Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 14, 2012

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views-News Saturday July 14, 2012 

The Book Report


SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS: 


By Jeff Brown

Review By Sean Kayden

AGENT GARBO: THE BRILLIANT, ECCENTRIC SECRET AGENT 
WHO TRICKED HITLER AND SAVED D-DAY by Stephan Talty

Were the D-Day landings saved from failure because of a lone secret agent? Agent Garbo tells the astonishing 
story of a self-made secret agent who matched wits with the best minds of the Third Reich 
and won. Juan Pujol was a nobody, a Barcelona poultry farmer determined to oppose the Nazis. Using 
only his gift for daring falsehoods, Pujol became Germany’s most valued agent , or double agent: it 
took four tries before the British believed he was really on the Allies’ side. In the guise of Garbo, Pujol 
turned in a masterpiece of deception worthy of his big-screen namesake. He created an imaginary 
million-man army, invented armadas out of thin air, and brought a vast network of fictional subagents 
whirring to life. His unwitting German handlers believed every word, and banked on Garbo’s lies as 
their only source of espionage within Great Britain.For his greatest performance, Pujol had to convince 
the German High Command that the D-Day invasion of Normandy was a feint and the real 
attack was aimed at Calais. The Nazis bought it, turning the tide of battle at the crucial moment. Based 
on years of archival research and interviews with Pujol’s family, Agent Garbo is a true life thriller set 
in the shadow world of espionage and deception.

FOOLING HOUDINI: MAGICIANS, MENTALISTS, MATH GEEKS, 
AND THE HIDDEN POWERS OF THE MIND by Alex Stone 

When Alex Stone was five years old, his father bought him a magic kit, a gift that would spark a lifelong 
love. Years later, while living in New York City, he discovered a vibrant underground magic scene 
exploding with creativity and innovation and populated by a fascinating cast of characters: from his 
gruff mentor, who holds court in the back of a rundown pizza shop, to one of the world's greatest card 
cheats, who also happens to be blind. Captivated, he plunged headlong into this mysterious world, 
eventually competing at the Magic Olympics and training with great magicians around the globe to 
perfect his craft. From the back rooms of New York City's century-old magic societies to cutting-edge 
psychology labs; three-card monte on Canal Street to glossy Las Vegas casinos; Fooling Houdini recounts 
Stone's quest to join the ranks of master magicians. As he navigates this quirky and occasionally 
hilarious subculture, Stone pulls back the curtain on a community shrouded in secrecy, fueled 
by obsession and brilliance, and organized around a single overriding need: to prove one's worth by 
deceiving others. But his journey is more than a tale of tricks, gigs, and geeks. In trying to understand 
how expert magicians manipulate our minds to create their astonishing illusions, Stone uncovers a 
wealth of insight into human nature and the nature of perception. Every turn leads to questions about 
how the mind perceives the world and processes everyday experiences. By investigating some of the 
lesser-known corners of psychology, neuroscience, physics, history, and even crime, all through the 
lens of trickery and illusion, Fooling Houdini arrives at a host of startling revelations about how the 
mind works and why, sometimes, it doesn't.

OVERLOOKED ALBUMS OF 2012

 Thus far 2012 has been a rather surprising year for music on the indie side 
of things. “Bloom” from Beach House and “Mixed Emotions” from Tanlines 
are superb memorable records. Eight and a Half, Memoryhouse, Suckers, 
and DIIV all came out with solid albums from top to bottom. There are still a number of bands 
releasing records sometime this year that I’m truly excited about, such as Band of Horses, Minus 
The Bear, Heavenly Beat, and Wild Nothing. However, there are a few compilations that I didn’t get 
the opportunity to review, but are very well worth checking out. I’ve discovered three records that 
were either better than perceived by critics or just became lost in the shuffle with bigger releases 
surrounding them. Nonetheless, we’ve got a little bit of everything in musical style with the groups 
on this list.

Lemonade – “Diver “– Lemonade’s sound is indie electronic with a dash of R&B. This isn’t a mainstream 
R&B offering as seeing how Lemonade blows most well known artists in that realm out of the water. 
Slick vocals, dance-infused beats, and entirely contagious throughout, “Diver” is sleeper hit in need 
of being woken up by the masses. Lemonade brings the party in almost every track and there is just 
something simply amazing about the band’s overall artistry. With balancing slow 90s inspired jams 
with hints of 80s pop and modern day comparisons, Lemonade isn’t just here for the R&B lover, but 
those seeking a good time no matter what environment they may be in.

Zulu Winter – “Language” – The debut album from Arts & Crafts signed band, Zulu Winter is at 
times very good. It’s no surprise since Arts & Crafts have quite a few established artists on their roster. 
The London lads’ often beautifully arranged songs off “Language” are generally better than most of 
what you’ll find in the seemingly endless pursuit of English bands trying to make a splash stateside. 
While not always faultless, Zulu Winter performs multi-layered tracks that are spectacularly inventive 
and smashingly original. They demonstrate a great amount of creativity in a relatively small offering. 
The closing track, “People That You Must Remember” ranks high up as being one of the premier 
songs 2012 has graced us with. If that song could be a person, it would always be, no matter the 
situation, the coolest person in the room. That’s what that song embodies, a cool factor that’s beyond 
comprehension. Saying too cool for school wouldn’t even suffice. 

Vacationer – “Gone” – Laidback, wonderfully invigorating, and downright amiable, Vacationer has 
a sound that’s simply terrific. Their music has this sort of welcoming characteristic. If you give it 
a chance, it’ll sweep you off your feet. Vacationer is fronted by former pop-punk frontman Kenny 
Vasoil, from the band The Starting Line. He’s definitely changed up his style and has matured from his 
teen angst driven days. One of the tracks off “Gone” entitled “Dreamlike” floats so fluently with its 
divine sound. It’s entirely easy listening music on any given day of the week. The indie-pop genre may 
have a lot of competition in the field, but Vacationer’s debut record has heart. A tremendous amount 
of heart is hard to come by these days, but when you find it in something such as this, don’t turn your 
back away from it because it truly deserves your utmost attention. I promise, if you give Vacationer 
your attention, your time will not be wasted by any means possible.