“Where do I start?” 

I bet you expect me to say, “at the beginning”–nope.  It’s perfectly acceptable to begin writing a scene from the middle of your story if you’re really excited to write it, or if you know how to end it but not to begin it.  But what might be helpful would be creating an outline for an overall idea of how you want the story to go.

“But I don’t know how to outline!”

There are so many templates for outlines, from the super-broad to the intricately detailed.  No matter what works for you, you can probably find an outline template for you online.  My personal choice is the seven-point outline, which you can learn all about on Youtube.  The point is, people write in different ways–some prefer a detailed outline before writing, some like a loose, general outline (like me), others don’t.  You don’t know which camp you’re in until you try.

Another way to dip your toe into writing is world-building.  If you write sci-fi or fantasy, you’ll especially have to do this.  World-building is where you make up details of the setting that may or may not be mentioned in your story, but will make the story feel more fleshed out.  This can range from making up religions and magic systems, to economics and government.  You can also try to figure out your characters’ backstory, interests, and other details that may or may not be important to the plot, but will help inform your characters’ actions.

Remember, there are multiple ways to start writing.  The only way to lose is to never try–then all the people who tell you that you’ll never be a writer (and that your ideas are dumb) will win.  And that leads us to the second question.

“Is my idea for a story even worth writing about?”

This is a question you will likely have no matter how much you’ve written.  Apparently Neil Gaiman (who’s written Sandman, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and many others) calls his editor with this fear every time he writes a new book.  I’ve had this crisis of thought multiple times–the answer is “Yes.”  Not always for the same reasons, though.

Not everything you write will be published.  I remember my first writing endeavor–in seventh grade, I began writing a story about a girl who finds out she’s a witch, and goes to a girl’s boarding school for witches.  This was eventually scrapped because 1) I had matured to the point where I didn’t feel like ripping off Harry Potter anymore, and 2) I had a much better idea that I wanted to write instead.

Ripping off Harry Potter wasn’t a waste of my time, even though it was never published anywhere.  If I had never started to write an entry-level story, I never would have gotten that initial practice I sorely needed.  It also had another effect: I knew I could write.  I began to look at myself as a writer, and started me on a path to learn as much as I could about writing.  After numerous podcasts, how-to books, and mediocre first drafts, I’m proud of how much progress I’ve made since I first began to write.

As one of my favorite authors told me, writing is like an apprenticeship.  It takes time, practice, and the willingness to be a beginner.  Sometimes you find out that writing’s not for you, and that’s not a loss.  And sometimes you do really well and end up publishing.  The only way to truly lose, is to give up before you even start.

Now that you have some ideas on how to start, are there any other questions burning in your mind on how to proceed?  Feel free to email me at madwar_krui@yahoo.com with any questions or concerns about writing.  Perhaps it’ll inspire my next column!  Happy holidays, and happy writing!

The post Mary Sue Says: “Where Do I Start?” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Moving Panoramas, from Austin, TX, released their debut album back in early October, but the terrible incident that sparked the formation of the band occurred way back in 2011. How terrible? Lead singer Leslie Sisson and her boyfriend were victim of a burglary, where the invader (who was high on narcotics at the time) held the both of them at gunpoint, forced them to take PCP, and eventually kidnapped the both of them. Sisson and her boyfriend escaped at the gas station, where they were able to call the police. Sounds like a good recipe for PTSD to me!

As a way of coping with the experience, Sisson began to follow the advice I mentioned earlier: make good art. Moving Panoramas is Sisson (guitars, vocals, songwritier), Rozie Castoe (bassist), and Karen Skloss (drums), and their debut album is One. And it’s pretty good, especially if you like Best Coast and the Dum Dum Girls. There are ten tracks, and I’ll go through them one at a time.

Track 01 – “One”

The title track immediately lets you know what kind of band this is. The opening riffs immediately get you pulled into the song, and though the instrumentation and lyrics may be simple, they’re also straight-forward. No fancy tricks, no showing off, and–most importantly for me–you can actually understand what Sisson is saying. A lazy vibe, this song is a great start to the album.

Track 02 – “Radar”

First off, there’s a pattern in the track titles: each title is a single word, which is perfect with the name of the album.  Is this a pattern the band will continue? Will their second album be “Two,” with every track being two words long?  Don’t let me down, Leslie. “Radar” is slightly slower than the track preceding it, but I think this serves the vocals well. While Sisson is no Adele, the chorus has a crooning feel as she approaches a higher register. A good love song.

Track 03 -“Tonight”

The third track definitely sounds like the kind of “band getting together, have a jam session” song that cool bands have. And by that, I mean I DARE you to listen to the guitar opening and tell me it doesn’t sound like Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper.” You totally hear it now, right? I’m not making things up. The vocals are completely different, however–the song is about Sisson wanting to stay with someone for at least the night, but she’ll leave if you really want her to. She’s cool either way, but she really would like to stay the night. A simplistic premise, but looking at the crap she’s been through… oof. A darker song, but still plenty chill.

Track 04 – “Always”

Sisson has this echoing quality in her vocals, making for a very “dreampop” feel. This is prominent in “Always,” a song where the guitar is more diminished while Sisson sings “Let’s never wake.” I wouldn’t call it my favorite song off the album, but it has its own sleepy charm that I can’t help but appreciate.

Track 05 – “Cool”

Solid guitar opening, ethereal opening vocals, not much about this song I don’t like. Well, it’s very repetitive and kind of boring. Aside from that though, it’s a nice track.

Track 06 – “Magic”

The guitar and drums definitely have a 60’s era influence, with a beat that marches along like….okay, I’m never going to beat that Blue Oyster Cult comparison.  Combine that with Sisson’s dreamy vocals and simplistic lyrics, and you have a perfect song for whatever the kids are smoking these days.

Track 07 – “Word”

I really like the opening guitar for this one. Sisson also takes to her upper register for the chorus on this track, which adds to the diversity of the song. Slightly more uptempo than the last song, “Word” isn’t one of my absolute favorites, but there isn’t much I dislike.

Track 08 – “Please”

Slow like “Magic,” and has all the bite of a soggy paper towel.  I get that “dreampop” is what the band is going for, but this is a bit too literal for me with Sisson’s quiet, sustained notes and the soft guitar.  Something more uptempo, please?

Track 09 – “Believe”

Thank you. “Believe” was written shortly after Sisson’s kidnapping ordeal, and the lyrics reflect that, the opening lyrics being “Try to lock the windows tight.” There’s an air of sadness that permeates the song, and the lyrics reference keeping things “make-believe.” To me, this is a song about fear, a regret about past events (did I mention that Sisson was kidnapped from the house her mother had died in earlier that year?), and the desire that those tragedies never happened. Despite the darkness of the song, I like it a lot for the melancholy emotion it brings with it.

Track 10 – “Harmony”

The final track of the album, with lyrics that sound like they were inspired by a dream–not surprising in the least.  A nice track to end the album on, with a soothing atmosphere and Sisson’s vocals coming across as a soft murmur during the verses. It may run a little long at over six minutes, but I really like the lyrics towards the end that urge, “don’t let go” before the drums back out, and the song dissolves out.

A nice album with a compelling backstory and enjoyable vocals, the worst sin of One is that I feel it could use more diversity in its tracks. The songs can feel repetitive, but like the album I reviewed last month, the songs can stand up well on their own. There aren’t any tracks on One that I actively despise (unlike “Leather and Wood” from the Deerhunter album I reviewed, linked above), but there aren’t any tracks that hype me up (such as Deerhunter’s “Snakeskin”). Still, I could listen to the full album and appreciate the simplicity and emotion within both lyrics and instrumentation. Maybe they aren’t exactly like other girl guitar groups like the Dum Dum Girls or Best Coast, but Moving Panoramas definitely has its own sound that’s worth a listen.

Grade: B-

You can purchase the full album off iTunes, or listen to the first track “One” below.

The post Album Review: “One” by Moving Panoramas appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Welcome back to Strange As Fiction, a column that features short fiction prose.  This is the second piece of a short horror story called “Like Father, Like Son”.  If you haven’t read the first section, click the link to start reading Part One for the whole story.  Enjoy!  

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Wendy had been waiting half an hour outside the Health & Home grocery store, still wearing her red cashier’s apron, when her husband’s black Toyota rolled up to the curb.  Even before the car rolled to a stop, she noted the way Mike gripped the wheel.  Her own hand, clutching that week’s paycheck, trembled.  As if the the twisting in her gut weren’t enough, the baby started kicking again.

The car stopped, and Mike rolled down the passenger window.  “Get in.”  Wendy obeyed.

The ride back to their house was tense.  It was only once they were parked in their driveway that Mike turned to Wendy.  “How much this week?”

“450, after taxes.”

He grunted, switching off the ignition.  “You think they’d pay you more.  Monday, you go to your manager and get a raise.  You could stand to be more assertive.”

Wendy bit her lip.  “Actually, I…” She took a deep breath.  “I’m taking Monday off.  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.”

“Why,” Mike asked, lightly drumming on the steering wheel, “would you do a stupid thing like that?” The wrinkles by his eyes deepened; Wendy counted to ten, imagining that Mike was doing the same.

“My manager… he said..”

Mike hadn’t counted to ten.  Before his wife had finished her sentence, he slammed his fist down on the car’s horn.  The resulting blare caused Wendy to jump in her seat.

“Goddamnit Wendy, didn’t you tell him we needed the money?  That we’re going to be parents in a few months?  Fuck, children cost money, did you happen to think of that when you decided to be a mommy?”

He reached out to Wendy, who couldn’t help but flinch before his hand landed on her swollen belly.

“Mike, he said I looked like crap.  That I needed a few days off to recover my health.  I am pregnant, after all,” she said.

“Well, he was right about one thing.  But Wendy, that’s what the weekend’s for.”

Wendy flinched again, this time because her husband had started drumming with his fingers again, this time over her red Health & Home apron.  The baby started to kick again, mirroring Mike’s tapping fingers.

“Have you heard of Patau syndrome?”

“No?  What is it?” Wendy asked, beginning to grow nauseated from the sensations both inside and outside her stomach.

“It’s a genetic disorder, like Down syndrome but worse.  Most children with it die in the womb, but in extremely rare cases… babies born with it can have cleft palates, malformed noses… some even have only one eye, like some sort of cyclops.”  Mike removed his hand from Wendy, and she could feel the baby stop moving.  “I looked at images online.  It’s so fucked up, Wendy.  Like something out of a nightmare.”

“Why are you telling me this?”  Wendy asked, trying not to frown.  Back when she first told Mike about the pregnancy, he had all but commanded her to abort it.  If this was one last attempt to convince her…

“Monday, since you’re taking the day off.  You’re going to the doctor to get some genetic tests done.”

“Insurance won’t cover it.  I thought we needed to save money?”

“We can scrounge for a while.  This is important,” Mike replied, unbuckling his seat belt.  “A baby with one eye.  Or nose, or ears on its goddamned chin!  Could you really love a baby like that?”

Wendy paused, and and rested her own, shaking hand on her stomach. Her husband looked at her expectantly, his sharp blue eyes daring her to say what he thought impossible.  Could she love a monster? his gaze asked.

He underestimated her.  “Yes,” she answered out loud.

Mike’s eyes narrowed, and her unborn child began to kick for the third time that day, as if it were sounding the drums of war from within her.

#

Madds Warren is a graduate student at the University of Iowa.  An avid writer since the seventh grade as well as a fan of Alice Cooper and Stephen King, she’s been excited to try her hand at horror ever since the idea for “Like Father, Like Son” popped into her head.  Madds can be reached through email at madwar_krui@yahoo.com for comments or critique, and more of her writing can be found on Wattpad under the pseudonym ‘clarissavandell’.  Stay tuned for more “Strange as Fiction” on KRUI.fm!

The post Strange As Fiction: “Like Father, Like Son” – Part Two appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Turns out that my sister had not played me songs from Deerhunter, but The Dear Hunter.  Easy mistake.  Still, after listening to Fading Frontiers, I can give it a thumbs up – not the sort of band I’d normally fall in love with, but they have this beachy, drifting style that reminds me of…. well, maybe a little background is called for.

Deerhunter formed up in 2001 in Atlanta, GA, headed by vocalist Bradford Cox and drummer/keyboardist Moses Archuleta.  Today, the band has released seven studio albums, the latest being Fading Frontier which was released the 16th of last month.  Words like “noise rock,” “shoegaze,” and “ambient punk” appear on the band’s Wikipedia page, but like so many indie rock bands today, the exact nature of the band’s sound is hard to put into words.  So like last month, I’ll break this album review down, track by track.

Track 01 – “All The Same”
An alright opener for the album, “All The Same” is the song that reminds me of… Tame Impala?  The Replacements?  Maybe even the Pixies?  I get this nagging feeling that there’s a specific song by a specific band this song reminds me of, but gosh-darn-it if I know what it is.  To be more specific, the vocals have the rhythmic quality of a playground chant, though that isn’t to say it’s boring.  Well, maybe slightly boring.  It doesn’t help that the vocals have the higher pitched, drifting timbre so popular in the mixed CDs that my boyfriend gives me.  See Frank Black of the Pixies, Radiohead, The Replacements, Tame Impala, Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, etc.  I’m not saying that completely ruins the song, because I do like it.  I did, however, have to listen to it several times before gaining an appreciation for it.  For certain types of songs, I guess it just sounds all the same to me.  (See what I did there?)

Track 02 – “Living My Life”
Super chill, this track reminds me of lying on the beach during late summer while the sun has started to sink into the horizon.  Yet listening to the lyrics (ok, I went to genius.com), the song is actually about living life despite the notion that the future is growing bleak.  The “amber waves of grain and turning gray again,” and apparently the “fading frontier,”  the album’s namesake, is a metaphor for the diminishing excitement in the future.  Uh… sure, I totally got that from the music video.  Groovy.

Track 03 – “Breaker”
Another chill song (I’m detecting a theme in this album) with thoughtful lyrics, “Breaker” is about being alive despite multiple chances at death.  “My enemies” are “trying to kill me,” possible drowning imagery, and “jack-knifed on the side-street crossing” leave little doubt for the interpretation of this song, but the end message is somewhat optimistic.  The last verse of the song tells how the vocalist is still alive – “and that’s something.” Unlike “Living My Life,” the influence for this song is traced to a particular incident: Deerhunter vocalist Cox was hit by a car, and suffered extremely painful injuries that required a neck brace.  Surprisingly, the song’s tone and beat are nevertheless enjoyable, in a nonchalant matter.

Track 04 – “Duplex Planet”
Undoubtedly the coolest track title on the album, “Duplex Planet” is, surprise-surprise, pretty chill.  Apparently “Duplex Planet” is the name of a ‘zine where the writer interviews elderly residents of various nursing homes.  And true to the theme of this album, this track has a mildly depressing message upon examining the lyrics.  The singer’s viewpoint is that of an elderly person removed from society (then possibly dying from old age) and slowly forgotten over time – “in your head, you won’t remember me” – “after the body’s gone, the scent remains.”  Like the previous track, despite the subject matter of the lyrics, the instrumentation is rather nice – especially the keyboard before the bridge.  It reminds me of a slightly slower CAKE song in that regard, only with more distant, dreamlike vocals.

Track 05 – “Take Care”
“Take Care” is slow, drifting, and okay.  One of my least favorites of the album, the song falls under the “I could listen to it while studying” category – the category of songs that aren’t bad or grating, but not interesting enough to distract from how boring your assigned material is.  I could imagine some drug-fueled montage in a movie being backed by this song, especially with Cox’s vocals, but that’s all I can really say about it.

Track 06 – “Leather and Wood”
Worst track on the album.  The track is super slow, but unlike “Take Care,” has a disjointed feel between Cox’s vocals and the plodding keyboard that doesn’t settle with me.  There are moments where it feels like Cox is whispering into a bad microphone with a bad Michael Jackson impression.  And that’s not MJ singing “Billie Jean,” but MJ ordering hot and sour soup over a bad connection for his sore throat, slightly high from too much Nyquil.  And the song’s nearly six minutes.

Track 07 – “Snakeskin”
From the first few notes of the song, I get hyped.  After “Leather and Wood,” this track is pure awesome, upbeat, music you can bob your head to.  With a good beat and jangly guitar, “Snakeskin” is probably the only song that I’d buy the album for.  The music video‘s a little strange, featuring Cox wearing just overalls and a hat, playing with a skull, etc, but it works.  Definitely take a listen to this song, because it’s awesome.

Track 08 – “Ad Astra”
This track returns to the same drifting, slow tempo that dominates the album, but has a bass line I can appreciate.  “Ad Astra” is Latin for “to the stars,” and there is a definite space-vibe to this track with synth instrumentation, eerie sound effects, Cox’s distant vocals, and a last, grand rendition of the chorus.  Towards the end of the track, however, this mood changes with a sampling of folksy 1928 “I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground.”  This serves as a mild transition to the final track of the album.

Track 09 – “Carrion”
“Carrion” is a play on words – the song’s lyrics are how the narrator will “carry on” without someone that they’ve lost, but as the song continues, the singer devolves.  Soon the lyrics are about how they will “dig a hole, I will become a mole,” in reference to the sample on the previous track.  Perhaps the most telling lyric in the song is the lamenting “What’s wrong with me?” that echoes throughout the song.  Even though the narrator will “carry on,” the loss of their friend has caused them to become despairing – hence the title of the track “Carrion” and its negative connotations.  A depressing way to end an album, if you ask me.

Fading Frontier is by all means, an okay album, and even though I’m not enthusiastic about Deerhunter, I like these songs.  However, I like them individually.  After listening to three of their slower songs, the drifting vocals become droning, and I feel like taking a nap.  The exception?  “Snakeskin” is a breath of fresh air, and I would say that it’s the only song off the album I would actively find on my iPod to listen to.  The rest would be okay on a mixed CD with upbeat songs, but not all strung together in one album – it’s simply too much for me.

Grade: C-

Feel free to listen to the album and see if you agree with me.

The post Album Review: “Fading Frontier” by Deerhunter appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa City. The famed Athens of the Midwest. I’ve heard many people say that the University of Iowa was built on the arts, and the Writing Workshop here is world-renowned. So is it any wonder that I, an aspiring author, ended up going to graduate school here? Well, kind of, since I’m in the biology department, but a girl can have multiple interests.  And one of those interests is not only writing, but sharing my personal tips and tricks with other fellow writers.  I’m by no means an English or Creative Writing expert, but I’ve been going at it ten or so years, and I’ve found plenty of resources that have helped me to progress to the level I’m at now.

For the purposes of this column, “Mary Sue Says,” I’d like to go by Mary Sue, like Abby of “Dear Abby.” Why Mary Sue, you ask me? Because the term “Mary Sue” is one of those concepts I believe every beginning fiction writer should know when they begin to develop their main character.

At first, “Mary Sues” were only applied to original characters in fan fiction, where it was obvious the character was meant to stand in for the actual author – simply a form of wish-fulfillment rather than a character any of the readers could really relate to. As of today, a Mary Sue can be a fictional character in any medium, not just in fan fiction.  However, an overt Mary Sue (or Gary Stu, for male characters) is often easily identified by several symptoms.

1. How awesome they are.
2. Other characters’ relationships to them.
3. How smoothly their story goes (usually because of how awesome they are).

First, most Mary Sues are written to be the main character of the story. This means we have a lot of insight to their viewpoint, and their problems. In a fantasy story, there are a lot of awesome characters with really cool powers. But when a character starts becoming powerful beyond belief, either by breaking the laws of that fictional universe or by not having any truly challenging obstacles or personal flaws in their life, that’s when a character might be a Mary Sue.

For example, Harry Potter.  The Boy Who Lived is obviously a special person in his setting, but he has a number of enemies who try to get him killed – or worse, expelled! – and Harry often fails or screws up throughout the book series.  He’s by no means all-powerful, and we’re always reminded that he’s just a normal teenager who can use magic.  In the series, he’s not the smartest of his friend group. We often see him struggle in classes, or procrastinate on asking somebody to the school dance. That’s good character writing.

However, a character who is a master on the very first day they learn a skill, who nearly everyone likes except the one token villain, and who was practically perfect in everyway? That is a good character to avoid like the plague.  Nobody can be that perfect and be relatable, unless we find out later that they have more nefarious purposes in mind.

Second, how do the supporting characters find your main character? Is your main character seen as super-attractive? A genius of their time? The nicest and sweetest person anybody’s met?  In that case, you might have a Mary Sue on your hands. Like a said earlier, the best characters have awesome qualities and some major personal flaws (and I’m not talking about “her teeth are too straight”). And supporting characters need to be aware of those flaws, whether from the start or from learning about them in the middle of the story.  Supporting characters shouldn’t be yes-men or worshippers of your main character… unless your character is their boss or cult leader, I guess.  A good tip to remember is that everyone considers themselves the main character of the story – all of your characters can be interesting, or at least notable, without relying on any of the other characters to tell the reader how awesome they are.

Third, how many bumps in the road does your character have before accomplishing their goal?  How high are the stakes, and does your main character make any mistakes?  If the only reason any danger occurs is due to some other character constantly messing up, and your main character is perfectly blameless or flawless, that’s a sign of a possible Mary Sue.

Another common Mary Sue tactic?  Sacrificing their life for the sake of the other characters (because they’re just so gosh-darned perfect), and then being resurrected because… the writer made it happen.  It trivializes the climax, and often doesn’t make the intended impact because the Mary Sue is so perfect and awesome and cool.  The problem is, when you have somebody who is impossibly cool as a main character, it’s hard for a reader to relate.  It’s why Frodo is the main character in Lord of Rings, not Gandalf.  Every main character needs to be relatable in some way to your readers – otherwise, nobody will want to finish reading it.

Mary Sues (or Gary Stus – again, this kind of character can be any gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.) are a common feature of beginning writers.  Nobody wants a dull, unlikeable main character, right?  But developing a character in any kind of fiction is a balancing act.  What makes it even harder is that there are so many reasons a trait works on one character, but makes another character turn into a Mary Sue.  It something that requires a lot of thought, as well as the ability to think not just as a writer, but as a reader.

I can’t list everything in one article, but if you want to know more, this link can help with some common traits of Mary Sue characters.  Check out the Mary Sue Litmus Test to see how close to the Mary Sue zone your own main character might be.  And of course, if you’d like to ask your own questions about writing characters, plot, etc., I’m always available at madwar_krui@yahoo.com.  Maybe it’ll even give me an idea for my next column!  Let me know what you think, and happy writing!

The post Mary Sue Says: “Who Is Mary Sue?” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By the time Mike pulled the car out of the driveway, it had been two hours since his son was born. After obeying all roadside laws and etiquette on the drive to the hospital, Mike sauntered through the doorway to find an unpleasant sight – his wife. She was not the red, sweaty-faced new mother often seen on television shows. But her skin was doughy and pock-marked, pimples dotted her chin, and her greasy, dull hair hung limp over the shoulders of the standard hospital gown she wore. She had gained something like twenty-five pounds in their five years of marriage, Mike reflected. Five years, and it had come to this?

Most offensive, however, was the way Wendy goggled and cooed over the bundle of white cloth on her lap. Their son, Mike figured. But no, that was a lie. If anything, that expression on her face made him all the more certain of what he had suspected since he learned about the pregnancy. He wasn’t the father. No matter what Wendy claimed, she would never love a son of his like that.

He cleared his throat, alerting the new mother that her husband had arrived. She turned a cool gaze to him. “How was work? Darling.”

“How was childbirth?” he replied, placing one hand on the door frame. “…dear.” For the first time, Mike looked at the white bundle that sat in his wife’s arms.  She held it closer to her chest, maintaining her level expression towards him.  Why would a mother want to protect her son from his own father? Mike asked himself, and an answer came to his mind quickly. “Let me see him.”

“The doctor said-”

Ignoring her words, Mike walked up to the hidden newborn and threw the white cloth away from its face. He was prepared for a black baby, yellow, brown, redhead, anything that proved the child was not his.

He was not prepared for the actuality.

He recoiled at once, shrieking, and turned away. But it was too late, and the image was already carved into his brain. The infant’s face was like rubber, too large for its skull, with lips and gums like bloody pieces of meat. But none of that was the worst.

“Whore,” Mike said, too shaken to hide his vitriol. “You… slut.”

“Mike.”

“Who’s the goddamn father, Wendy? You’re lucky I… I… you cheating slut, I sit through nine months of you looking like a blimp, for this hellspawn?”

Wendy was silent, waiting for him to finish. Finally, she responded. “Turn around, Mike.” He steeled himself, then turned around to see his wife, holding the monstrous child out to him. Its one, swollen eye gazed back at him, pale blue and watery.  Yellow crud leaked out the corners, collecting in cesspools of gunk and snot under its nostrils. The eye gave a slow blink, and Mike fought the urge to gag. It couldn’t be a human child… could it?

“It’s a genetic condition,” Wendy said, bringing the infant back to her chest. She looked at the child again, running one hand over what little hair it had. “Like Down syndrome, but much rarer. The doctor said it was a miracle I didn’t miscarry.”

Mike wished he had pushed his wife down the stairs when he had had the chance.

As if she knew what her husband was thinking, she glanced up at him again with a serene smile. A vindictive smile, Mike thought. “You’ll learn to love him,” she said.

Liar, he wanted to call her.

She turned back to their son, watching as it gave a tiny yawn. “Look Daddy, he has your eye.”

#

Mike woke up, and realized that it was a nightmare. Wendy was only six months pregnant. He groaned,thinking about the terrible, disgusting thing in his dream. “Wendy… That whore,” he muttered. It was just a nightmare… but too vivid. He wiped the yellow sleep-gunk from his eyes before getting out of bed, attempting to forget the one-eyed, hellish infant that was supposedly his son. But deep down, he knew the nightmare would haunt him for the rest of the day. Maybe longer.

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Madds Warren is a graduate student at the University of Iowa.  Although she studies biology, creative writing is her favorite hobby, writing mainly fiction genres such horror, sci-fi, or fantasy.  If you enjoyed the first chapter of “Like Father, Like Son”, or would like to share your thoughts, Madds can be reached through email at madwar_krui@yahoo.com.  Stay tuned for more “Strange as Fiction” on KRUI.fm, and happy Halloween!

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Back in September, Canadian band Metric released their sixth album, Pagans in Vegas. I eagerly took up the chance to review this album, since Metric is one of those bands I know, but only through one or two songs I really like (specifically “Help I’m Alive” and “Black Sheep“, the latter performed by Brie Adams in the movie Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World). So I was not about to pass up the opportunity to learn more about the indie, synth-pop stylings of Metric in their newest album.

My take on it? Pretty good. There are tracks I could skip on my iPod easily, but there’s an equal number of tracks on the album that I actively enjoy. Here’s a track-by-track look at the album.

Track 01 – “Lie Lie Lie”
Right away, we start with a cynical (though catchy) tune regarding fame, and the desperation that comes along with becoming a celebrity. With the title lyrics starting off the intro and making a comeback in the chorus, the first verse discusses obtaining a free lobotomy to pose on a magazine cover. While not an entirely original concept for song lyrics, where other songs might pair their lyrics with a more somber melody, Metric has synth, drum machine, and guitar to deliver a driving beat that makes Emily Haines’s vocals downright mordant. While not one of my all-time favorite songs, I’d call the track a solid opener for the rest of the album.

Track 02 – “Fortunes”
One thing I’ve noticed about Haines in this album is that she has two styles of singing: a deeper chest voice on the gutteral side, and a higher-pitched voice. In several of this album’s tracks, Haines layers these voices for an interesting effect. This effect is quite noticeable on “Fortunes”, where the vocals become almost pleading (“stay to soften the blow”) and lamenting at the same time. I don’t feel bad about skipping this track, but there are some parts I find that echo in my head on occasion – I can’t make up my mind whether I really like it, or if I’d just call it alright.

Track 03 – “The Shade”
Definitely one of my favorite songs of the album, I chose “The Shade” as a Track of the Week earlier this month. Check it out here.

Track 04 – “Celebrate”
A positive tune regarding celebrating life, throughout its ups and downs. While I enjoy the verses, which remind me of a fun dance tune, the chorus is a let-down. Instead of letting loose with something more bombastic and powerful, which the verses build up to, it slows down and loses the upbeat tone that dominating the chorus. It’s like somebody blowing up a party balloon, and letting the air back out instead of tying a knot in it.

Track 05 – “Cascades”
Another track which I’m not a huge fan of. It has a chill vibe to it, and although this was a lead single from the album with a cool music video, this is just too passive a melody for me.

Track 06 – “For Kicks”
“Why’d I have to go and break your heart for kicks?” is the question this song asks. This is one of the songs I like quite a bit, with more of the 80’s-esque synth I admired from “The Shade”, while the lyrics reflect on the troubles of romance. At times, the digital instrumentation takes on a high-pitched quality not unlike that of a violin, which I think matches the tone of the melody and lyrics rather well. While not one of my top three tracks from this album, it’s an enjoyable song nonetheless.

Track 07 – “Too Bad, So Sad”
This song is one of the most kickass songs on the album. For all my disappointment in “Celebrate”, the driving synth and drumbeat make up for it here. An interesting feature of this song is that while Haines sings the melody, backing vocals from others in the band are present in the verses, adding some extra dimension. Also it’s fun to hear Haines go “Woo hoo!” in the chorus, but that’s just my take.

Track 08 – “Other Side”
The opening voice here is surprisingly not Haines, but another band member, Jimmy Shaw, who goes on to duet with Haines for the rest of the track. Again, this serves not only as additional vocal texture, but Shaw’s voice complements Haines’s nicely. Even if I’d label the track as merely “nice”, the fusion of their voices is something I can appreciate.

Track 09 – “Blind Valentine”
I place this track in the same category as “For Kicks”: not an ultimate favorite from the album, but definitely in the top half. With a slow-but-driving beat, “Blind Valentine” is a good track, although I always get hyped at the end for…

Track 10 – “The Governess”
While not nearly as kickass as “Too Bad, So Sad”, this track joins it as one of the Top Three Tracks. Not as triumphant as “The Shade” or saccharine as “Celebrate”, “The Governess” contains a hint of dark nostalgia, alongside references to Jimi Hendrix songs. The lyrics also refer to telephones, which resonates with a eerie dial tone-like sound in the instrumental. This concept carries on in the following two tracks.

Tracks 11 & 12 – The Face, Pts. I & II
Purely instrumental, these tracks make use of synthesizer as well as, at the end of the “Pt. I”, the sound of a telephone ringing, with a cellular “Für Elise” playing before a voice tells you that nobody is available to take your call, and to please call again.  The first time I heard the ringing telephone, I had to take my headphones out to make sure that it truly was the song, not a phone ringing in my actual surroundings.  “Pt. II” has a more somber, orchestral flavor, ending the album on a bittersweet note.

All in all, while Pagans in Vegas is evenly divided between songs I tolerate, songs I like, and songs that make me go “Woo hoo!” ala “Too Bad, So Sad”, there aren’t any songs that I actually dislike. So check it out for yourself, and let me know if you agree with my take on the album.

The post Album Review: “Pagans in Vegas” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Canadian band Metric’s sixth album, Pagans in Vegas, was released earlier last month, but this Track of the Week has been available to the public since early May.  While many of the tracks on the new album feature the band’s signature synth-heavy, alternative sound, “The Shade” stands out with its prominent synth-and-drumbeat intro, with lead vocalist Emily Haines drifting through dreamy verses and bridge, breaking into an elated chorus of “I want it all, I want it all”, all with a driving beat behind it. “The Shade” is an optimistic tune that’s certain to lift your spirits whenever you hear it, especially when playing the song with your band on a rooftop at sunset. At least, that’s what the music video leads me to believe.

You can listen to “The Shade” below, which is available on iTunes along with the rest of Pagans in Vegas.

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