Bring Out Your Dead: Strung Out

Over the course of 2015, there were several cases that once I got into a band, it would basically open the floodgates and introduce me to other bands through their scene or members. Once case was when I got into Lagwagon, After I started listening to them, I began listening to other bands on the Fat Wreck Chords roster (except for NOFX, ironically). However, aside from Lagwagon, the group that stood out to me most was Strung Out.

While the band is ultimately rooted in melodic skate punk that would fit on any early Tony Hawk game's soundtrack, it incorporates strong heavy metal influences in their guitar work as well as progressive rock in their more technical moments, which lead to an interesting listening experience. These influences slowly shift over time, as their sound subtly moves from excellent mid-90s punk on their early albums to more experimental albums at the turn of the millennium to the more metal-inflicted works since the mid 2000s. However, through even their most intense, abrasive moments, the band maintains a strong sense of melody which always shines through.

After getting into Lagwagon, I was in a total skate punk phase. I quickly got into several other groups that would have fit the Warped Tour in the 90s and Strung Out was no exception. Without much thinking, I ordered a copy of their album Twisted By Design simply because that was the one most people seemed to highlight. It was pretty good, but it wasn't THAT impressive at the time. However, I liked some of the material found on other albums and I noticed their new album Transmission.Alpha.Delta on the new albums section of iTunes, which had some good songs on it. I ended up putting a couple songs on my iPod just in time for a trip down to Florida and listened to those songs a lot. On vacation, my family has a $50 souvenir budget. However, I didn't get any souvenirs for that trip, and instead used the money to order several CDs, among them, three Strung Out CDs. I ended going home earlier than my parents and would listen to these albums repeatedly throughout the house. Since then, many of those songs have been etched into my memory as part of that trip, and I was hooked on the band. I would then begin amassing the rest of their discography throughout the rest of the year.

Nowadays, when I think if I ever had to show someone an accurate representation of my musical tastes, I would probably play a Strung Out song. The group's music is largely fast paced and marries the energy and feel of punk with the intensity and intricacy of metal, yet remains catchy. One thing that I really love about this band musically is that the band takes advantage of the two guitarists in the band, Rob Ramos and Jake Kiley. While they tend to use a standard rhythm/lead dynamic, they can also craft interesting harmonies through twin lead guitar parts and punishing riffs when both play rhythm. This guitar interplay is crucial to the band's sound, as are Jordan Burns' rapid drum patterns and Jason Cruz's voice and vocal harmonies. One of the downsides to this band is that the tempos are often similar between songs, meaning there is less diversity among the songs. However, that is where Cruz's vocals and the guitar work come in to save the day, as they are able to craft unique melodies for each song.

Breakdown of My Collection

1. Another Day in Paradise (1994, CD) - The group's first album finds the group still just establishing their style. Here, we can listen to elements of their music that they would come to refine in future albums. As a result, this is the band with the their rawest and most straightforward punk output. It's not bad, but isn't as memorable as some of the band's other albums. That being said, "Ashes" is probably one of my favorite Strung Out songs.

Highlights: "Ashes", "Population Control", "Away"

2. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues (1996, CD) - The group's second album is more focused than their previous album and the songs are more developed and memorable. While it is not my personal favorite, it is seen as one of the band's best, especially among their early albums, so this may be a good place to start with this band. There are a number of songs I enjoy on this, but I have a problem with the production on the album, which I actually consider to be a step down from Another Day in Paradise. In particular, I have a problem with the guitar tones. I don't know how to describe it other than the tones almost remind me of bees. However, some of these songs would be remixed for the best of compilation and sound better, but I will get to that in a little bit.

Highlights: "Firecracker", "Solitaire", "Bring Out Your Dead", "Wrong Side of the Tracks"

3. Twisted by Design (1998, CD) - My first album from the group and arguably one of their best. I know earlier I found it to be decent but not all that impressive, but that was more of my first impression. Over the past couple months, after I got into much of the band's other albums, I started listening to this album again and I have to agree with many listeners that this is probably their best. The songs are catchy, some are heavy, and is a strong album to conclude their early era. This was also the last album with bassist Jim Cherry, who was crucial to the band's earlier sound, both in terms of composition as well as how much of a role the bass played in the songs. It goes to show that this was as strong album, because it is both Jason Cruz's favorite Strung Out album and one of Fat Mike's favorite Fat Wreck Chords albums.

Highlights: "Too Close to See", "The Exhumation of Virginia Madision", "Deville", "Paperwalls", "Matchbox"

4. The Skinny Years... Before We Got Fat (1998, CD) - This CD is a compilation of early tracks pre-Another Day in Paradise. The songs were from before the band really found their sound. The songs are somewhat primitive compared to the rest of their work and the production quality is comparable to a studio demo. This is really only something for a collector, and is now included as part of the remastered reissue of Another Day in Paradise.

Highlight: "Support Your Troops"

5. Element of Sonic Defiance EP (2000, CD, Vinyl) - This EP marks a new era for the band. The music was still punk, but more experimental and abrasive than any of the band's previous works, but is an enjoyable listen. Some of the songs are slower, others incorporate more progressive rhythms or beats than earlier albums, and there is slightly more notable metal influence in the guitar work.

Highlights: "Jackie - O", "Everyday"

6. An American Paradox (2002, CD, Vinyl) - This album continues the somewhat experimental nature the band was playing with at the time, an is probably my personal favorite album by them. This was one of the albums I first bought during my trip to Florida when I first really liked them and it always stood out amongst the other albums. I probably listen to the more songs from this album frequently than any other albums by them.

Highlights: "Velvet Alley", "Kill Your Scene", "Alien Amplifier", "An American Paradox", "Dig", "Cemetery"

7. Exile In Oblivion (2004, CD) - From the artwork to the titles of the tracks to the music itself, this is the band's darkest output. This is the first album where the metal influences really begin to shine through. However, the melody is still there and there are several strong songs on this album. This was another album I bought while in Florida, but didn't pay as much attention to when I listened to it and isn't one that I put on as much as the others. However, any time I listen to it, I find more and more to like about it.

Highlights: "Analog", "Her Name In Blood", "Skeletondance", "Swan Dive"

8. Blackhawks Over Los Angeles (2007, CD) - This album reduces some of the dark, edginess of the Exile, and brings back some of the more direct punk sound, bringing a balance to the punk and metal sounds in the band's music. This is another album I don't listen to much, except for a handful of songs, but the songs I like are strong.

Highlights: "Calling", "All The Nations", "A War Called Home", "Mission Statement"

9. Agents of the Underground (2009, CD, Vinyl) - Much like Blackhawks, Agents of the Underground has a fairly even balance of punk and metal. This was one of my last albums to buy from these guys, but I listen to this album fairly frequently.

Highlights: "Black Crosses", "The Fever and the Sound", "Heart Attack", "Andy Warhol"

10. Prototypes and Painkillers (2009, CD) - This CD is another compilation, this time, incorporating b-sides, outtakes, compilation contributions, tracks from the Crossroads & Illusions EP, demos and a couple covers. The first handful of songs almost come across as a coherent album, while some of the demos could have made for interesting songs if they made it to any of their albums. Meanwhile it is interesting hearing early studio versions of other songs that sound like legitimate recordings, not demos.

Highlights: "Novacaine", "Novella", "Your Worst Mistake", "Don't Look Back", "American Lie"

11. Top Contenders: The Best of Strung Out (2011, CD) - While I don't buy best-of collections if I have the rest of a band's discography, this one stands out. Not only does it include three new tracks, all of the old songs are remixed, giving them a more consistent sound. This gives songs like "Bring Out Your Dead" and "Analog" new life and avoids the issue some greatest hits albums have where songs almost sound like they were done by different groups because of differing production values. Overall, this is a fantastic way to introduce someone to Strung Out's material.

New songs: "Saturday Night", "City Lights", "Here We Are"

12. Transmission.Alpha.Delta (2015, CD) - Even though I already owned Twisted By Design, finding this album is what really led me to love Strung Out. Musically, it carries on with the sound found on Agents and Blackhawks, and the group is strong as ever. This was the third Strung Out album I bought on that Florida trip, but the only one that actually showed up while I was away. As a result, certain songs like "Rebellion of the Snakes" and "Nowheresville" remind me of being down there.

Highlights: "Rats in the Walls", "The Animal and the Machine", "Nowheresville", "Westcoasttrendkill"

While there may be some more experimental bands that could qualify as punk in some way or another, I ultimately view these guys as a thinking man's punk rock band, at least in the musical sense of the Epitaph/Fat bands. If you want a good punk/metal band that can be catchy but not be lumped in with all the -core bands, I'd recommend these guys.

It's Just Another Saturday: Lagwagon

As I skim over my music collection, I have come to view certain bands as "bands of the year", where I view a band or artist as a major component of a year depending on how many albums I get by them and how often I listen to them. In 2013, there were Tool and Rush. In 2014, there were Jawbox and Dag Nasty. For 2015, there were a couple of groups that could serve as bands of the year, such as Hot Water Music, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Strung Out and Lagwagon, the latter of which I will be talking about in this entry.

I had heard of Lagwagon in passing every now and then for several years, but I never paid much attention to the name and never bothered checking them out. I knew they were associated with NOFX and thought, for some reason, they were some overtly political group like Anti-Flag, which made me even less interested in them. However, they piqued my interest when I was scanning a venue's website and saw they were playing a show in the next month. For whatever reason, I decided to check them out only to realize I had knew their song "May 16" in the game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X and liked it. Unfortunately I never got to go to the show, but nonetheless, I had become aware of the band and I knew I liked some of their work.

About a month later I was checking out the punk section at record store in Silver Spring. There, I came across a copy of Let's Talk About Feelings, the album that "May 16" originated from. By that point I was still only familiar with that one song, but for five dollars, I figured, "Why not?" and bought it. After a while, I grew to really love that album and began looking into the rest of the group's output. In fact, I got copies of the albums Trashed, Double Plaidinum and Hoss around the same time as Hot Water Music's Fuel For the Hate Game and have since associated songs from those albums with the trip to Disney World I took soon afterwards.

Over the course of the year, I became familiar with other projects led by the band's lead singer Joey Cape. These projects include the indie side projects Bad Astronaut, The Playing Favorites, and Joey Cape's Bad Loud, as well as his acoustic solo work which including two split albums with No Use For A Name's Tony Sly. I could go on about these projects, but want to focus on Lagwagon now and will likely do a post about these other acts in the future.

The band's sound is typically upbeat, peppy melodic punk rock that also takes cues from pop and occasionally heavy metal. While it is still punk, the band members are all skilled instrumentalists and the music is actually much more technical that what is expected of bands in the genre. This can be heard through the interplay between the two guitarists as well as the solos. With this group I soon became acquainted with their contemporaries such as Strung Out and No Use For A Name among others, which both follow the same general sound with their own signature flavor.

Breakdown of My Collection

1. Duh (1992, CD) - Compared to some of their later albums, I have not listened to Duh much. It was one of my later additions to the collection and I have only recently begun listening in depth to certain songs. The production is cheap and raw and the music seems a tad rushed, however, the more I listen to it, the more songs I like.

Highlights: "Tragic Vision", "Angry Days", "Beer Goggles", "Child Inside"

2. Trashed (1994, CD) - The group's second album builds off the first and begins really solidifying the group's sound, and is seen as one of the band's strongest efforts. That being said, I don't listen to this album much. While many fans seem to really enjoy this one, I struggle to find many songs that really stand out. However, it may be the case that if I make myself sit down and listen to it more, there will be more songs that create a lasting impression, but so far, not many have seemed to do so on this one.

Highlights: "Island of Shame", "Give It Back", "Coffee and Cigarettes", "Brown Eyed Girl"

3. Hoss (1995, CD) - It took me a while to really get into this album. When I first bought it, I like "Violins" and "Sleep", but it didn't stand out all that much. I only really came to like it once I heard some of the acoustic interpretations Joey Cape did on his acoustic album with Tony Sly. Since then, it's become one of my favorites by them. This is one of the band's highest points in my opinion.

Highlights: "Violins", "Move the Car", "Razor Burn", "Sleep", "Bombs Away"

4. Double Plaidinum (1997, CD) - When I bought this album along with Hoss and Trashed, this was the one that stood out to me the most. Of all the albums I listened to on that Disney World trip, I listened to this one the most and have the most associations with this one. However as I have become more familiar with the rest of the group's output, I left this album behind. As I look over the album, though, I am reminded of all the songs I enjoyed off it.

Highlights: "Alien 8", "Making Friends", "Unfurnished", "Choke", "To All My Friends"

5. Let's Talk About Feelings (1999, CD, Vinyl) - I love this album. Plain and simple. It's the one that got me into the group and it still stands out as their strongest in my opinion. The songwriting is sharp and is easily the most pop influenced. The only real downside is that the album is really short compared to some of their other albums, lasting only 25 minutes. If I ever need to recommend an album by these guys, this is easily my go-to album.

Highlights: "May 16", "After You My Friend", "Leave the Light On", "Change Despair", "Everything Turns Grey", "Allison's Disease (Bonus Track)"

6. Let's Talk About Leftovers (1999, CD) - In the couple years, Fat Wreck Chords reissued all of Lagwagon's albums with bonus tracks and demos. Unfortunately, all my copies are original editions. Instead, I have most of these songs on the compilation, Let's Talk About Leftovers. The first third of the album was recorded at the same time as Feelings and were left off, so there is some strong material. Overall, the album is comprised of b-sides and outtakes from their previous albums, contributions to Fat Wreck Chords compilations, covers, and early tracks. It's not a bad collection, but like I said, you can find the material on this CD spread across most of the band's reissues as bonus tracks, and there are even more bonus tracks on each album that weren't on this one.

Highlights: "A Feedback of Truckstop Poetry", "Burn That Bridge When We Get to It", "Narrow Straits", "Want",

7. Blaze (2003, CD) - Another late addition to my collection, and another album I have least listened to. That's not to say the music is bad, it's simply that I haven't been able to sit down and get a full grasp of the album and I can only identify a couple of songs.

Highlights: "E Dagger", "Falling Apart", "I Must Be Hateful"

8. Resolve (2005, CD) - This album was written and recorded in tribute to founding drummer Derrick Plourde, who recently committed suicide, and has a heavy tone, both emotionally and musically. That being said, the music is more inspired, focused, and memorable than its predecessor, Blaze. In the end, the music is a heavy hearted, yet strong tribute to a fallen friend.
Highlights: "Automatic", "Resolve", "Heartbreaking Music", "Days of New"

9. I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon - EP (2007, CD) - The final addition to collection, I have only really sat down and listened to this EP in full once or twice. With that in mind, I can't say much. The music is standard Lagwagon but the EP just seems to lack some of the pep and charm of the group's earlier output.
Highlight: "Memoirs and Landmines"

10. Hang (CD, 2014) - The first studio release after a seven year gap, the group returns with the a strong comeback. The songs are slower and heavier, and Joey Cape's voice has matured with time, fitting with the more serious nature of the music. As shown on the album cover, the album has recurring themes of death, hanging... and bees, representing mortality as well as hive mentality and conformity. While I feel like the group peaked in the 90s, this is probably my favorite post-90s album.
Highlights: "Made of Broken Parts", "A Cog in the Machine", "Obsolete Absolute", "Burnin Out In Style", "In Your Wake"

Since discovering Lagwagon, I slowly began to uncover other works and projects that Joey Cape has done such as Bad Astronaut, The Playing Favorites, as well as his solo work, all of which contribute to my notion that this group is one of my "bands of the year" for 2015. If you want strong 90s punk that isn't Green Day, Rancid or the Offspring, I'd recommend these guys. I don't think you'll regret it.

Snow Is Falling From The Sky In The Middle Of July: Shades Apart

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A Whole New World: Aladdin

Over the past couple months, I have been going through a Disney kick. For the sake of nostalgia, I dug up our old VHS tapes, simply to see what we had when I was a kid, as well as what we didn't have on DVD or blu-ray. Among those movies were Fun and Fancy Free, A Bug's Life, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Emperor's New Groove, and last but not least, Aladdin.

For years I had heard how great Aladdin was and saw the presence it has in Disney's marketing, but I had never actually seen it. Actually, when I opened up the tape, I could see the tape was largely unfinished and I don't think it was even watched before then. I remember watching reruns of the animated TV series back in the late 90s and early 2000s, but I never fully understood the concept and didn't really watch it if I could find something else. But overall, that was my only real exposure to the franchise.

Back in March, my parents were out of town and left me in charge of the house. Knowing I was going through a Disney phase, they surprised me with a copy of Aladdin on blu-ray. At long last I would be able to see it. When I finally sat down to see it, I loved it. Functioning the way I do, because I loved it, I ultimately wound up finding tapes of the sequels as well, and I will be talking about all of these things.

Synopsis (SPOILERS)

(Bear with me, this is going to be long.)

The story begins with our main antagonist, Jafar and with his parrot, Iago, finding the "Cave of Wonders", hoping to retrieve a magic lamp inside. However, they learn only one person may enter the cave, one who is more than he appears to be. A diamond in the rough. This diamond in the rough is revealed to be Aladdin, a quick witted, good natured boy who, along with his monkey, Abu, resorts to stealing to survive. Aladdin resents being looked down upon as a "street rat" and wants people to see that there is more to him.

All this time, we meet Princess Jasmine, an independent, strong willed young woman who is required by law to marry a prince by her next birthday, which is in a couple days. However, Jasmine detests being viewed as a prize by all her suitors and feels unfulfilled living in the palace. She soon decides to run away. Meanwhile, it is revealed Jafar is the top advisor to Jasmine's father, the Sultan, and is manipulating him with a magic staff. Jafar learns Aladdin is the "diamond in the rough" and sends guards to get him.

The following morning, unfamiliar with the marketplace, Jasmine accidentally gets in trouble with a shopkeeper until Aladdin notices and steps in. The two spend the day running away from guards and they make it back to Aladdin's home where they begin to connect emotionally. However this moment is disrupted by royal guards who arrest Aladdin, under Jafar's orders. When Jasmine confronts him, Jafar lies and says that Aladdin has been beheaded for allegedly kidnapping the princess.

Meanwhile, Aladdin is held prisoner, where another prisoner (which is Jafar in disguise) tells him about the Cave of Wonders and the riches inside. They escape the prison and head out to the Cave of Wonders. Once inside, Aladdin and Abu encounter a sentient magic carpet, who leads him to the lamp Jafar needs. However, the cave begins to collapse and they just barely make it to the mouth. Once he gets the lamp, Jafar reveals himself and betrays Aladdin, throwing him back into the cave as it shuts. However it turns out Abu was able to steal the lamp back just before the cave shut. Upon rubbing the lamp, a magic genie is released and is able to grant three wishes. Using his wit, Aladdin is able to con the genie into getting them out of the cave without sacrificing one of his wishes.

Contemplating what he wants to wish for, Aladdin asks the genie what he would wish for. The genie wants his freedom however can only get it if his master wishes for it. Aladdin then agrees to wish for the genie's freedom as his last wish. The genie has a set of rules when it comes to wishes: three is the limit: no wishing for more wishes. The genie is also unable to kill anybody, bring anybody back from the dead, or make anybody fall in love. However, he CAN make Aladdin a prince, thereby allowing him to marry Jasmine. While this is going on, Jafar, now believing the lamp to be lost forever, devises a plan with Iago to marry Jasmine himself in order to take power. However, this plan is threatened when Aladdin, under the guise of "Prince Ali Ababua" arrives to court Jasmine.

Jasmine is unimpressed with "Prince Ali's" pompous condescending attitude, believing him to be just like every other suitor that had come before him. However, Aladdin begins to let his true personality slip through. Realizing that this is the same guy she met at the marketplace, Jasmine begins to warm up to him. From there, the two go on a date using the magic carpet, which is seen in the famous "A Whole New World" segment. Despite advise from the Genie, Aladdin refuses to admit who he really is and continues the facade of Prince Ali, and Jasmine chooses him to be her husband. After the date, Aladdin is almost drowned under Jafar's orders, but is saved by the genie, at the expense of a wish. Aladdin then returns and exposes Jafar as a traitor when he destroys Jafar's staff, breaking any control Jafar has over the Sultan. Jafar then realizes "Prince Ali" is Aladdin and has the lamp and escapes arrest. Despite Jafar's betrayal, the Sultan is overjoyed to see Jasmine has chosen a suitor and informs Aladdin that he will someday become sultan, which troubles him.

Aladdin is now conflicted, worried that he won't be able to maintain his Prince Ali act and be Sultan in the future. Feeling like he can't go through with this without the genie's help, Aladdin refuses to release him, who is angered and goes into his lamp. Iago then is sent to steal the lamp and bring it back to Jafar. With Jafar as his new master, the genie reluctantly grants Jafar's wishes to be both sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. As he boasts his new powers, Jafar makes Jasmine and the Sultan his slaves and reveals Aladdin's humble origins. He then launches Aladdin, Abu and the carpet to another part of the world. 

Aladdin is able to return and confront Jafar, who uses his street smarts to trick Jafar into using his last wish to turn into a genie, who, despite having phenomenal power, must be confined to a lamp and must serve a master. The genie then banishes Jafar's lamp to the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin apologizes to Jasmine for lying about who he was and must return to his regular life. Seeing how much Aladdin and Jasmine love each other, the Genie reminds Aladdin that he has one last wish and is willing to make him a prince again. Aladdin, unwilling to be something he is not, instead wishes for the genie's freedom. The genie is overjoyed with his new freedom and the two bid farewell as he goes off to see the world. Meanwhile, the Sultan realizes Aladdin's actions have proven himself to be worthy of his daughter, decides to change the law so now the princess can choose who to marry. The film ends with the genie flying off into the distance as Jasmine and Aladdin flying on the magic together.

My Thoughts

Of all the Disney movies I have seen, I think this is one of my favorites. It clearly is one of the more comedic and lighthearted Disney renaissance movies, thanks in large part to Robin Williams' fantastic performance as the Genie. Aside from the brilliant humor the he brought through his overall wackiness and celebrity impersonations, the Genie was a dynamic character who had depth and made the audience feel for him. One of the sweetest moments the film has is when the Genie is willing to give up his chance at freedom for Aladdin and Jasmine's love, and is both startled and touched when he hears otherwise. I was never a particularly big fan of Robin Williams, however I think it's pretty obvious he was crucial to the film's quality, and his absence can be felt in the sequel.

Jasmine is an interesting character and sort of conflicts me. She is as a confident, intelligent woman who refuses to be objectified and wants to be more independent, which is way she runs away from home. The problem is that while she is a strong character with admirable traits, once she comes back to the palace, she really doesn't have much to do for the rest of the movie other than fall in love with Aladdin and help him stop Jafar. While I think she is a good character, I think they wasted some of her potential.

One thing I should note is that even though it may not seem particularly remarkable, I actually found the carpet to be impressive. First and foremost, it fits in and is treated as a character, with a personality all on its own. One of the first assignments I had in my first animation class was to draw a flour sack and make it do something. The intended purpose of this assignment was to make us give an inanimate object personality even when it doesn't have a face or even limbs and after seeing this movie, I can say that the carpet is a textbook example of what we were supposed to achieve. I guess this truly is a testament to the Disney's masterful animation.

As with most Disney movies of the time, the movie features music composed by Alan Menken and has several memorable songs, most notably "A Whole New World". Ironically, I had head several of the songs years before I ever saw the movie. One thing I noticed about "A Whole New World" is that the soundtrack version is different from the version used in the movie -- at least instrumentally. Another thing that is neat about the soundtrack is that the version I have includes a couple of demos that were recorded by Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman that were not included in the movie. Both of these songs make references to characters and events not mentioned in the movie, such as Aladdin's mother or friends, and is neat to see what was in earlier versions of the story.

All in all, after seeing this movie, I am astounded I had not seen this movie sooner, because it is now one of my favorites and I encourage you to see it if you haven't and like Disney movies.

THE RETURN OF JAFAR

While many people remember Disney in the 90s for their string of acclaimed hits, they also remember it for the age when they started putting out cheap direct to video sequels that were almost always criticized. These films were produced not by the main feature studio, but rather DisneyToon Studios, which was devoted to straight to video sequels, TV show adaptations and the occasional original movie, like A Goofy Movie. The first of these direct to video movies was the Aladdin sequel: The Return of Jafar. I actually came across my copy of the film the day after I saw the original for the first time. The record store I go to not only sells CDs and DVDs, but they also sell VHS tapes, and I saw this one for a dollar. While I knew it probably wasn't going to be good, I was morbidly curious and bought it.

SYNOPSIS

After the events of the first movie, we see Aladdin, Abu and the carpet stealing treasure from a competing group of thieves, led by the Abis Mal. Meanwhile, we see that Iago has escaped Jafar's lamp, but refuses to release him and heads back to Agrabah, hoping to go back into the Sultan's good graces and return to a life of luxury. When he gets back to Agrabah, he is confronted by its citizens, but when he inadvertently saves Aladdin from Abis Mal and his cronies, he gains Aladdin's trust. Aladdin locks up Iago, but promises to give him fair trial. However, Aladdin does not tell Jasmine. After this, the Genie returns from seeing the world.

The main characters gather for a dinner where the Sultan announces he wants to make Aladdin his grand vizier (Jafar's old position). However, this dinner is interrupted when Iago is accidentally let loose and is chased by Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah. The Sultan and Jasmine are both angered by Aladdin hiding Iago, but the Sultan allows Iago to live in palace as long as Aladdin is responsible for him. Iago then helps Aladdin regain Jasmine's trust.

Abis Mal comes to find Jafar's lamp and releases him. After Jafar tricks Abis into wasting his first two wishes, the two form an alliance due to their mutual goal of getting revenge on Aladdin. The two go to Agrabah and Jafar convinces a reluctant Iago to work with them. Aladdin and the Sultan then go off to discuss how to deal with Iago, when they are ambushed by Abis. The Sultan is then kidnapped. Meanwhile, Jafar confronts Aladdin's friends back home, locks them up and frames Aladdin for the presumed death of the Sultan.

Luckily, Iago's conscience shines through and he releases the Genie, allowing him to help save Aladdin from being executed and free the others. Aladdin learns the only way to kill Jafar is by destroying his lamp. They then engage in combat with Jafar, who ends up creating a large crack in the ground with his powers and surrounds Aladdin and his friends with magma. Iago then grabs the lamp and is injured by Jafar. However, he is able to kick the lamp into the magma, killing Jafar and returning everything back to normal. Iago is forgiven and is accepted back into the palace as a friend.

My Thoughts

From what I've gathered, the Aladdin sequels, while not considered particularly good, are among the better direct to video sequels. However, it is still a major step down from the movie. The movie was basically an extended pilot for the television series, and the animation quality is basically that of a Saturday morning cartoon and the fluidity, detail and care present in the film are gone and replaced with a cheap feel.

Unlike the first film, the songs in this movie are completely forgettable. Actually -- I take that back. I can remember, not one, but TWO songs with Gilbert Gottfried singing lead as Iago, which is grating experience.

Much like the animation, the writing simply feels like an extended TV episode. However, one thing that I thought was an interesting choice was putting so much emphasis on Iago and his character development from an antagonist into an anti-hero. From what I've seen, most straight to video Disney movies either focus on children of the protagonists, give a love interest to a character who didn't get one in the original, or serve as a midquel when the protagonist is younger. This one instead provides some character progression to a lower level character, which is not much but still interesting.

The biggest problem with this movie is that it lacks Robin Williams as the Genie. Because Disney went back on some agreements they made with Williams when making the first film, there was a major falling out between the two and Williams refused to come back for the sequel. Instead, Disney hired Dan Castellaneta, best known for playing Homer Simpson, to take his place. In some cases, I can actually hear voices that sound like Simpsons characters such as Homer or Barney Gumble. As a result, the voice seems off and out of place and the humor the genie brings lacks the genuine spontaneous nature and mirth found in the original film. That, coupled with the fact he doesn't have much to do in the movie, makes it seem like he's there just to be there and doesn't actually contribute much to overall viewing experience. This is a stark shift to the original where the Genie was was one of, if not, the biggest reasons to see the movie. Thankfully, Disney and Williams would make amends after this and he would come back for the second movie.

Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Being the collector I am, I was not satisfied with having just one of the sequels, even if it wasn't that good. As a result, I searched around and found a copy of Aladdin and the King of Thieves on VHS. For the record, I only bought the VHS version because the DVDs of these movies have been sealed away in the Disney Vault since 2008 and copies are much more expensive. Much like The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves is not particularly good as a movie on its own. However, it is a step up compared to its predecessor.

SYNOPSIS

The film begins on Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding day with the kingdom of Agrabah preparing for the ceremony. Meanwhile, a group of thieves known as the Forty Thieves are preparing to raid the wedding. Prior to the ceremony, Aladdin goes back to the ruins he used to live in to find a dagger, which is the only thing he has left from his father, who he believes to be long dead. He confides in the genie that he is worried about what kind of father he will be. They then head to the wedding, which is interrupted by the Forty Thieves, with the King of Thieves searching for a particular scepter in the gifts. Aladdin is able to fight off the king and the Forty Thieves leave.

Aladdin realizes the scepter contains an oracle that can answer one question for every person about anything. The oracle hints his father is actually alive, and Aladdin uses his question to find out where his father is. He then learns his father is "trapped" with the Forty Thieves. He, Abu, Iago and the carpet then head off to find their hideout. There it is revealed Aladdin's father, Cassim is actually the King of Thieves. The reunion is short-lived as another member of the Forty Thieves, Sa'luk wants to punish Aladdin for finding their hideout. Cassim instead suggests Aladdin take part in the initiation process of joining the Forty Thieves by defeating one of its members and taking their place. Aladdin defeats Sa'luk by knocking him off a cliff and is accepted into the group. Cassim then reveals he left his wife and son to find the Hand of Midas, an object that turns anything it touches into gold. When he came back to Agrabah, his wife had died and could not find Aladdin, and carried on believing he was dead as well. Aladdin convinces Cassim to come back and live an honest life, and Cassim agrees once he learns he can still get to the Oracle. Meanwhile, Cassim and Iago also begin to form a friendship, bonding over their mutual appreciation for wealth and treasure.

It turns out Aladdin did not kill Sa'luk, who travels to Agrabah and sells out his fellow thieves and their hideout to the royal guards in exchange for immunity. He also reveals Aladdin is a member of the thieves and his father is their leader. He also convinces the remaining thieves who were not captured that Cassim is responsible for selling out the others. Cassim and Iago are jailed when they are caught stealing the oracle. Aladdin frees the two but refuses to run away with them and takes responsibility for his actions. When he gets back he is ultimately forgiven for his crimes after Jasmine and Genie convince the Sultan not to punish him.

Once Cassim reaches the old hideout with the Oracle, he is kidnapped by Sa'luk and the other thieves and is forced to use the oracle to lead them to the treasure, which is a marble fortress on the back of a giant sea turtle. Iago is able to escape and returns to Agrabah and convinces rallies Aladdin and his friends to save him. Aladdin, Iago, Abu, the Genie and the carpet all reach the turtle and Aladdin and Cassim find the Hand of Midas. They then confront Sa'luk, who takes Aladdin hostage. To save his son, Cassim tosses the Hand of Midas at Sa'luk, who turns into gold upon contact. Cassim admits that his son is the greatest treasure he could have. They then use the Hand of Midas to turn the remaining thieves' boats into gold and sink it. They then return to Agrabah, where Aladdin and Jasmine finally get married. Cassim attends the wedding in secret before heading off with Iago to travel the world.

My Thoughts

After the tape ended, I almost felt kind of lost. It gave the franchise closure, and it was sad to see these characters finally go off into the sunset after three movies. With that being said, I did not think the movie was that good. I thought it was marginally better than The Return of Jafar, but not by a whole lot. 

While The Return of Jafar was the pilot for the TV series, Aladdin and the King of Thieves was the finale, and the quality of the two are very similar. The animation looks like that of a Saturday morning cartoon and the songs are just as unremarkable as those in the preceding movie, the only being no songs sung by Iago.

The story meanwhile is fairly cheesy, especially in the scenes where Aladdin talks about his father or any scene where he and Cassim interact. It's sweet, syrupy, and fairly predictable. The one thing I think The Return of Jafar benefitted from was the choice to make an established antagonist have a drastic change of heart and become one of the good guys. When Cassim is introduced, we see him purely as an antagonist without redeeming qualities for about the first 20 minutes before revealing his identity and making him an anti-villain/anti-hero mix.

What this movie does benefit from is the return of Robin Williams as the Genie. After Jeffrey Katzenburg left Disney, the company's new chairman made a public apology, and with a million dollar salary, Williams returned for the second sequel. This was actually a major selling point, because on the box, it explicitly reads "Starring Robin Williams" right under the title. Williams' return to the role brings back some of the natural spontaneous charm the Genie had in the original, which would have been a significant improvement over the preceding movie if they gave the character something to do in the story. Much like The Return of Jafar, he only really is there for throwaway jokes and using magic when the plot doesn't allow anything else. In this movie, he largely stays back with Jasmine and tries to entertain her while she worries about Aladdin.

All in all, in the realm of Disney DTV movies, this one is considered "okay", which is probably the highest praise I can give it. It brought back Robin Williams and ends the series on a sweet note, but that's about it.

Conclusion

After seeing this movie, I am astounded that I never saw it as a kid. The TV show never really stuck out to me when they would play reruns of it, but when you compare the original movie to the TV show-like sequels, it's apparent the movie is on a totally different plane. The movie has bright, lively animation, catchy, memorable songs, endearing characters and fun humor. The sequels... um... well, they cost $6 combined, which I guess is something.

Regardless, even if you never see the sequels, the original is a great movie along, and is one of my favorite Disney movies. However, I have yet to talk about my all time favorite, which is going to be my next Disney post.

Walking Around With Your Head In The Clouds: Hüsker Dü

Last month, one of my favorite singer songwriters, Bob Mould put out his twelfth studio album, Patch the Sky. Normally, I would have preordered that sucker as soon as it was even hinted at, but alas, I never got around to this time. From what I've heard, I like it, as I like most stuff Mould puts out, but that is a post for another day. But for some reason, I started getting back into the seminal band he was a member of in the 1980s, Hüsker Dü.

The group was comprised of Mould on vocals and guitar, Greg Norton on bass, and Grant Hart on drums and vocals, with Mould and Hart splitting the songwriting duties. In the band's nine year duration, the trio evolved from a furious, intense hardcore punk band into a group that expanded the sound of punk through their incorporation of pop and melody, which would influence bands for years to come. In the midst of this evolution, the group put out several critically acclaimed albums on infamous punk label SST Records before jumping to a major label in 1986. However after two albums that failed to make a commercial impact or match the acclaim of their independent albums, internal tensions between Mould and Hart, as well as changing lifestyles for the members caused the group to dissolve. Norton would go on to be a restauranteur, while Mould and Hart would both establish solo careers in the late 1980s and bands in the 1990s.

I was first introduced to the group after reading about them in their chapter of Our Band Could Be Your Life, which dedicated each chapter to an influential indie band of the 1980s. However, when I first checked the group out, I was not super impressed. At the time I was looking them up, only their major label albums, Candy Apple Grey, and Warehouse: Songs and Stories were available on iTunes, which are not typically seen as the band's best. Instead, a couple months later, I took an interest in Mould's band from the '90s, Sugar. After I got a copy of Sugar's album Copper Blue, I realized how much I loved Mould's songwriting and was willing to give Hüsker Dü another shot. After looking up material from their SST catalogue, I was pleased with a couple songs, such as "The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill" and "Green Eyes". With that in mind, I decided to order copies of my first two Hüsker Dü albums, New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig. I loved both, Flip Your Wig in particular, and it became a staple of the music I listened to in the second half of high school. By September, I ordered a copy of what many call their magnum opus, Zen Arcade, and slowly began to accumulate most of their discography.

One of the key elements to Hüsker Dü was the songwriting skills of both Mould and Hart. Personally, I tend to prefer Mould's songs in the grand scheme of things, however, I feel Hart wrote some of the band's greatest songs. Once the band started to incorporate and become more melodic, Mould's songs developed a consistent pop rock sound rooted in punk that have carried throughout the rest of his career. Meanwhile Hart's material was much more diverse and varied, with more pronounced pop influences which again, and would be reflected in the eclecticism of his solo work.

On a technical note, one thing I should note about the discography is that their albums, in particular the SST albums, sound phenomenally better on vinyl. I'm not an audiophile and I can't usually tell the difference in sound quality but in this case, the sound on digital formats sounds much thinner and inferior. This is because SST probably just used the vinyl masters and put them on CD instead of mastering the music that would best fit the capabilities of digital equipment. Granted, this doesn't help much as the group's discography was marred with poor production. While the group's early material has the raw, somewhat muddy production that plagued most hardcore bands from the time, the later albums suffer from production choices that keep them stuck in the 1980s, and only the members' future projects would receive production values that don't sound so dated.

The group's influence is widespread, touching on famous groups that would rise to stardom in the years following the band's demise, such as Green Day and Foo Fighters. The group, along with the Descendents, Dag Nasty and others reintroduced melody into punk after the abrasiveness of hardcore.

A Breakdown of My Collection

1. Everything Falls Apart and More (1993, CD) - This album compiles the group's first studio album, Everything Falls Apart, the first two singles, Statues and In a Free Land, as well as a couple early tracks originally released between 1981 and 1983. The music here was made when the band was purely hardcore and has almost none of the melodic material they would be known for, minus a couple songs. The music is fast, angry, short, and at times, completely incoherent. This album is largely for collectors, if they can get their hands on a copy, and is the album by them I listen to the least.

Highlights: "Everything Falls Apart", "In A Free Land", "Gravity"

2. Metal Circus (1983, Digital) - Another release from the group's early hardcore days, however, this time the group is beginning to experiment with slower and more melodic material. It has some enjoyable songs, but in my opinion, the best had yet to come.

Highlights: "Real World", "Diane", "First of the Last Calls", "It's Not Funny Anymore"

3. Zen Arcade (1984, CD, Vinyl) - This album is considered both a punk masterpiece as well as the one of group's best albums. The album was far more ambitious than anything the group or their contemporaries had done before, with it being a two disc concept album that spans several different styles and influences not previously heard in punk. I have a personal history with this album. I ordered a copy of this album when I was a junior in high school in 2011 along with There is Nothing Left to Lose and the self titled album by Foo Fighters and Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The day before the album came in the mail, I was approached by a friend who had a band and needed a bass player for a gig. However, the catch was that the gig was the next day and we only had a brief rehearsal right before the show. While I was frightened, I was also excited and I can remember listening to this album the day of the show. To this day, when I hear the song "Turn On The News", I remember driving over to the drummer's house for rehearsal. Of all their albums, this is their best hardcore album and pushes the boundaries so they could go on to do even more on their following albums.

Highlights: "Something I Learned Today", "Broken Home Broken Heart", "Pink Turns to Blue", "Turn On The News", "Chartered Trips"

4. New Day Rising (1985, CD, Vinyl) - I first bought this album in spring of 2011 with Flip Your Wig and helped introduce me to the band's sound. While it retains some of the hardcore the band had done before, the album is really a transition, mixing both the group's established hardcore with full blown pop songs in greater quantity. Out of their albums, this album suffered the most from the shoddy punk production that plagued SST albums, yet thankfully, the songwriting shines through. All in all, this is a strong album to introduce a newcomer because it has both the punk energy and the quality pop songwriting that the group was famous for.
Highlights: "New Day Rising", "The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill", "Celebrated Summer", "I Apologize", "Books About UFOs"

5. Flip Your Wig (1985, CD, Vinyl) - While I bought this along with New Day Rising, I always enjoyed this one much more. Much like the Ramones album Rocket to Russia, the opening riff to "Flip Your Wig" gave me the impression that this was going to be a good album, and boy, was I right. Bob Mould himself has said that this is Hüsker Dü's best album. Within a year and a half, the group had solidified its pop songwriting skills and they shine best on this album. That's right. It only took about a year and a half for the band to go from making furious, fast paced yet ambitious hardcore to catchy punk style that drew heavily from 60s pop. At the time, the group was being approached by major labels, with the band settling with Warner Bros. Records. However, in an act of loyalty to SST, the group chose to put this album out with them, which in hindsight, may have been a mistake, because who knows how the group would have been received if this was their major label debut? Could they have become alternative rock mainstays like REM or U2? Unfortunately we will never know and I doubt the group would have lasted long anyways even if they did achieve commercial success. Nonetheless, this album was the last group put out while at their peak and is my personal favorite of their output.
Highlights: "Flip Your Wig", "Makes No Sense At All", "Green Eyes", "Games", "Flexible Flyer"

6. Candy Apple Grey (1986, CD, Vinyl, Cassette) - For me, this album never really stood out or had many songs I putting on repeat. While some songs are enjoyable, the album has three ballads, which seems a bit much for an album known for high energy music. Also, while both Bob Mould and Grant Hart tended to have strong songs on each album, only Hart's songs tend to stick out to me on this album.
Highlights: "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely", "I Don't Know For Sure", "Sorry Somehow", "Dead Set On Destruction"

7. Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987, CD Vinyl, Cassette) - While the group's last album may not get as much acclaim as the group's SST albums, I always enjoyed it. By this point, Mould and Hart were competing to one-up the other in terms of songwriting, and the prolific output of both resulted in this album being their second double album. The album can be bloated with filler at times, and would have likely benefited if they cut out some of the less essential songs, however the highlights of the album are strong. In terms of songwriting, whereas Hart shined on Candy Apple Grey, I feel Mould was able to outshine him on this album. Overall, the album is still a decent, enjoyable collection of songs that, while it was made past the band's peak, is still a fine swan song for the group.
Highlights: "These Important Years", "Ice Cold Ice", "Could You Be the One?", "She Floated Away", "It's Not Peculiar"

After Warehouse, the sounds Hart and Mould developed over their time in Hüsker Dü would carry over into their future output. Hart would go back to SST and put out his first solo album, Intolerance. I actually have a copy of this album but have never listened to it in full. After Intolerance, Hart started a new band in the 1990s with him on lead vocals and guitar, called Nova Mob. After Nova Mob, Hart would continue a solo career with sporadic studio releases over then next several years.

Meanwhile, Mould would put out his first couple solo albums before forming a group of his own in the 1990s, named Sugar. After a couple albums with Sugar, Mould would return to his solo career with increased experimentation. But I'll into detail in this entry.

Stand Out Above The Crowd: A Goofy Movie

Since I have only written about band's I've been listening to as of now, I figured it was time to write about the other major part of my blog: animation. For my inaugural animation post, I decided to write about one of my favorite childhood movies, A Goofy Movie, as well as its sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie.

A GOOFY MOVIE

I had largely forgotten about these movies up until recently, when I uncovered a couple boxes of old VHS tapes in my parents' attic. At the time, I felt motivated to get our old VCRs working and I wanted to find some tapes to use. Meanwhile, I had a renewed interest in Disney movies, especially the Renaissance films from the 1990s. Upon searching the box, I came across my tape of A Goofy Movie, and I was swarmed with memories of the movie. I remember watching this tape fairly frequently as a child and in hindsight, was probably one of my favorites. Based on the previews, it looks like my copy of the film was from around 1999-2000, so I've seen this movie since I was around 5. Flushed with memories, I decided to watch it again and see it stood up to my memories.

Synopsis (SPOILERS)

The movie follows the classic Disney character, Goofy, as he struggles to bond with his now teenage son, Max. Max, interested in impressing a girl he likes, Roxanne, stages a stunt on the last day of school by hijacking a school assembly and lipsynching a song by pop sensation, Powerline. However, when he is caught, his principle exaggerates the disruption to Goofy and makes Max sound like a violent criminal. Fearing Max is slipping away from him, Goofy plans a cross country fishing trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho, which conflicts with Max's plans to go to a party with Roxanne. Not wanting to disappoint Roxanne, he panics and lies to her, telling her he is going to the big Powerline concert that is going to be televised on pay-per-view at the party.

From there, we follow Goofy and Max as they travel to out west, butting heads constantly along the way. Along the way, the two run into their friends Pete and PJ, where Pete advises Goofy to be stricter with Max, however, this only leads to more friction between the two. While the two are trapped in the car after an encounter with Bigfoot while camping, Max secretly changes the map from Idaho to Los Angeles, where the concert is being filmed, yet feels guilty about it.

Goofy ends up abandoning this stricter parenting method and lets Max pick out the stops along the way. However, Pete figures out and informs Goofy that Max changed the map, and Goofy is devastated his son lied to him. This devastation becomes fury when Max hesitantly directs follows the directions to Los Angeles. The two finally have it out and in the confusion, the car is driven off a cliff and they land in a river. Trapped in the river, they argue until they both realize while Max is grown up and has his own life, Goofy is still his father will always be part of it. Immediately afterwards, they realize they are approaching a waterfall and Max is able to save Goofy using a fishing technique Goofy taught him earlier in the movie.

After this, Goofy helps get Max to Los Angeles and the two inevitably wind up onstage with Powerline. After the concert, Max ultimately owns up to Roxanne later, admitting he lied to her in an attempt to impress her, even though she admits she liked him from the beginning. From there Max introduces Goofy to Roxanne and the film ends.

My Thoughts

Watching this movie, I can say that while I probably wouldn't like it as much if I didn't watch it as kid, I still found it to be an enjoyable movie. The plot has a neat setup that opens itself up for both comedy as well as drama, the latter of which is not something you'd expect to be associated with a character like Goofy. However, the way the relationship between Goofy and Max is portrayed, the pathos is natural rather than shoehorned. Both characters are portrayed as flawed characters: Goofy is well meaning and good natured, yet oblivious to how his son feels.  Meanwhile, Max is selfish and moody, but it's excusable because he's still a teenager and is ultimately a good person who loves his father. Overall, it's an interesting choice to put Goofy, of all characters in a story like this, because while it is a comedy in the long run, it has a heavy dose of drama and the characters are relatable.

Even though the movie was made in the mid-1990s, it is not considered to be part of the "Disney Animated Canon" of the time like The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. This is because it was largely made by the company's DisneyToon Studios, which is usually delegated to low budget sequels that tend to wind up straight to video. While it may not reach the masterful quality and fluidity of the bigger name Disney films at the time, since it was a theatrical release, the animation quality is far higher than the majority of DisneyToon projects and was an improvement from the animation of its predecessor TV show, Goof Troop.

While this may very well be due to the fact I enjoyed this movie growing up, I found the musical numbers to be very enjoyable, especially the Powerline songs. However, looking at it without nostalgia glasses, the musical numbers like "On the Open Road" and "Nobody Else But You" are fairly forgettable. 

One thing that felt odd about this movie however was that unlike many Disney movies, which tend to have a timeless feel no matter when it is actually set, A Goofy Movie looks and feels very mid-90s. The way the characters dress, Pete calling Max and P.J. the "MTV Generation"... the inclusion of Pauly Shore and his character, Bobby. All these things make the film seem more dated than other Disney movies. This is most evident when Max heads home from school, now an in-school celebrity. With a reprise of the song "Stand Out" playing, he puts on his hat backwards, puts on some sunglasses, and skateboards home, which I guess is what the cool kids did in 1995 (clean diapers were good enough for me at the time, but maybe that's just me).

Overall though, this movie isn't some masterpiece, but it's still a fun movie that, even as an adult, I can appreciate. While Goofy may be an odd choice to have a movie with the pathos it does, it is pulled off fairly well. The soundtrack is catchy, albeit with somewhat forgettable songs and the animation is good for a lower entry Disney project. In the end, I can at least say I still like the movie and not be embarrassed for being nostalgic about it.

AN EXTREMELY GOOFY MOVIE

While I don't exactly remember when I first saw the straight to video follow up, I know I didn't watch it as much as the first one as a kid, but I still enjoyed it. Seeing as how I still enjoyed the first one as an adult, I broke out the DVD to know if this would hold up as well.

Synopsis (SPOILERS)

This film takes place a couple years after the events of the first film, with Max and his friends P.J. and Bobby preparing to head off to college. The three have taken up extreme sports as a hobby and are planning on participating in the college X Games. While Max is thrilled at the opportunity to move out, Goofy is heartbroken to see his son leave.

When Max and his friends get to college, they immediately catch the attention of the fraternity that has won the past several X Games, the Gammas, led by Bradley Uppercrust III. Impressed by his skateboarding skills, Bradley quickly offers Max the opportunity to participate with the Gammas, but not P.J. or Bobby. Not wanting to abandon his friends, Max turns down the invitation and a rivalry develops.

Meanwhile, depressed from empty nest syndrome, Goofy causes an accident at work and loses his job. While looking for new work, it is revealed Goofy never finished school and needs to go back to school to complete his degree. Goofy then enrolls at the same school, to Max's horror and immediately begins to invade Max's space. Wanting to get Goofy off his back, Max is able to get Goofy to join the Gammas and introduces him to Sylvia Marpole, a librarian. She and Goofy quickly hit it off over a shared love of 70s culture and begin a relationship.

However, it is revealed the Gammas are cheating, which causes Goofy to inadvertently humiliate Max at the qualifiers for the X Games. Max then lashes out at Goofy and the two have a falling out. At the same time, Goofy hits a roadblock in his relationship with Sylvia. At this point, Goofy considers dropping out while Max intends on transferring to another school. Both rethink their decisions, with Goofy making amends with Sylvia, focusing on his studies and deciding to leave the Gammas. When he leaves, he learns that they are cheating, however, Max refuses to listen to him when he warns him.

In the semi-finals, another cheating tactic by the Gammas causes P.J. to be launched into , which almost leads to their team being disqualified. Fortunately, Max is able to get Goofy to fill the position and are able to overcome several other attempts by the Gammas to cheat until Bradley causes major destruction to a large X Games decoration that puts  one of the Gammas' own members, Tank, in danger. In the end, Max is able to save Tank and also win, and leaves Bradley to deal with Tank.

Several months later at the end of the school year, Max apologizing for how he treated Goofy earlier, Goofy is able to graduate, and he and Sylvia drive off into the sunset.

My Thoughts

Upon watching this movie, I realized I did not like it as much as the original. I don't know how to describe it other than feeling "Direct to Video". While I could imagine see A Goofy Movie on the big screen, the look and feel of An Extremely Goofy Movie seem best fit for Toon Disney (or Disney XD). While the animation of the sequel feels slightly more modern, with more vibrant digital paint and ink as well as more CGI, the animation of the original is much more cinematic. However, much like the first film, this film winds up being an unintentional period piece in some areas, as it tries to appeal to those who were into the extreme sports craze of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Personally, I also felt the story was lacking in comparison to the original and seems to disregard the character development Goofy and Max made. While you can feel sympathy for Goofy in this movie, he and Max both seem less relatable. Granted, given who the characters are, it wouldn't be such a problem, but it contrasts with the original, which had some deeper moments. We see no mention of Roxanne, who was a driving figure in Max's story in the original and Goofy seems to have forgotten about respecting his son's personal space. The story is in general, lighter, but at the same time, makes the story and pathos a little less relatable.

Unlike the previous film, this movie is not a musical, and instead uses licensed music from the 1970s, reflecting Goofy and Sylvia's passion for 1970s pop culture. I don't have a problem with it, rather I find it to be an interesting artistic choice. The only "real" song in the first movie is when Bigfoot dances to the Bee Gee's "Staying Alive" after rummaging through Goofy and Max's stuff (which creates one of my favorite gags in the movie).

Contrary to my own opinion, this movie actually received slightly higher ratings than their preceding film (neither did exceedingly well, but that's beside the point). However, when I take into account the quality of the animation, the music, the story, and the overall feel of both movies, I find A Goofy Movie to be superior. In the long run, this may just be because I watched it more when I was a kid and really enjoyed it, but it's just my opinion and anyone is free to disagree with me. 

While these movies may not be cinematic classics like some of Disney's other animated films of the time, I think A Goofy Movie is an enjoyable, under appreciated movie that has sort of fallen through the cracks of the Disney franchise.

Let's Wig Out at Denko's: Dag Nasty

I tend to spend a lot of my time on Facebook nowadays. I don't know why. I don't really pay attention to most pages I follow, I can't stand the condescending political views of many of my friends on Facebook, and I don't like seeing high school classmates going on to do bigger and better things compared to me. 

However, one thing that recently caught my attention is Dischord Records' Facebook page has recently been promoting a string of shows by the band Dag Nasty as well as a new single. Curious, I checked out the samples that were posted of the new songs and... they're okay. I guess. I'm not a big fan of Shawn Brown's voice compared to Dave Smalley or Peter Cortner, but it should please fans of the group's hardcore output. While I personally wasn't enthralled with it, it did make me want to go back and listen to some of their earlier works, and reminded me of how much I liked the group.

Dag Nasty was a punk rock band that was led by guitarist Brian Baker. Musically, the group initially carried on the hardcore stylings of Baker's former band, Minor Threat. However, with each album, the group incorporated more and more melody in their music and because a revolving door of musicians with Baker being the only core member throughout all the lineups. The group only lasted from 1985 until 1988, however, the lineup that recorded their first album, Can I Say, reconvened in the studio for two more albums in 1992 and 2002. Since 2015, the original lineup has been performing shows and is the lineup that recorded the new single.

It is an interesting experience to listen to the group and hear its sound evolve. In the group's three year run, we see the band start out as a hardcore group that had a touch of melody, and go on to experiment with softer elements and incorporate other styles such as heavy metal, pop, and blues. While their reunion albums more or less follow a straightforward melodic punk approach, it is neat to see the diversity of the songs released under the band name.

The very first thing I knew about the band was from the fact that the "Can I Say" tattoo on Travis Barker's chest was made in reference to an album by them. Other than that, I had never really listened to them until 2014, when I came across their second reunion album, Minority of One at the record store I go to. Once I saw it, I was curious, looked it up briefly on iTunes, and decided to check it out once I liked what I heard. I grew to really love that album and was happy to see that same record store got a shipment of Dischord vinyls, which included Can I Say and Wig Out At Denko's. After getting those, I then got the first reunion album, Four on the Floor. However, I was really happy when I got Field Day. To my knowledge Field Day has been out of print for more than 15 years, and I was able to find a copy for ten dollars, including shipping. As of now, the cheapest price on Amazon is $30. This is unfortunate, because not only is it out of print, it is also not on iTunes and, in my opinion, is one of their best works.

Much like Jawbox, I feel an attachment to Dag Nasty simply for how close to home they were. From what I have been able to gather, the original bassist and drummer, Roger Marbury and Colin Sears, respectively, were originally part of another group called Bloody Mannequin Orchestra, which had its beginnings at my alma mater, Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, even playing in the school's talent show (something I would do as well 28 years later). Also, I came across a letter Brian Baker from the mid-'80s. On the band's stationary, I noticed the street the band lived on was five blocks away from where my childhood best friend grew up. It's not much, but it's kind of a special feeling when you find out how close to home one of your favorite bands really was.

My transparent blue copy of Dag With Shawn

A Breakdown of My Collection

1. Can I Say (1986, CD, Vinyl) - This album is by far the group's most hardcore-influenced studio album. It's slower and has a greater reliance on melody than some of their contemporaries, but only hints at the melodic nature of the band's music on future albums and still draws most of its sound from standard hardcore energy and rage. I'm not a tremendous fan of hardcore, however, I do enjoy this album. I first bought it on vinyl in 2014 with Wig Out at Denko's and later bought at CD that combined the two a year later.

Highlights: "Values Here", "Circles", "Under Your Influence", "Never Go Back"

2. Wig Out At Denko's (1987, CD, Vinyl) - The first album with the group's third vocalist, Peter Cortner brings an even stronger sense of melody to the music. While the songs retain elements of hardcore, the emphasis on melody brings the group's sound closer to the Descendents or Husker Du than early Government Issue or S.O.A. This change is evident from the get go when we hear the melancholic guitar riff open up "The Godfather". The music was slower and more emotive than the material on Can I Say, and Peter Cortner's vocals were far more tuneful than Dave Smalley's barked vocals.
Highlights: "The Godfather", ""Wig Out At Denko's", "Safe", "Dag Nasty"

3. Field Day (1988, CD) - This album is a long forgotten gem. It's as simple as that. By this point, the group had abandoned the standard hardcore punk approach and crafted a fantastic collection of songs that span various influences and sounds such as blues on "The Ambulance Song", Latin music on "La Penita", and metal on "You're Mine". Aside from these songs, the band continues to push their material into further melodic territory, crafting a number of catchy pop punk tunes such as "Field Day", "Things That Make No Sense", and "Here's to You". In some ways, it's hard to imagine that this is the same group that put out Can I Say two years before, but at the same time, there was only member from that lineup still in the band. One song I want to highlight is the song, "Dear Mrs. Touma", which is about the death of a friend and how the narrator reacts to it. Not only do I think the music is some of the best the band composed, the lyrics really hit home to me. About a month before I bought this album, a childhood friend of mine died of a drug overdose. We hadn't spoken for years, but we were close as children and I could still relate to the lyrics. I don't normally relate to lyrics or even pay that much attention to them in general, but that may be why this song sticks out to me so much. It's a shame this album is so scarce, because if I had to recommend any of Dag Nasty's albums, this is the one I'd recommend.
Highlights: "Dear Mrs. Touma", "All Ages Show", "Here's to You", "Field Day", "The Ambulance Song"

4. Four on the Floor (1992, CD) - This short album was basically seen by the band as a fun little project the Can I Say lineup did when they all happened to be in Los Angeles at the same time. The music abandons the broader range of influences found on Field Day and plays more basic melodic punk like the Descendents and Big Drill Car. With his experience in All and Down By Law, Dave Smalley now performs with a more melodic vocal style than his bark on Can I Say. The music doesn't really stand out much compared to the past albums, but it's got some decent songs on it.
Highlights: "Still Waiting", "Million Days", "S.F.S."

5. Minority of One (2002, CD) - This was the second of the two reunion albums the Can I Say lineup recorded and was my first Dag Nasty CD. Musically, it follows Four on the Floor in playing straightforward melodic punk, maybe with a tad more hardcore influence in the music. I remember reading someone sum up this album as a cross between Down By Law and Bad Religion, Dave Smalley and Brian Baker's respective bands. The music is powerful, melodic and fast, and overall a very enjoyable album for a punk fan.
Highlights: "Ghosts", "Minority of One", "Twisted Again", "Wasting Away", "Bottle This"

6. Dag With Shawn (2010, Vinyl) - Before recording Can I Say, the band recorded the songs with their first lead singer, Shawn Brown. However, when Brown left, the group redid the album with Smalley. In 2010, Dischord remastered the tapes recorded with Brown and released it as Dag With Shawn. Listening to it, it's more or less the same album as Can I Say, but with slightly rawer production, and an even stronger hardcore sound. As a vocalist, Brown barks and shouts even more than Smalley and has less range as a singer. Again, I am not a fan of regular hardcore and if I wasn't a compulsive buyer at the time, I probably wouldn't have bought this album. However, this is an okay album for hardcore fans and completists for Dag Nasty's discography.

I Sunk My Eyes In Static: Jawbox

One of my favorite experiences when it comes to finding music is taking a chance on a CD or record I haven't heard before and coming across an absolute gem. I don't necessarily recommend doing this a lot, because for the number of gems I have found, I've also bought some pieces of crap. However, in a sense, that makes it all the more rewarding when you find something good. This was the case when I came across Jawbox: a post-hardcore band from the DC area that was around in the 1990s.

In the punk community, they are somewhat infamous for being the first of the only two groups to make the jump from DC's Dischord Records to a major label. However, despite the outcry from fair-weather fans who cried "sell-out", Jawbox actually put out two more albums that were acclaimed. Unfortunately, like so many other groups that made the jump in to the majors in the 90s, no matter how well received the music may be, they failed to break into the mainstream and called it a day before the turn of the millennium. Since then, there has been only one reunion: in 2009, the group performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to celebrate the anniversary of their seminal album, For Your Own Special Sweetheart. They've basically said there won't be any more reunions, but I can always hope. One reason I feel an attachment to this band also is because of how close to home the group was, much like several other Dischord bands I listen to. Many of these groups are from around the D.C. area, and I read Jawbox at one point lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, which is adjacent to my hometown.

When I started going to community college, I made a habit of visiting the local Goodwill once or twice a week. I almost treated it like a game. You never knew if you were going to find a good quality Nintendo 64, a DVD of your favorite TV show, or a CD you had just contemplated ordering on Amazon. On one visit, I came across a treasure trove of alternative CDs, most likely from the same collection. As I was skimming along the CD section, I noticed a couple albums with a Dischord tag on the side under the title, Jawbox. There were three albums there, their two Dischord releases, Grippe and Novelty, as well as their major label debut, For Your Own Special Sweetheart. I had only really heard the name before in iTunes recommendations after buying Fugazi songs, and I had never heard the group other than a brief sample of "Savory". I couldn't remember what the sample sounded like, other than it wasn't bad, so I figured "Why the hell not? It's only $2, and if I like it, I might come back for the others" and grabbed the copy of Grippe, just because it was the first one I saw.

When got in the car, I stuck the CD in, eager to hear my new album. The album kicks off with the pounding intro to "Freezerburn" before settling into a grooving melody. Five seconds in and I already like it. This is good. The next thing to hear is the vocals. At the time, when I thought of Dischord bands, I did not think of very tuneful singers. I thought of Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto barking and hollering. However, when I heard J. Robbins sing the first verse, I was pleasantly surprised. I realized "Wow, this guy can actually sing!" I was hooked from there on out. Compared to what I was hearing in Fugazi and Rites of Spring, this group had much more melodic capabilities and I immediately wanted to hear more.

The next day, I went back to the Goodwill to pick up the other two Jawbox albums there. There, I was able to grab Novelty, but when I went for the copy For Your Own Special Sweetheart, the disc wasn't the case (always make sure to check for that if you buy stuff from Goodwill). While I was annoyed, I was happy to at least get a copy of Novelty and enjoy the two new albums I had.

A couple weeks later, I'm back at Goodwill, trolling around for another good deal. I had found a couple CDs and was just about to head to the register and leave when a woman came out of the back room with a cart full of more CDs. Figuring it wouldn't hurt to check out what else was in there, I started skimming through the new selection and was thrilled to see the band's fourth album, Jawbox in the pile and immediately picked it up. I would ultimately buy For Your Own Special Sweetheart and the compilation, My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents online in the following months, and a year later I came across a promotional single for the song, "Cooling Card". Along the way, I also picked up vinyl reissues of Grippe, Novelty and Jawbox.

Jawbox would go on to basically be the soundtrack for the second semester of my freshman year at college. The music could be noisy and abrasive, with guitarists J. Robbins and Bill Barbot creating contrasting guitar parts that played against each other rather than harmonized, backed by a powerful rhythm section that only became stronger with time. However, through this wall of sound, Robbins and co. were able to craft quirky yet accessible melodies as well as thick, heavy compositions.

Robbins would continue this style in his following bands, such as Burning Airlines (which would feature Bill Barbot on bass for the first record), Channels and Office of Future Plans, albeit with leaner compositions without the some of the noisier punk elements.

My pink vinyl copy of Grippe.

My clear vinyl copy of Novelty.

Breakdown of My Collection

1. Grippe (1991, CD, Vinyl) - Jawbox's first studio album as well as my first album I bought by them by chance. While not seen as a bad album, many fans don't pay as much attention to this one. In general, this album was recorded while the band was still trying to define its sound and is missing several elements that would be crucial to their later sound, such as the guitar interplay between Robbins and Barbot or the intricate drum patterns Zach Barocas brought to the group. The general sound is closer to simple melodic punk rock as opposed to the noisy post-hardcore they would be associated with. However, for me, this conventional sound made it easier for me to ease into the group's music, and because of the fond memories I have listening to it, I still enjoy it to this day. The inclusion of the band's earlier EP on the CD version is also a nice bonus.

Highlights: "Freezerburn", "Tools and Chrome", "Paint Out the Light", "Ballast", "Bullet Park", "Twister"

2. Novelty (1992, CD, Vinyl) - I bought this album the day after I bought Grippe and as soon as I heard it, I knew there were some differences. This was sound of the band finding its style. With the addition of Bill Barbot, we see the beginnings of the band's signature guitar work. At the same time, bassist Kim Coletta meshes better with drummer Adam Wade on this album, strenghtening the first incarnation of the group's rhythm section. When I first heard it, I wasn't as impressed the way I was with Grippe because of the increased abrasiveness, however, as I grew accustomed to their general sound, I came to enjoy this album.

Highlights: "Cutoff", "Tracking", "Static", "Tongues"

3. For Your Own Special Sweetheart (1994, CD) - This album is the band's major label and is seen as one of their best albums. Rather than trade in their sound for a sleek commercially friendly style, the group instead solidified their approach and made their arguably their most radio-unfriendly album. This albums marks the first appearance from drummer Zach Barocas, whose unique math-y, jazz influenced style added to the group's approach, as he clicks with Coletta even better than Adam Wade did. Like with Novelty, I was initially put off by the abrasive nature of the album compared to the previous one. However, this album ultimately rewards repeat listening. The reissue I have also includes the b-sides to the Savory single, including "68" which may be one of the best, most melodic Jawbox songs available.

Highlights: "Savory", "FF=66", "Cooling Card", "Chicago Piano", "Reel", "68"

5. "Cooling Card" Single (1994, CD) - This was a promotional single I came across in the budget section of the record store I frequent, and by budget, I mean I paid 10 cents for it. It has "Cooling Card", which is a decent song from For Your Own Special Sweetheart, "I've Got You Under My Skin", a Frank Sinatra cover, and "Thin White Line", a cover of a song by a punk band called Avengers. I like the first two but the third song is rather forgettable. It's only notable to me because I can't find it on any of the band's other releases.

6. Jawbox (1996, CD, Vinyl) - The eponymous final album by the band takes the group's signature sound and adds greater accessibility. The album opened is with "Mirrorful", which would probably be the most radio-friendly songs the band put out and apparently was a minor radio hit when it was released. This accessibility is also prevalent in other songs such as "Spoiler", "Livid" and the ballad, "Iodine". However, the group's signature sound is never compromised. In fact, songs like "Chinese Fork Tie", "Won't Come Off" and "His Only Trade" emphasize the group's signature elements such as Barocas' drum style and the quirky guitar interplay. When looking at all of the group's albums, I think I find myself listening to this one the most.

Highlights: "Mirrorful", "Livid", "Iodine", "Excandescent", "Spoiler", "Nickel, Nickel, Millionaire"

7. My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents (1998, CD) - This CD was a posthumous collection by the band on Coletta and Barbot's label, DeSoto Records, that compiled several live tracks, Peel Session tracks, compilation tracks and covers. I rarely listen to this album mainly because I have little interest in live tracks or covers of songs I don't know very well. However, the one new track that was recorded right before the band broke up, "Apollo Amateur" is a neat song.

Highlights: "Tongues (Peel Session)", "Static (Peel Session)", "Apollo Amateur"

On a side note: while this is more of a reflection of Dischord than Jawbox, one thing I thought was very touching was when I ordered my copy of Novelty from Dischord's website, I got a brief thank you note included in the box my record came in. It's not much, but I liked that someone cared enough to thank me when they were packaging my record and I think it goes to show the down to earth sensibilities of the label.