‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Soundtrack List Released

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May 28, 2017

The official soundtrack list for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming has been released. Check it out below.

Disclaimer: Although the definition of spoilers is highly debated, some might find these song titles to be filled with information that ruins key scenes in the movie.

1. Spider-Man Television Theme

2. The World is Changing

3. Academic Decommitment

4. High Tech Heist

5. On a Ned-To-Know Basis

6. Drag Racing / An Old Van Rundown

7. Webbed Surveillance

8. No Vault of His Own

9. Monumental Meltdown

10. The Baby Monitor Protocol

11. A Boatload of Trouble Part 1

12. A Boatload of Trouble Part 2

13. Ferry Dust Up

14. Stark Raving Mad

15. Pop Vulture

16. Bussed a Move

17. Lift Off

18. Fly-By-Night Operation

19. Vulture Clash

20. A Stark Contrast

21. No Frills Proto COOL!

22. Spider-Man: Homecoming Suite

The scoring is done by Michael Giacchino, who’s worked on pictures such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Up, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and Zootopia.

If you’re interested in picking up the soundtrack, it is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Spider-Man: Homecoming features Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Donald Glover, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Tyne Daly, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, and Hannibal Buress.

“A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.”

The movie is slated for a theatrical release on July 7.

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Creators Talk Candidly About Image Comics And “The Big Two”

By

Manuel Gomez

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May 28, 2017

MegaCon 2017 in Orlando held an ‘Image Comics at 25’ panel Friday afternoon with Greg Rucka, Jason Aaron, Howard Chaykin, Scott Young, Gail Simone, and Cat Staggs. The creators gave their honest opinions about some of the big differences working with Image Comics as opposed to Marvel and DC.

Twenty years ago, the dream if you were a comic creator was to work at “The Big Two.” But Image Comics disrupted the industry back in 1992, and ever since has given creators options, and the good creators leverage. As a creator, you no longer have to work exclusively for Marvel or DC Comics to be succesful in the comic book industry, and you can thank Image Comics for the diversity.

Watch the video below:

Skottie Young: Mine was very simple. I was at Marvel for years and years and I said ‘Hey it’s time for me to go do this.’ And they were like ‘Yeah it seems like that.’ I still do covers at Marvel, I’ve done some novels at Disney with Marvel characters, some children’s novels. But it was just as easy as me saying like I feel like I’ve told all the stories I want to tell here and now I wanna go tell some of my own stories and they were like ‘I’ll be the first to read.’ My relationship with them has been very smooth on that front. So, I can only speak from that.

Howard Chaykin: I aged out of Marvel, they won’t give me a job.(Audience laughs) Laugh all you like, it’s true. I had my last job with them in January of 2012. I was promised work in April and it’s never came around. So I accept the fact I am too old to work at Marvel. I work at DC now and then. I’m writing some stuff for them for the new age and new revival material. Writing and drawing some other stuff. But I consider Image my primary client right now.

I teach a seminar. I taught it at Marvel for many years. I’m teaching it at DC now, and a video games company last week. Which talks directly about the idea of being a professional and putting the hobbyism aside and how to have a career and run your life. And it’s really important for me to realize I represent the remaining linkage between my generation and the one that came before mine. And there are, I have a lot of ‘nieces’ and ‘nephews’ in the context of the comic book business. People who are good friends, who are half my age who will speak well of me at my memorial.

At DC and at Marvel both, in each case where I’ve developed a book it at ended up being at Image, I thought about for first Vertigo and then Marvel. And then stopped myself dead before I did. Because the relationship in editorial is such that there’s baggage at DC Comics and there’s baggage at Marvel Comics that precludes us from doing stuff that offends and appalls. You just can’t do it. Years ago Jennete Kahn kept telling me I should have brought American Flagg! to her in 1982 and I insisted, but she argued with me, but I was right; DC would never have published the book that came out under those terms. They would have always stepped in the way. I experience it now. If I do an Anti-Semitic joke in a DC comic book I know it’s going to get cut. I do it there to get some attention. Just to remind them to pay attention. Both companies represent a corporate landscape that cannot be abridged. And that’s really what the issue is for me.

Cat Staggs: Yeah the biggest difference definitely creative control and freedom to do things that you would never be able to do. You don’t have 70 years of history on something you are working on.

Greg Rucka: But Marvel and DC, they trade on, they trade on characters that are known globally and they trade on the glitter that says ‘Hey you want a little Wonder Woman on ya?’ ‘Hey want a little Batman?’ And people will eat a lot of shit to say ‘I’m writing Batman.’ That’s the truth of it. And what Image has demonstrated, and both Marvel and DC are aware of this, is theirs is a better deal for talent to be found. So each company, in my opinion, is aware of this and is attempting to address this in different ways.

The fact of the matter is (points to audience) you’re wearing a Vertigo shirt and I’ll tell you right now the creator-ownership deal at Vertigo stinks. There’s a reason I’ve never done a book at Vertigo. Because every time they come around and say ‘you want to do something at Vertigo’ I say ‘What’s the deal?’ They say it’s the same deal as it was last time and I say ‘no thank you.’ I would like to own the rights to my thing. Alright?

You can’t blame a corporation, whose job is to make money, to try and to make money every way they can. One of the ways they’re gonna do that is ‘we’re are gonna keep those rights because if it’s a hit we’ll make a movie. And we won’t have to pay the guy who created it.’ That’s putting it really crudely. As far as I’m concerned Marvel and DC, as much as the love lines they put out, they are R&D companies now for film franchises. And since they feel we’re pretty much interchangeable on some level, on a corporate level. One of the things that you get with Image is, you know that Jason Aaron is a HUGE writer at Marvel. He doesn’t have to work at Marvel. And Marvel knows that.

Howard Chaykin: Dig it. The way it is, Marvel and DC have a commitment to convincing you, the enthusiast, that the character is the brand. We are all rent. My life is based on the fact I as talent am the brand. But for the most part, you support the companies, the corporate nation’s beliefs by responding to badly drawn superhero stories as opposed to interestingly written and drawn other material. So shape up. Image is a company of talent as brand. And that’s really what it’s about.

Gail Simone: The other thing too that I like working with Image on, something creator owned as opposed to other companies, is I’m finding that they seem to care about this property as much as we do. In terms of trying to get it put together, get it out. Get people aware, promote it in the right places not just going to the same well over and over and over again. They have people that are a little more creative about that and know how to get the word out on these books that are not like anything else out there. It’s very difficult to compare them to anything, yet, somehow they can get the word out. And I really feel it’s well taken care of with them.

Jason Aaron: I am very happy to straddle the fence between Marvel and Image right now. I’m happy I don’t have to choose. I like doing both. I’m very happy with the stuff I do at Marvel, love what I do at Image. If that changes then I’ll do something different. But right now I don’t want to be made to feel by anyone at either company that I have to choose one or the other. Because again I love working for both of them, but ultimately I don’t work for either one of them. I’m not an employee of Marvel. I’m not an employee of Image. I work for myself. Neither one of those companies…

Greg Rucka: They’re clients.

Jason Aaron: Right. They’re not gonna take care of me in my old age. That’s my job. But as long as everything’s cool I’m happy to work at both of them and I’m really happy with the stuff I’m doing.

What do you think? Do you choose creator over character? Comment below.

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‘The Six Swords’ #1-2 Review: Irreverent Fun in the Not-So Old West

By

Gary Moloney

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May 28, 2017

The charm of the spaghetti western has never quite faded from pop culture. The iconic soundtracks of Ennio Moriconi, the imposing figure of Clint Eastwood’s nameless gunslinger and the “against all odds” endeavors of the Magnificent Seven have ingrained themselves in our psyche. In recent times, the sensibilities of the spaghetti western have bled into other genres such as sci-fi and fantasy. One need only to examine the success of Logan to appreciate the lasting influence of the genre. They offer a sense of adventure, but an ennui that often reveals the futility of the cast’s actions in the long-run. They focus on the little victories for people caught in a circle of violence with one inevitable conclusion. The Six Swords is by no means the first attempt at translating this style of story-telling to comics, but it may be one of the most successful attempts at emulating the look and feel of its predecessors.

The Six Swords is set post-apocalyptic wasteland wherein the style and culture of the Wild West has re-emerged because if you can’t have a little fun during the end-times, when can you? For reasons beyond their understanding, six mercenaries are pitted against each other by the local warlord. They understandably don’t take too kindly to this manipulation and vow to rid the land of its oligarch and hilarity follows. As one might expect from an ensemble piece that draws heavily from the book of Tarantino, each of the titular Six Swords all bring their own brand of humour, fighting style and sociopathy to the table. The comic never attempts to convince us that these are the “good guys” by any stretch of the imagination. While they are certainly the protagonists of the book, they fall squarely into the anti-hero/chaotic neutral bracket. Not much is revealed about their backstories in the first two issues, but the banter between the character is enough to keep the flow of the action scenes going and turn each fight into an opportunity for character development. It is in the heat of battle that these characters truly come alive and are willing to open themselves up to the readers. The designs of the characters themselves resemble archetypes found in the spaghetti western from the silent stranger to the cocky gentlemen, but they each subvert expectations in their own ways. How very Tarantino-esque.

As large a cast as the book has, its core creative team is nearly as expansive. With three writers on duty (Chris Massari, Matthew Perez and Melchor Sapiandante), one could be forgiven for thinking that it would lack a unifying vision. Not so, instead the series manages to balance its subtle, contemporary, sociological satire with the traditional spaghetti western elements in a manner that many budding authors aspire to, but few manage to achieve. A common argument from a certain category of disgruntled comics fans is that they want politics removed from their books, not recognising that this is impossible as every work of art is political in that it is informed by the author’s experience and belief. However, the problem is that some writer’s attempts at messaging are clumsy and heavy-handed which in turn alienated the reader. The Six Swords avoids this trap by recognising that nuance requires trusting the audience and acknowledging that material can be read on multiple levels. For those that just want a romp, the creative team have certainly provided, but for those wanting to look deeper they will also find something to appreciate in the post-WWIV badlands.

This series excels in both the intensity of its fight scenes and the visual humour that often strolls into Monty Python territory. The initial meeting of the Six Swords in an excellent example of how the book blends the humour into its gory and unrelenting fight scenes. What begins as an escalating Mexican stand-off, quickly turns into an all-out bar brawl with our ensemble not necessarily fighting as a team, but working together to avoid imminent death. It’s expertly executed and displays a brutality that comics can occasionally veer away from. As charming as some of these characters may seem in their conversations, the ruthless efficiency with which they dispatch their enemies and the palpable joy they feel is fully realised in the artwork. These men are cold-blooded killers and artist: Ryan Cody wants you to remember that.

There is a sense throughout the comic that we are reading a pitch for a classic Toonami show from the early 2000s. What Samurai Jack did for the Kurosawa brand of action movies, The Six Swords does for the spaghetti western, reinvigorating the genre in the popular consciousness with a stylistic twist and an extra blade or two thrown in for good measure. The comparison is more apt than you might think considering that The Six Swords is heading towards a crowdfunding model, whereas the return of Samurai Jack was likewise fueled by fan demand, albeit not monetarily. If the team continue to produce this dark comedy-action title with the same love and devotion they’ve shown the first two issues, then readers will be in for a wild ride in the not-so old west.

A review copy was kindly provided by the publisher.

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Review: Fairy Tail chapter 537

By

Jahmssen Ruiz Castaneda

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May 27, 2017

Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail is finally ending! Only 9 chapters remain. FT started off strong but after the Tenrou Island arc, its quality sharply dropped. If you’ve read anything else I’ve written you know that I think it’s one of the worst manga out there right now. The only reason I still read it is to see it through and that I have hope it’ll somehow redeem itself by the end. It still hasn’t and probably won’t ever though.

Tying up loose ends

The comic is resolving all of its conflict in preparation for the inevitable end. The last chapter gave us the death of Acnologia, the Black Dragon, and eater of all magic. It wouldn’t be so bad if his end wasn’t so anticlimactic.

He fell into time magic. That’s it. THAT’S HOW HE DIES?

After several arcs of hyping up his character, he meets his end in such a wonky way. To be fair, he might not have died immediately, as the formula for FT chapters these days is to have enemies come back more powerful only to meet their ends by some convenient plot point. An example of that formula in action is Zeref.

Zeref was painted as a God who had the curse of contradiction put on him. And how does he die again? The first master of Fairy Tail comes in and lies to him about how she hates him, and because she’s also under that curse they both die.That all happens after he puts time magic inside him or something, I don’t even care anymore.

But cool, not like that’s a waste of time or anything.

Fairy Tail Zeref and Mavis — At this point Fairy Tail reads more like bad fan fiction.

I once had high hopes for Fairy Tail. The world, the magic, and its characters were all so likable. Natsu being a no-nonsense typical protagonist was endearing. Facing his problems head on and eating other magic to add to his firepower was so great.

Eventually, the mangaka reduced good coherent plot points in favor of fanservice characters and art. We stopped getting fights that made sense and started getting more of characters that don’t matter to the overall plot.

Nobody ever stays dead

You would think that when a story kills a character, it’s for good right?

Not this one, ladies and gentlemen.

FT has played it safe throughout its entire run. Remember the Tenrou Island arc and how we thought everyone died? Only to have everyone come back because of some trash magic move we hadn’t ever heard of before? Remember when Juvia sacrificed herself for Gray only to still be alive? Remember when Makarov died heroically for his family?

You might think I want the author to actively go out and kill his creations, but that isn’t my point. Being trigger happy is also bad. My point is that if you’re going to kill a character, do it, don’t go backtracking on everything just because your fans want a happy ending.

Huge character moments are ruined as soon as you revive a dead person.

Sure you might be like “Oh but what about all those characters that died like Zeref, or the first master’s friend? Or what about all those villains that were killed? They died and never came back.”

Right, but who honestly cared about them dying? I sure didn’t. There are ways to have the reader care for dying characters without killing them off and then bringing them back.

End it now

To sum it all up Fairy Tail used to be great. At the very beginning, there were some genuinely enjoyable moments, but that all changed along the way. It’s as if the author didn’t plan the story further than 200 chapters and then found himself having to add trash to glue the story together the further it went. I can’t bear to see Fairy Tail prostituting itself out for views by turning to fan service instead of what once made it great. The ideal outcome would be to just end it now, but luckily there are only 9 chapters left.

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Ottawa Comiccon 2017: Winding Down on Sunday

By

Elliott Dunstan

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May 26, 2017

Ottawa Comiccon 2017 ran from May 12th-14th, and Sunday the 14th marked the final day of OCC. While many of the cosplayers had cleared out and the crowds had settled down, there were still plenty of people there to see such high-profile guests as Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter), Phil LaMarr (Futurama) and Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham).

HIGHLIGHT PANEL – Minds of Our Own: Neurodiversity in Comics

In this panel, Sean Moreland from the University of Ottawa, Dominic Bercier of Mirror Comics and Caroline Frechette of Renaissance Press discussed problematic depictions of mental illness in comics.

Frechette, in particular, criticized DC for Batman’s villain gallery. Almost all of Batman’s villains, after all, come from Arkham Asylum. Frechette also brought up what was, in their mind, the ‘breaking point’ for their tolerance of DC. In 2013, DC held a contest to draw Harley Quinn committing suicide while naked.

Bercier discussed his issues with Marvel, especially around Tony Stark. Tony Stark is apparently bipolar, but it barely registers as bipolar – it’s more of an add-on than a real, genuine look at the illness. It’s interesting and saddening to realize how negative symptoms are downplayed for heroes, and exaggerated and stereotyped for villains.

HIGHLIGHT ARTIST – Vitaly S. Alexius

Vitaly S. Alexius is the author of the beautiful, detailed webcomic Romantically Apocalyptic. Running since 2009, the comic follows Zee Captain and Sniper as they travel through the post-apocalyptic world.

Friends in costumes play the characters of RA, photographed against greenscreen, but Alexius creates dramatically beautiful backgrounds from digital paintings and photographs of abandoned areas from around the world. Alexius says that he based the setting and characters on his childhood in the Soviet Union.

HIGHLIGHT COSPLAYER – Eridan and Feferi

These lovely cosplayers present their own versions of Homestuck characters – Eridan Ampora (left; EvergreendeYaoiQueen) and Feferi Peixes (right; life_lover_13).

That’s all for OCC 2017! Who attended this year – and who’s ready for next year?

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Jason Aaron Talks ‘Star Wars’ And His Love For Ben Kenobi

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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May 26, 2017

At MegaCon on Friday, Monkeys Fighting Robots had the chance to ask Star Wars writer Jason Aaron about the old Ben Kenobi stories he’s incorporated into the title.

For those not up-to-date on Marvel’s main Star Wars title, Luke has discovered the journal that Obi-Wan/Ben kept while in exile on Tatooine. Aaron has used this as a device to tell shorter flashback tales in between his larger story arcs, tales that have quickly become fan-favorites.

Watch his full response here:

“That was me wanting to do grizzled old Jedi stories,” Aaron starts, “you know, like Unforgiven, western kind of Jedi stories.” He continued to discuss his love for old Ben, saying, “I loved doing those … [it’s] been one of my favorite parts of doing Star Wars.”

The writer also touched on the practical nature of doing the interludes: “We could do those stories kind of between bigger arcs, and use artists who could only draw like one or two issues.”

Finally, at the thought of a Ben Kenobi standalone film, Aaron joked, “Yea that’d be cool, maybe I could get a cameo.”

Keep it tuned to Monkeys Fighting Robots all weekend for more MegaCon coverage.

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Review ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ Fails To Capture The Series Past Magic

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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The 5th installment of Pirates of the Caribbean is derailed by substandard performances and a weak narrative.

Summary

The film begins with an engaging prologue centered around our new male lead played by Brenton Thwaites. We quickly find out that he’s playing Henry, the son of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) who was cursed to spend the rest of his days on the Flying Dutchman (Davy Jones’s ship) at the end of At World’s End. The narrative takes place 20 years following the last film. Henry has spent his adolescence studying all the curses and folklore of the sea. He believes that the only way to break his father’s curse and allow him to return to his one true love Elizabeth Swan (Kiera Knightly) involves acquiring the Trident of Poseidon (no big deal). There is some familiarity to this release. At times the film has the look and feel of Curse of the Black Pearl. Much like the original film, there’s yet another cursed group of pirate hunters led by Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) who are out for the blood of our beloved drunken swashbuckler Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Predictably, Henry and Jack’s paths cross and they get caught up in a quest that’s at best daunting.

What Worked

Jeff Nathanson made sure that the narrative for the 5th installment of the franchise was extremely lean in the same way Curse of the Black Pearl was.

The film didn’t delve deep too deep into Jack Sparrow’s back story and focused more on his drunken buffoonery. Much in the way the first film did.

The action sequences were intricate and appealing. While we didn’t have any ship heists, we certainly had a less than successful attempt at robbing a bank.

While Jack is a big part of the narrative, the story of Henry’s quest to break the curse is what this film is primarily about. Depp’s character should have never been thrust into the spotlight and works better as a comedic foil. This was understood in the first film and certainly appears to be the case in the 5th installment.

What Didn’t Work

Brenton Thwaites lacks the emotional resonance needed to drive this story. This story is about a son desperately trying to reunite with his father for both his sake and his mother’s. Instead of being on the edge of my seat, I found myself hoping Henry would somehow just drown so this uninteresting tale would finally reach its end.

Geoffrey Rush and Javier Barden appear to be this picture just for the big Disney paycheck. Rush’s character time on screen is supposed to provide an emotional backbone to this adventure but in reality, amounts to whole lotta of nothing. Barden is neither scary or intimidating. He looks the part but certainly doesn’t pull it off.

A majority of the film has a palpable feeling of familiarity. While The Force Awakens is able to borrow from previous Star Wars films, JJ Abrams made a conscious effort to make sure his picture had its own identity. Dead Men Tell No Tales is so strikingly similar to Curse of the Black Pearl that the films are in many ways interchangeable.

Overall

The 5th installment of Pirates of the Caribbean is the perfect example of how money talks. As long as individuals are willing to accept this type of substandard storytelling, we will continue to have unnecessary sequels. Dead Men Tell No Tales is not a horrible film. It’s just an incredibly average imitation of the highly successful original film that started it all. Why waste paying to see it at the theater when you can just rewatch Curse of the Black Pearl? You’ll get the same experience but at a far better price.

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Five Great DC Comics Events Perfect For The Next CW ‘Arrowverse’ Crossover

By

Manuel Gomez

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May 26, 2017

Now that Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow have all ended their respective seasons, we have nothing to do but wait and anticipate what kind of DC inspired fun the CW will bring the Arrowverse in the fall. Of course, each show will have their own stories, but as promised to us after the highly successful Invasion! crossover, we can certainly expect a yearly multi-show event bringing all our heroes together. With that in mind, I searched the multiverse of my mind (with a little help from this Monitor like thing called ‘The Internet’) and chose five great, classic DC events/crossovers the CW can bring us next. Of course, there would have to be changes and adaptations made were applicable but all of these are malleable enough they could work. Read on, enjoy, and as always comment and discuss below!
*Writers note: I purposely left Crisis on Infinite Earths off the list. That is the big daddy of them all, and honestly, could work as a great solo event miniseries (a topic for a whole other article!)

5Our Worlds At War

Although technically Our Worlds At War started as a Superman event, it could easily work for Supergirl and The CW. We already have Superman as a supporting character on that show, and Clark did drop a Warworld reference in a throwaway line in the season finale, so we know Warworld and Mongul exist. All you have to do is bring in Imperix or Brainiac to have this become HUGE. Have it so Warworld appears in our solar system, under the control of Imperiex who wants to turn every planet in the system in a different Warworld! That’s something that would also bring in the Martians (and tons of other alien races). Even Daxam is moved into our solar system at one point. Why not bring in Thanagar too! The heroes could then travel to Warworld, having most of the story take place there. Just think of the sets, the fights, the creatures! It would simply be awesome.

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Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Turns Fifty

By

Jonathan Bruce

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May 26, 2017

It was fifty years ago when Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.

Yes, the Beatles’ famous album is now half a century.

Released on May 26, 1967 in the UK (June 2 in US), Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band broke new ground as a record. It combines rock, pop, music hall, and psychedelia. Nor does it feel like a Beatles album, because the eclectic style makes it unique.

Despite being seen as the “first concept album”, the record is anything but that. The idea of a concept doesn’t last more than three songs. “All my contributions to the album have absolutely nothing to do with this idea of Sgt. Pepper and his band, but it works, because we said it worked, and that’s how the album appeared,” John Lennon would say “But it was not put together as it sounds. Except for Sgt. Pepper introducing Billy Shears and the so-called reprise, every other song could have been on any other album.”

The Beatles kick things off with the title track, which is a pumping good intro to work people up. This is Paul McCartney’s baby, and he tackles the song with gusto. The addition of horns makes for a nice, old time feel like an old-time brass band.

As the song ends, it leads into “With A Little Help From My Friends.” This is Ringo Starr’s solo spot, and he does a good job on lead vocals. From here, the Beatles showcase their various styles for the 39 minute running time.

Lennon follows up with “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, which remains a classic Beatles tune. Contrary to popular belief, the song is not about LSD but rather a homage to the works of Lewis Carroll.

“Fixing A Hole” is one of Paul’s best compositions. It feels like an upbeat pop song, but the lyrics focus on how to keep your mind from wandering. Producer George Martin adds in a harpsichord solo, which gives it a baroque feel.

“She’s Leaving Home” continues the baroque pop sound of the album. John and Paul are the only Beatles playing on this song, as well as an orchestra. This sets the scene for “The White Album”, in which each band member would work separately.

“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” goes into music hall territory. Lennon and Mccartney incorporate Hammond organs and calliopes on the track. Interestingly enough, this one got a ban from airing on the BBC, because censors felt “Henry the Horse” was a reference to heroin. How they came to that conclusion is ridiculous.

Although he doesn’t have many songs, George Harrison does prove his versatility as a member of the Beatles. “Within You Without You” is a great track with the use of a sitar. Harrison’s songwriting also shows maturation and growth.

Finally, the album concludes with “A Day In The Life.” It consists of two song fragments by Lennon and McCartney. This is the one that ends with the famous piano chord which lasts for one minute. Turn up your volume- you just might hear papers rustling and whispers in the background.

As the record winds down, fans can hear a secret message of sound effects, nonsensical babble and laughter. This comes at 15 kilohertz frequency. There is said to be a dog whistle in here somewhere. No doubt dogs have been reacting to it for years now.

Some say, if you listen careful, there is an obscene message hidden within the words. Yet there is no secret meaning- it’s just a rumour. Sort of like the urban myth of Paul dying and a lookalike taking his place.

Overall, Sergeant Pepper is an important piece of rock music canon. The Beatles succeed in branching out, and the final product is a sight to behold or listen to. Maybe, if you haven’t heard it, the album will “turn you on” to the Beatles.

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‘In Rotation’: My Top 5 Albums Of The Week That You Need To Hear

By

David Joseph

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May 26, 2017

In Rotation, a listicle for music lovers, and seekers of new and different things to listen to. So, if you’re looking for new music, something different, or maybe music to suit your mood this week, here is the place to get a diverse offering each week.

In Rotation this week, we have a famous Indie Rock group, as well an equally famous Pop Punk group, an …also …equally famous Indie rock/Emotive Rock band, a lesser known band of the Horror Punk persuasion, and an Industrial/Metal band, whose lead singer is the brother of another Industrial/Metal band.

In any case, let us get this show on the road.

Artist: The Shins
Album: Chutes too Narrow

For some people, The Shins became “a thing” for them when the film Garden State came out, and its Indie/Emo soundtrack spoke to many of the masses at that time. Perhaps, even Flake Music was someones “it” album for the band.

Some, however, heard their album “Chutes Too Narrow” playing on a coffee shop CD player.

From start to finish, it is an Indie Rock masterpiece that has all the necessary ingredients for true staying power in the Indie Rock hall of fame. Therefore, you really owe it to yourself to give this a spin.

Artist: Blink 182
Album: Self-Titled

At a time when fans who were used to the childish antics and crass lyrics of the juvenile Blink 182, many jumped ship when the band put out their first mature effort. Those who actually appreciate music, and to some extent Blink 182, were rewarded with their first self-titled album.

Emo Rock, Pop Punk, and deeper, darker, more mature lyrics throughout this unusual entry into the usually far less serious, humorous discography of a band that tends to discuss humping animals in their lyrics.

If all of this sounds appealing, give this a spin right now. If you prefer bestial…their early work and less serious music, maybe do not…

It should be noted, to boost their Emotive credentials for this album, they had one of the greats (Robert Smith of The Cure) share vocals with Tom on one track. So, there is that too.

Artist: Death Cab For Cutie
Album: The Photo Album

Death Cab For Cutie is mainly known for their album Plans or Transatlanticism, and for very good reason, as they are exceptional albums.

However, they overshadow their earlier career, and gems such as this record The Photo Album.

It is the album that is the bridge between their popular sound, and their slightly more grungy, experimental beginnings that was Something About Airplanes.

There is a lot to love for fans of Death Cab and Indie Rock, so it would be a crying, distorted shame if you did give this one a spin…once. You will probably buy it shortly after, but one spin at least.

Artist: The Rosedales
Album: Raise Your Spirits

Many music listeners are well aware of Horror music such as Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett, The Misfits, et cetera but there is definitive subculture of Horror based music out there just waiting for any horror film obsessed fan who might want to transition into the music form of the films they admire. Horror Punk has become a fairly large, oft loosely defined genre.

However, true fans of the music know what is and is not Horror Punk. The Rosedales are Horror Punk, but not your typical recipe is utilized.

To describe their music best, it is like Michale Graves era The Misfits and Chicago went back in time to the ’50s, influenced some up and coming rock n’ roll band, murdered them, and resurrected their ghosts to form a new band. Full of ambient, ghostly gang vocals and harmonizing, Emo love stories, occasionally with a terror-ific twist of the macabre, and you pretty much have the main ingredients of The Rosedales’ album Raise your Spirits.

It is highly recommended that you that resurrect them for a spin.

Artist: Powerman 5000
Album: Tonight the Stars Revolt

Powerman 5000 hails from an oft tired musical genre that is often associated with the Gothic subculture, despite it not being Gothic. However, PM5K is more than just your standard Industrial/Metal outfit with some hardcore thrown in, they are also into Sci-Fi films and ’50s Rock.

The album ends and begins with an old school ’50s Sci-Fi-like narrator, and sandwiched in between is some catchy Alternative Rock/Industrial/Metal with highlights such as “When Worlds Collide,” “Nobodys Real,” a cover of The Cars ” Let the Good Times Roll,” and their surprise ’50s Rock slow churner “Watch The Sky For Me.” For the record, this writer verified that the ending little diddy is actually all their own.

So, if your obsessed with late ’90s/Early 2000s Industrial Metal, but are looking for something new, or perhaps unique music, give it a spin, kids.

This concludes this week’s In Rotation music listing, and come back next week for another eclectic helping of the new, the old, and the weird in music. Thank you for taking a short journey into a vast collection of various genres that hopefully will give you something new to listen to this week.

Stay tuned or next week’s In Rotation.

[Images Courtesy Of The Respective Bands In This List]

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