Just Me, The Fish & The Sea

Last weekend I got the opportunity to see Patrick Watson in concert and I think it changed my life. I find it hard to develop an intimate relationship with an artist and their music during a concert, surrounded by some people who are only there to be seen. I recognize that is both pretentious and ignorant of me to say, but as some of my favourite artists get more popular, I can't help being cynical about losing what I felt was a personal, intimate connection with the music.

Seeing Patrick Watson in concert, at the newly renovated Queen Elizabeth Theatre which seats about 3000 people, the intimate connection I have with his music was only solidified. Between insisting that all of the lights be turned off when he played "The Great Escape" and walking through the aisles during the encore singing into this speaker box contraption, my cynicism towards concert-goers everywhere vanished. In the second encore he sang "Man Under Sea" without any music or a microphone and asked everyone to sing along... it was definitely one of those moments that changed the way I experience music.

Needless to say, Patrick Watson was incredible and put on an amazing show. Not to mention my friend Carly and I had to ask him where the entrance was as he had a smoke in the ally behind the theatre!

Enjoy one of my favourite songs which he played during his second encore, "Drifters", off of Close to Paradise. It's an oldie, but a goodie.



Patrick Watson has an uncanny ability to make music that seems to be the soundtrack of my life.

MP3: "Drifters" - Patrick Watson

Obsessions of the Week

I seem to float between searching for song covers that make me fall in love again and remixes that get me dancing. This week I've been looking for new song covers, after hearing Anya Marina's cover of T.I's "Whatever You Like", which I heard on TV somewhere, possibly, to my shame, on Gossip Girl. I came across quite a few, but since I haven't updated in a while, I figured I'd share some of my finds.

Enjoy!

"Nebraska (Bruce Springsteen Cover)" - Deer Tick
"Just Like Heaven (The Cure Cover)" - Dinosaur Jr.
"Whatever You Like (T.I. Cover)" - Anya Marina
"I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan Cover)" - Jeff Tweedy
"Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye)" - Hot Chip

New Moon: The Soundtrack of the Year?

Although I hate to admit it, I am one of the many fans of the Twilight novel and movie series. I retain my dignity, however, because I do not like the series because of the content, but rather because what it brought to popular culture. Ever since Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I have had a vampire fetish, far before it was the latest craze. Until the Twilight series, I had to rely on Buffy reruns and episodes of Angel to fulfill my vampire quota, but now, with tweens everywhere pining for Edward Cullen, vampires have become hip again and brilliant programs like True Blood have been getting the attention they deserve. What is even more significant is the musical resources now available to the vampire genre.

The soundtrack for the new Twilight movie, New Moon, was released in early October and has been captivating audiences with and without vampire love, simply because of all the good music in one place. The tracklist of the soundtrack is:

1. "Meet Me on the Equinox"- Death Cab for Cutie
   
2. "Friends"- Bands of Skulls
   
3. "Hearing Damage"- Thom Yorke
   
4. "Possibility"- Lykke Li
   
5. "A White Demon Love Song"- The Killers
   
6. "Satellite Heart"- Anya Marina
7. "I Belong to You (New Moon)"- Muse
   
8. "Roslyn"- Bon Iver & St. Vincent
9. "Done All Wrong"- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
   
10. "Monsters"- Hurricane Bells
11. "The Violet Hour"- Sea Wolf
12. "Shooting the Moon"- OK Go
    
13. "Slow Life"- Grizzly Bear
    
14. "No Sound but the Wind"- Editors
    
15. "New Moon (The Meadow)"- Alexandre Desplat

It is just an incredible plethora of good music that one might go so far as to say it is the best soundtrack I've heard since the Garden State soundtrack. Yep, I went there.

Here are a few of my favourites from the soundtrack, enjoy!'

MP3: "Hearing Damage" - Thom Yorke
MP3: "Satellite Heart" - Anya Marina
MP3: "Roslyn" - Bon Iver & St. Vincent

Pop Montreal

Last weekend I decided to go to Montreal to visit friends, which luckily enough, was the very same weekend as Pop Montreal, one of the best music festivals that the city hosts every year. Joel Plaskett, Young Galaxy, Sufjan Stevens and Kid Koala are just a few of the bigger indie names that played at Pop this year, but the amount of up-and-coming bands that are also playing is impressive. Pop is known as a festival that gives lesser-known local and national bands the opportunity to showcase their talent to a festival audience who might otherwise not know them.

On Friday night, myself and a few friends went down to the Montreal red light district in hopes of seeing Joel Plaskett, only to decide to spend the same amount of money to see three lesser-known bands, who had great reviews. We saw Slim Twig, Micachu & The Shapes and Clues, the highlight of which was seeing Clues.

Clues was founded by Alden Penner, former half of Unicorns and Brendan Reed, once a short-lived drummer for Arcade Fire, in 2007, playing small local Montreal shows until 2008, when friends Ben Borden, Lisa Gamble, and Nick Scribner became members. With the new members, they began to work on their debut self-titled album, which was released in May of 2009.



"On their startling, intricate debut, Montreal’s Clues enter the alternate universe of the Flaming Lips for a blast of contemporary underground pop driven by angular arrangements and gritty noise. Sudden and unexpected, Clues lead listeners on in a glorious way."
EXCLAIM

Under Their Spell

And simply because I love Alphabeat and their music will forever remind me of the 90s, here is their new video for "The Spell", the single off their upcoming album, This Is Still Alphabeat. The album will their first released since signing with record label Polydor in March 2009 and will be released in mid-October in the UK. Alphabeat are not strangers to fuck you operator, so to learn more check out my post from way back in April, Don't Go Out Tonight.



MP3: "The Spell" - Alphabeat

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Here is the new Flaming Lips music video for "I Can Be A Frog" off their new album Embryonic, which is set to be released mid-October. The song is especially whimsical because the animal noises were made by Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Enjoy!



MP3: "I Can Be A Frog" - The Flaming Lips

Fucked Up Wins The 2009 Polaris Prize!

I am happy to say that, yes indeed, Canadian hardcore band Fucked Up are the winners of the 2009 Polaris Music Prize for their album, The Chemistry of Common Life. They were my personal favourite to win the award, although I thought Joel Plaskett or K'Naan were more likely to win. They put one an incredible show, at one point bringing Owen Pallett from Final Fantasy onstage to play along with them. Their show was even so incredibly energetic and enthusiastic that as soon as they finished, a food fight broke out before the winner was announced, with Malajube throwing mints and Chad van Galen overturning a table!

But check out their interview from earlier this morning with CBC Q host Jian Ghomeshi to talk about their reactions, how they think winning the Polaris music prize will change their status in Canada music, as well as for Canadian hardcore in general, and their plans for the $20,000 award prize.

Alberta Twang

After my last post filled with ranting about the VMAs, I feel I need to redeem myself with a truly good find. My favourite podcast of all time, the CBC R3-30 countdown, is the best source of all things Canadian indie music and it never fails to surprise me with certain musical finds. Corb Lund, a country music singer from Alberta, managed to sneak his way onto the countdown this week as the highest debut on the countdown, although I assumed his country twang was from Nashville, rather than Alberta. But as a country filled with ranches and real cowboys, it is a great breeding ground for heart-achin' country singers. Corb Lund and his touring band The Hurtin' Albertans, have just been recently signed to New West Labels, a record label which they share with Dwight Yoakam, and have a new album, Losin' Lately Gambler, due out next week on September 29th. Despite only now being signed to a major record label, they have already been the recipients of 22 awards to date, including the 2008 Artist of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards. More impressively, however, is that they provided accompaniment for an NBC special in 2006 on Olympic gold medalist and fellow Albertan, Kurt Browning, to perform a figure skating routine to.

Here, from his new album due out next week Losin' Lately Gambler, is the first single "A Game In Town Like This" by Cord Lund.



MP3: "A Game In Town Like This" - Corb Lund

Where Did All The Respect Go?

If you were one of the millions of people who watched the VMAs last night, then you already know about the ridiculousness that continued to happen all throughout the evening. However, if you're like me and haven't gotten your cable hooked up yet, then you just finished watching thousands of clips on YouTube after hearing about events of last night.

Normally I refrain from commenting on the social relationship that celebrities keep with others and themselves, but the continued lack of respect and artist integrity at last nights VMAs deserves some commentary.

The events that shocked and disturbed me was Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video, saying that Beyonce deserved to win it more, Lady Gaga's performance of "Paparazzi", which was strange and disturbing and I'm not sure what to think of it, Beyonce allowing Taylor Swift to use her speech time to finish what Kanye interrupted, and finally, Jay-Z's performance with Alicia Keys where Lil' Mama gets up on stage at the end of the song and poses with them.

Lady Gaga's performance aside, which I just threw in there because I always need to ask myself if its about art or ego with her, it seems obvious that some artists forget that respect is integral to a successful and well-deserved career. I am grateful that Beyonce chose to address it and offer up her time to Taylor because it shows that even she doesn't approve of what Kanye did.

I recognize that I am ranting but I feel like the amount of ego and disrespect that occurred during the 2009 VMAs should speak as an example of the downfall of quality of certain musicians today.

Comments?

Home Sweet Home

And after a long and stressful summer, I am officially back in Waterloo getting ready to head back to school. Many people would be dreading this but I celebrate being able to finally leave Toronto and get back to my home and friends in Waterloo. As a plus, I am able to update my blog more, simply because I'm on my computer and looking for music more, which means music, more dancing and more of my commentary on music that no one really cares about, ha!

And provided the occasion is my celebration of my return to Waterloo, please enjoy one of my favourite Waterloo songs, "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks.

I'd Like To Make Myself Believe

I have to admit, I am a huge sucker for cute pop songs and videos. Normally I would avoid blogging about them, strictly out of embarrassment, but the video for "Fireflies" by Owl City is too endearing not to share. Owl City is the name of a solo project by Adam Young, who much like many artists these days, found initial popularity through MySpace. Young started making music out of his parents basement, which he claims came about as a result of his insomnia. He released two albums before being signed to Universal Music in 2009 and went onto release a third album with the label, Ocean Eyes.

The video for "Fireflies" appeals to everyone's sense of childhood whimsy, something we lose and forget as we get older. But I still remember the days when I thought my toys would come to life as soon as I fell asleep and imagining the adventures I was missing out on. My personal favourite in the video is the crab, it's just so damn cute!



MP3: "Fireflies" - Owl City

Extreme Failz

I know, I know. My promises of loads of postings before I left for England were empty, but in my defense, the day after I made that post I had to take my computer in to be fixed. I got back from England two days ago and have been doing nothing but laundry since. You might think that I have loads of time to get back on track and in reality I do, but it still seems like I don't. Maybe it's a jet-lag thing. But until I can get my act together, enjoy Animal Collective's new video, "Summertime Clothes".

A Few Updates And Some Peaches

Tron trailers and silly wedding videos aside, I know I have been seriously slacking this summer. But I am now officially finished my online summer course, which means I have less readings and quizzing to do, and more good music hunting. However, I also happen to be leaving for England next week and I'll be gone for two whole weeks! It's exciting, naturally, and that means a fully documented trip to be shared with you all when I get back, but it also means no internetz readily available. But as my last week of work draws to a close and my vacation gets closer, I am going to try to post quite a bit before I leave. I've got some great posts in mind, I just need to find the time.

Until then, here is, yet another Peaches video. I swear, she pumps out one of these every month or so. I'm guessing she has some videographer friends in the mix. It's a video for her new single "Serpentine" off I Feel Cream, which I feel is really not single-worthy, but I will continue to love Peaches for her never-ending use of weaves in her outfits.



MP3: "Serpentine" - Peaches

TRON!

That's right, mutherfuckin' TRON! A teaser trailer for the upcoming TRON Legacy movie was shown at Comic-Con last weekend and nerds everywhere jumped for joy. The movie is going to be in 3-D and will be released in 2010. Also, Daft Punk is doing most of the soundtrack for the movie, bonus!

Just Watch for Utter Hilarity

I must shamefully admit that I found this video on perezhilton.com, but let's face it, I think we all need to indulge in the hilarity and ridiculousness of celebrity life every now and then. Basically, this is just awesome. It's a video of the wedding precession of Minnesota couple Jill Peterson and Kevin Hines who decided that ye ol' wedding march was not exciting enough for their wedding. My favourite part has got to be when the music starts...but you'll see. It's the perfect way to start the weekend right.

Under Great Northern White Lights

This is really nothing of consequence, as it is a teaser trailer, but it's exciting nonetheless. The teaser trailer for Under Great Northern White Lights, the film which documents the White Stripes tour across Canada, was released earlier this week. The film will premier at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, as filmed by Emmett Malloy, an American music video and documentary veteran, during their 2007 cross-Canada tour. The documentary follows the band as they play shows in unconventional tour stops like Whitehorse, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Charlottetown. According to Jack White, it was a childhood fantasy of his to tour Canada in its entirety, which gives me hope that Canada is starting to be recognized as a country filled with incredible musical talent and appreciation.

You Keep Me Alive

I have been hearing remixes of "You're My Heart" by Lioness left, right and center these days. Lioness is a Canadian indie dance band, formed in January 2007 in Toronto, with the former rhythm section of controller.controller Ronnie Morris and Jeff Scheven, and No Dynamics singer Vanessa Fischer. They worked their way up through low-key shows played in sweaty electro clubs, to opening for acts such as You Say Party! We Say Die!, !!! and k-os. The single "You're My Heart" is super catchy, although the lead singer creeps me out with her eyes in the video. But considering the video is filled with creepy imagery of all things biological, and on top of that, knights, witches and robots, I guess the crazy eyes were kind of called for.



MP3: "You're My Heart" - Lioness

Dance 'Til You're Dead

Despite many mixed reviews by critics of their most recent album It's Blitz, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs continue to impress me, so as far as I'm concerned, the critics can suck it. I think that an artist or a band should try new styles, whether it seems more mainstream or pop to others or not. The music video for their most recent single "Heads Will Roll", one of my favourite tracks off It's Blitz, is visually brilliant, somehow combining crazed dancing, werewolves and glitter as blood. They may have traded guitar for synthesizer and have gained more mainstream appeal, but, as featured in their most recent music video for "Heads Will Roll", the band and front woman Karen O is still as fierce and strange as ever.

Not to mention, of course, the video pays tribute to Michael Jackson even before his untimely death.



MP3: "Heads Will Roll" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Happy Canada Day!

I am proud to say that Canada is home to some amazing musicians that have changed the Canadian music scene and the state of Canadian music around the world. I realize that a pattern often emerges on my blog, I tend to gravitate towards featuring artists that are Canadian, probably a result of having focused on and finding some amazing artists locally for my radio show last year. Artists like Bocce, The D'Urbervilles and Black Hat Brigade, to name some of my new local favourites, and then of course, more successful Canadian acts like Arcade Fire, Metric and Broken Social Scene, just to name a very small few. I have always known and experienced Canadian musicians as some of the most talented people on the globe, although I am quite a bit biased on the subject. But instead of focusing on the successful Canadian indie scene, I want to focus on Canadian hip hop artist, Drake. I must admit, I was surprised to find out how talented he is, considering Drake is also known as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation. His most recent album, So Far Gone, was released independently from a major record label, but still features huge names like Lil' Wayne and Lykke Li. Other names that Drake has worked with before include Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx. Drake just recently signed with Lil' Wayne's Young Money Entertainment label, after a million dollar battle between record labels to sign him. His first studio album, Thank Me Later, is expected to be released later this year.

Drake has yet to make any music videos from his album So Far Gone, so instead, here's my favourite song off the album "Uptown" featuring Bun B and Lil' Wayne. Not to mention it has the best line Lil' Wayne has come up with yet, "I'm so uptown, and mothafucker if you ain't don't go uptown".

Happy Canada Day!



MP3: "Uptown" - Drake ft. Bun B and Lil' Wayne

That Good Ol' Nashville Music

My recent cottage getaways have reignited my love for one of the reigning queens of country music, Dolly Parton. While playing a giant game of Boggle, Dolly made her way through the stereo as a way of timing how long we had to find words, since we didn't have a real timer to tell us. Throughout her career, Dolly Parton has released some awe-inspiring songs, like "9 to 5" which was the title song for a movie and a musical, and "I Will Always Love You", the very same song covered by Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard soundtrack that went on to become the best-selling hit ever written and performed by a female vocalist. My personal favourite song by Dolly Parton, however, has got to be "Jolene", a cry out to a beautiful woman about why she shouldn't steal Dolly's man. Originally, I had planned on sharing covers of "Jolene" by various artists, but even though it has been covered by countless artists, none really compare to Dolly Parton's version. There had been some enthusiasm expressed by the musical community over The White Stripes cover of "Jolene", but personally, I don't think it does it justice.

So instead, here is the good ol' Nashville music version of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton herself. Plus The White Stripes can't really compete with the "prettiest, sang-iest song-writing-iest little blondes in country music".



MP3: "Jolene" - Dolly Parton

R.I.P Michael Jackson

As someone who has been having trouble updating my blog on a regular basis this summer, I regret to make this my new and most recent post. Earlier today, Michael Jackson was taken to a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering a cardiac arrest and has now been reported dead. I'm not going to bother with the details of his death and even much of his life since most news stations are bombarding the public with such details, but as a music icon and a pioneer of pop, I feel I must give him some tribute. Unfortunately, the latter years of his life were not documented because of his music but rather because of the controversy surrounding him and his choices. But despite his many issues, from which I believe stems from a childhood of manipulation and fame, he will always has been and continues to be the King of Pop.

I Love Talented People

MP3: "Microphone" - Coconut Records

Zach Morris!

Zack Morris has returned! Yesterday Zack Morris, (and yes, I mean Zack Morris, not Mark-Paul Gosselaar) from Saved By The Bell was on Jimmy Fallon on Saturday night to promote his new show and even agree to a Saved By The Bell reunion! I really wish I had caught the original airing of it, but thank God for YouTube because now I can blog and share the moment with y'all! I have such fond memories of running home from school just so I could catch the reruns at 4pm. On his appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Zack explains what he's been up to since graduating from Bayside High School. Just watch to hear all the details.

Gah, the rolled cuffs, the hair, the cellphone, the time-outs! I'm on a '90s babe overload!



Also, Screech need to get out of the porn studio and get on Jimmy Fallon to complete that reunion. You too Kelly Kapowski!

I Don't Want To Lose You

Before I get to the music, I must apologize for the sporadic postings, I've seen so much that I want to share, but have had no time to do so. But just to keep your musical thirst quenched, Peaches has released another music video from her new album, I Feel Cream. After already blogging about her first single, "Talk To Me" and being very impressed, I felt I had to share her latest creation. The new single "Lose You" is much more low-key than in your face, very unlike Peaches in some ways, but still very much like her in others. All I have to say is be very patient with the video, when I first started watching it, I felt a horrible, very unPeaches-like video coming on, but once you get past the initial video set up, the Peaches we all know and love once again reveals herself. Just have to say though, was the microphone really necessary?



MP3: "Lose You" - Peaches

Art or Ego?

I am all for musicians using all media to express themselves, whether it be lyrically, musically or visually, but..I'm just not sure where this lies. Lady Gaga recently released her new video/mini-film for her newest single "Paparazzi" and I'm not sure if it's artistic, self-indulgent or a commentary on popular culture. I want to think that it's the latter, since it tries to portray how the public views celebrities in some way, but I'm not really sure if that sentiment can be following entirely throughout the video. I applaud her for taking so many risks which are both questionable and inspiring, I'm just not entirely sure how I feel about her newest expression of creativity in the music video for "Paparazzi". But love her or hate her, you have to respect her for attempting to push boundaries musically and more often noted, fashionably, and for making many want to follow her crazy, weird, tea-cup holding footsteps.

Youth, Recaptured

Gonzalez, also known as m83, to try to capture it in his music. m83 was formed in Antibes, France in 2001, but it was the 2008 release of m83's most recent album, Saturdays=Youth, that really caught the attention of the indie music scene. With producers such as Ken Thomas, who is known for his work with Sigur Ros, Ewan Pearson, who has worked with The Rapture and Ladytron, and Morgan Kibby of The Romanovs, the album was bound to garner some major success. While earlier albums had generated some success with an intense, rock sound, Gonzalez decided to do something softer and different from any previous records with his most recent album. His inspiration for the album was his teenage years, hoping to capture and celebrate the dazed and confused feeling of youth. As for the title of the album, Saturdays=Youth, Gonzalez explained that "Saturday is definitely the coolest day of the week for a teenager and that's the reason Saturday is in the title. Saturday always reminds everyone of their youth." Specifically, Gonzalaz wanted the record to sound like the music he had listened to as a teenager growing up in the '80s, taking inspiration from bands like Tears for Fears and The Cocteau Twins and classic John Hughes movies such as The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink.

With singles "Kim and Jessie" and "Graveyard Girl" off Saturdays=Youth, the music videos kept with the '80s youth theme of the album, but for their third single, "We Own The Sky", m83 turned to fans to create a video. Fans were encouraged to create and enter their own music videos for "We Own The Sky" and the winning choice would become the official music video for the song. After a long process, Young Replicant, a teenage director's label and design collective had submitted the winning video. According to the members of Young Replicant, their goal with this video was "to interpret the pure, emotional essence of We Own the Sky, and then communicate it through a simple story about young love, lens flares, and a confetti party." They set out to capture the beauty that lies between the daunting uncertainty and eternal optimism of youth, a theme they felt was prevalent in Saturday=Youth and one which resonated in their own lives.



MP3: "We Own The Sky" - m83

Guitars, Wolves and Bears, Oh My!

"Throw your underwear on stage and drink beer." According to the members of Inward Eye, three eccentric brothers from Winnipeg, Manitoba, those are just a few of the things you should be doing when you see them play. With a sound reminiscent of The Clash, The Kinks and The Who, with whom they have played with before, Inward Eye has brought back the noise and fun to a rock n' roll show. They are notorious for their energetic live show, as each brother knows how to command an audience with incredible intensity and showmanship. Although I feel the same excitement that I felt when I first discovered modern rock bands like Against Me and The Bronx, I can't help but feel a little bit frustrated with their ability to rock so indefinitely at such young ages. Dave, who plays bass and covers lead vocals is the oldest at 22 and Kyle, who plays guitar is in the middle at 20, while Anders, the youngest, is barely out of high school at age 18. Despite their young ages, the boys have been playing together for over seven years and from their defined live show and sound, their hard work is obvious.

Be sure to check out their Myspace to see if they're playing a show near you!



MP3: "Shame" - Inward Eye

I'm In Love With A Robot

Röyksopp from Norway, I fell in love. The video concept is wicked, not the mention Robyn looks pretty damn fierce in a couture dress made of what looks like shredded paper.



MP3: "The Girl and The Robot" - Royksopp feat. Robyn

Back to Business

Enough about how my birthday was better than yours either was or will be this year, back to all things popular culture!

Today I saw the trailer for the upcoming Guy Richie film Sherlock Holmes. The film features Robert Downey Jr., whose triumphant return from his drug-induced stupor after Iron Man brings me back to his glory days on Ally McBeal. The film also features Jude Law as Dr. John Watson, a strange pick for me personally since I picture Watson as the fat jolly sidekick, a mystery-solving Santa, if you will. Rachel McAdams, ever the lovely leading lady, is also cast as Irene Adler, who is regarded as the only woman who can outwit Holmes.

I'm a sucker for historical characters in films, so it won't be a surprise, especially after watching the trailer, that I'll be seeing this as soon as it comes out!

It's My Birthday!

Yep, that's right, today is my birthday. I turn 20 years old today! My parents are having a hard time officially saying goodbye to their last teenage daughter I think. But I'm going to paarrtttyy tonight! More on that to come!

Edit: My birthday was amaazing! Went out to Stone's Place, where we danced away the night to some of my favourite songs like "Call Me" by Blondie, "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey and "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen, just to name a few. Good music, loads of booze (rye and pink lemonade to be precise) and the good company of friends means the perfect celebration was had.

We also had a family birthday dinner on Sunday where my parents got loaded, I had lots of bbqued meats and delicious cake and crepe susette.

The Most Anticipated Film Release of 2009!

Forget Star Trek, don't even think about Where The Wild Things Are, because the most anticipated film release this year has got to be Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, set to be released next week on May 19th. Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus is about two enormous prehistoric sea creatures who are terrorizing the Californian coast and must battle each other for supremacy of the sea. Starring 80s teen pop icon Debbie Gibson and soap opera hunk Lorenzo Lamas from The Bold and the Beautiful, this film has all the makings of a new cult classic. But the action does not stop there, oh no, because the film and its poorly rendered graphics will be brought to theatres everywhere in 3-D! This has got to be the biggest monster fight since Godzilla vs. Mothra!

From My Family To Yours

Mother's Day dinner at my house tonight was nothing special, just family sitting around the table enjoying a delicious meal and each others company. But once the booze starts flowing, the conversation usually turns into reminiscing about all the little things that only we appreciate. The music that we listened to while cleaning up the dishes tonight is the very same musical soundtrack to my childhood memories. Classics like Huey Lewis & The News, The Traveling Wilburys, Elvis, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, just to name a few. Which brings me to Bob Dylan's new single "Beyond Here Lies Nothin" off of Together Through Life, which was released in April 2009. I must say, I'm pretty disappointed in the music video, at first I thought it was just a video put together by some Dylan fan who recently discovered Windows Movie Maker. But I've got to give it to him, old photos of Greasers from the 1950s epitomizes the attitude and sound of the song.

That's another conversation had at the dinner table tonight, about how both my sister and I were born in the wrong eras. If I had it my way, I would have been a teenager in the 1950s, back when being a rebel really meant something. Shoulda been born a Greaser.



MP3: "Beyond Here Lies Nothin" - Bob Dylan

So You Think You Can Pole Dance?

Dancing reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance? and Dancing With The Stars have exploded with popularity since they began, but the contestants in those competitions ain't got nothin' on Miss Pole Dance World. Felix Crane, the winner of Miss Pole Dance Australia 2006 and 2008, has also won the title of Miss Pole Dance World 2009, making her the best pole dancer in the world. After watching footage from the competition, I would have to agree. Someone needs to turn that into a reality show, pronto.

Floor Dancing?

I was first introduced to Thunderheist by my dear friend Sasha, with whom I am lucky enough have a relationship where we try to expose each other to new and hidden gems of music. With their bumpin' track "Suenos Dukes", I became a Thunderheist fan before I had even heard their first single "Jerk It", which caught the attention of the music community with it's odd and grimy music video. My love for MC Isis and Beatmaster Graham Zilla was solidified when I saw them play live at the free concert series put on by the Harbourfront Centre last summer. Calling their live show anything less than extremely dynamic and energetic would not do it justice. My only regret from that concert was buying a $9 beer from which the Harbourfront Centre obviously makes its money.

On March 31st, Thunderheist came out with their full-length self-titled debut album with 13 club worthy tracks, although the album has been criticized by some as having no consistency or organization between songs. Nevertheless, their song "Nothing 2 Step 2", which is one of two songs on the album where MC Isis sings instead of rapping, will definitely become a "ready for the floor" dance hit. The only question is, will floor dancing?



MP3:"Nothing 2 Step 2" - Thunderheist

Oh, Montreal

Montreal and I share a love-hate relationship and in the few moments I feel like cursing that trendy Quebec city, French-Canadian bands from Montreal like Malajube remind that it has more to offer than freezing cold winters and sometimes frustrating kids from McGill New Res. Malajube released their newest album Labyrinthes in February '09, but my favourite album is Trompe-l'oeil, their second studio release from '06. The album was partly inspired by medical themes, with each song given a subtitle relating to some sort of physical or mental condition. Some of my favourite titles include "Jus de canneberges (infection urinaire)" and "Ton plat favori (chirurgie)", but one of the singles from the album, "Montréal -40°C (rhume de sinus)" sums up my relationship with Montreal. Even though I can now bask in the warmth of spring, you can never forget those bone-chilling winters spent in Montreal.



MP3:"Montréal -40°C (rhume de sinus)" - Malajube

Phew, It's Over!

So in the midst of final exams and packing up more stuff than I even thought I had I now realize, sitting in my home in Toronto, that I have not updated a while. Unfortunately, since my presence is demanded by friends, family and the pile of clothes seems to grow rather than shrink, I'll be frank.

It will be May 1st on Friday, which will bring more sunshine, the beginnings of a summer job and many, many highly anticipated CD releases. I Feel Cream, the latest album from Peaches will be released on May 5th. Her first single from the album "Talk to Me" was released earlier in April and if it's any indication of what is on her new album, I think its safe to say we can expect more good things from this music veteran.



MP3: "Talk To Me" - Peaches

Best Band T-Shirt In The Tri-City Area

As I was doing the final updates on Facebook for the group I had created for my radio show this semester, I realized I had blog gold that I had yet to share. My radio show was on Radio Laurier and called The Feature, a show that featured up and coming local bands from the Tri-City area. That's Guelph-Waterloo-Kitchener for all you big city folk. One of the bands that I featured and saw a few times this year was The D'Urbervilles, who have been on the rise as of late. Originally from Oshawa and then students at the University of Guelph, The D'Urbervilles, as described on their myspace, came into being "equipped with little more than a borrowed amplifier, an Echo & The Bunnymen cover and a band name lifted from a 19th century British novel." In 2007, they finished recording their full-length album We Are The Hunters, which was released with critical acclaim within Canada on Toronto indie label Out Of This Spark in February 2008 and is currently available for digital download on iTunes.

The last time I saw the D'Urbervilles was at the end of February with other local acts Green Go and Bocce and was absolutely blown away by their live show. Not to mention I got the coolest band t-shirt ever which I wear more than I should to rep small-town Ontario. It was the last one they had left, but even better than that was the drunken conversation I tried to have with the adorable lead singer who shocked and amazed me with a voice that sounded like the singer from The National.

"Hot Tips" - The D'Urbervilles
"Dragnet" - The D'Urbervilles

Living The Canadian Dream

More than once I've heard that the few years ahead will be the best time of my life and after listening to this song I realized they might just be right.



"Canadian Dreamz" - Andrew Vincent

Don't Go Out Tonight

Like with much of the 80s, I have a torrid love affair with retro pop. Alphabeat is a Danish pop band that have had major success with their first two singles, "Fascination" and "10,000 Nights" in both Denmark and the UK. North American must of caught on because "Fascination" is featured as #15 out of 20 of the best songs from 2008 by Spin magazine, not to mention that the Spice Girls offered them an opening spot on their reunion tour, which they turned down in favour of playing other shows with fans that were already familiar with them. Their sound is retro 80s melodic pop, with distinct male and female harmonies featured in every song. They've got music videos for six singles off their album This Is Alphabeat, all of which feature creative, fun to watch images, not to mention the lead singers Anders SG and Stine Bramsen are just absolutely adorable.

Here's the video for their most recent single, "What Is Happening", which I would have killed to been an extra for!

Best of Blondie

In honour of buying the Best of Blondie on vinyl for $2 yesterday at Orange Monkey, here is the War Child Heroes album cover of Blondie's "Call Me" by Franz Ferdinand.

Et Moi Je T'aime Un Peu Plus Fort

While I know many curse the days spent in French class in high school, I couldn't be happier that my limited comprehension of the French language is enough to be able to listen to and appreciate French music. Coeur de Pirate, also known as Béatrice Martin, is a Quebec artist who released her first self-titled album in September 2008. Her debut album was nominated for the best Francopohone Album of the Year in 2009 at the Juno Awards and her song "Comme des Enfants" landed the #1 spot on the Canadian Billboard Charts in February, which is only the second French-language song to do so. Her first single "Comme Des Enfants" epitomizes Coeur de Pirate's sound, which mostly features her singing and playing piano. Her video for "Comme des Enfants" is enough to make me believe that spring will once again bring the careless freedom of falling in love.

Stella, Stelllaaa!

The visibility of successful European artists is seriously lacking in North America, otherwise I would have loved and adored Norwegian rock musician Ida Maria already. Ida Maria has gained considerable success in both her native Norway and the UK, with her first album Fortress Round My Heart landing the #39 spot on the UK Billboard Charts. She first released Fortress Round My Heart in 2008, but re-released the album again in February 2009 with new brand new songs and artwork. She's released quite a few singles of her album including "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" and "Oh My God", which both landed in the top 100 songs on the UK Billboard Charts. And because, I seem to keeping with the theme, she is also playing this weekend at Coachella. Ida Maria is also reported to have the neurological phenomenon of synesthesia which, in her case, means she envisions colours when she hears music. Pretty cool, huh?

Ida Maria has released over five singles from Fortress Round My Heart, but my favourite has got to be "Stella", which also made it onto the UK Billboard Chart in 2008.

The Spirit of Apollo

If you're going to have to show off all of the famous people you're friends with, you might as well make some great music to do it. Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon have come together to create N.A.S.A, which stands for North America/South America, collaborating with a number of superstar artists to make an album, The Spirit of Apollo. The album was created with the goal of bringing people together through music and art, with unexpected collaborations and pairings of artists throughout the seventeen-track release. The album features over thirty artists and include artists like Kanye West, Karen O and Nick Zinner of theYeah Yeah Yeahs, David Byrne of the Talking Heads, RZA, Lykke Li, George Clinton, Tom Waits, M.I.A., Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Nina Persson of the Cardigans, Barbie Hatch, John Frusciante, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Gift of Gab of Blackalicious, Santogold and Ghostface Killah, just to name a few. N.A.S.A. will be joined by many of their superstar guests this week when they play Coachella on Friday, April 17th, 2009.

The project has spilled out into a full-length documentary, which is nearing completion and includes interview with many of the artists who collaborated on the project and behind-the-scenes footage from The Spirit of Apollo recording sessions. Until the full documentary is completed, N.A.S.A. has created a trailer to continue the hype for the album which was release in February 2009.



Their goal to bring together people through music and art is particularly apparent in their music videos, all of which include Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon's favourite fine artists paired up with animators to create visual masterpieces to compliment the music off of The Spirit of Apollo. My personal favourite video is for "Way Down" featuring RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Barbie Hatch and John Frusciante.



N.A.S.A MySpace

Swoon

There's nothing quite like hearing that a band you thought was lost to the wind has now reappeared from hiding with a new album. Silversun Pickups, the band who brought us "Lazy Eye" and "Well Thought Out Twinkies" off their debut album Carnavas in 2006, has come together yet again to create their second full-length album Swoon which was released today, April 14th, 2009. The band has toured with Wolfmother, OK Go and Snow Patrol and played Coachella in 2007 and will playing there again this year on Friday, April 17th, 2009.

Their new album Swoon, according to lead guitar/vocalist Brian Aubert, does not have straight forward mid-tempo sound, stating that "some songs are very quiet and delicate, others are just fucking loud." Their first single "Panic Switch" has reminded indie audiences of the subtle brillance of the Silversun Pickups that captivated them in the first place.

We Used To Be Four Ordinary Teenagers...

Dinosaurs, space and fighter jets, what more could you want in a cartoon?



I wish I could have been around in the 80s when every show's theme song was metal.

Feels Like Home To Me

In the midst of essays and exams, I find myself missing home and summer memories. It may be April, but I feel like so much has to happen before I can actually embrace the warmth and freedom of summer. So many of my memories are of driving with the windows down, on those beautiful, bright days that turn into warm, breezy summer nights, with Bruce Springsteen playing as the soundtrack of my summer.

Maybe because it's April and yet, it's snowing outside that I'm struggling to hold onto some hope that those summer days and nights are coming soon. My favourite melancholy covers of Bruce Springsteen seem to epitomize my reminiscent mood, enjoy.

The Actor/Singer/Songwriter Done Well

Much rarer than the Pinta Island tortoise is the Hollywood actor/singer/songwriter who actually has some talent in all categories, a true triple threat. So I am ecstatic to present to you, direct from Canadaland, Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields who have come together to make Dead Man's Bones. Described as gothic/gospel/showtunes, their album, which will be released this summer, is a concept album about the supernatural, featuring massive children's choirs as their backup singers of choice. In their already released music videos for live versions of "Name In Stone" and "In The Room Where You Sleep", you'll see Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields leading a bunch of kids dressed in Halloween costumes through a creepy and haunting lament of epic proportions.

I anxiously anticipate the brilliance of this album as a defining soundtrack to my summer nights.

Let's Get Dancey!

I have a thing for remixes. I'm a fucking sucker for clap tracks. The remix masterminds who have recently made sweet electronic love to my brain is the Brazilian DJ duo, The Twelves. They formed in 2006 and had a breakthrough hit with their remix of M.I.A's "Boyz", which became one of the most popular remixes in 2007. These days they've been touring with some big names like Justice, LCD Soundsystem and another one of my favourite DJ's, Van She.

Here are some of my favourite The Twelves remixes to get you grooving.

Fuck You Operator!

In celebration of all things interweb, I bring you this blog, my own personal online soapbox. Here you'll find me shouting about anything of interest, whether it be music, art, politics and all things cultural I want to share with those who are willing to listen.

As one blog amongst a network of billions, welcome and enjoy.