COMING SOON:
COMICULTURE
VOL.2, BOOK ONE FIRST LOOK updated 3/4/04
COMICULTURE
IN THE NEWS
Here's what people said about Issue #2 of Comiculture ...
"(Comiculture is) a gorgeous production that fills a niche no one else is tackling in comics...."
--Randy Lander TheFourthRail.com
"...a great mix of mainstream styles and storytelling and more oddball, indy-spirit comic art as well. There's a remarkable balance in the material here, and it means that any reader...will find something about Comiculture to really enjoy."
--Don MacPherson TheFourthRail.com
"5 (out of 5) Bullets...This magazine deserves your attention...(the) second issue of Comiculture is actually better than the first"
--Ray Tate SilverBulletComics.com
Just when you thought the holidays were over and done with, you look up at the calendar from behind your mountain of credit card bills and staring you in the face is cupid’s favorite holiday. You guessed it: Valentines Day. It looms like a storm cloud on the horizon. Am I a Valentines Day “playa hata” you ask? I don’t hate the playa, I hate on the game. Valentines day is worse than Vegas when it comes to your chances of coming out on top. If you are a lady you run the risk of getting porn star undies with a box of old chocolates. Men, you walk the tightrope of making or breaking the relationship with the wrong gift or forgetting altogether. In my bid to help you fine people out, I have handpicked a track list for a mix CD to help smooth out the bumps (and hopefully grinds) in this most precarious evening. Download them or borrow the CDs. Burn them and get ready for a Valentines Day to remember.
#1 BARRY WHITE / Playing Your Game
#2 CRAIG DAVID / Rendezvous
#3 DUSTY SPRINGFIELD / The Look Of Love
#4 ZERO7 / Destiny
#5 BJORK / All Is Full Of Love
#6 SADE / Flow
#7 BASEMENT JAXX / Get Me Off
#8 PRINCE / Soft And Wet
#9 MASSIVE ATTACK / Angel
#10 ASTRUD GILBERTO / Who Needs Forever (Thievery Corporation Remix)
Remember the words of Pat Benatar: Love is a Battlefield. Make sure you are armed with the right music for the moment. I’m sure you have some songs you can add or delete to these mixes to make them extra-personal and special. Good luck and save some heart-shaped chocolates for me. On with the reviews:
BECK /Sea Change
Beck made his name cut-and-pasting with the Dust Brothers on his breakout album, Odelay. On albums like Mutations, Beck has shown he is more than a Loser and far more grown up than a Soul Sucking Jerk. Showing the influences of his collaboration with the French duo, Air, Beck returns with a down-tempo sound, courtesy of Radiohead and Travis producer Nigel Goodrich. Has Beck taken a Coldplay? Not so fast, this album sets a mood that’s hard to beat. Lush “Kid A-esque” backgrounds lay the groundwork for some sad and depressed (thought-provoking) lyrics. Falling somewhere between Neal Young and Bob Dylan, the lyrics shine on this subtle masterpiece. If you are looking for the next Sexx Laws, look elsewhere.
Stand Out Tracks: Track #1:The Golden Age
Right from the start we get the feeling that things are not all peaches and cream. Mix country guitar with Radiohead’sNice Dream and you get the idea. Sit back and let this track conjure thoughts of your own experiences. A deep track.
Track #3:Guess I’m Doing Fine
Beck’s voice really shines on this track. You can feel the pain in the lyrics. Some extra electronic bleeps and production add to the mood.
Track #4:Lonesome Tears
Owing a lot to the Air track Electronic Performer, this song builds and keeps the mood rolling, showing some serious lyrical growth on Beck’s part.
Track #5:Lost Cause
Layered guitars and swooping electronic sounds mixed with an almost catchy chorus make this the best song on the album. Close your eyes and enjoy the mood this song creates.
Is it worth my time?
If you can look past the dark nature of this album, take a chance and pick it up. It’s not for the casual listener. In fact, it may take a few listens to completely appreciate the subtle lyrics and musical textures contained on it.
QUICK HITS:
SQUAREPUSHER /Do You Know Squarepusher?
I saw SP aka Tom Jenkins play live a couple years back. He sat behind a small machine loaded with his snipped up beats holding a bottle of Jack Daniels. He peeked up over the beat box and smiled. A few twists later the audience was blown away by his drum and bass/slap bass/sound effect sound. Imagine drum and bass breaks recreated with a jazz mentality and you can almost get your head around the sound that SP makes. SP glides between experimental and near catchy tunes in his last release Selection Sixteen. But where is an experimental artist to go? Do You Know Squarepusher? forgoes any sense of a structured song. The album punches and stops and starts its way through bleeps and beats, not really ever finding a rhythm for the listener to hold on to. It also comes with a bonus Alive in Japan concert disc. This album captures the energy I felt at the concert and for that it's lots of fun. As for the main album, it’s interesting in a knob-twister sort of way but not anything close to easy listening. If you are up for something experimental, settle for his last album and leave this one for the electro tweaker-heads to sort out.
300% DYNAMITE / Ska-Soul-Rocksteady-Funk&Dub in Jamaica Soul Jazz records puts together an amazing collection of Jamaican music in this series. If you want some fine “old skool” Jamaican sounds, pick this up. Highlights include Sister Nancy doing Bam Bam and the original Here I Am Baby done by Al Brown. You might notice some of the songs on this album show up in sampled form in other songs. Any of the albums in this series are great. Dig it.
