If all Literature was delivered to you as crystal clear, it would not be relatable. Certainly, none of us has ever crawled deep into the dark, dank sewers of New York City hunting for albino alligators. More than likely, none of us has ever been shot in the posterior and slept outside to keep from finding out just who was on our trail and why. However, we have all had that roommate who just "disappeared" for a few days and was on the tip of the tongues of everyone we talked to. The defining factor here - is being lost.
In Pynchon's later works, 2009's "Inherent Vice" for example, we need to feel as lost (if not more) than our protagonist Larry "Doc" Sportello. Whether he chooses to surrender those brain cells to drug use or verbally ask questions that he knows will land him in trouble, Doc is searching for answers. First, because he has been given the responsibility. Second, because he has been inextricably linked to these cases. Rest assured, there is nothing liminal as the characters of "V." field life's questions and retrieve a multiple-choice set of answers (sometimes including the dreaded "All of the Above.")
That is the purpose here. As you dive deeper and deeper into places you would never travel, there are nothing but questions bubbling up from a more subterranean surface. Even in the haze of alcohol and enticement, Benny Profane cannot summon the words to just talk to the beautiful, alluring Fina. In his inner dialogue, he curses himself for only having the "wrong words." In addition, he knows the circumstances of using them would cast him out of his "comfortable" digs of sleeping in the bathtub, back to cashing in a few found beer bottles for enough tokens to warm up riding the subway.
The main question to steer clear of in "V." is the proverbial "What does this all mean?" In closing the book and looking at your life, that query is the impossible dream. In fact, it could all change tomorrow. So Pynchon draws you into this world with a wealth of extraneous knowledge that is at times uncomfortable and strangely enlightening. Esther is not exactly perfect, but she is also not exactly happy either. We know that her pursuit of a new nose is hopefully the opening to a door on a new life. In Pynchon's skillful hands, we receive a Nathaniel Hawthorne-level description of the process. First, while we know that it is imminent, we first learn everything about her doctor - except one key piece of information. Dr. Schoenmaker is a mixture of a life fulfilled (his focus on becoming a plastic surgeon is a result from serving overseas in World War II) and unfulfilled (he grew a mustache and joined the effort underage hoping to become a pilot - only to be utilized as a "grease monkey.")
Such simple connections can really only be made after digesting volumes of information. With Pynchon's planned poetic ingestion, the brain rings "Where is this going?" one moment, and "You cannot stop now" the other. Much like many other nonlinear plots in Literature, "V." is keeping you on your toes and flipping back a few pages to reread or re-board that train of thought. Moreover, what occurred one hundred pages ago truly is in the distant past. While we are slingshotted between 1956 and the end of the 19th Century, the settings, character backgrounds, and even the hierarchy of their relationships have little in common. However, what does match is they are all either possessed by a set of feelings that were previously unknown, or exploring different sets of limits with the bounds of their current subset of relationships.
As spurious and teeth-gnashing as reading about the process of rhinoplasty can be, Pynchon leaves it to you to determine the true purpose of the act. The same can be said for Profane's encounter with an insane priest's diary about preaching to rats in the same pipes where he is hunting alligators. These are jobs that no one in their right mind would do. Yet despite poor decision making, Profane continues to seem sane compared to everyone else. Hundreds of feet below the city's crowded streets, he is wrestling with the unseen consequences of a mercurial decision that a handful of children made years ago in adopting baby alligators in the first place. In light of that, maybe we all filter through our divisive decision-making with only a flashlight and a shotgun.
NEW MUSIC THIS WEEK
TAYLOR SWIFT - The Life of a Showgirl [ORANGE GLITTER LP/VANILLA SWEAT CD+POSTER](Republic)
Surprise! Taylor is back! Here's what we know: _____________________________________. Under lock and key, "Showgirl" marks the first time Swift has worked with Max Martin and Shellback since "Reputation." Swift will also be duetting with Sabrina Carpenter on the album's title track and final cut. For those expecting more beyond her twelfth album's 40-minute running time, Swift says, "This is 12. There's not a thirteenth. There's not other ones coming," Friday, Swifties will be filling in the blank with its ballyhooed release and companion film hitting theatres for opening weekend.
THRICE - Horizons/West [MAROON LP/CD](Epitaph/AMPED)
AFI - Silver Bleeds The Black Sun [LILAC LP/CD](Run For Cover/Secretly/AMPED)
Emo is alive and well, but it might be reborn as Melodic Hardcore. Thrice never really left. In fact, their last two albums have been close enough to Active Rock/Alternative to make an impression there. Weirdly, this does not reflect a change in the group, but an audience moving toward acceptance via punchy Post-Punk like "Albatross." "Horizons/East" was heavily critiqued for being too experimental, "Horizons/West" looks to correct that course bringing anthemic Rock straight down the middle.
California's Gothic Emo Rockers AFI return with an atmospheric, brooding album that recalls their only #1 album, 2006's "Decemberunderground." "Behind The Clock" displays a huge arena-ready sound, but on the bleak-but-driving "Holy Visions," Davey Havok and AFI prove they are prepared for the Eighties Goth Rock return with streams of delayed guitar licks, throbbing bass lines, and Havok sounding like Peter Murphy.
ROCKET - R Is For Rocket [COKE BOTTLE LP/CD/CS](Transgressive/Canvasback)
Now that Rock has moved to admiring the whomp of Nineties Alt. Rock, Los Angeles's Rocket leaps to the head of the new class with the Smashing Pumpkins-influenced "R Is For Rocket." Wisely, they tune down their Shoegazing for dramatic punch ("Crossing Fingers,") and wailing air-guitar-ready hooks ("One Million" - one of the year's best singles.) On the moody "Another Second Chance," Rocket even proves that have the lovelorn firmly in mind as well, but only if you are willing to punch away to their swelling verses and huge choruses.
CARTER FAITH - Cherry Valley [LP/CD](Gatsby/MCA Nashville)
North Carolina's Carter Faith shows how smart she is as a writer on her debut. "Sex, Drugs & Country Music" and the gentle swing of "Bar Star" both hide juxtapositions of the current formulae that send other singers to the top of the charts. Faith's voice is a bit like Tammy Wynette and fares best in the traditional Country background. However, she wields some great words and melodies (the hammering "Grudge" conceals a surprise that might even raise eyebrows on AAA/Americana radio) and seems unafraid to speak her mind.
PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION - Purple Rain [ONE STEP AUDIOPHILE LP](Warner)
While "Purple Rain" is not Prince's magnum opus (one would still qualify 1982's magical "1999" and 1987's "Sign O'The Times as sharing that vaunted honor,) it remains the widest-lens example of Prince using everything at his disposal to prove that fantastic songs of any style, tempo, or even recording belong together. Envisioned as the companion to his silver-screen debut in 1984, "Purple Rain" was him storming the Pop charts. Opening with the Hendrix-meets-James Brown flourishes of "Let's Go Crazy" and closing with the live version of his majestic title track hymn, Prince puts together songs that in today's filmspeak would seem like jagged smash cuts. However, the abruptness of trading the slinky, serpentine groove of "When Doves Cry" for the showstopper "I Would Die 4 U" only maintains the album's supersonic drive. Even the detached-sounding robotics of "Take Me With U" and "Computer Blue" are pre-programmed with their own swelling dynamics like Prince bringing a synthesized Frankenstein to life on just the right rainy night. For that reason alone, hearing these mixes and masters at their peak fidelity will likely make it more thrilling, and more of a hand-holding relief when the pause comes before the benedictory magic of the eight-minute classic ending.
OASIS - (What's The Story) Morning Glory [CLEAR 3LP/2CD](Big Brother UK/The Orchard)
On their massive but still largely misunderstood second album, the battle of Britpop was won by Oasis but the machine of their simple songwriting showed its first signs of weakness. 1994's "Definitely Maybe" worked because of its sheer sense of just wanting to Rock. Even as dopey as "Shakermaker" could be (build a house out of plasticine,?) the request to "shake along with" them felt earnest. With Owen Morris as producer, the rough edges are sanded down further on "Morning Glory" with fantastic (and not so) results. That keen need to be honest makes for FIVE classics here. "Don't Look Back In Anger," "Some Might Say," and their breakthrough "Champagne Supernova." All three carry with them the notion that Liam is saying far more than his words on paper. Add to those the advanced composition of "Cast No Shadow" and Noel's "Live Forever" moment on "Wonderwall," and you can see the next 20 years of Oasis's rule. Unfortunately, these massive successes only exposed how transparent (but still effective) they could be on the bratty "Roll With It" and a lift from R.E.M. on the title track. In the end, it did not matter as "Morning Glory" stands as the jewel in Britpop's crown selling 22 million copies worldwide.
SUPERGRASS - Road To Rouen [2LP](BMG Rights Management)
Following the first wave of Britpop, Supergrass could have easily been the next big thing. Signed as the tide was turning, Supergrass brought a new Punk-ish energy to music ("Caught By The Fuzz") while also embracing an amphetamine-shot version of Sixties Pop with fun ("Alright.") The trio was successful in Britain, but nowhere else (think of it as the reaction to Britpop.) For every out-and-out rocker ("Richard III" rivals Nirvana) they could conjure emotion out of the doubt that this could keep going ("Moving.") So ten years in, Supergrass hit a wall due to personal and public matters. Their first album recorded away from home is a lonely, moody, and multi-faceted lost classic. Confronted by the myth of being a singles band, "Rouen" makes a whole statement about just how creatively sapped the trio was. Opening with the Pink Floyd-ian sweep of "Tales of Endurance (Parts, 4, 5, and 6)," they purposefully zapped listeners looking for the smart single. "Rouen" is a tough album. You can hear the band dealing with doubt and anger but in ways that steer away from giant, stadium-ready statements. There is a "late-night drive" intimacy here that was previously missing. In fact, even the album's silliest moments (the charming throwaway interlude "Coffee In The Pot") could be the result of the group just wanting to lay something down. In addition, the songs are all eerily similar, but not in a short-sighted way. "Rouen" has you on the road with them trying to decipher life and its meaning. When they finally head out of the proverbial tunnel, "Rouen" ends with the dreamy "Fin" and one of their most poignant songs ever, the beautiful acoustic "Low C." Nonetheless, something happened on "Road To Rouen." The band endured more travails, punched out one more hit-ready album before calling it a day.
JASON ISBELL - Something More Than Free 10TH ANN [BLUE 2LP/CD)(Southeastern/The Orchard)
With his life and career at a crossroads, Jason Isbell took a shot at just being himself. Out of rehab and starting anew, 2013's "Southeastern" made Isbell, a critical darling and a budding star. For all the accolades and attention laid upon the singer/songwriter, 2015's "Something More Than Free" is a more centralized statement of his talent as a writer. Often billed as a "victory lap," "Free" has aged well because it exposed his growing mastery of the craft ("24 Frames") and ability to tell stories in and out of character ("Hudson Commodore.")
SEX PISTOLS - Never Mind The Bollocks [CLEAR LP](Warner/Rhino)
Both their opening salvo and their (official) parting shot, the Sex Pistols 1977 record is classic because it packages the powderkeg energy of their campaign against the industry and the world at large ("EMI," "New York," and the harrowing "Bodies") in pristine, crisp production. As if Bill Price and Chris Thomas could see the future, "Bollocks" is constructed for future consumption. To be "Punk" would have normally been to be as immediate and D.I.Y. as allowed. Price and Thomas that this was really Rock N'Roll couched in rebellion and an aural sneer ready to erupt from your speakers. So "Holidays In The Sun" stomps out of the gate, "Liar" never loses its "In Your Face" energy, while "Pretty Vacant" gathers the excesses of Punk culture allowing "Problems" rages like second-generation Stooges. Did we mention the "Queen?" "Bollocks" continues to be so amazing, we don't have to.
KEITH TIPPETT - Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening [LP](Be With/Light In The Attic)
In the dangerous period of time when Jazz grew tangentially and Rock infiltrated, Free Jazz pianist Keith Tippett took his improvisational skills into a Soft Machine-style Prog Rock band. With future Soft Machine saxophonist Elton Dean, guitarist Gary Boyle, and others, Tippett wails away on his piano like McCoy Tyner on steroids. "Dedicated" has its moments of chaos ("Thoughts To Geoff") but its fury is a large part of its beauty. The opening "This Is What Happens" drives as hard as Seventies Miles (with cornetist Marc Charig) but never loses that feeling like it will not just tumble off of a cliff. Tippett is not so much the bandleader, as the dynamo for the energy that everyone is tapping into. Like all Seventies Prog (Tippett would also briefly join King Crimson,) the feverish pitch is matched by wild harmonies (the Mingus-ish "Green and Orange Night Park") that come together before tearing it apart. Unreleased for years, "Dedicated To You" is still not available for streaming.
CROSSBONES - Wise Man [LP](Strawberry Rain/Light In The Attic)
The handful of Zamrock bands from the Seventies are still here to illuminate how well musicians can blend their simplest licks into dizzying polyrhythms. With a single album to their name from 1976, Crossbones best illustrate how the African musicians were challenged to use the trappings of American Rock (essentially Garage) via "Fever" to find their way to more meaningful textures ("Sunshine & Rain.") However, this Zamrock should most be remembered for their use of female vocalist Violet Kafula, whose addition set them apart.
SIROM - In The Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper [LP/CD](Glitterbeat)
Folk Music in World Music circles is a hard sell. Without too much of their native musicality, banjos, kalimbas, and other handmade instruments can sound too similar. However, Slovenian trio Sirom are out to make it sound dramatic and Avant-Garde (minus all the strange noodling.) Listening to their seven pensive compositions, one tends to hear how they layer the instrumentation only in the beginning before it casts upon you a spell.
