SPS - I Needed A Surprise

I'll admit, I've been in something of a rut these last couple weeks; not keeping up with habits and practices that I've worked very hard to develop.  Writing consistently was one of those habits.  There's countless reasons WHY I was in that rut, but frankly that's not really what I talk about on this blog.  All that really matters is that I was thoroughly prepared to not write an SPS for this week.  And then this happened...

Echo Chambers

As a fair warning, this is probably the most old man-esque post I've penned thus far, and that might be saying something: I wrote about The Eagles of Death Metal.  And I'm not particularly a luddite.  In fact, I've got what comedian Eddie Izzard called 'techno-joy'.  I love gadgets, and I absolutely love tinkering with them and figuring out cool new tricks.  But new ideas have a tendency to create new problems, or at least awaken old ones, and the Internet is no exception.

50 years ago, if you had a minority opinion, that was simply it - you were the minority. You had to be persuasive, and sway people to your side, or you had to temper yourself, and frame your beliefs in a more palatable way. Now, there are some obvious downsides to this, and there's some upsides to 'truth' without compromise. But in this new technical age, it seems as though there's no reason to ever change your beliefs. Even the most minority opinion can find its fellows thanks to the world-linking power of the Web.

SPS - I Want To Dream

I'm well aware that my song choice this week is not going to garner a lot of new fans.  Black Metal is, at its absolute best, a divisive genre, and even beyond the massive barrier for entry, we're opening ourselves to the frightening world of subgenre nomenclature in heavy metal.  "Is Deafheaven truly Black Metal," you say?  "Maybe they're post-metal?"  "What does that even mean?"  "No, they're not Metal at all, they're just an indie band pretending to be metal," chimes in the purist.  "Have you actually heard them?  It's metal!"

The point of all this is that there's a good chance you won't make it through the nine-minute runtime of "Dream House," and if you do there's an even greater chance you won't make it through the full album's winding hour.  And while that's fine - it's not for everyone - it's also a shame.  Because Sunbather is a masterpiece, and beneath its craggy and off-putting exterior there lurks something poetic and even, dare I say, beautiful.

Uncanny Exiles: The Smartest Person in the Multiverse

A few weeks back, I tossed out an idea, which I’ve since taken to calling Uncanny Exiles.  Marvel, perhaps in a rush to dilute the products they don’t currently own the movie rights for, has been slapping the adjective Uncanny all over their titles as of late, and if they’re going to give it out for free I’m happy to take it.  I considered Fantastic Exiles, but that didn’t really hit home.  But all that is fundamentally besides the point; I tossed this idea out there a few weeks back. Franklin Richards and Nate Grey. Literal gods on a cross-multiverse road trip, looking for a place to call home.  I think it’s a winner.  And the nice thing about a multiverse is that it’s a pretty expansive sandbox to play around in.  Consider this part two of a semi-regular exploration of that sandbox.  Ladies and gentlemen, tales from the Uncanny Exiles….

SPS - These Clever Kids Are Killing Me

Do you have a favorite band?  A group that stands above the rest, whose discography you know backward and forward, and who you never miss when they're in town?  The absolute ne plus ultra of your musical tastes, top of the list, best there ever is, was or will be?  If you're like me, the answer is probably "No."  And while a dozen music critics just gasped and clutched their pearls, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

Don't Play The Hero

A few months back, Marvel released its first Netflix series, Daredevil, which proved to be an absolutely terrifying success.  Not only did it earn an astonishing number of views, but it was an absolute critical darling.  Its fight scenes were universally praised for breaking the mold on the traditional superhero show, but moreover the grim and somber attitude it took to the traditionally colorful world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a breath of fresh air, a shot in the arm of a bloated franchise that, frankly, was beginning to lean under its own colossal weight.  It seems radically simple, but Matt Murdoch gets the absolutely crap beaten out of him early in the season, and he spends the next five episode LOOKING LIKE A GUY WHO GOT THE ABSOLUTE CRAP BEATEN OUT OF HIM.  You couple that with a plot that directly references damage done to the city of New York during Avengers, and the fallout from a massive alien invasion, and you've got something sorely missing from the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, or The Avengers: consequences.

With that in mind, the trailer for Jessica Jones terrifies me, in the absolute best way.  The original comic book, a masterpiece in its own right, is fundamentally about the idea that the past has a way of catching up with you, and that inhuman power can sometimes lead to inhuman acts.  It is a world, in short, of consequences.  And on Netflix, it seems like it will fit in just fine.

The Times They Are A Travelin'

If you're on the internet (and you are) you've by now heard that today, October 21st, 2015 is 'the day'.  The mythic day to which Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel in the classic 'Back to the Future II'.  This has, of course, led to all kinds of festivities, from cross-promotional branding to 'how far we've come' think-pieces to jokes about the Cubs.  It's...honestly kind of nauseating, and I say that as someone who's got real affection for the movies.  Maybe it's just minor inner hipster screaming about liking something that's popular.  Luckily, nothing soothes my inner hipster like recommending some obscure crap, and boy do I have that lined up.

You see, time travel is a fun subject, and while 'Back to the Future' as a series handles it quite well (and with some very welcome humor), it doesn't quite top my list.  That honor goes to Science Fiction visionary and all around prolific author Robert A. Heinlein, and his short story " '-All You Zombies-' ".

SPS - I Can See A Lot of Life In You

Last week was a bit preachy, so I thought I'd do something a bit more low key this time around.  Sometimes, you just want to keep things simple.

So, Exiles, Basically

Pretty much since I finished Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four, a series that I have previously raved about, I've had an idea bouncing around in my head.  Sadly, it's one I'll probably never get to execute - even if by some miracle I end up working for Marvel (stranger things have happened) it's a bit too far out there on the cosmic wackiness scale to really get a mainstream book going.  Moreover, it digs deep into the toy box for some of its cast.  Then again, if Marvel is dedicated to keeping the Four separated and out of their home book, this wouldn't be the worst way to lose a character.  You see, in Hickman's FF run, he introduces (in a manner of speaking) a member of the Richards family that just so happens to be one of my favorites in all of comics.  He's also, for all practical purposes, an immortal god.  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Franklin Richards.

SPS - I'll Be Good, I'll Be Good, I'll Be Good

For starters, just watch the music video.  Normally these posts are all about the song itself, and don't get me wrong - we'll get there.  But I spent enough time in film school to appreciate a good music video when I see one, and this one is simply perfect.  It takes an amazing joke and then builds on it with style and humor.  It avoids that painful one-note nature that's very easy to stumble into when developing sketch comedy, and above all it rides a fine line between parody and earnestness that gives the entire thing an irreverent charm, one that doesn't tear apart what I see as an inherently positive song.  Because as mockable as it is, sometimes you do just want to be better.  You want to work out, eat right, be nicer and happier and generally more social.  And in today's exceedingly hip and ironic world, that's a vulnerable place to be.

I'm Late to This Party...

But holy shit Hamilton is amazing.  Lin-Manuel Miranda's MacArthur Grant is well deserved.  Now all I have to do is sell my firstborn to get tickets.

Also, let's say that TAS is officially back from hiatus.

Stay Positive Sunday - Don't Lay Me Down

Yes, I've posted this song twice in a row.  Yes, it only came out on Friday.  I don't care.  It's been ringing in my head nonstop since I first listened to it, and since then it's been the only song on my weekend playlist.  I find myself humming it as I walk around the city, singing tiny snatches of the lyrics.  It's possessed me, in the best possible way.  And frankly, I wanted to take a week to write about it.  Baroness is, if not my favorite band of all time, tied for first, and their story is brilliant and rich and complicated - far bigger than one of these little weekly posts.  But a wiser man than me once said something to the effect of 'If you think about something three times a week, you should write about it'.  I've thought about this song three times a day since it came out.

In Spite of the Winter, There's Ways to Keep Warm

Suffice to say I have a lot more to say about this, but in summary -

HOLY CRAP NEW BARONESS ALBUM 

PURPLE

December 18th

Let's Make Books Cool Again

So if you've spent any time on various corners of the nerd internet - and let's be honest, you're reading a blog: you have - you've probably seen the above quote, delivered by the inimitable John Waters.  It's funny, right?!  Books are sort of nerdy, but if we make them sexy they'll be cool again!  Sex and books guys!  Great combo!  We're gonna make books cool!

Yeah, I didn't think so.  It's a fun image and a witty line, but frankly if that's all your interested in Tumblr isn't that hard to navigate.  The fact of the matter is making books cool is gonna require slightly more effort than being selective about who you sleep with.  It's going to require you to read, and then talk enthusiastically about, books.  And that's significantly harder than browsing the internet.

Stay Positive Sunday - Oh, Internet, of Course!

Live music, I think, is one of life's great pleasures.  I've touched on this idea before, in a previous SPS, talking about Joe Satriani's excellent 'Crowd Chant'.  The music connects on a visceral level that you can't find anywhere else, and there's obviously something deeply hard-wired in our brains that lights up when we're a part of a crowd.  Having said all that, let's talk about a band I've never actually seen live: Opeth.  Wikipedia calls them a Swedish Progressive Death Metal band, and without delving too deeply into the obscure and esoteric world of heavy metal nomenclature, that's pretty accurate, though they've been trending more towards the Progressive than the Death in the last few years.  They're incredibly inventive and utterly brilliant, and the above song, an acoustic version of 'Demon the Fall', might be the best example of that.

Re: The Fantastic Four, In Light of The Recent Film

I mean, obviously they can't really adapt Hickman's run.  But a multiversal council of Reeds wielding Infinity Gauntlets to literally 'Solve Everything', at the cost of everything, is the kind of high-octane, super comic-booky stuff the movies will never do.  And that's a shame.

Stay Positive Sunday: Your Engine's Alive

If you've ever had the misfortune of reading my early fiction, you've probably figured out that I have certain quirks, both in terms of style and plot.  I'm honestly not too ashamed of this; most writers have quirks, it's just that once you reach a certain level of success they start calling them 'marks of your distinct voice'.  Certain things just click with you, and end up sticking in your brain far longer than anyone expects.  Just by way of example, I have always been fascinated by the story of the hero Ulysses, better known as the Greek epic The Odyssey.  It's an idea that many people keep coming back to, and each iteration fascinates me - James Joyce's doorstopper novel, the Coen's O Brother Where Art Thou, even Symphony X's 23-minute epic metal track.   There's just something about the core concept, built around this deep-seated longing to return home, that speaks to me on a deep, emotional level.  It should come as no surprise, then, that Franz Ferdinand's 2009 album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, is in my mind the band's single greatest achievement.

The Black Rabite & Seiken Densetsu 3

Duran, Angela, and Lise finally slay the dark beast

It's apparently nostalgia week here at That American Sadness - I'm revisiting a number of my old favorites.  Nonetheless, I couldn't NOT post this - though very few people will get it.  That 16-bit image up there is a screenshot from the little-seen and less-played 1995 Japanese RPG Seiken Densetsu 3, aka Secret of Mana 3 (or 2, depending on how you count.  Don't ask, it's weird).  Moreover, it's a screenshot of me defeating the Black Rabite, a bonus boss and the single most challenging battle in the game.  In short, it's me finally accomplishing everything there is to accomplish in SD3.  And yet right after that screen I immediately rebooted the emulator on my phone and started up another game.  Why, you ask?  That's simple.  It's probably my favorite game of all time.

Stay Positive Sunday - Painfully Earnest

As I've previously alluded to, I was a massive nerd in high school.  Exhibit A?  Power metal.

Re: The Doctor Strange Movie

Don't screw this up, Marvel.

Yes, I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be an off-brand Harry potter.

Scientist, Explorer, Pragmatist, and Father: Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four

Deep within the recesses of this blog is an article from over a year ago, discussing the then-upcoming Fantastic Four movie.  Frankly, I wasn’t all that excited about it.  I haven’t necessarily come around, but I can say that I plan on seeing it this weekend, and while my hopes aren’t high I’m at least open to being pleasantly surprised.  If nothing else, it seems like they’re taking a lot of cues from the Ultimate Fantastic Four series, penned by such notable names as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mike Carey.  Good source material, to say the least.  And above all else, despite all my complaints, I truly want this film to be good.  Because Reed Richards is, hands down, my favorite character in all of comics.

The Biopic That Wasn't: 'The End of the Tour' Review

The End of the Tour

Stay Positive Sunday - The Thrill of the Crowd

Stay Positive Sunday - Back From Hiatus

I've been listening to this on repeat for the last two weeks, and I've got to say I haven't even approached tired of it yet.  If you haven't heard of July Talk - and let's be honest, they're a Canadian indie rock band, you probably haven't - do yourself a favor and track them down.  This song's my personal favorite, but Paper Girl, Guns + Ammunition, and Blood + Honey (what's with the plus signs, guys?) are all amazing, and well worth a look.  As one internet commenter so eloquently put it, "It's basically a punk rock duet with Tom Waits and Judy Garland."

Their videos are all delightful as well, though admittedly more pure performance pieces than 'Blank Space'-esque narratives.  And that's probably for the better; July Talk isn't writing about anything new.  Sex, drugs, relationships spiraling out of control - it's all fairly totemic Rock-N-Roll stuff.  Even the videos themselves are simple, shot in stark black and white with next to no artifice or directorial touches.  But perhaps because of that simplicity, they all come off as that much more earnest, and that much more real.  There's a sense that this isn't music for an arena, music that you like and share on Tumblr or Instagram.  It's music for 1am, for a dive bar and a glass of whiskey and for maybe doing something a little bit illegal.  And sometimes that's just what you need.