Praise for my novel continues to come in! Recently, I got this message from an English teacher who lives in Bolivia. To her, my portrayal of the government in WE, THE WATCHED hit almost too close to home.
I loved it. The Cold War, secrets kept by the government from the people who elect the government officials from the bottom up, and the ability to access people’s files, calls and computers makes the story believable. Here, in Bolivia, where I’ve lived for the last 30 years, it’s now illegal to use the word “indio” or to say anything against the president of the republic. It’s punishable by arrest and jail. Members of the Press who write in his contra, and politicians who stand up against his injustices, are also jailed.
–M.R.M., English teacher at a bilingual private school in South America
You can buy WE, THE WATCHED for your Kindle, Nook or other eReader from Smashwords.
Every year I create a mix of my favorite songs of the year. My rules are that (1) the songs must have been released Jan. 1 or later of the current year, (2) only one song per artist, even if the entire album was genius, and (3) the tracks must flow together. The last rule is more of a guideline — Since it’s a mix, not a Top 10, I don’t order them by most favorite to least favorite, or vice-a-versa.
Below is my mix for 2010, which I call “Psychedelic Grooves.” I’ve tried to include links to audio or video streams where I could find them. Post your own 2010 mixes in the comment section!
The Acorn — Restoration
The swirling acoustic guitar line hypnotizes in this alluring track by the up and coming Canadian indie folk band.
Broken Bells — The High Road
By far the best song by the collaboration of Shins singer James Mercer and Danger Mouse, this song will have you clapping and singing along in no time. Read my review of the album here.
Crocodiles — Sleep Forever
Psychedelic rock is back, and it’s got teeth. Read my review of the album here.
Ash — Dionysian Urge
Thrilling guitar work from the great Tim Wheeler on one of my favorite tracks from Ash’s amazing A-Z series.
Jimmy Eat World — Coffee and Cigarettes
The Arizona band best known for “The Middle” showed they still matter on this year’s Invented, and this chugging rocker finds them in top form.
Nada Surf — Love and Anger
This underrated indie group released one of the best cover albums ever by ignoring all the standards and playing hidden gems instead. This cover of Kate Bush marks the most haunting of the set.
MGMT — Flash Delirium
This cut from Congratulations is, like the album itself, a bit of a grower. But while it might leave you scratching your head after the first spin, it’s hard to deny this band’s talent for writing compelling music.
Yeasayer — Ambling Alp
Sure it sounds like the ’80s, but Yeasayer play it with such gusto you can’t not like it. Warning: may get stuck in your head. Read my review of the full album.
Gorillaz — On Melancholy Hill
Catchy in a depressing way, this one will have you bobbing your head with a frown. But it will be a really wonderful, “I’m having an epiphany” kind of frown. Review of the album here.
Pete Yorn — Precious Stone This straightforward rocker shows Yorn at his best. If only all of his self-titled album was this good…
Two Door Cinema Club — Something Good Can Work
Fans of Bloc Party and Death Cab for Cutie should dig this great young Irish band. How does he sing that fast, anyway? Live show also recommended.
Spoon — Got Nuffin
Rockin’ and minimalist. Nuff said.
Trashcan Sinatras — I Hung My Harp Upon The Willows A haunting ballad from the Scottish veterans. See this band live if you can.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — Sweet Feeling This melancholy tune is sure to make you stare thoughtfully out the window.
Wavves — King Of The Beach
Sounds like a surfing outing with Green Day, Blink-182, the Beach Boys and the Violent Femmes. Better than a blister in the sun.
I just downloaded the Windows beta of a writing program called Scrivener. If you’re a Mac user you may have heard of it already. Up until now I had been writing the novel in MS Word, but Scrivener is already making things easier. My old system was having three separate Word documents: 1) an outline 2) the novel itself and 3) bits and pieces I cut from the novel but felt bad about deleting forever. But this program combines all of that into one working project so that I can easily navigate between scenes and chapters, move them around if I decide Chapter 8 should come before Chapter 7, and take snapshots of passages I decide to cut (just in case).
This is especially handy because, not to brag, but the novel I’m writing has a lot going going on. It alternates perspectives between two characters: Seven and…well, let’s just say it’s someone pretty important from his past (read WE, THE WATCHED and you can probably guess who). And while the new novel takes place after the events of my first book, there’s a healthy dose of flashback, too.
So I’m juggling a lot of concepts, story lines and characters. And trying to write it in a way that won’t alienate those who haven’t read the first book (Speaking of which, what are you waiting for?). It’s only been a couple days, but Scrivener’s already helping me stay focused. And it’s only in beta.
Has this ever happened to you? You’re at a rock show and astonishingly find yourself rocking out to the opening band. So you buy the record, but when you get home and put it on, it’s just not the same. Abby Gogo, a band that plays something between garage and shoe-gaze rock, shows potential but their self-titled debut, available Nov. 30, leaves room for improvement.
The mixing seems off on several tracks, and better production could go a long way to showcasing the band’s talent. If you listen closely, you can hear a strong garage-rock riff underlying opener “Louder than Dreams,” but it’s nearly drowned out by the high-ringing lead guitar. One can’t help but wonder if the track would be stronger if that core riff was better featured. On several other tracks, the vocals are turned down so low you can’t tell what brothers Bon and Jon Allinson are singing.
Band stares at shoes, rocks out
Abby Gogo’s debut also fluctuates wildly in terms of track length. “Louder than Dreams” is about two-and-a-half minutes, while two later songs are more than seven minutes. This is a band that loves atmosphere, tense buildup and shattering climaxes, so a few of the longer songs are compelling from start to finish. “Torpedo,” for example, alternates between hushed chanting and towering walls of sound to awesome effect. Other songs, however, probably would have been more effective with a little editing.
In the end, the album leaves one with the feeling that Abby Gogo is a band that’s probably pretty rocking live. But the lack of production and quality control on their first LP makes the recorded Abby Gogo hard to recommend. If you’re into bands like The Verve or Interpol, put Abby Gogo on your radar. If they stick together, this is a band that could be great.
Click here for a free MP3 of “Louder than Dreams.”
I’m excited to say that online magazine The American Chronicle just published a rather flattering review of my novel We, The Watched.
There’s action, romance, and social commentary woven into a brilliant story with an amazing plot twist near the end. It’s science fiction in the way that Orwell’s1984 or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury dystopian novels are considered science fiction. In fact, I see shades and shadows of both works in We, The Watched. The writing is nearly on par with these geniuses of the written word. Mr. Bender isn’t quite there yet, but is closing in fast on the masters. Since this is his first published novel, that’s an auspicious start. It’s highly likely that given a bit more time and experience, the novice shall surpass the masters.
