the wolf part ten

Latest Greatest

Alex Delivery – s/t

Alex Delivery sounds like the kind of band that either loves every kind of music or hates it completely. On their self-titled release, genres are set up only to be torn asunder by ADD-riddled hysterics. Call it prog, call it post-rock, call it punk or call it a rose. By any other name, it still kicks.

Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings

The first song is titled “Woody Woodpecker” and perfectly amplifies both the catchy and ingratiating quality of the cartoon character’s catch-phrase. Dan Deacon has written the ideal anthem of five-year olds everywhere. The music is sweet, yet disturbing like a manic child after his or her firth bowl of sugary cereal.

Longing for Dawn – s/t

This is pretty much the anti-thesis to summer. Moody keyboards and guitars stretch black as a desolate industrial back road. Longing for Dawn play metal for unsettling mood rather than frightening thrash. Instead of horror movie flash, Longing for Dawn settles into a nebulous suspense that’s never resolved, which is wholly more satisfying. Let Longing for Dawn make your summer a rainy day.

The National – The Boxer

For me, 2005 equated to a contest between The National’s Alligator and Okkervil River’s “Black Sheep Boy” for best album. Ultimately, I’d give it to the former by a hair. The Alligator was the true definition of a grower with continually rewarding turns of phrase and enigmatic melody. With The Boxer, The National venture further down the path with an album full of obtuse songs with odd lyrical content. Whether it’s the stalker elegy of Green Gloves or downtrodden examination of adulthood on Mistaken for Strangers, The National make is all sound hauntingly natural.

Jet Planes of Abraham – s/t

I remember reading a review that this was a Canadian super-group of sorts. Sure, that could be the case, but I actually have no idea who’s in this band. What I do know is that they play an infectious blend of Broken Social Scene style big-band with the small-picture focus of a Belle and Sebastian. The mix between coimmunity sound and small band lyrical focus is winning. Whether it’s the vocal chants of “take the cash” or the blazing bright guitar on “tunnels/terminals” this is an assured debut from a great group of, uh, some people.

the wolf part nine

Sorry this one was a bit late. I was busy working on a secret comic - more secret comic information to come at a later date than today.












That bathroom panel looks suspiciously like my bathroom because I am not a bathroom savant who can just whirl up fantastic bathroom imaginings in my mind; I am human and can only reference bathrooms that are immediately on hand.

the wolf part eight

I like story transition comics because I can just draw straight out. I don't dislike photoshop or illustrator, but sometimes it nice to be able to just draw.

and yes I meant for the background lines to be uneven - I could have used a ruler, but I wanted an authentic feel - which in drawing speak means amatuerish and messy.

the wolf part seven

the wolf part six

Here's the wolf part six - thank you to all those that offered me scanner services, including jackie (whose gave me a scanner that I somehow broke - I'm so sorry sweetie), pam and ryan (who offered me his scanner that kevin is using - I think ryan wanted me to foribly remove it from his home).

Anyway, here it is:

Recent Reviews

Apologies, the wolf comic is not ready. Some changing job issues and needing to find a new scanner issues mean it should be ready tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are some recent music reviews.

Better versions of a couple of these reviews can be found on the BeatRoute site:

http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=981

http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=980

Voxtrot
s/t
Playlouderecordings

Voxtrot are done with teasing, it’s time for the real thing. After three tantalizing, yet all too brief EP’s through 2005 and 2006, Voxtrot finally release their first self-titled record. With a larger canvas, Voxtrot break away from measured gauziness to produce songs brimming with propulsive energy and stand out hooks. The first song, “Introduction” starts familiarly enough as delicate strings and hushed guitars weave together behind singer Ramesh Srivastava’s deep voice that pays homage to Morrissey; however, by the time the second chorus ends, a white hot guitar solo erupts, signaling a change to the band’s typical sound. By the time “Firecracker” rolls around, Voxtrot plows through statacco rhythm and stop-start percussion until the song unleashes frenetic guitars and clean high-register vocals from Srivastava. Voxtrot’s first full-length is a welcome change from a band growing out of its influences into its own distinctive sound full of confident aggressive melodies.

The Locust
New Erections
Anti-

Is it possible for a band like The Locust to grow up? Inherently self-destructive, it’s a tough job to chart the sonic evolution of a band whose sound is closely tied to an annihilation aesthetic If New Erections is any indication, The Locust are making strides away from their thrashy grindcore into unnervingly focused neo-prog. Oddly enough, the band’s effort to slow down the tempo results in their most unsettling work yet. On songs like “The Unwilling led by the Unqualified…” spastic drum fills drop away revealing decaying horror movie keyboards and Bobby Bray’s blitzkrieg shrieking about our trash-worshipping culture building garbage towers to heaven. While New Erections is more chaos than control, there is definitely a politically-charged theme behind the strangled synthesizers and short-circuit riffs. While it’s hardly a lucid affair, New Erections is the closest the band has come to actual songs, without losing their raucous intensity. It’s these small steps that show The Locust’s creative leaps, and once again, put them one step ahead of the game.

Dntel
Dumb Luck
Sub Pop

Dumb Luck is a fitting title for an artist whose success was totally unexpected. While few remember now, Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello) was already an established electronic artist before he took part in the zeitgeist known as The Postal Service. Going solo for the first time since 2001’s Life is Full of Possibilities, Dntel’s newest is like his previous collection of austere electronica. Unfortunately, Dumb Luck doesn’t recapture the playful spirit of its predecessor. Instead, the record downplays hooks for tone, burying captivating synths behind wet blanket production. Sadly, it makes Dntel’s electronics unnecessary and leaves the album without a memorable foothold. Add that to the fact Tamborello’s woe-is-me lyrics dance around with two left feet, producing a few cringe-worthy stumbles. While contributions by Lali Puna and Grizzly Bear’s Edward Droste show promise, it’s drowned out by mailed-in performances from the likes of Conor Oberst and Mia Doi Todd. Too bad, Dntel’s Dumb Luck falls flat from such great heights.