Watchmen and some music

So it's about time for an update. The biggest thing right now is Alan Moore's Watchmen from 1986-87. I bought this (what a concept!) a little while back right after reading Batman: The Killing Joke, (see previous post) also written by Moore. It took me the better part of two days to read it; it's pretty darn thick.

Holy crap is it good.

I shouldn't be surprised, and I suppose I'm not. This book is revered as the best graphic novel ever by nearly everybody. The most outstanding aspect of it is the story itself; although mostly applicable during the Cold War, it still rings pretty true today, a sort of anti-war novel. It isn't a traditional one though. With all the main characters as masked vigilantes, genius pseudo-megalomaniacs and nuclear demigods battling themselves and each other over how (and whether) to protect humanity, it could hardly be traditional.

In a sort of documentary about Moore called The Mindscape of Alan Moore, the genius writer describes the inherent link between art and magic. What this man has wrought in Watchmen is a perfect example of magic by his definition, which is something that changes a person's perception of reality (I think that's what it was anyway, I'm paraphrasing). I will probably never look at comics the same way again, nor life in general. This is the sort of thing that makes people form opinions.

Okay. On to some music.


Diablo Swing Orchestra - The Butcher's Ballroom
I've heard these guys mentioned quite a few times before, but didn't bother checking them out until yesterday. I shouldn't have waited. DSO's style is an amalgam of metal, classical, and I guess some sort of bluegrass or something. This is their only full album so far, I haven't listened their EP. Seeing as I've only listened through this album once I can't give a very in depth review, but I definitely recommend it.

Ween - 12 Golden Country Greats
Ween is a peculiar band. I haven't heard a whole lot of their stuff an most of it hasn't really interested me. However, Devin Townsend likes them so that's enough for me. Also this is a great piece of work. It's in the musical style of country as the title suggests, but instead of the subject matter dealing with tractors and beer coupled with heartbreak, pictures are painted with sci-fi and satire. The parental advisory on the front shouldn't be ignored, as there are some pretty awesome lyrics. It's a fun album.

Samael - Solar Soul
Yet another black metal turned avant-garde band. These guys aren't quite as out there as Ulver or Manes, but they're definitely good. This music is more industrial metal than anything, sort of sounding like Rammstein (although I don't really listen to them at all, and this is much more complex). It has symphonic elements as well, hearkening back to their roots. It's even catchy. Again I've only heard this once so far, but it stuck out of the many titles I've been going through of late.

I'm listening to it again now, and I just noticed that the vocals kind of sound like those in Celtic Frost's latest release, Monotheist, which is an awesome album by the way.

Stam1na - Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä
Finland has recently come out of obscurity in the music world due to Lordi's almost miraculous entry and win in Eurovision a little while back. This oddly named group here has also ridden pretty high on the charts, and for good reason. This is some pretty darn catchy metal; a little similar to french act Scarve, and with a few elements close to Strapping Young Lad. They're a lot more catchy though, a little mainstream sounding with all the production; not nearly as brutal as those two bands. Still it's very very enjoyable stuff.


Now for the heavy stuff \m/

Pig Destroyer - Prowler in the Yard
Just from the name you can imagine the brutality contained in this music, never mind the cover art. Pig Destroyer is a grind-core band, a genre that came from a melding of hardcore punk and death metal. The songs are short and fast. Unrelentingly psyche-scratching. The intro is read to us by the ubiquitous "Bob" computer voice. He describes a scene with two women engaged in some form of off perversion watched by a group of people who have no idea what to do about it. Then the music begins, and only those desensitized to onslaughts of musical brutality will keep listening. I love it. The vocals are, as expected, incomprehensible, but I checked some out and found this section of verse:

Certain things fascinate me.
First I went blind and then the sun went out.
The way you hold a match so steady.
How heaven is collapsing under so much joy.

I love that stuff like this can be so obscured by its presentation; I think it's beautiful. Beautiful brutality. The album ends with a return to Bob's monotone delivery of a conclusion to the weird tangle discussed in the intro. I won't describe it as it's quite graphic, and should only be beheld in its original form, if you're willing to try it.

I've listened to a ton of other stuff recently, but these were the standouts. Unfortunately much of what I try doesn't really get me at all, but I'll sometimes come back to it and see what I was missing. I think that's a common tale.

Batman: The Killing Joke

It seems my foray into comic land continues. DC has put out some darned good stuff, and I haven't really looked at much of it. The recent drama with Heath Ledger's death prompted me to read up on The Dark Knight, and apparently both Batman Begins and this upcoming film are largely based on The Long Halloween, which I will be reading shortly. Ledger's character also draws from this comic.

This is fantastic. Better than the previous comic I reviewed, I think. It has the whole origin thing for The Joker, which I always like, and partially for that reason he's given a much more human face; I use the term "face" in a metaphorical sense of course, he's still the ghastly nightmare we all love. Anyway, you really empathize with The Joker, as his story plays out as a sad, unfortunate one. The overall feel of the book is quite dark, altough not nearly as much as Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth for example, which I read a while back. That was quite a trip.

This kind of adult-comic style is very alluring to me. For some reason I think I'm enjoying comics more now than I did as a kid; of course I've only just started, and these are pretty much the cream of the crop.

I am very much looking forward to The Dark Knight. RIP Heath Ledger.

Superman: Doomsday

It's been a long time since I watched anything related to the animated realm of superheroes. The new wave of live-action films has sort of reduced the splendor of those seemingly childish things. However, this 2007 direct-to-video film is nothing to scoff at at which to scoff.

I didn't even know about this until yesterday when I was looking up information on Adam Baldwin, better known to most people (at least around here) as Jayne Cobb of Firefly. The reason I was looking him up was because I was going through Half-Life 2: Episode 2 again to listen to the commentary, and noticed a familiar voice coming from one the resistance fighters. Sure enough, Jayne's in the game. I also saw this film under his filmography, so good ol' Wikipedia led me to this gem.

Anyway. I remember way way back in the Warsaw NY library one day, I found this comic book called The Death of Superman. I've never been up-to-date with any comic books, and I'm pretty sure my mom wouldn't have let me borrow it. I read through a bunch of it crouching next to the comic box. It looked really cool then, and I've always remembered one of the opening panels, where a be-goggled Doomsday crushes a little bird in one gargantuan hand. That scene isn't present in the film sadly, but there are similar moments.

I was worried that the second half that deals with the rebirth of Superman wouldn't be as entertaining as the somewhat-ultimate battle between the red-caped behemoth and his spiky bane. My worry was for naught; it was quite entertaining. The semi-evil Superman clone was more bad-ass than the genuine article.

Altogether, Superman: Doomsday was a much better experience than what I remember of the animated series. Although it wasn't nearly as graphic as it could have been, there was actually blood and a small amount of watered-down swearing, making it much more believable. The ever-present cheese factor did make a few appearances. I really enjoyed it though. Adam Baldwin did a great job voicing the man of steel.

They should really consider doing this storyline for the next live-action incarnation. It would seriously own.

UPDATE

I just read through the comic book I remembered; it's actually a collection of comics in series. It was awesome; so much more intense than the movie. Doomsday is the embodiment of metal. Apparently Superman's rebirth is part of a different story arc not covered in The Death of Superman. Superman: Doomsday is quite a simplification of the original story, but I think they did a good job of it anyway.

obZen

My jaw has officially gone below sea-level.

Meshuggah, my favorite band for the last 2 or 3 years, has created another masterpiece. As expected. This release is even more innovative than its predecessor, Catch 33, which has been my favorite album for an equally long time. This one might just topple that. I got a leak, at pretty low quality, but I can't resist listening to it ad infinitum. So here's a song-by-song (p)review.

Track 1: Combustion
WAH! Insanity. I don't think Meshuggah has played this many notes in one bar ever, aside from Fredrik's Holdsworthy solos. Every time I listen to it I like it more. Definitely a new direction, at least in the intro. The rest is a bit more similar to their classic style of pounding arrhythmic monotony, but still throws in some flourishes of color. Knocks my proverbial socks off my theoretical feet.

Track 2: Electric Red
Starts off with a very familiar sound, perhaps a Nothing feel, followed by some more of the Chaosphere intensity I love. Some of the chords are perhaps a bit more doomy than usual. I think it was an interview with Marten where he stated that this album would be more dense; it certainly is that. There is a lot more sound going on. I've always loved Meshuggah for their minimalistic intensity, but this is good too. Jens' voice hasn't changed at all. Still awesome. The latter parts of this song are a bit quieter, with some light chugga-chugga breakdown things. Doesn't excite me too much, but I'm sure I'll grow to love them.

Track 3: Bleed
This is the track I mentioned a couple posts ago. It just might be the best on the album. From what I've read on several forums, this is the one that everyone likes; some for reason a lot of them can't stand the opening track, but this one is a standby. I don't blame them for liking it. The pitch bend amid the cacophony of bass drums and polymetric chord-chugging is orgasmic. Other than the pitch bend, the only major difference from their previous work is the speed and density. It's fast. It's thick. Very little breathing room, and not that many polymeters really. But dog-mad, is it great. There's a bit of Catch 33 in here too.

Track 4: Lethargica
Another favorite on the message boards. The title is an accurate one; the speed hearkens back to Nothing's drawn-out soul-crusher riffs. Yet again though, the notes are much more diverse, which reminds me of Straws Pulled at Random (Nothing), come to think of it. We've got some more of the doomy chords from Electric Red. Holdsworth solo, sounds a bit like the one on Catch 33, but more structured. Holy hell Thomas Haake is awesome. Woah! I think I just heard some harmonics! Sweet!

Track 5: obZen
Apparently, the title track name came from some made up language. I can't remember which one, but I think it was an established language that no one uses. The word itself means "obscene." As for the song, I think It's most similar to the Nothing sound, but there are definitely a lot of differences. Alright I take that back. It's too different from Nothing. This is something new. Lots of polymeters. Unrelenting. Maybe a bit like War from the Rare Trax album, but not quite the same intensity. It's impossible to reach that with a human behind the drums.

Track 6: This Spiteful Snake
Badass title. Badass song. More of the doom chords. Man I wish I were a guitar player and had one of those 8-strings, they sound like so much fun. I wish I could understand what Jens is saying. Well, when I buy the album I'll be able to read the lyrics; this will be the first Meshuggah album I've bought, and it won't be the last. I might buy Catch 33 next. Fredrik is nuts. This one is pretty atmospheric, what with his rapid-picking going on in the background. The song ends with a nice drawn out signature Mesh chord. I love that sound so much.

Track 7: Pineal Gland Optics
Wikipedia says the pineal gland has something to do with dreams; there's a hint at the subject matter. The sound doesn't deviate much from the previous track, but we have some more of the drawn-out chords with a slight pitch bend that remind me of Catch 33. Fredrik's having some more fun with soloing in this one. There seems to be some note-sliding going on; I don't think I've heard that in a Mesh song before.

Track 8: Pravus
Boom! Another ass-kicker. Very different. This one almost has a death/black metal vibe in parts. Otherwise we have the new note-barrages and rather straight-forward drum footwork. Woah, there's a new sound, almost a traditional twin guitar tone, again with the black metal vibe.

Track 9: Dancers to a Discordant System
Awooooga. I love this. Non-sequitor notes. Meshuggah is pretty much anti-music. This is very Catch 33. Awesome. So saddening that it has to be the last track; this album is far too short. I'm getting lost in the polymeters as I often do when listening to Meshuggah... Now we've got an almost major scale going on. I wish I new more about scales. Then I could be even more confused. Gosh darnit, I have to see these guys live. There's just no buts about it. It's a necessity. And so, the final chapter to this masterwork fades out in polymetric glory.

That's that. I'm sad that I can now only look forward to owning a physical copy and not revel in the anticipation of hearing the sounds of genius, but I'm also ecstatic that I can finally listen to new Meshuggah. You can only play New Millenium Cyanide Christ so many times before it becomes commonplace.

Nah, you can't. Meshuggah will never get old.

EDIT: Here's a pretty great video interview with Marten and Tomas.
EDIT 2: Full album art finally!

Cloverfield

This movie was hyped a lot for the last half a year or so. Lots of viral advertising, not unlike the next Batman film. I didn't really get into most of it, but I kind of wish I had. It would probably have given me a better idea of what was going on. This leads me to what is probably the biggest complaint (not necessarily mine) about this movie: it tells you almost nothing about what's going on.

I for one loved it partly for this fact alone. It's in the same vein as JJ Abrams' other opus, Lost. So much is left to speculation. The camera work itself is the biggest part of this, as usually it's not pointing at what you're hanging off the edge of the seat to see, instead focusing on the ground in front of the camera man as he walks over precarious ledges. The film often reminded me and my friends a lot of first person shooters for this reason; the first-person-perspective and environments, even some of the monsters, gave off a very Half-Life 2 feel. The only difference was that the guy behind the camera actually spoke, unlike Gordon Freeman.

Anyway, the advantage given by withholding so much from the viewer is the rapt attention that it results in (at least for me). You're straining to catch a glimpse of the monsters so much that you forget that they're just a bunch of computer generated vertex meshes.

Another complaint I've heard is that it's just 911 propaganda. I can see where this is coming from, as the opening scene of devastation was very similar to the footage I've seen of the September 11th attacks; huge dust clouds, collapsing buildings, and giant lizard-spider monsters decapitating the Statue of Liberty. GET OVER IT.

Those things aside, it was a great experience. I never saw the Blair Witch Project so I can't really compare the camera work to that, but I have no desire to anyway. I liked it. The acting was better than I thought it would be based on the previews. The monster was BAD-ASS. So were the zerglings, er... antlions... I mean, whatever the bleep those things were.

I just wish it had been Cthulu.

EDIT:

Oh yeah, any movie that includes music by Ratatat is automatically classic.

Fawlty Towers

I finished watching this classic 12-episode series last night. It was funny. John Cleese, one of the main members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, plays Basil Fawlty, the owner of a rather low-quality hotel. His character is extremely racist, a compulsive liar, and an ignoramus. Hilarity ensues. His interactions with the various clients of the hotel are always a laugh, as it seems it's impossible for him to tell the truth about anything and his lies are usually ridiculous. One of the running gags is that the waiter, Manuel, is a Spanish man of seemingly low intelligence and with only a tenuous grasp of the English language. He is constantly misunderstanding orders from Fawlty with hilarious results. Other themes include husband-wife conflicts and Polly's artistic leanings, which Fawlty doesn't seem to understand at all.

One of the best episodes for me was one where an American (U.S.) man came to the hotel and chewed Fawlty out like mad for his stupidity. I guess that says something about the way I think...

It was a very enjoyable show, and the episodes were short enough that they didn't keep me from other work very much. John Cleese is quite a comedian.

Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles n' stuff

Woah.

Wow.

Summer Glau.


I don't really need to say anything more, but I'm sure if I left it at that my pitiful readership would be disappointed. Anyway, I just watched the first episode of the the series mentioned in the title of this post. It was leaps and bounds better than I was led to expect from several amateur reviews; mostly because SUMMER GLAU. Summer Glau. The hottest I've seen her in anything. Robotic Summer Glau. Uagh... my nerd-core is imploding. The rest of the cast was pretty good too, the lady playing Sarah didn't really pull off quite what I expect for her character, but she was decent. John's a pansy though. Pansy pansy pansy. Even if he was in Heroes. The show itself was a little cheesy and not entirely mind blowing, but I will most definitely be watching the rest of it.


On to the n' stuff. The other day I nabbed 4 albums. The first one was Dead Can Dance - Aion, on recommendation in respect to being similar to the album Shadows of the Sun by Ulver. It is passingly so. Not nearly as good though. Ulver's masterpiece is amazing. I never thought I would enjoy pseudo-gregorian chants. DCD is interesting, I'll probably check some more out.


The second one was Manes - Vilosophe, gleaned from the same recommendation thread. The reason for this one was that Manes' history is similar to Ulver's in that they started out as a black metal group and morphed into an avant-garde electronic thing. It's good, but again, not as good as Ulver. granted I've only given it one listen so far, and haven't paid that much attention to it... I wasn't put off or anything though.


Coming up next is Archetype by Fear Factory. A decent album. Not great. Obsolete is by far their best, most brutally beautiful work to date, and Archetype doesn't touch it. If you know Fear Factory's sound this is no deviation.


And finally, 16 Volt's latest release FullBlackHabit. Not bad. The only other album I've heard from them is SuperCoolNothing, which is regarded as their best, as I've gathered. One track (I forget which one) basically sounds like a NIN ripoff, but the rest is distinctive 16 Volt sound, a sort of industrial Tool. Enjoyable.

EDIT:


Oh yeah I forgot. Metal giants Meshuggah have (sort of) released a track from the upcoming (March 7th) album obZen, which promises to be [gosh diddly-darn] AMAZING. The track is called Bleed, and it is fantasmic. Dense pounding polymetric headbanging miasma of sound. I cannot wait. Seriously. If you want to hear it, try looking around Meshuggah's official forum. Google will help you there.