Tags: Picture of the day
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Last week brought us issue four of six of Ed Brubaker’s Captain America : Reborn. Of the four issues thus far, this last one was the least interesting. It’s almost as if Brubaker brought the show to a sudden stop, just to align with 2010’s Siege series(?) And now they’ve announced an epilogue . . . Captain America : Who Will Wield the Shield? . . . due in December.
But scheduling aside, this is still the best long-term story arc since Thor lost his hammer back in the Walt Simonson days.
If you remember, Brubaker signed on to Cap in 2005, when Marvel abandoned the old numbering and begin with issue #1. But much of those early issues had nothing to do with Cap. They told the stories of Red Skull and Lukin. Winter Soldier. Then it was all about Crossbones and Sin, the daughter of Red Skull, who continued to have prominent roles throughout the series. Later, Brubaker incorporated Cap’s death as a result of Civil War, and told of the subsequent underground actions of Nick Fury and other unregistered heroes. In this way, Brubaker wove his title into the fabric of Marvel’s big storylines but did so without sacrificing the overall story that he wanted to tell. I can’t think of another writer who has been able to accomplish this so seamlessly. He almost makes it look as if he, and not Brian Michael Bendis, is the true architect of the current Marvel Universe. (Incidentally, this is what makes him so perfect for his other “big” series—Marvels Project, which I highly recommend.)
He also managed to make Bucky an arguably better Captain America than Steve was. At a minimum, Bucky was more of a Cap for our time. No one thought he’d be able to pull that off.
The fourth issue of Reborn has been out long enough that I’m not giving anything away by telling you that Steve Rogers still has not returned, but Cap has. With The Red Skull in his body. Astute readers all saw this coming. What’s harder to predict is how Steve will get his body back, and what will happen to Red Skull when he does. Presumably, that’s part of what’s behind the December one-off, Captain America : Who Will Wield the Shield? So now we have a one-shot spinning off a miniseries that spun off a main title. Enough, already. Can’t all this just be in the regular Cap comic?
Griping aside, Brubaker has proven himself to be an adept time-travel writer, something that’s not easy to do without seeming stupid. In the story, Skull/Zola/Doom had all planned to freeze Steve’s consciousness in time and then use his body, which is not stuck, to host Red Skull (who, as we all should know, is not really Red Skull, he’s the clone of Red Skull—don’t ask). But instead, Agent 13 (Sharon Carter) wrecked the Steve-stick-in-time machine and as a result, Rogers is bumping around revisiting his glory days.
Of course, now that Skull has occupied Steve’s physical body, it’s not clear where Steve has gone. There’s one line in issue 4 where Steve says he’s tired (“I’m a man who can’t feel fatigue, and yet it’s all I know”) that suggests that maybe Steve won’t return to being Captain America . Maybe he’ll leave it in the proven, adept hands of Bucky?
Nah. Marvel would never do that. (Except they already did . . . )
Tags: Superheroes
The problem with a list like this is the “shoulds”. You know, the albums you feel like everyone else will pick, so you “should,” too? Well, this time I decided not to deal with those. My list is based on the number of times I listened to these albums since they came out, whether I love them so much I already know every word to every song, how much it moved me, etc. This is a personal list. It isn’t intended to be complete or controversial. That said, I know I’ll get crap for it. But probably not as much as I will for my best rap albums list. Hip Hop fans always bring the hate . . .
As always, the only records that qualify are those that aren’t on a major label.
Wait! Before I get to the list itself, here’s a few that didn’t make it . . . But only just barely:
- Detective Kalita-The Michael Parks (2005-Kelp). A vastly under-heard and under-exposed, gentle album.
- Of Montreal-Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (2007-Polyvinyl). Experimental disco!
- Spinto Band-Nice and Nicely Done (2005-Bar None). Just straightforward indie rock, but catchy as hell.
-Albert Hammond, Jr.-Yours to Keep (2007-Watchtower). Rock, pop and roll by an ex-Stroke. Can’t get enough of this album.
Okay now, no more stalling . . .
25. Jason Lytle-The Commuter (2009-Anti). Genre: Indie rock. It was down to Jason or Albert Hammond, Jr., and it was a hard choice. I went with Jason because, although I sing-along much better to “Yours To Keep,” “The Commuter” took me places I hadn’t been before. And Lytle’s guitar solos are surprisingly intricate.
24. Voxtrot-Voxtrot (2007-Play Louder). Genre: Twee. Yeah, Voxtrot has a sound that’s light and sweet, but those hooks . . . Mmmmm. Sweet catchy hooks.
23. Band of Horses-Everything All the Time (2006-Sub Pop). Genre: Indie rock. Haunting and strange.
22. Petra Haden and Bill Frisell-s/t (2005-Sovereign). Genre: Indie folk/rock. Haden’s vocals are pure gold. I could listen to her read a phone book.
21. Cloud Cult-The Meaning of 8 (2007-Rebel Group). Genre: Heart-wrenching folk. It’s hard sometimes to listen to a band whose sole topic is the death of a young child, but it’s rewarding, too. Cloud Cult is one of the few bands how get into the philosophy of death and the meaning of life, but they do it through music and pictures rather than rambling discourse. If this album doesn’t make you cry, you need to go get a new heart from Oz.
20. Deadstring Brothers-Starving Winter Report (2006-Bloodshot). Genre: Americana. A vastly underrated band with a lead singer who looks like he’s twelve but sings like he’s forty with the power of a drunken twenty-seven-year-old.
19. Frank Turner-Love, Ire & Song (2009-Epitaph). Genre: Folkpunk. I want to thank Frank personally for “Thatcher Fucked the Kids.” Joe Strummer may be dead, but he lives on through people like Frank Turner.
18. Thao-We Brave Bee Sings and All (2008-Kill Rock Stars). Genre: Twee. Written off by many as inconsequential fluff, I challenge you to listen—really listen—past Thao’s too-cute-for-description vocal quality and into her sad and sometimes disturbing lyrics. She’s the folk-singer version of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer scripts.
17. Gaslight Anthem-’59 Sound (2008-Side One Dummy). Genre: 1970s garage rock. No, Gaslight Anthem doesn’t do anything new here. They channel Springsteen, blasting through three-and-a-half minute garagerock anthems. But who says music can’t still simply be a matter of fist-pumping fun? Not me, that’s for sure.
16. Calexico-Feast of Wire (2003-Quarter Stick). Genre: Americana. One of the most complex Americana albums I’ve had the privilege of hearing.
15. Jonathan Coulton-Thing A Week One (2006-Self released). Genre: Indie rock/folk. One of the greatest artists of the decade, it’s almost impossible for me to pick just one of his Things A Week. Every one is funny, introspective, provocative and a blast. My entire family can sing along to at least a third of his catalog. Go to his site and buy his music. Support the artist!
14. Mclusky-Mclusky Do Dallas (2002-Beggars). Genre: Screaming, balls-out punk. Because we all need a little nihilism sometimes.
13. The Black Keys-Rubber Factory (Fat Possum-2004). Genre: Crunchy blues. That’s right. I like these dudes more than The White Stripes. Way more.
12. Frightened Rabbit-The Midnight Organ Fight (2008-Fat Cat). Genre: Angry folk. Why do I love this album? Because of lines like, “It’s takes more than fucking someone you don’t know to keep yourself warm.” It embraces what it condemns, wearing self-contradiction and hypocrisy like a shawl in the winter. Brilliant, cynical, and beautiful.
11. Interpol-Turn on the Bright Lights (2002-Matador). Genre: Retro dark Europop. If there’s one truism about indie rock in the double-zeros, it’s that it’s overwhelmingly retro. Interpol exemplifies this trend, while at the same time improving on its source material.
10. Clap Hands Say Yeah-s/t (2005-Clap Hands Say Yeah). Genre: Indie rock. This is the record that proved that the blogosphere can sell records. Too bad it didn’t do much for the band’s second album. Even so, this one continues to get heavy rotation from me. It’s not revolutionary, it won’t change your life, but it’s a perfect example of everything indie rock and roll should be.
9. Death Cab for Cutie-Transatlanticism (2003-Barsuk). Genre: Intellectual pathos. An album that holds up, end to end, as the perfect crossover from indie-rock to twee. Gibbard is the most effective love-song-lyricist of his day.
8. The Hold Steady-Separation Sunday (2005-Frenchkiss). Genre: Muscular intellectual pathos. Because Springsteen hasn’t been this good since Born To Run.
7. Bloc Party-Silent Alarm (2005-Vice). Genre: Postpunkpop. They weren’t the first ones to use their signature sound, but they did it better than anyone else and, in my view, were largely responsible for all the sound-alikes that got popular just after BP started releasing all their brilliant EPs. A wonderful debut album.
6. Spoon-Gimme Fiction (2005-Merge). Genre: Indie rock. Frankly, all of Spoon’s albums warrant discussion. Pound for pound, they probably released the greatest number of great indie records this decade.
5. Sam Baker-Cotton (2009-Music Road). Genre: Indie folk. Haven’t heard it? Or even heard OF it? Shame on you.
4. Ryan Adams-Heartbreaker (2000-Bloodshot). Genre: Americana. Say what you want about the dude, and there’s a lot to be said, but he’s one talented MF. This was his only independent record of the decade. It may also have been his best.
3. Joe Strummer-Global A Go Go (2001-Hellcat). Genre: Classic rock and roll. Frankly, I could have put any of Joe’s albums up here. They’re all amazing—as good as anything he did with The Clash. But I didn’t want to over-represent, so he just gets the one mention. My favorite Strummer record of the decade. Rest in peace, Joe.
2. Postal Service-Give Up (2003-Sub Pop). Genre: Meaty twee. Yeah, I like this more than Gibbard’s Death Cab work. It’s quirky and a little fey, but it’s also brilliant. How many covers of “Such Great Heights” have their been, after all?
Such Great Heights-Rilo Kiley (cover of a song off Give Up)
1 The Arcade Fire-Funeral (2004-Merge). Genre: Anthemic indie. Simply put: This album is the reason I started blogging. It makes my heart swell to bursting, and still moves me to tears and distraction. The single best musical expression of pain and love since The Wall, but minus the hate and rage.
The Crown of Love-This Is Ivy League (cover of a tune off of Funeral)
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Tags: Best of the Decade
If you’re like me, your head spun around when you found out that KRS-One was teaming up wiht Buckshot. The “teacher” from Boogie Down Productions, the man behind the Stop The Violence movement of the 1990s, joining forces with the best part of undergound East-coast collective Boot Kamp Klick, who hail from the Raekwon “storyteller” school of rap? It’s an unlikely pairing, to be sure. KRS is known for a bombastic, clear and forceful delivery, while Buckshot is all about crooked style and substance. Yet, they’re both rap veterans with above-average vocabularies (and intelligence) who have survived over 2 decades in an industry that eats its young. Perhaps it’s time to embrace the forefathers?
When Jay-Z came out “retirement” with Kingdom Come, whatever you thought of the album, he did something new: He rapped about being a wealthy, settled down executive. He told of his duty to the art of Hip Hop without guilt or swagger, looking back matter-of-factly at his vast experience and success. He even temed up with Coldplay. In short, Jay-Z did something no rapper had ever done before him: He acted his age.
On Survival Skills, KRS-One acts his age, too. But he’s not a hustler-turned-millionaire. He’s an idealist-turned-fairly-well-off-idealist. KRS has been an old man since Scott LaRock’s death forced him to grow up quickly. As for Buckshot, he hasn’t changed much, either. He’s still a gutter rhymer with a low-key, menacing delivery. Together, they balance each other out. Too much Buck can get tiring and too much KRS can get preachy. And both artists share mastery of the decidedly 1990s skill of the brag attack. Dis records nowadays are all about violence and profanity and fucking the other guy’s girl. Back in the 1990s, before Tupac crossed the line, we got creative attacks like this one, a KRS verse off the song, “Oh Really”: “All of you others is wack/I’m naturally dope/Like coke before crack/And these jacks are more like seeds in this rap.” Buckshot provides equally witty coverfire: “I don’t write rhymes/I write biographies/And I don’t need no punchlines/Or choreography.”
Throughout the album, the duo pay homage to the folks who brought the genre out of the cornball eighties into its golden age, like Naughty By Nature, Grandmaster Flash, BDP (of course), and dozens of other, mostly NYC rappers. The guest spots are good, virtually without exception, with turns by Mary J Blige, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Slug Of Atmosphere, K’NAAN, Immortal Technique, Rock of Heltah Skeltah (who blows both of his hosts away on “Clean Up Crew”) and most of the Duck Down roster. The beats are A-list, too, with production byHavoc of Mobb Deep, 9th Wonder, Black Milk, Marco Polo, and KHRYSIS, among others.
Buckshot rarely disappoints–he’s been a favorite of mine for years–and KRS-One was probably my favorite rapper back in the early 1990s. Combined, they’ve produced an excellent record.
We Made It (feat. Slug Of Atmosphere)
Tags: Hip Hop
1. I just discovered this weird blog that has lots of cool, rare music by Hendrix, ukelele Beatles coverers, and even Burt “Robin” Ward! Check it out! And drop a comment telling him I sent you.
2. Cover Me has a “songs about stalkers” post, here, with some interesting covers of The Police and U2, among others.
3. This picture is funny because the tennis balls represent my love and the cops represent all the people who are too afraid to be loved by a man with a gigantic backpack full of love and a FOOPing love gun.
4. Comics Alliance posted the Worst Sex Scenes in Comics.
5. Raise your hand if you remember Godzuki!
6. Andrew Bird, My Morning Jacket and Weezer have signed on to a Muppets tribute album. Cool.
Tags: Video of the day
Another double-post today: Two bands who seem ready to open up shows for bigger-named bands.
First, Ireland’s export, The Plea make poprock. You’ll be forgiven if you think if U2 and Bell X-1–it’s good company to keep, after all. The music is proficient and the vocals are pitch-perfect, on every song. There’s nothing genre-stretching here, but it’s definitely a fun listen. Opening track, “Hello,” is an anthem that’s radio and soundtrack ready.
X.O.X.O. also make “safe pop,” but where The Plea recall late ’80s/early ’90s alt-rock, X.O.X.O. have more modern influences. It’s clearly Americana-tinged indie pop, which makes it somewhat eclectic, but within this category it’s fairly familiar–think Hot Chip, Weezer, etc. Again, that’s not a bad thing. The band’s focus is on sweet, insanely catchy pop songs. It’s impossible to listen without tapping at least a toe–if not jumping up and down to the beat.
That’s all you’ll find here actually: Beat! Beat! Beat! Except for on “A Song for the Reminiscent,” which slows down into a pop ballad and shows unexpected range. The EP is available on iTunes, and you owe it to yourself to go check out at least this song there. Lots of fun. Check it out.
