Album of the Week: Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Dawn McCarthy “What the Brothers Sang” (2013)

“Happy Days” ruined the Everly Brothers for me.  For many many years I thought of their music simply as more of the insipid bland rock & roll from the shows soundtrack (“Wake Up Little Susie”).  It wasn’t until after I was an adult that I learned how they fit into the country (and rock) traditions, the links to earlier acts like the Louvins and to rock acts like the Beatles and the Beach Boys.  Only after all that did I go back & really listen to some of their recordings, and discover what I had been missing.

Growing up in Kentucky, Will Oldham had a different exposure to the Everlys.  They’re considered much more of a big deal, and for years there was a music festival held in their honor in Western KY.  So it’s not surprising that he has fond childhood memories of their recordings.

Dawn McCarthy has worked with Will Oldham before, most notably on 2006’s The Letting Go.  That recording is a quiet masterpiece that highlighted the interplay of their voices.  Given that track record I was enthusiastic about the potential for this Everly Brothers project.  

The primary challenge of recording an Everlys tribute is how to handle the vocals.  Coming from the brother duet tradition, the Everlys practiced a subtle yet difficult technique of synching vocals while harmonizing.  Some claim that due to differences in speech and breathing patterns it is almost impossible for singers who aren’t siblings to duplicate this style.  

Their answer is to not attempt to duplicate the Everly Brothers.  Rather, they interpret the harmonies in their own way.  Sometimes Oldham and McCarthy are singing together, other times they are alternating, often within the same line.  Given their ability to harmonize, this choice works well.  While not being a true copy of the original material, it is true to their own style.

Another good choice was made with the material.  Rather than approaching from a “Greatest Hits” perspective, What the Brothers Sang ignores many of the biggest hits to linger on some deep cuts.  And perhaps more surprisingly, they focus on an often ignored time period of the Everly Brothers career-- the late 60s.  There’s a relaxed sunshine pop jibe to most of these recordings.  It provides a warmth that mirrors the warmth of their harmonies.

Placing this album in the context of his career, I would say that What the Brothers Sang is a mix of Greatest Palace Songs with a hint of The Letting Go.  Highly recommended for fans for Bonnie “Prince” Billy or the Everly Brothers.

Michael J Sullivan "Theft of Swords" (Orbit, 2011)

I first heard about Michael J Sullivan in an online discussion of indie authors who made the jump to traditional publishing.  Sullivan originally self-published the Riyria books, and then after they had gained quite a following, was picked up by Orbit.  Theft of Swords is an omnibus containing the first two books in the series, The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha.

Our protagonists are Royce and Hadrian, a thief and a fighter respectively, who are framed for the murder of a king.  Of course things only get more complicated for them after that development, as they try to get out of one predicament only to find themselves in increasingly more complicated situations.  Sullivan gives us thieves’ guilds, wizards, elves, dwarves, magical artifacts, lost towers, dragons, and more.  

While Sullivan seems to get all the toys out of the fantasy box here, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It’s easy to forget that there’s a reason why certain tropes became tropes in the first place.  Usually it’s because they were a fun and effective idea.  Sullivan embraces them without irony and in the process reminds you of why you liked the trope in the first place.  

The plotting is first rate, and for the most part the reader is propelled through the story, as Royce and Hadrian go from one problematic situation to another.  There are vast underlying mysteries and conspiracies, but rather than dominate the storyline, they are referenced and hinted at, providing more mysteries to keep the reader intrigued.

Theft of Swords does seem to stumble in a couple of areas.  First, at times Sullivan is a bit too eager to tell not show, and falls victim to largish infodumps.  While the information is needed, I can’t help but wonder if there would have been a more nuanced means of transmitting that information.  Second, the supporting characters are not well developed.  The sequences not involving Royce and Hadrian seem to come to a crawl, as the characters are not strong enough to support the narrative.  These sections seem to drag, especially as compared to the breakneck pace of the Royce/Hadrian portion of the narrative.

Sullivan has said that the Riyria books were written as the sort of escapist fantasy that he wanted to read.  As such, they are very successful.  There’s nothing here that is attempting to expand the genre, or be particularly challenging, but that’s OK.  Every novel doesn’t have to be provocative and challenging.  Theft of Swords is comfort food, and when viewed as such is very enjoyable indeed.

John Scalzi "The Human Division" (Tor Books, 2013)

I’m now at little over halfway through the weekly installments for The Human Division, and I thought it would be good to examine my thoughts up to this point.

First, I’m enjoying the episodic format much more than I expected to.  As the week have gone on, I’m excited to realize that Tuesday is coming, & that I’ll have a new episode to read.  Normally I am a bit disappointed that I only have one episode, & really want to keep reading.

Second, I’m impressed with Scalzi’s ability to change formats and styles in the episodes.  While there is a certain tonal similarity to all of his work, he has mixed things up considerably, with some episodes being dark, some comedic, some political, some action.  It’s been a good mix.

My major complaint is that the story has been a bit too scattershot up to this point.  By choosing to tell the story through so many characters and settings, I feel like I am losing depth in any of them.  At this point I’m wondering if the format wouldn’t work better with a smaller story that would still allow for episodic structure but also provide more character depth.

Zachary Jernigan "No Return" (Night Shade Books, 2013)

In the last few years Night Shade Books has developed a reputation for introducing bold works by debut authors.  Zachary Jernigan’s No Return can be added to that list.  

The action can be divided into three spheres.  There’s the possibly mad god Adrash who lives on the moon and contemplates judgment on the people of Jeroun.  Then there’s power mad Ebn & Pol, alchemical astronauts who each are committed to acquiring as much magical power as possible.     Finally we have a trio of fighters, Vedas, Churls, and Berun, strangers brought together over the course of a journey to a massive tournament.  Their storylines do, of course, converge, but to give more details would be running deeply into spoiler territory.

Thematically, there’s a lot to chew on.  A surprising amount, considering this is a debut novel.  At the core of No Return is the nature of God, of the worshipers and the worshipped.  What is the relationship?  And what should it be?  Also Jernigan is fascinated with parents and children, both biological and sociological.  (And of course this parallels the relationship of God & worshiper.)

Don’t worry, this isn’t some philosophical treatise disguised as novel.  There are lots & lots of cool stuff here.  Alchemical spaceships, dead races, magical suits that are controlled by the wearers’ thoughts.  How many novels have both giant martial arts tournaments and spaceships?

I was impressed with the physicality of the characters in No Return.  Here in this time of grimdark we are perhaps used to characters actually aching or retaining injuries.  But rather than relying on the extremes that some authors use, Jernigan gives us the details in smaller, more realistic ways.  Additionally, there was more physical sexual frustration than in perhaps any book I’ve ever read.  Normally unresolved romances are dealt with only in emotional terms.  Here the separation becomes a physical thing.  

No Return is a bold debut and not for the faint of heart.  Some of the subject matter may be objectionable or difficult for some readers.  For the rest of us, No Return provides a deeply rich world with fascinating ideas and great action.  I’m looking forward to reading his next book.

Album of the Week: Pharis & Jason Romero "Long Gone Out West Blues" (2013)

Back a hundred years ago & more, before the advent of recorded music, parlor music was a popular pastime.  As hard as it may be to believe today, at the time thousands of regular people played musical instruments.  They would gather in their parlors and sit and play the popular songs of the day.  Some of these were traditional folks songs, others were pop songs specifically written for that market.

Now in the 21^st century, changes in recording and performance technology have made created a small resurgence in the genre.  How else can you consider the indie folk releases from Iron & Wine, for example?  Once these songs couldn’t be performed for an audience, simply because the audience could not have heard the performers.  Now the smallest sounds can be transmitted to the back of a venue.

Long Gone Out West Blues is the second release simply under the names of Pharis & Jason Romero.  While their earlier recordings as The Haints string band came more from an old time dance tradition, these last two releases are firmly within the parlor tradition.  By its nature this is intimate music.  Its strengths are subtle ones – the interplay between two instruments and two voices.  As the guitar and banjo intertwine, there is a corresponding meeting of the two voices.  They are apart, then in unison, then changing again.

It’s a mistake to misjudge simplicity to mean the same as simple.  The difficulty, as well as much of the beauty, comes from subtleties that can easily be overlooked in a fast paced digital age.  Sit down, have a glass of tea, let the music embrace you.