Elln's Top Ten June '09

Hands down Death in Vegas' Scorpio Rising cover wins this month.

1. "Amber"/311-Can't say I'm a big fan of the punk-reggae-crossover 311 usually is (which means they failed as a Ska band) but damn this song is real pretty for stoner music. It has an addictive, luscious beat and chill lyrics, if you get my drift. They're also strangely poetic.
2. "There's No Other Way"/Blur-Yay, more '90's British grunge rock, although I often hesitate to put these guys in with Oasis since they're generally more upbeat than the gritty Gallagher brothers. "There's No Other Way" is mellow and laid-back and perfect for summer driving.
3. "Girl"/Beck-Another perfect summer song with Beck's usually cryptic lyrics although the gist of this song is actually understandable-the guy in Beck's song has his eye on a girl and he knows he's going to nail her. This is a pretty classic summer song, low-key and relaxed (when is Beck not low-key and relaxed?).
4. "So You Say You Lost Your Baby"/Death in Vegas-DiV has got to be one of the most eclectic bands I've ever heard, ranging from rootsy rock to weird electronica to grunge rock. "So You Say" is pretty standard rock fare with lyrics and vocals reminiscent of Southern roots rock or even country. It's also mellow summer music-fans of, say, Kings of Leon would probably enjoy this song.
5. "Ramble On"/Led Zeppelin-Before now, I really haven't put much stock in Led Zeppelin. I viewed them as a less talented, less musical version of the Grateful Dead. Plus they technically started the Heavy Metal movement (although if Heavy Metal had stayed the way they played it, I'd have less to complain about). Listening now, though, I can see why they're so addictive. The music has such a wide range of influence and the simple melodies end up pulling you in. I maintain that they're probably more fun to play than to listen to, but I'm thoroughly impressed with the Lord of the Rings references in this song.
6. "Sun Children"/Nickodemus-They're classified as alternative when they really should be world, but Nickodemus produces a solid effort here. "Sun Children" is addictive with a distinct latin flair and actually good rapping.
7. "Karma Police"/Radiohead-This isn't a summer song, but it's still damn good. Reminiscent of a darker, more spare Coldplay, Radiohead will never share Coldplay's widespread commerical success but I think I like them better than Coldplay. It's slow but it doesn't plod in any way, and the piano is the real powerhouse of the song.
8. "Lovers in Japan (Osaka Sun Remix)"/Coldplay-Did I just say something bad about Coldplay? I take it back. "Lovers in Japan," at least this remix, proves once again that they are the masters of universally sweeping, beautiful confections. And don't get the original, get the remix.
9. "Jerk It Out"/The Caesars-Despite the questionable subject matter, the catchiness of this song is unquestionable. The fast tempo in this undeniably alternative, light-weight tune has been featured in numerous commercials.
10. "The Guitar Man"/Cake-A long-time favorite of mine, Cake rarely, if ever, gets this serious. This song is a perfect laid-back melody for summer, complete with light-as-a-feather guitars and infused with melancholy. The best part of the song is the wistful lyrics which are both clever and poignant.

Well that's it for this month. I'll try to keep it a little more upbeat and summery next month.

-elln

Lisa Carey's IN THE COUNTRY OF THE YOUNG

In the Country of the Young tells the story of Oisin MacDara, an artist who has isolated himself in a tiny Maine community due to horrific tragedy in his childhood, after which he lost the ability to see ghosts. Oisin is enigmatic but lacks social skills because of his hermitage and his unwillingness to interact with other people. It will take the arrival of a ghost from a shipwreck more than one hundred years ago to bring him back to life. And though Aisling isn't the ghost Oisin has waited half his life for, the literally dead and the figuratively dead will both get a second chance at life.

This is the book that makes me believe in ghosts, it's that beautifully written. If you love a good drama, a good romance, and a haunting tale of rebirth and recovery from past scars while at the same time characters drown in the past, then this is the book for you. As always, Carey's writing style is poetic and full of metaphorical language. She weaves dreams and reality, life and death, and intersecting stories together so seamlessly it's tear-inducing. Both the chronicles of Aisling and Oisin, and Oisin and Nieve, are stories to move the heart.

What else, really, is there to say about perfection?

-elln

Charles Frazier's COLD MOUNTAIN

Cold Mountain is a lyrical masterpiece, detailing two odysseys with gorgeous metaphors and simple, unembellished language. The story is of Inman and Ada in the Civil War South. Ada is in the Scarlett-esque situation of having fallen from great wealth into poverty with lots of resources. She is owner of a large farm but has no idea how to run it until vagrant Ruby appears, demanding respect in exchange for working on the farm. Inman, her pre-war sweetheart, has deserted the army after a seemingly mortal wound to the neck and a dream convinces him to visit Cold Mountain and return home.

Though Inman's story retains dream-like, almost hallucinogenic qualities narrated by a down-to-earth, disillusioned tone, it is Ada's struggle with the earth which drew me in more. Ada is actually the less likable of the two, but she grows a lot throughout the book and her expectations of life become a lot more realistic.

Perhaps because I knew the ending it didn't pack so much of a punch. The book's main letdown is that it focuses too much on the characters individually, and not on Inman and Ada's pre-war relationship. Maybe the point Frazier is making is that Inman left in the middle of a budding relationship-at the dropping off point between cursory moments and true intimacy. Their parting's awkwardness lends their relationship an insubstantiality, especially when they reunite.

The book's main strength is in Frazier's heart-felt, simple delivery, poignant metaphors, and gorgeous description. I'd read it just for the beauty of the style.

-elln

Jeffrey Eugenides' THE VIRGIN SUICIDES

Before I say anything, I'd urge people interested in purchasing the book (or film) to check out all the awesome covers available. The photography and graphics of just about every version of the work are stunning.

Composed of run-on sentences and pieced together in a reporterly manner, The Virgin Suicides is a technical masterpiece. The book tells the story of the Lisbon family living in suburbia, and the suicides of their five daughters Cecelia, Mary, Bonnie, Therese, and Lux. The entire book details the suicides from the viewpoint of the neighborhood boys who are obsessed with the Lisbon sisters as they try unsuccessfully to determine the reasons why the girls took their own lives.

The book makes effective use of rambling description and an investigative manner, piecing together accounts from neighbors, psychologists, and basically any person who came into contact with the Lisbon girls prior to their deaths. The style is what makes the book captivating, however if Jeffrey Eugenides’ goal is to make us fall in love with the Lisbon girls as much as the neighborhood boys are, he fails by a slight margin. The girls are too impersonal, too cold and isolated, and there is no way to sympathize with them; it’s often hard to understand the boys’ obsession with girls who, when they open their mouths, rarely say anything intelligent.

The true satisfaction in reading the book comes in trying to piece together a mystery, but we are told at the end of the book that there is no answer. Surely it’s a true-to-life answer, but a rather disappointing revelation.

The reason the book is captivating to the degree it is is the writing style. Words are juxtaposed in profound manners, paradoxical statements make regular appearances, and the text has a sense of continuous almost stream-of-consciousness feel to it. The novel, while probably meticulously planned, feels fresh and spontaneous. That is its best quality.

-elln

Angels and Demons the Movie

Angels & Demons is a prequel to the famed The Da Vinci Code film and book, but it's no wonder they started with Da Vinci. Angels & Demons offers up a lot of treats, but it doesn't reach its predecessor's level of engagement or clever script-writing.

The basic premise is that Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is being called to the Vatican once again (in the movie the Da Vinci affair is treated as though it happened first) to solve the mystery of a secret society called the Illuminati, rumored to have disappeared ages ago. Unfortunately, the Illuminati have returned and are taking the Preferiti (the men most likely to become the next pope) hostage, bent on killing one every hour until midnight in revenge for wrongs done to the Illuminati by the Catholic Church in the distant past. On top of this there's a stolen vial of antimatter lurking somewhere in Vatican city set to explode around that same time, creating a massive nuclear-esque total devestation. Major players besides Langdon include Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) who desperately wants to recover the antimatter she helped create, Commander Richter of the Swiss Guard (Stellan Skarsgard) is being suspiciously uncooperative, and the Camerlango (Ewan McGregor) wants to save the people of the Vatican city while investigating the Pope's recent death.

This movie has several strengths, including directing and pacing, as well as the simple pleasure of seeing parts of the Vatican the public eye will never be privy to in life and some of the finest sites Rome has to offer. In terms of a mystery/thriller it's fast-paced and entertaining with several twists. But a glance beneath the surface reveals several gaping plot holes not easily explained away--for instance why the perpetrator lines up the clues so neatly for Langdon, and then tries to kill him in the middle of the movie. Or why Langdon can enter a church and within two seconds declare, "the angels are pointing to it!" and run wildly down the street. Also be prepared for a really nasty rat-eating-decayed-face scene, and little to no character development.

Also Ewan McGregor steals every scene. Because he's just that amazing.

All in all it's the script which has the real problems. If you're just looking for a fun, engaging ride this is your movie, but be sure to keep it cursory.

-elln

Elln's Top Ten May '09

This month's cover is from Partie Traumatic although Brain Heart Guitar was a close second. They were just too cute to not do. I'm a sucker for unicorns.

1. "Tina"/Louis XIV-these modern glam rockers are back, and they seem to have grown up. They've progressed from lyrics like "I said hey short girl you're like a midget/You can turn a phone cord into a widget/She said you son of a bitch you little bitch" to "well I saw you leaving the other night/with a dark haired guy on a motorbike/and all my friends say they saw you drunk in the clubs/talking really loud about how you're in love." They're one of David Bowie's favorite modern bands, and Bowie might as well be singing (although maybe he actually is since he has guested with them before). The tune is highly infectious, however, so I'd suggest talking it out.

2. "Impossible Germany"/Wilco-to switch gears entirely we have the most laid-back modern and somewhat popular folk-rock act of the era. Wilco delivers the comfortably mellow tones they're known for, and the lyrics are deliciously cryptic.

3. "Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)"/Black Kids-I'll end up reveiwing Partie Traumatic at some point, but for now I'll do the song that's been stuck in my head for five days straight. Black Kids have been nothing but wild, nostalgic fun throughout their short career. This song is no different, mixing lyrics which aren't particularly clever (or make much sense) but they're freakin' catchy for some reason (such as the girls singing "you say baby, we say bump it, all you wanna hear is Gabriel's trumpet). Dance beats are liberally layered over electronic guitars and sliding basslines for a very shiny, polished sound.

4. "Add It Up"/Violent Femmes-Here we have the exact opposite, a totally unpolished sound from a group that's been around forever but hardly gets recognized outside of Wendy's commercials. This garage-band misanthrope rite-of-passage music is lots of fun if you can get past the incestual themes.

5. "Cannibal Queen"/Miniature Tigers- They're back with a much pop-oriented sound than their earlier EPs, and I must say I'm not sure how much I dig it. But "Cannibal Queen" has clever enough, strange enough lyrics to merit a listen.

6. "Dropkick Queen of the Weekend"/The Dudes-They're as strangely addictive as ever with this alt rock confection. I mean, for starters what the hell is a "Dropkick Queen of the Weekend"? But it's still a damn good song with interspersion of some heavy guitars.

7. "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)"/The Clash-Ah yes, The Clash, one of the only survivors from the early Punk movement and just about the only band from that time period to produce songs with meaningful, political messages...except not this one. "Train in Vain" is just frickin' catchy, and it's about the same-old-same-old love and betrayal. I think it might be Strummer's howling vocals which actually lend qualification to the heartbreak, and I do love that harmonica.

8. "Dreaming of You"/The Coral-The Coral's music is anything but traditional; in fact, this song is a mixture between a kooky circus band and folk with doo-wop chorusing vocals. They had massive hype at one point, although that died away fairly quickly as they're not prolific by any means. Anyway, "Dreaming of You" is a gem of a song, with a range of eclectic influences packaged together neatly and beautifully.

9. "Talk Amongst Yourselves"/Grand National-From the sparse, pared down sound of The Coral we migrate to lush electronic collaborations. "Talk Amongst Yourselves" is a wildly addictive sort-of dance number which screams mellow but catchy. It's completely synth except for delicious strumming guitars, also electronic and not in the least bit acoustic. This is a very shiny song, and I wish I had better words to describe it.

10. "California (All the Way)"/Luna- It may take a while for "California" to grow on you, but it's a real treat once it does. Luna mixes classic california rock with a tinge of pop, and lyrically folksical words (I love making up words). The song is a slow build-up to the main guitar line, but seriously worth the wait.

-elln

STAR TREK

You know those big-budget films that come out every once in a while that restore your faith in Hollywood's production companies? This is one of those, ten-fold. Sure it's still technically a remake/incarnation/alternate retelling, but it'd be pretty damn hard to do it better than this.

James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), son of a dead revered commander who died saving the lives of James and James' mother, is convinced to go to the star fleet academy where he first butts heads with superior officer half-Vulcan half-human Spock (Zachary Quinto). Soon, however, the inexperienced cadets are called on an emergency mission and James stows away on the USS Enterprise, a ship which comes face to face with the Romulan ship who annihilated James' father the day of James' birth.

This package is very bright and shiny, and the action just keeps on coming. J.J. Abrams is directing, and though I haven't seen any of his other work he's earned himself a fan in this girl for solid edge-of-your-seat pacing, and the right balance of character development time interlaced with all the action. Of course he was working with friends Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman who wrote the excellent script. There was minimal exposition and great snappy dialogue, not to mention barking moments of brilliant black comedy.

Then there's the nod to be given to the technical stuff. This is what we should be using it for, not crap films where Will Ferrell is running away from a giant CG T-Rex. The special effects were awesome (my favorite scene has to be their crash landing on the giant drill). Also this is my nod to the soundtrack.

And finally ERIC BANA!! That's right bitches he gets his own section. He plays Nero and he's basically Hades combined with an evil version of Caesar with some sexy mixed in (ooh...that gravelly voice). First of all props to his costume/look designer because it took me half the film to recognize him. He actually had a good reason for why he wanted to kill James & co. (and no, it wasn't because he wanted to take over the world) and he made me sympathize with him in the fifteen seconds of explanation he got.

So even though this felt like a prequel and explained how James became captain of the USS Enterprise and got his crew together, it was amazing. One thing I was particularly impressed with was the character developments of Spock and James, and the choice of love interests. While I'm sure James' love interest is truly just around the corner, the choice was daring by the writers to leave her out in this film. It left time for James to focus on himself and only himself, on why he was doing what he was doing and what he wanted to accomplish. In contrast, giving Spock a human lover (even though he's a slightly secondary character to James) when he was struggling with his being half-human and half-Vulcan brought out his humanity.

This is a must-see.

-elln