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