New Music Review: Mount Eerie “Song Islands Vol.2″

Phil Elverum, known to most as the Microphones and for 2001’s outstanding record The Glow Pt. 2, has been working under the name Mount Eerie since the release of the Microphones’ concept album Mt. Eerie in 2003. His most recent album, Song Islands Vol. 2 is a cavalcade of weird and poignant revelations from an intellectual storyteller. His affinity with dark, honest details douses nearly every crevice of his work. Elverum seems to empty the entire arsenal of his subconscious into his most recent effort; everything from getting off the internet and not smoking to a Bjork cover.

Most of the songs are brief, and each of these short ideas are supposed to come together to offer a collection of varied paradigms. That idea kind of works. The line up of “Don’t Smoke”, “Get Off the Internet” and “Cooking” capture the thematic essence of Song Islands. Vol. 2. Six minutes, three songs, three ideas. The combination of gritty distortion and the unique vocal timbre that Elverum is most famous for functions well. Understanding him isn’t taxing. The taxing part is feeling Elverum’s condescension. It’s hard to take such patronizing seriously. His intentions are pure, but the result seems very parental and pedagogic. With “Cooking”, Elverum offers an acerbic overview of today’s “young people of the modern megastate.” Basically, Elverum is bitching about how lazy kids are. This bitching is paired with the similar instrumentation found on The Microphones The Glow Pt. 2. After a few listens, it becomes hard to decide whether he’s being really, really sarcastic or trying to express genuine concern. Either way, the result is entertaining.

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The large collection offers plenty of variety. “Mystery Language” is almost danceable. “In the Rain” presents rolling pianos paired with somber humming and the pattering of brushes on a snare drum. “Uncertainty” simply rocks. The standout track of the entire collection is “This Is the Same Ocean.” At a mere 0:46 seconds, this beautiful instantaneous flash of brevity best represents what Elverum is trying to offer: short, clever numbers that are powerful but not overbearing.

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Of course, as the maverick Elverum is, there are always going to be some gems with any of his projects. However, it’s hard not to ignore how blatantly self-indulgent the effort is as a whole. The payoff, though, is having enough patience to sift out the more brilliant nuggets from the lack luster ones. Fear not, the ratio of good to bad here is very favorable, especially for fans of Elvrum’s entire catalog.

DVD Digest: “I Think We’re Alone Now”

I Think We’re Alone Now, 2008

Every celebrity deals with his or her share of obsessed fans. I Think We’re Alone Now is a documentary that focuses on two individuals, Jeff and Kelly, who claim to be in love with the 80′s pop singer Tiffany.

Jeff Turner, a 50-year-old man from Santa Cruz, California has attended Tiffany concerts since 1988. Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, he never had a girlfriend. Jeff spends his days hanging out on the streets of Santa Cruz, striking up conversations with anyone who has a moment to spare.

Kelly McCormick is a 35-year-old intersex person from Denver, Colorado, who claims to have been friends with Tiffany as a teenager. She credits Tiffany as the shining star who has motivated her to do everything in her life.

Both Jeff and Kelly have been labeled stalkers by the media and other Tiffany fans. This film takes you inside the lonely lives these two characters, revealing the source of their clinging obsessions. This age-old story of unrequited love takes a comedic and emotional trip through themes of desperation, isolation, and hope, in the end showing that having something, or someone, to believe in can be more powerful than anything reality has to offer. (via)

Tricia’s Take: I found this documentary truly enjoyable, taking me on much more of an emotional ride than I expected going in. The filmmakers did well to capture Jeff and Kelly respectfully, but also humorously. Clocking in at only 61 minutes, I Think We’re Alone Now is a great film to choose if you’re not looking to invest too much into movie night but would still like to remain a bit thought provoking.

I Think We’re Alone Now is available via Netflix Watch Instantly

DVD Digest: “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child”

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, 2010

Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat’s own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man. (IMDB)

Tricia’s Take: I came into this film with nothing, and left feeling inspired from every direction. As a newcomer to Basquiat, The Radiant Child not only informed on the life of the artist but also presented an artistic vision in its own right. The care Davis takes in her subject matter is readily apparent and this translates into a solid piece of documentary filmmaking. We see Basquiat, his beginnings, his struggles, highs and lows. We learn about the gritty NYC life of the late 70’s and 80’s. We traverse the inner workings of the art world and live the dangers of fame and fortune. But perhaps most importantly, as the bebop soundtrack swells, image after image of Basquiat’s work take over the screen, telling the story through the art itself.

Carter’s Take: Basquiat was many different things to many different people. Some say his child-like and haphazard style was the worst thing to happen to contemporary art since Pollock’s paint drips, a style that inspires patrons to say things like “That took no skill, I could do that” or “Why is that art?” Others see Basquiat as a social climber who became an art world mascot chosen by the likes of Andy Warhol more for his mixed race heritage, charismatic good looks and street cred than for his actual work. While many view him as a revolutionary artist with an original style, one of the first to start on the streets with graffiti and move to the gallery, a keen critic of modern racism and pop culture, a sensitive street poet, a prophet of future art movements, and before Banksy existed, one of the last artists to shake the art world to its core.

To some extent, each of these perspectives on Basquiat is true and The Radiant Child touches upon them all while adding fresh insights – insights that come from the film’s greatest strength and biggest weakness, director Tamara Davis’ friendship with Basquiat. This personal relationship is helpful while Davis delves into Basquiat’s background, his work, his place in and feelings about the art world, and the contribution of the never-before-seen footage from their 20-minute interview. But the romantic view of Basquiat Davis presents in dealing with his family and drug addiction shows a bias otherwise not present in the film. Ultimately The Radiant Child captures not only the essence of Basquiat as a person but also a portrait of an artist who achieved the fame and money he sought only to realize, as artist-filmmaker Julian Schnabel says in the film, “He didn’t have the tools to navigate the sea of shit. He just wanted to have fun.”

DVD Digest: “The Saddest Music in the World”

The Saddest Music in the World, 2003

It’s the winter of 1933 in Winnipeg. In honor of Winnipeg being named the sorrow capital of the world for the Depression era for the fourth year running by the London Times, Lady Helen Port-Huntley, the legless owner of Winnipeg’s Port-Huntley Beer, is hosting and judging a contest to see which nation has the saddest music in the world, the winner to take home a $25,000 prize. Seeing as to the current Prohibition in the United States, Lady Port-Huntley has ulterior motives for the contest. Father and son, streetcar conductor Fyodor Kent and New York based musical producer Chester Kent, who both have a past connection to Lady Port-Huntley (Fyodor, a WWI veteran and former doctor, has fashioned for her an unusual pair of artificial legs apropos to her business), want to represent Canada and the United States respectively in the contest. Despite Lady Port-Huntley’s hatred for the Kent’s, she does allow them to do so if only to advance her own priorities… (IMDB)

Tricia’s Take: With The Saddest Music in the World, director Guy Maddin takes you on a ride into an entirely new and entirely original world. Using 8mm film and video blown up, mostly in black and white, Maddin creates a look reminiscent of 1920′s and 1930′s cinema, but with a more modern pace, a beautifully intriguing combination. The original world of the mise-en-scène is supported by the film’s campy storyline. Although the plot is ridiculous, it stays grounded enough to impact emotionally, an achievement supported by the film’s soundtrack which includes nine different reworkings of 1932′s “The Song is You”. But it is in the ridiculousness that The Saddest Music in the World establishes a humorous genius. I think film buffs and camp enthusiasts alike will find this film truly enjoyable.

The Saddest Music in the World is available on Netflix Watch Instantly

New Music Review: Lovers “Dark Light”

With Lovers‘ latest release Dark Light, what began as a solo outlet for singer-songwriter Carolyn Burk has grown into a full-fledged band.“We are like sisters. We are sisters,” Burk says of the trio, which now includes keyboardist Kerby Ferris and drummer Emily Kingan. The Portland-based group continues as a platform for Burk’s easy-to-relate-to ruminations of heartache – perhaps at times with a bit too much thematic obviousness – but with Dark Light comes not only a new band but a new synth-pop driven sound.

Album opener “Barnacle” leaves the listener feeling a little underwhelmed as the track is too reminiscent of Postal Service’s “D.C. Sleeps Alone Tonight” yet falls short of Ben Gibbard’s metaphoric lyricism. “Figure 8” is where Lovers garner flashes of intrigue. Burk bluntly states, “They try to shame us out of lovin’ darlin’ / but they don’t pray as hard as I ache” as the drums and synth pair nicely with the vocals to deliver the album’s tightest track. “Boxer” provides a great platform for Kerby Ferris to display her instrumental skills because without the intertwining waves of blips and bleeps the track would severely suffer.

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Overall, Dark Light suffers from redundancy and the band falls victim to their own limitations and predictability. Tracks regurgitate hooks several times before the halfway point and a good chunk of the lyrics are cliché, especially on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “Peppermint”.

But that isn’t to say Dark Light doesn’t have an audience. These day’s indie fans have been plagued with a harsh case of A.D.D. that elevates their already complex, jaded sense of unwarranted arrogance. If Lovers want to hit that wavelength, they’ll have to cut some serious baggage. But…perhaps they don’t. Lovers may just be comfortable with reaching those interested in gaining from what they have to offer. And if that’s the case (as it should be) this band will be around as long as their seemingly loyal fan base continues to grow.

Dark Light is out October 12, 2010 via Badman Recording Co.