stuck in the sun

I write down lists

2007-12-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Back from another extended break, and a two-year hiatus from year-end best-of lists. Let's get this thing rolling then.

This year was pretty damn good. Despite the sad news that Indie Workshop has closed its doors since my last post (the site is still up though), I managed to discover a bunch of new artists and found that many of my old faves still are putting out the goods. The quality goods.

Keep in mind that these will probably change over the next while. Consider #15 exchangeable with #13-#17, for example. I'm just that crazy. Well, let's get to it. Counting down from 20:

20. Spoon
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Can't leave them off. They've pretty much perfected their craft, and have thrown in a little more Motown to boot. Has a bit of everything we like from their past records. And Britt Daniel's voice is as great as ever.

19. Stars of the Lid
And Their Refinement of the Decline

I think I've only listened to this maybe 3 times. It's a long album, 2 CDs worth. But the impression it's left on me so far is large enough to make me put it in the top 20. I see all sorts of comments questioning if this can be called "music", yada yada...of course it can, and it is. Some people just think that if a piece unfolds so slowly that it requires stepping back to see the structure and its impact, then it's not necessarily "music". This minimal instrumental music is also very affecting. I'm sure a few more listens will only increase its standing on this list over time.

18. Voice of the Seven Woods
Voice of the Seven Woods

This is a fabulous mix of American, middle eastern and Indian folk, and some Zep-like guitar workouts when they are called for. But make no mistake, this is no piecemeal mash-up. The result is completely seamless, and we get a haunting, groovy, heavy record that rewards repeated listens. Thanks to Dusted for turning me on to this, and I'll be looking out for more on the future. Nice album cover too.

17. Deerhoof
Friend Opportunity

Hooky, crunchy and manic and jittery guitar, cute, odd. It just comes naturally to Deerhoof. One of my favourite bands of the 2000's has come back with another winner. They're pretty much unstoppable. Listen to "+81" or "Matchbook Seeks Maniac" and it'll be hard to argue that they bring out the awesome every damn time. Also go see them live.

16. Nina Nastasia and Jim White
You Follow Me

This is a very intimate album with a very intimate sound. Nina Nastasia's voice sounds as if she is in the room with you. The melodies are also memorable. Jim White's drums present a little twist in the proceedings, acting as a sort of subconscious counterpart. The perfectly restrained mania they evoke gives the songs an feeling of nervousness and anxiety to which we can all relate. Listening to the record you might at first wonder how these two parts work together, but they do. I love albums that sounds like they may fall apart at any moment, but don't. This qualifies as one of those. And does so fairly quietly and unassumingly.

15. Kanye West
Graduation

I wanted to find flaws with this. I really did. And there are flaws. "Drunk and Hot Girls" may be one of the worst experiments he's had. But at least he's experimenting. As for most of the album, I found I couldn't resist. "Flashing Lights", with its Euro-disco influence, is a good example where the mish-mashing he likes to do pays off extremely well. I'm not sure who else would have come up with that. "Champion" is undeniable. The list goes on. Can't...deny...it... The best parts of a Kanye album are worth all the "Drunk and Hot Girls" and "Barry Bonds" it may also contain. Annoying hubrus or not, Kanye is no doubt a talent.

14. Justice
†

If this album just contained "D.A.N.C.E." it would be worth it. But it also contains "Waters of Nazareth", "Phantom", and well, just about the whole thing is good. "D.A.N.C.E." is sort of a moment of light in the middle of dark sludge and distorted basslines, but you'll dig it all, I promise. These guys can throw down a B.E.A.T.

13. LCD Soundsystem
Sound of Silver

In my opinion, James Murphy is a modern-day Brian Eno, in his poppier mode. With serious krautrock-style groove. The combination of rock and dance that is unnleashed here (not to mention the clever, sly, lyrics) is more or less unequaled. If they continue this upward trend in quality, I'll keep listening more and more. "Someone Great" and, yes, "All My Friends" are two of the best tracks of the year, the hype is true. Also in the "dying to see live" category.

12. Radiohead
In Rainbows

New Radiohead album! New Radiohead album! And they're releasing it in just 10 days! Holy crap, no one knew about it! And holy shit, you can pay what you want?!?!?! It's up to me? 3 days to go, 2 days to go, 1 more day....! What? It's 160 kbps? Ripoff! Actually, probably doesn't matter. I can get the CD when it comes out. Yeah. Cant wait to listen! They really screwed the record companies! What a novel way to distribute! Yes! Radiohead!

The hype about the release method pretty much outweighed the music contained therein. Actually, though, the album is in fact really good. It's a warmer, more human Radiohead. It was also a grower (although the grower-ness plateaued for me after a number of listens). Not my favourite Radiohead release, maybe not as edgy as I prefer (not obviously edgy, anyway), and not the blatantly innovative-sounding Radiohead that we used to come to expect. But it is different from the other albums, and that's what's important. The songs are all good, but a couple do stand out: "All I Need" is up-front noticeable, but my fave here is "Reckoner". Great vocals and build-up-without-explosion. I couldn't afford the 80-dollar discbox, but hopefully there will still be LPs available when I get around to visiting the record store in the new year. Yes! Radiohead!

11. Animal Collective
Strawberry Jam

Yes, I love Animal Collective. But c'mon, if they keep coming out with great stuff like this, can you blame me? "Fireworks" is easily one of the best things put to tape this year. So is "Cuckoo Cuckoo". So is "Peacebone" (especially the awesome middle part). Every record sounds a bit different but the soul is always intact. I always feel that hearkening back to childhood when I listen, and not just out of simple nostalgia, but more in the sense of my thought process as a child. No doubt Animal Collective are talented musicians, but that way of thinking is to me what always keeps their music fresh and unpredictable, retaining that sense of surprise with every release they put out. Please, please, keep it up, guys.

10. Meg Baird
Dear Companion

Meg Baird is a member of Espers, and has a great voice. You can't help but think about Sandy Denny when hearing it. But her voice is her own, not to be mistaken for any ghost. These songs are part old songs, part originals, but you can't really tell the difference. And perhaps that's the point: folk music, regardless of who originally wrote the specific songs, is meant to be re-sung and re-interpreted over the years. And she does a great job. The production is spare, with no fancy tricks, studio tomfoolery, or blatant efforts to sound particularly current or trendy, like many of the her fellow "freak-folkers" out there. It makes for an album that is a real breath of fresh air, an unpretentious song cycle that I found myself coming back to over and over again. It hits the spot.

9. M.I.A.
Kala

Not sure if, like a lot of people have said, this is better than Arular. But it is definitely more assured, more varied, more willing to take chances. And boy, do they pay off. The chicken squawks in "Bird Flu"; the children rapping in "Mango Pickle Down River"; and perhaps most of all, the gunshots and cash registers in "Paper Planes", her tale of being denied entry into the USA. Sounds effects are not used gratuitously, either. It would be hard for me to find a more successful mish-mash of styles and sounds. She hasn't calmed down, and especially not in the politics department. We all benefit. Can't wait for more.

8. The Field
From Here We Go Sublime

This techno-based record is another in the category of "the more you listen, the more you get out of it". In this case, not so much discovering a new bleep here or a quickie sample you missed last listen. Here, it's more that you feel like you get to stretch out and feel the space a little more each time. You get a better handle on the textures. They are, however, not entirely alien. Plenty of nostalgia and familiarity pervades the entire record. Each song is its own little realm, more than a part of a larger theme. But it still works wonders as a album to listen to in one sitting. Lovely.

7. Richard Thompson
Sweet Warrior

It's been a while since I spent a bunch of time with a new Richard Thompson album. I am not sure why, but I kept just going back to the 70's stuff. I heard Sweet Warrior came out and I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did. Here we have the trademark biting cynicism ("I'll Never Give It Up"), insight into relationships ("Take Care the Road You Choose"), sarcasm ("Mr. Stupid"), sadness and lonliness ("She Sang to Angels", "Poppy-Red"), and even the epic ("Guns Are the Tongues"). There is also some political commentary ("I'll Never Give It Up", "Dad's Gonna Kill Me"). And most of all, his warm, personal voice, expressing the emotions, the anger, the resolution, and the tenderness, as great as he always could. Beats the pants off the last few RT albums in my opinion. It's great to have him back. Now if only Neil Young could follow suit...

6. Battles
Mirrored

Boy, this is a mammoth. Awesome warrior-like rhythms, fanstasical-sounding, twisted vocals, and other-wordly compositions, not to mention tight playing, that are more engaging than the cold-sounding "today's prog-rock" tag that people give this music, making it sound like a math-exercise snoozefest. But make no mistake, this is more than a cerebral work (although it's that, too). The coming together of the primal and the intellectual like not much else this year, or in the recent past. Prepare to be engulfed.

5. Caribou
Andorra

I liked The Milk of Human Kindness, but admittedly not nearly as much as Dan Snaith's previous record, Up In Flames. The joyous outbursts and feelings of nostalgia that he is so good at conjuring were not as abundant in Milk as they were in Flames. That's just a preference (like the rest of this highly subjective list). With Andorra, Snaith has in my opinion outdone himself, in multiple ways. The embodiment of the elements of 60's psychedelic pop is now all but complete, while at the same time, he manages to keep this record remarkably current. It's almost a pretty straightforward pop record, with the last part of the album leaning slightly more on the side of the mesmerising motorik 70's krautrock droning that permeated his last album. And don't worry, he has not lost his drumbeat one bit. Perhaps most remarkable is the very noticeable progression of his vocals, and especially the melody, in songs like "Melody Day", or my personal favourite, "Eli", perhaps the most wonderful on the album. I just can't wait to see what he will do next time around.

4. Of Montreal
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

I've been on the Of Montreal Train for three albums now, and I think this has got to be most best, most fully realized of those last three. It's got the sweet melodious goodness of Satanic Panic in the Attic, the bounce and beat of The Sunlandic Twins, and the funny, clever, wry lyrics and storytelling of both. The band is right on, and Kevin Barnes' delivery is better then ever. The songs stay with you and leave you craving replays. Probably the best leftover we currently have of the Elephant 6 legend. This is simply delicious.

3. Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedala

As great as his last collection, Oh You're So Silent Jens, was, it did feel like a piecemeal assemblage of singles. This latest record really feels like a single work, and it's wonderful. There is no doubt that Lekman is a real songwriting talent. His songs are catchy as all hell, and his words and stories are cynical, sarcastic, and most of all, amusing, as any artist I've heard in the recent past. "Postcards From Nina" is a major highlight for me, about a lesbian friend who he is visiting in Berlin and who tricks him into pretending he is her boyfriend who she is moving away with, at an evening with her parents. It's at the same time very tongue-in-cheek and very heartwarming. His ability to do this with his songs is heard throughout the record. His is also a very adept sampler, choosing those that highlight (and create) the moods of the songs, rather than stand out on their own. He's a real talent, like I said, and I'll get his next record without blinking.

2. Burial
Untrue

Listen: I am no dubstep afficionado. I probably couldn't tell you the difference between dubstep and two-step. I'm not some underground guru. I like what I like. And I don't need to know about "the scene" to tell you all that this is a great work of subtle textures, emotional baggage, and self-examination. And rhythm. The mysterious Burial has created a record full of longing, and has done it in a most incredibly effective way, reaching into the soul to give us a piece of what makes him tick. Best of all, from listening to this album (for the 15th time now at least), it's clear that there is a lot more to share. "Archangel" and "Etched Headplate" are masterworks in this vein. The lyrics are spare and repetitive, but that's what's so good; they sink into your head, and the music takes care of the rest of the explaining. And we understand. It's not all grim and reflective, though: "Raver" is an amazing display of hopefulness and knowledge of the goodness that could at any moment come his (and our) way. Really, a brilliant record in many ways. Please grab it.

1. Panda Bear
Person Pitch

OK, so I probably knew this would top this list after the first couple of listens. Animal Collective have come out with some great and varied records, with many great songs. But this may be the best AC-related work yet. I haven't heard a record in recent memory that so fully and naturally incorporates all its influences and sounds into such a seamless whole. Besides that, it's a work that stands out on its own, more than an exercise in nostalgia and music past. It's so warm, so engulfing. It's like a huge embrace. It may be a solo record, but really, it's a collaboration with the past, moving it into and making it relevant for the present. The individual songs are like honey, and it's really tough to pick a favourite, because they all contribute so effectively toward the whole. His deconstruction of 60's pop, dub, avant garde, and whatever else goes in the mix is truly a sound to behold, and never feels forced. It's like he's not even doing it. Plus, I love the album cover: chilling out in the pool with the panda, the tiger, the apes. And so what if a lot of people will also name this album in their big lists? There's a reason for it: it's utterly fantastic. My favourite record of 2007.

There are almost as many other albums I can name that made me very happy this year, so I thought I should just name them. Check them out, they are all worth it.

Honourable mentions (alphabetical order):

Beirut, The Flying Club Cup
The Besnard Lakes, Are the Dark Horse
James Blackshaw, The Cloud of Unknowing
Gui Boratto, Chromophobia
The Clientele, God Save the Clientele
Deerhunter, Cryptograms
Dirty Projectors, Rise Above
Les Savy Fav, Let's Stay Friends
The National, Boxer
Adrian Orange, Adrian Orange and Her Band
Pantha du Prince, This Bliss
Pharaohe Monch, Desire
Phosphorescent, Pride
A Place to Bury Strangers, A Place to Bury Strangers
Omar Souleyman, Highway to Hassake
St. Vincent, Marry Me
Various Artists, After Dark
The White Stripes, Icky Thump

Happy holidays, everyone, and feel free to comment or whatever here. Happy new year!

i need to get it over get it over quick

2006-07-21T00:39:00.000-07:00

I'll skip the crap about how it's been a long time, yada yada yada.

Things are going okay with the degree, thanks for asking, but the summer is moving by at breakneck speed, and I am afraid to blink for fear that it will whip by me completely if I do.

Anyway, you'll notice I've put some rolling website links there at the bottom of the post. These are links to websites I've read that I've found interesting and/or informative. Feel free to check them out and comment on anything you like, starting a discussion here would be great.

So I'm going to see Nicolai Dunger this weekend at the Media Club here in Van City. I'm covering the show for It's a Trap, a site that specializes in Scandinavian artists, probably more thoroughly and better than any site I can think of. I'll be sure to post the link for that when it's available. He's a man with great songs and a killer set of pipes, and I've been a fan for a couple of years now. So to introduce the uninitiated to him, here's a video for "Hunger", off his latest North American release, Here's My Song, You Can Have It...I Don't Want It Anymore/Yours 4-Ever:

And since I'm new at this YouTube embedding thing, here's one of my all-time favourite videos, "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats (you're welcome, Kristen):

Maybe I'll just start posting fave videos every now and again. Keep checking.

Until next time, everyone.

let's jump in

2005-12-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

OK folks, I've finally come around to compiling my end-of-year thoughts and lists. This year wasn't heads above any other but it turned out to be pretty good in the end. In fact, I feel as if there were a binch of artists this year that actually lived up to the hype, more than I can remember in any one year. My top 10 list of the year's best albums was really treacherously hard this time around, especially getting down to the second half. In fact, it was so tough that I decided to keep it at 20 albums this year. Just keep in mind that the 10-20 albums will probably rearrange itself by tomorrow.

Anyway, enough with the talking. Let's start:

Disappointment of the year:

Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better

God, why did they have to give the album that name? YCHISMB pales in comparison to their self-titled debut, a completely fun, charged, melodic, tight, spot-on record. I've found myself neither moving that much to this record, nor getting the songs stuck in my head. Sophomore slump? That depends on the next album. Let's hope they pull it together again for that.

Top Ten Albums I Acquired in 2005 That Were Released in 2004:

1. Shugo Tokumaru - Night Piece: Near perfect. Would have been in my top 3 last year.
2. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt: Unbelievable sound and psychedelic journey.
3. Kanye West - The College Dropout: Probably better than the new one.
4. Reigning Sound - Too Much Guitar: An energy that Mick Jagger and company would be proud of.
5. Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld: A mystical trip of mood and sound.
6. Hem - Eveningland: Stellar, stellar songwriting.
7. Espers - Espers: A haunting, harrowing slice of mystic folk.
8. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry: Great biting and scathing lyrics from the master.
9. Konono No.1 - Congotronics: Amplified thumb piano. An unreal sound.
10. Feist - Let It Die: What a great voice, and great songs to match.

Top Ten Concerts of 2005:

10. Of Montreal, Lee's Palace, Toronto, 30 August 2005 - Both over-the-top flamboyant and having the melodic chops to back it up, this was a highly enjoyable show by any standards.

9. Dizzee Rascal, Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, 30 March 2005 - I was pretty in the bag for this one, but sober enough to realize how insanely talented Dizzee is. My jaw was on the floor from how seamlessly and easily the words rolled off his agile tongue.

8. Death From Above 1979 / Controller.Controller, Red Room, Vancouver, 1 April 2005 - Although I got cracked in the jaw in the pit in front of the stage, I can't blame the offending audience member for his accidental show of excitement. This was an intense show, with the crowd to match.

7. Sufjan Stevens, Richard's on Richards, Vancouver, 24 July 2005 - Complete with cheerleading and an amazing cover of "The Star-Spangled Banner", Sufjan's subtle way of getting under your skin was equally potent on stage.

6. Deerhoof, La Sala Rossa, Montreal, 19 May 2005 - Crunchy guitars, insanely catchy melodies, and lights moving in time to the music. This show was pure pleasure. And the band sold the CDs themselves. What nice guys!

5. The New Pornographers / Destroyer / Immaculate Machine, Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, 23 September 2005 - Not only did the songs translate beautifully to the stage, not only was Neko her regular goddess-like self, with the voice of 10,000 angels, but they did this AMAZING impromptu cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams". It was fantastic.

4. Spoon / The Clientele, Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, 17 June 2005 - Clientele were spot-on, although some jerks in the crowd wouldn't shut up. This band needs quiet to set their moods. And Spoon, well, they are as tight a band as they sound on record, and were gripping from start to finish.

3. Built To Spill, Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, 18 June 2005 - How can I go see BTS and NOT have them be near the top here? It's impossible. One of the best live acts I've ever seen. The guitar fills up the entire room twice over. It's pure bliss, watching Doug Martsch and company.

2. The Kills, Red Room, Vancouver, 26 March 2005 - The pure sexual tension between Hotel and VV is undeniable. It sucks you in, swallows you, spits you out, then sucks you in all over again. There is no drummer, no bass; in fact, nothing but Hotel, Hotel's guitar, VV, and a drum machine. Anything else would just get in the way. Sexiest show of the year.

1. An Evening with Daniel Lanois and Tortoise, Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, 17 October 2005 - You can read my review here in full. But the sheer intensity of the Tortoise set, and the beyond charming, and ethereal set by Lanois, backed by Tortoise (along with many special guests) combined to make one of the best shows I've ever seen.

(pictures by... me!)

OK, so here it is, finally:

Top Twenty Albums of 2005:

20. Dead Meadow - Feathers

If Spiritualized had more Sabbath, and was looser with their guitar, they might come close to sounding like this. At times blissful, at other times mind-blowing, this is a great trip. Thank you to Sonic Boom records (no pun intended - actually a CD store in Toronto) for having this used disc for me to snatch up.

19. The Kills - No Wow

Not only did they bring the sexiest show of the year, but the sexiest record, too. Hotel's scathing guitar and VV's seductive, sultry vocals combine for a record that just seems to seep out of their pores. But see them live, or else you don't have the full picture.

(read my review in Discorder here.)

18. Animal Collective - Feels

They've done it again. While I didn't fully get into it quite as much as I did last year's Sung Tongs, this one is more focused, and boast some of their best songs. "Did You See The Words", "Grass", "Bees", "Banshee Beat" are highlights in this wonderful record from a band that continues to appeal to the child that exists inside the adult in us.

17. My Morning Jacket - Z

I'll level with you - I liked It Still Moves better. That said, this is not far behind. Definitely more eccentric than its predecessor, and still unafraid to bring the chops in our hour of need. "Gideon" and "Lay Low" are classic Jacket; "What a Wonderful Man" and "Off the Record" is informed by The Who in the best possible way; Not only does "Anytime" rock hard, but it gives us Jim James' voice without reverb. And you know what? It's still among the best in rock today. I've even forgiven them for putting out an album containing the infamous Sony rootkit that probably fucked up my computer. I can't stay mad at them...

16. Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs

This was a great surprise. The songwriting is just so strong here. The melodies stick in your head, Andrew Bird's voice is soothing but never boring, and the guy can whistle like nobody's business. Listen to songs like "Fake Palindromes" or "Opposite Day" and I think you'll agree. A great new discovery for me.

15. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Shut up, I know about the over-hype. I know. But trust me, the songs here are uniformly great. OK, fine: get past the first song, and then you'll see what I mean. Actually, hearing the opening guitar and tambourine on "Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away" is so amazingly welcome after the carnie-esque opener that one might argue the latter is necessary to the album. So there. Just enjoy this.

14. Chad VanGaalen - Infiniheart

Yet another fantastic surprise. This Calgary native is a true do-it-yourselfer, and does it well. These are some truly affecting songs about future societies, car crashes, and, yes, love. I can't wait to see his next effort, because I think this one shows a great deal of promise. But believe me, don't wait for that, when this gem is available now.

(read my review in indieworkshop.com here.)

13. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

Is there anything new to add about this band? So catchy as hell. Inventive, muscular melodies. And Dan Bejar contributes what are probably his best songs as a New Pornographer. Neko Case is as fantastic as ever. Not a bad track on the record.

12. Jamie Lidell - Multiply

This is what happens when a fan of 60s and 70s soul completely embodies his love of that music, and combines it with his own musical ideas into a seamless mixture. This is so much more soulful than you think it will be, without ever sounding like a simple tribute. Lidell's voice is so vibrant and so honestly convincing, and so, well, damn good, that you don't question the throwback feeling of the record at all. I listened to this album on the way to work the other day and noticed that the beats almost always matched exactly with my walking speed. Brilliant. Jamie Lidell has made one of the most purely enjoyable records of the year, and makes Jamiroquai look like a bunch of irrelevant hacks (that is, if you didn't think they already were).

11. The Clientele - Strange Geometry

I loved their last record, The Violet Hour, and I love this one. The Clientele are continuing to refine their sound. Their music and words conjure images of a place deep in your memory from the far past, or from another life, and evoke a mood unlike any other band out there. I bought this one on vinyl and if there is one band on this list that is made for that medium, it is this one. Perfect for a winter night.

10. Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth

Like the Clientele album, I only acquired this recently. But I listened to it so damn much that I feel like I can put it on my year-end list. And what do you know, look where it ended up! This is his best post-Pavement album (which is saying something), and possibly his best since Wowee Zowee, on par or slightly better than Brighten the Corners (which is saying a lot coming from me). That's not a final pronouncement - like I said, I may not have had enough time with it to make that statement. But I can tell you it deserves to be right here on this list: the guitar work is sharper, the melodies are solid and catchier than in his other solo work, and the lyrics are as fantastically cryptic as ever ("You are the maker of modern/minor masterpieces for the untrained eye"). "Baby C'mon" is so addictive, I thought my head would explode. Malkmus rules.

9. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Warning: if you listen to the opening of the fist song, "Like Eating Glass", and are not blown away by the drumming and explosive guitar, you might not have a pulse. If "Banquet" doesn't stop your breath momentarily, you probably weren't breathing to begin with. If "Pioneers" doesn't knock you flat on your ass, then go see your doctor, you may not be alive.

This is yet another hyped band that deserves all of it. Take Franz Ferdinand's new album, and well, chuck that crap and pick this one up. You'll be more whole as a person. For all those Gang of Four comparisons, who the fuck cares, when they're this good?

8. Common - Be

I agree with Adrian here in liking this better than the newest Kanye West. While the latter is no doubt good, and deserving of praise, I never really thought of it when I wasn't listening to it. It never stuck. This does. It's a soulful album, and never sounds overproduced or forced. Common's message always sounds earnest and meaningful, whether he's giving hope, describing people's hardships, or skillfully dissing his opponents. Also my hip-hop album of the year.

7. M.I.A - Arular

OK, Adrian - we have to agree to disagree here. This is this year's Hail to the Thief in that respect. One of the only artists I've heard that combines world music with western hip-hop and dancehall, and it never sounding silly. It sounds large. When she tells New York, London, Kingston, and Brazil to "quiet down, I need to make a sound", I don't chuckle. "Fire Fire" and "10 Dollar" not only always makes my ass move when I listen, but also makes me sing along. "Amazon" evokes the dense and humid jungle. "Sunshowers" is a fantastic melody, and "Galang" is completely undeniable. M.I.A's talent as a vocalist comes through throughout the album. She doesn't back down at all, and I don't want her to, either.

6. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

Again, a band that was much talked about before they released anything, and to top it off they were from Montreal, the capital of hype for the past couple of years. It would have been hard to live up to all the expectations. Wolf Parade decided to go ahead and live up to them anyway. When it comes down to it, this is not some incredible groundbreaking foray into new sonic territory, but is really just an album that is chock-full of great songs. They are as passionate and hook-laden as one could hope for. "I'll Bellieve in Anything" is reason enough to get the album, but you've also got "Grounds for Divorce", "Same Ghost Every Night", "Shine A Light", "This Heart's on Fire", ... okay, I'll stop there, otherwise I'll be listing the entire tracklist.

(read my review in indieworkshop.com here)

5. Spoon - Gimme Fiction

Again, here's a band that doesn't exactly venture into wildly different musical territory. But they are a tighter group than most of their contemporaries. They make albums that reward repeated listens. Every spin reveals new sounds, new things to like about each song, and Gimme Fiction is no exception. Spoon know tension and release like few other bands out there, as evidenced by songs like "They Never Got You" (also my favourite on the album). How they make music so intense and fun at the same time is beyond me, but I won't think too much about it. Instead I'll just listen to this very worthy followup to the amazing Kill the Moonlight.

(read my review in indieworkshop.com here)

4. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

After listening to this second installment in his 50 States project, I have no doubt that if he decides to go through with the other 48 that, given the time, Sufjan Stevens will not run out of ideas and inspiration to finish the job. This album is packed with creativity. There are songs of many moods, many emotions. This is undeniably a fuller, more complex album than Michigan, the previous state. While he grew up in Michigan, which made it the natural starting place for the 50 States series, he didn't necessarily have that first-hand knowledge of Illinois. Which makes this record all the more impressive, with the mounds of research he must of had to do to accompish this. What makes it a great album is the way he uses all this factual history and geography as a backdrop to the variety of stories he tells on these songs. This album is about people in the end, not places. An amazing album, it is an incredible feat in itself, with or without the 50 States theme behind it.

3. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now

Right from the first line of "Hope There's Someone", I knew I needed this album. This album is not a grower. It's immediate. And stays immediate. This doesn't mean coming back to it again and again (and again) doesn't bring rewards. If you have seen or heard about him, you may not think you are like Antony, but listening to this album, you realize that he does speak for you. No, this doesn't necessarily mean that you want to someday be a beautiful woman, but the raw human emotion that underlies all these songs is common for everyone. Mostly, I hear the balance between despair and moving on in this record. Antony's voice is a undeniably powerful instrument, and the instrumental sparcity of this album speaks to that: why include too many musical parts, when his voice is all you really need? No doubt this album would not have been nearly the same without it. But more importantly, his voice would have been superfluous had the songs not so effectively touches on the themes I mentioned above. A soulful, mesmerizing listen. I nearly fell off my chair the first time I listened to it.

2. Death Vessel - Stay Close

It was a close call between this one and I Am a Bird Now for #2. While Antony is on the soul side of things, this is on the country/roots plane. They do have a lot in common, though. For one, Joe Thibodeau's voice is a singular one. It's high register may disorient you at first, but once you settle into it, you see that it is no mere novelty. It brings forth a sense of honesty, wonderment, and innocence to these songs that few other voices could. That aside, the songs on this record are what make it special. It almost sounds like an album full of standards. When the fiddle comes in between verses in "Break the Empress Crown", my heart leaps. The chorus is a fantastically catchy sing-along. "Mandan Dink" repeats the same verse over and over, but that's fine by me, because that's all I want ot hear anyway. "Blowing Cave" is as haunting as any song this year. I could go on, but I'll stop. A truly affecting album that runs the gamut of emotions.
(A big thank you to Dusted magazine for introducing me).

1. Deerhoof - The Runners Four

This is an album full of moments. It is parts like the opening guitar licks on "Wrong Time Capsule", "Spirit Ditties of No Tone", and "You Can See", the chorus and drumming of "Running Thoughts", the "ah!'s" in "You're Our Two", that are crack for you ears. But don't get me wrong; this is not the defining characteristic of the album. These songs are well-thought out, obviously, and there is barely a wasted moment. They also know exactly how to lure the listener, giving me blissful moments that I want to hear again; they then go ahead and move on to a new idea. Rather than feeling let down, you feel satisfied, because they know precisely how to fit it all together so that it makes perfect sense. Rather than skipping from good part to good part, you sit and listen because you know what they do next will be just as enjoyable as what preceded it. They sing about things such as pirates, the life of a lemon, and spying. Their guitar sound is pure heaven to me. This album just keeps me coming back, and made me smile more than any other album this year, and even made me chuckle out loud from time to time in public. I am struggling to describe all the little things they do on this album that make me feel good inside, but I don't want to write forever here. I love it, and that's why it's at the top of this list.

That's it. Don't forget to read the upcoming year-end issue of indieworkshop.com, due just after Christmas.

Have a happy happy new year, everyone.

now here i go again

2005-09-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

So the New Pornographers' concert at the Commodore Ballroom was awesome as expected. Immaculate Machine opened and really got the crowd going, their appetite whetted. Their songs are quite melodic, but most importantly, they have a lot of energy, those three. Destroyer was up next, and they too did a good job of keeping the crowd into it. I think Dan Bejar is the most normal looking guy in music: so normal that it's arresting. His voice is a unique one, which I enjoy, and his songs are nice and off-centre enough to match.

Finally, The Pornos came on. Not much to say except: (a) they rocked really hard; (b) Neko Case is a goddess with a voice to match; (c) the only song I was disappointed that they didn't play was "July Jones", but I'm splitting hairs here. They were pretty flawless; and (d) the best moment of the show was when Carl Newman was changing guitars. To fill time, the drummer started fooling around being funny. One of the things he did to entertain was start singing the Fleetwood Mac song "Dreams" to himself. Soon enough, Neko joined in and then so did the rest of the band, and finally, it became a full-blown cover version, and it was spectaculer. The audience was right into it, singing along (including me), and Neko took over Stevie Nicks duties. A.C. came back in time to join them for the second half of the song, which they finished singing in its entirety. Fantastic. Go see them.

So indieworkshop.com, the site I write for, has a cool feature this week: "The Top 100 Albums That Changed Our Lives". Basically, it's a list of some albums that changed the way various members of the IW staff listen to music, or influenced their tastes. Or an album that was simply important to them at some point in their lives, with short comments by one or more of the writers on each. Check it out, it's a really fun piece. 20 are revealed each day till the end of the week. I'm on a couple today.

Toodeloo.

you should see my new house

2005-09-19T00:18:00.000-07:00

Well. Here I am, back from my summer hiatus, shall we say. A bunch of wonderful things have happened to me since then, but I think I'll not bore everyone. I did, however, move to a new place in Vancouver, and it's in the Main Street area, my favourite place in the city.

Here is a spider that lives on my back deck:

I have been thinking long and hard about it, and I think I'll not put up mp3's any more, at least for now. My initial intention was for it to be sort of like me playing a couple of new songs I like to my friends, but I realized through talking to some people that it may not be fair to some of the artists, although on the other hand it can expose people to new, good music. Basically, the jury's still out, and I may go back to it. So I'll still leave the disclaimer up there to the right.

So I was in Toronto for my friend's wedding -- and by the way, congratulations again to Adrian! And to Alex, whose wedding I, very sadly, could not attend, and to Tom, whose wedding was the third I was invited to within a week and a half -- and I got to see Of Montreal in concert. It was spectacular. His ridiculously catchy songs translated perfectly in a live setting. All the energy that I hope would be conveyed by performing these songs live came out, and then some. Please go see them if you can, trust me.

I'm going on Friday to see The New Pornographers here in Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom. I'm psyched, but as if that wasn't enough, Destroyer and Immaculate Machine are opening. Talk about a full deal. I also was dreaming of going to the Sigur Ros show at the Orpheum next Tuesday the 27th, and I finally got paid and was able to pay for tickets. But of course, the show was sold out. Story of my life. If anyone has any idea as to how I can get tickets, please let me know, because I'm DYING to go.

And what's with Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene tickets being so expensive? 45 and 40 bucks? Jesus. Im glad I saw them before they rocketed to stardom.

Anyway, I am hoping to keep writing here, so keep checking. As always, check to the right on the sidebar for new reviews (in bold) and new albums in the In the Changer section. And please go to indieworkshop.com for the latest in music news, reviews, and great articles. It's seriously a good and unpretentious zine that is getting bigger by the day.

Until next time.

or something like that

2005-05-02T23:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a couple of weeks, so here comes the blah-blah:

I just finished a really great book I thought I'd share. It's called Down to This by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall. It's a non-fiction, diary-style book that follows Bishop-Stall as he moves into, and over the following eight months, lives in Tent City on Toronto's lakefront, before it was evacuated a couple of years ago. He paints the close friends he makes there more than vividly enough to support the "they are real people too" message that probably will cause many to unfairly, and without even reading so much as a page, dismiss the book as simple leftist drivel. Don't be so quick to judge: what makes this book different is that Bishop-Stall is no armchair leftist. He lived and survived there for nearly a year, and would have probably continued to live there for a while longer had he and his fellow squatters not been forced out. Besides arguing in favour of fair treatment of the poor, he points out many flaws that arise in the shantytown community, not least of which is the rampant crack problem. On both sides of the coin, however, he is not too preachy. By telling it as it happens, he lets the readers see and experience for themselves the frustration, but also hope, he felt daily for his closest friends there. It's fairly clear, however, that part of the reason he moved into Tent City in the first place was to answer some questions about himself, and this makes it a pretty personal story, never straying to far from that. This, along with the fact that the writing style makes it read almost like a work of fiction, makes it an engrossing book, never feeling too much like a typical autobiography. I recommend you check it out.

(By the way, I haven't finished Le Pere... yet, but I'm still on it!)

I finally saw Million Dollar Baby. I liked it a lot: the acting was great, and the story was solid. But I couldn't help but feel like there was something missing. As fairly well as the relationship betwen Frankie (Clint Eastwood) and Maggie (Hilary Swank) was portrayed, I think they could have maybe stretched out the part of the story that followed the rise of Maggie as a prominent female boxer, at the expense of the post-last-fight portion of the story (I won't ruin things for those who still haven't seen it, even though I think I was the last one). This would have helped give more time in the film to more thoroughly develop their relationship, as well as her simple love for boxing. Doing things like turning down other offers to stay with Frankie, is all well and good for implying personal relationships in movies, but when the crux of the entire movie is that relationship, I feel like you need to do a bit more, have much more simple interactions and conversations. Don't get me wrong though. It was a really good movie, and in particular the acting was fantastic. I'm just speculating what might have really nailed it for me. I've always liked Clint Eastwood's movies, and this was no exception.

I've acquired some new music. Some of those are through my exploits in music reviewing, so you'll hear about those soon-ish. Keep checking the "writings by me" links to the right, because more and more reviews are getting posted.

Other than those, I've finally bought the new Bloc Party CD. Hype, you say? Deserved, I say. A solid, solid album. I thought it would be a nice, danceable, British guitar pop album. Wrong. It's a seething, visceral, desperate, yet ridiculously catchy record. The first song stuck out at first, probably cause it was the first song. But among the other awesome tracks here, the one-two-three punch of "This Modern Love", "Pioneers", and "Price of Gas", is a cut above. "Pioneers" is one of the best songs I've heard so far this year.

Sometimes, some bands just escape your clutches. Not much to do about that. So don't hit me, but I finally picked up my very first Guided By Voices album. Well, I guess I don't really count The Grand Hour EP, since it's (a) and EP, and (b) just a handful of really old demo-type sloppiness (albeit with a couple of cool songs all the same). I grabbed Bee Thousand. Sweet Jesus. I haven't really been able to listen to anything else for the past few days. It's fucking brilliant. There. I understand now. I am more than converted now. The effortless-sounding genius of, and pure excitement oozing from these songs is astonishing to me. Pollard and Co. (who are unfortunately no longer a band, go figure, as soon as I hop on the bandwagon) will no doubt be getting more royalties from me.

I also picked up Prefuse 73's Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives. The brilliance that permeates One Word Extinguisher didn't come from nowhere. I look forward to listening to his new one soon as well. I also found Black Foliage by Olivia Tremor Control. It's awesome, but so far, not as amazing as Dusk at Cubist Castle. A hard feat though, to be fair. Some good finds in the used bin all around, I'd say. There were more, lots more, but I am on a budget, you know.

Love As Laughter - Idol Worship and Canal Street So many of the songs on LAL's newest record, Laughter's Fifth, just seem like so much fun to play, that it brings a smile to my face. There is an honest, "who gives a shit what you think, we like to play these songs" feel throughout this album that I dig large. They take mostly from classic and old garage rock, but stick to the melody, instead of getting carried away with guitar heroics. Here are a couple of my faves from the record. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! (You can purchase it from Sub Pop)

i haven't got the time time

2005-04-17T02:29:00.000-07:00

Not much to say this time around. But my first review for indieworksop.com is now on the web. They are a solid, quality, unpretentious e-zine with some good writing to boot. Check it out.

Some killer shows are starting to creep up on me here in Vancouver town. At the end of April, we have the Weakerthans with the Constantines. I'm there. In May, we get Out Hud. Out Motherfucking Hud! Count me in. LCD Soundsystem with M.I.A. Damn, I want to go so badly. It's like 40 bucks though. I'll have to think about it a bit more. In June, I can't believe how good it will be. Get this: Spoon with the Clientele on the 17th, and Built to Spill the very next day. Both are musts. Those tickets will, I have a feeling, go very fast. So you can bet that I'm on that like bling on P-Diddy. Unfortunately, I'll be missing some key shows at the end of May. Bloc Party, back after a sold-out gig, and a killer lineup for the other show I'll miss -- Caribou (formerly Manitoba) + Junior Boys + Russian Futurists. It pains me to know I will be missing that show. I've seen the Man Formerly Known as a Province twice now, and it's a fantastic show. Go see them if you can. Oh well. at least I'll be in Montreal (hopefully) checking out Deerhoof.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Jules Lost His Jewels and Crybaby This guy may be odd, but dammit if he doesn't write the catchiest tunes. These are two of the more instantly enjoyable songs off the re-release of Worn Copy, although for me, most of them are. The album is great, maybe even better than The Doldrums, his last Paw Tracks release. His music sounds like lost gems from decades past (thanks in no small part to the super-low-fi recording quality) that were slightly too eccentric for their time. Here's hoping the Ariel Pink re-releases continue, and maybe that some new stuff will come soon, too. (You can purchase it from Paw Tracks)

review the situation, take part, take over

2005-04-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

This past week was my 3 shows in 3 days week. It was great. Tiring, but great. Let's go over them, shall we?

Wednesday night. Commodore Ballroom. Dizzee Rascal: The Boy in Da Corner was on point that night for this first show of his North American tour. The crowd was right into it as well. To watch him rap was transfixing and mesmerizing (although that could also be because I was pretty damn drunk, as seems to be the case whenever I get together with my cousin, but let's give the man the benefit of the doubt). A true talent on record, and, as I have now confirmed with my own eyes and ears, on stage as well.
Thursday night. Commodore Ballroom. Stars / Feist / Apostle of Hustle / Montag: This was part of Exclaim! magazine's 13th anniversary tour across Canada. I decided to play this one sober after the previous evening. Montag opened, and it was quite the sleeper. Not the way to grab the crowd. It wasn't horrible, but lullabies (albeit with some intersting sounds mixed in) were not what I was looking for to start the evening. Apostle of Hustle brought it up a notch, with Andrew Whiteman's inspired guitar playing. It woke up the audience just in time. Then Leslie Feist came on. Her voice really is something special. And as my good friend Saul astutely pointed out, her guitar playing had a nice and raw, bluesy quality. That was it: just her and the guitar, but it was enough. Stars followed, and they were as fantastic as last time I saw them. The new songs are great, and they played some older ones, which are still great. They are electric on stage, and I very much recommend seeing them live. This show would have been so much better if it were just Stars and Feist. No offence to the other two bands, but this just went on too long. Despite that, however, I was not disappointed.
Friday night. The Red Room. Death From Above 1979 / Controller.Controller and Elizabeth: The show rocked. And hard. Elizabeth came on to open. I wasn't terribly impressed, but at least they were inspired. They were followed by Controller.Controller, who I've been dying to see ever since I got their History record many months ago. They did not disappoint. This was a tight band, and easily got me off my ass to move it around a bit. The guitar was loud but crisp, and Nirmala Basnayake's vocals were fantastic. Can't wait to see them again. DFA 1979 rocked even harder. Before I knew it I was right in the thick of the mosh pit, sweating and pushing and body checking. It was a lot of fun. Even after I got cracked in my jaw. I decided at that point, though, to pull away from the pit and enjoy the show from a safer distance. That doesn't mean I didn't move, though. It was hard not to. Another band I would see again.

British Sea Power - Be Gone and The Land Beyond I'm in the midst of reviewing the newest British Sea Power album, Open Season, for Discorder, and I have to say that it's an album that I really have grown to like. I've chosen a couple of songs for you to sample, that I think represent the album's feel, and quality. The first of the two songs, "Be Gone", is one of the more driving ones on the album (and please forgive me for the somewhat abrupt cutoff at the end. This song segues into the next, and I couldn't figure out how to fade out), while the second, "The Land Beyond", is an understated gem with a sweet melody. Both songs are engaging without being flashy or pretentious. Before you know it, they will be stuck in your head. Check them out, and tell me what you think. (You can purchase it from Rough Trade)

move on up, towards your destination

2005-03-27T22:26:00.000-08:00

This week was pretty standard, until Thursday. That's when I lost my fish. They've moved on. They had some type of harmful bacteria or fungus, that, in the end, they just couldn't shake. I tried very hard to cure them of it. I bought treatments, did frequent water changes, but finally they gave up. Sorry, guys, I really tried. It's kind of sad, actually. I had them for about 3 years, and they've been healthy, and had grown quite large. I was pretty proud of myself for this, and was sort of getting attached to Junior and Deux (their names). But I guess they did lead a pretty long, fruitful life, by most other goldfish standards, or so I'm told. I may get new fish, but probably not until I move in the summer. It'll be kind of weird to have the tank empty.

This past Saturday, I went to see The Kills last night at the Red Room. Wow. It was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. Their stage presence is huge, intense. This is amazing for a band consisting of only a guitarist/backing vocalist, another vocalist who sometimes played guitar, and a drum machine. Hotel had this stare that was utterly mesmerizing, and VV was HOT. Not hot as in simply attractive, but hot, as in sweaty, sultry, transfixing, and just plain sexy. Their chemistry onstage was spectacular. They played off each other so well, constantly increasing the sexual tension, and fucking rocked the whole way through. When they played "I Hate the Way You Love (Part 2)", they sang at each other, face to face, their vocals drowning in a sea of guitar and feedback. It was euphoric. Please do yourself a favour and see them if they come into town (*COUGH* Horseshoe Tavern April 7 *COUGH*); I know you won't forget it.

Next week will be great. I'm doing three shows in three days. My ears will thank me. I'm going to be catching Dizzee Rascal at the Commodore on the 30th, Stars + Feist + Apostle of Hustle + Montag at the Commodore on the 31st, and Death From Above 1979 + Controller.Controller at the Red Room on the 1st of April. It will be great. I'm looking forward to all three shows. I'll tell you all how they went.

I also bought the M.I.A. album, Arular, this week. "Hype" is an understatement when it comes to describing the lead-up to this release. The fact that the release date kept getting pushed back only added to the anticipation. I have to say that I will not be one to partake in the perhaps inevitable backlash due to all this hype. The fact is that this album is fantastic. It is a truly unique mix of styles from various places around the world. It packs a punch, too, both musically and politically. One of the best of the year so far.

Interstellar - Panting and Kissing and Rain Snow Sleet Hail I found out recently that Denis' group, Interstellar, was nominated at the Canadian Independent Music Awards in the Favourite Electronica Artist/Group category, alongside the likes of Chromeo, Kid Koala, Sixtoo, and Vancouver's Sekoya. Although Sekoya walked away with the award, this was great news to hear, and is quite an accomplishment. Congrats, guys! The tracks I've included here are two of my favourites off their latest album, ToDreamToSleepToWake, a great record which all of you should check out, by the way.(You can purchase it from Tonevendor)

coming, colours in the air

2005-03-21T04:36:00.000-08:00

It's been pissing rain for the past two or three days here in Vancouver. I thought it was fairly depressing. But today, on my way to the video store to return some movies, I saw one of the most beautiful rainbows I'd seen in a long time. I rushed home to grab my camera and took a few pictures, one of which I've posted above.

I like to think that there is always good to balance out the bad. Sometimes, though, you have to wonder at the things that humans do. A fine example is the Terri Schiavo case that is all over the news and internet this week. What should have been open and shut has taken many years in the court system, and has now come to a head, flying in the President from his vacation to pass special legislation to keep Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube attached. Never mind that the courts and many great medical minds have laboured years to come to the simple conclusion that (a) Ms. Schiavo is in a persistent vegitative state from which, short of a literal miracle, there is no recovery, and (b) it is up to her legal guardian, her husband Michael Schiavo, to decide what is best for his wife, who has repeated over and over her wish never to be kept alive if she ever ended up in such a state, where pretty much all she is able to do is breathe. Never mind the complete and utter contradiction from the Republicans and the religious right. For example, as pointed out by Glenn McGee on bioethics.net, "Those who fought for the sanctity of marriage now fight against the importance of a husband's choice." All to win favour. Apparently congress knows better than expert medical opinion and years of judicial deliberation. And Terri Schiavo's parents? I'm not sure what their motivation is. I mean, I understand that she is their daughter, and I hate to even pretend to know what it is like to be in the middle of all this. Believe me, I know it's easy for me to sit here and ramble. But she has been in this state for over 10 years without improvement, and doctors, court-appointed doctors, have said time and time again that she won't improve, that she can't improve. What should have been strictly a private family matter has been dragged through all this mud for seven years, for, as I see it, pretty selfish reasons.

My two cents. I could go on. But I won't, because others have made all the points already. And much more eloquently and articulate than I. See the latest Glenn McGee entry on the bioethics.net blog which nails it for me, and check out this entry on the Majikthise blog for a very straightforward dispelling of many arguments that have arisen regarding this tumultuous affair.

This weekend I saw a couple of movies. I hardly see enough film these days, so this was a bit of a treat. Both films were good in their own way. First, Garden State was a nice film about finding onesself and reconciliation. I thought it was pretty good, if slightly overrated. But I can't complain too much about it, especially it being Zach Braff's writing and directorial debut. He did a fine job, and we'll see what he does next time. The second film, Bubba Ho-tep, starring the legendary Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead and Army of Darkness fame as an elderly Elvis Presley, was a pretty original story to say the least. Elvis and his friend, a black man who says he is JFK, try to save a rest home from an ancient Egyptian mummy who sucks the souls out of old people. I dug it. As bizarre as it can get, pretty much every thing in the story works. It even had a thing or two to say, I thought, about how shitty we treat our elderly.

I finally picked up The College Dropout by Kanye West, and it's fantastic. The whole album, minus a couple of tracks, is remarkably consistent. He obviously saved his best stuff for when he produced his own album.

Finally, I got word today that Woodhands has a video that will be featured on CBC's ZeD TV Monday, in an all-electronic edition of Music Monday. That's tonight! The program starts around 11:25 pm on CBC, and goes to midnight. So do yourself a favour and tune in to see the video for "Honest Broker", an awesome track, or at least go to the ZeD website to see it. I'll hopefully be putting up some Woodhands for your listening pleasure in the near future.

Out Hud - How Long I'm pretty pumped for the new Out Hud record, out on Tuesday. S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. was so unbelievably good and I hear that this one, called Let Us Never Speak of It Again, is great as well. Here is a track off the new one from their website, which I hope hints at what to expect from the rest of the album. Hope you enjoy it. (You can purchase it from Kranky Records)

you give me friction

2005-03-14T00:22:00.000-08:00

So I go to have my shower this evening, and much to my chagrin (to put it mildly), when I attempted to slide the shower doors over, they fell apart, leaving no barrier between me and the inside of my shower. First let me apologize to my flatmates, who no doubt heard me shout pretty much every low-brow word that one uses to express frustration and anger in such a situation.

Now, like I said on my first post, I don't want to bore you with mundane facts about my life... BUT. This is where I unload, because you know what? This concerns everyone who is a renter: to have the shower door collapse in my hands is not what made me fume. In fact, under normal circumstances I would probably have even laughed. No, what made me angry was knowing it will take my landlords a least a week to fix it, and that in the meantime we have to either shower at school, or live with a wet bathroom floor everytime we shower. Let me tell you about my landlords. The quick three-word description: stupid, lazy, and cheap, and negligent. OK, I realize those are four words, but believe me, there are a few choice words I did manage to leave out.

The problems we've had since moving here are numerous. From day one, the washer and dryer are broken-fixed-broken-fixed-etc.; the deathtrap they call a back step -- I almost broke my leg there once; having unsafe electrical sockets for the longest time; losing power for days in our living room; not having hot water for four and a half days before they came and actually had it running again, leaving us to shower at school. The list goes on. But you can put your life savings on the fact that they will be there to pick up rent on time. That, they're punctual for. That stupid smirk I get when I give him the rent cheque. By far the worst landlords I have ever had, and every day I am reminded of this. The location of our place is so awesome, right near the beach, and near lots of shopping, and food stores (not to mention Zulu Records), and they know that, and take advantage. I'm sure their dryer is perfect, their fire escape safe, and their hot water running without four-day interruptions. It's people like that that fuck up the world for the rest of us. If anyone can think of a subtle, yet effective "fuck you" to sign off to these slumlords with when we move out (after getting our safety deposit back, of course), please share.

OK, done. Now then. I was at the Futureheads show last Monday at Richard's on Richards, and they did NOT disappoint. Unfortunately, they have only the one album, so they only played those songs, a couple of new ones, and a Television Personalities cover (along with the Kate Bush cover on the album). But they were full of energy, got the crowd going, and their trademark harmonies were just as great as on the album. I recommend going to catch them if you can.

The Screaming Eagles - Dingo Dink and Enter Tip Also, last night I had the distinct pleasure of going to the see the one and only Screaming Eagles play a set at the Butchershop, an art gallery that also hosts many events and shows by some very cool bands. The Eagles rocked as usual, of course. A couple of their newer songs have vocals now. The dream is now a reality! If you are in the Vancouver area, do yourself a favour and see them. Seriously, they are great. Truuuust me. Their website is linked on my sidebar here, and they will post dates as they arise. There should be something coming up in April, so keep yourself informed. Check out the tracks I've linked to above, and send the comments. Enjoy, and Cacaw!

it's down to me

2005-03-06T03:44:00.000-08:00

Here I am on a late Saturday night, or early Sunday morning, however you look at it, at 3:45 am in the morning, doing my remote observing at Arecibo. Counting the seconds until I can rest my head on my pillow and all I think about is BED and SLEEP and AHHH. T-minus 1 hour 15 minutes.

So I'm pretty pumped. Going to catch the Futureheads at Richard's on Richards on Monday night. Luckily I picked up the last five tickets at Scratch. It should be fantastic.

Picked up the new Fiery Furnaces EP a few days back. Blueberry Boat was one of my favourite albums from last year, so I was fairly excited to have more. To tell the truth I was not completely impressed at first with EP. But a few more listens later, giving me the chance to reaquainting myself with their world, and I was hooked. In fact, I like it more with each listen. There are a couple of not-so-amazing tracks here ("Duffy St. George" comes to mind) but nothing here in particular really makes me ill. In fact, it all makes me happy, especially "Cousin Chris". It's no Blueberry Boat, mind you, but for an album released so quickly after their last, it's pretty damn good. And it sure as hell is not an EP length (10 songs, about an hour of music). But I'm certainly not complaining about getting more Fieries than I expected.

I know you're all keeping a detailed log of my "in the changer" albums, and notice that they've changed. And assuming you're all keeping accurate records, you'll have noticed that one album remains from last time. That album is the Reigning Sounds' Too Much Guitar!, and this is where I have plucked this post's tracks from. That's right, plural tracks:

The Reigning Sound - If You Can't Give Me Everything and Funny Thing So here is yet another reason for me to appreciate early Rolling Stones and 60's garage rock in general: they directly inspire bands today that sound like this. I just couldn't decide which song I should choose to represent this great album. So here are two offerings. Singer and principal songwriter Greg Cartwright's vocals are simply awesome. The band is also great -- Too Much Guitar! is not an understatement. Everything, right down to that truly DIY guitar "solo" on "If You Can't Give Me Everything", makes me smile. Enjoy and tell me what you think. (You can purchase it at Insound)

come on back from way out west

2005-02-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by congratulating by very good friends Nathan and Misato. They were married this past weekend in Japan. Congratulations, guys! You're very lucky to have each other.

I was in Japan to visit them these past winter holidays, and although I spent 3 weeks there, it was nowhere near enough. I could definitely do with spending more time there. The people: as courteous as you can imagine. Generally quiet, keep to themselves, but stay at their place and you are treated better than family. And, from what I have seen in Tokyo, as numerous as you can imagine. My obsession with the crowds in Tokyo is ongoing. "Dense" doesn't even begin to describe. Walking in the crowd is never difficult or intimidating, though. The food: well, tasty. All of it. Even the fast food places there are gourmet compared to those here in Canada. The places: it goes without saying that all the old castles and temples and shrines are gorgeous, better than imagined. On top of that, it's great that in Kyoto you have shrines in the middle of the mall. A very tranquil stop in the middle of the busy busy malls and streets. In Tokyo, every little side street is full with shops and restaurants. The clutter is beautiful in its own way. I do feel as if I've brought some of the country back with me, even from such a short trip. I'm sure I'll be back someday.

Shugo Tokumaru - Typewriter As part of my travels in Tokyo, I made the obligatory stop at the record stores: Disk Union, Recofan, and Tower Records in Shibuya, supposedly the biggest record store in the world. I usually like to pick up an album whenever I travel somewhere as a memory of the places I visit. So I bought up a couple of records by Japanese artists. One was Super Ae (which is spelled differently depending where you read -- I'm still not sure how to spell it) by the Boredoms. It's phenomenal to say the least, much more substantial than I expected. The other was Night Piece by Shugo Tokumaru. This is truly one of the most singularly stunning albums of last year. It is incredibly unassuming, but given (not too much) time, reveals itself to be a lush, lovely, truly unique point of view. Although it is said that Tokumaru's primary influence is Brian Wilson, there is definitely much more going on here. But, as with Wilson's best work, everything is exactly in its right place within these songs, and every song has its own distinct character. I have no idea what the lyrics mean, but I would really like to find out (hint hint). This track, "Typewriter", is near the middle of the all-too-short-but-exactly-what-you-need 23-minute album, and is probably my favourite, but not by much. (You can purchase it at Tonevendor)

from start to...

2005-02-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to stuck in the sun.

So this is my first entry, and accordingly, here is the description of what I want to do with it.

Talk - I'll talk and comment about everyday things, from film, to politics, to annoyances, to pleasures, and whatever else. But don't worry: I will try not to bore you to death with the mundane intricacies of my daily life. But if there's something I want to say here, I'll say it.

Music - It's not the only thing that's important to me, of course, but it is high high up there. So yes, I'll talk about it, discuss it, obsess over it. It will most definitely be a central part of this blog, just as it is so central to my daily life. I intend to provide links to music I am listening to now, or that I spontaneously feel should be listened to. I'll sometimes link the subject of my entry to the music, sometimes not. I am not (as of now) equipped to the extent of other fantastic blogs and sites (see links) in providing the newest, rarest, most-hyped tracks available. I will post songs that do it for me at the time, trying to stay away from the ultra-popular stuff, 'cause you've heard them already, or they are easy enough to hear. I'll hopefully be getting mp3s from great bands that I happen to know who deserve to be heard. This is done out of love of music and not for any gain whatoever, and they will only be available for a short time.

I'm looking forward to seeing this site evolve over time and see where it goes. I welcome and appreciate any comments on anything I post on here, or whatever else.

So, here is the first song:

Sons and Daughters - Start to End I didn't want to put too much thought into this, otherwise it would have taken me forever to choose. It's a good song from a good band that is up and coming and not afraid to use their accents; most of all, the title works for this first post. (You can purchase it at Domino USA)

See you soon.