Taking On 2015 - Top Tracks (Q2 Quarterly Review)

Alright, so once again we have returned with our Quarterly Review series, spotlighting (as usual to start) the top songs of the year so far. Or that's what I guess I would write had I not neglected to do a Q1 Quarterly Review back at the end of March, but alas the time for that has passed while I was just listening to a lot of Drake and being lazy. We aren't here to read about the goings-on in my life though (presumably there is only a minimal 'we' anyway, but let's ignore that for the time being as these words continue to be typed in to the void), it's music time. As usual here is a Spotify list of all the songs that are on Spotify which I considered for this list, and you can also click on the song titles for corresponding Youtube/SoundCloud links where applicable.

Taking On 2014 - Top Tracks (Q2 Quarterly Review)

Hey, what do you know, here we are again! So I haven't written in a while, which I guess by this point isn't all that surprising. But as the sailor is unable to resist the gentle embrace of the sea's calling at night, I too stand on the docks of this page waiting for the ships to dock once more and take me back in to the salty depths. Or whatever. I'm actually just here to do some more lists because I'm terrible and haven't written enough over these past few months. So it's quarterly review time!

We're starting with songs, remember when we did that like three months ago? Well, the times have changed and so has the list. As usual, click the titles of songs to hear them where avaible. Follow my 2K14 masterlist on Spotify for all new heaters as they get added, or follow me on SoundCloud I guess. I also tend to only put one song per artist, though that definition has been stretched this time. Now, on with it!

Taking On 2014 - Top Tracks (Q1 Quarterly Review)

I didn't forget this place existed, I'm just pretty much a terrible person and have only been ingesting a ton of media without any writing or documentation of my experiences except on a personal level. But I'm a sucker for lists, I guess, and honestly I get the feeling that a part of me would die if I didn't do these Quarterly Reviews. So here we are, dishing on some sick ass tunes that I have been keeping track of on this Spotify playlist. Here are the dankest of the dank so far below, even with a few words that reflect some attempt at personal feelings on songs that give me personal feelings.

As usual I will link to them whenever possible, so click the titles on each track if you can/if you want to hear the things about which I am writing because they are all pretty much fantastic.

Taking On 2013: Top Albums

We have gotten through songs, which means that in order to wrap up the year in music we have to turn our attention to the complete works: albums. When it comes to albums there is this larger concept that the work needs to be cohesive, not just a collection of a few good songs, it needs to be a consistent sound. So which artists will top the list? How about we take a look at how things have changed.

Taking On 2013: Top Tracks

Okay, here we are once again. Some would say that we are in the thick of the year 2014, though I would not be one of those people as I am holding on to the past like a toddler who refuses to give up his favorite blanket even though he is so clearly on the cusp of manhood. But it's time to let go. The TV Shows are done, the video games are over, it's time for music. We've been tracking all the best songs from the year over the past twelve months and we have arrived at this list. So let us list on, and as usual click the links to listen to the songs, and only one song per artist is eligible.

Taking On 2013: Top Albums (Q3 Quarterly Review)

So after taking a look at how this year has shaped up so far in terms of best songs, it's about time to mosey on over to more complete works. We're talking albums, paintings for the ears. Or I guess films for the ears since sometimes paintings can be smaller parts of a greater whole as well. Video games for the ears? What has changed since the last time? Some stuff. Music to my ears.

Taking On 2013 - Top Tracks (Q3 Quarterly Review)

Man, sometimes time gets away from you. Or me, I guess as this case may be. The days keep passing and I keep listening but I don't keep writing and then now I do start writing and it's like I'm just about to write. And I keep listening, still. And listening. And listening some more. But to what am I listening? Well, a few months ago it was these songs. But these past three months, I mean it's kind of all a Yeezus sort of thing. With summer coming to an end perhaps Kanye's vice grip on music is starting to fade. Or perhaps not. I guess let's look at the list.

Taking On 2013: Top Albums (Q2 Quarterly Review)

With the year in singles setting the bar fairly high for music, it's really up to albums to match it. Earlier in the year there were plenty of releases that had not dropped which I was anticipating. Some of them arrived. Some didn't. With Danny Brown, ScHoolboy Q, Willis Earl Beal, and many others still to drop their 2013 releases there are heavy hitters waiting in the wings. But there are some heaters already out there. It's weird that we look for heaters in the summer. Which bring the most heat? Let's take a look!

Taking On 2013 - Top Tracks (Q2 Quarterly Review)

With last year being so huge for music, it's kind of easy to look at the present as a kind of disappointment. I know only a few seconds ago I was thinking the same thing. But that's why I make these lists throughout the year, to kind of monitor the pulse of different forms of culture and get an idea of how the landscape has shifted. And comparing this list to April's it most certainly has, because even though I'm still not sure that 2013 has reached 2012 levels of greatness the number of certified bangers to be pumped out of the music industry across genres in only half of a year is astounding. As I continue to use a master Spotify playlist to help track tracks, feel free to also click on titles for Youtube links of all the songs where available. And, really, let's get on with the list!

Taking On 2012: Top Tracks

After wrapping up the year in video games yesterday, it's time to start turning attention to all of the great music that came out this year. While there were many great albums, I actually found myself listening to more playlists and individual tracks this year. I'm not sure if that says that, ultimately, it wasn't a great year for albums or if it was just a great year for songs. Read in to it what you will. What I do know is that there have been some changes to the list since we last checked in during October's Quarterly Review. So what has arrived? What disappeared? Well, we can have a look, and a listen if you click on the titles. Additionally, check out my Top 20 songs in order over here on Spotify!

Taking On 2012: Top Tracks (Q3 Quarterly Review)

With the winds of autumn blowing in, with them also comes the final portion of the year. And as the end draws closer that means that it's about time to start recapping the year so far. Following up the previous list of top tracks from the beginning of summer, some changes have already occurred as even more exciting albums on the horizon promise other changes in the future. Be sure to click on the track names to listen to all these great songs and check in with the first two Quarterly Reviews of tracks to see the changes.

Taking On 2012: Top Tracks (Q2 Quarterly Review)

With June now completely passed we have reached the halfway point of the year, and as has become one of my favorite traditions it is time once again to track how all forms of culture have been this year. When March drew to a close it was already shaping up to be a great year for music (both individual tracks and albums), but it wasn't until I sat down to compose this list that I realized just how loaded 2012 has been...and it's only half finished!

Obviously this means there have been a number of tracks that have completely fallen off the list in favor of new entries, and when we meet again in October I reckon there may even be an entirely new batch of songs that have overtaken these based on some upcoming releases and past albums I haven't had a chance to get to yet. Part of that has to do with my stipulation that only one track from an artist is eligible, but even without that there's plenty of great music to discover.

So what's say we cut the chit chat and get in to the heft of the list? As usual, click the song titles to listen to them.

Taking on 2011 - Top Tracks (Q2 Quarterly Review)

So, we have officially hit the halfway mark of the year. How are those New Year's Resolutions holding up? Mine had already been abandoned by the time I composed the first Quarterly Review, so now I have resolved to make no more resolutions. Even if that does not cure my shame and disappointment, I can at least take solace in the fact that this year has produced a number of great songs to inhabit this list. Just a forewarning, this list is going to be a good deal different from the Q1 Quarterly Review. More eclectic! More daring! More music!

Before we begin I should probably issue another short reminder: this is a Quarterly Review because I do them every three months, not because the list only contains songs released in these three months. They are all building to the final lists in January, and as such I think it is important to see the process up until that point. Both for myself and, hopefully, for you the reader. Some songs that were my favorites earlier have had time to sit, marinate, and fall or rise accordingly. These are the ideas that fascinate my mind! As usual, click the links to listen to the tracks. And with that, put the needle on the record!

Taking on 2010 - Albums

It has been a while, the grass has grown, now we are back to being processed. With the year drawing to an end I have found myself compiling lists on top of lists in an attempt to make sense of the past twelve months in all venues of culture. Well, the ones I I feel comfortable discussing. Now I should probably do a Top 20 Tracks first, but I am still working my way through the Pitchfork list to make sure I have filled in my blind spots. Albums I think I have a fairly comprehensive list, and I can certainly expand on last year's list. I have not gotten a chance to listen to a few records I would still like to check out, but 33 records are probably enough for now, right? Right. Let's get to counting down.

Taking on 2010 - Tracks

I may have tipped my hand a bit by already posting my Top Albums of 2010, but I hope there are still plenty of surprises left for my continued conquest of all aspects 2010. Today I am going to be looking at tracks, but before I go on I should probably state that I am not including covers in this list. I am only including one song per band/artist. So far those are the only stipulations. Sadly, that means that Weezer's excellent cover of "Viva la Vida," likely the second best song of the year, is not eligible. It also means that "Monster" will not be making the list. With those possible marks of shame out of the way, we are on to the list.

Taking On 2011 - Top Albums (Quarterly Review)

The onslaught of 2011 talk continues as Processed Grass turns its attention to the year's best albums, but I think the best question to ask is 'what makes an album?' I use a very liberal definition of 'album' so on this list I am going to include mixtapes and EPs as albums. We don't exclude here at Processed Grass, we include, we hope to shine lights, we want the artists to thrive. We are in a digital age, or so the picture box tells me when the news is on, and with so many methods of distribution, occasionally with intent to sell, removing some of the shining examples of artistic expression does not allow us to process. Process away, the music is waiting.


14. The Beets - Stay Home

The name of this band threw me off considerably. I went in expecting remixes of "We Need More Allowance" and other classics from the famous band popularized on the cartoon Doug, but what I found was a heavily distorted, highly faded, portrait of loneliness and youth. The lyrics here are beautiful at times, capturing feelings of my forgotten youth, but that tends to only happen when you can actually hear what is being sung. The record feels distant, and perhaps the past is distant, but I want to hold the past, not be aware of its unavailability. Also, such dank album artwork, simply stunning.


13. Team Teamwork - Team Teamwork Presents Super Nintendo Sega Genesis

I do not get along with mash ups, but I do get along with video games. I have also had an ongoing affair with hip-hop. With this release my infidelity is revealed as Team Teamwork brings all three elements together in the same digital space. Albeit a bit uneven, nothing strokes my nostalgia quite like hearing the music of Sonic the Hedgehog 3's Casino Zone behind a Lupe Fiasco track. If this CD does one thing it proves that platformers tend to have some fantastic music. Conversely, fighting games and brawlers do not.


12. Cut Copy - Zonoscope

They say that in Australia when it is winter in America land, it is summer there. This has been proven with science. Also proven with science is the badassery of surf rock pop. When I listen to this in the summer of the real world would I not fit in on that mighty continent? Do I ever really live in summer, or do I just exist in Australia's winter? Does the lyrical complexity of many of the tracks on Cut Copy's opus undermine the breezy feel to many of the standout tracks? Should we try to solve life's mysteries? We are here to savor. To observe. The understand. :au:


11. Curren$y - Return to the Winner's Circle

Braggadocio hip-hop has always been a beast that I struggle with because it asks me to forget the world, to not think of politics, to live vicariously. To floss, the shine, to stunt, to project. And there are times on the CD where Curren$y does his best to live up to what should repulse me, but strangely attracts me, to this type of hip-hop, though he ascends these tropes to make for a higher level of showmanship. That is what it means, I suppose, to be back in the winner's circle, and Curren$y will likely stay there for some time if he keeps putting out solid mixtapes like this one.


10. The Weeknd - House of Balloons

Urban is making a comeback, or at least what MTV has told me urban should be classified as is making a comeback. The sounds of R&B smoothly litter this debut album/mixtape/EP from The Weeknd, a group/artist still shrouded in mystery, but what changes it a bit is the way the lyrics become distinctly anti-R&B. Tensions and binaries dictate our world, not a second goes by without these forces pulling us, gripping at our jeans and tugging, begging for attention. The Weeknd don't beg, they/he/she/it creates.


9. Pusha-T - Fear of God

Being Pusha-T is probably pretty difficult, well aside from being a super player baller money making extraordinaire. He has found an audience in the past, but has the name Pusha-T ever meant anything to the mainstream? At times, yes, but now he risks being lost in the lofty shadow of Kanye over at the G.O.O.D Music label. But as the label's name implies, Pusha-T makes damn good music, and the CD has a distinctive feel, sound, and energy. The mixtape, at times, feels like a prelude to something bigger, and with Pusha-T's album on the way later in the year that is understandable, but even as a stopgap this mixtape has some damn fine tracks.


8. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong

Since this CD just came out today I have not had close to the amount of time with it as I have had with the other albums that occupy this list. Still, the latest from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart offers a sustained mood that, at times, seems to betray the band's name. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, the lyrics pound, they cut, and my eyes are fully opened. The whole album seems incredibly steady, but these impressions are rough, literally only in infancy, less than thirty minutes old, and the record is included for posterity. I look forward to reassessing it, to letting it wash over me in the car, in the sun, in settings damn it. That's the spirit of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, the essence, what we all search for each day, in the streets of Brooklyn, in used record stores, in buttons.


7. Miranda Cosgrove - High Maintenance

I have raved about the merits of this EP twice before, so I'll take this time to do a bit more pondering. Cosgrove matures, quietly and quickly, from her debut album to this one, seemingly without any of the growing pains that similar artists encounter. When is the point where we stop asking to grow up, when we start yearning for youth? Is there a time frame where we just live, before it comes slamming shut and we yearn, then we accept, then we go numb? Is Miranda Cosgrove in that time right now? The music speaks for itself, and I hope it keeps speaking.


6. Destroyer - Kaputt

Early on in the CD the words "I write poetry for myself" ring out. It's this magical moment that defines the mystique of Destroyer's latest CD, an announcement of artistic vision streaming from a passionately disconnected voice. Sometimes being punched is nice, we need the reminders of pain in order to appreciate the beauty. This CD drags us down and around, but then it puts us on the cliffside and asks us to survey the land, the ingest the beauty. All hail Destroyer.


5. Childish Gambino - EP

The latest release from Childish Gambino establishes a new force in hip-hop, capable of blending intricate wordplay with a variety of styles. The EP showcases Gambino's ability to work with minimal tracks that showcase lyrical prowess and delivery, evident on "Freaks and Geeks," while also slowing down and working with the singer/rapper combos that have lately been popularized on his tracks "Shine" and "Be Alone." Beyond the lyrical intricacies is a raw emotion, a core that anchors great music, great works of art.


4. James Blake - James Blake

I lamented in my Top Tracks Quarterly Review that I am unsure whether or not James Blake makes dubstep. I doubt I really need to know, or that being able to identify Blake with a singular label would do much justice to the finely crafted aural experience that he has, instrument by instrument, pieced together to make one of the year's most unique and fulfilling experiences. James Blake offers a series of thoughts, he sets moods that rise and fall, perfect fluctuations.


3. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

I find myself strangely attracted to much of the material in Lykke Li's sophomore release. Acting as a quasi love letter to heartache, Li captures the majesty of feeling. We, collectively, seem to scoff at the way angst is portrayed in many forms of popular media, but Li's mediation on sadness serves as an insightful portrayal of the emotions we wish away, but still possess. Nowhere is this more apparent than the stunning "Sadness is a Blessing" a showcase of Li's talents, an reexamination of the growing process, a denouncement and acceptance, a quiet beauty. I suppose that time on the Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack helped her grow. Long live Lykke Li.


2. the Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck/All Survivors Pack

Any regular reader will know that, as a writer, both journalist and creatively, there is no man I admire more than John Darnielle, whom I consider to be the greatest living poet. What he has crafted is, once again, a beautifully deep thematic concept album that, while existing as a unique experience also fits in perfectly with the Mountain Goats's discography up until this point. The star fo the show are, as usual, Darnielle's poignant lyrics, boiling down complex ideas into the most approachable, poetic verses. And with All Survivors Pack Darnielle offers even more insight in to the process of creating, allowing the listener to watch sounds develop, to refine, but by issuing it on cassette tape, a custom of the early Mountain Goats recordings, Darnielle cleverly plays on the idea of the relic that is strung throughout many of the songs. It's all brilliant, it's all so perfect, it's all so beautiful. the Mountain Goats are music, they are poetry, they are perfection.


1. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

What makes PJ Harvey's album my favorite of the year so far, and in all likelihood for quite a while in the future, is the way it uses a historical backdrop to confront the present, to explore a specific time, a specific event, so perfectly while also probing at our world. It's a perfectly formed micro and macro relationship, all tied together by a sweeping range of instruments and Harvey's piercing lyrics and singing voice. It's not only England that is meant to shake in Harvey's latest, it's a quake that disrupts the flow of time. But in this division a unity is found, and in this unity realizations of the interconnectedness of time are discovered. Let England Shake is not a record to that should be waded in, it's a vast ocean meant to be discovered, explored, opened up.

Eclectic! If I was to make an uninformed guess about the rest of the year I would venture to assume that there will be many more projects from solo artists that crack my next Quarterly Review in June. Times change, perceptions shift, list making is a process, and here at the Grass we will continue to process, to produce, to consume.

Next Up: Top Films Of 2011 So Far

Rich

Comments are welcome and, for anyone with a literary mind, I encourage checking out my poetry blog filled with all original works for your reading pleasure.

Also I am on the old Twitter thing so I guess you can follow me at twitter.com/FLYmeatwad.

Taking On 2011 - Top Tracks (Q1)

Here at Processed Grass we have a strong attraction to all of the finer arts, so despite keeping a focus on film we still like to take the time to cover the other art forms that make up the abhorrent zeitgeist. With March drawing to a close rapidly it's time to start assessing the cultural output of the first quarter of the year. I have been on a quest to listen to more music from 2011, and I think that I have been successful in that so far, actually I'm averaging about a CD a week which is astounding given how paltry my year end list was in 2010; however, the more things change the more they tend to stay the same. In an attempt to expand my horizons the old ports have beckoned me back, in the long nights as the lighthouse rotates its the familiar lands I find myself drawn to, thriving upon. Drop the anchor, moor the boat, we'll be staying for a while.

10. EMA - "California"

Distortion can work wonders on tracks, Japandroids and Sleigh Bells have made it a staple of some of last year's best tunes, and while it may border on blasphemy to call distortion the possible followup to autotune, it seems like a sound device that can easily be similarly abused. Thankfully EMA, along with the disconnection she delivers the puncturing lyrics, appears to fall in line with the former artists. The stark desperation, the worn down tone, the burnt out youth. After the four minutes have finished there is no longer a song, only a mirror, another lens, and we all hold the gun.

9. Kanye West and Jay-Z - "H.A.M"

Excessive was a word that described Kanye West's masterwork My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it also serves a descriptor of Jay-Z's Brett Favre~esque bouts with retirement. The first single from their upcoming duet album promises an album that is, as both artists do best, nothing short of brilliantly excessive. Kanye and Jay-Z build and build, keeping a flow but increasing in energy until the song reaches the only logical conclusion: a background opera encompassing the beat. No musical genre is safe. Kanye West is here.

8. Avril Lavigne - "What The Hell"

I like to imagine that in a mall, probably in the deep recesses of Canada, someone is still listening to "Sk8ter Boi" for the first time. Avril has always excelled as bringing the alternative voice to traditional pop, playing upon convention by layering on top a snarly challenge to the prescribed musical norms, existing as the bramble of music, technically capable of causing some harm, but ultimately housing some kind of sweetness amid the prickles. "What The Hell" carries on this tradition, seeing Avril capture the slightly off-kilter pop sound that made her debut tracks staples of my iTunes library.

7. Lykke Li - "Get Some"

During the last presidential election one of the key topics discussed was the way America outsourced its jobs and the fallout that has resulted because of the relocation of labor. Maybe it has to do with cheaper labor, perhaps companies are attempting to dodge taxes, or just maybe the product is better. If product of Europe Lykke Li is any indication it all begins to add up. Though "Get Some" is much louder than anything else from her stellar sophomore record, the song's charm is found in the seductive power play that Li makes, offsetting the phallocentric ideals and becoming the whore and the Madonna, the alpha and the omega, the power displaced.

6. Childish Gambino - "Freaks And Geeks"

The opening bars of the song strongly proclaim: "Gambino is a mastermind." In hip-hop you are asked to put on a front, the exude a confidence and swagger to make known that you are the hottest artist to ever pick up a microphone, and Donald Glover does a damn fine job of backing up that opening line, backing up the swag. The delivery on the track is rapid fire, barely taking the time to breath between bars, giving a 'blink and you'll miss it' feeling of emergency to the track. And if you blink you will miss quite a bit, because the wordplay from line to line is astounding. He engages the consciousness, weds it even, and the brain is left fornicated. he is running this bitch, we are just dog walkers.

5. James Blake - "I Never Learnt To Share"

I don't think this song is dubstep, but if it is dubstep then I have been missing out on an entirely different type of music that I need to dive in to at the earliest chance. What stands out most to me about this track, and the James Blake record as a whole, is that it does something that few other records have been able to do: it relies on sound progression and heavy instrumentals to sustain an entire album and he allows me to understand the progression. I know why sounds shift, how songs build, where the fluctuations are, and why they are. Part of this is because Blake uses his voice almost as an instrument, but his lyrics are varied and sharp enough to make me want to explore the songs. And what is music if not an exploratory process?

4. PJ Harvey - "The Words That Maketh Murder"

History is a concept that is not incredibly tangible, sometimes it is even best conveyed by collecting experiences and relaying emotions, or at least appealing to emotions. In this we see the timelessness of history. Ken Levine talked about making Bioshock Infinite and said that they looked to the past to see the future, to realize that world. It seems that is what PJ Harvey has done here, and we learn that we are trapped, but at least this awareness is brought to us with beauty.

3. Miranda Cosgrove feat. Rivers Cuomo - "High Maintenance"

I could rave about the was Miranda has matured with this EP, how the song captures a playfulness and energy that surpasses anything she has ever done up until this point. How the inclusion of Rivers adds a nice compliment to Cosgrove's voice and results in a nice back and forth between the two artists. But I just wrote about all this, so go read my review of Cosgrove's EP for the complete thoughts of how great that EP is, and why the titular track is so incredible.

2. the Mountain Goats - "Estate Sale Sign"

As the Mountain Goats delve further in to their third major 'sound' they blend the sombre tone that was found in the previous record with the shrills that mark some of John Darnielle's most iconic tracks. Like the best songs he has written and performed, "Estate Sale Sign" captures an intensity in the vocal fluctuations that Darnielle brings to the track, and to the CD as a whole. The verses culminate in a desperation, a howl of defiance that make the chorus as iconic as anything Darnielle has ever written. All Eternals Deck is the last record I listened to before compiling my lists, and while there are plenty of worthy songs to occupy this spot, my gut tells me this is the song that deserves the mention. It punched the hardest, and I'm still doubled over.

1. Tyler, the Creator - "Yonkers"

I have written before that I have the softest of spots for hip-hop, and Tyler, the Creator's latest track off his upcoming album Goblin captures all the elements that first attracted me to the music. The beats is not overly complex, and the flow is not rushed. It lets the lyrics exist, and it uses those lyrics to blatantly draw attention to society's taboos. But controversy on its own cannot sustain a song, let alone make it the year's best track. No, what Tyler has is, as member of his crew OFWGKTA say, swag. He's a rapper, but the song is artistic license at its finest. When listening to the track it's clear that an artist is hard at work, perfecting a craft, a subgenre that has been lost in the corporate shuffle to make the music a commodity. "Yonkers" represents a movement, a future (I am using all my restraint to not call it an Odd Future), and hip-hop is ready to rise once more. Oh yeah, and there's almost no chance there will be a better music video this year.

If ten songs were not enough I have the next ten listed below, all with links to youtube videos of the songs, just like the ones above, all you need to do is click the song titles.

Songs On The Bubble

11. Selena Gomez & the Scene - "Who Says"
12. Lady GaGa - "Born This Way"
13. Fleet Foxes - "Helplessness Blues"
14. Destroyer - "Savage Night At The Opera"
15. Frank Ocean - "Songs For Women"
16. Curren$y feat. Big K.R.I.T and Killa Kyleon - "Moon And The Stars"
17. Cut Copy - "Pharaohs and Pyramids"
18. Panda Bear - "Last Night At The Jetty"
19. Radiohead - "Lotus Flower"
20. Rebecca Black - "Friday"

Next Up: Best Albums Of The Year So Far

Rich

Your Head Will Collapse When There's Nothing In It, And You'll Ask Yourself: Where Is My Mind?

Where The Wild Things Are (Jonze, 2009)

The PG rating tacked on to Spike Jonze's latest film, Where The Wild Things Are, may make you think that this film is intended for children, but I can almost assure you that more adults will enjoy this movie than children will, which is to be expected when you have a director who has only handled adult films focusing on the philosophical plight of man. I am mostly unfamiliar with Jonze's previous work, though I have seen and rather enjoyed Adaptation, and Where The Wild Things Are was set to be my first Jonze film on the big screen. Since I had the pleasure of seeing the film in IMAX the screen certainly was large, perhaps even as large as the Wild Things that young Max encounters. Much like my lack of knowledge about most of Jonze's career with a camera, I have also never read the book this film is based on, so I went in without the years upon years of nostaliga that most viewers will likely enter with. Also, I basically thought the trailers were unimpressive. Still, I was hoping that Jonze could produce one of the year's best films, and I knew if there was a director capable of elevating what could easily have become a simple morality tale for families, Spike Jonze is that man.

In many ways Jonze does deliver a film that is so much more than a simple film made for family friendly audiences, we have a movie that is essentially a trip into the psyche of a vulnerable child as he apparently attempts to come to terms with all of the turmoil in his life. Jonze does, for better and worse, capture the idea of childhood with this film, in each and every regard. Unfortunately, that freedom also shines through in the narrative, or in many cases the lack thereof. The majority of the film when we spend time where the wild things are, the viewer is given only minor references to what portion of Max these creatures are supposed to represent or what the point of him being here is, other than to make things looks pretty for the viewer. But the film is a character study, we don't really need a plot, right? Right. Sadly, the character we are studying is developing constantly, but he is doing it through six or seven lesser portions that simply do not stand alone as compelling enough characters to warrant all the conflict and emotion that Jonze forces on the viewer. In many ways this film is like Antichrist, you know the symbolism is going on because the film pushes the viewer in that direction, but in neither film are we given enough to completely let these symbols exist naturally in the film, but with Antichrist the entire film is overtly allegorical, where as this film is all over the place because we need to believe the reality of the reality as well as the reality of the fantasy in this world. Perhaps I am over-analyzing the film, but I cannot help but I do feel safe in asserting that the film is more rewarding to contemplate afterward than it is to watch during. But that contemplation is the mark of a great film, I am so torn.

You know what else is the mark of a great film? Technical prowess. Jonze has this prowess in spades. Everything about the film up to the point where Max first encounters the wild things is absolutely brilliant. Not only are all of the actors near flawless, a trait that does carry throughout the entire film, but the camera is used so intimately that the intended emotion of each scene practically oozes from the screen. Pair that with the wonderful use soundtrack, the fantastic editing, and the intense art direction and we could have one fantastic film. Actually, all of those things mostly do run throughout the entire film. Why do I not love this film more? Anyhow, Jonze miraculously loses all of this emotion as the film continues, only capturing flashes of the initial greatness about ever 15 minutes or so. Thankfully the film is God damned beautiful, so despite the narrative and character development not being too engaging during the run the visuals are more than enough to keep the film afloat.

Minor spoilers in this next paragraph I suppose, but really it's only the first 15 minutes...

But I think things need to stay more than just afloat, in such a personal yet apparently universal film each and every viewer needs to be able to both sympathize and judge Max all at once. Perhaps that is what is missing in the middle. Early on, when we are still in the real world, everything Max does and each different scene not only reveals more and more about his character, though hardly in overt manners, while conveying different emotions. So much so that I imagine each and every viewer can, to some extent or another, connect with at least one of the things that Max experiences. Rebellion, isolation, joy, freedom, imagination, everything. Jonze displays it all, and he does it wonderfully. Hell, the film nearly had me in tears, which would have easily been a record, about fifteen minutes in when Max is lying on the ground under his mother's desk and she stresses out over work. I spent most of my adolescence in a single parent household and I completely connected with what Jonze had on display, but as a viewer I was also able to see the tragic beauty. And then we get the gut-wrenching scene where Max's mother has her boyfriend over. The way events transpire, it's devastatingly brilliant. But then that emotion disappears and we are given a pretty film to look at for a while.

Much like a child telling a story, the narrative offers basic symbols and moments of genius, but it just does not give enough during the film to truly showcase its brilliance. Yet after the credits rolled it's all mostly there, it just takes looking closer at the subtext. It's so confusing. I really do not know where I stand on the film, whether I love it, dislike it, respect it, admire it, adore it. I do not know. I honestly considered giving the film two ratings, but I can't do that, mostly because scores are meaningless. I'm certain this is not one of my favorite films of the year, yet aside from my top two or three there are no other films I have seen this year that I am more eager to revisit. I'll have to see if I can find someone to go with in the near future and hopefully get a fresh interpretation, maybe that will help me figure things out more. Let's just say it's pretty good, and pretty bad, and pretty fantastic.

B+/A- or 4.23234273847325462371895

We Were Once A Fairytale (Jonze, 2009)

Wow! A double dose of 2009 Spike Jonze! While I am still mostly confused about the Wild Things, I do know this short film is the best Spike Jonze directed film of 2009. Starring Kanye West in a role that is kind of like what I imagine John Malkovich did in the Jonze film about him, we experience a brief night in the club where Kanye struggles with identity, fame, rejection, and perhaps even the human condition. Jonze continues to show why he is magical with a camera, and he even gets a fairly decent performance out of Mr. West, though I have to wonder if Kanye always sounds so odd when he talks/yells. The film is a bit difficult to hear sometimes because it never drops the club atmosphere, so loud music is always playing, but that is nothing more than a minor complaint. While it is probably safe to give away the ending since Jonze has the film up online and it is only 11 minutes long, I will just talk about it in a round about manner. It's a fantastic ending point that, if I am interpreting it anywhere close to correct, and that may not be since the analytical portion of my brain had a good deal of trouble even formulating a decent idea of what was happening, essentially is delightfully bleak yet strikingly lovely. A great effort from Jonze and an excellent follow up to his messy Where The Wild Things Are.

A-/B+ or 4.278721462356239563279

And just like that I have hit 60 2009 films watched so far this year! I have roughly 4 months to hit 100, which I think is completely doable.

Feel free to watch We Were Once A Fairytale right here

Comments are welcome and, for anyone with a literary mind, I encourage checking out my poetry blog filled with all original works for your reading pleasure.

Also I am on the old Twitter thing so I guess you can follow me at twitter.com/FLYmeatwad.