SOUNDTRACK: SUFJAN STEVENS Christmas Infinity Voyage: Songs for Christmas Vol. 8 (2008).
Back in 2008, a Vol. VIII of Sufjan’s Christmas recordings was leaked on the internet. It was called Astral Inter Planet Space Captain Christmas Infinity Voyage-Songs for Christmas Vol. VIII and I talked about it here. When his official release came out volume 8 was similar yet different from the leaked one. The song tracks were almost identical, but the versions (and lengths) were rather different.
The leaked version of the disc has this track listing:
Angels We Have Heard on High 5:00
Do You See What I See 4:59
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear :48
Christmas in the Room 4:50
Good King Wenceslas 2:15
Joy to the World 7:49
The Child With the Star on His Head 13:15
And the official version has this track listing
Angels We Have Heard on High 4:04
Do You Hear What I Hear 9:14
Christmas in the Room 4:32
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear :48
Good King Wenceslas 4:18
Alphabet St. 1:36
Particle Physics 1:04
Joy to the World 5:25
The Child With the Star on His Head 15:13
So what’s the difference
“Angels We Have Heard On High”—The leaked version has a lengthy warbling keyboard introduction and is the real song. The official version is an original song based on the hymn. I like the way the opening melody changes expected direction in mid line. I also enjoyed the “oh ho ho hos.” This is pretty much the only traditional sounding song on the disc because the rest get pretty unusual electronic treatments
“Do You Hear What I Hear” The leaked version (with a different title) was autotuned and slow (and only 4 minutes). The official version is also autotuned, and is filled with electronic percussion. It quickly goes weird and crazy, but I like it. It’s 9 minutes long and the last five minutes are a crazy freakout of autotuned nonsense.
“Christmas in the Room” is a song about being alone with someone you love for Christmas—pros and cons (although there seems like a lot sadness in the song). The autoharp is pretty though. [The leaked version is a bit louder with electronic music rather than autoharp].
“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” in both version this is a short (less than a minute) electronic version of the traditional song.
“Good King Wenceslas” is also crazy and electronic with lots of strange inserted sounds and lines from other songs. [The leaked version is only 2 minutes and while still electronic is far less crazy].
“Alphabet St” continues some of the nonsense in Wenceslas—lyrics about being sexy. “Particle Physics” is also 1 minute long of space sounds that merge into
“Joy to the World” is also slightly off-sounding (with lots of different instruments). It starts kind of pretty but goes really wild with the electronics and the autotune and by the end it’s just crazy electronic freakout.
“The Child With the Star on His Head” opens the official version with someone saying “desperately seeking Santa take 3.” Despite it being super long (in both version) the song itself is really quite pretty. It’s very Sufjan with great falsetto and an unexpected melody. The two versions are similar in construct but after the opening few minutes they diverge pretty radically. At around 5 minutes an electronic sounding, totally fuzzed guitar solo begins and it adds a very strange element to it—a kind of psychedelic outer space sound, which doesn’t quite fit the mood. [Interestingly, in the leaked version, the solo is pretty much the same notes, but it is far less spacey and effects filled. It has more of a classic rock guitar solo (kind of David Gilmour-ish]. The solo lasts longer in the new version too. That pretty much accounts for the two minute discrepancy. The rest of the song plays out mostly the same, although again, the leaked version is kind of pretty and sweet (with la las and a horn solo) while the official release is all electronic and gets crazy here and there. The end of the song is a denouement–horn based in the leaked and all electronic in the official.
I’m not really sure which release I prefer, because the electronic stuff is really kind of wild and fun (although not very Christmassey). But the leaked version is really quite nice.
[READ: December 11, 2014] Superfuckers
I know Kochalka mostly from his children’s books, which are weird and warped and really really funny. Most of them seem to star his son’s head imposed on his weird cartoon style (so funny).
So imagine my surprise to discover a book of his called Superfuckers.
Superfuckers is a “collection” of “issues” of the “series” Superfuckers.
It opens with issue #271 (from 2005). And within five or six panels, we get every single curse word you can imagine from our “superheroes.” Indeed, they really don’t “do” anything. They just sit around and yell at each other (calling everyone gay or slut or some such), get high (on a staggeringly odd number of things) and plot to take over the gang.
The gang includes Grotessa (who is apparently gross although she doesn’t look very different from anyone else) and her “pet” Grotus, a slimy disgusting lump (whose slime is one of the things they smoke). She shares a room with Princess Sunshine who is “beautiful.”
The main antagonist is Jack Krak. He’s an asshole (and is quite funny). There’s Vortex who looks after a smaller version of himself in a bell jar. It is a part of his childhood, but apparently if it leaks, it means the end of the world. There’s Kyle, the guy who makes their uniforms. There’s Orange Lightning, who has a fanclub and who ends up being the first nude portrait at the back of the book. And there’s Richard who always wears a visor (and his later outfit is awesomely weird). There’s also Percy, the black guy. And SuperDan, the leader and a real hunk.
Oh and there’s a disgusting lump creature (who is pale and really creepy) and his pet Tumor. They lust for Princess Sunshine and try to do anything they can to win her–including climbing through the sewer (I like that their plot is not resolved in any way).
The plot of the first issue is that the team is looking to get new members (heh heh). And so people start lining up to prove themselves. It ends up in a blood bath of humor and bad feelings.
In the second issue, the newly selected recruits are cleaning the bathroom. One of them is thrilled by this (he gets to be part of the team!) and the other is pissed at this pissy job.
By the middle of the second book, asshole Jack Krak finds religion and becomes a Christian “I’m Christian now, motherfucker!”
By the third comic, Vortex and Grotessa become a couple and Jack Krak tries to take over leadership from SuperDan who appears to be stoned out of his mind. Princess Sunshine has been making out with Jack because she believes that he will be the new leader. But the fight ends in a surprising way (with Grotus somehow coming out on top).
In the final book, Vortex saves the world but tweaks it a little bit. Meanwhile the hook ups continue, with Princess Sunshine making out with, gasp, Grotus. Oh and Jack Krak is in a tutu and is pissing all over everyone and Orange Lightning has been brought back to life.
It’s all crazy, and the dialogue is just a tossed off pile of curses with a loose plot strung around them. And it is funny as hell. Especially if you don’t care about superhero comics. Also, given such a simple and seemingly stupid premise, it’s amazing how good the artwork is. It’s simple but it’s consistent. The panels seem like Kochalka could have phoned it in (his style is childish but never “bad”), and yet the characters always look the same and their proportions are consistent.
The book made me laugh a lot–I just couldn’t share the jokes with anyone. And it was very awkward when my 7-year-old tried reading it (it’s so childish looking). Yipes–don’t read this at home kids!
They have also made Superfuckers videos which are available on Cartoon Hangover and on Youtube There’s 12 in all (each about 4 minutes).
And if you’re not yet sold, check out the theme song:
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