Altar Magazine reviews

Altar Reviews-

“Red, White, and Blues: Poets on the Promise of America” edited by Virgil Suarez and Ryan G. VanCleave: Scheduled for release on Election Day, “Red, White, and Blues: Poets on the Promise of America” is a raucous, chaotic look at the American Dream through the eyes of a diverse group of poets. Even those averse to poetry can appreciate the sentiments echoed in Forrest Cole’s “America ™:” “I am America ™/ super size/ freedom fries.” References to consumption, patriotism, and the relationship between the two are a recurring theme in the collection. Many poets also explore their own conflicting relationship with the United States and the promise of democracy versus the reality of “democracy.”

Class issues, which have traditionally been ignored by many progressives, take a center stage in this book. John Edwards’ “Other America” has a voice in poems like Allison Pelegrin’s tongue-in-cheek “Trailer Trash” and Dean Phelps’ “An Ordinary County Girl.”

There are simply far too many poems in this collection to write about every one, but rest assured, there is not a bad verse in the book. Lively, spirited, and ultimately hopeful, I can only hope that this book will be released on what turns out to be a celebratory day. The men and women in this book are truer patriots then John Ashcroft or Donald Rumsfeld will ever be.

“Social Protest and Policy Change: Ecology, Antinuclear, and Peace Movements in Comparative Perspective” by Marco Giugni: I’m not quite sure when I lost the faith. Maybe it was the millionth anti war rally I marched in, sheep like, surrounded by tie-dyed and patchouli soaked masses. Maybe it the billionth time I received a call from a cause of a candidate, or the billionth call I made, only to be cursed at. Maybe it’s the fact that I can’t walk down the street without being offered voter registration or a petition. Somewhere, I started to think that it just wasn’t working. Old habits may be hard to break, and it’s even harder to get the old school left to break them.

“Social Protest and Policy Change” is academic as all hell, and even a political science student like myself might find it a little difficult to get through. This is not a beach read, unless you’re Noam Chomsky. And it’s a crying shame, because a less academic version of this book could be a catalyst for real change. Giugni concludes the first part of the book with the following statement: “…we can say, first, that we can observe to some extent a covariation between the development of the mobilization by ecology, antinuclear, and peace movements and that of environmental, nuclear energy, and national security policies. However, we cannot maintain that the former caused the latter.”

All in all, Guigni concludes that protest movements are somewhat useful and can lead to some change. However, nothing happens overnight. It is erroneous to think that one rally or even one isolated movement can lead to social change. Giugni also analyzes movements that took place in the late eighties and early nineties, before the internet. I would be curious to see what sort of effect he thinks the twenty-four hour news cycle and the web has had on protest movements. Overall, the book is dense but important.

Die Monitr Batss/ AST self titled split EP: A recent review of a Wolf Eyes record asserted that no one listened to noise records, rather that they went to noise shows because that was where the “tastemakers” in their scene were flocking. While the Batss do put on a blistering live show, this record is worth more then a few spins in your stereo. The Batss channel old school noise heroes like Teenage Jesus and the Contortions, making an unholy yet wholly enjoyable racket. AST, on the other hand, have clearly been listening to lots of old Sonic Youth, Slits, and Raincoats records. Their tracks are less likely to take the paint off your walls, but no less forceful. This might be some of the best work AST has ever done. The Batss, while still in top form on this EP, don’t come close to the brilliance that was their first record. But then, how can you ever top a line like “spread your legs/ and release the bats?”

The Mae Shi “Terrorbird:” The Mae Shi are the kings of the new LA noise scene. If you like XBXRX, the Ex-Models, or Deerhoof (hell, if you know who those people are), then you’ll probably love the Mae Shi. Terrorbird contains thirty-three short songs that are, essentially, a controlled chaos of random noise. Occasionally they throw in a Casio keyboard or some screaming vocals, but for the most part they just do the straight up noise rock.

The most refreshing aspect of much of the new noise rock is its openness to experimentation. On “Jubilee,” the boys attempt a four part harmony and wind up sounding not only out of tune but downright tipsy. You can clearly tell the band is having lots of fun recording the music, and their live show is a blast. Catch them now at the Smell in LA, or another small venue in your town, before they blow up.

Wet Confetti “This is so Illegal (Do it Quick):” A word of warning: do not, under any circumstances, listen to this record with a broken heart. Or even a bruised one. I would tell you not to listen to this record unless your heart was glowing with joy, but then you wouldn’t get it. Wet Confetti play dark-as-the-night, languishing pop that meanders along, punctuated with bursts of noise. Less poppy then their earlier efforts, the band nonetheless retains the beauty of their earlier releases.

Much of their strength comes from Dan Grazzini’s vocals, which sound perfect over the crunchy lo-fi guitar and solid drumming. The melancholy lyrics are sung with such grace and beauty it takes a few spins to realize just how dark the lyrical content really is.

I saw Wet Confetti at a dark, terribly hip bar called the Dunes in Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago. Every one of the coolest people in town was dead silent and mesmerized by what was, essentially, the perfect mood music. Yeah, they’re that good.