The Color Spectrum was released last spring and has been out for a while now. It is composed of 9 EPs, each with 4 songs, each EP representing a color of the spectrum with black and white as book ends. The work is impressive in scale and even more impressive in execution. The Dear Hunter has put together something really special here.
Each EP is so distinct in sound and flavor yet strangely still very Dear Hunter. They move deftly and confidently through territory they have never even hinted at before and yet nail it. Listening to all 36 songs in order, starting with black and ending with white, is an incredible journey and I recommend it to anyone who has the time on their hands.
There is so much music that it is not until now, a half year later, that I feel comfortable reviewing it. What I will do here is play my two favorite games with this work: rank the colors and rank the songs. I will rank all of the colors 9-1 with reviews, then cover the top five songs also with short reviews.
9. Orange - This EP has a real 70's rock quality to it and there are some great grooves in all of the songs. Unfortunately it is otherwise not very memorable. There are no real highlights and most of the songs seem to kind of bleed into each other. Every time it tries to rock it just seems to fall a little short of kicking ass. Perhaps it is that it comes after the most aggressive color (and maybe even song) on the album that just leaves the songs falling by the wayside. There is still some great song construction here and a couple great builds (especially in 'Echo'). The main riff in 'But There's Wolves' makes me think of my favorite 70's prog rock bands. These are good songs. It's just the other EPs are better.
8. Yellow - Don't kill me. Listen to my reasoning for a second. 'Misplaced Devotion' may be the best song out of the entire 36, I am well aware. It's just the other 3 fall short. There are some nice atmospheres here in the other songs. However, some parts throw me off a little. I'm still not sure how I feel about the almost 'Sweet Caroline' reference in 'The Dead Don't Starve.' And I've still not gotten used to the tempo change in the verse of 'She's Always Singing' that goes from Phil Specter to beach dance party. I do like the hazy summer feel these songs have. 'A Sua Voz' probably represents that atmosphere the most. However, in general, they lack that punch that make the other EPs stick out. Except for 'Misplaced Devotion', of course.
7. Violet - We've heard this style from The Dear Hunter before and it is a lot of fun. 'Mr. Malum' comes out the gates rockin' with those goofy vaudeville verses and soaring catchy choruses. Each song is a dramatic story told in a way only The Dear Hunter could tell it. This is familiar territory and it is easy to tell they feel comfortable with this sound. Perhaps I rank this color low because it is too familiar, but I have other legitimate reasons. Sometimes I think he overdoes it with the lyrics. When its part of the big story, I seem to notice it less and let it slide, but with these songs I feel that he's almost trying to jam every little note with some lyric. It really bothers me in 'Lilian' when he says 'but don't get stuck in something you hate.' It just makes me think "...duh?". Also, it might just be me, but 'Look Away' just wierds me out. I feel like I'm at some Vegas freakshow. Yeah. Ultimately, however, this EP is very fun. Fans of the Acts should enjoy these.
6.Green - This is some pretty cool territory for these guys. I love the honesty of the folk country sound and they really do it justice here. These songs range from catchy to fun to insightful. There are some really nice lyrics in 'The Inheritance' and 'Crow and Cackle.' 'The Canopy' is so free and whimsical. The only real issue I have with Green is 'Things That Hide Away.' Too many whiny "Whys." I'm sorry, it's just obnoxious. The rest of green is quite wonderful.
5. Black - The heavy one. This is a great way to open the album. It's different from your average Dear Hunter, it makes a big statement. You won't find Miss Leading here, (well maybe in violet, but not in black!). They do an excellent job with this dark brooding style. 'Never Forgive Never Forget' and 'Filth and Squalor' offer some great catchy choruses and some cool work with the lyrics. 'This Body' is so genuinely dark and desperate that it is compelling and not just whiny. With 'Take More Than You Need,' they may have bitten off more than they could chew, but I do like the vocal counterpoint on the chorus. Black really makes for a great introduction.
4. Blue - This is some cool compelling stuff. You won't get it on your first listen through and maybe not even your second, but these songs are ripe with incredible music. There are some epic soundscapes here with twinkling guitars, reverberating vocals and some really nice drums. The style is like that of an era lost to history. It evokes a nostalgia of the music that eventually evolved into rock and roll and mixes with a post rock construction. The only knock on it is that it is the only color that has no catchy parts to it. There are plenty of memorable moments, Casey's crooning in 'Tripping in Triplets', the explosion of "Love" in 'Trapdoor', and the epic twinkling melody that builds in 'The Collapse of the Great Tide Cliffs'. But you can't really sing along to any of these parts. I'll also admit 'What You Said' is a little weak. Still, give this color time, it is outstanding.
3. Red - This is easily the most rockin' EP of them all. Wow does it kick ass. Each song is strong and catchy with that punk energy giving them an edge. There is no holding back here, this is rock at its finest. It just pushes all the right buttons. 'I Could Do It Alone' sets the tone with its abrupt start and mix of fuzzy and wailing guitars. 'A Curse of Cynicism' pushes the tempo while 'Deny It All' offers interesting textures and catchy tunes. 'We've Got a Score To Settle' features Casey going nuts vocals, sing-a-longs and general bad assery. Damn this EP is sweet.
2. Indigo - Huh? Yup. The synth pop one. It's amazing. But really it's a lot more than synth pop isn't it? Everything here is perfect. It's just weird because, The Dear Hunter has never done anything like this before. Really I haven't heard much like this before, even among electronic music. However, the soundscapes are so beautiful, the lyrics are easily the best out of any of the EPs and Therma, the instrumental song, the only one on the entire Color Spectrum, is better than every song on Orange (sorry Orange). 'Mandala' is like a musical puzzle with all its interweaving and 'What Time Has Taught Us' is just damn cool. 'Progress' blew me away from day one. Indigo is so strange, but so good and comfortable in that strangeness. It is warm and atmospheric. Excellent.
1. White - While violet felt like comfortable territory White is the Dear Hunter. If their sound was purified in a lab, it would come out like this. These songs are emotional, personal, touching and effective. They are catchy and intelligent rock songs. I normally don't like songs with a message, but 'No God' is really touching to me. I know it would not connect with your average religious person, but the lyrics are absolutely brilliant. 'Fall and Flee' is full of clever hooks that take advantage of the way the lyrics work with the music and the neat little arrangements just make it work. 'Home' is such a solid song on a multitude of levels. 'Lost But Not All Gone' just wraps everything up perfectly, it makes an excellent finale to a wild journey of 36 songs. White is the reason we like the Dear Hunter, the reason we love the Dear Hunter.
Now for the songs! I know this is getting long, I'll be quick!
5. Trapdoor - This song gets better with every listen. It begins so unassuming and yet ends so gloriously. The climax is perfect. Perhaps of the most effective and yet subtle gestures of this song are the dynamics. The rise and fall of the music is what turns this from a nice song to an incredible one.
4. We've Got a Score To Settle - This song is not background music. Every gesture grabs your attention, forcefully. It is probably Casey's best vocal performance on the whole Spectrum, he certainly goes all out. From the pounding drums to the noisy guitar to the wicked vocals, this song rocks.
3. Home - This is just a really good song. I think one of its best qualities is its balance. The lyrics are compelling, but not over the top. The song structure is simple and yet there are little gestures here and there to keep it interesting. One of the most impressive balances is the way it manages to be positive and inspiring without being cheesy. It's not fancy, just excellent.
2. Progress - What a song. It has beautiful soundscapes, catchy clever melodies and it is just unique. It is warm, smart and touching. The way the lyrics work with the music is just so natural and yet different and I love all the neat layers. The atmosphere, the sounds, the vocals, they are pleasing to the ear. What more could you want?
1. Misplaced Devotion - This is a silly song. It is simple, clever and cute, but why the hell is it number one? The answer is: you will never have more fun listening to a song in your life. From the jangling guitars, to the mischievous chorus, to the way it plays with the audiences expectations, this song is a blast. It is catchy and whimsical and you should probably go listen to it now.
The Color Spectrum is an incredible journey in music. Thank you Dear Hunter, for always keeping it interesting and rocking my socks off. That's my take.
-Charlie
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Kawabata Yasunari, once again I am humbled.
After being immersed in western style story telling for the summer and fall, I returned to the book "Master of Go" by Kawabata Yasunari (my version trans. by Edward G. Seidensticker). As much as I love the wordy thick powerful snowballing western style, this has been a really refreshing read. Much of the best western story telling, in books, movies and TV shows seems to focus on deep back story, painfully hard decisions and snowballing inevitability. These techniques are engrossing and often exciting but can also feel claustrophobic and at worst contrived.
Kawabata is nothing like this. His characters are deep without complicated back story and his story is intense without a complicated weave of plot. Instead he gives snapshots of personalities and captures gestures with a peculiar unique observation. A great example of this is the Master's long eyebrow hair that he does not want the barber to cut, because it is a symbol of long life, juxtaposed with the fact that he died two days after the end of the match.
The story is told in small chapters that are like vignettes into the progression of the Master and how the game itself defines him. It does not unfold bit by bit, the first chapter talks of his death and the second chapter talks of his reaction to losing the game. After that, every chapter builds on the world of his existence, the tendencies of his opponent and the impact of the game.
One of the strongest and most impressive aspects of the book is its ability to be outwardly calm and observant and yet have a very intense undertone. It's not uncomfortable or claustrophobic like I often feel from western stories, but instead cool yet powerful. The idea is not easy to explain, but what I can say is it is very Japanese in that sense. The book is short, but each gesture, quotation or word holds a great amount of potential, much like a stone on a Go board.
Perhaps comparing it to western fiction isn't exactly right, considering it is a semi-nonfiction style, but it is precisely its technique and choice of story telling that make it strong more than even the content. These are two elements that are key to fiction writing. Considering my own writing, which I feel trends towards that weaving forwardly intense western style, I look to Kawabata for ideas to clam down and strengthen my own storytelling technique.
Anyway, read the book. Kawabata is a master. It is very, very good.
Kawabata is nothing like this. His characters are deep without complicated back story and his story is intense without a complicated weave of plot. Instead he gives snapshots of personalities and captures gestures with a peculiar unique observation. A great example of this is the Master's long eyebrow hair that he does not want the barber to cut, because it is a symbol of long life, juxtaposed with the fact that he died two days after the end of the match.
The story is told in small chapters that are like vignettes into the progression of the Master and how the game itself defines him. It does not unfold bit by bit, the first chapter talks of his death and the second chapter talks of his reaction to losing the game. After that, every chapter builds on the world of his existence, the tendencies of his opponent and the impact of the game.
One of the strongest and most impressive aspects of the book is its ability to be outwardly calm and observant and yet have a very intense undertone. It's not uncomfortable or claustrophobic like I often feel from western stories, but instead cool yet powerful. The idea is not easy to explain, but what I can say is it is very Japanese in that sense. The book is short, but each gesture, quotation or word holds a great amount of potential, much like a stone on a Go board.
Perhaps comparing it to western fiction isn't exactly right, considering it is a semi-nonfiction style, but it is precisely its technique and choice of story telling that make it strong more than even the content. These are two elements that are key to fiction writing. Considering my own writing, which I feel trends towards that weaving forwardly intense western style, I look to Kawabata for ideas to clam down and strengthen my own storytelling technique.
Anyway, read the book. Kawabata is a master. It is very, very good.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Glory and Golf (a Stanley Cup update)
So the first round is finished and it has been a wild ride for almost everyone. Just like that, the Bruins and Lightning get to play more hockey, and the Pens and Habs get to play golf.
I am proud of my Penguins. We worked damn hard and got far, especially with the injuries. So many players from the AHL got a chance this year and many made a real good show of their talents. The lack of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but specifically Crosby, was glaring. Apparently without him we cannot score. Not only can Tampa score, they showed they can really clamp down on defense. Roloson was so focused, he played excellent in the whole series.
What makes this hard to swallow is that we were up 3-1 in games. We looked good we were clicking. The blowout loss in game five really took the wind out of our sails and the mental mistakes in game six revealed a team that had really lost their focus. Congratulations to the Lightning, they earned it, especially with that lock down one nothing win last night. Maybe it's better, Crosby will have all summer to recover without any pressure to be on the ice. Who knows. Still a heart breaker.
Now, the Habs and the Bruins. What an even series, right down to the end. Really, could it have ended any other way? Well maybe with the Habs winning, but man this has been a fun match up to watch. The Bruins with their size and power vs. the small Habs with their speed and skill. How about Seidenberg almost putting it in on his own team in overtime? Seriously, this was fun to watch.
Looking forward to the next round, should be a doozy! How about the mirror image east/west in seeds advancing? Both have 1,2,3, and 5 advancing to the next round. Hardly an upset yet! We'll see how it goes, I'll be back next time to preview the next round. Oh, it starts tonight? Well, next time I'll talk about it a bit. I'll just give completely unexplained predictions right now:
East:
Lightning in 7
Bruins in 6
West:
Vancouver in 7
Red Wings in 6
I am proud of my Penguins. We worked damn hard and got far, especially with the injuries. So many players from the AHL got a chance this year and many made a real good show of their talents. The lack of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but specifically Crosby, was glaring. Apparently without him we cannot score. Not only can Tampa score, they showed they can really clamp down on defense. Roloson was so focused, he played excellent in the whole series.
What makes this hard to swallow is that we were up 3-1 in games. We looked good we were clicking. The blowout loss in game five really took the wind out of our sails and the mental mistakes in game six revealed a team that had really lost their focus. Congratulations to the Lightning, they earned it, especially with that lock down one nothing win last night. Maybe it's better, Crosby will have all summer to recover without any pressure to be on the ice. Who knows. Still a heart breaker.
Now, the Habs and the Bruins. What an even series, right down to the end. Really, could it have ended any other way? Well maybe with the Habs winning, but man this has been a fun match up to watch. The Bruins with their size and power vs. the small Habs with their speed and skill. How about Seidenberg almost putting it in on his own team in overtime? Seriously, this was fun to watch.
Looking forward to the next round, should be a doozy! How about the mirror image east/west in seeds advancing? Both have 1,2,3, and 5 advancing to the next round. Hardly an upset yet! We'll see how it goes, I'll be back next time to preview the next round. Oh, it starts tonight? Well, next time I'll talk about it a bit. I'll just give completely unexplained predictions right now:
East:
Lightning in 7
Bruins in 6
West:
Vancouver in 7
Red Wings in 6
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Stanley Cup Playoffs, thoughts.
I did not write down any predictions, but I will talk of what has happened so far. I'll mostly focus on the west, considering they are done with the first round. There is still some unfinished business in the East.
Despite all the drama in the west, Nashville was the only lower seed to move on. Unfortunately, I did not see any of the series outside of highlights, but congratulations to them on making it to the second round for the first time in franchise history. To do it they had to take down a team notorious for picking up their game in the post-season, the Anaheim Ducks. I'm impressed, though not overly surprised. They have been renowned for the defense and work ethic for years, but it seems they've finally found a certain scoring touch between the additions of Kostitsen and mr. Carey Underwood, Mike Fisher. It also helps that Martin Erat has really come into his own and that Shea Weber can fire a puck so hard you think he's a cartoon space duck (mighty ducks cartoon anyone?).
I expected more from the Red Wings series, but maybe I shouldn't have. Coyotes have looked good all season, but when the Red Wings are healthy and focused, they're pretty unstoppable. They'll probably just win the cup again as boring as that sounds. But with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and the crew, they certainly won't be boring to watch.
I'll admit I have a real soft spot for the Kings. They score real garbage goals and know how to grind out a game and I just enjoy watching Drew Doughty skate. His work on the blue line, his deft passing and his blistering offensive zone entry, its just awsome to watch.They might have been able to take some serious momentum in this series if they had not given up a certain four goal lead. Unfortunately, the lack of Anze Kopitar has been glaring. Not only can he score, but he's excellent on the defensive side as well. They put their heart into it, but let's face it, the Sharks really stepped it up. Slowly but surely they're exorcising their playoff curse. I think the Kings have a bright future ahead of them though.
Speaking of curses, the Canucks had to take it to game 7 over time to break theirs, after losing a 3 game to nothing lead no less. This series seemed pretty average before game four. The Canucks were the best team in the league. Literally they led every team in the relevant statistics. Chicago made it into the playoffs because another team lost, pitiful. So the Canucks proceeded to take it to Chicago. Usually, what looks good on paper never works out in the playoffs, but here, it seemed to, until game 4. This win was shocking. It was so shocking Vancouver could not get their shit together until game 6, which they lost. Suddenly Chicago is a real team on the verge of doing something that has only happened four times before in sports. How can we raise the stakes? That's right, take it to overtime. How do the Canucks win? Not superior play or puck control. Not some espn highlight fancy goal. They win on a horrible turnover at the one spot on the ice your told never to turn over the puck, at the blue line. Burrows skates his ass off and in one instant finally figures out how to drive that last nail in the coffin that had been giving the Canucks so much trouble.
I know a lot of people were rooting for the Stanley Cup champs in this one, but I have to say I was rooting for Vancouver. A loss like this with their expectations, heads were gonna roll. There's less pressure on Chicago at this point and you can chalk their loss up to so many things, the exodus of players after winning the cup, the stanley cup hangover, et cetera. They barely even made it in the playoffs. I guess it's just, I don't have anything against Vancouver. With Burrows' goal last night I couldn't help but think, "what a relief."
Well onto the next round for the west. That's a completely different story. As far as the East is concerned, I really hope my Pens can pull it out. Tampa suddenly turned their scoring on and we need to keep it under wraps, especially without Crosby or Malkin. And I'm rooting for Boston in the other series. It's been fun to watch. You have to love the big power team vs. the tiny skill team, it's just fun.
Until then enjoy the game 7's and maybe I'll be back with some next round previews and predictions.
Despite all the drama in the west, Nashville was the only lower seed to move on. Unfortunately, I did not see any of the series outside of highlights, but congratulations to them on making it to the second round for the first time in franchise history. To do it they had to take down a team notorious for picking up their game in the post-season, the Anaheim Ducks. I'm impressed, though not overly surprised. They have been renowned for the defense and work ethic for years, but it seems they've finally found a certain scoring touch between the additions of Kostitsen and mr. Carey Underwood, Mike Fisher. It also helps that Martin Erat has really come into his own and that Shea Weber can fire a puck so hard you think he's a cartoon space duck (mighty ducks cartoon anyone?).
I expected more from the Red Wings series, but maybe I shouldn't have. Coyotes have looked good all season, but when the Red Wings are healthy and focused, they're pretty unstoppable. They'll probably just win the cup again as boring as that sounds. But with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and the crew, they certainly won't be boring to watch.
I'll admit I have a real soft spot for the Kings. They score real garbage goals and know how to grind out a game and I just enjoy watching Drew Doughty skate. His work on the blue line, his deft passing and his blistering offensive zone entry, its just awsome to watch.They might have been able to take some serious momentum in this series if they had not given up a certain four goal lead. Unfortunately, the lack of Anze Kopitar has been glaring. Not only can he score, but he's excellent on the defensive side as well. They put their heart into it, but let's face it, the Sharks really stepped it up. Slowly but surely they're exorcising their playoff curse. I think the Kings have a bright future ahead of them though.
Speaking of curses, the Canucks had to take it to game 7 over time to break theirs, after losing a 3 game to nothing lead no less. This series seemed pretty average before game four. The Canucks were the best team in the league. Literally they led every team in the relevant statistics. Chicago made it into the playoffs because another team lost, pitiful. So the Canucks proceeded to take it to Chicago. Usually, what looks good on paper never works out in the playoffs, but here, it seemed to, until game 4. This win was shocking. It was so shocking Vancouver could not get their shit together until game 6, which they lost. Suddenly Chicago is a real team on the verge of doing something that has only happened four times before in sports. How can we raise the stakes? That's right, take it to overtime. How do the Canucks win? Not superior play or puck control. Not some espn highlight fancy goal. They win on a horrible turnover at the one spot on the ice your told never to turn over the puck, at the blue line. Burrows skates his ass off and in one instant finally figures out how to drive that last nail in the coffin that had been giving the Canucks so much trouble.
I know a lot of people were rooting for the Stanley Cup champs in this one, but I have to say I was rooting for Vancouver. A loss like this with their expectations, heads were gonna roll. There's less pressure on Chicago at this point and you can chalk their loss up to so many things, the exodus of players after winning the cup, the stanley cup hangover, et cetera. They barely even made it in the playoffs. I guess it's just, I don't have anything against Vancouver. With Burrows' goal last night I couldn't help but think, "what a relief."
Well onto the next round for the west. That's a completely different story. As far as the East is concerned, I really hope my Pens can pull it out. Tampa suddenly turned their scoring on and we need to keep it under wraps, especially without Crosby or Malkin. And I'm rooting for Boston in the other series. It's been fun to watch. You have to love the big power team vs. the tiny skill team, it's just fun.
Until then enjoy the game 7's and maybe I'll be back with some next round previews and predictions.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Super Bowl and Ice Brawls
This has been a pretty insane couple of weeks in sports. I'll just try and touch on some things.
Let us begin with the Super Bowl. That was a pretty awsome game. It threatened to be a blow out at first, then the Steelers got on track. In fact it ended up being a really close game. Aaron Rogers was absolutely out of his mind. Everyone has said that all week, but it's probably worth reiterating all the passes dropped by his receivers. Because of that, it was the Packers defense that really won that game. In a way, the last drive by the Steelers really represented that, because by stopping the Steelers, the Packers defense really did win that game. And even though I was rooting for the Steelers, if they had won, it would have been a steal. The Packers were definitely the better team that day.
Now, on to hockey. This has been a nutty week with a lot of fisticuffs. In particular, fisticuffs involving my boys, the Pittsburgh Penguins. A week and a half ago they met the islanders and it was a pretty rough game with a lot of fights. The feature match up being Brent Johnson and his one punch on Rick Dipietro that broke his face. Later in the week Boston and Montreal one upped that game with an 8-6 shootout that also happened to be a slugfest. Almost 200 penalty minutes assessed, lauded as one of the most entertaining regular season hockey games in years. Then came Friday. The rematch of the Pens and Isles. The Islanders even brought up a goon from Bridgeport to show they meant business.
So began the grudge match. I have to say I can't remember the last time the Pens played that poorly. I could blame it on the injuries and the fact that half of our forward line up was AHLers, but I won't. The Pens have done well otherwise without Malkin and Crosby including a win against LA the previous night. So no excuses, it was a terrible showing against a terrible team.
On the scoreboard, the game was over early. The rest of the game was just plain ugly. This basically put all the fighting earlier in the week to shame. I'm won't go over each fight, in detail but Haily, the goon from Bridgeport, not only got a Gordy Howe hat trick but went on a rampage against Brent Johnson. Johnson dropped his helmet and gloves ready to fight, but then Goddard stepped in and it got all messy. By the end of the game every hit resulted in a fight. Soon they were just kicking guys out of the game. For the last 3 minutes there were only 2 guys on the Pens bench and 4 on the Isles. I've never seen anything like it.
So how do I feel about it? Well, I gotta say this kind of fighting and the whole feeling of a grudge match is pretty exciting. But, if it happened all the time, it would probably get boring after a while. The league is cracking down, there were three long suspensions handed out after Friday's game. It's probably for the better. Still, a pretty exciting week in hockey. I'm glad I was able to catch some of it. Really, my main worry is Crosby coming back and that hopefully Malkin's injury won't ruin him. Our defense is solid, but, as was shown on friday, without a lot of help up front it can be real difficult to win games. Hopefully, Friday's events can be put in the past and regarded as a mere fluke.
And that is it, I will be back soon with some reflection on Mirrordin Besieged and some other fun Magic topics.
Let us begin with the Super Bowl. That was a pretty awsome game. It threatened to be a blow out at first, then the Steelers got on track. In fact it ended up being a really close game. Aaron Rogers was absolutely out of his mind. Everyone has said that all week, but it's probably worth reiterating all the passes dropped by his receivers. Because of that, it was the Packers defense that really won that game. In a way, the last drive by the Steelers really represented that, because by stopping the Steelers, the Packers defense really did win that game. And even though I was rooting for the Steelers, if they had won, it would have been a steal. The Packers were definitely the better team that day.
Now, on to hockey. This has been a nutty week with a lot of fisticuffs. In particular, fisticuffs involving my boys, the Pittsburgh Penguins. A week and a half ago they met the islanders and it was a pretty rough game with a lot of fights. The feature match up being Brent Johnson and his one punch on Rick Dipietro that broke his face. Later in the week Boston and Montreal one upped that game with an 8-6 shootout that also happened to be a slugfest. Almost 200 penalty minutes assessed, lauded as one of the most entertaining regular season hockey games in years. Then came Friday. The rematch of the Pens and Isles. The Islanders even brought up a goon from Bridgeport to show they meant business.
So began the grudge match. I have to say I can't remember the last time the Pens played that poorly. I could blame it on the injuries and the fact that half of our forward line up was AHLers, but I won't. The Pens have done well otherwise without Malkin and Crosby including a win against LA the previous night. So no excuses, it was a terrible showing against a terrible team.
On the scoreboard, the game was over early. The rest of the game was just plain ugly. This basically put all the fighting earlier in the week to shame. I'm won't go over each fight, in detail but Haily, the goon from Bridgeport, not only got a Gordy Howe hat trick but went on a rampage against Brent Johnson. Johnson dropped his helmet and gloves ready to fight, but then Goddard stepped in and it got all messy. By the end of the game every hit resulted in a fight. Soon they were just kicking guys out of the game. For the last 3 minutes there were only 2 guys on the Pens bench and 4 on the Isles. I've never seen anything like it.
So how do I feel about it? Well, I gotta say this kind of fighting and the whole feeling of a grudge match is pretty exciting. But, if it happened all the time, it would probably get boring after a while. The league is cracking down, there were three long suspensions handed out after Friday's game. It's probably for the better. Still, a pretty exciting week in hockey. I'm glad I was able to catch some of it. Really, my main worry is Crosby coming back and that hopefully Malkin's injury won't ruin him. Our defense is solid, but, as was shown on friday, without a lot of help up front it can be real difficult to win games. Hopefully, Friday's events can be put in the past and regarded as a mere fluke.
And that is it, I will be back soon with some reflection on Mirrordin Besieged and some other fun Magic topics.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wizard's First Rule Review
So I'm a little behind, monday's supposed to be sports, but honestly not that much interesting went on this weekend. I'm not big on college basketball, especially when it isn't March, and well, I'm not from LA so I don't think it's a huge deal that the Celtics gave the Lakers a woopin'. All star games/pro bowls are fun, but not worth talking about, though Zdeno Chara's 105.9mph clapper is pretty impressive.
So, today will take what Wednesday's theme was supposed to be, entertainment. I will give a review of a book that probably every fantasy fan but me has already read, but, got to get around to it sometime, right?
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind impressed me in many ways, but was by no means a perfect book. He can get you hooked and turning the pages, though sometimes his writing is a little sloppy. I will admit, at the same time I was reading this, I have been reading Francine Prose's "Who to Read Like a Writer," so maybe I have been more critical of this book than I would have been, though some things are hard not to notice.
I will begin with the characters and story. It does not depart much from Lord of the Rings tropes, but manages to stand out in its own right. Essentially a strong headed intelligent kid who does not want to be bothered gets roped into all these entangled plots he wants no part of and goes on an adventure. He is accompanied by a beautiful woman he can't have, a crazy old wizard who is always hungry and a hulking veteran soldier. Essentially all the characters are pretty stock, but each has a little twist on them to make them just interesting enough.
The story itself is also very stock, but just like the characters, Goodkind throws some real interesting twists in there to keep you interested. He seems to focus a lot on the themes of truth and perception and truth versus perception, which at sometimes seems really awkward, but at others is very interesting. There are some cool instances about seeing through have truths and such, though I feel like some of the sections are awkwardly worked around a point Goodkind wants to make. Some will like this aspect more than others.
Now, the writing style is the last thing I'd like to talk about. It is an 820 page book, so there are a lot of words in there and maybe I'm being harsh, but the writing quality is really inconsistent. The opening paragraph is done masterfully. It starts small and oozes its way out, slowly moving back to show you the full picture. Most of his first sentences for chapters are very attention grabbing. There are other sections, however, that are written awkwardly or just drag. There is a lot of unnecessary description (a common problem in fantasy writing) and sometimes he will add a sentence or detail that not only does not add to the story or scene, but is completely random. There is literally a scene where the main character is focused real hard on doing something and there is this random sentence, "A chicken stood watching." Now, we could debate all day the significance and symbolism of a chicken standing their watching and how long Goodkind took to make the decision to put that sentence there. I don't think he put any time, he just wanted to describe the scene, and the detail just seems extraneous. This is not the only example, but it is the one I remember most.
I will say this the book is an enjoyable read and he is very deft with his plot lines. Everything is accounted for, even though its very complicated, and tied together neatly at the end. I don't want to spoil any more, but I will just say he does an excellent job of keeping the plot focused. By the end it is very hard to set the book down because of the way he's set everything up and all the little seeds he plants along the way start to take fruit.
Any way, that is my review for today. Tomorrow I'll be back with some game stuff.
So, today will take what Wednesday's theme was supposed to be, entertainment. I will give a review of a book that probably every fantasy fan but me has already read, but, got to get around to it sometime, right?
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind impressed me in many ways, but was by no means a perfect book. He can get you hooked and turning the pages, though sometimes his writing is a little sloppy. I will admit, at the same time I was reading this, I have been reading Francine Prose's "Who to Read Like a Writer," so maybe I have been more critical of this book than I would have been, though some things are hard not to notice.
I will begin with the characters and story. It does not depart much from Lord of the Rings tropes, but manages to stand out in its own right. Essentially a strong headed intelligent kid who does not want to be bothered gets roped into all these entangled plots he wants no part of and goes on an adventure. He is accompanied by a beautiful woman he can't have, a crazy old wizard who is always hungry and a hulking veteran soldier. Essentially all the characters are pretty stock, but each has a little twist on them to make them just interesting enough.
The story itself is also very stock, but just like the characters, Goodkind throws some real interesting twists in there to keep you interested. He seems to focus a lot on the themes of truth and perception and truth versus perception, which at sometimes seems really awkward, but at others is very interesting. There are some cool instances about seeing through have truths and such, though I feel like some of the sections are awkwardly worked around a point Goodkind wants to make. Some will like this aspect more than others.
Now, the writing style is the last thing I'd like to talk about. It is an 820 page book, so there are a lot of words in there and maybe I'm being harsh, but the writing quality is really inconsistent. The opening paragraph is done masterfully. It starts small and oozes its way out, slowly moving back to show you the full picture. Most of his first sentences for chapters are very attention grabbing. There are other sections, however, that are written awkwardly or just drag. There is a lot of unnecessary description (a common problem in fantasy writing) and sometimes he will add a sentence or detail that not only does not add to the story or scene, but is completely random. There is literally a scene where the main character is focused real hard on doing something and there is this random sentence, "A chicken stood watching." Now, we could debate all day the significance and symbolism of a chicken standing their watching and how long Goodkind took to make the decision to put that sentence there. I don't think he put any time, he just wanted to describe the scene, and the detail just seems extraneous. This is not the only example, but it is the one I remember most.
I will say this the book is an enjoyable read and he is very deft with his plot lines. Everything is accounted for, even though its very complicated, and tied together neatly at the end. I don't want to spoil any more, but I will just say he does an excellent job of keeping the plot focused. By the end it is very hard to set the book down because of the way he's set everything up and all the little seeds he plants along the way start to take fruit.
Any way, that is my review for today. Tomorrow I'll be back with some game stuff.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Gamer Tuesdays
So, with my new theme days, Tuesdays will be gamer Tuesdays. I will discuss video games, board games, computer games and Magic: The Gathering.
For christmas, a very good friend of mine bought me Starcraft II. I was going to wait longer, until the price went down significantly, to pick it up. I have to say, I am quite happy to have it. I have not played it much, but I will surely write more about it in subsequent weeks.
Today, I'll talk mostly about Mirrorden Besieged, because it has been mostly spoiled. Only four cards have not been spoiled yet. Immediately my favorite card is probably Thrun, The Last Troll. It puts the hurting on control and that stupid 100 dollar card (Jace, The Mind Sculpter, if you weren't aware). The only problem with this card is it is going to make Valakut Ramp better, and that is my least favorite deck in standard. It is pure boredom. It's strategy can be simply stated as: Do nothing, followed by, play Primeval Titan and win. At least with Blue Black games are really interesting. In fact, even though it was 6/8's of the World's top 8, all those matches were really exciting to watch. Especially Paolo vs. Matignon, that was some epic Magic.
Well, enough bitching about the standard metagame... or maybe not. I don't think enough of these cards are good enough to change the meta game. If we're lucky there will be an artifact deck. There's a lot more infect now, but still nothing to actually make an infect deck with. What is more likely is, what happened with Scars, will be the same as with Besieged, some cards will be used in already prominent decks, but there won't be any significant changes to the metagame. I will say, I am very much looking forward to drafting Besieged, Besieged, Scars, it looks to be pretty damn interesting.
Alright, that's it for today. Next week, I hope to get some more Master's Addition drafts under my belt, so maybe I'll be able to talk about that. So far it's been a strange and tough set to draft. I'll be back tomorrow with "Entertainment Wednesday"
For christmas, a very good friend of mine bought me Starcraft II. I was going to wait longer, until the price went down significantly, to pick it up. I have to say, I am quite happy to have it. I have not played it much, but I will surely write more about it in subsequent weeks.
Today, I'll talk mostly about Mirrorden Besieged, because it has been mostly spoiled. Only four cards have not been spoiled yet. Immediately my favorite card is probably Thrun, The Last Troll. It puts the hurting on control and that stupid 100 dollar card (Jace, The Mind Sculpter, if you weren't aware). The only problem with this card is it is going to make Valakut Ramp better, and that is my least favorite deck in standard. It is pure boredom. It's strategy can be simply stated as: Do nothing, followed by, play Primeval Titan and win. At least with Blue Black games are really interesting. In fact, even though it was 6/8's of the World's top 8, all those matches were really exciting to watch. Especially Paolo vs. Matignon, that was some epic Magic.
Well, enough bitching about the standard metagame... or maybe not. I don't think enough of these cards are good enough to change the meta game. If we're lucky there will be an artifact deck. There's a lot more infect now, but still nothing to actually make an infect deck with. What is more likely is, what happened with Scars, will be the same as with Besieged, some cards will be used in already prominent decks, but there won't be any significant changes to the metagame. I will say, I am very much looking forward to drafting Besieged, Besieged, Scars, it looks to be pretty damn interesting.
Alright, that's it for today. Next week, I hope to get some more Master's Addition drafts under my belt, so maybe I'll be able to talk about that. So far it's been a strange and tough set to draft. I'll be back tomorrow with "Entertainment Wednesday"
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