Left -> Right
Louis Armstrong
Lucille Armstrong
Kwame Nkrumah

Check them out, all three.

Books books books (more accurately, Magazines, Magazines, Comics), this'll be a big one because I apparently have nothing to do with my time but read.


First off are the first two issues of L.A cartoonist Jesse Moynihan's The Backwards Folding Mirror.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to review these together or separately, but after realizing how much I have to write already, and how close in quality these were, I just tossed them together. The Backwards Folding Mirror is a story based on the author's troubled relationship with a past girlfriends (hence why there are only two issues, unfortunately for everyone but him), but with ghosts and talking animals thrown in.

It sounds awfully unappealing, I know. But between the excellent drawing and the great punchlines, I had a blast reading (and re-reading) these. A highlight is a joke about the ghost of his girlfriend's father watching over them while they sleep, but that was just one of the many times I laughed out loud at these great comics. Moynihan is currently working on a weekly online strip called Forming, about an alternate reality creation story, check it out here.



Carrying on with comics, but bringing it a little closer to home is Toronto artist Dave Lapp's book of collected Children of the Atom strips. I'm unsure of where these originally ran, but I sure am glad they were all collected into a single book. Many reviews I've read compare this strip to Samuel Beckett's plays, and while I don't think that it's totally off the wall, I think they are THE CLOSEST THING to Samuel Beckett that has happened in comics.

Featuring only two characters, each strip places Franklin Boy and Jim-Jam Girl in an often surreal situation while they constantly bicker back and forth, and while it's obvious they have some sort of connection, it's hard to put a finger on. That being said, each strip stands alone as being a self-contained story in five (give or take) panels. While that isn't uncommon, it's amazing how much content Lapp packs into each of them while at the same time being extremely modest with dialogue and generally simply movements.



Stepping out of comics-dom for a moment, here's the 10th installment of Penguin's Great Ideas series with Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Cited as being one of the revolutionary sparks that landed on the haystack of colonial America, this was one of the most interesting (and quickly read) volumes of the series that I have read thus far.

Using common sense to persuade the colony of America into a fight for independence from their colonial masters, Paine looks at the redundancy of obeying a king literally half a world away as he points out that England will never come to assist America, while at the same time exploiting America for everything that it's worth. Sound familiar? I thought so. Reading this, one can't curb the urge to look at this in a modern context. Now that America has broken free of its English chains, it has shown no hesitation in condemning other nations to a fate that was once it's own. Sure, "colonialism" is treated as somewhat of a dirty word as of late and as such it's hard to claim that third world countries are really just colonies of the United States of America, but it's only a matter of time until thoughts similar to Paine's show up in places like Mexico.

This should be required reading for everyone, simply because it provides a much needed nudge to think critically of even the most obvious things in government. If it's too good to be true...



Following Paine's calls to question government, comes Mary Wollstonecraft's calls to question the prejudices that have plagued women from the dawn of society, in the form of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, the 11th Great Ideas book.

I was glad upon reading this book that I was as enthralled with it as I was with Paine's work, after a couple minor let downs in the previous couple of books in this series. One of the first pieces of proto-feminist literature, A Vindication... laid down the claim that in order for women to mature to the fullest potential of human nature, they should be entitled to the same education as any man, and have the opportunity to pursue enjoyment in activities that were more intellectually stimulating than lives consisting of innocence, sensual exploits and an odd novel here and there.

What I found most interesting in reading this was that there was no open effort to attempt to make men and women equal (as seen by Wollstonecraft's frequent references to men as "the stronger sex"), but rather establishing herself as someone who I would argue set goals realistic at the time (in urging women to educate themselves)and laying down a female-positive intellectual framework. I really could go on about this for much longer, and maybe I will in another post, but I'll end this and say that the urging for intellectual growth is applicable to anyone, of any time period, regardless of gender. And simply viewing this as a piece of "feminist writing" is doing it a disservice.



Time for a total reversal of subject and talk about the third volume of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's Preacher. Hailed as one of the most groundbreaking series in mainstream comics, I put off reading this for far too long and I've slowly been chugging through.

There's something about the series that just doesn't click for me, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I love Ennis' Punisher MAX, and I even enjoyed the first two volumes of Preacher but this one almost seemed like a struggle to read at times. I think it might be due to the amount of character back story that is revealed in this volume, I felt like I already had my own ideas of history in place for Cassidy and Jesse's dad and that revealing them in a way that conflicted with my own made it less enjoyable.

Qualms out of the way, I plan on continuing through the series, primarily due to the fact that the main story line is beginning to heat up in a big way and I love the subject matter, art and amount of violence in this series. (The end of this volume has a VERY satisfying splat, you'll understand once you read it.)



Accidentally blending the world of comic strips and philosophy, I set out on my summer goal to read through as many books of The Complete Peanuts as I could. Drawn by Charles Schulz (If this is news to you, climb out from your rock.), the first book compiles every strip and Sunday special from 1950-1952.

After casually reading Peanuts strips for as long as I can think back, there is a much different feeling reading them in a chronological format (and so many at once.). The book starts out with a small cast consisting only of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Patty and Shermy, and slowly begins to grow, eventually involving Violet, Lucy, Schroeder and even a baby Linus towards the end. Watching the characters mature (I.E. Watching as Schulz became comfortable writing them) is probably the greatest part of the book. Containing over 700 strips, there is no shortage of laughs, and while it may not be Peanuts at it's prime, it's very clear that it is on its way to greatness.

Also included is an essay on Schulz' life by David Michaelis and even more excitingly, a reprinted interview with Schulz done by comic historian Rick Marshall and Fantagraphics Books co-founder Gary Groth. In it Schulz tells of his favorite comics and artists, least favorite comics and artists and also about his life in general, a great read. I look forward to reading more of these great collections by the time school resumes.



Following up a comic with an artist of Scandinavian descent with a comic about Scandinavians he may have (but hopefully did not) descended from, here's the first volume of Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice's Northlanders.

I was itching to check this book out ever since I heard about it through the vast expanses of the internet, and after finally tracking down the first three volumes at a local comic store I jumped at the opportunity.

Totally worth it, beautiful art, great viking-style dialogue (the most eloquent of barbarians), and no shortage of battle axes to heads, arrows to the throat and decapitations. The story is so-so this far, but I'm not expecting anything to special from a series advertised as a crime series based around vikings. They aren't overly clever (save one), so why should the book be? I'll be reading the next two volume ASAP, and considering I made it through this 200 page book in a little under an hour, I feel like that will be an easy yet extremely rewarding task.



Totally unrelated, this is the May 2010 issue (Volume 62 NO.1) of Monthly Review, an "Independent Socialist Magazine".

I had my gripes last go-around with Relay as being sometimes too academic for its own good. It was good, but it focused far too much on dense economic theory, which is interesting in it's own right but there is no way to make it completely satisfying reading on it's own.

Monthly Review is great to balance that out. With some articles still bringing up the slightly intimidating numbers game (Such as John Foster and Hannah Holleman's The Financial Power Elite, it's done in a way that is much more accessible and most importantly it is less focused with trying to sound scholarly, and more focused on trying to convey a clear, concise message.

There's that, and there are also some articles that are just damn interesting, including stories of American involvement in the Rwandan genocide and subsequent resolutions, the history of the modern conservative movement, and the lack of politically left views when it comes to business and economic education.

This was my first time picking up this magazine, and I can easily see it being a monthly read.



Then there was the fifth issue of The Feathertale Review...

I know I don't really have too many big problems with books I review here, especially not magazines, that being said, I'll assume I picked this one up on a weak issue.

Maybe I had high expectations, but I thought a humour magazine with a cover that advertises stories about protecting Celine Dion's voice box, a Q&A with Stuart Mclean and a "3-Page Pullout Primate Centrefold" to be funny. I expected it to be thoroughly funny. I got my laughs, don't get me wrong (mainly at the stories that were mentioned on the cover, now that I think about it) but as a whole it seemed like they were trying real, real hard to meet their promises of being funny.

Humour is a personal thing, and I'll assume that this may not have been my kind of humour. I'll try again next time, and hope that I'm more impressed.



As a nice way to end off, here's a great art-focused magazine published through the University of Guelph, Carousel issue 25 (Spring/Summer 2010).

During my perfunctory flip through of the magazine after noticing the cover by Toronto cartoonist/artist Michael DeForge I noticed a great deal of things that I instantly enjoyed. Paintings/Illustrations, lots of them. Comics, a good deal of them. SHORT works/poems/interviews. Plus a great bare-bones layout that makes it real easy to read. Oh, and more Michael DeForge.

I can't say enough about this magazine, and for something that is put out through a University (not to mention one so close to me), this is amazing. And as a final point, I want to mention that this is the ideal length of a magazine in my opinion. Just under 70 pages, many of which are primarily images with little to no text to drown them out. Mark Laliberte's art made it a bit of a struggle to read the written pieces on the opposite page, but that was a small, small price to pay for this. I'm extremely impressed.

My buddies and me
Are getting real well known
Yeah, the bad guys know us
And they leave us alone.

Matteo Gorona's Gamorrah

Like a mob movie that doesn't suck.

(Click to read the entire thing)

Peanuts have been devouring my past couple of days. Everything is genius.

Children Of The Atom by Dave Lapp

Time for round two of book reviews, this time I'll try to be more entertaining. Maybe.



First up is the 9th book of the first volume of Penguin's Great Ideas series, Edward Gibbon's The Christians and the Fall of Rome. I purchased this before I finished The Social Contract, which Rousseau ended with a criticism of a nation existing with a religious population, and elaborating on how it re-directs their attention from trying to better the nation to religious causes instead. So I had a inkling as to where the subject matter of this one might be directed (if the title wasn't enough).

This is a great criticism of the shift of Christianity from a pattern of thought into the ultra-powerful organization, complete with hierarchy and ties to governmental structures (Rousseau, eat yer heart out.), along with the frightening ability to independently rewrite its own history. That being said, I found this to be a much less satisfying read when compared to The Social Contract, this could be because in reality it is actually a small portion of Gibbon's larger work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, had this not been the next part of the Great Ideas series, I would have skipped over it, and buckled down to read the original six-volume work as I have a feeling this would have been much better in the context of the full work.



Next up is A Very Bad Wizard, by Houston philosophy professor Tamler Sommers. Published through McSweeney's, I was expecting that this books would be good, but I was surprised by two things. The first being how great it was, between some of the groundbreaking views held both by Sommers and the various professionals he interviews (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it, but this is a book of interviews with professionals in the fields of psychology, philosophy and in one case, biology about how morality works), and the second being how fast I was able to tear through this books, or perhaps how slow I was at putting down...the decision is yours.

The format is amazing, it's one thing to have a person explain their views in the closed environment of their own work, but another thing entirely to read them discussing it in a non-formal environment, and sometimes being forced into a position of defending them. And with that of course, you get mildly hilarious conversations about incest, Catherine Zeta-Jones and being Jewish, all totally unrelated, I promise.

Is it morally right for a sister and a brother to have one-time-only fully consensual intercourse with protection that doesn't have a negative impact on their relationship? Think about it for a while, then read this (especially the interview with Jonathan Haidt) to find out what the big guys are saying.



Canadian cartoonist Jeff Lemire's Essex County. Wow.

I was drawn towards this book (pun mildly coincidental) primarily due to the fact that for the most part, it's set in rural Ontario, and because it had a Canadian cartoonist, these sort of things make my wallet practically climb out of my pocket. I was entirely oblivious of the critical praise this collection had been receiving until I flipped open the cover and was greeted by a review that put forth the idea that once comics became an acceptable academic form of literature (give it 20-50 years), this book would be at the centre of graduate programs at Princeton. Wow, that is a pretty big claim to be making. But was it unwarranted? I wouldn't say so.

Originally a trilogy (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse, this collection simultaneously tells the life stories of 5 people and their convergence with each other. I would elaborate more, but the convergence of these individuals is what makes this book so damn good. Well, than and Lemire's excellent use of beautiful, scratchy black and white drawing.

I would write a graduate paper on this book, just saying. I know at very least I will be re-reading it over and over again.



Next up is the 11th issue of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. I know, I should be working my way FORWARD in the series, and not backwards, but that will start with the next issue I read, don't worry! For now, we have this extremely attractive book, faux leather cover with some great shiny gold printing, be still my beating heart. Also, it comes with a DVD, which I will get to at the end of the review (spoiler alert, it's stupid).

Silly videos of writers reading a page of their work aside, this issue was one of the best that I have read, primarily due to three stories that entirely overshadowed the rest of the book, thankfully they were spread out. T.C. Boyle's Blinded by the Light, recounting the tale of a meddling intellectual in a rural families lifestyle, Sean Warren's What Keeler Did to His Foot in the Navy, a story about the struggles and trials of being a "boot squid" in the Navy on the pacific, and lastly, Joyce Carol Oates' The Gathering Squall, about being young, impressionable and infatuated. These were all sandwiched between other stories that were still enjoyable, but when placed between those three juggernauts, they seemed like they could just be there to take up space.

As for the DVD, despite the fact that it was included as a joke, I was really hoping for something more interesting. Although I must say, sometimes I'm happy not connecting writers to what they look like in person. It ruins the mystique, and it ruins my pleasurable delusion that writers aren't next-level nerdy. BUMMER. It was nice to see a scene from Dennis Johnson's Soul of a Whore acted out though, so maybe the redeemed it. (Actually, no. But it was still cool.)



Firstly, I want to apologize for the butchered image of this wonderful magazine's cover I'm using here. The book itself is too large to fit onto my scanner, so it looks like I'm going to have to go the camera route next time. I was doing so well, too.

The being said, if you buy this you'll realize that the A on the cover was actually grown out of cells exclusively for the 2010 Annual issue of Creative Review. How cool is that you ask? I answer "It's about as cool as the rest of this magazine!". With a focus on design in mass media, this is the sort of thing that I can really sink my teeth into. There is no intellectual masturbation going on here, just great articles about great designers and trends. (There is a small section titled "Crit." in the middle, but even then it doesn't come off as contrived as some publications would make it seem.) Highlight articles are easily "The F Word" dealing with the resurgence of northeastern European folk art in mainstream design, a trend that I have no problem with because it looks fuckin great. And the critical article "The advertising isn't working", a damning criticism of British election time political adverts. For those who don't pick up on the clever title, it's a play on Margaret Thatcher's election winning slogan "Labour isn't working", a poster design that revolutionized political advertising from 1979 onward.
(See: http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/images/cigarettes/LabourIsn%27tWorking.jpg )

Turn the issue over and you'll be greeted with 100 pages of what has been deemed to be the "best work in advertising, graphic design and visual communication". Some amazing work pops up in there, but out of sheer laziness, I will let you discover that for yourselves when you grab this or flip through it wherever this fine mag is sold. It's worth it, I swear!



Last of this round is the Jan-March 2010 issue of Relay, a neat independently produced socialist project review which focuses on, but does not deal exclusively with Southern Ontario affairs. I was picking up some other magazines when this caught my eye, mainly due to the great cover collage. And I mean, it was only three bucks, c'mon.

Most of the articles in here are written either by people in teaching positions at a couple universities (Primarily University of Toronto, but York also pops up here and there), or are graduate students in the same institutions. But I look at this as a double edged sword. On the one hand there is the assured credibility of the contributors, especially in a collection that focuses on academically reviewing past left-leaning political action. But on the other hand this leads to a lot of theory and not much real application on the author's parts, which is okay but not ideal.

Luckily there are a few outstanding pieces by individuals with no clear ties to the academic stronghold. From retired union activist Herman Rosenfeld's New Openings for Toronto Workers, to prominent Italian Fourth International and Feminist activist Lidia Cirillo's Feminism of the Anti-Capitalist Left, these articles are by far more interesting and unlike some of the articles submitted by professors, they aren't just trying to advertise a book.

As a side anote, this also includes a reprint of an article by Colin Wilson titled Russia's Sexual Revolution After 1917, which was the absolute standout of the magazine for me. Summarizing the sexual liberation goal of the 1917 Russian revolutionary movement, and following to it's decline and eventual regression following the introduction of the New Economic Policy, Stalin and the Second World War. Great article, worth the three bucks alone as far as I'm concerned.

Here is the package I mentioned in my last review, good to see you took the bait and kept checking back.


Before I begin, I want to mention how awesome all of the packaging on these records looks, save for two of them. One is a fan club 7" boot of Discharge's 1978 Demo, which I can't really blame them for. And the other is Night Birds' Killer Waves single, which is part of the art of the underground series, so again, nothing to fault them on. NOW ONTO THE REVIEWS!

Tapes
Waste Management- Taster Too With More Live Street Beef
I love this band, and the newsletter than popped into my email telling me that Grave Mistake Records had procured some copies of this was really the push for me to put this entire order together. (Along with a certain D-beat oddity that I'll mention later...). Anyway, the teaser portion of this tape shows the band going in a more frantic and punk direction (on the live side, Craig introduces the ripper Solitude by saying "this is a new one, it's pretty punk soooo you probably won't like it."). Great progression if you ask me, grab this tape or wait till the teaser side gets its inevitable vinyl release. The live side is okay, but it just sounds super distorted. It does have coolAbused and DYS covers though, so even that is worth it.

7"s
Discharge- 1978 Demo
This is an interesting record for two reasons, the first being that it's pre-Cal as vocalist, and also because it's Discharge before they adopted their defining, buzzsaw sound (although the drum beat is still there). This is more akin to other 77' punk bands like Sex Pistols and The Clash, not that it's a bad thing. Pigs and No Future USA are the clear highlights of these four tracks, although there is no reason not to like the other two as well.

The Shitty Limits- Straight Forward/Messin' With The Kid
I know what you're thinking "Jesus, does this guy listen to anything but Shitty Limits and Sheer Terror?" Well yeah, just not MUCH else. But that's okay because Shitty Limits apparently have an unlimited (pun intended) discography of EPs of all sizes and lengths. This one is a straight forward single (and possible Straight Ahead cover rip, if they're into that sorta thing), with of their trademark catchy snotty twang, the B-side on this one (Messin' With The Kid") overshadows the still-excellent A-side, which is something I have mentioned in regards to this bands other EPs as well. A trend? Perhaps!

The Shitty Limits- Here Are The Limits
They say good things come in pairs, and in the case of Shitty Limit EPs, this is certainly the case once again. This time with six short zingers on it compared to the previous single's mere two longer tunes. Quality never depends on quantity for this band, and whether they're putting out two, six or even twelve songs, it always rules. I do wish they would regularly include lyrics inserts though, he sings too fast.

Devour- Insect Circuitry
The unfortunate let down of this batch. I'm not generally into this sort of band, but after hearing their full length on that CD that was thrown into my last Sorry State order, I figured I should give this a try. Maybe I just haven't been in the mood for this lately, but I feel like the songs just sort of drag on, although I'm sure that if you were used to this sort of metallic crusty punk you'd enjoy this band. They're good at what they do, but what they do is just something I don't normally get down with, welp.

U.X. Vileheads- First EP
Alright, back to listening to punk how I like it.Short, fast and dumb. Well, maybe dumb isn't the right word to use... I'll say anti-intellectual instead.Four great songs put out last year on Deranged Records, Canada's best punk label. Lyrics range from hating yourself, to dealing with emotions, to hating yourself, to drowning sorrows in alcohol.The lyrics themselves are snotty, short and sweet. The B-side opens with "Waste, a waste of sperm/A hopeless combination/Of fucked up germs" (Waste of Life). Great fast punk rock with just enough melody to be catchy, and just enough aggression to seem crazier than they probably really are (but they are from Sweden, so who knows).

U.X. Vileheads- Catch 22 EP
Second album these guys cranked out a year later, and the improvements are monumental an really make this a standout. These guys must be growing up, because now we see vocalist Torbjorn singing about jobs, warfare, life sucking (sticking to old habits, I see), and religion. They also play around with awesome lead parts, and have more emphasis on catchy rather than fast, something I can totally enjoy. I thought it was neat that in No Salvation they not only call out Christianity, but also Islam with Worship- not for me/Jesus Christ and Allah/Try to tell me how to be. Its a personal peeve of mine when bands delcare that they are "anti-religion" but are too busy aping another band to realize that there is more to religion than Christianity. Then again, maybe these Swedes were just aping Lars Vilks?

Canadian Rifle- Facts
I've been a big fan of this band for a long time, and they have always reminded me of Jawbreaker had Blake Schwarzenbach been more punk and less sentimental (not that there was anything wrong with him as it was). This record boils down to being 3 songs of real raw pop-punk (emphasis on the PUNK), but never forgetting to pay special attention to the same aspects of songwriting that Jawbreaker did, lyrics, vocals and chord changes. If you like raw pop-punk with raspy vocals, you'll like Canadian Rifle (who are from Chicago, just saying).

Bukkake Boys- Splendid Thoughts
With a name like Bukkake Boys, I'm not sure whether this is a serious band or not (if you don't get it, google image search their name, it'll come to you). Regardless, this is what I'm assuming to be their first EP, and it fucking rules. Full out high-speed balls to the wall snotty 80s style hardcore punk. Can I understand what he's saying? no! Are there lyrics? no! Do I care? A little! Does it rip like nothing else I've reviewed so far in this post? yes! Does it have the best art? yes! This band was getting alot of hype and I thought to myself "this can't be THAT good". It was, and I regret waiting so long. Also, all the songs on the album start with the word mind, which I find hilarious. (Mind Vulture, Mind Police, Mind Karate,Mind Thoughts, Mind Copulation and Mind Melter, just if you were curious.
Matrix Etching: It's a mind record.../From the dungeons of the mind.

Bukkake Boys- Bukkake Boys EP
The second offering by what this band who seem to have taken a serious turn. This time around they are even faster, more chaotic sounding (in a great way) and probably the part that I am most excited about, they included a lyrics insert! Now that they've done that I can pass on the information that they sing about elitists, the benefits of being selfish, close talkers, lying girls, sleep deprivation, arty songs about love, and trends, in that order. Also, total coincidence, but this is put out through Sorry State Records. Sometimes I feel like I can only enjoy music from two or three record labels, it's not intentional. I promise.
Matrix Etching: Fart Collector/Jennifers Among Us

Night Birds- Killer Waves/Squad Car
Because I haven't mentioned any bands from Virginia yet in this post, here's Night Birds! I'm glad I managed to track this down after hearing their first EP a couple weeks back, because this amazing blend of surf and snotty punk rock is something not to be missed. Both songs are ridiculously catchy, with amazing guitar work to boot. Check this out if you like Adolescents or hell, if you dig The Beach Boys you'll probably enjoy this all the same. So fucking (SURFucking) great.



Packages like this reaffirm my belief that punk rock and hardcore are both better suited to the 7" format than full albums. I would much rather listen to 4 Shitty Limits EPs (hell, or even the one Devour EP, and I didn't even like it all that much) than have to sit through the terrible full length releases most bands are putting out, with one or two great songs, another pair of good songs and then 8-10 more songs full of total shit. Keep it fast, short and amazing.

"The big nazi and he's really good friends with a black dude, go figure right?"


I want you to take this
The wrong way
I'm not here for you
But for me.

Grabbed these yesterday, partially to fill holes in my collection, and because they ruuuule.

7"
Tranzmitors- Bigger Houses, Broken Homes
I'm just going to put it out there that Tranzmitors are the best current Canadian band bar-none and also the best band on Deranged Records. Awesome power-pop that no other band can hold hold a candle to right now. And this single is no different. Both sides have short but perfectly crafted pop-songs. I need to see this band before they disappear, too bad they're on the other coast. Listen to this band and then want to tear out your brain a week later when the songs are still stuck in there. Do it.

12"s
Mind Eraser- Cave
I've been trying to track down a copy of this forever, I missed out on it when it first came out and everyone I asked about wasn't willing to part with their copy, but I finally lucked out. I'm not generally into this sorta thing, but when I am into it, I dig it biiiiiiiigtime. Cave is Mind Eraser's debut LP, and in my opinion it's one of their best. Great tunes, with riffs that make it hard for me to make it through without skipping the record thanks to the desk moshing that occurs. Also, it's a perfect length, considering I have the attention span of a fly when it comes to this sorta music. Not too long, but long enough.
Matrix Etching: They'll tell you black is really white.../ The moon is just the sun at night

Left For Dead/Acrid- Hacked to Pieces (Split)
Two southern Ontario bands that were unfortunately before my time, I was stoked to be able to grab this as well. For two reasons- 1)Left for Dead 2)It's shaped like a fucking buzzsaw, what more can I ask for? Too bad that I can't get into Acrid at all, I've tried before with the Sea of Shit LP, but it just ain't happening. At the risk of sounding ignorant, that band just sounds too metal for my sensitive ears. I'm totally fine with just playing that A-side of the this ripper over and over again though, it's that good.

Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures
Not going to give this a full review because if you don't have an opinion on Joy Division by now you need to get off the internet and pick up a record or something. (Or get on it and download them). This is a great repress on vinyl that weighs a ton, awesome!
Matrix Etching:This is the way

RVIVR- RVIVR
Matt Canino of Latterman/Shorebirds fame pulls of yet another amazing band with this new Olympia powerhouse of posi. Great song writing, great lyrics and great vocals between Matt and his partner in guitar/voice Erica, I have a huge softspot for bands with dual male/female vocalists, and this record is a good explanation as to why. This will probably be getting numerous plays throughout the summer, lotta awesome "Whoaaa" parts to sing along to cruising in my car. Almost wants me to cut off my sleeves/pantlegs and grow out my hair. Allllllllllllmost.
Matrix Etching: Future man/That's what I said

Wayfarer- Our Fathers
It rules being able to see a band go from playing their very first show, and then building up to the release of an LP. Southern Ontario band Wayfarer are one of those bands. Great Hot Water Music-esque punk with a really light country tinge thanks to guitar player Steve Sloane's catchy leads. Really well done, I feel like if Neil Young was younger and had a thicker voice, he might have ended up in a band like this. Way(farer) to go!

PS. If you play this record on 45, it sounds like that Coheed and Cambria band, good stuff.

Also, I got a package in the mail today, but that will have to wait until next time, TOO MANY RECORDS.

I saw new things in the same old town that year
After I decided being dead inside wasn't an option.
I think I can be too romantic.
Yeah I think I was just too romantic.

I know you hate how we trade in blood
But tonight who's gonna pay in tears?

Don't make a move
Don't make a noise
Stare into space
Cause noise annoys

It's too bad we've had to go through so much pain
But that pain, it made me go
That pain, it kept me moving
That pain, it helped me grow

Book reviews, eh? Well here's everything I have read in the past 2 weeks.



First off is Rosseau's The Social Contract, republished as the 8th installment of the first volume of Penguin's Great Ideas series. (Hence the cover that while looking absolutely wonderful, pales in comparison to some of the other amazing cover design work that appears in the series.)

As a friend of mine could attest, it was a struggle to make it through this book in a reasonable amount of time, which I think probably comes down to the fact that it's a translation from the native French into very rigid academic English. That isn't to say that it's poorly translated, but as Rousseau himself states at the beginning of the first chapter of the third book: "I must warn the reader that this chapter should be read with care, for I have not the skill to make myself clear to those who do not wish to concentrate their attention". I would argue that was the case of the entire book, rather than solely that chapter.

As far as content, I found myself agreeing with the vast majority of the points being argued. Especially Rousseau's idea that the form of government a nation holds should be dependent on its size and the belief in the unlimited power of the general will. I'm not going to try to summarize anything here, but I will say that if you have even a remote interest in the dynamics of government you should attempt to make your way through this book. Despite being well over 200 years old, it still holds relevance today as we watch how Rousseau's ideas have been sadly eroded and ignored over time.



For a total shift in subject, here's the third (and final, apparently) volume of a collaboration between Danzig Baldaev and Sergei Vasiliev in which they have attempted to document an area of Russian history that has long been viewed with a sense of train wreck-like curiosity. A combination of photographs of heavily tattooed prisoners, and a tattoo-by-tattoo breakdown of what each piece symbolizes (if anything) leads to a series that is worth it for its sheer fascination factor alone. Never before did I think I would even see a tattoo of a man and woman having sex while the woman simultaneously services two male dwarfs. Only in Russia my comrades, only in Russia.

I'll be the first to admit that I (like many) have a border-line unhealthy interest in all things Russian, and even more so all things Russian and criminal. I had heard about this series for a long time, and when I finally stumbled upon this volume (in an architecture museum, nonetheless) I was as giddy as a Soviet school girl. And I was not let down. The book is gorgeous, the photography and illustrations are extremely well done, and there is just enough text to provide a context and explanation without becoming overwhelming. My kinda book.

Now, I'll just have to find the first two volumes, which I have a feeling is going to be easier said than done...



Book number three is the 14th issue of the always underrated Mcsweeney's Quarterly Concern. I was thinking the other day about why it is that I like these so much, and I'm fairly sure it's because I have a relatively short attention span (see my comments on Rousseau) and because when I was younger, the only thing I would read were comic books. Comics, you ask? yeah. They're short, and they contain a small chunk of a story (that is good enough to read on its own), with promise of more to come in a month or so. I feel that's what I find in these awesome quarterly fiction collections from McSweeney's. Stories short enough to keep me satisfied, but good enough (and mysterious enough) that keep me wanting more next time.

Anyway, issue fourteen of this publication opens up real strong with Author/Pediatrician (Crazy, right?) Chris Adrian's A Child's Book of Sickness and Death. Telling the story of children's hospital patient Cindy as she deals with the declining attention she receives from her regular hospital visits as she grows older. I won't reveal too much suffice to say that it is amazing and one of my favorite short stories of recent memory.

While it's a shame that nothing surpasses that gem (although Silvia DiPierdomenico's That Which I Am and Chris Bachelder's Deep Wells, USA both come damn close for very different reasons), there are very few stories that are much worse (I wish I had access to issue 9 so I could read the first act of Denis Johnson's Soul of a Whore, I feel like I was missing something without it, but that's more of a fault of McSweeney's part, not his work). If nothing else is to be said about McSweeney's (both this publication and their entire publishing house), it should be highlighted over and over again that they are consistent. Consistently awesome.

Also, any book that has a painting of George Bush as an amputee begging for forgiveness in gym shorts and a t-shirt has my approval. Just thought that might be worth throwing out there.



I know what you are thinking right now, and it's either a) "Man, this guy reads a magazine called Monocle, he must be a genius!" or b) "What's this idiot going to do with a magazine about 'Affairs, Business, Culture, Design and Edits'?"

My responses to those are a) Yes, yes I am. and b)I have no clue.

I'm still not entirely sure what to think of this magazine, it seems to me that for the most part I am not nearly affluent enough to make proper use of it. (Do I want to order a pair of $500 calf-skin slip on shoes? of course I don't.) However, it does have a few redeeming qualities that will probably keep me picking this up for at least one or two more issues.

Firstly, regardless of what the articles are about, this magazine has heaps and heaps of photos. All of them well done, most of them are interesting. Especially considering that the majority of the time they are discussing places that I will never be able to afford to go, and things I will never afford to do. (Owning a private residence in Brazil? yeah right. But it does look amazing, I will give them that). And with these photos comes background information on the architects/designers/artists, which I do appreciate. I just feel like I need to learn to sift through the snobbery that's happening here in order to get down to the good stuff (which I was doing by the end of it).

Highlight articles included
-Fonts of Knowledge by writer Kenji Hall and photographer Megumi Seki, detailing the history of a 60 year old Japanese font-maker, Morisawa.

-The first installation of The Singapore Sessions, in which for experts are given an urban challenge to complete, in this case how to make urban travel more pleasant.

-Finally, writers Marisa Mazria Katz, Tom Morris & Fiona Wilson's Museum Pieces, in which they took a look at various up and coming contemporary art museums, including one that I probably accidentally walked by last week in NYC, oof.

Now that I think about, I was being too hard on this poor little guy. There is a lot of bullshit here, but the good is good enough that it certainly balances out.



I didn't intend to review Maximum RockNRoll #324 back to back with Monocle, but now that I think about it, it's a good shift into something that doesn't make me seem richer than I am.

After much deliberation, I finally subscribed to Maximum RNR two months ago, primarily for long time columnist Bruce Roehrs' reviews and always great columns. Despite the fact that Oi and street punk have always been looked down upon in this so-called "for the punks by the punks" magazine, Bruce was one of the only people who would touch entire genres of awesome music. Looking at it now, I feel like we probably would have mirrored musical tastes. Regardless, two issues into my subscription and Roehrs passes away.

This issue is an amazing memorial to him, as letters are published from people of all sorts recounting the fond memories they had of him, and despite never meeting him I feel like through my short relationship with this magazine and the kind words said about him, I can take the leap and say that he seemed like a man of the "Fucking best best quality, yeah!!!!", as he would have put it.

Secondary highlight of the issue was an interview with Denmark's iceage, a band of 16 year olds that make better music than the vast majority of people in punkrock are doing right now. So it was cool reading what they had to say. Another cool interview with Swedish girl-punk band Kleenex/LiLiPUT, who I wasn't familiar with before hand but love now. And finally a story of how Chris Johnston of Plan-it-X records purchased a run down building in a dying town with a couple of friends in order to open up a coffee shop/bookstore. Much akin to something I have been rattling around in my head for a while now.

Other than that, this issue was a bit of a let down, it could be due to the fact that it had a somber tone due to Bruce's passing, or maybe I was let down by the fact that RVIVR seemed to preach political to the choir. Not that I don't agree with them, I was just hoping to find out more about the band, rather than Maximum RNR's Fred Schrunk taking stab at DRI for not having political motivation.



Last but certainly never least, is the May 2010 issue of The Believer. This is the first time I picked up this monthly magazine published by McSweeney's (take into account my previous comments on the consistency of the publisher), and I can already tell that it will be a long time until my last.

It occurred to me that the easiest way to write this review was to simply highlight all that I didn't like, because it would mean less writing. But then I realized the only piece in the entire magazine that I found to be even remotely tedious was Annie Julia Wyman's A Glimpse of Unplumbed Depths. Here we have Wyman attempting to regale the reader with a tale of her own boredom that spawned from a book on literary criticism she had to read as part of a graduate course. I make it sound worse than it is, but it feels like it starts strong and ends strong, but the middle is a lot of "bleh".

The extreme highlight is the 'triumphant' return of Nick Hornby's book review column, Stuff I've Been Reading. I say triumphant like that because apparently he abandoned the magazine 18 months ago, realized that his life was meaningless without it and has now crawled back to suckle the believer teat. And I'm glad he did. He approaches reviews much like I do with book and record reviews (as in, he just talks about whatever things he's been into lately), except he is a far better writer than I could ever hope to be, I guess I've gotta work on it. So if you for some unknown reason enjoy reading me rabble on about these things, you'll probably like reading him do the same about 10x more.

Also, the comic section of this magazine rules. At a mere two pages, it has more quality in it than I have read in a couple entire comic collections. I'm growing to enjoy the comic strip format more than the comic book, but that's a whole other post. This gave me a ton of great names to toss into Google and try to hunt down other works from, just what I like! (Oh, and there's an extra 35 inches of comic goodness glued to the inside of the back cover thanks to Jesse Moynihan and Dash Shaw,if you like dads or the T.V show LOST, you'll wanna check it.)

I cant say enough good things about this magazine so I'll just end with a ska reference. Pick it up, Pickit up, pickitup.

How I've Been Spending My Vacation

Totally worth it.

Such a rad show, NYC is such a rad place. brag brag look what I did etc etc.
Some scumbag stole a friend's bag though, if you are said scumbag and for some reason are reading this, kill yourself.

All my life
I relied on one thing
And that one thing
Fucked me up even more

Sacrifice
Don't you forget it
Every day
You'll see her face

That orchestra appears to have a remarkably small repertoire.

Hundredth post. I was thinking of doing something special....I'll post a song that isn't in English instead.



Car aujourd'hui comme demain
Toujours le même refrain...
La réalité, même refrain et même couplet
Toujours la réalité

a terrible internet translator tells me that means

Because today as tomorrow
Always the same refrain...
Reality, same refrain and same verse
Always reality

And the images won't fade
Your voice, my joy, your pain
It's painted on my brain
No matter what I do or say

Eyes turned blind
Mind gone numb
Out of shape
State of the ape

Alright, here goes.... in the order of demo tape ->CDs ->7"s ->12"s. Wish me luck.

Demo Tape
Troops of Tomorrow- Demo
Fucking amazing blend of 80s hardcore and great Oi. The obvious band to compare them to is 86 Mentality, and in my opinion they were one of the best bands of the last decade, so its easy to understand my love for Troops of Tomorrow. I hate calling bands "hard" or saying that "this makes me want to punch stuff" but sometimes nothing else will suffice. "I don't wanna be the change I see/ Cuz I don't fucking care about society ", see what I mean? Oh and a DYS cover, pick this up ASAP.

CDs
Both of these were freebies that were tossed in my order by the lovely gentleman at Sorry State Records. I like getting free stuff, so I'll give these two some quickie reviews.

Chest Pains- Because Our Time is Limited and Valuable
Cool California/Texas sounding punk here. Reminds me a lot of stuff like The Dicks, but slower and not quite as good. There's a sweet (although slightly altered) Circle Jerks cover on here too. Some great frantic, twangy as hell guitar work on here, which I love. My only suggestion is that it should be faster, if this was even 25% faster, I probably would have loved it. Also, cool screen printed CD sleeve, always a nice touch.

Devour- S/T
What I'm assuming to be an extra insert CD from their S/T LP, I was pleasantly surprised by this. Despite the lack of any real packaging (again, most likely a leftover from CD/LP packages), I put this on expecting the standard fare of bands who use stencil fonts and have band names that start with the letter D. This is a lot better though, rather than sounding like a d-beat ripoff or His Hero Is Gone worship band, this is fast, thrashy metallic punk. I don't have any insert or information like song titles or anything, but this was good enough that next time I see it in a distro or something I'll think of picking it up.

7"s

Dry Spell- Magic Man
I know I ragged on Chest Pains for being too mid-tempo, but this is mid-tempo punk done right. From Virginia (big surprise there, right?), these guys are great at songs that are fast but not too fast, and slow but not too slow. Great rock feel to them as well, and some of the riffs in these songs make me wish I wrote them (I.E. The Intro in Magic Man). Lyrics are great in the vein of snotty punk. Nothing really groundbreaking, but everything fits where it should and makes one stellar EP.

The Shitty Limits- Yesterdays Heroes
The first of a few Shitty Limits records in this package, Yesterday's Heroes offers up 6 real quick tunes (only one over a minute, the rest hovering around the half minute mark). Total art-school punk vibe from these guys, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Songs are short enough and to the point enough that you can tell these guys know exactly what they are doing, and their goal is to have short powerful jangly songs with uninterested vocals. They have no reason to lengthen their songs because it wouldn't add anything interesting. Speaking of art school punk, there is a real obvious Wire reference in one of the songs, but I'll let you find that for yourself once you buy this awesome disc.

Criminal Intent-S/T
One of two records I picked up simply because they were cheap and Canadian (My interested in Canadacore wins over again. This one is a Halifax band by the name of Criminal Intent, and what I'm assuming to be their debut EP of the same name. Also apparently put out on Dave from Career Suicide's label, Sewercide Records. There's some nerding out for you. As for the record itself, it's clear that they are heavily influenced by the not-so-straightedge half of 80s Boston hardcore (I'm talking The Freeze, Gang Green, Jerry's Kids, etc.), and they do it fucking well. Bummer that this band is broken up with this being their only release.

Cloak/Dagger- Surf Song
An older single from Cloak/Dagger that I hadn't picked up for whatever reason, not sure why I didn't to be honest. Two songs in the vein of what you'd expect from these guys, but the B-side wins out with the questionably named Concentration Camps. Great guitar work, and the vocals on this side totally annihilate the A-side's Surf Song. As usual, I love the art, but no surprises there.

The Shitty Limits- Espionage
Another cool EP from these guys, this time with longer songs that I can really get into. Side A opens with the two minute title track, which reminds me a lot of what I think it would sound like if Wire tried to play Adolescents covers, or something. Certainly sounds like some British post-punk/California punk crossover, which I can totally support. Best of both worlds, you know? Side B has two shorter songs that are sort of a midpoint between the sort of thing on Side A and the short fast songs on Yesterday's Heroes. We Had A Gang has a really rad power-pop vibe going on, especially with the vocal hook in the chorus, these guys' songwriting prowess wins me over again and again. Closes out with the ultra-frantic Amateurs, the weakest of the three songs, but good nonetheless.

C.C.S.S.- Punkcore/Punkwhore$
The second of the two EPs I picked up out of sheer Canadian nostalgia. From what I've read, this band contained members of Montreal motorpunk favourites Inepsy, despite sounding absolutely nothing alike. This is just straight forward punk rock, in the vein of the Canadian Subhumans. Great catchy guitar parts grab you and keep you listening, while the lyrics are intelligent enough to transcend the music, but not so much that they seem condescending, a good balance. The second song on the A-side, Please Go Away is the clear highlight here. Music rules, vocals rule, lyrics also rule. What's not to like? Also, there is a totally awesome cover of The Dicks' Hate The Police on here, so even if the rest of the EP blew big time (which it doesn't), it would probably still be redeemed.

Inepsy- See You In Hell
Rounding out the Canadian trifecta, I'm years late on this one but here's Inepsy's debut EP, See You In Hell. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I picked this up, so it should be no surprise that I fucking love it. I can't really say anything about this that hasn't been said before so I'll just put out the usual "This sounds like the best parts of Discharge mixed with the best parts of Motorhead" and leave it at that. If you don't have this yet and can find somewhere to pick it up, do it.

12"s
The Shitty Limits- Beware The Limits
Finally, a more substantial amount of music from The Shitty Limits. 12 twangy rippers on this one, and fuck is it good. Great songs with plenty of "pop sensibilities" I'm not sure what I can say here that I didn't say in the EP reviews. I remember reading someone comparing some band to Wire covering Minor Threat, as opposed to the opposite. They might have been talking about this band, I don't remember. Either way, that's probably the best way to sum this up. Fucking awesome.

Darvocets- Are... New Wave
I went into this one blind, after hearing that someone in this band has something to do with Folded Shirt. I was not let down. Not quite as totally weird as that band, which was a relatively neutral surprise (I both hoped that it would and wouldnt be out-of-this-world weird.). Are...New Wave sports 6 tunes, and comes in an inside out LP jacket with dolphins and razor blades silk screened onto it. I think that dolphins and razor blades are a good way to describe this. Reminds me a lot of Black Randy and the Metrosquad, who I totally love, so I'm pretty big on this. Songs range in topic from Bigfoot to anti-gravity travel.

Cloak/Dagger- Lost Art
As I have mentioned time and time again, I really, really like Cloak/Dagger. That being said, I think that this band is best showcased in an EP format. Thats not to say that these songs are bad, because I can assure you, these are awesome songs, with awesome lyrics. It's just that they would be much more easily digested had they been split up into 4 EPs, or maybe even with just a couple tracks left off of this. After a while, the songs sorta blend together. However, as I said earlier, this is far from horrible and it still beats the vast majority of formal LPs that bands like this jump into. I just had unreasonably high expectations I suppose. I'll just blame it on Jade Tree and carry on my way...(even if they made the insert a really thick, slippery glossy sheet, which reassures me of its durability every time I pick it up). If you like Cloak/Dagger, grab this. Just don't let it be your first foray into the band, grab the 7"s first.
Matrix Etching: Let me clear my throat. Ah huh, ah huh, ah god damn!/ What does HEEEEE want?!!!

And I dug that woman's grave
Eight feet in the ground
and I didn't feel sorry until they let her down
They had to let her down

Ramblin around
Rablin rose
I'm gunna put you down
Ramblin rose

Grave Mistake Records rules.

The Ergs- Thrash Compactor
Well, I wasn't really sure what to expect here but my train of thought was along the lines of "I like The Ergs, and I like thrashy hardcore, so I must like this.".I was half right. The EP is short enough that even if the songs were boring as hell, I would be able to make it through without really caring too much. But Society Hill is a ripper of a song, and Sneak Attack is a great little ditty about shooting up your high school, what's not to like? Also includes three other songs (one of which is an anti-George Bush tune called I Shot The Devil's Son, a little late for that, although the Ergs apologize for that in the liner notes). This is worth it if you're like me and really like both The Ergs as well as bands like J.F.A. or D.R.I.. Nicely packaged as well, if I may say so.
Matrix Etching: "Who gave this nonsense the green light?"

Cloak/Dagger- Don't Need A
With the A side containing a single off of their full length Lost Art, Don't Need A features a total of three frantic, twangy punk songs that Cloak/Dagger have become known for. Great songwriting here, but I've always felt that the real talent in this band comes from the lyrics. All three songs are nothing new in terms of subject matter, but are written in a way that makes them entirely enjoyable. This band has always reminded me of a more aggressive Husker Du, and other than that I find it hard to describe them, so there you have it. Really like this EP and since I put off picking up the full-length, I guess this gives me reason to do so. Another little thing about these guys are that they put out absolutely great looking records. From cover design to insert design, a couple dudes in the band put all that stuff together according to the insert, and man do they do it well.

No Tolerance- Boston Straight Edge
A vinyl repress of a demo tape that quickly became big collectible material, I'm glad they decided to reissue it like this instead. Clearly the oddball of this bunch of records, No Tolerance is one of the million pies DFJ has his straight edge fingers in, and one of two (that I can think of) where he handles vocal duties. Musically, this is awesome. Totally punishing while maintaining a good a number of catchy riffs and "mosh parts" if you're into calling them that. But lyrically... 3/4 of the songs are about straight edge and there are certainly nods to it in the 4th song. Gimmicky but not terrible enough that it detracts from the record. Hopefully when they put more stuff out the subject matter varies a little.

Southside Stranglers- Strangle You
Now we're talking. This band is fucking nuts. Taking the best elements of so many different bands and combining them all into what I'm slightly reluctant to call a perfect band. So far, anyway. Apparently a taste of their upcoming LP, and if that is anything like this it's going to be one of the best albums of whatever year it actually comes out in. More on this record, this is a traditional single (A Side/B Side), both with that distinctive Virginia sound. Not that that is surprising, considering these guys share members with the likes of Government Warning. The real highlight here is the B Side, Daddy's Worst Nightmare. Total powerhouse, reminds me of what I imagine the Stooges would sound like if they had the constant energy and intensity of Black Flag. Snotty vocals, cool vocal tricks towards the end of the song, this is the sort of song good enough to give someone goosebumps if they're blasting it through headphones. Hits the nail right on the head.

Night Birds- S/T
Spacing out the Southside Stranglers excitement a little, here is a band in a similar vein except these guys contain two things Southside Stranglers don't. The first being an ex-Ergs member, and the second being a really strong and really wicked surf influence. Five killer tunes on this one, starting and ending with two great surfy tunes (Prognosis: Negative and the instrumental Harbor Rats, respectively). Crammed between these are great fast snotty surf influenced punk songs, think Adolescents at twice the speed. Song topics range from hospitals to wanting to beat up strangers in the street to simply being bad ass. Great record. Also, despite sounding like they are from SoCal, these guys are from the polar opposite area of the country, New Jersey. Hopefully this means I actually get to catch them live. Great record, grab it while they last.
Matrix Etching:The omelet...damn./I'd rather make my own suit.

Southside Stranglers- Too Much TV
I'm tempted to copy and past the previous Southside Stranglers review for this record as well, but despite it being just as good, there are some differences so I'll get into that a little. The biggest difference is that this is a full EP, six songs that should make anyone want to tear up their entire block. From the opening "Owwwwww!" of Too Much TV to the final "Ahwooooo!" of Wired, this EP totally kills it. It occured to me while listening that this band sort of reminds me of 86 Mentality, but with a snotty skatepunk aesthetic rather than a skinhead one. Other than vocals, they would be nearly dead ringers. Fucking amazing, that's really all there is to it. If you don't pick this up (along with the Strangle You single, you needs your ears checked and then cut-the-fuck-off.

Folded Shirt-S/T
I'll be entirely honest here, I picked this up because I thought the band's name was hilarious and I really liked the minimal packaging. Sue me. That being said, this is great weirdo punk and something that I can't say I have much experience with, but I like this a lot. Starts out with weird plodding bass and shimmering noises in 15 Year Old Kids (along with lyrics about just wanting to find drugs), they call themselves "mongoloid punk" and despite being apprehensive at first, I can now see why. Lots of moaning vocals and focus on keeping everything really simple, Jungle Music and Crazy Eyes are a pair of tunes that I can see some kid listening to mid-acid trip and jumping out of his window. I think this record is pretty good, but if taking psychedelics was my thing, I have a feeling it would be even better.

Great batches of records like this are what get me stoked on punk and music and life in general. I can't listen to the Southside Stranglers records without either jumping around my room air guitaring, or at least jonesing to start a similar band. Its nice to get packages like this and despite never hearing all but one of the full releases (The X-ception being No Tolerance's Boston Straight Edge)and being thoroughly impressed with each and every one of them. Up the punx, etc etc.

Veggie Caldo Verde. (Or in this case, Kaledo Verde, ha ha ha).

I was at the comic store the other day, primarily to pick up Jeff Lemire's massive Essex County collection to tide me over for a couple days (I'll get to that one in a future post), and as I usually do when buying books or records, for every one or two items I go in with the intention of picking up I always try to grab something I wouldn't normally read or listen to and resign myself to either being really impressed or really let down.

And that's how I ended up with a copy of Canadian cartoonist Hope Larson's Mercury. It had a lot going for it, despite the fact that it was in a sealed bag, preventing a quick flip through, I knew three things: Canadian cartoonist/writer, awesome; Story takes place in Canadian setting (Nova Scotia), more awesome; and it had a cover price of only $10, the trifecta was complete.

I also noticed was the book kept saying things like "Great for Young Readers" and "Ages 12 and up", which I discounted because so long as a comic (and graphic novel) doesn't have sex,gore or swearing, it's generally assumed to be a kids book. Cause it's basically a picture book, right?

But for once the back cover doesn't lie, it is definitely geared towards a younger audience who are into teen romance with a touch of history and magic thrown in. Not a horrible book by any stretch, but not what I was expecting. Larson is still an incredible cartoonist, I enjoy her simple polished black and white style, and the shifting focus on either black or white heavy pages to signify the time periods was a great idea. I'll just go ahead and say it, from an entirely aesthetic viewpoint, the sections of the story set in the 1800s are head and shoulders above the rest of the book, the cartooning is that good.

That's not to knock the rest of the book however, there is a humour that ends up being relied on in most teen romance stories of any medium that has always amused me, and it's in no shortage here, including a running gag that the main character, grade ten student Tara Fraser bears a distinct resemblance to a male classmate. This is a nice way to balance out the two stories that run parallel to one another throughout the entire novel, while the 1800s are much nicer looking, the present day section has more engrossing content.

Reading this has made me feel the need to track down some of Larson's work that hasn't been marketed to middle school-aged teens, if she managed to keep my attention well enough that I tore through this book in one sitting, I have high hopes for some of her work that I can sink my teeth (and eyes) into.

So was the ten-dollar mystery purchase worth the money? I would say so.

I may be closed at times
But I'm fine
It's just the way that I am.

Beans N' Kale

Since summer is (almost) here, and I'll have even more spare time, I'm just going to blog about books that I've read, as I read them.

We are unfair, and unfair
We are black magicians, black art
s we make in black labs of the heart

The fair are
fair and death
ly white

The day will not save them
and we own
the night

Best known as a poet, this is a collection of essays Amiri Baraka had written between 1960 and 1965 (Originally published in 1966) primarily regarding the issues of black identity and commentary on the nature of the civil rights struggle.

With a heavy focus on more radical approaches (For example, Baraka's views that there is indeed a place for physical violence in any sort of large movement) and emphasis on the necessity of participatory action in creating effective change (In his urging of black people to make the changes they want on their own watch, not on that of the white men). Baraka hits the nail on the head over and over again, for me at least.

"Something else I can Aspire to is the craziness of all honest men. That is, the craziness that will make a man keep talking long after everyone else says he shouldn't."
-Amiri Baraka

Intertwined with these ideas are evaluations on black art and literature, subjects which are met with mixed reactions, and no matter which way they are examined, it makes an incredibly interesting read.

I have always felt that first hand accounts of struggles from a single point of view allow for an understanding of the environment at the time that no mass produced documentary or third hand retelling in a lecture hall could ever reproduce. And in the case of Home, there is nothing that could compare to reading the frustration of a black artist of the time as he reacts to the murders of Martin Luther King as well as Malcolm X. As his frustration reaches a breaking point in the essay The Legacy of Malcolm X and the Coming of the Black Nation.

As a short aside, I really do wish that they went with the same cover as the original printing (seen below).I feel that the photo was a good representation of the messages of frustration and helplessness at the time of first print, especially when compared to this new piece of graphic design. However, I do understand that this is part of a series of reprints being published by Akashi Classics, so I guess they wanted to go with some sort of visual consistency. Such is life.