Week #03 - Raising Steam ¦ Warpaint

Raising Steam is the 40th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett and the 40th Discworld novel have I read. You don't need to have read the previous ones to understand this but it helps. It helps a lot.

The railway comes to the Discworld and Moist (or Slightly Damp) Von Lipwig is at the helm with the ever vigilant and ever vengeful Lord Vetinari watching every step.

The sub-plots are just as gripping and nearly overtake the railway in importance during the novel. There are terrorist attacks by fundamentalists dwarfs. Clacks towers are burnt and railway workers murdered. The Low King of the Dwarfs is unseated from his throne. Tensions between dwarfs, trolls, golems, humans are still simmering.

Vetinari has always been my favourite of all Discworld characters (Death a close second), but Moist Von Lipwig has been such a great addition to the cast of Discworld.

"Moist waited. Lord Vetinari could out stare a statue and make even a statue start to feel nervous and confess. Moist's counter was a fetching grin, which he know annoyed Vetinari beyond measure, and there was absolute silence in the Oblong Office while blank stare and cheery grin battled it out for supremacy ..."

It's a wonderful book. Different in so many ways to early Discworld novels but Pratchett's style and detail, humour and characters are so beautiful in this book. Pratchett is a master storyteller, who is likely to never get the credit he deserves because of the genre he writes in (see Stephen King).

4/5

I have never listened to Warpaint before this so I am light on their history. A quick search, however, tells me they are an all female band from California formed in 2004. Wikipedia also offers this

Warpaint have been compared to Cocteau Twins, Joni Mitchell, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

I loved Intro. A simple and yet luscious track to open with. The drums, oh the drums. The record proceeded like this. I was waiting for the 'rock' tracks to come, that Wikipedia lead me to believe Warpaint where all about. That never happened. Disco/Very one of the few tracks that differed throughout the album from it's "dream pop" status and is one  of my favourites, along with Teese and Go in which had an almost Grizzly Bear feel to it.

From my listening I couldn't find any of the comparisons mentioned by Wikipedia to be correct. They are very light indie! Before reading about them I would have sworn they were an English band, more in line with The Xx, London Grammar, Daughter even Bat for Lashes.

They are good, great musicians and the vocals a standout. I listened to this for a week and gave it a rest. At that time I thought good, not great, nothing new and a bit full of itself. I revisited it with a week break and I find I am liking it much more. It's cohesive, fresh and altogether a wonderful record. It's early in the year but so far so good. Give Warpaint the time it needs and deserves and I am sure you will fall in love with it too.

7/10