SOUNDTRACK: RADIOHEAD-In Rainbows (2008).
OK Computer has been my favorite album for many years. And since then, I’ve been consitently blown away by Radiohead. Even their willfully obscure phase is pretty awesome in my book.
I’m not going to say much about Radiohead’s decision to sell this record online. I congratulate them for going on their own and selling so many copies. Good for them.
I bought the CD. I would have bought the crazy expensive package, except that it was crazy expensive, so…no.
Anyhow, this album is really great. Really, really great. Radiohead have mellowed since the gorgeous cacophony of “Paranoid Android” but their songwriting has never sounded better. The songs all just sound so good. Which is sort of like saying I like eggs because of the way they taste, but the point is tsill there.
If you were to compress all of the things that Radiohead has done since OK Computer into one album this is what you would get. Not to say that it’s derivative, because it isn’t. I’m listening to it right now, and the amazing hook of “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” blows me away every time. The first time I heard “Werid Fishes/Arpeggi” I was instantly sucked into the groove. Even the opening song, which starts out with a weird staccato drum beat leading you to think here’s another techno-Radiohead disc is taken in a whole new fantastic direction by the great, weird and wonderful guitar lines that soon follow.
It’s just an amazing creation. It’s almost alike a greatest hits record of all new material. Great basslines, great harmonic vocals, astonishing guitar work, and best of all, crazy beats that keep you off balance and in the groove at the same time.
I’m curious to hear what some of these originally sounded like (there was a lot of talk of fans hearing these songs in different versions on tour, so if they ever release some live shows, that would be pretty neat. In the meantime, I’ll take this compact token of Radiohead’s output.
[READ: March, 2008] Rock Star Superstar.
So, this is my first serious foray into YA books. I got this book purely for the title. I was showing a patron the YA section, and this title jumped out at me. I’m thrilled that I took it out. In continuing with my YA theory (see What I Learned… (18)) this book is very short. It also cuts right to the chase. Our hero is Pete, a very talented bass player. He has been playing for years and is very skilled, and in the way of most high school musicians that I knew, he’s very uptight about the difference between “real” musicians and “amateurs.” I can recall having endless discussions with my fellow classmates about the merits of various musicians, (shout out to Al Crisafulli, Mike Hoblin, Tom Fitzpatrick and Steve Angelone…let’s see if you find this by Googling yourselves! “Is Geoff Tate a better singer than Bruce Dickinson?” “Is Yngwie Malmsteen a great guitarist or an overrated poseur?” “‘How can you say that Slayer sucks?’ ‘Because all of their songs sound the same.’ ‘But you said you liked that one song.’ ‘And I do’ ‘Well, if they all sound the same, then you must like them all!'” …Ah, what a way to spend gym class!) so it was nice to see that we weren’t the only ones engaged in such a lofty pursuit.
Anyhow, back to the book… When Pete is asked to join the local rising band Tiny Masters of Today (which is now the name of a real band, see What I learned… (17)), he scoffs at the opportunity because they aren’t “serious” musicians. They play sloppy, one-chord songs. However, they are very popular and girls love them because of their energy. And as they become more accomplished, they even write a catchy song or two!
Pete ultimately agrees to join the band because his good friend is the drummer. The singer and guitarist are a couple of local college kids who have no real training, and Pete simply can’t understand their lack of seriousness when it comes to music. Once he starts to play with them, however, he starts to get a feel for the “energy” that they have…one that doesn’t necessarily require skill. The story follows their rise within Portland to a crucial gig in L.A.
But that’s not really the story. The story is really about how Pete starts dating Margaret. Margaret made a name for herself by writing a very emotional (and therefore totally uncool) poem (called “Thoughts”) in the high school paper. She was labeled a freak, even by Pete and his friends. She also dressed kind of weird and punky. After a trip to the mall together, where she shows him where to buy red high tops (which he needs for his first band Mad Skillz) Margaret asks him out. This will be Pete’s first girlfriend, so he’s excited, but she’s the freak of the class. Can he actually go out with this girl?
Well, yes, he can, and he finds out how much he enjoys being with her. And in this respect I really enjoyed this book. The “anxiety” about dating the “freaky girl” is present for a while, but he doesn’t agonize over it. I feel that if he agonized it for too long he would have been unsympathetic. And, frankly, that’s not the point of the story. The point comes as Tiny Masters becomes more popular and it begins to impact their relationship.
There also seems to be a Romeo and Julietesque aspect to this story (and to several other YA books as well, now that think of it). Margaret’s parents don’t want her spending so much time with Pete for a couple of reasons (first boyfriend, he’s in a band, etc.). But since Margaret is a good student and a good daughter she listens to her parents. This adds new tension to Pete’s life.
The interesting thing about the book for me was that Pete’s mother was dead, and his father is something of a nonentity in his life. Dad is a drinker and a session musician who often comes in from dates reeking of beer. They have a good relationship, it’s just not very parent/child. I’m not sure how pertinent this was to the story except to show the contrast between Margaret’s close family and Pete’s almost solitary existence, with no real role model. It was underplayed quite a bit, but it was still evident.
Tensions abound in so many ways, between Pete and Margaret, between Pete and the Tiny Masters, between Pete and his best friend in Mad Skillz, and, as Tiny Masters get more popular, internally for Pete.
The book was really enjoyable. I found myself sneaking chapters in wherever I could. And I polished it off in a couple of hours. It was a very auspicious beginning to my YA book reading experience.
Joff Tate is better than Bruce Dickinson, but the guy from Stryper is better than both of them. And Billy Sheehan is better than Geddy Lee, no question.
Oh shit, Brother John, I didn’t know you were into metal! You’re totally right about Billy Sheehan, you know that one song when he goes boodoodoloooodoobloobdoobololoooop? That kicks ass! Yeah, but what about Steve Vai? Is he a poser or. Wait, shhh, here comes Rezzonico.
It’s boodoodolooodoooboop. Oddly enough, he stole that riff from Felix Papilardi – or at least he “borrowed” part of it, since Papilardi ends him with more of a “doop” than a “boop”, but the similarities are unmistakable.
True that. True that. I’m thinking that Jaco Pastorius is owed a thing or two for his boodooboodoo bwang.
I heard you talking about drummers too.
As far as Carmine and Vinnie Appice. Whichever one goes by “a-piss-ee” is better than the one that goes by “a-piece”