In My Eyes and Ears

I just finished the novel, Sharpe's Tiger, which was the first in a large series of novels following the adventures of Richard Sharpe, a member of the British Army during the early 1800's. This first adventure follows our hero's instrumental role in the siege of Seringapatam during the British campaign in India during the Napoleonic wars. It is fast paced, seemingly historically accurate, and the character of Sharpe is an enjoyable rogue. The writing style is modern and very easy to read, and the exciting storyline, interesting characters, and well detailed battles make for an excellent summer read.

In the wide world of cinema I recently saw the film Edmund, which I found to be a harder edged Falling Down with William H. Macy replacing Michael Douglas in the lead role. There are some nice dialogues about the unnecessary social games we play and niceties we abide by because we are afraid of how others will perceive us; however, I would have liked to have seen a bit more from the director showing us some hope or suggestion for social change, rather than just showing how our protagonist's anticonformist actions lead him into the most terrible of decisions and situations. Still, the film is worth watching just for Macy's performance.


I also had the chance to finally check out the 1969 best picture Midnight Cowboy. I really liked this film. The performances by John Voigt and Dustin Hoffman were both top notch, and the directing had a lot of surreal moments alongside the bleak hyper-realism that was so popular in the early 1970's. The film is famous for being the only film rated X (although not rated X by today's system) to win the Oscar, and after watching it I do feel that it is one of the more cutting edge films to have won an Oscar. One of those rarer moments when a really good and challenging film gets its due.


And if you are looking for something to massage the ears, I suggest checking out the band I'm From Barcelona. Their album, Let Me Introduce my Friends, plays like adult indie, and the lyrics seem as though they are written about all the things that would be important to you in middle school. The result is pleasant and slightly poppy with a great depth of sound created by the 29 members of the band. Speaking of large bands, I also like the new stuff I am hearing from the Polyphonic Spree...very different than what I had heard from them a few years back. The more I hear the new Bright Eyes album, the more I like it...it has more of a folk influence, which really suits the writing style on this body of work.

Quick Picks:

Blonde Redhead - 23
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby; Everything is Average Nowadays
I'm From Barcelona - Collection of Stamps
Bright Eyes - If the Brakeman Turns My Way

...and for something with a bit of a beat check out stuff by LCD Soundsystems, or !!!.

This week's single that will not get out of my head: Once and Never Again, by the Long Blondes...I love this woman's voice.

Same to Same,

Capt. Patrick Hendry

Every Now and Then They Play Our Song

"We've been having fun all summer long..." Ah, summer has arrived. While this is by no means my favorite season, there are things I love about it: barbecues, blockbusters and beach music. There is nothing like cranking Jan and Dean or the Beach Boys when you are cruising around under the sun. And don't think that their sound has been lost by today's bands.

If you think that the Beach Boys had their day in the sun and have simply drifted away, think again, 'cause indie rock is embracing them as we speak. Don't believe me? Take a listen to these cool tunes and get back to me:

Besnard Lakes - Disaster
Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
The Shins - Phantom Limb

Plus you can find some cool covers of God Only Knows by Petra Hayden and Ben Kweller.

And if you are looking for sounds of the summer surf, but don't not necessarily high-pitched harmonizing, I suggest riding the tight guitar riffs of good old fashioned surf music. You may be familiar with Dick Dale, the Surfaris and maybe even the Ventures, but there is newer, faster, harder surf to find.

When it comes to new surf hybrids, you've got to love the sci-fi surf rock of Man or Astroman? Imagine dropping MST3K into a blender with punk and then playing it back through a conch shell and you get this aural treat. Or if you want something more traditional, the Boss Marians sound like they recorded their tracks in the early sixties instead of the late nineties.

On the side, I also have been listening lately to the Cinematics, the Hold Steady, Arthur Hammond jr, and I feel like I am rediscovering Granddaddy. And if you happen to listen to it, can you tell me what you think of the CocoRosie song Rainbowwarriors. I can't tell if it is a good song or not, but the more I hear it, the more it gets stuck in my head and the more I think I might like it.

Same to Same,

Pat Hendry

Deerhoof Rocks?

There has been a small influx of music lately that I am finding hard to determine if I really like or not. A great example of this is the song by Deerhoof "Matchbook for Maniacs." The first few times I heard this song, I dismissed it as something a bit too disjointed for me and as a song that chose some musical notes that I would not have. I wasn't ready to go so far as to say I disliked it, but I wasn't won over instantly. Now, after hearing it a dozen+ times, I can't get it out of my head. I keep humming little bits of it as they pop in my head, and I don't even really know what the lyrics are that are stuck in there. So do I like this song now? I still am not sure if the song has won me over as a fan, or if I have merely embraced it as part of my current musical experience and thus accepted it for what it is. All I know is that I do kinda like the lady's high pitched, almost exotic, voice.

Some shit I am just not at all sure about: klaxons, and joanna newsom (I used to think I was just missing something with her music, now I think it just doesn't do it for me.)

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there has also been a huge number of catchy, almost poppy, songs that are storming the indie rock scene. Most notably for me:

the ark - absolutely no decorum
pipettes - pull shapes
belle and sebastian - another sunny day
jesse malin - in the modern world
amy winehouse - tears dry on their own
the apples in stereo - can you feel it? & energy
the pernice brothers - somerville
voxtrot - trouble
bright eyes - four winds


Poppy indie music always freaks me out a bit. I always feel a bit guitly about liking it as much as I do, maybe it is just because I feel like in the mid-90's when I was really getting into the indie scene at school is was so anti-pop. Still, there is no denying that the progression of indie rock over the past decade has, in my experience, opened up the door for poppy/catchy music. Personally, I think if you just follow the New Pornographer over their three albums you can see a sort of microcasmic example of this evolution. So I guess now a catchy song is still supercool, as long as it is kept sort of secret.


Same to same,

Captain Patrick Hendry

ps. some other bands to check -peter, bjorn and john, fujiya & miyagi, panda bear...if you are looking for these tracks I find that www.hypem.com is a good little resource for streaming.