She Wants Revenge She Wants Revenge [Geffen: 2006] Luke Simcoe, OP Contributor I’m not going to front like I have a ton of experience in this record-review game, but I have quickly come to the same conclusion that I’m sure many veterans have espoused: The worst record to review by far is the unre- markable debut. It’s not great, so you can’t just throw a few love-fest sentences together and gush about its originality or catchiness, and it’s not horrible, so you can’t really make fun of it. It’s the whole “a rock and a hard place” thing. She Wants Revenge’s self-titled debut falls firmly into this aforementioned category. It’s another Interpol/Joy Division/Duran Duran rip-off revival album, but with some saving graces (if you can resist the urge to compare it to its contemporaries). The singer has a cool voice and there are some stylish hooks on songs like “Red Flags and Long Nights,” and “I Don’t Want to Fall in Love.” As a whole though, the record is so bland and browbeaten that listening to it more than once becomes difficult. The drum machine seems stuck on the same setting (and sometimes the same beat) for the entire album, and the taut guitar and droning vocals make She Wants Revenge sound way too much like Interpol. And to top it off, the album cover looks like a boring Calvin Klein poster. In fact, I’m just going to go home and give Turn on the Bright Lights a spin and forget this thing ever happened. Okay, maybe it’s not so hard to make fun of it after all...or maybe it’s that She Wants Revenge is more unremark- able than I initially thought. (On a side note: I hear that the OP’s Brandon Ferguson scored an interview with She Wants Revenge while they were in Vancouver, and that frontman Justin Warfield is actually a really nice guy. I guess that counts for something, doesn’t it?) Liars Drum’s Not Dead [Mute: 2006] Luke Simcoe, OP Contributor You know that feeling of anxiety you get when you go the supermarket and they’ve renovated? You get all pissed off because nothing is where it used to be and they’ve changed sample day to Friday instead of Wednesday. Well, that feel- ing aptly characterizes Liars’ career. Their first album, They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2001), was am inventive and catchy dance-punk album that garnered the band some attention, some fans, and some imitators. For their follow-up, They Were Wrong So We Drowned (2004), Liars ditched their modus operandi and formulated an experimental noise-rock album. The vocals and guitars took a backseat to the sound and atmosphere of the album, and the record was met with mixed reviews and an alienated fanbase. So what do Liars do? They pack up and move to Berlin to record not one, but two, full-length EPs. The first was ditched, and material from it was used as the basis for Drum’s Not Dead, an album that continues the band’s tradi- tion of progression and departure. Like TVWSWD, it’s a conceptual album, loosely following two characters: Drum and his counterpart Mt. Heart Attack. It’s also a very mood oriented record, but the similarities stop there. For Drum’ Not Dead, Liars dropped any notions of punk or rock from their sound and created an eclectic and ethereal record that runs together like a symphony. Songs seem to start and stop at arbitrary points, but the album remains a seamless listening experience. Drum’s Not Dead opens with “Be Quiet Mt. Heart Attack,” a song replete with organ-like synths and blurry vocals. It sets the mood perfectly and its building momen- tum draws the listener into the album. The rest of the record carries on with this ephemeral experimentation and details the trials and tribulations of its characters. The vocal range and consistency of singer Angus Andrew is a standout, but what truly elevates the album is percussionist Julian Gross’ urgent and almost tribal drumming, which anchors the album at all of its strongest points (with “Let’s Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack” as perhaps the best exam- ple). Like many concept albums (pseudo and otherwise), Drum’ Not Dead closes with an uplifting and hopeful track called “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack.” The track has some very pretty keys in it and some soothing back- ground vocals that complement Andrew’s tale of Mt. Heart Attack’s affirmation. So, obviously I’m a fan. Liars are excellent at whatever genre they choose or invent, and Drum’s Not Dead is an imaginative and evocative piece of work. I only hope that it gets recognized as such, instead of being overlooked by critics and fans who just can’t get over the fact that the Tostitos are now in the Mexican Food aisle instead of with the rest of the potato chips. ace 10 Continued: P.10 away from remembering that drawing is fun and exciting.” _ To counter that, he has plans for a two-month sabbatical to create his own comic book, although he’s mum on details. He also adds, “I’ve always had this dream of going to Japan and doing a serialized book there.” So far, Miyazawa has been enjoying his time in the industry. He says, “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some really creative people who are really forward minded . and trying to change things and do new things, so it’s been fun.” Quick facts: Name: Takeshi Miyazawa Occupation: Comic book illustrator Former Occupation: Japanese-English translator Born: April 19, 1978, Toronto, Ontario Base of Operations: Vancouver, BC First Professional Work: Sidekicks (Fanboy Entertainment, 2002) Current projects: Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (Marvel Comics), BEX (webcomic) Currently reading: Gantz, InitialD, Blade of the Immortal How to Draw Mary Jane 1: Begin. While many artists use wireframes, Miyazawa starts with the eyes. “I need to start with the head because it balances everything. It’s an axis, an anchor almost.” 2: The face. “I was looking at screenshots from the movie and I was looking at Kirsten Dunst and Toby Maguire. My initial sketches for the book kind of leaned towards those actors, but I kind of decided, why should I just copy the movie?” 3. Style. “Mary Jane is a bit conservative, but she’s sup- posed to be a model, so I gotta make her kinda look glam- orous, but not /vo glamorous. I have a few rules, like no piercings, no midriffs, no tattoos, just to keep it ‘all ages.” 4. Wardrobe. “Once every couple months, I usually go to Chapters. I’m always a little embarrassed because I’m buy- ing all these “chick magazines,” but it’s all for artistic pur- poses. Since I’m not drawing a lot of muscles or costumes, clothes are a big part of my art and I have to kind of make sure it at least /ooks kind of up-to-date.” 5. Shading and details. “I also have to think about when it’s getting coloured. So when I do final pages for Mary Jane, a lot of times I don’t draw lips because I want Christina Strain to just colour them in Photoshop.” 6: Sign and date.