My Dad Said It #2

"Hey, with that woman on that "The Middle" show, they should make a show called "Everyone Loves The Middle" haha"

Like Comics? A Podcast Recommendation...

Ok, it should come as no surprise that I'm a comic book fan, but along with reading comics, I often like to throw the headphones on and listen to some podcasts about comics. There are a bunch of them out there, but not all are that great...

There's one that I keep going back to as my favorite though, it's called the Major Spoilers Podcast - "the podcast for comic book and pop culture fans". I look forward to this podcast more than any other comics podcast - and don't worry, they don't actually "spoil" much -

What makes it great is the interesting make-up of the group; An in-his-early-40s film/media teacher & dad, another in-his-early-40s dad who works at a comic store with an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre (and a big fan of Japanese Power Rangers aka "Super Sentai"), a guy who grew up in Mexico with an off-beat taste in comics and pop-culture, & an early 20s film student who has only been reading comics for a couple of years.

Go give it a listen and see what you think!

(And hey, if comics aren't exactly your thing, they also produce other podcasts about movies, tabletop games and more!)

Do you know of any other really good comics podcasts? Comment below and let us know!

Newsboys - Restart Album Review

Yes, the Newsboys are indeed back with a new album! This one hits the streets tomorrow, September 10th. "Restart" marks the third studio album for Michael Tait, frontman of the band (replacing the iconic Peter Furler) as well as an exploration of some new sounds for the 'Boys.

 
Following the well-received "Born Again" and "God's Not Dead", fans have been anticipating another great batch of Newsboys songs - so how does this new album one stack up? Let's go though the songs one by one...

"That's How You Change the World" immediately hits you with a cool dance drop and a bouncy, throbbing electronic sound, signifying the flavor present in much of the album to come. Initially I felt like "That's How You Change The World" was an indeed an original song, but I was listening to the remix of it. I think this was my reaction to my having not heard the Newsboys really do this type of song before (not counting the 2 remix CDs they've released), but having listened to the song multiple times, I've really gotten into it! Perhaps even better than musical components are the inspiring, thoughtful lyrics - which I won't spoil here, but do carry an insightful message. I'm was more than happy on this song to have my expectations been given a "restart".

"Restart" is an infectiously catchy anthem, and one you could definitely dance to. The "You, You, You hit the Restart" chorus is certainly fun to sing. You can tell they had fun assembling this song with all it's beeps, drops, and echoes. A worthy title song. I hope to eventually get a video game themed music video for this one.

"Love Like I Mean It" has a unique sound and a bit of a new wave influence that helps it stand out a bit from the other songs. It's got a good musical groove to it, complimented nicely by Michael's smooth and silky vocals. The song serves well as a reminder for believers to do more than talk about love, but to live it out in tangible ways, even if it takes us out of our "safe zone". It encourages us to "love with abandon" if you will - which points us to the next song...

"Live With Abandon" is a more conventional song, one which would not feel out of place in the Peter Furler era of the Newsboys. I could see it being used in churches pretty easily. I do think Tait's vocals do elevate this song to a higher level, as do the musical and vocal contributions from Duncan, Jody, and Jeff - I'm sure I'm hearing Jeff's voice in there... It's a good song with a good message - one we should all think about - it's just not an exceptional stand-out song for my tastes.

"Go Glow" is a tune in the tradition of "Shine" and "When The Boys Light Up", exhorting believers to go out into the world and reflect the light of God. It's musically and lyrically reminiscent of Owl City, which I think is actually pretty cool. The chorus goes; "He wakes up the stars, lights the moon, knows who you are, he put light in you... Go Glow" This song, along with "Restart", probably share the title of "most fun song on the album".

"That Home" - Okay, I'll tell you right now, this song made me cry. This piano ballad is a welcome break in the middle of the album. It's a heartfelt song about a mother's love, sung softly and sincerely by Tait. You just have to hear it. Wow

"Disaster" is another good one. It's got a fast beat, but poignant message. It's a cry for God's restoration and mercy when we have inevitably messed up our lives."You're the cure".

"Fishers of Men" is a face paced yet fun song about, well, being Fishers of Men of course.

"One Word" is a more instrumentally driven song, featuring inspiring lyrics about God's power. Not a bad song at all.

"Enemy" could be my favorite of the album. I love the sound, and the message of this song. Each of the band members are allowed to shine - the piano, the guitars, the drums, the melody, the construction of the song - all wonderful! Michael sings the powerful lyrics with passion and honesty. I keep humming this song to myself, it's a real triumph if you ask me.

"We Believe" a fairly standard yet unapologetic praise song, a nice anthem for followers of Christ. Not one you're going to be tapping your toes to, but a great song to build your faith and draw strength from in times of distress. I wouldn't be surprised if this one makes it's way into churches everywhere. The female choir of background singers do border on cheesy - the Newsboys hit "He Reigns" pulled off the choir thing much more successfully, but I don't want strain on this gnat too much.

Final Thoughts - If I had to guess, I'd say the breakout songs from this album will be "Restart", "Live With Abandon", and "Enemy". As usual, each song points unmistakably to the Father, and true to form, they reject being merely "positive pop", and thankfully make no attempt shy away from the name of Jesus.

Once again, Tait's smooth vocals make it seem easy, and he's in fine form here. Duncan Phillips is as good as always, and I'm looking forward to discovering all the neat stuff Jeff Frankenstein got to program and synthesize, with his keys and BG vocals to boot. Jody Davis is also a total pro, though I'm still waiting for a song where they put Jody - a superb vocalist in his own right - front and center on lead vocals; maybe next time.

For years I have wished for a Newsboys album with more of an electronic dance feel to it, and this really scratches that itch. I hope they take some of this electronic flavor with them into the future, even if a more predominantly rock sound (in the vein of "Born Again") is what I think makes sense for the next album.

4 out of 5 stars

Note; "God's Not Dead" had a cool album cover, I wish they had been as creative this time.

Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts on Restart!

P.S. I've now heard the 5 Deluxe Version tracks as well! "Man on Fire" and Mike and the Mechanics cover "The Living Years" are real standouts, awesome stuff!

Ok, it's Affleck... But don't forget about Cavill!

Ok, after reading some articles, and having some time to think about it, I'm feeling cautiously-but-curiously-optimistic on the casting of Affleck as Batman. When you think about it, Ben Affleck is likely to have a lot of input as far as the direction of this Batman/Superman film, and after The Town and Argo, he's proven himself to not be a slouch in that area.

Also, Affleck will add some star power to the movie. If the reports are true, he has signed up for "multiple" films, which almost certainly includes solo Batman installments and a Justice League flick or two, which will give Batman some stability for a while.

An added benefit to Affleck's big casting announcement is that his high profile and public awareness has signified a clean break from the Nolan version of Batman, clearing up a lot of confusion for the average non-geek movie-goer when they eventually do enter the theater on July 17, 2015


Now that Warner Brothers has decided this is the way they want to go for a Man of Steel follow-up (as well as a re-introduction for Batman) all I can say is that they'd better get it right! Oh, and WB, I want you to remember something...

Ben Affleck; The New Batman!

So it was announced tonight, Ben Affleck will play Batman in the 2015 Batman/Superman movie.

Wow!

I even know what I think of it yet, it's just such a surprise! I certainly didn't see it coming, did you?

More on this casting later...

Free Ninja!

On my Springfield Punx blog, I've had a tutorial type thing featuring a cartoon alien and ninja;
 
 How To Draw Eye-Catching Cartoons (The Springfield Punx Way)

Well I've now made both the alien and ninja files available to download as free clip art on Clip Art Hoard. You can now download them and experiment, have a look!

No, I actually *don't* watch "The Walking Dead"...

It's odd, I'm often approached by others who tell me about some show they are watching and they genuinely seem surprised that I'm not watching it. They reference some character on one of these shows and I have no idea what they are talking about. Sometimes it's in multiples too, I'm often amazed at the extensive list of shows people tell me they watch!

And this is all on top of the video games, role-playing card games, comics, and movies that people tell me they're into!

Some of these shows (maybe most of these shows?) just don't sound like something I would enjoy. I'm not turned on my zombies or vampires either....  But even if I was interested, there's too much to do and too few hours in a day as it is! Where do you people find the time to consume all this stuff?!

I didn't watch the Sopranos and I didn't watch 24. I don't watch Vampire Diaries, I don't watch Mad Men, I don't watch Boardwalk Empire, I don't watch Walking Dead, I don't watch Game of Thrones, I don't watch Breaking Bad, and I don't watch Sons of Anarchy. And I know next to nothing about them. And I'm fine with that.

I have a handful of shows I enjoy, and watch them when they come around. I can't imagine taking on much more though. America's Got Talent has been an adequate summer distraction for a few years, but for whatever reason I've grown pretty cold towards it this year. I've been giving "Under the Dome" a shot, but (for a number of reasons) it feels more like a chore to watch the further it goes. I've missed the last couple of episodes and don't expect I'll be going back.

Frankly, if I had to choose, I would prefer to drop shows rather than pick up new ones.

People tell me that this or that show is "superb" or "basically the best show ever". Well, I don't know whether it is or not, but that's the problem. There's always going to be a show come around (or game, or movie etc.) that is the new "best ever". How can I keep up with it all? Do I even want to? Blech.