Radiohead - In Rainbows (vinyl)

I don't need to tell you much about this album; I'm sure you already have it and have listened to it more than enough times, like I have. There are only a few points I need to touch on.

I bought this vinyl when Radiohead came to indianapolis. It was my first time seeing them, and hey, the album was only $20. I'd never listened to them on vinyl before, so i was anticipating something new and exciting. I assure you, i have not been let down (and hanging around...sorry). This album art is probably my favorite ever. Just look at it. When you are holding this massive sleeve in your hands, you start nitpicking it and trying to find little nooks you may have missed before. Being able to see this up close, not on a computer screen has been a joy. The record itself is a little heavier than most records. Because of this, i think it screws up my record player slightly. What i mean by this is that when rotating, the album dips down a bit more than any vinyl normally should on the player, thus resulting in a slight warped sound. It's only apparent on a few tracks, such as Videotape, when the piano part comes in. This could be that the record itself is screwed up and i need to get a new one. but oh well.

the biggest thing that makes me love this album and debate whether or not it is my favorite of theirs, is that fact that it is so crucial. it needed to come out when it did and it needed to come out as it did. everything about it is so Radiohead. i'm sure this makes sense to you already. with their concert experience, their video for House of Cards - everything. if Radiohead never makes another album (which we know for the most part, from several interviews thus far, isn't true), i can die happy knowing that i have it in two forms so far, because i honestly have no idea what could top this.

Watchmen - by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

Ok. whew. if you are like me, you sat glued to your seat in awe a little after midnight on July 18, as a movie trailer appeared. masked heroes, some guy being disintegrated, a giant clock of some sort, and a bloodied smiley face took over, capturing my attention. i realized quickly that this was Watchmen, a graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, which was on my list of Top 100 Novels to be read, and now i had a something compelling me even more to read it.

Watchmen is a series of comics, lasting only a year, set in an alternate history in 1985 (nixon is still president, America won Vietnam, and the Cold War is at full throttle) filled with crime and masked heroes. vigilante justice has been made illegal, however, excluding one actual superhero - Dr. Manhattan, who is working for the government - and The Comedian, a masked man of some kind of justice, also in cohorts with the feds. eventually you are introduced do heroes past in present, one of which in particular whom has become one of my all time favorite fictional characters - Rorschach.

as far as the story goes, there seems to be some killing going on; killing of some former heroes. fingers start pointing, and questions are raised - is there a mask killer on the loose? what's behind all of this? as this plot unfolds, the stories behind Dr. Manhattan, The Silk Spectre, Nite-Owl II, and others are opened up. This is some of my favorite parts. Also included are snippets or excerpts from certain literature - Nite-Owl I's biography, psychology reports, comic-book magazine articles, etc. Sometimes they seem unneeded and tedious, but all the same the break up the continuous pictures and word bubbles. at the end of each 'chapter', is a quote from somewhere - a bob dylan song, the bible - that gives the chapter its name. also is a picture of the doomsday clock approaching midnight, with a pool of blood dripping down to it.

I easily got through this book in a little over a day. It's like reading a movie. if that makes sense. the writing style is dead on and keeps you gripped - quickly you put yourself into this alternate universe and think of how you would react if the U.S. and Russia were only days away from imminent nuclear war. And, might i add, you quickly pick one hero and begin relating to them. you want to be them, to live their life - at least somewhat. Save for Dr. Manhattan, everyone is just a human behind a mask.

and with that, you also ask that very question...who watches the watchmen?

No Age - Nouns

I just recently heard about this band, and only heard part of one song from them. I liked the idea they had, using only guitar and drums, and from the slight buzz i gathered from others, i figured i should give it a try. I'm glad that i did.

No Age is a duo from LA, and they encompass the DIY art and music scene. That's how i could describe them. My Bloody Valentine and Black Flag are their two biggest influences. The drummer is the singer, and while most of the time it seems like a goofy idea it works really well. He only sings when necessary. The music is very upbeat and can stand alone just fine, but the vocals add to the excitement. Think Death from Above 1979, except with a guitar and a little more lighthearted.

Something that gets me going on this album is the way that it sounds. A few good chunks of the songs were all recorded at some different places, which keeps repetitiveness not an option. Everything is very raw, very i-recorded-some-songs-in-my-basement. But it all still sounds good. Things are catchy. Things are spazzy. Sometimes having only two people in a band are good (especially if they are both good at what they do), simply because it only mixes two sides of influence together. This can make things more interesting and complex than one might think. I know i like it.

Songs:Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co.

Again, this band has been hiding all around me. I finally got a copy of this album, which i believe is their best one. The common debate is whether or not this is a Songs:Ohia record, or a Magnolia Electric Co. one. I'll try to crack down what i believe.

From all i have heard from Songs:Ohia, the songs follow a basic mood or atmosphere to them: lo-fi, moody, bare, and sullen. Ghost Tropic is a good example of this, though darker than the other albums, but for the most part they stay the same. Magnolia Electric Co., however is more country-inspired and bluesy, not to mention that it is an actual band, not just Jason Molina. And here, with The Magnolia Electric Co., the full band is used and that southern twang pulls through. Slide guitars, honky-tonk pianos, and even a number sang by a local country singer appear. Molina's singing sounds more mature than in past albums. This is also a factor in deciphering between the two bands. Magnolia's What Comes After the Blues and Fading Trails emphasize on the deeper tones of his voice, i think. And this cd is no different.

But don't be fooled too much by the country-inspired comment. This is still very much a rockin' album. Things get pretty heavy at times. Ultimately, this has become one of my favorites albums of all time, simply for the style of music and of the messages put out in it. I suppose it doesn't really matter which band is truly put forth here, but what does matter is that it shows a good composite of two genres in a way most people haven't heard before.

Franny and Zooey

I haven't read anything of Salinger's for over a year now, and the wait was certainly worth it. The Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book, and here i find some similarities. namely his style of writing.

Franny and Zooey is a novel (or novella, in my opinion) composed of two short stories, centered around two siblings of the Glass family. Franny, the first story, follows a scene surrounding the youngest sibling and Lane, her college boyfriend. In my opinion, this is the better story of the two. Anyways, Franny shows up at the station and goes to the diner to eat, but acts sick or on the verge of death. she carries around some little book with her that could possibly be the result of her acting strange. the reason i like this portion is because it is fairly short, and is a prime example of Salinger's simplistic writing style with unique young adult characters.

Zooey, however, is a different story. His (yea, i thought it was a girl too) portion of the book is very long and somewhat drawn out. Zooey is like an older Holden Caulfield, with that arrogance, disrespect, and habit of smoking. he disrespects his parents (and siblings) and tries to get to the bottom of this book that Franny is reading. apparently, the Glass children were very promising and intelligent, until each went their own separate ways. one died in a war, one committed suicide. all in all, it is a very Royal Tenenbaums-esque background.

don't get me wrong, Zooey still has that Salinger style, but it's a little more drawn out and slow paced than Franny. Zooey is also about 160 pages, compared to Franny's 40.

Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (vinyl)

I'm going to be honest. I hate the sounds of the 70s: you know, when all these pop bands started getting orchestras behind them and tried being elaborate. everything just didn't sound good. i'm a little bias, to be honest. the drums just didn't sound good. it's something that i knack about with bands about that era. but enough of that.

Jens Lekman has won my heart. simply put. i bought this on vinyl at the Village Green Record Store. the album cover is so awesome; one of the best. so, what kind of music are we talking about? This is that 70s-era orchestra pop that i so despise. however, everything sounds golden. Jens' voice is a soothing, deep Swedish love. he sings about love, first kisses, and leaving the one he loves. the drums are crisp and heavy. from the very start, the timpani starts rolling and the woodwinds begin to fade in. does it get much better than this? no.

the time period that Lekman is stuck in strikes a chord with me. maybe it's because he's in love and lighthearted about the things he's singing about. the songs are just so fucking catchy too! the vinyl-ness adds to the nostalgia. included was a code for a digital download, so that was totally a plus. what a good album.

Songs:Ohia - Ghost Tropic (vinyl)

Songs:Ohia is a band that has slowly been creeping around in my life. Thanks to Pandora Radio i have been opened up to them more. i bought this album on vinyl at the Village Green Record store. needless to say, this album is perfect for vinyl.

The cover art is something that should be worth mentioning, as it is a good representation of the music. i think that is something more bands should pay attention to. anyways, the songs are as bare as can be. guitar and piano compose most of the tracks, complete with jason molina's sultry voice. inside the record case is a poster; it is a picture of a dirt road curving through what appears to be a tropical forest. it is tinted a grey-blue. looking at this picture adds to one of the tracks, which is purely composed of a vibraphone and bird noises.

i can't imagine listening to this on a cd because the sound quality and the overall emotion just wouldn't be there, i don't think. i've found myself in the early hours of the morning sitting in my room and just soaking the empitness of Ghost Tropic in. that's all you can really do.