SOUNDTRACK: THE KINKS-Come Dancing with the Kinks (1986) & THE TRAGICALLY HIP-World Container (2006).
THE KINKS-Come Dancing with the Kinks: I’m not sure if I’m getting older or more maudlin, but I recall being younger and really disliking “Come Dancing,” the song because it was wimpy. Then as I got a little older I liked it because it was fun, with the surprise “swing” section in the middle. Now, I find I’m really moved by the song. So, yes, I’m getting older. That’s okay.
For Christmas, my wife bought me an awesome 2 disc Kinks Greatest Hits, which had a whole bunch of songs that I knew from other artists that I didn’t know the Kinks had done first, and of course, a whole collection of great Kinks songs. However, the one song I really really love, “Destroyer” was not on the collection! Evidently, the 2 disc Greatest Hits was a British collection and that song was never big over there. Well, it turns out there were a number of songs big over here during that late 70s period that weren’t big back home, and they threw them all on this Come Dancing disc. There’s a little overlap, and of course, some live versions which are a nice complement (“Lola” in particular) to the other set. However, my one gripe is about the songs that didn’t really make a splash here; they’re pretty boring mid-tempo songs, which I think is pretty unusual for the dynamics of the Kinks. But still, I rocked out to “Destroyer” a lot on the way to work today.
SOUNDTRACK PART TWO: THE TRAGICALLY HIP-World Container:
The Hip are a fun band from Canada. They’re probably one of the biggest bands in Canada, but very few know of them down here. I think they made a little splash here during the alterna-90s, but for the most part they remain pretty unknown. They make me think of R.E.M., and whether it’s because the lead singer had long hair and is now shaved or because his voice is similar is known only to my psyche. They are certainly heavier than R.E.M. and a bit more complex; certainly their older stuff is anyhow. World Container, by contrast is pretty straightforward, and I imagine if they were a new band, it would be a pretty big seller. Really catchy tunes, all pretty short, you’d think it would be a winner. But I suppose if you’ve been rumbling around fairly unknown for years, you’re unlikely to get a big break stateside. Oh, well, they’ll still be huge in Canada, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We’ll just wait for their next appearance on Corner Gas!
[READ: May 2007] 12 Reasons Why I Love Her.
This graphic novel is listed on the Oni site as “Slice of Life.” And that’s fair enough. My favorite kinds of graphic novels are this sort of daily life/romantic/hip story. Not much room for Supermen in my life I guess. This is a fast paced story told in 12 vignettes. The story is done in a Pulp Fiction sort of out-of-sequence style (I hate to give Tarantino credit for something he obviously didn’t create, but he did popularize it and he did it quite well). The story is fun because it shows a disastrous date and then a happy incident, followed by a second date, etc. Twelve snapshots in the life of a couple. And, it ends on a happy note, even if the real ending is not as happy as it seems.
Jamie S. Rich used to be the editor of Oni, and it’s nice to see him still creating really solid works, after publishing so many solid works over the years.
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