Fuel for Future Dreaming
Posted on February 11, 2005 at 2:42 pm | No Comments
A kinda quick Friday afternoon post for ya…
Allow me to direct your attention to newly-discovered (by me, anyway) music blog Torr, where you can grab a couple songs from the next British Sea Power disc, along with a New Order track and a couple from the upcoming release by The Bravery. Scroll around, there’s lots more. Great stuff, Torr… consider yourself blogrolled.
I’m also pretty psyched to have discovered Pinchworm, not just an excellent music blog, but one that happens to be located a couple towns away from me. Head on over.
YES. The Album Leaf is returning to Boston. More specifically, TT the Bears in Cambridge on Saturday, April 2nd. If they’re even half as good as the last time I saw them there, I’ll still walk away satisfied.
Walking Concert and Robyn Hitchcock are also on the TTs schedule for March shows. Time to make a trip over there and pick up a bunch of service-charge-free tickets.
The new Crooked Fingers disc, ‘Dignity & Shame‘, won’t be out until the 22nd, but you can pre-order it at the Merge site as of this afternoon, along with the upcoming M. Ward and the new vinyl version of The Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral‘.
You can check out a preview track from that Crooked Fingers disc by sending your special friend (or, um, yourself) a ‘Call To Love‘ Valentine’s e-card. A damn good song, it is. I’m already in on that pre-order action, and the first fifty people to do that at the Merge or CF site get a bonus EP of demos from the Fingers’ last album, ‘Red Devil Dawn‘. Hope I’m one of ’em.
The best straight-up urban action comic I’ve ever read came out last week: Brian Wood & Rob G’s Couriers 3: The Ballad of Johnny Funwrecker. Easily the most solid of the three Couriers books, tightly-written, beautifully drawn, and just damn fun to read. Having just finished up the 12-issue DEMO series, this really shows off Brian’s range, and damn has Rob G hit an artistic stride. The whole thing just flows and fires. Pick it up.
That new Sealab 2021 Season 2 DVD set is freakin’ hilarious. The commentary tracks are so meandering, so casual, and so pointless… it’s just perfectly appropriate (read no further if you already plan on getting it. warned ya.)
The 7030 Productions crew basically just hangs out, drinks beer, and rags on these older episodes, and on each other. Even when there’s a halfway insightful question asked of one of the writers or animators, the answer boils down to “I don’t remember… it was too long ago!”. They can’t recall the reasons behind anything they did. So they go back to the ridiculing. Aces.
On ‘Hail, Squishface!’, they aren’t even really watching the episode… sounds like they’re just playing Call of Duty in HQ mode. “Go for the radio!”, “Aw man, I hate this map!”, and random burpin’ is pretty much all you get. “Is that thing still recording?”. Love it. Swearin’ abounds, and I can imagine the Cartoon Network brass had a lot of un-fun gettin’ all that beeped out. Hell, the even beeped over the word ‘retarded’ while they were at it.
It gets better, too…. on ‘Feast of Alvis‘ & ‘Vacation‘, assistant designer Neal Holman reads an over-the-top comic book story he wrote in sixth grade called “The Dominators” for the rest of the 7030 crew. I was laughing right along with the rest of ’em. Even Holman couldn’t keep it together.
The set is a must-get for any Sealab fan, not just because it includes ‘Bizarro‘ and the classic ‘Tinfins‘, or because of random bikini spotting, but for the touching (but too short) tribute to the late Harry Goz, who voiced Captain Murphy and passed away in 2003. A hell of a guy who was obviously loved by everyone involved. Interviews include Bill Lobley (the voice of Sparks), and Harry’s son Michael, who now voices Tornado Shanks.
So if you glance over there on the left, you’ll see I finally added an ‘about’ page, the ‘nac faq. Something I’ve thought about doing for awhile now. Not sure it’ll stay, but hey, there it is.
Summer At Shatter Creek’s ‘All The Answers’
Posted on February 8, 2005 at 4:08 pm | No Comments
Summer at Shatter Creek’s second full-length, ‘All The Answers‘, arrived in my mailbox today, ordered straight from Badman well ahead of the March 29th release date… and I’m totally floored. It’s a meticulously crafted, layered, and heartbreakingly beautiful piece of work. One person, lots of instruments, nine songs, and thirty-five minutes, it so easily follows through on the promise of the pre-released mp3, ‘Your Ever Changing Moods‘.
Craig Gurwich’s falsetto has never sounded stronger, at times more delicate, and so haunting. The disc has such a perfectly sequenced flow, and gorgeously personal production that makes the whole thing sound as if it’s wrapped up in a warm, comfy blanket. It’s one of those albums that, despite the oft-sad subject matter, can uplift in it’s simple existence. There’s so much attention to detail; sustained piano lines, subtle harmonies, and distant feedback appear and disappear like waves, tastefully applied percussion comes in and out and is never obtrusive.
It’s one of those discs that generously rewards repeated listens on a nice set of headphones, revealing something new each time through. There are shades of Sparklehorse, slight hints of Elliott Smith, but honestly, comparing this to anyone else might only serve to lessen it’s impact… it exists as it’s own self-contained work of art. I can’t remember the last time I was this musicially proud of someone I’ve called a friend. I know, I totally sound like I’m going over the top here, but like I said… I’m just floored by this thing. I expected stabs at greatness, and instead found brilliance.
Grab the disc direct from Badman, and if you order a couple other things (like the stellar Swell discs), you’ll get a copy of their Winter 2005 Sampler (with tracks from Hayden, Washington Social Club, S.A.S.C., n.lannon, Mark Mallman, The Black Heart Procession, Call and Response, James William Hindle, the innocence mission, Pleasant Grove, and Lanterna) thrown in for good measure.
Since S.A.S.C. is based in L.A., you West Coasters will soon be treated to some live appearances (L.A. on Thursday, San Fran a week later), but word has it that Craig might be heading East for some shows in the late summer or fall. Here’s hoping.