Where the Wild Things Are

Spike Jonze has taken a 10-line children’s picture book and turned it into a full-feature film.  Which is quite a feat in and of itself, but I think that he does so successfully, even if it doesn’t really translate into a movie that kids will want to sit through.

They did a great job developing this little 10-line plot into a pretty fascinating full-fledged story.  They did a great job of inviting the reader into the world of the “Wild Things” and I quickly found myself very invested into the each of the characters.  Unfortunately though, Jonze left us with very little resolve when it came time for Max to choose to sail back home.  But for me that didn’t really prevent me from enjoying this beautiful movie.

The little boy that they cast to play the part of Max just absolutely blew me away.  12 year old Max Records’ performance was just phenomenal.  It was amazing to see the little guy carry a cast like that.  I have a feeling that this won’t be the last we see of Records.

Overall it was just a gorgeous film.  I loved the way it was filmed, and the Australian landscape was a great choice for filming the island of the “Wild Things.” And most importantly, the Karen O. scored soundtrack was a lovely match.  When it came time to record the record, Karen O. enlisted the help of several of her indie music peers, calling themselves Karen O. and the Kids.  The kids include Tristan Bechet (Services), Tom Biller (co-producer with Karen O and member of Afternoons), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter), Brian Chase (YYY), Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather), Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather), Oscar Michel (Gris Gris), Imaad Wasif (New Folk Implosion), Nick Zinner (YYY) and an untrained children’s choir.  And trust me, you can expect the kind of greatness that should come from an all-star lineup like this

“Logos” is More of the Same, But Better

Bradford Cox makes Xanax rock, mumbling over stoned minor chords and losing himself in a song’s gauzy afterglow. His solo project, Atlas Sound, and his better-known band, Deerhunter, both take this ramshackle approach to melancholy, though the latter has always made for better art.

Cox’s numerous afflictions make for good art, too, and as he obviously knows, his songs and his interviews reveal much about his troubled childhood. He’s sung about his own imagined crucifixion more than once. The singer suffers from Marfan’s syndrome; that’s his collapsed frame on the cover. All this paints a portrait of Cox’s vulnerability, which, however unsettling, is the source of all his work.

When the artist accidentally leaked an unfinished copy of Atlas Sound’s newest, Logos, last year, he was furious at both himself and his fans. Rumor spread that the album would never see an official release, and when Deerhunter released the excellent Microcastle last year, it seemed that Cox had left Logos behind.

But here it is, and the album certainly wins “Most Improved” after 2007’s unbearably tepid Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel. Logos is home to Cox’s every style: languid 1950s pop (“My Halo,” “Shelia”), garage rock (“An Orchid”) and, best of all, the Krautrock-shoegaze-masterpiece (“Quick Canal”).

It flows, somehow. Logos, like its predecessors, is designed as a whole, with clusters of similar songs grouped around the best one (here, it’s the aforementioned “Quick Canal”). This is autumnal music, with percussion that clicks and pops behind gorgeous finger-pickings. As with all of his work, Cox emphasizes texture over tune, though “Criminals” is a real pop gem.

While his work has slowly matured, Cox has been riding the same aesthetic for a few years now. Perhaps Logos will serve as the bookend for a string of finely similar records.

Deerhunter – Rainwater Cassette Exchange

Well, Deerhunter are swiftly becoming this generation’s Pixies. Bradford Cox may not be the demented wordsmith that Frank Black once was, but there are definitely parallels. It’s not just the lyrical fixation on Biblical violence, the use of dynamics, or the theremin in “Famous Last Words.” It’s the compressed songwriting.

Pop and its investers have always been fond of brevity, especially with radio hits from the 1960s (an era to which Deerhunter owes a great debt). But in the case of the group’s career trajectory, the Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP marks a welcome foray into concision. If Microcastle, which tidied the ambiance of Cryptograms, hinted at discretion, then this release embraces it. There are no interludes, suites or reprises here, just naked songs.

It’s not just shorter song lengths, though. Like Pixies, Deerhunter’s strength isn’t virtuosity, it’s knowing what parts to play, and when. Moses Archuleta’s drumming has never sounded so punchy, so immediate, especially on the EP’s highlight, “Circulation.” The same goes for Josh Fauver and his wonderful melodic bass lines. No song is lost inside effects pedals (though they’re all sticky with delay), and these songs are cleaner because of it. The band, and Cox especially, has discovered that simple can be weird too.

Deerhunter – Circulation