Click on each image to see it clear eyed and giant sized.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Readers Digest 1959 Part 2!
I know all 1.8992 of my readers have been itching with anticipation for more fifty year old Reader's Digest articles. This one shows how things never change in our government, which is why when they tell you that the new healthcare ripoff is "only" going to cost three guberzillion dollars you should mentally note that it's really going to cost eight guberzillion dollars.
Click on each image to see it clear eyed and giant sized.
Click on each image to see it clear eyed and giant sized.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Review - Owen Pallett - Heartland
Owen Pallett is perhaps best known as the string arranger for indie-rock favorites Arcade Fire, though his work with The Pet Shop Boys shouldn’t be overlooked. Neither should his sporadic solo albums which until recently were recorded under the name of Final Fantasy, a name owing much to his love of turn-based gaming and all things geeky. Throw in the fact that Owen plays the violin and that his latest solo album, Heartland, is a concept album packed with meta-narratives between himself and Lewis, the ultra-violent farmer who lives in a world called Spectrum and is trying to come to terms with his creator, Mr. Owen Pallet, and surely I’ve lost ninety-nine percent of my readers.
Admittedly this music is a bit eccentric. It’s also playful, complex, gorgeous, lush, thrilling and a bit goofy. Despite the high-concept subject matter and orchestral setting, it is a feather in Mr. Pallett’s hat that Heartland never comes across as stuffy or pompous (indeed how could it with a song titled “Oh Heartland, Up Yours”?). Instead it’s a modern fairy tale, a musical for the innocently demented.
The album is one massive Pet Sounds on steroids. The greatest example is “Lewis Takes Action” where grand hooks, woodwind flourishes and sheer strings contrast with violent lyrics such as “I’ll bludgeon til’ the body’s cold.” But it’s a catchy, violent melody that will leave you humming for days! Another excellent example of Pallett’s prowess is “Midnight Directives,” the opening track which sets a tone of delicious anticipation, building a grand orchestral setup for the rest of the album with lush strings, compliments of the Czech Symphony Orchestra, augmenting the synthetic arcade blips that provide an eerie, unsettling background. Lots of drama in this one, yessir! Another excellent combination of quirky synth tones and traditional orchestra occurs in “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”, an upbeat, invigorating song full of bright melodies and a memorable, defiant chorus of Lewis singing to his creator, “I’m never gonna give it to you.” “Tryst With Mephistopheles” is also bouncy and fun with eager horns and cheerful strings that radiate sunshine over a peppy beat driven by a spritely bass guitar, a masterful combination of chamber orchestra and rock instruments. And how can I not mention the frivolous Elfman-like cartoon silliness of the orchestration in “Flare Gun”? Apparently I can not!
Heartland is far from the usual rock album to which someone glues a string arrangement. Nor are they stuffy art songs with rock instruments painfully inserted. Rather Owen Pallett writes regular songs that encompass a greater breadth of instruments, placing each in their natural place. I strongly suspect that this album is a slow grower. I’ve listened to it a number of times with my magic headphones and though it hasn’t completely grabbed my heart I can tell that there’s something I haven’t “got” yet, something just out of my reach. Maybe this is what Lewis is singing about when he mockingly asserts that “I’m never gonna give it to you” and I’ll never be privy to this inside joke. But at least I’ll enjoy a few more listens as I try.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Catching Up
5/11/2010
Eighth grade is over
Put the clarinet away
Joshua’s last show.
5/12/2010
Volunteer regret
It’s a good thing to do but
There goes my weeknight.
5/13/2010
Five ounce Dixie Cups
Come in lots of cool styles but
Only tease your thirst.
5/14/2010
If you did not know
It seems that I like music
More than most fellows.
5/15/2010
Always more to do
But there is joy in the toil
Chip, chip, chip away
5/16/2010
A treat for ol’ dad
My oldest son bikes six miles
Thanks for joining us!
5/17/2010
I drank all my drink
For Friday on a Monday
Now the week drags on.
5/18/2010
It’s great to hear Tim
Play bass on the Lost Dogs disc
A friendly “Hello.”
Eighth grade is over
Put the clarinet away
Joshua’s last show.
5/12/2010
Volunteer regret
It’s a good thing to do but
There goes my weeknight.
5/13/2010
Five ounce Dixie Cups
Come in lots of cool styles but
Only tease your thirst.
5/14/2010
If you did not know
It seems that I like music
More than most fellows.
5/15/2010
Always more to do
But there is joy in the toil
Chip, chip, chip away
5/16/2010
A treat for ol’ dad
My oldest son bikes six miles
Thanks for joining us!
5/17/2010
I drank all my drink
For Friday on a Monday
Now the week drags on.
5/18/2010
It’s great to hear Tim
Play bass on the Lost Dogs disc
A friendly “Hello.”
Friday, May 14, 2010
Rambling Incendiary Lincoln Post #1
About five or six years ago I got a kink in my neck that perhaps Abraham Lincoln wasn't the superhuman demi-god of a President that he is made out to be. The thought kind of festered in my brain, fighting against the myth created through twelve years of public education as well as working at both Lincoln National AND The Lincoln Museum (sure, I was just the store and daily operations guy but you spend every day simmering in a warm bath of Lincoln worship.) It's a strong myth. Besides, how can you diss the guy who freed the slaves? Right? Can I get me an "Amen"?
But still it ate away at me as I grew to learn more about the founding of this country and (gasp) even read the entirety of our Constitution for the first time. I mean, the Constitution is the Bible of our government... it is the rule book, the basis, the place you go for the definitive word. And it's not that difficult to understand. Unlike current legislation, which can run thousands of pages and contain large amounts of caveats and twists and turns meant to give lawyers something to argue about, the Constitution is remarkably succinct and readable, almost like it was written so that it could be understood by the average citizen.
Which led me to question the very reason for The Civil War.
The very name is questionable. A Civil War is when two or more related parties are trying to own the same thing. In this case there were some states (southern) that just wanted to be left alone and others (northern) that wanted to force them back into the union. States that wanted the rights to control their own destiny vs. states that thought that all states should be under the control of a federal government. After all, these states voluntarily joined the union less than one hundred years earlier with the clear understanding that they could withdraw at any time, provided their individual state voted to do so.
So essentially a shotgun wedding occurred, more descriptively called The War Between the States, to prevent the divorce.
But wasn't the war about slavery? Not in the least, but more on that in a minute.
Remember how some southern states withdrew from the union immediately when Lincoln was elected? It was because everyone knew that Lincoln was pro-strong centralized Federal government. Lincoln got elected solely with northern votes, and the south could read the writing on the wall and left the union. Lincoln was a big follower of Henry Clay, the Whig. The Whigs wanted the mercantile system of government here in the U.S. like they had over in Europe. To refresh your memory, the mercantile system favored high tariffs, a strong federal government, and nationalized banks so that they could dole out political favors. Clay tried again and again to get these pushed through congress, with mixed success, but it wasn't until Lincoln got into office that the Whig ideas were whole-heartedly adopted. In the first year of his Presidency Lincoln pushed through a massive amount of legislative changes (shades of Obama, anyone?) resulting in a national bank and high tariffs.
I know this is disjointed but keep with me.
So Lincoln gets in, pushes through a bunch of strong federal government legislation, which takes rights away from the states, and the southern states withdraw from the union because their Constitutional rights have been taken away. Half an empire isn't as good as a whole one so Lincoln waged war to force these states back into the union at a staggering cost. When things got rough he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a complete joke and was mostly intended to dissuade England or France from supporting the south. This great, heralded Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the south, where Lincoln had no authority to do so, and keeps slaves as slaves in states that were supportive of the north as well as southern territories under the control of the north. So much for wanting to free slaves! In fact, Lincoln spoke very little about slavery until the Presidential election and then he was in favor of shipping them back to Africa. However he wrote and spoke oodles about growing the Federal government.
Lincoln. Big government. Huge power grabs. Political favors for wealthy men of industry. Republican.
Have you ever wondered, as I did, why the Republican party keeps giving us lame duck candidates that don't seem to reflect conservative values? It's because they are Whigs. Always have been. They will pander to the religious and conservatives only as much as necessary to keep power but they have been in favor of bigger government from their inception. Where the Democrats grow government directly the Republicans grow it through business favors. That is until recently and now the Democrats and loving it up with General Electric and General Motors and big banks.
What about Reagan? I tell you what... while I don't agree with everything he did that man is DA BOMB! DA BOMB, I TELL YOU! But he wasn't the Republican parties first choice - they wanted George W. Bush and eventually got their puppet. No, Reagan kind of dark-horses slipped under the radar and suddenly they were stuck with him as a candidate, a man they couldn't control. Reagan was great for the average American but did a lot of damage to the goals of the Republican party. I doubt they let a slip up like THAT happen again.
But still it ate away at me as I grew to learn more about the founding of this country and (gasp) even read the entirety of our Constitution for the first time. I mean, the Constitution is the Bible of our government... it is the rule book, the basis, the place you go for the definitive word. And it's not that difficult to understand. Unlike current legislation, which can run thousands of pages and contain large amounts of caveats and twists and turns meant to give lawyers something to argue about, the Constitution is remarkably succinct and readable, almost like it was written so that it could be understood by the average citizen.
Which led me to question the very reason for The Civil War.
The very name is questionable. A Civil War is when two or more related parties are trying to own the same thing. In this case there were some states (southern) that just wanted to be left alone and others (northern) that wanted to force them back into the union. States that wanted the rights to control their own destiny vs. states that thought that all states should be under the control of a federal government. After all, these states voluntarily joined the union less than one hundred years earlier with the clear understanding that they could withdraw at any time, provided their individual state voted to do so.
So essentially a shotgun wedding occurred, more descriptively called The War Between the States, to prevent the divorce.
But wasn't the war about slavery? Not in the least, but more on that in a minute.
Remember how some southern states withdrew from the union immediately when Lincoln was elected? It was because everyone knew that Lincoln was pro-strong centralized Federal government. Lincoln got elected solely with northern votes, and the south could read the writing on the wall and left the union. Lincoln was a big follower of Henry Clay, the Whig. The Whigs wanted the mercantile system of government here in the U.S. like they had over in Europe. To refresh your memory, the mercantile system favored high tariffs, a strong federal government, and nationalized banks so that they could dole out political favors. Clay tried again and again to get these pushed through congress, with mixed success, but it wasn't until Lincoln got into office that the Whig ideas were whole-heartedly adopted. In the first year of his Presidency Lincoln pushed through a massive amount of legislative changes (shades of Obama, anyone?) resulting in a national bank and high tariffs.
I know this is disjointed but keep with me.
So Lincoln gets in, pushes through a bunch of strong federal government legislation, which takes rights away from the states, and the southern states withdraw from the union because their Constitutional rights have been taken away. Half an empire isn't as good as a whole one so Lincoln waged war to force these states back into the union at a staggering cost. When things got rough he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a complete joke and was mostly intended to dissuade England or France from supporting the south. This great, heralded Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the south, where Lincoln had no authority to do so, and keeps slaves as slaves in states that were supportive of the north as well as southern territories under the control of the north. So much for wanting to free slaves! In fact, Lincoln spoke very little about slavery until the Presidential election and then he was in favor of shipping them back to Africa. However he wrote and spoke oodles about growing the Federal government.
Lincoln. Big government. Huge power grabs. Political favors for wealthy men of industry. Republican.
Have you ever wondered, as I did, why the Republican party keeps giving us lame duck candidates that don't seem to reflect conservative values? It's because they are Whigs. Always have been. They will pander to the religious and conservatives only as much as necessary to keep power but they have been in favor of bigger government from their inception. Where the Democrats grow government directly the Republicans grow it through business favors. That is until recently and now the Democrats and loving it up with General Electric and General Motors and big banks.
What about Reagan? I tell you what... while I don't agree with everything he did that man is DA BOMB! DA BOMB, I TELL YOU! But he wasn't the Republican parties first choice - they wanted George W. Bush and eventually got their puppet. No, Reagan kind of dark-horses slipped under the radar and suddenly they were stuck with him as a candidate, a man they couldn't control. Reagan was great for the average American but did a lot of damage to the goals of the Republican party. I doubt they let a slip up like THAT happen again.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Last of the Best of 2009
Another fine album that I have little inclination to hear again but once I start listening I have no regrets.
Everyone likes a good mystery and what’s better than a mysterious rock band whose artists hide behind cartoon personas? You might think you know who they are but despite repeated listens and grasping at various sonic clues (“Hear that? So and so does that!”) you can never be 100% certain. However the rumor ‘round the water cooler is that for Neon Horse the vocals are by Stavesacre’s Mark Salomon while the majority of the music was written by Starflyer 59’s Jason Martin with his brother Ronnie, the keyboard wizard behind Joy Electric, taking up some of the synthesizer burden.
Haunted Horse: Songs of Love, Defiance & Delusion is the second album by this enigmatic group and it’s a bundle of creepy good fun! Upon hearing the first few songs my wife said it reminded her of coffins, even without seeing the cover art. While it’s far from the spookiest album in my collection there is most certainly an eerie vibe that runs throughout the ten songs. The biggest factor in Neon Horse being peculiar are the vocals, which is to say that there aren’t Theremins and overtly creepy melodies or sounds. But the vocals are certainly unorthodox. To shake things up, and help keep the mystery, there are either multiple singers or multiple voices, each one a bizarre, gravelly, almost cartoony manifestation. The one which really made my skin crawl sounds like Udo, the singer for the 80s German metal band Accept, a voice that sounds like it’s shredding itself with every syllable.
The music itself is an equally odd jumble of contradictions, a kind of noisy, sloppy guitar garage rock that falls face first into bizarre new wave. The list of influence is equally incongruous: ZZ Top, Devo, David Bowie, Talking Heads, AC/DC, Depeche Mode, Oingo Boingo, Steppenwolf, the Eurythmics. Which is to say that it sounds like everyone and no one. Songs like “Follow The Man” are full of loud, angular guitars with insistent piano while the amazing “Some Folks” feature a slinky bass laying out a sexy dance beat over moody keyboards. “Haven’t Sinned In Years!” is packed with gritty guitars and unnerving background vocals, in contrast to the twitchy new wave tale of lost innocence found in “Strange Town.” My own personal favorite is “Chain Gang, Bang Bang”, a raucous swinging party of a song full of horns, overlapping vocals, and competing melodies that are happy to distract you while you toil away.
No matter who they really are Neon Horse is comprised of artists who are more than capable of crafting a catchy tune, filling Haunted Horse with sleezy but safe rock songs, a kind of family friendly haunted house. This side project provides an equally safe haven where the musicians can let their hair down and have fun, a relaxed vibe that permeates each song, making this album a thrilling listen.
Everyone likes a good mystery and what’s better than a mysterious rock band whose artists hide behind cartoon personas? You might think you know who they are but despite repeated listens and grasping at various sonic clues (“Hear that? So and so does that!”) you can never be 100% certain. However the rumor ‘round the water cooler is that for Neon Horse the vocals are by Stavesacre’s Mark Salomon while the majority of the music was written by Starflyer 59’s Jason Martin with his brother Ronnie, the keyboard wizard behind Joy Electric, taking up some of the synthesizer burden.Haunted Horse: Songs of Love, Defiance & Delusion is the second album by this enigmatic group and it’s a bundle of creepy good fun! Upon hearing the first few songs my wife said it reminded her of coffins, even without seeing the cover art. While it’s far from the spookiest album in my collection there is most certainly an eerie vibe that runs throughout the ten songs. The biggest factor in Neon Horse being peculiar are the vocals, which is to say that there aren’t Theremins and overtly creepy melodies or sounds. But the vocals are certainly unorthodox. To shake things up, and help keep the mystery, there are either multiple singers or multiple voices, each one a bizarre, gravelly, almost cartoony manifestation. The one which really made my skin crawl sounds like Udo, the singer for the 80s German metal band Accept, a voice that sounds like it’s shredding itself with every syllable.
The music itself is an equally odd jumble of contradictions, a kind of noisy, sloppy guitar garage rock that falls face first into bizarre new wave. The list of influence is equally incongruous: ZZ Top, Devo, David Bowie, Talking Heads, AC/DC, Depeche Mode, Oingo Boingo, Steppenwolf, the Eurythmics. Which is to say that it sounds like everyone and no one. Songs like “Follow The Man” are full of loud, angular guitars with insistent piano while the amazing “Some Folks” feature a slinky bass laying out a sexy dance beat over moody keyboards. “Haven’t Sinned In Years!” is packed with gritty guitars and unnerving background vocals, in contrast to the twitchy new wave tale of lost innocence found in “Strange Town.” My own personal favorite is “Chain Gang, Bang Bang”, a raucous swinging party of a song full of horns, overlapping vocals, and competing melodies that are happy to distract you while you toil away.
No matter who they really are Neon Horse is comprised of artists who are more than capable of crafting a catchy tune, filling Haunted Horse with sleezy but safe rock songs, a kind of family friendly haunted house. This side project provides an equally safe haven where the musicians can let their hair down and have fun, a relaxed vibe that permeates each song, making this album a thrilling listen.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
MAYDAY!
5/7/2010
The date was da bomb
Even though we arrived late
Amid fake accents.
5/8/2010
Sick on Saturday
Is as much of a waste as
A guitar sans strings.
5/9/2010
My kids have it made
Because their mom is superb-
Happy Mother’s Day!
5/10/2010
The Monday drags on
Slower and slower because
There is no chocolate.
The date was da bomb
Even though we arrived late
Amid fake accents.
5/8/2010
Sick on Saturday
Is as much of a waste as
A guitar sans strings.
5/9/2010
My kids have it made
Because their mom is superb-
Happy Mother’s Day!
5/10/2010
The Monday drags on
Slower and slower because
There is no chocolate.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Current Review - Transatlantic - Whirlwind
I submitted this one for publication over two months ago and it's just now seeing print. It's another Neal Morse project (see next entry) and it's unfortunately not one that has drawn me back to it since the review. Hmmmm....
As the songwriting nucleus for Spock’s Beard Neal Morse wrote some amazing music, following firmly in the melodic rock footsteps of such legends as Yes, Kansas, and Genesis. About ten years ago he got himself saved and decided that the band format chaffed his faith and so went solo, a song we’ve all heard before. Since that time he has continued to be prolific but his quality has been a bit schizophrenic. I caught his first solo album, found it tepid, and then didn’t pursue his music much. In doing so I missed out on reviewing the amazing Sola Scriptura, a prog-metal rock opera about the life of Martin Luther but jumped back in for Lifeline, which was musically on par with Spock’s Beard but lyrically a bit limp.
It was with not a little curiosity to see what would happen to Morse’s song crafting when he again joined forces with three other titans of prog to record a new Transatlantic album, the first in eight years. The other members are bionic drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, bassist Pete Trewavas from Marillion and multi-instrumentalist Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings. Regardless, as in past Transatlantic albums this is a Neal Morse album as he wrote most of the music and lyrics, this time making a seventy-seven minute epic album formed around a metaphor for like, curiously named The Whirlwind.
My first few listens left me cold. So did the next few. In fact with so much music it took nearly two months of casual listening before I “got it”… and I’m still not sure if I have all of it or if what I’ve gotten is a touch less than spectacular. Musically it’s quite top shelf. Mike Portnoy is, as always, a phenomenal drummer both in technique and taste. Stolt adds his unique vocals as well as some mighty fine guitar textures and Trewavas booms forth plenty of mid-range pingy goodness that serves as a melodic anchor. There’s the usual Morse grand orchestral overture and uplifting dramatic final track as well as some amazingly melodic rock that would find a home with many who normally fear the label of “progressive rock.” Of special note is “Out of the Night” which is not only an exceptional song by itself but allows all four to sing, forming Beatlesque melodies. “On the Prowl” takes time out for some adventurous instrumentals similar to very early Pink Floyd, going almost psychedelic with the guitars. The album is broken up into twelve “songs”, each containing bits of musical themes that are used and repeated throughout to give the album the kind of cohesion and symphonic integrity characteristic of Morse’s best work.
With The Whirlwind Morse has been able to reverse his post-conversion lyrical decline, this time artfully incorporating his faith into a larger metaphor that is explored throughout the album. He’s still not back to his Spock’s Beard heyday level, but I’m tired of whining on this subject so will instead shut my stinkin’ trap.
Sometimes I come across rock albums with progressive touches that I can confidently recommend to non-prog-lovin’ friends. The Whirwind is not such an album. Transatlantic creates classic genre music, dense and complicated, making no bones about tipping their hat at melodic forefathers while spinning up something more modern. Fully listening to The Whirlwind is a big investment in time but one that will pay off with audible enjoyment not only now but, I suspect, for years to come.
As the songwriting nucleus for Spock’s Beard Neal Morse wrote some amazing music, following firmly in the melodic rock footsteps of such legends as Yes, Kansas, and Genesis. About ten years ago he got himself saved and decided that the band format chaffed his faith and so went solo, a song we’ve all heard before. Since that time he has continued to be prolific but his quality has been a bit schizophrenic. I caught his first solo album, found it tepid, and then didn’t pursue his music much. In doing so I missed out on reviewing the amazing Sola Scriptura, a prog-metal rock opera about the life of Martin Luther but jumped back in for Lifeline, which was musically on par with Spock’s Beard but lyrically a bit limp.
It was with not a little curiosity to see what would happen to Morse’s song crafting when he again joined forces with three other titans of prog to record a new Transatlantic album, the first in eight years. The other members are bionic drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, bassist Pete Trewavas from Marillion and multi-instrumentalist Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings. Regardless, as in past Transatlantic albums this is a Neal Morse album as he wrote most of the music and lyrics, this time making a seventy-seven minute epic album formed around a metaphor for like, curiously named The Whirlwind.
My first few listens left me cold. So did the next few. In fact with so much music it took nearly two months of casual listening before I “got it”… and I’m still not sure if I have all of it or if what I’ve gotten is a touch less than spectacular. Musically it’s quite top shelf. Mike Portnoy is, as always, a phenomenal drummer both in technique and taste. Stolt adds his unique vocals as well as some mighty fine guitar textures and Trewavas booms forth plenty of mid-range pingy goodness that serves as a melodic anchor. There’s the usual Morse grand orchestral overture and uplifting dramatic final track as well as some amazingly melodic rock that would find a home with many who normally fear the label of “progressive rock.” Of special note is “Out of the Night” which is not only an exceptional song by itself but allows all four to sing, forming Beatlesque melodies. “On the Prowl” takes time out for some adventurous instrumentals similar to very early Pink Floyd, going almost psychedelic with the guitars. The album is broken up into twelve “songs”, each containing bits of musical themes that are used and repeated throughout to give the album the kind of cohesion and symphonic integrity characteristic of Morse’s best work.
With The Whirlwind Morse has been able to reverse his post-conversion lyrical decline, this time artfully incorporating his faith into a larger metaphor that is explored throughout the album. He’s still not back to his Spock’s Beard heyday level, but I’m tired of whining on this subject so will instead shut my stinkin’ trap.
Sometimes I come across rock albums with progressive touches that I can confidently recommend to non-prog-lovin’ friends. The Whirwind is not such an album. Transatlantic creates classic genre music, dense and complicated, making no bones about tipping their hat at melodic forefathers while spinning up something more modern. Fully listening to The Whirlwind is a big investment in time but one that will pay off with audible enjoyment not only now but, I suspect, for years to come.
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