In case I wasn't clear in my review: I have a problem with solipsistic cleverness ONLY when it overwhelms the text and draws too much attention to itself. Mieville has always been this way, and that's been one of his many charms. My issue with Railsea is that he fucks up the equilibrium. The first half of the book is…

Sorry, I was dancing around a spoiler.

There's nothing wrong with you. Mieville is a tough nut to crack, and I don't mean that in a patronizing way. Kraken, while not his best, is one of his most accessible books, mostly because it's set in the real world (or some contorted permutation thereof). Getting into his secondary-world stuff — i.e. two-thirds of…

I used the term "post-apocalypse" as shorthand above, mostly because I didn't want to turn this review into a rambling, tangential essay about the subgenre 'n' shit. But I will say this: This book (and Slattery's previous two novels) could be more accurately called "post-collapse." I know this seems like a minor…

Yes, sorry. Here it is (feel free to plug it in anywhere you deem necessary): "This is the sentence previously missing from the third paragraph."

At this point, those who whine about Larry Herweg's drumming are the equivalent of those who whine about Ringo Starr's or Meg White's drumming. Is it technically perfect? No. Is the music surrounding it technically perfect? No. Does the drumming mesh well with the overall sound and vibe? Yes. Are a bunch of people…

Hey, real quick… Look for a big change in Loud next month. On May 2, I will be welcoming a new co-author: John Semley, The A.V. Club's Toronto City Editor (as well as a regular contributor to this site). With his helping, hideously Canadian hand, Loud will be expanding its coverage in manifold dimensions. Most…

My 7 Seconds tribute band, Clenched Fists Black Eyes, played our first and only show this weekend. We did a balloon drop during our cover (of their cover) of "99 Red Balloons." When I was done with that, I resumed listening to Boston.

Listened to Boston.

I agree on all counts. This book doesn't even do him justice, though — despite the fact that it's weighted so heavily with his testimony.

It's my favorite since Frances, too. That said: I don't like it anywhere near as much as I like Frances (or De-Loused, for that matter). But if they keep going in this direction, I could imagine a big rebirth on the horizon, perhaps even soon. In fact, I've never really doubted that they have at least one more…

I'm just hoping it will go away before I'm forced to acknowledge its existence…

Listened to Boston.

http://www.avclub.com/artic…

Listened to Boston.

Listened to Boston.

I am that resident Moorcock geek, and I've already pitched a Gateways To Geekery on him. We'll see what happens…

Good point. I probably should have included a sentence about how/why they synthesize all those inspirations. 'Cause they do it so damn well… At the same time, I don't think there's much rhyme or reason to it. They simply have a deep knowledge and love of all kinds of awesome, old, guitar-heavy junk, and they throw it…

Listened to Boston.

I watched Justified, Adventure Time, and the Oscars. I read a few chapters of Simon Winchester's Atlantic and started Felix Gilman's The Half-Made World. And I listened to a ton of 7 Seconds in preparation for my upcoming cover band.