I finished Red Faction Guerilla. It was a great game with a few frustrations. The final mission I found tedious after about an hour of trying, and turned down the difficulty to easy, but otherwise was a great game. I decided to spend some money of XBLA as I probably haven't downloaded anything for a year plus, and got myself 6000 points, thinking I would have no problem selecting thr 5 or 6 games that those points would afford me. So I grabbed Braid, Plants vs Zombies and Shadow Complex. But now I'm not sure what to buy with the other 3000 or so points. I've got a few ideas but I'm not sure yet. Winterbottom, Rez and Trials HD seem like strong possibilities. Any suggestions? For the record, other high profile games I already have are Castle Crashers and Geo Wars 2.
So I've been playing Braid. I don't know if I'm yet sold on the extremely high scores that it garnered, but then I haven't finished it either. I'm up to world 4 (moving left reverses time) and I'm starting to get stuck on some puzzles. I'm tempted to look at some videos showing how it is done, but I don't think I want to do that just yet. It is interesting though, the whole mystery of the game. Why does it start at World 2? What happens when I complete a puzzle? Is that seemingly impossible to reach puzzle piece achievable right now, or do I have to wait for something else later in the game before I can come back? I'll try and refrain for now. On with the music.
---
Jacques Brel - Olympia 64 - 1964
This album opens up with a powerful performance with Amsterdam, and its obvious that there is a lot of passion throughout the album. That said, I think it is in French. The book says his nationality is Belgian, so maybe he is speaking Belgian. French are mentioned in the entry, so I suspect it is French. So that said, I don't know what he is really talking about. I guess frog legs, snails, and surrendering. This live performance sounds grandiose, and sounds more like a cross between a theatre performance and opera than someone performing a concert. Every now and again he will enunciate some weird sounds which I can't possibly do justice in explaining in words, and it is those that add to the drama of some pieces.
However, it is in a language I don't understand. And that isn't a problem. But this music didn't really excite me (although it wasn't bad and suited his performance), and without really knowing what he was talking about, I found it hard to be interested. So good performance, and if you are interested in French music, I'd check it out.
---
Solomon Bourke - Rock n Soul - 1964
I suppose I would chalk this one up as solid. Another album that I'm finding fades into the background unless I am actively trying to pay attention. But when I am paying attention, everything is performed well, and his performance doesn't really falter. A good I think the title tells you everything you need to know; this album is a good mix of rock music and soul, perhaps with a higher emphasis on soul. As this was another 'middle road' album for me, I find it hard to tell you much about it. I'm sure anyone who has followed my blogs for a long time knows I'm not racist, but this album sounds 'black' to me. I don't know how to define how a black man (or woman) should sound, but it seems to make sense. There is some good chorus backing as well.
---
The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones - 1964
Despite them being well reknowned, I've never heard a Rolling Stones album before. I'm sure that I must have heard some songs, but nothing I'd be able to pick out if I heard it. This wasn't a bad listen, and there are a few catchy tunes. Mick Jaggers voice doesn't really do much for me though. I think this is kind of like The Sonics; as musicians they may not be the best, but it does all come together. But it's the sort of catchy that gets you singing along while you are listening, but not really memorable outside of that. Perhaps if I listened a bit longer then some of them would stand out a bit more. Can I Get A Witness is decent, and Mick Jaggers stutter on Walking The Dog is entertaining, but nothing to hold my interest for the long term. I'm assuming there is more of their stuff in the book, and we will see if it grows on me.