There does exist a novel in which Jack Kerouac crosses over with the Cthulhu Mythos.
It is free on Creative Commons liscence here:
http://www.moveunderground.org/
That is all.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Exciting Sequels
28 Weeks Later
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_atomic/28weekslater/large.html
I was pretty skeptical until I saw this trailer. While the first one certainly did not hold up so well with multiple viewings, this one looks like it could be better. There's at least more people to kill, which is always good, right?
Day Watch
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/daywatch/
This one I'm actually excited about. Night Watch was goofy and Russian and flawed, but still pretty awesome. This looks like it could clean house with Night Watch. Bekmambetov clearly had a bigger budget with this one, and it looks like he put it to good use. The carnage factor appears to be significantly higher than the last.
Until that day.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_atomic/28weekslater/large.html
I was pretty skeptical until I saw this trailer. While the first one certainly did not hold up so well with multiple viewings, this one looks like it could be better. There's at least more people to kill, which is always good, right?
Day Watch
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/daywatch/
This one I'm actually excited about. Night Watch was goofy and Russian and flawed, but still pretty awesome. This looks like it could clean house with Night Watch. Bekmambetov clearly had a bigger budget with this one, and it looks like he put it to good use. The carnage factor appears to be significantly higher than the last.
Until that day.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Shakespeare Gets Trashy Like its 1939
So I just viewed the 1995 version of Shakespeare's breakthrough play Richard III. It stars and was written by Ian McKellan, directed by the faceless Richard Loncraine. As the title of this post may have hinted, this is a modern adaptation taking place in an alternate universe England where fascists under the Gloucester family have taken over after a civil war. As far as Shakespeare adaptations go, this may be the most entertaining I have ever seen.
Let me ask you this: how many Shakespeare movies open with a tank bursting through the wall of a drawing room, whereupon men in gasmasks jump out, gunning down the King of England in cold blood? Then, how many spell out their titles with each resounding gunshot in true cheesy action movie form? Only this one does that. On top of that, it has Robert Downey Jr. as Lord Rivers! Robert Downey Jr. as an English Lord! It doesn't get any better than that.
Ian McKellan deftly handles the lead role of the sinister Richard III, now replete with a crustache and fascist military regalia. Rather than having most of Richard's lengthy asides taken as him talking to himself, this movie has McKellan actually address the audience, often with a wink and smile. I couldn't help but think of Ferris Bueller's Day Off for some reason - yet somehow, this works, in a campy fun sort of way. Of course, all of this focus upon McKellan makes you realize how truly ugly the man is. Yech.
The rest of the cast is mostly those kinds of actors who you recognize but whose names you cannot remember, barring Downey Jr. and Annette Benning's compassionate portrayal of Elizabeth. They all handle their parts beautifully, inspiring pity or disgust despite the film's action movie bravado and horror movie murder scenes. They also make Shakespeare's dialogue easily understandable, for those who have issues with that. I find that actors in films using Shakespeare's dialogue often say the lines far too quick, losing some of the meaning. That hardly happens here.
Of note is a brief cameo by jazz singer Stacey Kent, playing herself as the opening credits fade out under a hilariously and intentionally inappropriate swing song.
The score for this film is a mix of '30s swing and classical orchestration, never failing to accentuate the right scenes. This film has a black sense of humor that the score wholly reinforces, as the aforementioned inappropriate swing song shows. The song resurfaces even more hilariously for the last shot of the film, which has to be seen to be believed.
Loncraine, despite being a no-name, handles the direction gorgeously. This film is lush, to say the least, but it also has the World War II era grit to it. This is particularly present in the prison scenes and the final battle scene. The costuming, props, and set design are all appropriate for the era, which makes the alternate universe scenario all the more believable.
This film is indeed strange. It swings wildly between serious drama and campy action/horror, yet somehow holds it all together. It was nominated for several awards in varying categories by several institutions, a few of which it won. As I said, it's the most entertaining adaptation I've seen, though not the best (Kurosawa's Ran holds that for me). Still, it's worth a look if you ever are feeling indecisive at the video store - given its odd conglomeration of opposing elements, you will probably be satisfied in some way.
Let me ask you this: how many Shakespeare movies open with a tank bursting through the wall of a drawing room, whereupon men in gasmasks jump out, gunning down the King of England in cold blood? Then, how many spell out their titles with each resounding gunshot in true cheesy action movie form? Only this one does that. On top of that, it has Robert Downey Jr. as Lord Rivers! Robert Downey Jr. as an English Lord! It doesn't get any better than that.
Ian McKellan deftly handles the lead role of the sinister Richard III, now replete with a crustache and fascist military regalia. Rather than having most of Richard's lengthy asides taken as him talking to himself, this movie has McKellan actually address the audience, often with a wink and smile. I couldn't help but think of Ferris Bueller's Day Off for some reason - yet somehow, this works, in a campy fun sort of way. Of course, all of this focus upon McKellan makes you realize how truly ugly the man is. Yech.
The rest of the cast is mostly those kinds of actors who you recognize but whose names you cannot remember, barring Downey Jr. and Annette Benning's compassionate portrayal of Elizabeth. They all handle their parts beautifully, inspiring pity or disgust despite the film's action movie bravado and horror movie murder scenes. They also make Shakespeare's dialogue easily understandable, for those who have issues with that. I find that actors in films using Shakespeare's dialogue often say the lines far too quick, losing some of the meaning. That hardly happens here.
Of note is a brief cameo by jazz singer Stacey Kent, playing herself as the opening credits fade out under a hilariously and intentionally inappropriate swing song.
The score for this film is a mix of '30s swing and classical orchestration, never failing to accentuate the right scenes. This film has a black sense of humor that the score wholly reinforces, as the aforementioned inappropriate swing song shows. The song resurfaces even more hilariously for the last shot of the film, which has to be seen to be believed.
Loncraine, despite being a no-name, handles the direction gorgeously. This film is lush, to say the least, but it also has the World War II era grit to it. This is particularly present in the prison scenes and the final battle scene. The costuming, props, and set design are all appropriate for the era, which makes the alternate universe scenario all the more believable.
This film is indeed strange. It swings wildly between serious drama and campy action/horror, yet somehow holds it all together. It was nominated for several awards in varying categories by several institutions, a few of which it won. As I said, it's the most entertaining adaptation I've seen, though not the best (Kurosawa's Ran holds that for me). Still, it's worth a look if you ever are feeling indecisive at the video store - given its odd conglomeration of opposing elements, you will probably be satisfied in some way.
Friday, March 23, 2007
This is quite spiffy...
Y'all need to check this shit out. Pronto.
http://ericpoulton.blogspot.com/search/label/steampunk%20star%20wars
http://ericpoulton.blogspot.com/search/label/steampunk%20star%20wars
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
D'Mite and Huckabees
Get it while it's hot, folks. If you want to see Lily Tomlin and David Russel flip their shit and act like complete children on camera during the filming of I Heart Huckabees, head here:
http://www.omgblog.com/2007/03/omg_how_emotional_lily_tomlin.php
Alternately, if you wish to hear the best rap song perhaps ever recorded, go here:
http://www.myspace.com/knotarapper
And click on Read a Book.
Happy spring.
http://www.omgblog.com/2007/03/omg_how_emotional_lily_tomlin.php
Alternately, if you wish to hear the best rap song perhaps ever recorded, go here:
http://www.myspace.com/knotarapper
And click on Read a Book.
Happy spring.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Heroes; Or, Science Fiction Executed Well on Television.
I was reminded to write this as I was watching a video of Zach Snyder talking about the Watchmen movie, which is supposed to start shooting soon. According to related buzz, Jude Law is being cast as Ozymandias, and Gerard Butler is somewhere inside of it. Seeing Mr. Snyder talk about it, I'm sure he has the right attitude to go into a Moore project. He isn't being abstract. Moore isn't an abstract writer. He's paranoid, calculating, and pretty when he sees the opportunity to be. I don't think it'll suck, basically.
So. Heroes.
The second run of nine or so episodes ended a few weeks ago, with new episodes being served in mid-April.
I have almost every episode on my computer, with the exception of the latest, which I tried to watch on TV. I remembered why I don't watch TV anymore when that happened. That is, my Heroes episode was embedded with more advertising than I could take. If that is what it takes to produce such awesome media, then I suppose it is worth it, but when I realized that fifteen minutes of the hour timeslot Heroes occupies on Monday nights were commercials, I was agitated.
Other than that, the show is good. It is what mutants would have been like in the world of today, minus anything to do with Stan Lee (though he does have a cameo at one point). The special effects are never horrendous, and rarely feel out of place. In fact, after watching this show I began to question what the appeal of costumed superheroes were for me, and couldn't get a clear answer. Was it the costumes themselves gone? Being able to see bodies through spandex? The art of mimicking the comic book panel in a movie frame? Whatever it is, Heroes does not have that. Instead, it feels like a coherent drama. The writers do a good job of not making it feel too campy, though sometimes it's good for relief from the tense drama in the show. Also, the producers aren't afraid to kill people off or move characters around. I do not feel as though the show is still setting itself up, but is constantly unfolding into a unique world. I see a few things in the current world that I would amend or cut, but so far nothing has really seemed so irrelevant or uninteresting to me that I didn't care that much.
Okay, so: what are the characters like? Well, most of them have mismatched powers. Some of the powers are so weird, I can't see them working with a superhero. Recently, a minor character had the power of superheating, which means he could make things melt into goop. Useful? I guess, if so for killing people. Some people in the show have very overpowered abilities, such as Hiro, who can bend time and space. However, he is a pop culture nerd of delusional status who often uses his power for personal pleasure, and still hasn't been able to teleport without moving forward or backward in time. Some have powers that are more well thought out than their comic universe counterparts- Peter Petrelli is an "empath" which means when he thinks of others, he can gain their powers until he stops doing so. Sylar, his sort of evil counterpart, actually eats the brains of others to understand how they "work," absorbing their powers. This works better than the ambiguous way Rogue takes the powers of others. Peter's brother, however, has only the ability of flight- a quip of his comes to mind in which he asks Peter what he would be able to do once he got to the scene of a crime, since he did not have a gun or superpowers other than flying. This very restrictive way to deal with superpowers serves two purposes: 1) It's a TV show on some kind of budget, despite the money that is coming in from it, and 2) Characters are rarely so developed with their powers that they lack any personality beyond their abilities.
As for how this series will turn out, I have a few hopes for it. I'd like to see more heroes outside of the US. Many of the big events occur here, especially in Las Vegas and New York, but it's been shown that they exist elsewhere. I'd like to see some kind of big superfight or a Hero who has to deal with their power in a different culture- just to open up everything. I do not want there to be anything like a Justice League developed, or any "team"- It's too young for that and its not realistic. I do not want there to be any cosmic stories or anything that is outside of Earth. I'd like them to kill off the woman who has the weird, unexplored Hulk powers- or develop her a bit more, clear up her convoluted backstory. I'd also like to see Hiro travel through time and find Heroes from an earlier era or something. Maybe even some kind of Morlock thing- or a Genosha idea. It's a show about social interaction, really, so I don't see why exploring these different social structures in the show would be a bad idea. But at this point, the show could go anywhere. And thats what I like about the show- it does. It is very realistic, and very unforgiving. I wish more comics were written like this- I compare the narrative style to Watchmen often. Maybe Zach Snyder will take a cue from the production team of Heroes and make it feel authentic.
Anyway, that's this week's Monday post, two days late. Friday and Saturday, I'll post movie or video game reviews. Ta.
So. Heroes.
The second run of nine or so episodes ended a few weeks ago, with new episodes being served in mid-April.
I have almost every episode on my computer, with the exception of the latest, which I tried to watch on TV. I remembered why I don't watch TV anymore when that happened. That is, my Heroes episode was embedded with more advertising than I could take. If that is what it takes to produce such awesome media, then I suppose it is worth it, but when I realized that fifteen minutes of the hour timeslot Heroes occupies on Monday nights were commercials, I was agitated.
Other than that, the show is good. It is what mutants would have been like in the world of today, minus anything to do with Stan Lee (though he does have a cameo at one point). The special effects are never horrendous, and rarely feel out of place. In fact, after watching this show I began to question what the appeal of costumed superheroes were for me, and couldn't get a clear answer. Was it the costumes themselves gone? Being able to see bodies through spandex? The art of mimicking the comic book panel in a movie frame? Whatever it is, Heroes does not have that. Instead, it feels like a coherent drama. The writers do a good job of not making it feel too campy, though sometimes it's good for relief from the tense drama in the show. Also, the producers aren't afraid to kill people off or move characters around. I do not feel as though the show is still setting itself up, but is constantly unfolding into a unique world. I see a few things in the current world that I would amend or cut, but so far nothing has really seemed so irrelevant or uninteresting to me that I didn't care that much.
Okay, so: what are the characters like? Well, most of them have mismatched powers. Some of the powers are so weird, I can't see them working with a superhero. Recently, a minor character had the power of superheating, which means he could make things melt into goop. Useful? I guess, if so for killing people. Some people in the show have very overpowered abilities, such as Hiro, who can bend time and space. However, he is a pop culture nerd of delusional status who often uses his power for personal pleasure, and still hasn't been able to teleport without moving forward or backward in time. Some have powers that are more well thought out than their comic universe counterparts- Peter Petrelli is an "empath" which means when he thinks of others, he can gain their powers until he stops doing so. Sylar, his sort of evil counterpart, actually eats the brains of others to understand how they "work," absorbing their powers. This works better than the ambiguous way Rogue takes the powers of others. Peter's brother, however, has only the ability of flight- a quip of his comes to mind in which he asks Peter what he would be able to do once he got to the scene of a crime, since he did not have a gun or superpowers other than flying. This very restrictive way to deal with superpowers serves two purposes: 1) It's a TV show on some kind of budget, despite the money that is coming in from it, and 2) Characters are rarely so developed with their powers that they lack any personality beyond their abilities.
As for how this series will turn out, I have a few hopes for it. I'd like to see more heroes outside of the US. Many of the big events occur here, especially in Las Vegas and New York, but it's been shown that they exist elsewhere. I'd like to see some kind of big superfight or a Hero who has to deal with their power in a different culture- just to open up everything. I do not want there to be anything like a Justice League developed, or any "team"- It's too young for that and its not realistic. I do not want there to be any cosmic stories or anything that is outside of Earth. I'd like them to kill off the woman who has the weird, unexplored Hulk powers- or develop her a bit more, clear up her convoluted backstory. I'd also like to see Hiro travel through time and find Heroes from an earlier era or something. Maybe even some kind of Morlock thing- or a Genosha idea. It's a show about social interaction, really, so I don't see why exploring these different social structures in the show would be a bad idea. But at this point, the show could go anywhere. And thats what I like about the show- it does. It is very realistic, and very unforgiving. I wish more comics were written like this- I compare the narrative style to Watchmen often. Maybe Zach Snyder will take a cue from the production team of Heroes and make it feel authentic.
Anyway, that's this week's Monday post, two days late. Friday and Saturday, I'll post movie or video game reviews. Ta.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Just had to post it.
I have decided that every Wednesday is bizarre internet meme day. Maybe just weird-ass wednesday.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
More Ammunition Against Pete Wentz
Adding to my rapidly growing hatred of Fall Out Boy's mascara-clad cad on high, Pete Wentz, is this:
Fall Out Boy borrows lyrics from American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost
Apparently the lead singer of American Nightmare just settled out of court with the band because he borrowed several lyrics from him without permission. At least FOB credited him as a co-writer on three songs from the newest album. But really, who the fuck steals lyrics from a guy with one arm? And why should we now give a shit about stealing your record when apparently you didn't even write the damn thing?
Fall Out Boy borrows lyrics from American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost
Apparently the lead singer of American Nightmare just settled out of court with the band because he borrowed several lyrics from him without permission. At least FOB credited him as a co-writer on three songs from the newest album. But really, who the fuck steals lyrics from a guy with one arm? And why should we now give a shit about stealing your record when apparently you didn't even write the damn thing?
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
R.I.P. Captain America?
So apparently Marvel killed off Captain America in the newest issue. I personally think its gimmick just like everything else that's going on right now. It would be cool and ballsy if Marvel had enough brass to actually perpitrate this, but I don't think they will. Brubaker's book has been selling well, and the Cap'n is as well known and relevant as ever. My thoughts are that they'll play it off as a faked death with Nick Fury taking him underground so he won't be put in the N-Zone prison. I bet he'll come back in about 4-6 months in Mavel's next big event, which is actually a pretty badass selling point. Out of all the things to happen because of Civil War, this and the Aunt May shooting are my two favorite. They have the potential to change lots of characters in lots of different ways. It sort of made the whole thing relevant. The Secret Wars gave Spider-Man the black costume, and Civil War killed Captain America (maybe). What do you guys think? Is he really dead? Or is he waiting in the wings to sell more comics later?
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
(IndieChrist Television Blues): First Impressions of Neon Bible
The Arcade Fire: what have you heard about them that isn't good? First, Funeral: an instant classic. It surprise carpet bombed the indie world, and countless pretentious and unpretentious listeners were its victims, feeling much akin to that little naked girl with the barbecued arm running down the street in that famous Vietnam War photo. Then: the chaotic, frantic, instrument swapping live shows purportedly frothing with raw emotion and balls out rock. Holy shit, people said, this band can pull off the tangled cacophany of sound that they made on record? Yes, the band responded, now sit down, shut up, and prepared to be shock n awed. When the group rereleased its so-so demo, indie rockers snatched it up like crack-flavored pop rocks, and said they could hear its incredible potential with their special indie hindsight goggles. Yes, hear with goggles. That's what this band fucking does to you.
Then, like Superman in a certain underrated superhero film, they dropped off the face of the Earth, and the Lex Luthors of the near mainstream almost got away with their evil Kryptonite-infused continent (read: good music) swallowing real estate schemes. Well, Supes, er, The Arcade Fire, are back. And do they save they day? Sort of. Maybe. Barely? I mean, Superman just about died tossing the kryptonite island thing into space and couldn't persuade Lois to leave her toolbox of a husband, and that seems fitting here. The Arcade Fire do provide a temporary reprieve from the schlocktastic garbage clogging the airwaves right now (albeit there is seemingly less than there was 3-4 years ago), but they also fail to Baghdadify the scene as before.
Okay, yes, this record is great. I'm hooked - I'm on the verge of dumping this review in favor of listening to it again. But it didn't yank me out of my chair and toss me on the ground like Funeral did. No, this album's a grower. I didn't even like it at first, but as its mood and themes soaked me through, I was able to get a grasp on the changes the band has made, and realize that what they've done here is pretty good in its own right. It is certainly no Funeral, and it is certainly not as influential or genre/year/decade/etc defining as that record. I mean, c'mon, it's the second record. Sequels rarely outdo their predecessors (exception in the aforementioned superhero flick) - hardly anyone ever shits gold twice. Get over it - did you really think, given the circumstances and lack of a scrutinous public eye during the writing of the debut, that another Funeral could be made?
So, what's different here? The tempo is the most noticeable change. There is a distinct softening of the muscular, jarring aspect of Funeral's pace. And there is also a greater uniformity in this - gone are the sudden total turnarounds a la the ends of Wake Up and Crown of Love. The band will still ratchet the intensity up a bit from time to time, but nothing like that first time in Neighborhood #1. That's not necessarily a bad thing - just different. A pensive, rather than explosive Arcade Fire? Okay. They can do it. But this album is generally more repetitious and consistent, which is good and bad. The song structure is less diverse than before, and that is my biggest complaint with this album. The majority of songs end with Win annoyingly repeating a verse over and over and over. The instrumentation is also quite different - it's not quite as guitar centric and it sounds more organic. And a simply epic organ manages to steal the show from the pronounced use of accordion and piano. Sadly Regine has a diminished role in this recording as well - she hardly gets a song of her own here. But, when she does throw her voice into the band's trademark mess of sound, it's fantastic, and chilling.
Indeed, one of the best parts of the band is still here - the chaos. But rather than the fierce whirlwind of Funeral, we are subject to a mellower, murkier, and more mournful conglomeration of instruments. Funeral came through and tore everything apart, and now we are digging through the remains. This album sounds darker and creepier, and frankly its predecessor's title seems to fit it better than Neon Bible, at least on a sonic level. The lyrics are still weird, highly interpretable, thematic, intelligent and stupid all at once. While the yoinked title Neon Bible would imply at least a smidgen of humor considering from whom it was yoinked, it seems more like a portender of the fate of that um, yoinkee. The theme, as I have interpreted it, is of a much wider scale than Funeral's focus on family and love: this is paranoia, World War III, sinking ships, imprisoned passions, decaying societies, and a healthy dash of despair. I'm reminded in a way of Ok Computer. There is a definite water motif here, among others, and that really adds to the albums overall murkiness, both in production and execution. That is the best way I can describe it: murky. This is dark stuff, as the very stark black and white lyric booklet implies, as the threatening piano riffs and evil organ groans accentuate. Really, it's discomforting, especially if one has the same reservations about the world we live in as Win's crazy ass does.
And that is the main reason why this album succeeds over its glaring flaws: though the band has changed, it still has the ability to move the listener through the progression of an actual album. Everyone will agree that Funeral was an old fashioned album, a work of art that was as much of a sum of its parts as it was a construction of several equally excellent pieces. Neon Bible is essentially the same, though it could be argued that it demands even more to be scrutinized as a whole. Indeed, listening to it all the way through is far more effective - it will give you a better perspective on this second outing from the prime ministers (they're Canadian, remember?) of indie rock, making you realize that even the Lester Pearsons of this world fail to follow through on their election speech promises, but we still love them anyway.
Then, like Superman in a certain underrated superhero film, they dropped off the face of the Earth, and the Lex Luthors of the near mainstream almost got away with their evil Kryptonite-infused continent (read: good music) swallowing real estate schemes. Well, Supes, er, The Arcade Fire, are back. And do they save they day? Sort of. Maybe. Barely? I mean, Superman just about died tossing the kryptonite island thing into space and couldn't persuade Lois to leave her toolbox of a husband, and that seems fitting here. The Arcade Fire do provide a temporary reprieve from the schlocktastic garbage clogging the airwaves right now (albeit there is seemingly less than there was 3-4 years ago), but they also fail to Baghdadify the scene as before.
Okay, yes, this record is great. I'm hooked - I'm on the verge of dumping this review in favor of listening to it again. But it didn't yank me out of my chair and toss me on the ground like Funeral did. No, this album's a grower. I didn't even like it at first, but as its mood and themes soaked me through, I was able to get a grasp on the changes the band has made, and realize that what they've done here is pretty good in its own right. It is certainly no Funeral, and it is certainly not as influential or genre/year/decade/etc defining as that record. I mean, c'mon, it's the second record. Sequels rarely outdo their predecessors (exception in the aforementioned superhero flick) - hardly anyone ever shits gold twice. Get over it - did you really think, given the circumstances and lack of a scrutinous public eye during the writing of the debut, that another Funeral could be made?
So, what's different here? The tempo is the most noticeable change. There is a distinct softening of the muscular, jarring aspect of Funeral's pace. And there is also a greater uniformity in this - gone are the sudden total turnarounds a la the ends of Wake Up and Crown of Love. The band will still ratchet the intensity up a bit from time to time, but nothing like that first time in Neighborhood #1. That's not necessarily a bad thing - just different. A pensive, rather than explosive Arcade Fire? Okay. They can do it. But this album is generally more repetitious and consistent, which is good and bad. The song structure is less diverse than before, and that is my biggest complaint with this album. The majority of songs end with Win annoyingly repeating a verse over and over and over. The instrumentation is also quite different - it's not quite as guitar centric and it sounds more organic. And a simply epic organ manages to steal the show from the pronounced use of accordion and piano. Sadly Regine has a diminished role in this recording as well - she hardly gets a song of her own here. But, when she does throw her voice into the band's trademark mess of sound, it's fantastic, and chilling.
Indeed, one of the best parts of the band is still here - the chaos. But rather than the fierce whirlwind of Funeral, we are subject to a mellower, murkier, and more mournful conglomeration of instruments. Funeral came through and tore everything apart, and now we are digging through the remains. This album sounds darker and creepier, and frankly its predecessor's title seems to fit it better than Neon Bible, at least on a sonic level. The lyrics are still weird, highly interpretable, thematic, intelligent and stupid all at once. While the yoinked title Neon Bible would imply at least a smidgen of humor considering from whom it was yoinked, it seems more like a portender of the fate of that um, yoinkee. The theme, as I have interpreted it, is of a much wider scale than Funeral's focus on family and love: this is paranoia, World War III, sinking ships, imprisoned passions, decaying societies, and a healthy dash of despair. I'm reminded in a way of Ok Computer. There is a definite water motif here, among others, and that really adds to the albums overall murkiness, both in production and execution. That is the best way I can describe it: murky. This is dark stuff, as the very stark black and white lyric booklet implies, as the threatening piano riffs and evil organ groans accentuate. Really, it's discomforting, especially if one has the same reservations about the world we live in as Win's crazy ass does.
And that is the main reason why this album succeeds over its glaring flaws: though the band has changed, it still has the ability to move the listener through the progression of an actual album. Everyone will agree that Funeral was an old fashioned album, a work of art that was as much of a sum of its parts as it was a construction of several equally excellent pieces. Neon Bible is essentially the same, though it could be argued that it demands even more to be scrutinized as a whole. Indeed, listening to it all the way through is far more effective - it will give you a better perspective on this second outing from the prime ministers (they're Canadian, remember?) of indie rock, making you realize that even the Lester Pearsons of this world fail to follow through on their election speech promises, but we still love them anyway.
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