Kiss Me Deadly

I don't get out to the movies nearly as much as I used to. There are good and bad things about that. The good thing is that it makes me appreciate the few films I do make time to see that much more. The bad thing is I miss wonderful movies like "Nascar 2 - Turn Left HARDER!!"...oh, wait...I guess that's not too bad really. You get the idea.

This Sunday was one of the good things. It's one of my top three directors going back to a style and a medium that has meant magic for him before. I'm speaking of Tim Burton, and his latest creation "The Corpse Bride".

This film is going to instantly be compared to "The Nightmare Before Christmas". I'm going to tell you right now that it's not as good as that movie. There's a perfect cohesion and synchronicity to Nightmare for me, and this story just doesn't quite get there.

That being said, it's a great film. I'm a fan of animation, and if you simply soak this up on that level, then you're in for some fantastic times. Time is something that I have a bit of an issue with here. The film clocks in on the short side, and I just feel that if we had a few more sequences, particularly in the land of the dead, it would have felt a little more grand.

The characters are wonderfully done, and the voice acting is superb. I think that there are moments in this film that are great. The first scene with Victor at the piano {check out the brand} and the second scene with Victor and the Bride's duet are wonderful. Just the look of everything is so crisp and surreal that it's almost like it's own version of hyper-reality.

The music and songs are hit or miss, really. The song that really nails it is the raucous bar-room honky-tonk jam about the titular Bride's story. There's also a melancholy number of the Bride singing about her heartbreak that's really touching.

The visuals, and the love triangle (quadrangle, really) is what really propels the movie, and made it enjoyable for me.

Like any good Tim Burton movie, it's a tale of love and tragedy. This is a good movie, and I hope that it spawns more stop-action animation projects from Tim, and anyone else up to the task. I love this style of animation, and would love to see more of it. This is definitely shaping up to be a part of a Halloween movie night favorite of mine. I honestly feel that it will get better with subsequent viewings too.

I haven't really been looking forward to too many movies this year, and this was definitely towards the top of the list. I really just have 3 more I'm dying to see in the near future - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardbrobe, and King Kong.

If those movies deliver on their goods like this film did, then I'll have a good cinema annum...

Cats In The Cradle

Huzzah!

I know that it weighs in at 23 pounds, and it weighs pretty heavily on the wallet as well, but we have been given a wonderful set of three hardbound editions that contain "The Complete Calvin & Hobbes".

I don't think I've ever met anyone who disliked this comic strip. It was one of my favorites from the start, and I already own a few of the paperback collections available now. I can't say I'm going to run out and buy these right away, but they're definitely going to be in my collection at some point. Just take a look!

It's a shame that most people's exposure to Calvin at this point is all of those stupid bootleg stickers on the rear windows of cars. This set is something substantial, because it captures something that I found continuously funny and wonderfully imaginative. There haven't been that many strips that have had more of an impact and lasting memory, and the fact that it only lasted 10 years makes that fact even more impressive.

There's something really perfect about those travels with a boy and his tiger. I hope this set is purchased for someone who never got a chance to see them the first time around. I hope they're halfway through the first book laughing before they realize how good it really is, and then read the rest.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor

ALBUM REVIEW

Although it took a tragedy to bring Dave Grohl fully to the fore, I've always been glad that he was given his own band. He doesn't make music that will change the world, but he does know how to rock. He does often end up with the "Foo Fighter" sound, which is dangerous. I hope that he continues to experiment, and go for more with each album.

Right off the bat, he gets points for this release simply because it's a double album. No one does these anymore, and I respect him for it. He even had the kitschy verve to go with the Mc DLT strategy, with one hot and one cool disc.

The first disc has him plugged in, while the second is a hushed acoustic sampling. As a whole, this is a good album if you like the Foo Fighters. It may even be a good buy for those who've never really bought any of their albums. I will admit that the acoustic disc is far superior.

For now, let's start with the 1st disc, the rockin' one.

The disc starts off well, with the title track "In Your Honor". There are waves of guitar that are pounded on the shore of thundering drums. I can hear the emotion in Dave's voice here, and it's one of the things that I enjoy in his songs that I really enjoy. This is a song about selfless sacrifice, and it strikes a cord with me particularly right there.

"No Way Back" is a good example of a "foo speed" song. This is the groove that you've heard before if you've ever bought one of their albums. The cadence, the vocals, the guitar are all the same routine. It's not a bad trick, per se, if you're a one-trick pony, but it just doesn't do much for me. I have always preferred the Foo Fighter songs that are a little more on the odd end of the spectrum, and this is just a little too middle of the road for me.

Ah, the 1st single of the album. This is normally the most hand-crafted and over-produced, catchy groove they can throw at you. "Best of You" is really pretty raw, and not just because Senor Grohl is really giving his vocal chords a good twanging. This is a very powerful song, both sonically and lyrically, and it's actually my favorite of the first platter.

"DOA" could easily be the second single released from this album. It's not quite as formulaic as it could be, and it's got an exceptionally melodic chorus. It serves as a nice chaser.

With a name like "Hell", you'd think that you'd be getting something dark. This song just sort of fills up space to me. If it's supposed to be angry, then I'm really not feeling it.

If you've read any of my previous reviews, then you know that I have a distinct distaste for the current crop of "pop punk" bands that have glutted the marketplace of late. "The Last Song" sounds dangerously close to one of those songs, and I really can't condone the similarity.

The next track is a bit slower than the rest, and it benefits from it. That, coupled with a stuttering beat marching along to tether the angst makes "Free Me" much better than the last track.

Although I'm sure that they've played plenty of dive bars in their time, "Resolve" sounds like it should come blaring out of a swinging door with a porthole window of some smoky hole in the wall. I'm not saying it's country & western, but it's definitely got boots on.

I enjoy the blues. I love them for what they represent on their own, as well as their imminent influence on all of rock music. If you're going to do a blues song with the title "The Deepest Blues Are Black" then you should be B.B. King, Buddy Guy, or John Lee Hooker. This song just doesn't cut it. Not even if you sharpened it all day.

Determined not to let the first album end on a downer, we're given "End Over End" to do the happy-head-bob to. It's got a nice sunny California vibe to it, almost like something from the Byrds, minus the 12-string.

Now, let's move on to the unplugged 2nd disc.

The first song sounds like Dave's trying to serenade someone who's already half asleep. His voice is barely above a whisper, as though he wants the dreamer to hear them, but not be wakened. It's really a wonderful change of pace, and mood, and delivery, and I like it a lot.

"What If I Do" is a straightforward ballad, with pretty good lyrics. It's something you would hear in a coffee shop near your house. I wonder if they have those fresh cran-muffins in today?

The next track has two things going for it. The first is that it's a simple, stripped-down arrangement of a sentimental love song. The second is that John Paul Jones plays piano on it.
That's makes "Miracle" a pretty good one-two punch in my book.

I guess that "Resolve" from the first disc wasn't enough of a sojourn through the dusty trail, because "Another Round" is coming straight from folk/country on Tom Petty Lane.

If you're going to "borrow" a riff from something, make it a good something. In this case, we have something that's awfully close to "King of Pain" by The Police running through the Foo's "Friend of a Friend". It's actually it's own song, and that riff is just the backdrop. What helps to seal the coolness here is that yet again we have John Paul Jones, this time on the mandolin.

"Over and Out" is a quiet, brooding anti-love song. Not really a stand-out track here by any stretch of the imagination.

"On The Mend" continues the lesser patch of this album by sounding the most like one of their regular formula songs just slowed down for effect. This is the only song on this disc that really feels that way to me, so I guess that's a good thing.

I didn't recognize the female backing vocal on "Virginia Moon" right away. It's such a nice song, with the pair of vocals, and the soft strumming guitar gently rolling along. The next time I was near a computer, I wanted to track down whose haunting tones those were. There was good reason for me to enjoy the ride, since it turns out that Norah Jones stopped by to help out on this song. It's not quite my favorite song on here, but it's one of the best.

I suppose that Dave Grohl wanted to empower another drummer to spread his wings a little. So, he let his drummer sing on "Cold Day In The Sun". The results to me, with the echo effect added to help him out, sound a lot like Rick Springfield. Pity this wasn't an acoustic "Jessie's Girl" cover instead.

They saved the best for last for me. Although this is probably the darkest beautiful song you'll ever hear, "Razor" absolutely shines. The vocals are back to the whisper where we started, and the guitar is classically inspired lines flowing behind all the while. I've been where this song sings about, and I know exactly where he's coming from. The loving way he sings about pain, backed by such wonderful guitar work is contrastic perfection.

Taking both albums together, this turns out to be a good record. Although we may not get a better sampling of songs, or a finer crafted album from the Foo Fighters, this definitely gives you a good idea of what they're about. I think there are tracks here that point to better music still to be made, and I hope that they continue to challenge themselves, and try new things.

Rating = * * * out of 5 stars.

System of a Down - Mezmerize

ALBUM REVIEW

Mezmerize is the first real new album we've had from my favorite Armenians, and it's another shot in the arm to modern rock. At their best, System of a Down is rather a lot like theatre to me. While some people may see their antics and delivery as extreme, I think that it's more an exaggeration for effect. This album sports their normal flair for classical themes hidden within devious crunching metal time signatures.

While as a whole this album didn't satisfy me quite like Toxicity did,
the gems here outshine almost anything else they've ever done.

The "Soldier Side" intro wasn't really necessary, and could have easily been skipped in my opinion. If you're going to give me an intro track, then I'd like to have a)an instrumental theme established, b)a humorous or rare sample, or c)the equivalent of a pallet-cleansing preface to the first real track of the album. This track's too short, and doesn't really go anywhere at all.

However, it does lead into "BYOB" which is phenomenal. This is the first single, and how it manages to pack a political message into such an interesting song is pretty amazing. I will admit that the political thing isn't my bag. I've said it before in other reviews too. Still, just focusing on the music alone, this is a wonderful song. We go from frenetic screams and blistering speed, and then seamlessly transition into a booty-grooving guitar chorus that's mockingly sweet and irresistible. This isn't my favorite track on the album, but it's definitely one of the best.

"Revenga" is a twisted tale of love, with warp speed guitars for the tender touch. Aside from the warped verses lyrics, this is a hyper-ballad at heart. Sort of like a country song girl-done-me-wrong sort of thing, but without a twang or pedal steel guitar in sight.

It's hard not to laugh at such a blatant tongue in cheek song like "Cigaro". This is the mantra of every rich and powerful corporate whore that we all hate. Played out and painted in the most bombastic lyrical onslaught, and with surging guitars to boot. The message here isn't hard to see, but it's fun to hear.

"Radio/Video" could easily be marked as one of the more "accessible" tracks on the album. It's a little more structured than some, and maybe even a bit easier to understand what's being sung throughout. It's easily one of my favorites of the album, but not because of those things. What I love about this song is the fact that it's really just traditional Armenian folk music disguised as a rock song. There is a beautiful bit of vocalization to the bridge that's easily missed too. Also, there's a great bit of fun as the song changes pace, and then goes whisper soft only to rip right back into a scream once you've been fooled into hugging the speaker. Very good stuff.

What honest rock album wouldn't have at least one song about drugs? In the spirit of that, we get "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm On This Song " which is a Lewis Carroll dive down the rabbit hole. Full of the rantings of paranoia and megalomania that are typical of the title "mood enhancing" drug, this song sweeps and swirls around you like city traffic in the summer.

Well, I suppose that since we had a drug song, we might as well get the trifecta out of the way, and get a sex song in here too. Not that the title "Violent Pornography" would have given that away or anything. It's actually a song with a very simple point. With as many weak people that we have given unlimited access to depravity, it's no wonder that we're reaping the harvest of reprobates and sociopaths.

Ah, now we've finally gotten to my favorite song. "Question!" is an operatic wonderment. This is progressive and classical, and yet modern and hard as hell too. Most people wouldn't be reminded of a symphony on their first listening of this track, but the influence is there. From the quiet acoustic plucking around the first stanza, through the emotional delivery of the titular question in the chorus, this song is powerful in a lot of nice ways.

"Sad Statue" is another political song, but it's slower pace, and poignant lyrics put it above and beyond most. The chorus may be a bit of an over-simplified encapsulation of our culture right now, but it's pretty darn close.

Let's kick off a tale of "Old School Hollywood" with some synth bass! We end up with a mix of Devo and Dio on this one, and although those are some strange bedfellows, it's not as odd as it sounds(for a System of a Down song).

Wrapping up the album is "Lost in Hollywood", a classic tale of disillusionment in tinsel town. The song is sung with a real empathy and sincerity. Like it's something a big brother would say to a younger sibling, instead of just saying "I told you so".

This album is a little erratic for me. The songs I like are great, and the rest is good, but not ground breaking. Those great songs are really something special though. Overall, the album is awfully short, and it's a good thing that it's merely the first of a planned double release. I'm looking forward to their next album, so I guess that's a pretty good testament to the music that they continue to make.

Rating = * * * 1/2 out of 5 stars.