The Ruins, Scott Smith. A taut thriller by the author of A Simple Plan (great movie) about some kids vacationing in Mexico post-college who take a day trip into the jungle that goes horribly wrong. Bad idea. Moral of the story: Unless you’re Indiana Jones, stay on the beach and enjoy your margaritas.
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein. In my constant search for good books to read, I came across this list of the top 100 Sci-Fi books of all time, so I’ve decided to read the 81 books I haven’t yet gotten around to. I started with Heinlein’s rather controversial novel about a cadet training for Earth’s infantry 500 years in the future (#5 on the list). Forget the terrible movie that resulted from this book. I thought it was a decent read once I got past Heinlein’s facism-lite ideas about how society ought to be run.
Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke. #1 on the top 100 list, this novel from the ’50’s imagines the arrival of aliens on Earth who bring about a utopia of peace and prosperity, but at the cost of any semblance of creativity from a human race with nothing left to struggle for. Clarke’s frightening anticipation of the increase in TV viewing and the increasing apathy of humanity in the 21st century is uncanny, and made me rethink how much time I spend absorbing rather than creating.
Children of Men. The one movie I did watch over the past two weeks also happens to be based on another sci-fi novel, P.D. James’ story of a dystopian future where humanity has become sterile, and the youngest person on Earth is 18 years old. Riots have overtaken every country on the planet except Britain, where Clive Owen gets caught in a power play between the government, rebels, and refugees. Director Alfonso Cuarón does a great job of setting the tone with the cinematography and color palette, giving the movie a gritty feel that accentuates the story and makes it all the more powerful when it reaches its climax. And the movie’s echoes of the Iraq War certainly didn’t hurt.
Steve Earle, The Revolution Starts… Now. I’ve never owned any Steve Earle, but I’ve been listening to his stuff for years, ever since the first time I heard “Copperhead Road”. Revolution showcases the more mellow side of his recent stuff, but it still contains some powerful songs. My personal favorite is “I Thought You Should Know,” a ballad in which Earle warns his new lover that if she’s planning on breaking his heart, she may as well leave now, because someone else already beat her to it.
Plus, I figured it was about time to give Earle a little love since I’ve been enjoying his minor role on The Wire.
Sloan, One Chord to Another. Another band that I’ve listened to for awhile, Sloan has been making great power pop for years, but is one of those foreign bands (in this case, Canadian) who have never been able to match their international success here in the States. Sad, because they are worth a listen, but most Americans have probably never heard of them.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, f#a# infinity. GY!BE was one of the earliest post-rock bands, influencing lots of music I’ve been listening to lately, like Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. With a nearly orchestral-sized lineup (3 guitars, 2 basses, drums, keyboards, various strings, and some cleverly placed samples of dialogue), the band created amazing soundscapes in epic-length compositions. This album is three songs long, with the shortest track clocking in around 16 and a half minutes. Sadly, they haven’t recorded anything since 2000, but they left behind some amazing music.
Elvis Perkins, Ash Wednesday. I saw Perkins open for My Morning Jacket in January, and I was impressed by his stage presence. His album is a bit of a downer, but in a good way. In some ways, it reminds me of Damien Rice’s O, another stripped-down, low-key album of hauntingly beautiful songs. I think it’s going to take me some time to get into Ash Wednesday, but the songs I’ve heard so far have been a good start.
2 comments:
Your version of "I haven't had much time to read or listen to music" is quadruple mine when I think I've done a lot.
Well, if I was chasing three kids around all day, I'd probably have a lot less on the list.
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