|
We here at Splendid have been foaming at the mouth in praise of Copper Press for some time now, so let’s just say that not a whole lot has changed between issue #8 and issue #9. Steve Brydges and Royce Deans still manage to put out one of the most consistently excellent zines dealing with independent music, pop culture, skateboarding, and whatever else they feel motivated to cover.
As usual, this issue of Copper Press has articles that will be informative and enjoyable to practically any stripe of intelligent music fan out there. Although many of the bands covered here could easily fall under the category of "indie rock" (such as Spoon, Dianogah, Fugazi, Burning Airlines, Circulatory System, and Sweep the Leg Johnny), jazz fans will also find lots to enjoy here, with intensive articles on microtonal jazz maestro Joe Maneri, the legendary Davis S. Ware, and jazz-bassist-of-the-moment Dominic Duval. However, in the end, it doesn’t really matter what kind of music you like, because these articles are just plain fun to read. For instance, for me, some of the most interesting reading of this issue came with the pieces on Maneri and Duval - because their work is completely foreign to me, and the stories of their lives are quite fascinating. Many of the articles on indie bands are very well done, as well - the articles on songstress Shannon Wright, Chicago band Sicbay and Czech instrumental band C were all particularly interesting.
At times, the writers get a bit carried away in ecclesiastical praise of a particular band, or otherwise engage in some particularly affected, awkward prose (for instance, the Spoon feature starts out with the statement "It’s hard to tell from one phone interview whether Spoon frontman Britt Daniel is a highly ethical person or not." #1: Who cares? #2: Couldn’t you say that about pretty much anybody?). Minor quibbles like these aside, Copper Press is a great fund of information about lesser-known indie acts. In fact, in its ability to turn one on to new bands, I would rank it just below Jack Rabid’s behemoth The Big Takeover (each issue of which is a virtual encyclopedia of indie treasures, some familiar, some exotic and unknown).
In addition to its wealth of articles devoted to interesting musical artists, issue #9 also features the usual spots on various pro skateboarders, as well as several visual artists. Although, to be honest, I don’t give a rat’s ass about pro skating, the interviews with these guys were entertaining and informative nonetheless. The piece on artist Menglef is quite fascinating as well - his work is amazingly accomplished and extremely disturbing.
As always, Copper Press is also very aesthetically pleasing. From the impeccable design of the articles themselves to the well-placed and well-thought-out advertising, every page of Copper Press is a feast for the eyes. Even the basic shape of the magazine is pleasing - square, thick and sturdy, and printed on quality paper. So, in short, Copper Press #9 is another definite hit for this team. I’d be hard pressed to think of another magazine that gives you more information, better aesthetics and is generally this well thought out - and all for a lousy four bucks! Get thee to the zinestand!
-- Jeremy Schneyer
|
