The urgent question of our time is whether we can… change our friend and not our enemy.
Blondie - “Rapture”
New Wave Friday #3: Blondie’s “Rapture”
Leaders in the New York City New Wave movement, Blondie have been giants in the music industry, particularly notable for meshing a number of musical styles into their high-energy discography. It came as quite a shock when in 1981 Blondie released “Rapture”, featuring a white woman rapping. Debbie Harry I’m pretty sure counts as the first white female rapper, and even if she doesn’t the band does get credit for being the first to go number one in the US with a song that features a dominant rap. This song is a great example of how New Wave borrows something from another genre and repackages it for a new audience. “Rapture” to this day is still one of the most notable songs from the Blondie discography.
“Rapture” is noteworthy in that is has probably been sampled more (Foxy Brown, Destiny’s Child) than it has been covered (Kylie Minogue’s famous performance at the 2003 Brit Awards with Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys’ ‘remake’ for the Sex and the City 2 soundtrack).
Take your back and go one step further, two steps back
Profiling Kitchener, Ontario rock outfit, Breaching Vista
When I originally signed up to do a feature on Kitchener-based Breaching Vista, I was told that the band would be similar in sound to fellow Canadian pop-rockers Simple Plan and Hedley. I prepared myself for something that sounded incredibly mainstream, more pop than punk or rock, and maybe even a bit immature sounding. Instead, what I got was a thirteen song debut album that shows a lot of maturity, some great lyrics and an incredible sound. Vera City certainly does not sound like a debut album; it sounds like something else entirely. And that altering of expectations is something that carried throughout the album. To say that I’m impressed by this band and their debut release is an understatement.
The cohesiveness of sound and theme in this album gives the impression that the band has put out extensive material before, and that this is simply just the latest release. The fact that the band has been together for a little over five years, and just put out this album last spring means they’ve had time to hone their skills as musicians and songwriters. That honing of their skill has paid off in a big way.
I asked the band if the album had been predominately written from lead singer John Maksym’s experiences, or if all members were involved in the song writing process. Surprisingly, it’s a bit of both.
As the band described it, Maksym writes all of the lyrics, as well as rough musical demos, but the ideas are brought to the band and all of the member’s have the opportunity to provide input on how it should sound and where the song should go. As described by the band, “often times, only half of the lyrics are written when the music is brought to the table, and are finished after the song’s structure has been arranged”, not unlike the creative process that U2 goes through. Even though the lyrics are predominately from the experience and perspective of Maksym, it’s done in such a way that “he tries to tell a story and help paint a picture for the listener to interpret the song in whatever way it works for them”.
That is certainly the impression that I received listening to this album, and while the band members don’t seem to have the same favorite song, there’s still a sense that they’ve got a true love the album they’ve released. John Maksym and drummer Nik Varey both cite “Forgive You” as their favorite song from the album. Maksym specifically stated his love of “Forgive You” stems from his love early appreciation of rock ballads with their layered, almost orchestral instrumentation. Bassist Mike Chhangur said that “Give Me a Reason” was about the only song he didn’t like when the originally set to put the album out. After many revisions, and even a bit of procrastination, the song managed to take on a life of it’s own, transforming itself into something that he’s fallen in love with. Lead guitarist Al Malnar says that “Run With the Punches”, with its elements of classic rock is his favorite track on the album, as it’s the most challenging song to play in a live set.
Three songs from this album stood out in particular for me. “Sleep” was a the song that sounded like quintessential Canadian rock music. Despite sounding new, it actually gave me a sense of nostalgia for a lot of the Canadian alt-rock I was listening to as a teenager. “Nervous”, a ballad that I actually prefer over “Forgive You”, just managed to hit the right notes for me from the first listen (and by my iTunes song count, it’s the track I’ve listened to the most from the album). “Nervous” also contains my favorite lyric from the album, the title for this article. “Run With the Punches” was a track that called out to me as having the most potential. While I recommend the album version of the song, I do think it falls a bit short. That said, I do think it’s the song that would be a highlight in their live show; like I said, the song definitely has the most potential.
Breaching Vista have spent the last five years cultivating not only their musical talent, but also their fan base. While a headlining tour has alluded them so far, having already toured with the likes of Jack’s Mannequin, Hedley and Down With Webster, it’s only a matter of time before the band truly hit it big. Their debut album, Vera City is an exceptional example of how to knock your first effort completely out of the park, and with any luck this Kitchener-based quartet has poised themselves for bigger things to come!
Recommended Tracks: “Nervous”, “Run With the Punches” & “Sleep”
Comic Books: Batman Annual #1
Batman Annual #1 - “Night of the Owls: First Snow”
Writers: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Penciller: Jason Fabok
Cover: Jason Fabok
Scott Snyder and Tynion have a wonderful opportunity to not only tell a side-story to Snyder’s “Night of the Owls” in this annual, but also give us the New 52 introduction and origin story of Mr. Freeze. While this is largely character driven story is said from the point of view of Mr. Freeze, there are certain elements that make for a very chilling tale. What Snyder and Tynion have done with this double-sized issue is give us actions with consequences, a tie-in to a major storyline that isn’t essential but embellishes what is being told in the main title, and a villain for perhaps the first time in his existence is a dangerous foe. Yes, there’s definitely a Batman: Arkham City flavouring to Mr. Freeze in this tale, but it fits very well with the story that Snyder and Tynion are attempting to tell.
I’m not familiar with Jason Fabok as a penciller, but for the most part I was impressed with this work. His Batman was perhaps a bit too bulky for my liking, but his likenesses for all of the major characters worked well enough for me and his panels were detailed without looking cluttered. He could have had a little more dynamism with his page lay-outs, but overall he succeeded at taking the written story and translating into images on the page.
Rating: Exceptional
Young Lads: Montreal's Mak
Profile done for (Cult)ure Magazine on Montreal-based group, Mak
Kylie Minogue - “Timebomb”
#soundtracking: Kylie Minogue’s “Timebomb”
Written with long-time collaborator Karen Poole, and produced by Paul Harris (of Dirty Vegas fame) and Matt Schwartz, Minogue sings about not wanting to waste time on the dance floor with a new potential lover. They may only have a limited amount of time together, and it’s better if they just make the best of it before it’s too late. This song is perfect played loud on a car stereo or iPod, and the simple, yet infectious chorus will have you singing along after the first listen.
Nothing happens unless first a dream.
Bow Wow Wow - “I Want Candy”
New Wave Friday #2: Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy”
A cover of the 1960s hit by The Strangeloves, it’s notable for not only being one of the more well-known songs for Bow Wow Wow but for the overall New Wave movement as well. Released in 1982, the song is one of the real forerunners of U.K. New Wave, peaking at #9 on their singles chart, while only managing to peak at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. Like many songs from the 1960s, the song is a thinly-veiled reference to wanting a particular person (depending on the singer, the gender reference in the line “I know a guy who’s tough but sweet” does change to ‘girl’) in a sexual way. This is detracted by the upbeat musical arrangement, especially notable in the Bow Wow Wow version with a thumping rhythm section provided by the bass and drums.
Quintessential New Wave music, this song has been covered numerous times over the years, and more often than not badly (Aaron Carter, SuperStishun), but there was a version akin to the Bow Wow Wow remake done by Melanie C. (Spice Girls) in 2007 that’s quite good.
Comic Books: The Flash #9
The Flash #9 - “Fear”
Writers: Brian Buccellato & Francis Manapul
Penciller: Francis Manapul
Cover: Francis Manapul
The Flash emerges from the Speed Force to find himself an amnesiac and trapped in Gorilla City which has recently come under the rule of Gorilla Grodd. Meanwhile, public opinion turns against the Flash, we learn new connections to the Speed Force, and Iris and company are still trapped.
Another great issue, but one that still had a couple of problems. One, Barry has seemingly forgotten about Iris West and others being trapped in the Speed Force. Now not much time has really passed at this point, but really… that’s a pretty inexcusable plot point. Also, the writers reliance on villains being connected to the Speed Force is becoming a bit thin as far as storytelling goes. I get having Turbine being connected to the Speed Force, but the Gorilla Grodd plot point seems a bit contrived, and when we have the inevitable introduction of Professor Zoom and/or Reverse Flash… well, you get the idea. Art wise, Francis Manapul continues to amaze me; honestly, to co-write a book, and provide complete pencils with such detail and dynamism is nothing short of amazing. While the book seems to be jumping from story to story and character to character in an enjoyable way, the creative team really needs to start piecing those individual stories together into a larger tapestry for effective pay-off.
Rating: Average
Comic Books: Superman #9
Superman #9 - “Secrets & Lies”
Writers: Keith Giffen & Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Cover: Ivan Reis
Just an ordinary day in the life of Superman/Clark Kent as Superman saves a Russian sub with mysterious cargo (new subplot?) from near disaster, while as Clark Kent gets verbally bitched-slapped by Lois Lane for forgetting to pick up her sister Lucy (ongoing subplot, which we know is not exactly the case), right before foiling a bank robbery by a new (read: boring) villain, all the while getting his identity exposed to the world(?). Even with all of this seemingly occurring in a twenty page story, it doesn’t seem rushed or even particularly packed with story. Superman since Giffen and Jurgens came on board has been an enjoyable read. Not one that screams must read immediately, but one of those reads that you know is going to take you about fifteen minutes to read, but there’ll still be a least one, if only minor, thing you enjoyed about the story.
While the title may be my absolute favorite, it has certainly gained better consistency since the new creative team came on board a few months ago. Giffen and Jurgens seem like a great creative pair both in terms of co-writing and the relationship between writer and art, and that is present on the page. While detractors will probably say the title looks and reads like it did back in the 1990s, that’s not necessarily a bad thing; the New 52 isn’t so much of a reboot as it is a facelift, and considering Superman under Jurgens was my favorite title back in the day, it almost feels like I have come home again.
Rating: Average
The Mamas & the Papas - “Dancing in the Street”
#soundtracking: The Mamas & the Papas’ “Dancing in the Street”
Originally released in the UK as a double A-side with lead single “Words of Love” for their self-titled sophomore album, it peaked at #47 in that country, proving to be a minor hit. Along with “Monday, Monday”, “My Girl”, and “California Dreamin’”, this is perhaps one of their most well-known songs, and certainly one of the most upbeat that the group released. Seriously, the next time you have one of those absolutely perfect days, turn this song on!
