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Comic Books: Justice League #20

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:05:37 -0400

Justice League #20 - “Secrets”
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencillers: Gene Ha, Andres Guinaldo & Joe Prado
Cover: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

Despero strikes the Watchtower and only Element Woman, Atom and Firestorm are onboard to defend it! Meanwhile, Batman lays out his argument for why Superman dating Wonder Woman is a bad idea, and despite Batman’s usual high level of paranoia, it actually sort of of makes sense. Superman learns of Batman’s contingency plans, we get an insight as to Batman’s assessment of Wonder Woman, and Superman walks away with a secret contingency against Batman. Oh, and a piece of Kryptonite is missing!

Okay, so Johns puts a lot into this twenty-two page story, and yet only one half of the story is done well. The Despero bits are a mess. We’re told that he’s the first alien (after Darkseid?) that the League faced five years ago, but we haven’t seen that tale. We’re told that Martian Manhunter was involved, and a member of the League (we know this from previous references, but again, it’s never been shown). There’s an inherent problem there. Yes, there’s the five year jump in story telling from the first arc to the second, but if you’re going to keep referring to a major event such as Martian Manhunter’s betrayal of the team, two years later, it’s time to show us what actually happen! At this point, it’s not a mystery, it’s a gaping plot whole.

On the art side of things, this issue was a week late, and took three pencillers to complete. I’ll give credit to DC that with only a few hiccups, have managed to release all of their titles on-time for the past two years. They’ve stuck to that commitment to the fans, but honestly, go that extra bit next time, and give us one, perhaps two pencillers, not three, to finish a book off.

Back-Up Feature - “Shazam Chapter Twelve”
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Gary Frank

What’s supposed to be the penultimate part to this long, drawn out back-up feature, and there’s one panel that I actually cared about. It shows the lengths that Black Adam is willing to go to achieve his goals, and it’s creates a sinister, darker side. It’s stuff we’ve likely seen before, but at least there’s some recognition that he’s more than just a garden variety villain… he’s got conviction to achieve his goals.

Rating: Poor

Bif Naked - “Tango Shoes”

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:01:14 -0400

Bif Naked - “Tango Shoes”

#soundtracking: Bif Naked’s “Tango Shoes”

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:56:13 -0400

There are times when gay men and heterosexual women alike deal with a man who is not being a gentleman. A friend recently went through a situation like this, and I actually found myself going through it this past weekend. This isn’t going to be about man-bashing though, because what’s the point? Instead, let’s take this opportunity to select a fantastic song in which you, me and everyone in between can use to bounce back.

I actually considered writing about another Bif Naked song with a similar theme, “I Love Myself Today”, but I find it a little too aggressive. I would have cranked a song like that a couple years ago, but I’m changing as a person. I’m not becoming softer per se, but I’m becoming a little more diplomatic in how I express myself. “Tango Shoes” is definitely a song about empowerment, but it doesn’t require putting someone down or crushing them under your heel to obtain that empowerment. It’s just about accepting that sometimes someone wrongs you, because after all, living well is the best revenge.

To the friend who’s recently dealt with a man who wasn’t a gentleman, grab your shoes; this one’s for you.

Amy Winehouse - “You Know I’m No Good”

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:29:56 -0400

Amy Winehouse - “You Know I’m No Good”

Sunday Night Jams #4: Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:27:54 -0400

Released as the second single from Winehouse’s smash hit sophomore album, Back to Black, “You Know I’m No Good” is quintessential Amy Winehouse. Presumably about her relationship with then husband Blake Civil-Fielder, Winehouse warns in her lyrics that she’s literally no good, and that she’s the last person that anyone should be involved with, yet so is the guy she’s with. Given Winehouse’s penchant for taking inspiration from her own life in her music, a song like this probably gets to the core of who this young woman was like no other.

So why did it capture my attention tonight? It’s been a grey, rainy day here in Ottawa, and that always seems to get me in the mood to listen to Winehouse. On a more personal level, I have a bit of recent experience in dating someone I knew I shouldn’t have, and learning a couple of valuable lessons about it along the way.

The Smiths - “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I...

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:35:43 -0400

The Smiths - “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”

New Wave Friday #53: The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:31:54 -0400

Leave it to Morrissey to write some of the most plaintive and pathetic sounding song lyrics in music. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Few, with perhaps the exception of Robert Smith of The Cure are able to make a song sound so depressing, and to such great affect.

“Please, Please, Please…” is actually a fairly famous song, yet it was never technically supposed to be a big deal. Released originally as the b-side to their single “William, it Was Really Nothing” (along with another famous Smiths song, “How Soon is Now?”), the song clocks in at just under two minutes long, and as the title suggests, features a protagonist (likely Morrissey himself) wanting something, anything, to just go his own way for once. In the last thirty years it’s become a quintessential 80s song and New Wave track.

Many have covered it, but really, when you have someone like Morrissey singing a song like this, do you really think any cover version is going to come close to the original?

Rocking the Mike – May 2013 Reviews

Wed, 15 May 2013 06:01:24 -0400

Abstract: Reviews of Michael Buble, Daughter, Andrew McMahon, Phoenix, Rogue Wave and “The Great Gatsby” soundtrack

Album Reviews

Michael Buble - To Be Loved

I know that I came down a little hard on Mr. Buble in my last review of him, and I’ll largely stand by that. He does not need to branch out, and he does need to tap new audiences, however from a stylistic and singing standpoint, Buble sounds absolutely sublime on this new album. He’s know for a slick singing style, but his voice on his album was enough to melt even my heart.

The album consists of mostly covers, and I’m fine with that. There’s a number of duets on this album, including a surprising rendition of “Something Stupid” with Reese Witherspoon. It’s not terrible, but I can’t help but think that Robbie Williams with Nicole Kidman did it much better nearly twelve years ago. “To Love Somebody” starts the album off quite well, and it more or less continues on with strong notes throughout.

If Buble has proven anything with this album, it’s that the jazz revival is still going strong (though some would argue it never really went away), and To Be Loved is a near perfect collection of songs to add to his oeuvre.

Recommended Tracks: “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”, “To Love Somebody” & “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”

Andrew McMahon - The Pop Underground EP

To think about a dozen or so years ago, Andrew McMahon was heading a indie rock band (Something Corporate) and seeing about punk rock princesses. While McMahon has still got some edge to him, it’s quite clear from this four song extended play, that this is the most mainstream pop he may ever go. And that’s both a good and bad thing.

On the plus side, the man knows how to write a good pop lyric, and that’s especially apparent in songs like “Synesthesia” and “Learn to Dance” from this release. In fact, “Learn to Dance” just might be my theme song for this year. Learning to not just dance, but love life and everything about it. It’s this pop sensibility in his music that keeps me coming back. There’s clearly a Bob Dylan influence in his music, and while he’s not at the stature of Dylan, I can’t help but feel like McMahon is my Dylan.

On the negative side, McMahon is releasing a sound that’s a bit too close to the likes of Vampire Weekend and Phoenix, both of whom have big anticipated releases this spring (Phoenix’s latest album, Bankrupt! is already out, and will be reviewed later in this column), so this EP may get lost in the shuffle, so to speak. Does that similarity in sound mean it’s a bad release? Not at all, in fact, I find myself loving the music stylings of Andrew McMahon more with each release, whether it’s with Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin or solo material.

Recommended Tracks: There’s only four from this EP, so just get it all!

Phoenix - Bankrupt!

This is the highly anticipated follow-up to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and unfortunately Bankrupt! doesn’t hold up to the hype machine. It’s sort of like a lesser Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which I thought was a brilliant pop album. There’s nothing wrong with this latest issue from the French indie pop band, but there’s a sense that they’ve spent all this time away from the limelight, but not really doing anything productive with their time.

“The Real Thing” lacks any real punch, despite the fact it has a catchy riff, and most of the other tracks just feel like rejected songs from the previous album. The only real standout song on this album happens to be the lead single, “Entertainment”, and even then it sounds just a little too much like “Girlfriend’ from the last album. It’s not a hot mess, but for the two or three decent tracks this album could have been, should have been, a little more thought out, and a lot better.

Recommended Tracks: “Chloroform”, “Entertainment” & “Oblique City”

Various Artists - The Great Gatsby soundtrack

I don’t normally review soundtracks, mostly because I rarely purchase them. However, when the soundtrack is to a Baz Lurhmann film, you buy it and you review it. While some of the tracks are questionable (why, why was Andre 3000 on “Back to Black”; should have just kept it Beyonce-only), but one still has to appreciate what Luhrmann tried to achieve musically. There’s a decent mix of covers and new material from a variety of artists. Most of the new material is exceptional and a few of the covers stand out, giving you about two thirds of an album that just really works overall. Even when it doesn’t quite work though, there’s a little piece of the song that endears to the listen. As much as I disliked Andre 3000 on an Amy Winehouse song, I have to admit Beyonce did a very haunting rendition (even if it’ll never match the original version by Winehouse).

Recommended Tracks: Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful”, Fergie’s “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” & Florence + the Machine’s “Over the Love”

Song Reviews

Daughter - “Human”

How have I not heard of this UK indie folk group? Formed in London back in 2010, this female led trio released their first album back in March. I picked up “Human” as one of iTunes’ Free Song of the Week, and this track is amazing. I’m trying to think of a way to describe this song, and it hasn’t been easy. There’s moments where it reminds me of Oh Land’s own song by the same name, but a little less electronic. More ethereal. Really, just indescribable, but this track is definitely worth checking out.

Rogue Wave - “No Time”

Rogue Wave has a new album coming out in June, and it appears that “No Time”, featured on the sound track to Iron Man 3, didn’t make that album’s cut. There’s probably a few reasons for that, and the most obvious is that it’s a fairly pedestrian track for the California-based indie band. It’s not a terrible song, but it’s certainly not their best either. It’s not as rocking as their cover of the Pixies “Debaser”, nor does it have the instantly catchy nature of their own hit song, “Publish My Love”. Instead “No Time” just sort of exists. You would expect a song with a title such as this to have a little more urgency, or a little more oomph to it, but it sadly doesn’t. You only need to pick this one up if you’re a big fan of the band.

One Direction - “One Way or Another/Teenage Kicks”

Mon, 13 May 2013 06:15:35 -0400

One Direction - “One Way or Another/Teenage Kicks”

Covered #25: One Direction covering “One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)”

Mon, 13 May 2013 06:01:15 -0400

Yes, I’m doing a write-up on One Direction. Let’s save the judgment for another time. Instead, as a special 25th entry for this feature, why not do a write-up on a medley that features two covers. More cover music for you buck that way.

Now, this isn’t exactly the best cover ever. In fact, the vocal delivery of the One Direction lads is fairly weak, but some credit to their producers is required for putting together two seemingly unrelated songs and putting them together in a medley. That would be Blondie’s “One Way or Another” and The Undertones “Teenage Kicks”. There’s some ingenuity there, and while it’s a fairly pedestrian cover, it does gain more energy once the “Teenage Kicks” bridge kicks in. That’s when the song gains life and carries us through to the end.

As I said, not a revolutionary cover version, and it’ll be largely forgotten by the end of the year, but for what it is, it’s probably less offensive than some cover versions out there.

Andrea True Connection - “More More More”Note:...

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:27:09 -0400

Andrea True Connection - “More More More”
Note: sounds is out of sync from video, as it appears to have the album version dubbed.

Sunday Night Jams #3: Andrea True Connection’s “More More More”

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:22:36 -0400

This song has got a bit of interesting history to it. Andrea True was originally a porn actress who also parlayed into “serious acting” (commercials). It was while doing ads for a real estate firm in Jamaica that “More More More”, a classic disco track was recorded. Jamaica had entered into a political crisis, and the government at the time wouldn’t allow people to take money out of the country. With the earnings from the ads, Andrea True flew a producer down to Jamaica, cut “More More More” and left the country with the tape. It eventually became a top five hit in both the UK and US, and is fondly remembered for its smooth sound nearly forty years after it was originally released.

So why did it capture my attention tonight? A friend of mine once created a Sex and the City soundtrack for me that featured this song, and it’s a great little album that I like to play on Sunday nights. Some of the best adult contemporary and disco tracks featured on that show are on that album, and “More More More” to me, is the cornerstone of that little collection. Coincidently, “More More More” was only ever used on promos for Sex and the City (season 3), but never made it onto the show itself.

Comic Books: Batman #20

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:32:55 -0400

Batman #20 - “Nowhere Man Part II”
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciller: Greg Capullo
Cover: Greg Capullo

Bruce Wayne faces off against Clayface, who is slowly losing what’s left of his humanity. For a two-part storyline, Snyder and Capullo manage to back in quite a bit of story. Snyder continues to deal with Bruce’s grief over the death of Damien, but not in a way that takes from the other titles. Considering Snyder rarely used Damien, it makes a little more sense that he only write snippets of the grief process. That said, the scenes and dialogue in this month in particular were strong. Capullo pencils a grotesque looking Clayface, and the fight scenes really seem as though our Dark Knight’s civilian identity is at a distinct disadvantage. Again, for a quick two-part story, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Back-Up Feature - “Ghost Lights Part II”
Writer: James Tynion IV
Penciller: Alex Maleev

I don’t have much to add to this back-up feature. It rings false, Maleev’s art is great for Batman, but his Superman is just awful, and thankfully this back-up feature didn’t get stretched out over several months. Tynion is usually better than this, and I think with the right script, he and Maleev could actually make some decent magic together. This? Not so much.

Rating: Exceptional

Men Without Hats - “The Safety Dance”

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:17:45 -0400

Men Without Hats - “The Safety Dance”

New Wave Friday #52: Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance”

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:12:30 -0400

This one’s a bit comical. Written by Canadian New Wave group, Men Without Hats, “The Safety Dance” isn’t about safe sex, but rather a protest song by the band against bouncers who wouldn’t let dancers at clubs use pogo sticks on the dance floor. Yes, apparently “back in the day” (the song, originally released in January 1983, less than a month before I was born), my parents generation were trying to pogo in night clubs to New Wave songs (I can’t imagine my parents pogoing, but there you have it). In a less literal translation, the song can be see as one to encourage freedom of expression, and doing what you want.

The song itself is fairly by the numbers as far as New Wave songs go, but it does have the catchy line “you can dance if you want to” during the chorus, which I’m sure we’ve all quoted at some point or another. Definitely a staple song for any good 80s theme party.

As far as I can tell, this song hasn’t been covered by any noteworthy artists.

Arctic Monkeys - “Love Machine”

Mon, 06 May 2013 06:15:53 -0400

Arctic Monkeys - “Love Machine”

Covered #24: Arctic Monkeys covering “Love Machine”

Mon, 06 May 2013 06:01:03 -0400

I didn’t have the opportunity to post Covered last Monday as I had to attend a funeral, so this installment is for last week, and we’ll be back to regular programming next week with another installment.

The Arctic Monkeys are well known for doing some rather surprising covers, but this one, covering a girl band, probably takes the cake in terms of quirkiness. Originally performed by Girls Aloud, “Love Machine” is your typical pop girl group number, but the Arctic Monkeys swerve slightly to the left with this acoustic number, making it sound almost like a country/banjo jam. The absurdity of the song definitely takes the cake when lead singer Alex Turner loses his composure part-way through the song.

But here’s the thing; the cover works. Absurdity aside, they take a song that’s a fairly ABCD pop song by a manufactured pop group and make it work. They even take a song that’s meant to come from a female perspective and almost make it work (they fail a couple times at either making pronouns gender neutral or switch to the male perspective). It may not be a particularly good pop song (though I do have a certain fondness towards it), the Arctic Monkeys manage to make it into something.

Bob Dylan - “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll...

Sun, 05 May 2013 19:55:19 -0400

Bob Dylan - “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)”

Sunday Night Jams #2: Bob Dylan’s “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)”

Sun, 05 May 2013 19:49:00 -0400

“Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Gone Mine)” was originally released on one of his most recognizable albums, Blonde on Blonde, and was later (some eight years later) released as a single, giving Dylan a moderate hit. This track is a stompy blues track, and lyrically one of the most straightforward songs Dylan wrote in the 1960s. Written from the perspective of a guy who’s just gotten to the point where he just can’t seem to care whether he stays with his lover or not, the punchline of the song is also its title. It’s one of Dylan’s more uptempo tracks, and it’s probably one of my favorite of his blues numbers as a result.

So why did it capture my attention tonight? The sun is settling where I live, and it’s still quite warm. We’ve had a perfect weekend, and while I sit here reflecting on the amazing weekend I’ve had, I also realize it’s time to part ways with it. A new work week is about to begin, but there’s a promise of another weekend in only six days!

Comic Book; Superman: Last Son of Krypton Special Edition

Sat, 04 May 2013 11:33:08 -0400

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton Special Edition
Writers: Geoff Johns & Richard Donner
Penciller: Adam Kubert
Cover: Jim Lee

Originally released as Action Comics #844 a few years ago, DC Entertainment instead of giving us new material for Free Comic Book Day this year, gives us a reprint. I’m not complaining though, because I haven’t read this issue. Johns originally worked for Richard Donner (director of 1977’s Superman and the jettisoned original Superman II), so both writers understand how to write the Man of Steel. When a Kryptonian boy mysteriously lands in Metropolis in broad daylight, Superman is instantly intrigued, protective and looking for answers. This was the opening chapter of the “Last Son” storyline, and it’s mostly set-up. There are some great moments between Lois Lane and Clark Kent, Superman’s characterization is near perfect, and the only faltering moments are involving Perry White (I have a feeling Donner wrote the script for that scene, because the characterization seems a bit dated).

I’m more of a fan of Andy Kubert than his brother Adam, but the latter’s pencils are pretty decent. Some forms a bit off, and the scratchiness of the pencils don’t quite fit the bold and bright aspects of the Superman character, but there are a lot worse pencillers out there.

Funny enough, this teaser of recycled material has enticed me to hunt down the rest of the issues and see how “Last Son” concludes.

Rating: Exceptional