In the last month of 2019, two things that shaped who I am came to an end. One is Star Wars, the science-fantasy film saga that for decades has captivated the movie-going public; the other is The Who, the British rock band that for decades as captivated disaffected youth. With the release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the franchise officially wrapped up its core story, dubbed the “Skywalker saga” that details the eternal struggle between Light and Dark as seen through several generations of one intergalactic family. And with the release of The Who’s twelfth studio album Who they put the period on what is one of the most laudable careers in rock. These two endings have spurred me to reflect back how on both entities have influenced me and what their respective endings mean to the greater whole. In short, one left me feeling a little hollow, one left me feeling surprisingly fulfilled, and both left me feeling thankful. Continue reading The Light and Dark Sides of Endings
Category Archives: New Releases
You Know I Had to Do It to ‘Em: Greta Van Fleet, Rock Revivalism, and Youth
Greta Van Fleet put out their debut LP yesterday, and the rock world at large is finally able to see if they live up to the hype. GVF is one of the most hyped and anticipated groups of the past several years, being slotted at festivals all over and nearly ubiquitous in music publications since they dropped two EPs earlier this year. Usually coverage goes something like this: “These guys sounds JUST LIKE Led Zeppelin! And they are only in high school. They are going to save rock!” Continue reading You Know I Had to Do It to ‘Em: Greta Van Fleet, Rock Revivalism, and Youth
Reenlisting Sgt. Pepper: Remixing the Beatles “Magnum Opus”
As some may know, this year marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ release of their seminal album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. To mark the occasion, Apple Corps saw fit to release yet another edition of the record, this time in a new stereo remix by Giles Martin (son of late Beatles producer George Martin), who worked with them to remix the band’s catalog for the Cique de Soleil Love soundtrack. At first, I rolled my eyes. Again? I remember when they made a big to-do over a remaster for the 35th anniversary or something, then it was released again in 2009 with the band’s entire remastered discography. Do we really need to hear it again? Does Sgt. Pepper still have any surprises up his gilded sleeves?
I have a long history with The Beatles, and know their oeuvre intimately. Perhaps surprisingly, I never considered Pepper one of my favorites. Yes of course it is GOOD, even great, but it seemed to pale next to the revolutionary verve of Revolver, the breadth and depth of The White Album, and the widescreen, crystallized perfection of Abbey Road. In retrospect, I think the “media” is to blame (is there a more 2017 statement?). For the past 50 years, Sgt. Pepper has been held up as the “GREATEST ROCK ALBUM OF ALL TIME,” the moment when rock became Art, and the emblem of 1967’s Summer of Love. Some of this may be true, but as someone born in the 1990s, it’s innovations have been to a degree lost on me. The conventions that the Beatles established have been fully integrated into the modern music scene and pop culture at large: it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. I have always appreciated it, but every time I would hear or see it lauded, I would nod my head and agree with it’s greatness, but never felt particularly fulfilled.
Continue reading Reenlisting Sgt. Pepper: Remixing the Beatles “Magnum Opus”
Rock Escapism and Summer Days: The Sword’s “High Country”
I’ve been away for a while. Between moving and starting a new job, I’ve had my hands full over the past couple months. Hopefully I’ll be able to reestablish a regular publishing schedule. Fortunately, I stumbled back into writing organically. After what felt like almost two months of non-stop on-the-go, I finally found myself in that old, familiar position: sitting on a Sunday with nothing to do.
It was one of those long, sunny days in late August – you know them. The weekend festivities were decidedly over, and with the sounds of sports programming somewhere in the background, I lazed in my room. In this kind of Sunday afternoon the hours drag on as the sun seems to sit on the pine trees out your window. School starts the next day, but everyone tries to suppress this knowledge just below the level of speaking awareness. It was the kind of boring Sunday ripe for escape; for The Legend of Zelda and music by The Sword. Continue reading Rock Escapism and Summer Days: The Sword’s “High Country”
Then Play On 