Book: Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

My biggest criticism of my other recent walk through sci-fi territory was a lack of intimacy between characters. The characters in Nemesis by Asimov were missing a sense of humanness that would've made them more believable, more conducive to provoking various levels of sympathy and kinship in the reader. This novel suffers form the same weakness, but I can't remember a single moment where I cared at all.

The only character of any importance in Rendezvous with Rama is Rama itself. The cylinder of metal spinning through the solar system stole every ounce of spotlight, leaving the characters tasked with exploring the object and discussing it from afar mostly ignored. Sure, attempts were made to explain the futuristic culture and some textures of emotion, but Clarke did such a great job building suspense, peppering small details in at very strategic moments. It was as if I was exploring the alien terrarium that is Rama with my own eyes rather than through the eyes of the crew. And Rama itself was infinitely interesting to explore. I rarely blast through books so quickly, but I needed to see everything, I needed to know the purpose, to investigate why Rama had flown into our plot of space instead of any other.

But Rama didn't care at all, which was obviously my favorite part of the book. All of the characters assumed Rama had come with the purpose of making contact with the human race, for reasons of enlightenment or destruction or resources. But, all Rama needed was to recharge it's batteries by way of the sun, then it sped off without the slightest interest in anything human. Rama's mission was obviously infinitely more complex than our selfish, monkey brains could wrap around. It was a humbling moment that was infinitely appreciated. So even though my perception of sci-fi as less human hasn't changed, the brilliant unfolding of events in this novel makes it essential reading for anyone who digs an adventure.

5/5

Movie: To the Wonder

You know... I'm too uptight. I take life too seriously. Everything has to mean something. All art needs to be innovative and boundary transcending. And the only good film is the indie film about longing and loss, invariably ending badly because that is the only true reflection of our short meaningless existence. Sometimes I wish I weren't like this. Sometimes I wish I could sit back and enjoy fluff engineered to make you smile and feel better about yourself. Silver Linings Playbook shouldn't be met with derision, it should be met with a mutual laugh among friends, it should be seen as an entertaining romp to interrupt the tedious daily demands of the middle class american. But that's not who I am. I demand film to be artful, to push boundaries, to make me feel something I wouldn't normally feel and Terrence Malick is doing a great job meeting my expectations.

Malick has been honing his craft for a couple decades. To look back on his previous works is to watch an artist first find his favorite techniques and then master them. The Thin Red Line was a little messy, it wandered a bit, it felt unrestrained and slightly unfocused, but there was brilliance and beauty throughout. The Tree of Life was a natural evolution being a film of massive scope, but with a sharper focus and it displayed a mastery of his shooting style which can only be described as an angel's perspective. The camera flies through the air in graceful arcs reacting to the humanness of the characters on screen while capturing the environment, the natural lighting, the grass underfoot. The Tree of Life was an absurdly beautiful film even though it explored some very challenging and painful themes.

To the Wonder is Malick showing further mastery of his unique shooting style while experimenting with the narrative in a very innovative way. There are very few vocal exchanges between characters. Most of the script is inner monologue, poetic observations, internal conflict, quiet thoughts the characters never share with anyone. Whenever there are two characters on the screen they are silent, they are shown reacting to each other in a very instinctual, very physical way. This was the biggest complaint from critics. The lack of dialog between characters made it a challenge to follow the story. But I love a challenge and the story seemed clear enough to me. Although, and this is the beauty of art in general, it's up to interpretation. This is what makes good songs great, this is what makes good literature timeless, so I'm not sure why critics would be unwilling to consider the merit of poetic delivery in film. Poetic delivery ensures the audience will take in the presentation and interpret it in very personal ways giving them all unique perspectives, unique ideas to share and pass on.

To the Wonder explores love in this poetic fashion, how it flows, sometimes beginning with fire and urgency, sometimes drifting away or slowly eroding, sometimes evolving into something truly transcendent. We invariably seek it with fervent anticipation, but oftentimes what we seek is unrealistic causing much anguish. And just as I expected from a film about real life, it ends badly. I have no doubt that Malick will keep giving us examples of brilliant artistic expression as long as he's able, making films that will stand the test of time, films that will be a normal part of film school curriculum and I look forward to each and every one.

5/5

Movie: Silver Linings Playbook

I'm hesitant to write this review. It might very well turn out to be a colorful display of my close-mindedness, but so be it. I had an emotional reaction to the film and it might be worth writing about so the future me can look back on how much of an asshole I was and have a good laugh.

This film was awful. Let me explain. I loved how it started out. Bradley Cooper is a wonderful actor and watching him suffer the symptoms of bi-polar disorder was striking. The flashes of violence, the spontaneous destruction that surrounded him, the constant tension I felt every second he was delivering dialog was really a joy to experience for someone who appreciates the intricacies of human dysfunction. But, every other detail in the film was pure romantic comedy fodder.

His father is a bookie who regularly puts the family's life savings on the line over football games, but in a perpetually endearing way. His mother is possibly the most cliched and forgetful character in film history. He has a wife with a restraining order against him, which could have been a wonderful source of conflict, but devolved into a silly subplot of him not being able to write her a letter. He has a new love interest who manipulates him into a dance competition who is devoid of the slightest ounce of charisma outside of her bouncing bust. The love interest has her own psychological issues but they're never explored beyond a few awkward situations and a few unexpected lines of dialog. There's a more successful brother who holds his life's accomplishments over Cooper's head, but this isn't even the slightest bit realistic because the bitter sentiment is covered with one dialog exchange in the most heavy-handed way possible.

I think this is what hurts my perception of the film the most, the heavy-handedness. It's as if the writer had the intention of covering as many human quirks as possible without actually exploring any of them enough to make them feel real. And to top it off the major conflict of the film is a football game and a dance competition... So you end the film exactly the way it began. None of the characters grew at all, they just celebrated over an arbitrary victory. Cooper professed his love to his new love interest and the credits rolled. I get that it wouldn't have been pretty to mention that two psychologically unstable people might not have the smoothest chemistry down the line, but to not even hint at it is unforgivable.

This is a fairy tale where everything works out in the end, just like everyone had hoped. Love, money, success, and everyone is happy. This is not a reflection of the human condition. This movie is fluff, popcorn drama, meaningless, and it'll be forgotten. Cooper earns a point for his performance, but this was damn close to being my first 0.

1/5

Book: Nemesis by Isaac Asimov

The first book I remember really enjoying was Foundation by Asimov. I eventually read the entire series, but after that I went genre hunting never to seriously return to science-fiction. Thinking about it now, I think I made the right choice in exploring other genres rather than sticking to what I was comfortable with.

Science fiction does one thing really well. There are countless examples in this book of a character making an observation and reporting it to an audience, the audience discussing the observation at length coming up with reasonable explanations, and one explanation is deduced to be the correct one. That might sound fairly bland, but when we're talking about celestial bodies, alien life forms, and faster than light speeds, it's pretty neat. 

Science fiction does not do human emotion well though. The essential requirements were fulfilled to build out perfectly believable characters, but once that was done Asimov chose to focus on the plot, the conflicts, the physics. The few scenes of intimacy between characters were either glossed over or broad-stroked to the point of picturing the author as someone who had yet to pass second base with the fairer sex. 

Intimacy obviously wasn't the point of the book though. The point was to stir the imagination, to picture the universe as a beautiful yet unfathomably destructive environment, to picture a future humanity still struggling with prejudice and greed, and to give a few really good examples of logical reasoning. And if there's one thing modern society needs, it's some help with patient logical reasoning. 

4/5

Book: Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby

There are lists of books posted online by avid readers with the purpose of guiding other readers toward a particular theme or genre or period. I think I found this book in a list called Literary Smut. The list was created by someone who had the original intention of warning people away from indulging in the books posted, but since I love fringe culture and since a good portion of the fringe is made up of different forms of obscenity, the list had the opposite effect than was originally intended.

Last Exit to Brooklyn is a series of short stories which attempt to describe the slums of Brooklyn in the 1950's. The stories are only loosely connected, mentioning the same bar and maybe a few recurring characters. The focus isn't on making a story arc of any kind, but rather on a few short illustrations of people struggling to survive conflicts that are completely internal, completely dependent on the human condition. The conflicts covered: drug and alcohol abuse, sexual dysfunction, and violent urges of almost every kind imaginable.

I don't want to get into any explanations of the stories because each story is worth complete immersion without forewarning. I would like to defend the merit of a book like this though. I think most would immediately dismiss it as mentioned above, literary smut, an author getting off on creating revulsion in the hearts of his readers. But, it's not that at all. Last Exit to Brooklyn explains in great detail the insecurities of man taken to absolute extremes, insecurities that are present in everyone. For me this novel is a warning to watch those insecurities, those universal weaknesses, and attempt to address them in a thoughtful way. So many people rely on their insecurities, view them as parts of their identity, embracing them and lashing out at people for questioning them. If those people read this book they would see parts of themselves in the characters and as they turn the pages they would be disgusted in themselves for embracing traits that could lead to so much pain for them and everyone around them.

5/5

Movie: Rust and Bone

It took me a while to build up the courage to watch this film. I was afraid it would be too depressing, knowing a little of the story line. It helps to remind myself that no matter how depressing a film is, if it's good, I'll always return from it with the feeling of having learned something about life and human nature. Last night telling myself that a few times "you'll learn something, it'll be alright," I decided to turn it on and suffer through. What I watched wasn't at all what I was expecting. Yes, there is a fair amount of disaster, but that's not what this film is about.

This film is about adapting to disaster, feeling the emotions that come from it and trying not to despair. Marion Cotillard's character Stephanie is a trainer of killer whales. Her passion for her job is made very clear and her connection to the marine beasts is unmistakable. You can feel a sense of mutual respect when she gives an order to them, watching them leap out of the water with graceful ferocity. This scene gives way to the first disaster. One of the orcas leaps onto the stage where Stephanie is giving direction and slides into her, crushing her legs. She wakes up in a hospital a double amputee. Marion is beautiful in every sense of the word and a dimension of her character Stephanie is that she relies on her beauty, toying with men, watching them perform for her. This is the first parallel to her profession.

She gives a back story of how she likes to go out to night clubs alone and drum up passion and jealousy, watching as the beasts perform for her. On one particular night a bouncer takes her home after one of the nameless men takes his frustration and jealousy out on her. Stephanie is put off by the the bouncer, Matthias, at first. He's blunt, aggressive, and seemingly careless. But, as she tests him she feels more comfortable with him, again, like her killer whales. He's an unrefined beast and she's captivated by his ferocity, his dominance over other men and after her accident, she relies on his lack of emotional weight to bring her out of despair.

He makes a perfect partner during the most difficult of times. One scene illustrates this perfectly. He takes her out in her wheel chair and seeing the ocean shore nearby decides that he wants to go swimming. He asks her to if she wants to as well and she says no, possibly fearing the environment that caused her injury. Without hesitation Matthias leaves her and heads to the shore. After a few minutes realizing she's made a mistake she yells to him. He comes back and carries her into the water. A more gentle man would have gone along with her sentiment and just kept walking, trying to comfort her, but Matthias treated her as temperamental and ridiculous for not wanting to do something she would obviously love.

In time Stephanie realizes the price of spending time with someone so impulsive. She is taken to a night club, stirring up old memories of her dominance. Now she views herself as powerless, devoid of the beauty she once had. Matthias doesn't realize the weight of this, how fragile Stephanie might be and takes home another girl in front of her. In the moment she's devastated and feeling defeated, lets him leave. The next day she makes it clear that that behavior is not acceptable, that she cares about him and demands that if he cares for her, he must show it. She is once again trying to train a beast.

The filmmaker guides us through Matthias's life as well. He has a son, he's living with his sister struggling to find work. To make some easy cash he gets mixed up in an underground bareknuckle fighting ring. Through all of these minor conflicts he leaves a trail of wreckage behind him. I won't mention the final conflict because it's worth witnessing without warning, but the theme is that normal every day life can allow people to focus too much on petty conflicts while disasters pull people together. It's a horrible thought that we require disaster to feel solidarity, but it's often the case. This film is so mutli-dimensional, but that's the point that fulfills my original intention of learning something. Personal conflicts are often petty and it's so important to put them aside now and again and see other people as people, see humanity as a family capable of dealing with the worst of human disaster.

Needless to say, I loved the film

5/5

Book: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

When I was younger I liked the idea of Dostoevsky but I couldn't get through any of his novels. I'd start flipping the pages and feel like I wasn't getting anywhere, like nothing was happening, as if the characters were petty and thought entirely too much about things with little to no consequence. I vividly remember  trying to read Crime and Punishment for the first time. I knew the major conflict in the book was the murder of the decrepit pawnbroker and her delicate sister beforehand. So I read up until that point and then was completely thrown by the resulting chapters. He had such a revulsion to what he did and dwelled on it endlessly. He hid his spoils in such a way that he could never use them. He even hinted to people that he did it. This all seemed incongruent with everything I new about murderers and violence.

In youth we see things as black and white. If you kill you're a murderer, if you steal, you're a thief, and if you do either you'll be caught and thrown in jail, unless you get away with it, then you just get away with it. As you get older you realize that the world isn't black and white. It's gray; the intentions, the motivations, the perceptions of man are infinitely complex and oftentimes it's very hard to stand in the shoes of someone and see their perspective. With patience and precision, this book forces you to stand in the shoes of a very complex young man. You see him at his worst, you see him destitute, without hope, you see him murder. As he constructs various justifications for his actions, as he taunts other characters, you see him tear himself apart. His body decays, his mind is torn to shreds, but he doesn't realize it until he experiences something that might actually be worth living for. 

The turning point in the novel is the experience of meeting someone he might love. He has no idea what the emotion is at first but he feels an indescribable attraction to her. He goes to her, rebukes her, toys with her. He doesn't know what to do, but ultimately he confides in her. He tells her what he's done knowing it might be the end of him. Her name is Sonia and she is the symbol of innocence, of godliness, of devotion toward goodness. Raskolnikov thinks she's petty, a whore, a perpetual victim, but this is only one level of his consciousness. Buried below all of his judgment is truth. He can't live with what he's done, and she is his salvation. 

Now think for a second that this is only one dynamic between two characters in the novel and then add 7 or 8 other characters with as much depth. You have the ability to see everything, every slight nuance of the human conflict from every perspective imaginable. Crime and Punishment is a classic for a reason and if you can maintain patience enough for everything to develop, you'll be rewarded with some new perceptions of society, of human nature, of existence in general. 

5/5

Book: Secret Rendezvous by Kobo Abe

Every reasonably successful writer has one work used by publishers to sell all the others. "If you liked _____, you'll love ______." I have no criticism for this technique in marketing because it has worked on me a number of times walking through aisles in the local bookstore. Whether or not this method is accurate depends largely on the author. Some writers stick to certain subject matter as their muse, delving deeper and deeper into previously traversed themes, but some authors are just too unpredictable to market this way. Kobo Abe is certainly one of the loose canons in surrealist literature. Printed in bold lettering on the cover of Secret Rendezvous is "Author of The Woman in the Dunes," but having read Woman in the Dunes I can confidently say it didn't prepare me for this.

The story starts out with a fairly easy to accept conflict. A husband and wife are sitting in bed when an ambulance stops at their front door. Two medics rush into their home, grab the woman, and strap her to a stretcher. The wife attempts to convince the medics that she is in perfect health and has no idea why she's being taken but they are under orders. The husband, seeing the proper paperwork allows his wife to be taken and decides to drive over to the hospital later on to pick her up. Unfortunately, when the husband arrives at the hospital his wife is nowhere to be found. She checked in, but was never assigned a room and the security guard has no idea where she could have gone.

The man begins a journey in search of his wife and from here the narrative devolves into absolute chaos. There's an on-call doctor who is found masturbating (for the purpose of donating to the fertility ward) and breaks his neck upon being discovered. There's an impotent hospital executive who wants nothing more than to be a horse and uses the bottom half of the injured doctor to achieve his goal. There's a nurse who was born in a test tube, and therefore has no basis for human intimacy, who thinks the only way to be close to someone is to watch them pleasure themselves. There's a girl with a particularly horrifying disease causing her bones to gradually dissolve into liquid. And all of these characters are preparing for the yearly anniversary of the hospital which is celebrated with a contest to pick the female patient that can have the most orgasms in a day. While all of this is going on, every detail is recorded on innumerable listening devices hidden around the hospital grounds, the tapes of which are sold in a sort of black market for people who take pleasure in overhearing others.

The obvious themes here are sexual disorder, identity disorder, and exhibitionism. And through it all the husband is a constant victim of the insanity surrounding him. He only wants to find his wife. None of these other characters are of any consequence to him, but in time it becomes obvious that his wife is there for a reason and so is he. The insatiable beast that is the hospital ensnares him, devours him, and, for continuity of the metaphor, shits him out.

I have no shame in saying I love books like this, books that explore the absurd, books that pay no mind to what might be socially acceptable to talk about. Highly recommended.

5/5

Best of 2012

1) Ahab - The Giant

In 2009 I regarded The Divinity of Oceans, Ahab's sophomore effort, to be the pinnacle of funeral doom. It captured my number one spot that year and I confidently said to anyone who cared that they were my favorite band. To expect them to retain that title for long was unreasonable. I'm too flighty to have a favorite anything for more than a month, much less three years. But here I am writing the final entry of my year end list, writing about Ahab, attempting to describe what this album means to me.

I read a lot. I depend on fiction to provide the texture my life often lacks. Sure I try to be adventurous, I try to live fully and experience what I can, but there are things I'll never see in person, emotions I'll never feel without a little help. Literature fulfills all the desires I know are beyond reach. Music does much the same thing in my life, but literature has the ability to fill in all the details, the color, while music is mostly up to interpretation. I don't think I've ever experienced the two converge before 2012... but they did in the form of The Giant.

The Giant is based on The Narrative of Gordon Pym by Edgar Allan Poe, his one and only full-length novel. I knew this ahead of time and made sure to have a Poe collection close at hand when the vinyl arrived at my doorstep. The object was to combine literature with music, to see if Ahab had been masterful enough to capture the emotion, the broad strokes of the novel, giving a literary classic a new dimension of discovery, bringing me one step closer to actually being there on Pym's doomed voyage at sea.

I've never experienced anything like this before. I've never been so moved.

Best of 2012

2) Meshuggah - Koloss

Meshuggah... I've been a fan for a long time, but never have I considered you worthy of my various lists. My admiration for you has been purely academic. I've been observing you like an anthropologist observes a primitive civilization; noting cultural advancements, rituals, tools, and your potential to thrive. I've watched you create a movement, but never capitalize on the structure you pioneered, letting other bands use you as a framework to hone and polish. And I've been patient knowing deep down that you were close to something really special.

That time has come. Koloss is a culmination of all your raw ideas, your primal aggression, your pension for other-worldly groove, tempered and sharpened into a weapon of devastating force. This album is so brutal, so thoroughly pummeling, so groovy. I don't expect you to come out with one of these every two years. But rest assured, I will be aware of every one of your releases until my demise and with the release of Koloss I know full well that you have the ability to compose perfect albums worthy of my list and many others.

Best of 2012

3) Purity Ring - Shrines

A friend offered an idea for what might provide a considerable influence on my musical taste. Sometimes I like bands that have nothing to do with my identity as a metal-head and are generally unremarkable to the people who have a much wider range of musical exposure. The friend remarked that the one thing these bands have in common is the female vocal. In the moment he told me I reflected on all those "it" bands, the indescribable ones that don't fit anywhere else in my attention span and he was right. They all feature a charming female presence that lulled me into submission. The Birthday Massacre is undoubtedly an example of this affinity and Purity Ring deserves a spot right next to them at #3.

 I'm not really sure if the female leads have anything specific in common. If I were to describe them, I would remark on their strength but also fragility, their lightness and cheer but also full awareness of the darkest aspects of the human conflict. And it is very possible my bias toward them could offer no objective description. The truth is that when some female musicians enter into my field of vision I become enamored, fascinated, drawn into their music like a helpless comet to a black hole. At that point my powers of relative objectivity are dashed to bits. So I'll just submit to calling this album absolutely perfect. I love the flow, the gentle rhythms, tonal contrasts, lyrical imagery, and the girl that showed them to me.

Best of 2012

4) The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek

It's important to be self-aware. Self-awareness helps to guide you. Self-awareness provides the ability to know what you'll like and what you'll be better off avoiding. When it comes to music, I have a pretty clear picture of how my tastes formed, with bands that guided my preferences down a constantly winding road. The Birthday Massacre confused me when I first heard them because they're a gothy synth-pop band, and I liked them a lot. I won't say that this style is completely foreign to me. I spin Shiny Toy Guns, I toss on some M83 when the moment feels right. But this band is particularly polished. One look at a band photo and it's obvious that any and all merch is readily available in the most accessible racks in Hot Topic.

Me liking this band is in stark contrast to my entire identity, so it took me a little while to swallow my pride and relent to the elation I feel whenever the delicate but assertive vocal of Chibi fills the air around me. Ever since then I've been quietly waiting for each subsequent release. Hide and Seek affirms my allegiance and it's time to stop hiding them away in the shadowy corner of my attention known as guilty pleasures and give them my #4 spot for 2012. This album is an example of perfect song-writing with unbelievably memorable hooks, great synth-soaked atmosphere, and unwavering leadership by a vocal with a charming presence but also mature restraint.

Best of 2012

5) Whourkr - 4247 Snare Drums

I have an image in my mind of what a true artist is: someone who is bombarded by images and sounds to the point of insanity, the only respite from this suffocating burden being expression. The true artist in my mind doesn't sleep often, doesn't have many friends, struggles with normal every day requirements like food and cleanliness because he spends every waking hour translating the images to paper, to canvas, to staff. You can tell these sorts of people by the art they create. It's raw, unrelenting, incomprehensibly complex, and certainly takes some time to "get."

The project of Whourkr is composed by one guy, a guy who goes by the name Igorrr. And from what I've heard of his body of work so far, he is the eponymous artist of which I speak. This album is dense, it's chaotic, it's razor sharp, but also a whole lot of fun to listen to. Each riff is sliced and diced into maybe 20 parts of varying rhythmic complexity, the same for each vocal part. But, with all the rough edges this album succeeds at being thoroughly fun to listen to. I don't know how that's possible. I don't know how a person can use so many rhythmic and melodic ideas in one track, much less a full record and strike gold with each variation. I can only hope that Igorrr, along with being the perfect image of the obsessive artist, is generously prolific for the next few years.

Best of 2012

6) Evoken - Atra Mors

Evoken have been around for a long time. They're one of the bands that originally defined funeral doom and with every release they contribute more ideas for other members of the genre to take influence from. Bands like this are untouchable because they're not trying to compose music for the sake of music. They're trying to express very personal emotions as accurately as they possibly can. And with age and experience the emotions the band is trying to express become more complex, having a direct relation to the complexity and texture of each new release. So in that respect, in the respect of creating crushingly emotional music, Evoken can do no wrong.

I would be dishonest by omission if I didn't mention my one criticism of this album. I've spent months trying  to lock down exactly how to describe this criticism and this is the best I can come up with: The production is confusing... I honestly don't think it's poorly done or mishandled. It might very well be that whoever did the final mix had the intention of confusing fans like me. It might contribute to the overall other-worldly, spacious environment the composers had in mind. Some parts have gobs of reverb, some parts are crystal clear, some parts strike with almost preemptive attack, some parts have strange pre-delays, the drums sound damp in the mix, the guitar has no mid-range presence whatsoever. All of this confuses me, and for the longest time I wanted to say it distracts from the overall experience. It could have been more organic, cohesive. But, I do feel this album, it does effect me in a profound way, and it's possible that is partly due to the tactics used in production. I've never heard an album like this before and I wouldn't be surprised if my confusion evolves into a deep admiration given more time.

Best of 2012

7) Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

Listen, I'm pretty skeptical when it comes to catchy chorus lines in death grind. I want my death grind to be brutal, unrelenting, and razor sharp. After a full spin I want my nerves to burned out, frayed beyond the prospect of healing. So when a noticeable sing-along part comes up in death grind I'll be the first to say, "Get this pansy shit out my ears." I don't know where this senseless hatred for a hook in this context comes from, but it's there. Given that sentiment, I have no idea why Anaal Nathrakh is immune to this requirement. This is death grind, no doubt, and there are hooks, big memorable hooks, hooks that in the context of a crowded dimly lit venue would force the unworthy fans to... sing along. I don't want to speculate too much on what makes them different from the rest of the pack. I'll just say that Anaal Nathrakh has blown me away with Vanitas for the mere fact that they got me to sing along gleefully to searing death grind.

Best of 2012

8) - Vaura - Selenelion

Nothing is original. The concept escapes us completely. For every action taken there is a conflict with multiple possible solutions which we review based on our experience with previously made decisions. It may feel like we could pick the decision out of thin air but there are myriad influences that operate outside of our immediate consciousness that guide us. The artist faces these conditions and tries to choose the path that most effectively projects the emotions that he feels. Music that we may consider original isn't original in definition but it can still feel remarkably so. Each new composition is a collection of previously explored ideas expressed from a perspective that's foreign to us. It's this view from someone else's perspective that is the beauty in all artistic expression. If we can see someone else's perspective then it gives us texture and context to better understand our own perspective.

Having said that, if I were to pick an album that embodies what original music feels like, this is it. Vaura is a collection of artists with dramatically different backgrounds, all bringing their vastly unique understandings of music into one cohesive album. I can't begin to imagine the creative process that was employed during the writing of this album, but all involved obviously worked well together incorporating as many previously traversed ideas as they could, displaying them in fresh new ways. If we are in the age of the narcissist, of self-promotion, of ego over selfless contribution, this album makes a good argument to the contrary. 

Best of 2012

9) Eagle Twin - The Feather Tipped The Serpent's Scale

You can look at your guitar amplifier as a tool. You can look at it as a means to an end, a fancy piece of equipment that expresses exactly what you tell it to express. You can also look at your amplifier in awe, suggesting a riff and then waiting for it to spit back raw sludge, razor blades, and acid. I wouldn't say many bands worship their amplifiers, in fact I'd go as far as calling amplifier worship a very small genre of doped up, filthy scoundrels. This is how I see Eagle Twin. Their music isn't the most intricately composed or thought provoking. But they wouldn't want those things. They want crushing tone accompanied by a whiskey soaked, lurching message and they want for you to sit back and worship as they obviously did while recording this. I have no problem with that.

Best of 2012

10)  Svartidauði - Flesh Cathedral 

I need to get this list started with something and this seemed like a good place. I'll explain. Anyone who knows me knows my favorite black metal band is Deathspell Omega. I am of the opinion that since they showed up on the scene nothing else has been able to hold a candle to the expertly crafted cacophony they consistently create. Other bands can try and I'll of course give them a chance. Svartidauði gave it the old college try this year. Flesh Cathedral is their first full-length and because it's a debut they earn some extra credit in my book. This album is expansive, it's evil, it's got a swirling void of an atmosphere. I love the unorthodox vocals, sort of half-way between a death growl and a black metal rasp with plenty of reverb. There's some real passion in the vocal delivery. I can picture him being absolutely exhausted both physically and emotionally at the end of a tracking session. The guitars have a nice tone on them, playing melodies with enough dissonance to cause disorientation without losing the focus of each track. I don't want to name faults because this band has a bright future. I'll just say that unlike my aforementioned favorite black metal band, I was an observer, not a participant. 

Movie: The Turin Horse

Everything dies, but not at the same time, which is the ultimate cause of grief, conflict, and the horrible realization of one's own mortality. We can find comfort in routine to distract us from our imminent demise, but the routine will degrade over time and eventually crumble due to the fragility of life and the destructive force of nature.

Careers in Post-Capitalism (a gross generalization)

My parents taught me many things when I was younger. One of the messages they found most important was that I get a good education and a good job with a good salary. They taught me this because that's what they wanted to do but were never able to. My father dropped out of college early on and never went back claiming school just wasn't for him. My mother started out as a journalist, but soon gave that up to focus on starting a family and eventually she went to nursing school, a career that has little opportunity for growth and little opportunity for wealthy success. They are reaching retirement age now and they feel more than ever how if certain decisions were made, if they had the money to go to good schools, if they managed to find  jobs with real earning potential, retirement might not be such a scary prospect.

Their perception is based on the reality in which they grew up. My grandparents were extremely hard-working. On one side there was a modest factory worker, on the other there was a doctor. These were careers, single jobs that kept their families afloat. That is what was demanded in their environment. The job market in the United States was simpler to wrap ones head around. If you worked diligently for a given company, they would reward you with a long career and benefits for your family, benefits for your retirement. Of course this is an example of a good story. I fully realize every generation has had to struggle for success. My point is simply that the idea of a career was one long-term job, with one company, with the opportunity for growth and eventual retirement.

And this is the perception that I was taught when I was younger. It's the reason I went into the field of computer science and it's the reason I signed on with Bank of America. I've been with them for 5 years and seeing the shift of this career model, not only at my own job, but in the behavior of my parents workplaces as well, has been profound.

Here is what's going on: Large companies no longer respect their employees. They look at a dollar value of your worth to the company and from that decide to keep you on or let you go. If oversees workers are cheaper, the company will not hesitate to replace you no matter how good your work is. Pensions and other retirement benefits are quickly become a thing of the past. My pension was recently dissolved. The conclusion of this is that there is no job security at large corporations anymore and it won't be returning with any turn-around of the economy. The small companies never had job security to begin with. They are the upstarts, the entrepreneurs who took a substantial risk and hoped for the best. With both of those options of job security unavailable one has to take a different approach. And that different approach is to focus on individual growth

The current environment of fly-by night start-ups and companies based on intellectual property rather than goods is extremely volatile, but it's driven by a unique sort of person who is resilient to this volatility. That person is one with many skills who can find small jobs to fill the time and keep him afloat. The modern worker is a web designer/programmer/consultant. The modern worker is a yoga instructor/hair dresser/stripper. The modern worker who succeeds in this rapidly changing world is multi-faceted, but one new requirement is necessary for these types of people to survive as they deal with so many responsibilities and so much pressure. They need to be absolutely passionate about their work.

During older generations most work was a passionless chore. Jobs were dangerous and generally unrewarding, and this taught the people of this country that their career was not something to feel passionately excited about. It was the only means to start a successful family. One can imagine the toll that takes on a human being. Some themes of the hard working man of previous generations reflected this enormous weight: domestic abuse, alcoholism, and abandonment.

That previous environment based on pumping out tangible goods is what is shifting, what is giving us a ripe opportunity. When the job market is no longer based on industry, but based on ideas, people can literally dream up any original idea and market it. That is what I'll refer to as post-capitalism. As stated before the shift has implications. Goods are a constant need which is why older generations had greater job security. Ideas are short lived and perpetually expanded upon, which is why our environment is so volatile.

But, overall this is a change for the better. People just have to find something they want to do and work at it every minute they can, and then find something else and work at that, and then find something else and so on. There is a lot of reward in capitalizing on your own personal passions.

This new perception of mine leaves me in a pickle, however. I have one skill working at one company who is waiting with hot anticipation to replace me with an oversees worker. I need to find other marketable skills. I need to identify a handful of passions and get to work... I know I want to keep writing, I know I like to help people (the possibility of massage therapy has crossed my mind), I'm knowledgeable of music in a way that most people are not, and I know if I don't start working on these things in a real marketable way, my future is at stake.

Movie: Prometheus

I already accepted Prometheus wasn't going to be a modern classic walking into the theater. After reading a couple reviews (making sure I didn't stumble upon on any major spoilers), it was evident that Alien is an untouchable composition in the annals of Sci-Fi. But I still wanted it to be decent. I wanted Prometheus to be a solid effort with a decent script and a few memorable characters. But it wasn't. It just wasn't.

I'll start off with what I liked. Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender are so good at what they do and they were allowed to show a little bit of that during the course of this film. Noomi was taken right to the point of desperation and she approached it with such an honest sense of strength. And Fassbender has quickly become one of my favorite actors exhibiting unbelievable professionalism and poise. Watching him play an android with a hidden agenda was mildly disturbing, which is exactly what it was meant to be.

The actual beauty of the film shouldn't be overlooked either. I gratefully tip my hat to the set designers and CG artists who were involved in this effort. All the environments were stunning and fully engrossing. I never doubted any of the sets for a second; all of it was believable. And I am proud to admit that CG presentation as a whole is getting damn close to reality. It was only a matter of time before technology gave the willing artist the ability to create a believable environment on a computer screen, but that day is here.

But the flaws... finally I get to the point where I can blow off a little steam... For anyone that doesn't know, the point of this film was to explain the brief encounter with a technologically advanced humanoid being featured in the original Alien film known by the people involved as an "architect." In Prometheus, the architects are said to be the origin of life on earth. They came to earth and created us. Keep in mind that the premise doesn't include any other life on the planet. So instead of embracing the theory of evolution, the film says, "Oh yeah, humans aren't a result of evolution, we were engineered by this other race of humans and put here." WHAT?! Why at this point in our society would the writers of this film decide to throw evolution in the trash?! 

But accept that for a moment, while I give another spoiler. The architects are bad guys!? Why?!!!! Why would you make the an ultra-advanced humanoid being a violent warrior?! That doesn't make any sense... To achieve limitless innovation to the extent of intergalactic travel a society would have figured out a solution to violent behavior. Technology isn't the only thing that advances. Every part of a society evolves, including how to deal with one another. Violence obviously isn't an intelligent solution to ANYTHING! But, oh well, the architects gave us life and for some unknown reason (follow me here), they set up a military installation on a distant moon and developed biological weapons with the purpose of returning to earth and wiping us out.... WHAT?! I know, I know, that's the mystery, that's the unexplained that Noomi wants explained, but that doesn't make it any less stupid. 

I can see how you'd think that I'm being too critical about that, but just listen for a second. Sci-Fi is all about viewing reality from a perspective that doesn't exist yet. It's about imagining a place in time that is so far removed from current events that each journey into the unknown is an opportunity to introduce an entirely new way of thinking and feeling. What the writers did with Prometheus was to view the future through our violent, short-sighted eyes. We know violence already, we know war and we know how dumb and primitive it is. We know what bashing people over the head with heavy things looks like. I want to know something else. And this film failed to show me a single perspective that was at all futuristic.

Now let's take a second to discuss the characters other than those skillfully executed by Rapace and Fassbender. Uhhh ummmm... oh sorry, I FORGOT THEM. Seriously Ridley... You used to be really good at that; giving a character some heart, some fragility, some god damn humanity. But I guess you forgot. There was one moment that is absolutely unforgivable. Near the end when the ship captain makes the decision to destroy the architect's ship by ramming theirs into it... The two supporting characters just sort of say, "Alright, gotta die sometime..." WHAT?! I get that it's cool to go out in a big way, but to not give a second thought to instantly committing suicide. They literally just threw their arms in the air and embraced it, not really understanding at all that the human race could have been in danger. It took them about 5 seconds to decide it was alright to die. They even ended the scene saying, "I'll see you on the other side buddy." FUCK.

Oh, and one more detail before I close. When you find an alien's head, your first reaction shouldn't be to shove an electrode into it and bring it back to life without a single ounce of  preparation or precaution. That shit just wouldn't happen. And to make the head explode afterward... Where the fuck is Michael Bay... I know he's here somewhere.

Overall this was a pretty film with a couple great actors in it. That doesn't nearly make up for how shallow it is, how many disposable characters there were, how little they felt when their life was at risk, or how blindingly dumb the conflicts were that endangered their lives to being with. 

1/5