others, I am not. Though not a literary tour de force, this novel was well written and quite compelling in the way it dealt with the ideas of racial insensitivity and privilege.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid(Putnam, 2019)

In the past couple of years, the market has been flooded with novels that examine race relations in our country. What makes this one special is the subtleties it employs to deal with the topic which mirrors the subtleties in which it often exists. With the exception of a few characters in the opening confrontation scene, none of the characters are racist in any stereotypical way. In fact, both main white characters, Alix and Kelley, would consider themselves anti-racist. They are both too self-centered and self-involved to actually consider their actions, motives, and consequences...and despite both protesting that they have Emira's best interests at heart, neither ever bothers to have a real conversation with her.

I've read reviews, and spoken with people who really didn't like this book, who thought it wasn't in depth enough, or that it breezed over the subject. I disagree. The fact that it didn't beat the reader over the head with the themes is its strength. The fact that it is filled with humor is also a strength. It is not a book that is there to provide answers, it's a book meant for the reader to examine these characters and their actions and really think about their faults.

It is also not exclusively about race. Emira is not simply "African-American"...she is a 25 year old woman who doesn't know what she wants from life, something that is not a product of ethnicity. The reader sees her as the only true genuine character and as a result, her situation becomes universal and humanizing, something the Alix and Kelley fail to recognize.

I really enjoyed this book, and of course, 3-year-old Briar steals the show with her wonderfully innocent observations. The relationship between her and Emira is the heart of the book, and it's ironic that Alix's company is called "Let Her Speak" when that is exactly what she never allows from her daughter and her daughter's babysitter.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

Welcome to the long weekend. I know the roundup has been occasionally MIA over the past month or so, that because we've been busy with parties and living the vax-life, which I realize is kind of just like 2019, only without all of the Trump-talk. It's like a better version of 2019. This week, I rant about some new releases and some recent pick-ups. Some great stuff on here, so hopefully you have the energy to check out something new. Enjoy.

 

St. Vincent - Daddy's Home: It's been four years since art rock artist's last album and it's been all over the place. This blends all the sounds she's been doing for years, which basically amounts psychedelic soul art pop. Though I've enjoyed her past work, none of it grabbed me the way this one has. This album taps into something that just makes every song sound so perfect. There's a confidence that oozes through the tracks, a 70s Fleetwood Mac sense of decadence mixed with a Trip-Hop coolness. 

Television - Adventure: The iconic NYC's first album, 1977's Marquee Moon is one of my favorite debuts of all time. This, their second album, was released a year later and has been on my want list for ages. Though it's been re-issued, I've always been waiting for an original at a reasonable price, something that isn't an impossible ask. I finally found one and though, as I expected, it's impossible to live up to the first album, it's still quite awesome. They've always done something quite different with the genre than other early art punk bands and create incredible stories with their sounds. It doesn't have the same hint of danger as the debut, but still has the eeriness that I love. 

Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God: This is the seventh album from the Atlanta indie rock band, and their first since 2017. This is one of those bands that I've been following for over fifteen years and can say with confidence that this is their best album in over a decade. It's not that I didn't enjoy the more recent ones, but this one captures some of that vulnerable magic from their earlier work that first drew me to them. It opens with the beautiful "Inaudible," an ethereal hymn to isolation, and then moves into the classic sounding "Angel of Death" and I was hooked.  This album is the perfect example of why, when an artist makes an album that I love, I continue to follow their career. 

Nervous Dater - Call in the Mess: This is the second album from NYC indie band and comes four years after their debut. This has a very 90s indie feel to it, and it opens with the great track "Middle Child." My enjoyment of it definitely stems from a nostalgia feeling. Some songs are better than others, and there's a few that are just too emo pop punk for my taste. "Violent Haiku," "Turn Them Ourselves in the Grave," along with the opening track are personal favorites. 

Richie Havens - Mixed Bag: Released in '67, this was Haven's second album and his commercial breakthrough that landed him at Woodstock which propelled soulful folk artist into the history of rock. I recently picked this up in the 4 for $10 bin at the local shop because there was gap in my collection which hadn't included any Havens. There's some amazing covers on here, with "High Flyin' Bird" and "Eleanor Rigby" being my personal favorites. 

The Raconteurs - Live at Electric Lady: Released last spring, this live event hosted by Jim Jarmusch for the band's top Spotify listeners is a solid set from a band that has always been super professional, comprised of super-talented artists. Along with favorites from their three albums, this also includes a cover of Richard Hell's "Blank Generation" with is pretty phenom. A must have for fans.

 

 

 

 

Fiction Friday (132)

 

 

I had meant to take a break from reading YA fiction, but recently the library I work out weeded the Teen collection and I went through the DISCARDs and grabbed a few that looked interesting. I started to read this one, mostly because the cover appealed to me, and because it was named after an Iron and Wine album. It turned out to be a very satisfying read.

Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller(Tin House Books, 2015)

The world of adults and the world of children are often lived in separate realities that overlap somewhere in the middle like circles on a venn diagram, leaving members of each without a full understanding of how the other half lives. This is very much 8yo Peggy's situation, living on an estate in North London in the mid-70s with her eccentric parents. Her mother is a famous German pianist; her younger father a survivalist dreamer. Both seem to exist outside Peggy's internal world except when their world intrudes into hers.

Peggy's father emerges quickly as an unstable personality, and after a fallout with his wife, begins to fully embrace a split with reality, sweeping his daughter along with her. When the two of them leave their home and hike off into the secluded mountains of Bavaria, Peggy has no idea she will be spending the next nine years of her life alone in a cabin with her father. Terrified of crossing the river, and walled in by mountains, there is nowhere to go. Even if there was, her father has told her that beyond their little section of forest, the rest of the world has vanished.

This is one of those novels the joins the reader to the main character. The reader is the character's only true friend and confidant. As a result, we get to know Punzel, nee Peggy and she becomes someone we care about. She is a very strong character, yet we lament her losses that she cannot fully comprehend. And as her father's mental grasp on begins to falter, we begin to fear for her safety. 

We are never completely fearful for her however, because the novel alternates between her time in the woods and her time home, which is very effective in creating a sense of mystery and providing clues to keep the reader engaged. There are a few open ended questions at the end, deliberately so, that are meant to engage younger readers to consider options. However adult readers are fairly convinced of what happened.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

It's the weekend and the roundup is back. I've been listening to a lot of new albums recently and have heard some great ones. I've also picked up some older albums on vinyl in the last few weeks, and always, have come across some eclectic stuff. Getting ready for the long haul of summer by lining up the albums I plan to enjoy while the heat threatens to bring me down. It's hard to be too down when the sounds around give you joy. Enjoy.

The Coral - Coral Island: This is the tenth album from the neo-psychedelic band out of Liverpool. I've been a fan of these guys since their 2002 debut and was pretty excited that a new album arrived after three years. This double album reminds me most of 2016's Distance Inbetween, which is one of my favorites of theirs. There's a blend of psyche folk and they do really well with that mellow late 60s Pink Floyd sound. "Change Your Mind," "Mist on the River," "Autumn Has Come," "Old Photographs," "Calico Girl," and "Watch You Disappear" are standouts on this exceptional album. 

New Bums - Last Time I Saw Grace: This is the second album from the indie duo that features Donovan Quinn from The Skygreen Leopards. Like that band, this is a stripped down acoustic album with psychedelic folk influences. There's nothing earth-shattering about this album, but that doesn't mean it's quite stellar. It's got a classic Drag City sound to it that I've always enjoyed. "Billy God Damn," "Wild Dogs," "Turned to Graffiti," "Cover Band," and "Hermitage Song" are personal favorites, though I love the entire album. 

Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo - Deep Fried Grandeur: This EP from one of my favorite guitar players consists of two 18 minute instrumental tracks. It's beautiful psychedelic folk. As with all of Ryley's work, there's a deep 70s influence and often feels like solo Neil Young stuff, or at least has a similar vibe. Another fine addition to his growing catalog.

 

Rosalie Sorrels - Always a Lady: Rosalie was an American folk singer from Boise who began recording in the early 60s and remained active up through the early 2000s, before passing away in 2017. This album is from 1976 and I picked it up on a whim from the 4 for $10 bin at the local shop. This album has a rugged natural sound that reminds me of Karen Dalton. It's also very conversational at times, something that was pretty common in folk revival of the early 60s. A real solid folk record with my personal favorites being "Baby Rocking Melody," "Hey Little Girl," "The Caterpillar and the Butterfly," and "the Moth."

The Kinks - One For the Road: This live album was released in 1980 and features mostly work of the late '70s, with very few of their classic tracks (with exception of Side D..yeah encore). Because of that, I enjoy it...but that's also because I have live albums from their early days and have all those classic tracks live. Over the past couple of years, I've learned to appreciate this Kinks era and the maturity of their sound which really shows through on the way the classic tracks evolved over 15 years. Live always have never really been my thing, but this one I enjoy. 

Floatie - Voyage Out: The debut album from the Chicago four-piece indie band was released in March. This album is a bit math rocky, but in a subdued way. The vocals fade into the background as the repetitive notes build in sequence and retreat back again. It feels like one of those albums that good to have on in the background. Nothing really stands out on it as it really feels like a continuous exploration of one sound. 

 

Fiction Friday (131)

 

There are a handful of figures that have shaped my creative pursuits in my lifetime, one of them being Henry Darger. I still remember my first encounter with his artwork, from an ArtForum article in the late '90s and my interest has never waned. I recently have been listening to an album inspired by his words are art, which made me curious to search for books and I came across this 2019 novel which incorporates him as a character. It more than lived up to my expectations.

Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand(Mulholland Books, 2019)

Pin is a fourteen year girl living in the dangerous city of Chicago in 1915. The city is a particularly dangerous for girls during that summer. After the murder of Pin's younger sister, her mother insists that Pin disguise herself as a boy for safety while they are living at the Riverview Amusement Park, a bustling Coney Island equivalent. Pin relishes the freedom that comes with being a boy, though lives in constant fear of being discovered. Her fears are exasperated when one day she witnesses a young girl enter the "Hell's Gate" ride with a man, and only the man emerges when the boat comes out. 

She's not the only one to witness this crime. A odd man named Henry Darger (based on the Outsider Artist) also saw the girl enter and not come out. Together, the two characters form an unlikely pair looking to capture the killer and avenge the deaths of his many victims. 

This was a spellbinding novel that really delved into many aspects of psychological disorders. There is care taken in presenting these characters in an understanding and thoughtful way. The "disturbed" are given a humanity, no matter how terrible they may be...and that's the joy of the book for me. And Pin is one of those wonderfully brave characters that you'll never forget.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

It's the weekend, and there's been a few warmish days of late, those beautiful late spring kind of days that borrow from the best of summer without the worst of it. Perhaps because of that, and because my listening taste always seems to match the weather, this list features all albums that capture different aspects of that vibe for me. Enjoy.

Will Oldham - Songs of Love and Horror: Released in 2018 to coincide with a book of his lyrics, these are new recordings of old songs that date through his career. These are stripped bare, just Bonnie "Prince" Billy and his acoustic guitar. It captures what I've always loved about his work, and reminds me of some old Palace material and The Amalgamated Sons of Rest project with Jason Molina and Alsadir Roberts. I've been listening to album at night before bedtime, and it's been pretty perfect. And much like the Pond Scum album, it delivers in making songs you love sound completely new and let you love them all over again.

The Antlers - Green to Gold: This sixth album from the NYC indie band comes seven years after their last album. This is band that I've always enjoyed, but also found to be a bit pretentious to the point that prevented me from ever loving their work. This one is different. The time spent on this album definitely shows and there is a maturity to this record, a deep sense of honesty that connects with the listener. "Stubborn Man," and "Just One Sec" are two of my favorite songs they've every recorded. 

 

Super Natural Psycho - Rendezvous With the Sun: The 2018 release is the second and most recent album from the NYC psych rock outfit. Despite the name, this is of the mellow psych variety, and quite awesome too. I went into this album not knowing anything about them, but liking the cover and checking the rating. I really enjoy the vibe on the record and feel it's going to get a lot play during my summer.

Tyrannosaurus Rex - A Beard of Stars: Released in spring of '70, this was the last album before they shortened their name to T.Rex for the next album released seven months later. This is the album where you can hear Marc Bolan embrace the glam rock style that would come to define his career. It's the transition album from psychedelic folk to the T.Rex sound and it's brilliant. I've always loved transition albums, albums where artists are finding their sound. This is one of those records and it's a great addition to the collection. 

Fanny - Mother's Pride: The early '70s pop glam rock band out of California was unknown to me until a video of June Millington shredding on guitar popped into my feed. Two days later, a visit to the local shop found this in their newly acquired bin. It's one of those funny coincidences where five days before, I would have flipped right past. There's definitely a west coast pop rock feel to this, but in the best kind of way. I love the way there always seems to be a little bit of sunshine in most California bands, there's just something magical about that region that invades the psyche. 

Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret: Released in '99, this was the fourth album from the Boise indie band, and the album that first introduced me to them. Perhaps because of that, it's always been my favorite record of theirs. It's one of those albums I've had on CD for decades and have kept a look out for on vinyl. I was fortunate enough to come across it at the local shop a few weeks back and knew I had to buy it. Having not listened to it in several years, it took me right back to that summer in NYC the way few albums can.

 

 

 

The Art of Writing

I haven't written much about the mixed-media project I've been working on. I've posted a lot of the completed works, and I introduced the concept back when I started working on it, but the process is something I've wanted to share with you. It's been such an important part of why I've enjoyed working on it so much these past few months. 

Being a visual project, the images are extremely important. It's the biggest visual art project I've worked on it years and I've been loving this new outlet. But the writing aspects are equally important to me. I've been employing a cut-up technique in the writing part. I search though batches of text for a word or string of words that infuse the story portrayed in the image. Sometimes a string of words end up on my "thinking board" and inspires the selection of images that will be pieced together.

I've arranged the text into piles of small, medium and large font. Once I make a word choice, I dig into the corresponding font pile and search for completing pieces until the phrase captures the theme. I never try to force it, and never for look for a particular word (with the exception of a conjunction or article). There have been some times where I've spent as much time on the word puzzles as I did on the picture puzzle.

I use this title as starting point for the stream of consciousness pieces that follow. It's a kind of free writing style that I used to do all the time, and it's been great revisiting it without having to worry about coherency and plot structure. At the same time, there is a plot trajectory within the project as a whole. Each spread or page are pieces designed to borrow from the "hymn" structure of the book I'm altering.

The original book was hymnal and the poems in my project are meant to follow that genre or storytelling. They are little vignettes of a vast fantasy about the evolution of imagination as a magical power in children, and the empire of science and brutality attempting to destroy it. It is the fantasy of the main character in a novel I'm in the early stages of working on. 
I realized early on that I needed to transcribe the words before putting them into the book. Often they become illegible once I incorporated them into the artwork so that the words become part of the visual. There are at least two completed ones that that I don't know for sure what is written. Now I write the stream of words on a piece of a scrap paper, trying not to think too much about them.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

 

It's the weekend once again, which it's time to ramble on about music. I've recently been taking a different approach to my digital music listening. I primarily listen to new digital music in the art studio, and I've been trying to limit myself to a handful of albums at a time and making sure I give them multiple listens (for those that warrant it anyway). I've heard some great new albums of late, and have also dug out quite a few nice finds at the local shop. All in all, the spring has been pretty good for music in my world. Enjoy.

 

Pop Levi - Juicy Diamond: This is the fifth album from the UK via LA glam pop artist. I was first turned onto his music thirteen years ago when his debut singles "Pick-Me-Up Uppercut" and "Blue Honey" were my jams. Despite consistent quality, he's never reached real mainstream attention, and that's too bad, especially as this is probably his most complete work to date.  "Time Bomb," "D.U.I.," "Tia" and "Faces" are personal favorites on here, but it's truly great from start to finish.

Middle Kids - Today We're the Greatest: This is the second album from the Sydney indie band and my first introduction to them. This has a dream pop sound, soothing and intriguing and very well done. There's something about this that reminds me of 90s indie in a totally awesome way. Elements of Helium and Aimee Mann blend with a contemporary west coast sound. "Cellophane (Brain)," "Lost in Los Angels,""Summer Hill," "Stacking the Chairs," and "Run With You" are my personal favorites on this classic sounding album. 

David Vandervelde - Shadow Sides: This is the fourth album from the Nashville artist and was released back 2014. I dove into this not knowing his work, but being attracted to the title (not to mention Dr. J on the cover). There's a real emerging psychedelic sound coming out of that city. There's this re-imagined '70s psychedelic soul vibe on this album that I really dig. "Strange Goodbyes," "When You're Not Around," and "Soon" are personal favorites on a pretty cool record.

The Rapture - In the Grace of Your Love: The 2011 album is the forth from the NYC band, and their last to date. This was one of my favorite bands of the 00s, a fresh dance punk sound that evolved into a psychedelic dance sound by this record. I recently came across one of the 1,000 pressed vinyl at the local shop and snatched it up. I hadn't listened to it a few years and it was brilliant to hear again. "Miss You," "Come Back to Me," "Never Gonna Die Again," "How Deep is Your Love," and the title track are personal favorites of mine. 

Mondo Generator - Cocaine Rodeo: The debut album from Nick Oliveri's band, initially a side-project of the band he was in then (Queens of the Stone Age), was released in 2000. It's more punk than the stoner rock of QOTSA, and fed his need to express that anger. Understandably, this resembles 90's metal punk bands like Tad. This album is fast and furious, and is one of the most rocking punk albums I've heard in a long time. I skipped getting into this band when they came out, and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have appreciated it then, it just wasn't what I was into. In my teens, I would've dug it. And now, I can appreciate it for what it is...quality anger.

Kansas - Masque: The third album from the prog rock group was their second album of '75. One of reasons I believe this band was more popular, and less respected, than a lot of prog rock bands has do with the fact that there remains a heavy influence of blues rock. In my opinion, they are more of a hard rock band with prog elements than a true prog band. This is a grooving album with some real great 70s rock songs. My favorites being "Two Cents Worth," and "Icarus - Borne on Wings of Steel."