Constantines

So I wanted to tell you about Constantines because they are kind of my life right now. I’ve had their 2003 album Shine a Light playing non-stop since I discovered them a couple of months ago.

There are a few tracks which, at first listen, might appear a bit pedestrian. The first track is your standard hard rock/punk intro and Young Lions – the only track released as a single from this album – is what you’d expect; a catchy, mellow indie tune, kind of similar in style to the National’s output.

However, delve a little deeper and you find some really great tunes like the title track; a cacophonous delight of smashy guitars and drums. The use of brass instruments in some songs is inspired – particularly in Goodbye Baby and Amen. If you listen to that song and don’t die of heartbreak then, well, I just don’t know anymore. That song is everything to me right now – when the brass kicks in at the 2nd chorus it’s fucking rad man. I even love the experimental jazz-style trumpet tootle which makes me feel like I’m in that episode of The Mighty Boosh, you know the one where the evil jazz cell infects Vince?

Anyway, what this album lacks in structure, it makes for times infinity with amazing songs that make me forgive any issues I had. Insectivora was the song that made me fall in love with the album and that love has only intensified.

Bryan Webb’s voice is brilliant, from Shine a Light's murmured verses, to the inevitable shouty denouement of every song pretty much, to On to You wherein he at times channels the late great Phil Lynott. Some songs sound a bit Foals-y too, in terms of jangly guitar riffs and even vocals. There’s something for everyone!

I just love them, and I’m sure there’ll be some people who read this who’ll love it just as much.

Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next Series

So! After a lengthy hiatus I've got my arse in gear and decided to review what I've read of Jasper Fforde's work, which begins with The Eyre Affair. I was given this book for free by a passer-by, volunteering for World Book Night and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it.

It's a little difficult to explain with any kind of brevity the premise of the Thursday Next series. They take place in a parallel universe, essentially quite similar to our own except that steam power prevails over any other technological advancements, the Crimean War is still being fought, time travel is possible and literature is arguably the most important commodity of the human race. It is particularly significant for the protagonist, Thursday, at any rate.  As a law enforcement agent for SpecOps, she works to prevent relatively petty crimes such as forgery -  that is until she becomes swept up by much more bizarre events.

I am currently reading the third of Fforde's seven (and counting, with an eighth to be released soon) book series, entitled The Well of Lost Plots, and although they are not the best written texts in the world - lacking the depth of character that I would count on to make a book really special, and sometimes erring on the side of simplicity, language-wise - I do enjoy them.  Considering how complex some of Fforde's ideas are, including pretty abstract notions such as being able to hear and communicate via footnotes whilst residing within Wordsworth's Daffodils, I personally think that the plainness of his writing is often necessary. If he got too flowery, these books would be very dense and difficult indeed.

On another positive note, the character of Ms Next is extremely likeable. No-nonsense and human, she shoulders the role of a 'strong, independent woman' - clichéd as it sounds - simply by being a regular person. She is funny and competent and caring. She also brings a note of normalcy to the strange, occasionally very far-fetched, world that she inhabits. Being able to relate to the protagonist is the key to my fondness for these books, aided by the elements of science fiction and the supernatural which make appearances throughout.

Finally, I would definitely recommend this series for anyone who considers themselves a bit of a literature geek. As an English graduate, I really appreciated the many references and jokes which rely on a knowledge of literary works, the English language and writing itself. And who doesn't love something that makes you feel smart? I really admire the ability of a writer not to talk down to their readers, and that's another thing Fforde's got going for him.  If you're not into your classics in a big way, it isn't essential to follow the plot or anything, but be warned - you may not enjoy these books as much as the next bookworm. In conclusion, perhaps not the most accomplished saga you will ever read, but some interesting concepts and, above all, a lot of fun.

The Dresden Dolls

I absolutely effing love the Dresden Dolls.  They are sublime.

Amanda Palmer's wailing vocals and off-key piano playing may not be for everyone but to me they embody everything I love about 'weird' music.  Weird means different, means like nothing you've heard before.  It means original and unique, and that's what I look for in a band.

Their début album - my favourite - ranges from the manic silliness of Girl Anachronism and Coin-Operated Boy to the sad, soulful vulnerability of Half Jack, with Palmer's fun and poetic lyrics often touching on something deep, dark and disturbing - like in the troubling Slide.

Brian Viglione's drumming is punchy and imaginative, keeping the songs strong and surprising. The two elements of the band work together perfectly and it's a testament to their genius that they can achieve so complete a sound without guitar or bass players.

Dresden Dolls' mix of cabaret, twisted classical crescendo and punk makes for fresh and beautiful listening.  Their self-titled first album is one of those records that comprises brilliant songs but also comes together as a whole to create a work of art; a sepia-toned, Plath-inspired, pain-tinged, musically accomplished masterpiece that never fails to touch and engage me.

I know a lot of people won't like this album - it's definitely a grower - but I think it's awesome and everyone should give them a listen.

This is a song from their second album, which is creeping ever closer to the first's top spot the more I listen to it, as it has some wonderful songs on it.  Delilah has been a favourite for a while.

Songs of Love, Loss and Debauchery

Now here is a band that is criminally underrated.  And again, one about whom no-one except my good friend Jayne, who introduced me to them, seems to have heard (in my experience).  Even the guy we got talking to when we got to see them live was there to see someone else. 

Kill It Kid are fantastic, and this is one of my favourite ever albums.  Produced by Eels and PJ Harvey producer John Parish as a teaching exercise at Bath University, its complex riffs, grinding bluegrass-style guitar and heavy beats are right up my alley.  To go along with those, there's folksy harmonies, beautiful lyrics and - in my mind - an incredible violinist (Richard Jones, who unfortunately left the band after this album).

Lead singer Chris Turpin's vocals are bluesy and unique - the power of his voice only became fully apparent to me when I saw him perform on stage.  I wondered how that sound didn't damage him on its way out.  And it's perfectly complimented by the other singer/keyboardist Stephanie Ward, whose delicate feminine tone harmonises wonderfully with his throaty timbre. 

An evocative album, it always puts me in mind of dusty desert roads and the deep South - even after the surprising revelation that it's creators are a group of English university students.  

I urge you to listen to this album - I cannot fault it and I never tire of it.  

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

So for my first post, I've chosen a work by one of my favourite writers - relatively recently discovered by me - and the first book of his I read.  As a sucker for all things supernatural - albeit often disappointed by the genre - it was inevitable that this novel would catch my eye as I browsed in the train station's WHSmith's. A recommendation on the cover from Nick Cave piqued my interest and I bought it on a whim.

I expected a pacey and entertaining read at best, but it truly blew me away.  Duncan offers up a gripping and tense, page-an-inch-from-your-face storyline, recounted by a charismatic lead, shot through with violence, gore and heartbreak. Cliffhangers at every turn mean that the story will keep you hooked to the end and beyond. 

We join the protagonist Jake Marlowe after 200 years of life, constantly plagued by his animal urges and haunted by his crimes, the only one of his kind left in the world. Hunted by a government branch intent on wiping out werewolves, he has grown weary of life and is contemplating suicide - but shocking events and new revelations lead him into an intriguing adventure, a new lust for life and a desperate fight to hold on to it.

  

A lot of people will be put off by a book about werewolves; they don't exactly have a long affiliation with great literature (I'm looking at you, Twilight). I can see people glaze over when I recommend this book. They nod and listen but I know they won't go near it.  However, this book is different: superbly written with about as much sex and violence as it could get away with without being gratuitous. Well, I'm sure some would argue it's a bit gratuitous, but in my mind there's nothing wrong with that. 

It's a while since I read The Last Werewolf but, as with all of the Glen Duncan books I have read, his character development is so strong that the people and events about which he writes have stuck in my head for a long time afterwards. The characters seem so real that I felt I knew them and, like with all great books, when I turned the final page and closed the book I was left with a feeling of 'what now?'

Luckily Duncan wrote a sequel and the final episode in the trilogy is due for release soon.  To avoid spoilers I won't talk too much about the second instalment but in my opinion, it isn't as good as the first. It is however, still an exceptionally good read, and if you enjoy The Last Werewolf as much as I did you'll be desperate to read on.

Incidentally Glen Duncan's earlier novel, Death of an Ordinary Man, is a very different but perhaps even better novel. An incredible book which had a real impact on me and is both hard-hitting and tender in generous measures. I could have chosen that less famous Duncan work to review, but as a twist on a well known myth, I feel that The Last Werewolf is an accessible and extremely enjoyable entry into the works of one of the most talented British authors working today.