BOOK REVIEW: The Library at Night - Alberto Manguel

The eighteenth trump of the major arcana of the tarot is The Moon, which does indeed represent the nocturnal side of things. It is the sign of the imagination as it conjures both dreams and nightmares. The Moon is uncertain and even a bit dangerous, in the primal way that causes all animals to fear the dark, even if irrationally. It is exactly this twilight sensibility that Alberto Manguel was concerned with as he wrote The Library at Night, an exploration of mankind's relationship with its books.

The book is a series of essays regarding different facets of that literary relationship, "The Library as Space," "The Library as Shadow," "The Library as Survival," and so on, but he's not just referring to the library as a public or private institution (though that is discussed at some length). He's referring to any group of books, from the famed Library of Alexandria, to the more modest personal collection, to the single book that keeps a prisoner of war from going mad. Manguel asserts that books contain stories, yes, but even more, the story of books is our story, as they represent what we choose to collect, emphasize, and remember.

The tarot's Moon also represents the permeability of the boundary between past and present, and as the book examines how mankind has kept and cataloged its stories, the reader begins to see how the past comes to bear on the ways we let our stories live in and with us even today. The Library at Night is meticulously researched and its admirable scope brings a wealth of perspectives to bear on the topic, but true to the nocturnal bent of the title, the essays meander dreamlike through history and culture from the heights of Classical Greece to the depths of World War II to reveal their insights. This book is a rare gem for bibliophiles, as it's clear that Manguel is a reader whose passion matches the best of us, and the essays he's written not only justify our passion for the printed word, but demonstrate that it's perhaps that very capacity for invention and memory that makes us human.

AUDIO SHAKEDOWN - Volume 8

At long last summer is upon us. After trying to medicate myself through the dismal late winters and rainy springs with some warm weather music therapy, my listening seems to get looser once it's actually warmer out. Instead of focusing on one particular time or theme, I tend to just chase down whatever sound I want to hear at any given time. With that said, here's some of the things I've been enjoying lately. 

R.E.M. - Green - It's easy to forget that this was the first time that many people heard R.E.M., as this was their major label debut. Led by the single "Orange Crush," Green would find its way out into a much wider audience than IRS Records could ever have given them, and cemented the bands place in the annals of alt-rock history, but what a strange record to plant your flag with. It's not surprising that irony-dripping pop numbers like "Stand" or "Pop Song 89" would also come out as singles, because in 1988 it was easier to lead with that smirking irony than the open-heart vulnerability of tracks like "You Are The Everything" or "I Remember California." Green also finds the band branching out musically with mandolin, cello, accordion, and lap steel guitar, adding a lush sound to their bruised and arty rock. Green is stronger than many critics are willing to admit, and remains an oddly affecting snapshot of a band poised on the edge of stardom.

Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything - I have listened to a LOT of music, and still there are sounds on this double album that I've never heard anywhere else. Rundgren is in full "pop songcraft wizard" mode on this record, and the attention to detail is staggering. It takes a while for it to appear, because the songs are so direct and deceptively simple in places, but there are whole tiny environments built inside these tracks. I admit that it took me a while to respect this record; parts of it may sound dated at first, or schmaltzy, or overly poppy, but let it sink in and you'll see what's really there. 

Björk - Homogenic - For the longest time I was not a fan of Björk, but for the past couple of years, her work has been creeping into my listening habits bit by bit. Her albums are extrememly varied, and though I have a certain respect and use for each of them, Homogenic is the album that I turn to most often. It's bolder than the whispering Vespertine, more direct than Medulla or the recent Biophilia, and emotionally weightier than Debut. Homogenic seems to play to Björk's strengths in a specific way where other albums sometimes sacrifice that essential feeling to further their concepts.  It's a challenging, engaging record, and I'm glad it finally found a place in my brain.

Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray - Every time I listen to this record, I'm struck by how successfully Evan Dando mixed the acoustic and electric guitars. It's a small touch, but it gives it a much more intimate, personal feel compared to the prickly, aggressive guitar work of his peers at the time. The fact that the record is filed with simple, catchy songs and flies by in under half an hour no doubt accentuates that friendly quality. Dando's tales about outcasts' and losers' everyday tribulations makes it seem like a bunch of songs that your buddy recorded that turned out to be surprisingly good.

Deftones - White Pony - This album came out just as I was graduating high school, and it still positively glows with the weird energies of summer for me. This is the Deftones' most powerful statement, a record that knit all their abilities as musicians together and injected it with a surprising amount of art and grace. The imagery can be dark, but it remains nuanced; the Deftones found a way to temper their already successful aggression with their artsier side, and it really boosted them up off the plateau created by their first two releases. They managed to find a dynamism that no one really expected, and they use it to pull the listener into the album's own world. For me, White Pony succeeds at everything it attempts, and I can't think of anything that would really improve upon it.

Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See - The perfect soundtrack for a gentle descent, Mazzy Star were an intersection of sorts between 90's alt-rock sensibility, gothic spookiness, and folky acid haze. The drifting guitar work wraps you in purple velvet and smoke rings while the somnolent vocals of Hope Sandoval do weird things to your head. "Fade Into You" remains their most well-remembered statement, and with good reason, but highlights abound on this record. "Mary of Silence" revels in dark acid rock, "Wasted" is the blues on downers, and "Bells Ring" delivers a head-nodding shuffle with Sandoval's voice sounding both close-miked yet far away. These are lullabies for the weird kids, and there have been few bands that have done it as well. 

As a public service to music lovers, I'd like to take this opportunity to point people toward Archive.org's Live Music Archive. It's a vast collection of bootlegged concerts provided in lossless or mp3 format for free streaming and download. I like the way they've set this up, as everything is given away for free, so there's no shady profit being made off of other people's work, and the only bands that go up in the archive are bands that have sent the site official word that they're okay with recorded concert trading. And even though it consists only of bands that give their approval, you might be surprised at who is cool with the idea. There are almost a thousand shows by the Smashing Pumpkins up for download, a well as shows by Hum, Soul Coughing, Cracker, Elliott Smith, Against Me! and thousands more. So check it out, and if you have any bootlegs that might be worthy additions, see about uploading them. The more that go up, the better the archive.

BOOK REVIEW: River of Stars

The latest epic from noted fantasist Guy Gavriel Kaye is surprisingly economical and direct for a book of 650 pages. River of Stars Tells the story of a kingdom on the verge of collapse and the hero who might not only save it, but seems destined to return it to a former glory. It takes in the beauty of a vast kingdom that stretches from plains, to mountains, to marshes and renders it in sharp poetic detail. It involves a broad range of characters, from poets to warlords and everything in between including scheming politicians, honest men of letters and desperate peasants.

With his lean uncomplicated style Kaye brings this vision of remote Chinese history to life, basing it broadly on the events of the late Song Dynasty in the 13th century. Referred to in the book as The Kitan Empire, Kaye builds it into a complex world of both luxury and poverty, beauty and fear. One of the most impressive things about River of Stars is the way the author creates a sense of inhabiting an alien culture. His descriptions are rendered in a form and cadence that evoke Chinese sensibility and he describes character motivations from a complexly unique cultural perspective, communicating their importance without seeming to be giving a sociology lecture.  

There are grand memorable images, like the moving of a giant rock to decorate the emperor's garden, destroying everything in its path as it is moved at the expense of land, homes and lives. The desolation of an army as it is ambushed at a river crossing and the intimacies between a boundary defying female poet and the military hero who might save the empire.

The adventure element is also pretty stunning. Small confrontations in the wooded marsh and battles of thousands arrive in clear exciting bursts. In all Guy Gavriel Kaye puts his stamp as both a top tier fantasist, evoking ghosts, spirits and mystical destiny, as well as a talented historical re-constructionist, providing a clear and plausible image of a long vanished history.

MOVIE REVIEW: Iron Man 3

The surprise success of 2008's Iron Man was the beginning of a phenomenon that was strong enough to engulf even the most skeptical comic book fan.  Last year's The Avengers solidified what Iron Man began 4 years prior to its release.  Now with the first arc of Marvel's cinematic universe in the history books, we are now kicking off the next arc with the third installment of the Iron Man series.

Even before The Avengers was released, fans knew that a third Iron Man was coming.  Fans also knew that Jon Favearu, the director of the first two installments, was stepping from behind the camera and allowing Shane Black to take the lead.  I was not quite sure whether the move was voluntary or whether Marvel/Disney preferred the move.  Nevertheless, I was initially concerned that the quality of the franchise would suffer after the exceptional job done on the first Iron Man.  Once I saw the disappointing Iron Man 2, though, I thought the change could do the franchise some good.  Shane Black has a long background with buddy movies and witty banter, so it seemed that he would be good at bringing out the Robert Downey, Jr. that we love either with or without the armor.  Perhaps Shane Black should have directed the second one, for the movie needed some better banter between Tony and Rhodey, but I guess was not part of the plan at the time.  Well, Shane has the reigns now, and while his crack at Tony Stark's alter ego is far from perfect, he ends up succeeding more than he fails.

The best thing that Shane Black realized is that when you have Robert Downey, Jr. playing Tony Stark, you just let him loose and let magic happen.  Once again, Downey, Jr. nails the character and expands it to show even more of his vulnerability, fears, and shortcomings.  You see him suffer from post-Avengers PTSD, his desire to protect his loved ones, his focus on revenge - all mixed in with hilarious one-liners that at least get a slight chuckle.  Of all the superheroes out there in the cinematic universe, Tony Stark is the only one that you want to see WITHOUT his superhero abilities, and Shane Black provides plenty of Tony in this movie.   Even though it is clearly Tony's show, all the supporting cast gets a chance to shine as well.  Ben Kingsley's portrayal of The Mandarin especially stands out, for his performance as Iron Man's nemesis is the most engaging villain portrayal since Heath Ledger's Joker.  The movie takes a liberal approach to his character's origins as well as fellow villains Advance Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), but overall,  they do not lessen their appeal in the movie.

The main gripes I have with the movie are threefold.  For one, the plot twist at the end was not that surprising in itself, but it was surprising how it left you more disappointed and less shocked.  I will not reveal the plot twist to not spoil the movie for some, but you end up feeling a little unsatisfied by the time you arrive at it.  In addition, while the majority of the movie had good pacing and character development, the all out finale between the enemy and Iron Man's legion of armors was slightly overdone.  It was cool seeing all the armors in action (Hulk-Buster armor!!!), but some of the sequences, especially with Rhodey springing into action to save the President, was too ridiculous to ignore.  Furthermore, even though it is clearly Iron Man's party, I expected some other characters to stop by and say hello during the movie.  At the very least, where was SHIELD when all the chaos and destruction was going down?  Maybe we will get the answer in future offerings from Marvel.

Overall, Iron Man 3 succeeds in wetting our appetites for more Marvel action.  If the subtle hints in the movie are not figments of my imagination, then I am excited to see what happens next.  Marvel has yet to let me down, so my hopes are high.