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Divided We Fall is an ABNA quarterfinalist

Published by Adam on March 28, 2013

A couple of months ago, I entered the manuscript for my second novel in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Now I’m happy to report that Divided We Fall has made it through the first two rounds and is a quarterfinalist!

There were 500 novels across five genres that made the cut. Divided We Fall was one of 100 sci-fi/fantasy/horror entries.

A couple Amazon.com reviewers had a look at the first few chapters, and here’s what they had to say:

Amazon Reviewer 1:

This novel has some serious promise. Here we are in the first few thousand words and we already have a love triangle and a religious/political rebellion. Seriously, the author has provided some interesting angles to work out what the pitch promises to deliver.

Amazon Reviewer 2:

Its flows and is good. With a few fixes it may outpace “The Handmaids Tale.” I hope to see more.

Even if I don’t make it any further in the contest, I will still get a review by Publishers Weekly. This will be a great tool for convincing literary agents and publishers to take a look (unless PW hates it, but I’m feeling optimistic).

What’s that you say? If I win the contest, I won’t need to convince anyone else?

Hey dude, take a chill pill! I’m trying to measure my expectations here!

For now, please check out the sample and–if you like what you read–leave a review. Please also give my first novel We, The Watched a go. I appreciate all your support!

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Top Rock Tunes Mix 2012

Published by Adam on January 1, 2013

Happy New Year! This is the time to think about the people you’re most grateful for. But rather than do that, I’m going to tell you about my favorite rock songs of the year!

I don’t do top 10 lists* so instead I’m going to give you my 2012 mix. What’s the difference, you say? Well, they are ordered by flow rather than rank — the idea being this actually works as a mix!

But enough talk! Click the links to hear the tunes yourself, then let me know what you think in the comments below.

Deep Sea Arcade – Girls
From the first sha-la-la, this throwback to the ’60s/’70s simply rocks.
Divine Fits – Would That Not Be Nice
The guys from Spoon and Wolf Parade create a groove that sticks in your head all day.
Walk the Moon – Shiver Shiver
Hit the dance floor and don’t feel embarrassed singing along: “Shall we get intimate, again?”
Django Django – Default
This song is catchier than is possible to describe. Just click the link above and see.
Tame Impala – Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
A bass-heavy, retro jam from possibly Australia’s best young band. Get their whole LP, “Lonerism,” while you’re at it.
Bleeding Knees Club – Lipstick
Add a lot of sarcasm and sneering to ’60s beach tunes and you pretty much get this band. If you like Wavves, you’ll like Bleeding Knees Club.
Green Day – X-Kid
Green Day’s trilogy of albums this year was mixed to say the best, but this one is gold.
Bloc Party – Real Talk
The British band, known for mixing dance-y rhythms with spiky guitars, slows things down a bit. Oh, and there’s a joke about breasts at the end (on the LP).
Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know
So this one is technically from 2011, but most of us heard it in 2012. Indie finally broke into pop radio! Even Glee covered it!
Hunting Grounds – In Colour
Straight-ahead rock from Ballarat in the style of The Vines. Try not to bang your head.
The Shins – The Rifle’s Spiral
This track opened the Shins’ latest LP and sends you straight down a hypnotic rabbit’s hole. OK, not sure what I meant by that, but the song is really good.
Snow Patrol – Called Out In The Dark
Snow Patrol can occasionally get a little sappy, but this tune is pure fun; it’s got everything I like about them.
Two Door Cinema Club – The World Is Watching
The Irish outfit, known better for dancy rock, produces epic longing — and it works!
Feeder – Quiet
Just an all-around pretty song by the Welsh/Japanese veterans.
Earlimart – A Goodbye
Heart breaking, but in a good way.
Rhett Miller – Marina
The leader of the Old 97’s has written yet another catchy-but-simple acoustic number. How does he keep doing this?

*I sometimes do top 10 lists.

New Rock Review (Vol. 1)

Published by Adam on August 20, 2012

Tired of hearing the same old bands? There’s new music all around if you know where to listen. Here are a couple reviews of new albums by bands you may not have heard. Stay tuned for more reviews in the coming weeks.

The Asteroid Shop – Distant Luxury EP

Dark swagger seems to come naturally to the Asteroid Shop. Eric Brendo and Co. find the most success when they combine the heavy atmospherics with a driving beat and a good pop hook, as they do on the EP’s finale, “Hazy Love.” It’s a slow burn you can sing along to. The Austin band’s musical talent shines through on the other three songs (“Burn Out” in particular has a dreamy beauty to it), but they lack the pop punch needed to stick in your head. The smoky dance of title track “Distant Luxury” works to a point, but at 5:31 feels a couple minutes too long. There’s some real potential here but a little more editing could elevate the Asteroid Shop to new heights.

Click here to listen to “Hazy Love.”

Deep Sea Arcade – Outlands

Like fellow Australians Tame Impala, Deep Sea Arcade combines bass-heavy psychedelia with hypnotic Lennon-esque vocals. Deep Sea plays up the pop side of the equation and the result is an album of catchy numbers that hum along in your head long after the album’s through. The single “Girls” is by far the best result, featuring a verse as catchy as the chorus. Like a lot of debuts, the best songs are packed into the first half, but side B is no slouch. It can get better from here, for sure, but you walk away excited about what’s to come.

Safety Not Guaranteed worth the risk

Published by Adam on June 18, 2012

Laughter is guaranteed in this fun indie comedy about wanting to reset the past.

Safety Not Guaranteed, which had its Australian premiere Sunday night at the Sydney Film Festival, follows a jaded journalistic investigation into time travel.

A man named Kenneth claims not only that he can go back in time, but that he has done so once before. Kenneth needs a partner, so—rationally enough—he takes out a classified ad in the newspaper. Figuring Kenneth is crazy, a magazine reporter and two interns go after the story.

Intern Darius (Aubrey Plaza) finds herself drawn into Kenneth’s quest and realizes they share something in common: They both have been hurt by something in the past and want desperately to change it.

Mark Duplass is perfect as possibly crazy guy Kenneth—he’s sweet but beneath his innocent exterior lurks something dark. You’re never quite sure whether to root for him or to yell pathetically at the screen, “Darius, get out of there!”

Plaza, Jake Johnson and Karan Soni have great chemistry as the dysfunctional journalistic team. Plaza and Johnson, best known for their performances in Parks and Recreation and New Girl, don’t stray very far from their TV roles. Plaza plays a shrugging, sarcastic indie kid while Johnson is loud, angry and yet…somehow sympathetic. But hey, it’s hard to complain when those actors do those roles so well.

The film’s got a smart script. Unlike many comedies, Safety Not Guaranteed doesn’t feel like a series of sketches. Fitting for movie about time travel, each character’s actions and motivations are rooted in their pasts. It’s engaging not because you can’t wait for the next joke, but because you genuinely like the characters and want to know what’s going to happen to them.

Soni’s character doesn’t feel quite as well constructed as the rest of the cast. And the ending leaves a few loose ends. Yes, there is a proper payoff scene, but I couldn’t help but feel unresolved about the fates of a few of the characters.

It is impressive how much the filmmakers did with minimal budget. Speaking at the Sydney premiere, director Colin Trevorrow was quick to point out how little money was spent making the film. Meanwhile, marketing for this film seems to rely heavily on a viral Facebook campaign. But Safety Not Guaranteed never felt for a second like it was a film-school movie or other cheaply made affair.

Here’s hoping the Facebook campaign works and people go out and see it. It’s definitely worth a “Like.”

**** Four Stars (out of five)

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Space Rock, Grounded

Published by Adam on October 15, 2011

You might expect some serious space rock from a band called The Asteroid Shop. Song titles like “Planetary” seem to confirm the suspicion that you’re in for the kind of shoe-gazing guitar rock that might soundtrack a zero-gravity flight into the great unknown.

But band leader Eric Brendo (interviewed on this blog here) brings an earthy road-weariness to his baritone vocals and guitar work on this Austin, Texas band’s self-titled debut. While the album opens in space with the thundering “Destroyer,” by the second half The Asteroid Shop has landed in the dusty desert of the American West. A lot of bands pick one sound and stick with it, so it’s refreshing to hear this band unplug the guitars and bring in instrumentation more common to the folk and country genres. The result is some real winners like the folksy “Ashes” and lovelorn “Silver Lane.”

Not every song works and the album drags somewhat in the middle. The lyrics are unlikely to stick in one’s head and Brendo’s vocals are a little rough around the edges. The instrumentals are what’s compelling here. Atmosphere may be one the album’s greatest strengths, whether in the thundering bass of opener “Destroyer” or the shimmering guitar and synths of “Dandelion.” They’re also not afraid to surprise with a quick tempo change, as they do to great effect with the groovy ’60s organ jam in the otherwise sleepy “Planetary.” While not all the songs engage the listener, this is a promising album by a band that knows how to set a mood.

Download “Dandelion” for free right here.

Tag: review

Divided We Fall is an ABNA quarterfinalist

Top Rock Tunes Mix 2012

New Rock Review (Vol. 1)

Safety Not Guaranteed worth the risk

Space Rock, Grounded

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