Album of the Week: Kurt Vile "Wakin On a Pretty Daze" (2013)

It’s difficult to think about “Walkin on a Pretty Daze” in specifics.  There are lots of general things that can be said.  It’s an updated version of classic rock, with the primacy of the album experience over that of the single.  It’s evocative and moody; more of an atmospheric statement than one beholding to pop structure.

Its strengths – the atmosphere and mood—work against specific analysis of the songs themselves.  Vile’s commitment to the same tempos and arrangements mean that the songs tend to blend together.  My mind drifts as the music sets in.  This is a feature, not a bug.  The experience of listening is like that of being enveloped in a warm cocoon.

Luke Scull "The Grim Company" (Head of Zeus, 2013)

At first glance, The Grim Company appears to be a bog standard fantasy novel.  In a city state ruled by an ancient despotic mage, a disparate group of adventurers struggle to end his rule.  There’s a young man destined to be a great hero, a couple of grizzled barbarians, a troubled young woman, an underpowered mage, etc etc….  

Fortunately Scull almost immediately sets about deconstruction of these tropes.  The gap between the young man’s mental version of his life and the actual version is comical.  The barbarian has a rich internal life.  The underpowered mage doesn’t power up and defeat all their foes.  He develops these characters somewhat slowly, but carefully.  They’re flawed, but still able to generate our sympathy and interest.

The plot itself is rapid and propulsive, as the group encounters numerous dangers and problems on the way to reaching their goal.  The climactic battle sequence is suitably epic, with plenty of carnage.  Despite the book’s length, it feels like a short quick read.

There were a couple of problems, though they are common to first novels and to the start of a series in particular.  Early in the book there’s quite a bit of infodumping.  While the information is necessary, the manner of delivery is awkward and interrupts what is otherwise a strong narrative flow.

The other problematic area is the lack of development of the female characters in the book.  While there are numerous female characters on all sides of the moral spectrum, most are underdeveloped with their plotlines seemingly leading nowhere.  Hopefully these plotlines will be developed further in the subsequent books in the series.

Despite these flaws, The Grim Company is an impressive first novel.  Scull has created memorable characters and a unique fantasy world that should only improve with subsequent volumes.  Highly recommended for fans of Abercrombe, Sullivan, et al.

Peter Clines "14" (Permuted Press, 2012)

One of my favorite horror tropes is when the familiar becomes sinister.  Creepy dolls, municipal buildings like schools or hospitals; I’m sure that you’re familiar with the technique.  In 14, it’s an apartment building.  There are a lot of them out there like this.  At first glance they appear to be normal, but when you look more closely, things get strange.  The architecture doesn’t quite make sense.  Rooms don’t align; door or stairways don’t actually go anywhere.  Changes and additions seem to have been made on an ad hoc basis.

The story opens with Nate, our protagonist, moving into an old apartment building.  As he gets settled in he begins to notice strange things, like the light in his kitchen that only works as a black light.  Or the strange florescent roaches with an extra leg.  The more he looks into things, the stranger it becomes.  Eventually he assembles his own Scooby Gang with his neighbors.  They pool their knowledge and resources and eventually get to the bottom of the mystery of the Kavach building.

There are a couple of reasons why 14 is so effective.  First is Clines’ skillful character development of various members of the ad hoc Scooby gang.  They all have their own personalities, backstories and motivations.  There are some mysterious elements as well to some of the characters, providing additional suspense and questions.  The interactions of the building residents are a joy to read.

Most important is the skillful way that Clines’ handles the mystery at the heart of 14.  The reader is only privy to the same information that Nate has at any given time.  As events unfold and more and more strange facts emerge, there is a growing sense of dread.  What is going on with this building?  While the eventual solution does explain the strange things we’ve seen, the various pieces that are uncovered are sufficiently bizarre that it’s not easy to predict the secret of the Kavach building.

14 is a horror mystery rich in mythology, with vibrant characters and a strong emotional core.  I’d highly recommend it to fans of the weird.

Album of the Week: Billy Bragg "Tooth & Nail" (2013)

For some reason, in my mind certain musicians are stuck in time.  So the Stones are always in the late 70s.  Sonic Youth is in the early 90s, a couple of albums away from “Goo”.  REM is in the late 90s, with their best years far behind them.  Billy Bragg is in the mid 80s, an angry young man with an electric guitar, caustic wit, & a powerful need to be loved.

Of course in reality none of those images are accurate.  “Tooth & Nail” is quite clearly the work of a middle aged man.  The urgency and anger of his younger self are gone.  This is not to say that the album is without charms, there are plenty to be found, just not the same ones as on his early records.

The closest to the old angry Billy is “No One Knows Nothing Anymore”, but even that track is more consumed by cynicism than righteous indignation.  In fact it seems emotionally out of place on a collection that veers more towards the personal.

The changing priorities and themes are not without their own merit.  See the wordplay on “Handyman Blues”, as Billy channels some of the old Letter Man magic to change pottery to poetry.  (Did they even have Letter Man in the UK?)  

While the anger may be gone, the sincerity remains.  And Bragg’s craftsmanship as a songwriter has only improved with age.  He took 5 years off before recording this album.  Let’s all hope that he doesn’t take that long a break before the next one.

Album of the Week: The Milk Carton Kids "The Ash & Clay" (2013)

For better or worse (or possibly both), The Milk Carton Kids are lumped into the same category as Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, etc.  From a marketing standpoint, it’s probably understandable.  Obviously Anti wants to sell records, & pitching The MCKs as a similar act hopes to siphon off some of the massive fanbases of those other acts.

When you actually listen to the music, however, the similarities end pretty quickly.  Both Mumford & The Lumineers are acoustic rock.  The bones of their music have more similarities to Coldplay than to anything from the folk music tradition.  The MCKs influences come fast & quick on listening… and the comparisons to folk acts are unavoidable.

Their harmonies remind me of Simon & Garfunkle.  Listen to the vocal interplay between the two vocalists.  The MCKs don’t seem to have Simon’s knack for pop hooks, or that 60s penchant for “relevancy”, but the sonics are the same.  The music itself brings to mind Gillian Welch.  Clearly these guys have been listening to David Rawlings.  The fills & leads sound as if they asked DR to sit in for a bit.

If anything, my major complaint with this record would be that there’s too much standing on the shoulders of giants.  It’s hard to cut away the influences & get to The MCKs own sound.  However, all the ingredients seem to be there.  This isn’t the career defining record.  But they have the potential to make some truly great recordings.