BRIEFS: Reviews Galore, archived.

BRIEFS: REVIEWS & MINI-REVIEWS

Barry Lopez, the Brothers Grimm, Einsturzende Neubauten, Gobshite Quarterly, Strategy, Eye-Rhyme, Black Dice, Muslimgauze, Kat Terran, and many more.

Originally published in 2GQ's first print journal, "The Issue of Summer Finery & Weak Tea," May 2004. About five copies are still available. Order here.

Reviewed by Tiffany Lee Brown, Valerie Cashman, and T.J. Norris

If you wish to quote from reviews, please credit the individual author of the review, in addition to crediting 2GQ/2 Gyrlz Quarterly. And we always appreciate a link to our site.

The Illustrated Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
Edited by Robert Klanten & Hendrik Hellige
Hardcover from Die Gestalten Verlag

Okay, kids. We all know that those Grimm guys wrote enough über-creepy tales to give thousands of children decades of insomnia and thousands of psychologists decades of theory-fodder. The witch boils up and eats little children! The repugnant dwarf creature gets the pretty girl to spin gold for him! Etc.!
    So why procure another volume of these tales? First of all, the real versions will be quite intriguing to the average American, accustomed as we are to glossy Disney versions of fairy tales. But the true genius of this new hardback edition from Die Gestalten Verlag lies in its illustrations. Innovative artists with disparate styles provide odd and delightful visual accompaniment to these classic tales—quite successfully. Illustrators and graphic artists from Europe, Japan, the Americas, and Australia extend the reach of the Brothers Grimm into the 21st century visual zeitgeist with beautiful, often idiosyncratic interpretations.
    Judith Drews & Hans Baltzer (Germany) scrawl hilarious, hectic renderings of a Big Bad Wolf who falls somewhere between Elvis and a Steadman depiction of Hunter S. Thompson, while Kinpro (Tokyo) offers serene, retro-cutout scenes for "Little Snow White." The bold silhouettes and rough edges of Polish illustrator Michal Ksiazek seem stark by contrast—in a good way. Courtesy of Swiss artist Judith Zaugg, the volume opens with the happy tinted faces of Hansel & Grethel,  who look like they stepped off the cover of the Portland Mercury on a particularly happy Thursday.
    These sorts of anthologies and clever collections fall flat all too frequently, the contributing artists' work squashed by overzealous layout, self-congratulatory curators, or pompous commentary. Here, the editors have selected an intriguing array of illustrations and wisely let them speak for themselves. But there's no guarantee that these tales won't bring you unsavory dreams. —TLB

Resistance
by Barry Lopez
Hardcover from Knopf

It's a relief to discover that someone else is seriously alarmed by the current erosion of civil liberties that the current presidential administration encourages. Barry Lopez has responded with this slim little work of fiction entitled Resistance. In it, a group of artists and intellectuals who once went to college together go underground in order to live and work unencumbered by a repressive regime that sounds Kafkaesque yet strikingly familiar to anyone who watches the news these days.
The book opens with the first and most explanatory portrait, that of an American man named Owen Daniels. Daniels is living in modern Paris with his wife when he receives an officious letter from the ominously named "Inland Security." The letter, "two crisply printed cream-colored sheets of laid paper with signatures in red ballpoint," informs him that his work, and the work of his college friends (who have all received this letter as well), has been met with "widespread irritation," and that the government wants to speak to them about it. They would be interrogated and might be indicted. Further, they should cease circulating those "texts, images, music and films listed as antidemocratic," or any artistic or literary work created by cultures "inimical to our nation’s policies." The crime: "terrorizing the imaginations of our fellow citizens." The letter speculates that the human imagination is a problematic force, "its use best left to experts."
Rather than comply, each of the characters in the book chooses to go off the grid, leaving behind a story that chronicles "the moment in which they recognized the transformation that led to the work" that got the government’s attention.     The stories are a "description of the events that changed us, that led to our decisions no longer to be silent;" their purpose is to be delivered "directly into the hands of men and women who stand at similar thresholds." Eight stories follow. The characters are all distinct and their occupations are different, but they all chronicle an awakening and return to the work that called them in their youth.
The narratives are a powerful antidote to the times in which we find ourselves living. Lopez, who wields language with the skill and grace of a poet, is to be commended for taking this on. He's provided a literature of hope in a dark time. —Valerie Cashman

The Thresher: The Third One
Edited by R.U.Sirius
Journal from The Thresher
www.thethresher.com

Former Mondo 2000 editor and Revolutionary Party presidential candidate R.U.Sirius has assembled a fine, subversive new issue of The Thresher based around the theme of madness. John Shirley, Robert Anton Wilson, Jay Kinney, Gracie & Zarkov discuss mental health issues in current society, the religions of the future, and communication magick; Harmon Leon hilariously punks the Scientologists; and, a personal fave: Techgnosis author Erik Davis and freelance writer Gregoryp™ discuss psychedelic use and bipolar disorder. It's mostly high quality, exploratory writing, the sort that keeps you giggling while you're drawn into deeper thinking. It's none too stodgy or dogmatic, letting people with disparate viewpoints share the same stage and duke it out respectfully.
    There are some misses, of course. Jack Boulware's tiresome tale of Alan Greenspan at Mardi Gras is all kinds of "aren't I funny?" boring. And despite the gender-construct defiance of folks like Genesis P-Orridge, who is interviewed, the volume consists almost entirely of the "guy" point of view, including the usual predictable ranting from local wannabe-yokel Jim Goad, who insists on slathering even his most potentially valid points with so much desperate posturing and sexist chest-pounding that the whole mess becomes unreadable. Sure, sure, people were easily shocked by that stuff ten or twelve years ago, but it just ain't interesting anymore.
    The journal, in the form of a substantial and well-produced paperback book, is definitely worth a read. Then again, I'm biased: I've known some of these people for years, and followed the work of other contributors as well. There's something about a witty approach to subversive thinking, mind expansion, metaphysical meandering, cultural exploration, and social engineering that just keeps me coming back for more. Especially considering the current cultural and political climate—or perhaps I should say, "Now, more than ever!"— it's important to keep the tradition alive. —TLB

George Lopez
Works for Ensemble
CD from Durian
www.durian.at

In an hour-plus disc made up of two suites of seven total tracks, George Lopez's Works for Ensemble starts with a frightfully absorbing, thrilling buzzsaw of violins and random orchestrations. Not wasting a single second to pour dramatic curves into his "Das Auge Des Schweigens," this has the well-versed latitude of a compelling film score, something between Hitchcock and Spielberg, (as Jaws and Fantasia collide). Bass drums slam doors and ravage the scene with percussive rips as violins shave the edge of eerie drone. Vibes jangle with mystery. Slippery guided melody loops rise and levitate. Plotted and dissonant at times, an alarming passion is constantly emitted by Lopez. Works for Ensemble is imbued with dense, undead spirits looming, entrapped. There's a whole lot of gesture, tiptoeing and sneaking around corners awaiting a chance to bust a move. The breath in the work is astonishing, regenerative and the true bellows of a belly plump with constantly expelled air. As macho as it is pixielike, Lopez’s visionary "Blue Cliffs" eclipses as the sun rises and wanes with the moon. —TJ Norris

Strategy
Drumsolo's Delight
CD from Kranky
www.kranky.net

Chicago-based Kranky, one of the best independent labels in the universe, trades mostly in atmospheric, experimentally-tinged, and quietly curious fare, including indie bigshots like Low and Godspeed You Black Emperor! and lesser-known acts like Growing and Fontanelle (both from the Northwest). Portland-based Strategy, the project of DJ and laptop maestro Paul Dickow,  trades in airy layers, repetitive loops, and subtle rhythms. Live dub mixing and digital soundscaping combine on Drumsolo's Delight, blending ambient and downbeat elements into an entirely pleasant album.
    Pleasant isn't always what you're looking for in music, however, and it's hard not to be disappointed by the way Dickow quickly plunges brief moments of expert noise tweakage and unusual sound exploration into predictable, e-friendly fare. "Final Super Zen" establishes a base of minimalist hush, then seemingly incongruous beats with a hollow, wooden sound stagger around the reverb chamber. All too soon, they're swallowed up by standard-issue bleepy-bloopy noises and whorls of melodic repetition. A similar buildup pattern is repeated on many tracks; on "Walkingtime" (featuring CARO) it really works, grabbing with emotional and melodic hooks lacking elsewhere. And Dickow's vague sketches transform into confident sculptures on the album's dreamy closer, "The Jazzy Drumsolo."
    Close listens turn up neat-o sweeps of sound, but they tend to be used in a generic background fashion. Half the album could be the easily-ignored soundtrack to an evening of drinking Piafs and gabbing with friends at Holocene; it's a shame, because the rest deserves the listener's full attention and a pair of top-notch speakers. —TLB

Einstürzende Neubauten
Perpetuum Mobile
CD from Mute
www.neubauten.org

The newest sound of collapsing buildings is an entertaining, if uneven, foray into the surprisingly well-pruned landscape where pop melodics and steely minimalism meet old school industrial rhythm 'n' noise. Now that the boys have grown up, they use the harsh noise element of their early work sparingly with precision, juxtaposing it with their 1990s Tabula Rasa-era pop sensibilities and the toned-down tendencies of later CDs like Eclipse.
    "Perpetuum Mobile" is why you came to the party: this marathon song kicks off with a vicious clatter of acoustico-industrial rhythm-bashing that'll knock your lace anklets off, then grinds into a nice repetitive number with festive kicks and Blixa Bargeld's awesomely distant German vocals. Lotsa dynamics in this one, lotsa interesting breaks, and lotsa those characteristically EN weird, futzy little sounds that make your vertebrae stand at attention. Never mind the English translation of the none-to-thrilling lyrics ("I'm on the way/In a melange of jetlag and alcohol/In a bus at 60 miles per hour"). 
    Other tracks lack the sense of creative immediacy that can make EN such an intense listening experience. Even diehard krautfans may not be able to get through "Selbstportrait mit Kater" without dissolving into giggles. The final refrain, intoned in über-serious English, proclaims deeply: "Life on other planets! Is difficult! Life on other planets! Is difficult!" Wow. Now ist the time on Shprockets ven ve dahnse.
    Taken as a whole, the disc has too much Blixa & the Bad Seeds feel to it, not enough F.M. Einheit-stylee intricate noiseplay. But hey! It's got a beat and you can bug out to it. —TLB

READ

Ode to certain interstates and Other Poems by Howard Robertson
(Clear Cut Press; www.clearcutpress.com)
Recipe for excellent new NW poetry: Take one very knowledgeable librarian with a sharp observational mind and subtly humorous spirit. Put him behind the wheel of a long-haul truck. Add poetic inspiration. Stir for several years. Bake in the heat of Oregon's hot new publishing house, Clear Cut. Slice and distribute. Save me a piece, okay?

Found by Davy Rothbart
(Fireside Press, www.foundmagazine.com)
Found magazine always made me wanna curl up on the sidewalk immediately, not even waiting to find a cafe, and read it cover-to-cover. Davy Rothbart and his valiant troupe of finders collect and publish snippets of random stuff—notes, letters, photographs—they find on streets, stuffed into used books, wherever. Now they've compiled a big ol' anthology of found objects. If you were ever addicted to The Rocket's "I Found It!" column, if you have a slightly unhealthy fixation with estate sales and Goodwill bins, or if you just need a really cool book, find Found.

FO A RM No.2
The FO A RM journal is back with a new issue and a fancy makeover. Not only does it look good, but the new issue is chockfulla literary explorations into bodies & disembodiment. Find it at independent bookstores.

Eye-Rhyme
(www.pinballpublishing.com)
Pinball Publishing's substantial-but-fun journal of quirky literature and mind-tweaking experimental verbiage is beautifully put together. Even if you find some of the material a tad far out for your tastes, the object value of the book itself may win you over.

Gobshite Quarterly
(www.gobshitequarterly.com)
This dignified-looking, literary, yet appealingly accessible Portland magazine takes a global perspective, publishing original translations of works from far afield together with their original versions. Such pieces appear alongside Quasi and Nick Cave interviews and essays from folks like Ursula K. LeGuin and Paul Krassner (along with the occasional piece from a 2GQ editor).

                                                                            —Tiffany Lee Brown

LISTEN

Black Dice, Creature Comforts (DFA, www.dfarecords.com) Seriously addictive weirdness that rambles from simple, minimalist experiments to sweeping post-rock showdowns and electronic forcefields.

Levinhurst, Perfect Life (Full Contact, www.levinhurst.com) Has the Cure's Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst farted out a disc of disposable retro-electro with absurd la-la-la female vocals? Yes. Do I keep listening anyway? Yes.

Crack City Rockers, Joyce Hotel (Paisley Pop, www.paisleypop.com) Eric Gregory and his band of Portlandian misfits were cranking out retro glam/garage rawk sound long before the latest crop of NYC kids hit it big. What sets this apart are distinctive moments of sheer honesty & Gregory's sweet but raw lyrics.

Sacred Spirit featuring Dave "BK" Jeffs: Volume 9: Bluesy Chill Out (Higher Octave, www.higheroctave.com) Ever drunk whiskey in the desert rain late at night, coming down? Hey, me too! And that's what this disc sounds like. Some tracks may be fairly uninspired, but the slinky "mm-hm" and "oh yeah" of these blues welds beautifully onto techno beats and soundscapes on "Driftin'," "Black Rain," and "That's Right."

Blue-Eyed Son, West of Lincoln (Eenie Meenie, www.eeniemeenie.com) We all love Nick Drake. We all miss Elliott Smith. Here's some feathery, acoustic beach music to scratch the itch.

Kat Terran, Lion & Blue (Little Roar, www.katterran.com) The vintage debut from Seattle singer-songwriter Kat Terran oozes drama, tension, and triumphal storytelling. Folky but with a commanding, bold voice, Kat Terran will especially delight those with latent swirlygoth/4 AD tendencies (ahem).

Muslimgauze, re-mixs Vol 1 + 2 (Staalplaat CD, www.soleilmoon.com) I'm stroking this posthumous release from Bryn Jones—a reissue of his remixes of his own stuff—not just because it's lulled me into a blissful yet paranoid stupour, but because the limited edition box has a faux-fur cover. Ahh. —Tiffany Lee Brown

_____________

Briefs Contributors:

Tiffany Lee Brown is the editor of 2 Gyrlz Quarterly. She splits her time between Portland and Astoria, Oregon, and has contributed to Bookforum, The Utne Reader, The Clear Cut Future, Tin House, Wired, Bust, and others. Find her at www.magdalen.com.

Valerie Cashman, a Portland-based writer, former EMT, and current medical student, founded the late, lamented monthly magazine Anodyne. Her work has appeared in The San Francisco Review of Books and Willamette Week, among others.

TJ Norris is an artist, curator, and writer whose work has appeared in Just Out, Igloo, Leonardo, and Backspace. Former proprietor of the SoundVision gallery, he may be found online at www.tjnorris.net.

Comments

[cat]

It is, and so is she. I didn't mention it to jolt you, just to say that Kalah is wonderful!!

[magdalen]

Yikes, did we forget to run the credit here? My damned bad. This is, indeed, a Kalah Allen drawing. And ain't it great???

-tiffany

[Cat]

Looks like a Kalah Allen drawing...