you contract it the day you accept all you see is a mirror and a mirror is all it can be. a reflection of something we're missing.

As some of you may have noticed, I have updated my profile photo. The style is highly influenced by Matthew Woodson’s works. (see post below)
By the way, can anyone guess where the background is from? Hint: it is taken from an album cover of one of my favorite songwriters.

Blogger only allows me to upload a small version up, click here to see the original size.

i've got desperate desires and unadmirable plans

i almost died reading this on the brandnew streetteam page:

Presale Tickets for 6 Brand New shows will be available tomorrow March 31!

6.29 House of Blues, Lake Buena Vista, FL
7.11 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
7.12 Roseland, Portland, OR
7.13 Showbox, Seattle, WA
************7.22 Kool Haus, Toronto ON************
7.27 Webster Hall, New York, NY

Click here for tickets. http://brandnew.ducatking.com/

i'm so buying tickets (probably 2) to that show!!!!!!!!!! so, if you want to see one of the most amazing band live, let me know before tomorrow and i'll order more tickets.

new featured artist

At last I have finished my opera and Mozart essays!!! So now, I can finally work on this long overdue post! I came across Matthew Woodson’s crazily amazing site about a month ago. Woodson is a 22 year old graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago. He does many beautiful, lifelike illustrations of mostly human, some animals, insects, and landscapes. All of his works are hand drawn in ink and than colored in Photoshop. (that’s very similar to my process too!) What caught my attention was the way Woodson presents body language in his drawings. His characters are so lifelike: their body gestures, facial expressions, and the way they interact with other characters are unbelievably natural; thus creating real emotions... yet, they embed these cartoon-ish characteristics in them. This is kind of difficult to explain, please check out examples of Woodson’s work here and maybe you’ll get what I am trying to say.

ps, I’m currently working on new art for this blog, so look for new changes in the near future! here's a little preview. enjoy!

i've won hundreds at the track, but i'm not betting on the afterlife

here you go Millie, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins on David Letterman!! Enjoy!

taking a break and updating this blog pt. II

In the past week, there are three songs that I have played over and over again; all of them by Bright Eyes. The first song is “June On The West Coast”, a song about a shy individual who longs for the attention and love of another. The second song is “First Day of My Life”. It is an absolutely beautiful love song between two people. I like this song because it can be applied to any types of relationships! That is, relationships which only involve two people (homosexual or heterosexual), but not open or polyamorous relationships. Plus, the video for the track is probably one of my favorite music videos of all time… it fits the song perfectly! The final song is “A Perfect Sonnet”: the ultimate anti-love song. Here, Oberst expresses his hatred for all the cute little couples in the world by drowning them in the ocean or throwing them into fire. All of the songs mentioned above feature some of the greatest lyrics by Conor Oberst, give them a try!

June On The West Coast
First Day of My Life and watch the video here (i also have the video in high-quality quicktime format, email me if you want a copy)
A Perfect Sonnet

Perhaps the reason why I have been playing these songs nonstop is because for the first time in my life, I long for love: to love and to be loved. I guess I want all the wonderful little things that movies and books and songs promised, but at the same time, I am afraid of the suffering, pain, and sadness that love might ultimately entails.

buy Bright Eyes releases here

taking a break and updating this blog

So, I’ve been locked up in my computer room for the entire day today trying to get my opera essay done. As soon as that’s done, I have to start my symphony essay; they are both due on Thursday! I actually contained myself from signing onto msn, stopped watching Howl’s Moving Castle, and only looked at porn once! Right now, I am taking a break so I can post four songs from the Final Fantasy Young Canadian Mothers 7". I received my copy of the 7” a few weeks ago (despite the fact that I preordered the goddamn thing in the middle of December 2005!) Anyways, the thing features a fine remix of “This is the Dream of Win & Regine”, now entitled “This Is The Dream Of Emma & Cam”, a new arrangement of “The Sea” (I prefer the original way more), a new song “Spell For A Weak Heart”... well, not really new for those who’ve been attending Final Fantasy shows, and lastly, the lovely cover of Joanna Newsom’s “Peach, Plum, Pear”. Enjoy!

This Is The Dream Of Emma & Cam
The Sea (Tenderizer)
Spell For A Weak Heart
Peach Plum Pear
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buy the 7 inch here. you can also purchase a copy from Rotate This and Soundscapes in Toronto.

insert something clever here

This is probably going to be another long rant, so, beware, stop reading now, you’ve been warned. Ok, too late, now you are forced to read the rest of this long and probably boring post. First, someone told me today (Millie) that my blog has became a music blog and that all I post are music stuffs... well, fuck you, I don’t see you doing anything with your blog! (just kidding Millie, I love you)

I.
I saw a movie today at Carlton called Rhinoceros Eyes starring Michael Pitt. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Donnie Darko. Chep (Michael Pitt) is this semi-weird/idiot-ish/schizophrenic kid who works and lives among a 50 pound cherry, outrageous costumes, ugly toys, and endless junks located in a rusty props shop. One day, he encounters an art director (Paige Turco) who’s filming a movie and needed some really hard to find props. Immediately, Chep is drawn to her and will do anything to get her the props. Thus starts Chep’s wide and bizarre props hunting journey. The movie deals with hallucinations, fantasies, and alter ego... and it also features some really cool and freaky stop-motion animations! The entire cast is wonderful, with exceptional performances by Michael Pitt (as always), Paige Turco (the art director lady) and this girl who plays the ticket booth person (I don’t know her name, and I’m too lazy to look it up). To top it all, it was filmed in Toronto. I hope I didn’t give anything too important away. What do you think Millie? Do I need to edit out anything?

II.
Downloading doesn't hurt the music industry! Read the Canadian Record Industry Association study here.

III.
First disappointment of 2006: From First to Last’s Heroine. This was one of the albums I have been anticipating for a while. FFTL’s last effort Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count was on my top 10 in 2004; as a result, there is no doubt that I was excited to hear new materials from them. I’ve probably listened to the disc about four or five times now; overall, it is mediocre: a couple of decent tracks, but no real highlights, at all! Very disappointing!! Speaking of anticipations, one of my most anticipated albums for 2006 is brand new Brand New. I have been listening to their new demos nonstop for a few months now. I am blown away by what the boys have created so far!

IV.
High-quality releases so far: Jenny Lewis: Rabbit Furcoat, Test Icicles: For Screening Purposes Only (incredibly amazing record), and Anti-Flag: For Blood And Empire
3 in 3 months... not bad at all!

V.
The weather's been marvelous this week. Did I just use the word marvelous to describe the weather... damn, that's gay!

VI.
There are so many hypocrites out there!!!

VII.
Nuit Blanche: an all-night celebration of contemporary art taking place on the evening of September 30th until the morning of October 1st. For that one night, hundreds of museums, galleries and other facilities across Toronto will open their doors to present free art programs to residents. I am so there!

VIII.
Thursday has a new single out “Counting 5-4-3-2-1”. You can download it here. ***file has expired, reload upon request This is what Geoff from Thursday has to say about the track:
"The song is about a friend of mine that died while we were in high school. He was my partner in French class and we had a few things in common. Aside from being terrible at French and loving the same girl two seats ahead of us, we both hated living in a small suburban neighborhood where everyone dressed the same, looked the same and liked the same types of food. Both of us would talk for hours about where we were going to go when we got out of school and went off on our own. Unfortunately, he was hit by a train that runs behind the bleachers on the football field. When I finally finished school and moved away from that town, all I could think of was the fact that he would never have the chance to leave. Now, years later, I think of how many of my friends have been swallowed up by places that they'll never leave and it keeps me determined to follow my heart. I hope if any of you ever get the chance to leave a place that you can't stand, you play this song as you drive away. That would do my heart some good."

Umm... I think that’s all the randomness I can provide for now... I was going to include a new featured artist, but I guess I’ll wait and put that in a new post.

when you're sleeping with someone who doesn't get you, you're gonna hate yourself in the morning

Jenny Lewis is performing on David Letterman tonight!!! There is no way I'm going to miss her this time! Thanks to YouTube, her performance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is up online... YouTube is the new VCR!!!!!

everybody's got somebody to lean on, put your body next to mine, and dream on

As many of you know, I went to the Jenny Lewis concert last Thursday. I did managed to seek my camera in. However, by the time I got into the venue, the place was already packed and I did not feel like pushing my way to the front. As a result, I did not take any pictures… well, I tried to, but they all ended up looking extremely blurry. The concert itself was great! Although I think Millie liked it 10000000x more than I did. (Millie has become a lesbian during the concert as she is now in love with Jenny Lewis!) I thought Jenny was amazing - her voice was spectacular live! She also brought along with her the Watson Twins, which were so goddamn cute!!!! They coordinated every move, even when they reach for their water bottles, they were always synchronized! My only complaint is that she didn’t perform “Handle with Care”.

I have been listening to lots of Canadian music this past week, mostly Final Fantasy and Feist and oh, I finally started listening to the new BBS album!

Feist - Nothin' in This World Can Stop me Worrying 'Bout That Girl (live Kinks cover)
i love the ending of this one!!

Broken Social Scene - Almost Crimes (Acoustic)
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 (Shoreline) video feat. Feist!

***Lastly, there is now a link at the side for upcoming concerts (under 'notable posts')... I’ll be updating it periodically, so make sure you check it out and tell me if you want to go to any with me!

Threadless $10 Sale!!!

Holy Shit! Threadless is having a quicky sale! Just 48 hours to fulfill your $10 tee shirt needs. Damn, the last time they had a sale like this, I bought like three fucking shirts... I'm going to be so broke!!! If you are going to buy something, make sure you use the links from this blog as it will give me streetteam points... and I will love you forever and possibly sleep with you!

***be patient, the site is extremely slow right now due to heavy traffic!

i can smell your catholic shame

What an exhausting weekend: St. Patrick’s Day and opera (yes, i went to an opera and it was pretty damn good!) on Friday, Tricia’s movie shoot and Tricia’s birthday party on Saturday... so, in other words, over consumption of liquor! And for some strange reason, I am starting to really like that Goldschlager shit too!!!
Damn, next weekend is going to be such a downer… I mean, the last two weekends were so great and fulfilling: I finally went to the Distillery last Saturday and clubbing twice this weekend. All I have planned for next weekend is two essays… goddmanit!
The weather is so fucking nice this weekend! I love the feeling of walking around downtown during a really bright sunny winter afternoon (just a little chilly), and once in a while, you get this really cold breeze in your face… that’s my ideal weather! This may sound crazy to most of you, but I don’t really want summer to come, I can’t stand that hot, sticky, uncomfortable heat, ew, just thinking about it gives me a headache! Anyways, I don’t really know what this post is about... I guess is an excuse for me to post another song for your enjoyment. So, here’s The Trills' The Irish Keep Gate-Crashing to end the St. Patrick’s Day/Tricia’s B-day weekend. Enjoy!

your birthday present pt. I

get in my car with both eyes closed, full pedal down, and i am speeding!

So, Patrick Wolf's Wind In The Wires is the perfect album to listen to during a dark, rainy, gloomy, windy winter day... especially if you have to do long walks in the freezing cold! On the other hand, Lycanthropy is an ideal listen for an absolutely gorgeous sunny day like today. I was driving home from school today and didn’t know what to put in my CD player (frankly, I’m so tied of goddamn Panic! At The Disco)... so, I popped in Lycanthropy, rolled down my window, and drove home in the best state possible!
Actually, Patrick Wolf’s music is perfect for any occasion! When I die, I want my ashes to be blown into the ocean with ‘Wind In The Wires’ playing in the background!

Patrick Wolf, Live on XFM Session:
Wind In The Wires
The Gypsy King
Land's End
Ghost Song
Godrevy

Pumpkin Soup from Patrick Wolf EP (amazing song!)
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buy Patrick Wolf's music here

Jenny Lewis is in a couple of hours… I’m going to try to bring my camera in, but no promises.

Handle With Care (feat. Ben Gibbard, Connor Oberst, and some other dude)
Paradise from Jenny Lewis/Whispertown 7" Split
buy Rabbit Fur Coat on CD or LP here

i heart the interweb & illegal downloading

Yes, yes, yes! The new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album Show Your Bones has been leaked and you can download it here. (go here for a step by step tutorial on how to download the file) The album is not due out for another two weeks (March 28). Aren’t you excited?!!! I know I am… I’m listening to it right now!

Plus, download The Faint’s remix of "Y Control" here… it is orgasmic! ***file has expired

who's afraid of dakota fanning?

I was totally bored today, so I created these: (credit goes to Liam for the idea!)
click here for the original image... photoshop it yourself!
Suggestions for the next celebrity victim? Perhaps Mariah Carey, Oprah…

A Jesse Update

So naturally, Jesse had trouble updating his blog again… really, what is so hard?? I mean, even Robin (the most computer/technological incompetent person) knows how to use blogger. Anyways, here’s what he wants me to post:

Oh, and he wants me to put the title: Jesse Wells: Alive and Well(s) ...so cheesy!

What’s up Canadians! I am not dead, despite rumours in the mill. I did suffer from a case of intensely severe diarrhea, but have been healed. I’m sure that excites you all very much. I have also survived my first few days of actual work! I believe that the anxiety about work is inextricably linked in the diarrhea fiasco, but nonetheless: i am alive! so, how are you all? I believe most of you have heard enough from me via telephone calls and/or messages sent to you from someone who talked to me. I miss you all. I would especially like to hear from my little brother Devon! Devon, where are you? I heard that not one really knows. For those that haven’t heard from me in a while, I went to a wicked hardcore Japanese punk band called either Guitar Wolf, or Wolf Guitar...look them up, you won’t be disappointed. They had the greaser look with slick back hair and leather jackets...very cool. I couldn’t understand much except for when they screamed out *Fuck You* and *Mujah Fuckah!!!* which was totally awesome. They had hand signs too, where you put your pinky and index in the air and join your thumbs with your other two fingers to make a wolf...and when you did this you had to howl...Owwwwwwwwww!!!. They also did the most horrible cover of born to be wild known to man, AND I was ninety percent deaf in my right ear for over a day! i was beginning to get worried but it finally faded out. I had a failed attempt at going to a cultural outing. it was a buddhist ceremony where they do a spiritual cleansing by lighting huge fires around the temples at night time...i showed up five minutes late after over an hour on the train! what a moron. I did get to see some deer though, they totally roam around and approach you without fear. they scared the shit out of me though because I kept thinking about that America’s funniest home video where the deer hunter gets mauled by Bamby....Always I’m out of time...oh just to tell you, I’ve taught some seven year olds, a junior high class and mainly adults; they’ve all been fine. i think I’ll survive the next twelve months...oh except i fell down a flight of stairs at the subway station a few days ago. but that’s another story.

Peace out playas.
love Jesse

BrokeBack on the Mountain

This is ridiculous!!! Christian t-shirt slams 'Brokeback Mountain'...

from CBS4 News:
A Florida-based Christian clothing company is courting controversy after satirizing the movie “Brokeback Mountain”, the film about gay cowboys in love.

The Second Coming Clothing Company has a new T-shirt alluding the film to sinners at the giving of the Ten Commandments.

The shirt features Moses, the Ten Commandments, and homosexuals joining ancient Israelites dancing around a Golden Calf idol with the slogan, "The Original 10 Commandments, BrokeBack on the Mountain."

It has a Bible reference to Exodus 32:19, which states "... he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount."

"In his anger, Moses BROKE the two tablets of stone that the Ten Commandments were written on while walking BACK down the MOUNTAIN".

"The message is the same now as it was at the time of Moses," said CEO Rick Wade, "that God's covenant is broken with His people, God's heart is broken for His people, and that judgment is coming prior to the return of the Lord, which is soon."

"Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be taken out of our hearts and worn on the sleeves of our daily walk in life as we witness to others and take an affirmative stand in controversial issues before it is too late," said Wade.

check out the shirt at
http://secondcomingclothing.com/product_info.php?cPath=29_61&products_id=117

Feist live on KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show , Part 2 of 2

Interview
Mushaboom
Let it Die
Intuition
Outro

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Feist live on KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show , Part 1 of 2

This post is for all the Feist fans out there (Liam)…
Part I of Leslie Feist's performance on KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show in Seattle, June 21, 2005. Enjoy!!

Intro
Secret Heart
Gatekeeper
Honey, Honey
Now at Last

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all the kids looking up to me can suck my $#%&

this is so fucking hilarious...

***If you have been trying to watch the Natalie Portman gangster rap video, it has been removed due to copyright infringement… however, if you go here, you can watch it in QuickTime***

[UPDATE] the above link no longer works... but you can still watch the video here! turn the volume up and enjoy!!!!

CMW... the aftermath pt. II (full report)

May 3
The first CMW show I went to was Andy Stochansky at the Mod Club on day 2 of the festival. I don’t remember the name of the opening act, but the keyboard/singer’s name was Michael Johnston. It was actually a duo act, with the other member playing on drums. They were more like entertainers than musicians. By that, I mean they belong more to the Tin Pan Alley/Broadway genre. They made a few bad jokes and played in a Sinatra/Bare Naked Ladies style of music. Overall, they were very enjoyment to watch, but I don’t think I will be going to buy/download their music any time soon.

Andy Stochansky
Before this show, I have actually never really heard anything by Andy Stochansky. The reason I went to this show was because my friend Robin really likes him and there weren’t really any other shows I wanted to check out until around 10 anyways. Stochansky played a very solid show and the audience was very into his performance as well. At one point, he walked toward the edge of the stage, turned around so that his back was toward the audience, then, he fell backward into the audience and crowd surfed for a few seconds. The sound of the show was great and the show lasted for a long. Not only did Andy do the traditional encore, but he came out for a second encore. At this point, the lights had already come back on and the tech people were starting to clean up the stage and equipments. He did an additional song unplugged on his acoustic guitar; I thought that was really cool of him to do that! Overall, Andy Stochansky’s show was decent, but again, I don’t think I will be rushing off to buy any of his CDs nor would I be dying to see him live any time soon.

Great Lake Swimmers
It was now time to head to the next show: Great Lake Swimmers at the Reverb. Haha, I love concert hopping! We got to the Reverb just when the members of GLS were setting up their equipments. After only about 5 minutes of waiting, they started their set. During the show, I have come to a conclusion that the singer/song writer of GLS, Tony Dekker, has one of the most mesmerizing singing voices ever. In fact, after the show, I purchased the old GLS CD, the first CD I bought since May/June of 2005.


May 4
So, my ‘Last Gang’ adventure started at around 9 pm when met up with my friend Robin and we started walking from her place on Jarvis and Queen to the Horseshoe Tavern. This was the show we were originally going to attend since I figured there’s no way we would get into the Last Gang show at Lee’s. I wanted to see Elliott Brood at 10 and Robin wanted to see Wintersleep at midnight. However, by the time we got to Horseshoe, there was already a lineup. It wasn’t too bad though, there were probably only around 15-20 people in front of us. But as we were waiting in line, we were thinking to ourselves: “it is only 9:30 and the place had already reached its capacity… no one would leave since the show has just started at 9, and we would most likely miss Elliott Brood (the act that I wanted to see).”

So, we decided to leave and go find a NOW or EYE to see what other bands are playing. After looking at NOW and had no clue what-so-ever on any of the bands playing at the other venues, we decided to head over to El Mocambo. However, when we got there, we decided not to head in because we saw a bunch of underage kids just hanging around outside smoking. In addition, we saw this really lethargic girl who just walked out from the El Mocambo asking someone for a cigarette. This is when I suggested that we should just go to Lee’s Palace. As we were walking, I kept saying to Robin, “what are we doing, we are never going to get in… but we should still try…” Anyways, when we finally got there, we went up to the bouncer and told him we wanted to get into Lee’s for the concert. He said that the show’s sold out and they’re not selling any tickets at the door. Without a doubt, I was disappointed, but not surprise at all. So, at this point, Robin and I were just hovering around the front of Lee’s, discussing what we should do instead when we heard a voice (and I thought it most have been the voice of God) asking, “do you two need tickets?” So, not making this any longer, we got two tickets from this girl for $10 each, high-fived each other, and went into Lee’s Palace!

The Lovely Feathers
When we got inside, this band from Montreal called The Lovely Feathers had already started playing. We walked up to the front of the stage and started watching the show. All of the members in the band had so much energy, especially the guitarist. In fact, he was so energetic that at one point, he tripped and actually tumbled off the stage. It was great! Oh, and it really helps that the music was extremely catchy!

Sounds like: Motion City Soundtrack, The Unicorns

From Fiction
The first Last Gang band that took the stage was From Fiction. They were nothing really special: the music was average and their performance was kind of dull. Actually, their performance seemed like a jamming section between the band members. The songs had minimal vocals and they were lengthy… I think their last song lasted for about 10 minutes.

Sounds like: The Mars Volta

Tricky Woo
As I was having a conversation with Robin while the members of Tricky Woo were setting up for their set, I noticed this really familiar looking guy standing maybe 5 people away behind Robin. To my surprise, it was Owen… Owen Pallett from Final fucking Fantasy. Well, at this point, I wasn’t really sure. I was like, “Oh my god Robin, I think Owen from Final Fantasy is standing behind you! …is that him? …I don’t really know, shit!” So, that went on for a while, and I eventually came to a conclusion that it WAS him… well, I was like 99% sure! So, like a typical shy pussy I was, I made Robin go up to Owen and asked if he was indeed Owen from Final Fantasy. He said yes, and I asked if I could get a picture with him. Here’s the photo of me with Owen and some other dude that Owen said was also in Final Fantasy.

Okay, back to the show. Tricky Woo took stage with all the members dressed in some hippie/70s outfits. Their performance was incredible! People were so into it… I mean, I have never seen so many people doing the air-guitar in my life, it was fucking hilarious! My friend Robin started to mock the whole air guitar thing, but in addition, she added an air-drums and air-bass in the mix. The funniest thing was, she started the whole air-instruments off as a joke, but by the end of it, she was so into it that she became part of the air-community herself.

Sounds like: New York Dolls, The Darkness

MSTRKRFT
The main attraction of the night was MSTRKRFT. As I have mentioned before, MSTRKRFT is the team of Jesse F. Keeler from DFA1969 and AI-P from Girls Are Short. There’s not much to say about their performance… it was just two guys going stuffs on their turntables and programming on an i-Mac. I was actually a little disappointed because they did not mix any Bloc Party or Buck 65. However, they did start off the show with the Metric's 'Monster Hospital'... I don't really like the original song, but the MSTRKRFT remix is pretty damn good!They were also drinking nonstop. Owen Pallett actually came on stage twice: once holding a tray of beers like a waiter and the other time, bringing shots for Jesse and AI-P.Most of the action was on the dance floor, the audience was amazing – everyone was energetic, dancing and having so much fun! MSTRKRFT spin for a really long time. They started at around 12:50 a.m. and when we left, which was around 2:30 a.m., they were still spinning. Overall, my favorite performance of the night was The Lovely Feathers, while the funniest being Tricky Woo. MSTRKRFT was great too because of the energetic audience on the dance floor.

View photos from CMW here

CMW... the aftermath pt. I

It is 4:05 a.m. and I just got home from an amazing show at Lee's Palace. Yes, I did get into the Last Gang orgy fest ("it was destiny!" as my friend Robin would say) and let me tell you, it was a great giant orgy!!! But that is all for now as I am exhausted and need to go to bed. I will give a full report on the shows I went to during CMW, so watch for a huge update soon with lots and lots of pictures! here's a little preview:

CMW... Day No. 4

Last Gang orgy fest tonight!
This is THE show of CMW. I am dying to go to this show tonight! Unfortunately, all of the advanced tickets are sold out, so I will have to see if I can get any tickets at the door. The lineup is going to be a bitch… but it’s worth it, I think. This show features all the “buzzed bands” from Last Gang Records, home to Metric and Death From Above 1979. The Last Gang festivity starts with a band call From Fiction, then from Montreal’s Tricky Woo, and finally, the ultimate MSTRKRFT. MSTRKRFT is a remixing team of Jesse F. Keeler from DFA1969 and AI-P. They bring extra rock and dance elements to songs by artists like Metric, Bloc Party, Buck 65, The Kills, Annie and more. In addition, they have created in my opinion, THE WEIRDEST music video in the history of music video. See post below.

Sounds like: The Faint, !!!, The Rapture

Metric - Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Mix)
buy the new MSTRKRFT 12" here


Gentleman Reg
I guess I should have posted this on day one since Gentleman Reg played a show on Thursday at the Reverb as part of the opening day for CMW. I heard about Gentleman Reg for quite a long time now, but have not actually heard their music until a few weeks ago at the Final Fantasy concert. I was mesmerized by the singer/song-writer: Reg Vermue’s stage presence and his unique voice. In addition, I immediately fell in love with a song call ‘The Boyfriend Song’. Really, how can you go wrong with the chorus “boyfriend, boyfriend, I ain't got no money, and I ain't got no boyfriend…” From what I have gathered from the concert as well as the handful of mp3s I downloaded, the musical style of Gentleman Reg is a combination of pop, country, and folk.
On a side note, Reg Vermue sat next to me at the Emily Haines solo concert back in December of 2004 at the Church of the Redeemer on Avenue and Bloor.

It's Not Safe
Give Me A Chance To Fall
buy Darby & Joan (which features 'The Boyfriend Song') here


other notable/up-&-coming Canadian artists that you should check out:
The Most Serene Republic, Propagandhi, Alexisonfire, P:ano, Elliott Brood, A.C. Newman, S.S. Cardiacs, and The Winks


I must now close the celebration of Canadian Music Week with two of the greatest Canadian records ever made:

The Weakerthans
The Weskerthans’ Reconstruction Site is probably my favorite Canadian records ever! This 2003 release is on my stereo regularly. The album features some great and complicated metaphors, as well as references to literature and politics. As a result, certain songs really make you think on top of making you feel stupid. For instance, (and I did not know this until I read it somewhere on the internet), the songs ‘(Manifest)’, ‘(Hospital Vespers)’, and ‘(Past Due)’, which were strategically placed in the start, middle, and end of the album, all followed the sonnet form of Shakespeare. By the way, (Manifest), one of the best songs on the album, is a very strange, yet beautiful song. The other standout song on Reconstruction Site has to be ‘One Great Town!’. The song is clearly about John K. Samson’s (the singer/sing writer) hatred for suburban lifestyle. He talks about meaningless jobs: “…in the dollar store the clerk is closing up, and counting loonies trying not to say, I hate Winnipeg!”; doing the same routines countlessly: “…in the turning lane, someone stalled again, he's talking to himself, and hears the price of gas repeat his phrase, I hate Winnipeg!”; and my favorite line in the song: “the Guess Who suck, the Jets were lousy anyway.” This line always puts a smile on my face.

Sounds like: The Decemberists

Plea From a Cat Named Virtute
buy Reconstruction Site here


Leonard Cohen
Ok, so I don’t know what it is, but Songs of Love and Hate is one of my favorite Canadian albums of all time!!! I know the album is more than 30 years old, but it is a timeless classic. I urge you to give it a try… there are some extremely heartfelt songs on it.

buy and listen to clips from Songs of Love and Hate here

CMW... Day No. 3 II

MSTRKRFT
No descriptions needed… just watch these videos:
Easy Love
DFA1979 - Sexy Result (MSTRKRFT Edition)

Buck 65 - Kennedy Killed The Hat (MSTRKRFT Dance Remix)
Buck 65 - Kennedy Killed The Hat (MSTRKRFT Rock Remix)

MSTRKRFT are playing at Lee's Palace on March 4, go to CMW for further information.
buy MSTRKRFT 12 inch Vinyl here

CMW... Day No. 3

Bell Orchestre
Bell Orchestre is an instrumental band from Montreal. I say instrumental because their latest album Recording a Tape in the Colour of the Light has absolutely no voice on the entire album – it focuses only on instrumentation. Some songs are quiet, with no regular musical form such as metre or rhythm, while other songs on the album are fast, upbeat, and even danceable. The Bell Orchestre applied great contrasts throughout Recording a Tape in the Colour of the Light, creating some lovely textures and dynamic level to the album. Some of the more quiet songs do get a little boring at times, and certain sections on the album might be too abstract or avant-garde for me. It will be interesting to see what they’ll do for their next record… my suggest: add a harpsichord and maybe more strings.

Sounds like: The Shining, Baroque/Classical music

Throw It On A Fire
Salvatore Amato (live at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, November 4th, 2005)
buy Recording a Tape in the Colour of the Light here


Moneen
Wow, I have lost count on how many times I saw Moneen live. These Bramptonians are always so much fun to watch: so much energy and passion put on each show. All I have to say is that it has been way too long since I’ve gone to a Moneen show (last time was December of 2003) and it has been almost three years since the last album, Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now? came out… I NEED to hear new Moneen!!!! Luckily, the wait is almost over: the new album The Red Tree, is coming out April 11. Can’t wait to hear it! Wow, I've just noticed, this little writeup about Moneen is pretty lame! Oh well.

Sounds like: Sunny Day Real Estate, The Movielife, Taking Back Sunday

Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?
Start Angry ...End Mad
buy Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now? here


Joel Plaskett Emergency
I actually don’t know anything about this band …or artist …I think it’s only Joel Plaskett himself. I don’t have any Joel Plaskett Emergency albums nor do I have any mp3s on my computer or ipod. In fact, I have only heard one song by Joel Plaskett on an episode of CBC 3 Radio podcast last year. But I have repeated that episode (well, that song) countless times now and I am totally in love with it. The song I’m talking about is 'I Love This Town', from the album La De Da. (haha, I love it, an Annie Hall reference!) I won’t say anything further about the song; I am not going to deconstruct it, there’s no need! It is just a beautiful song.

Listen to 'I Love This Town' here (Windows Media file)
Buy La De Da (for me) here ...wait, I'd rather have the vinyl

scary parents scaring kids

I was just cleaning up my hard drive and I noticed this video. It is just absolutely hilarious... those parents are freaking awesome!

CMW... Day No. 2

Buck 65
Call it hip-hop, call it folk, call it whatever you want to, Buck 65's 2005 release Secret House Against The World is one of the most diverse album I’ve ever heard! It features some lovely additions of female vocals that were not present in pervious Buck records. Some songs actually have a Tricky-ish feel to them. On his website, the very humble Buck gave his album a 3 out of 5. (in my opinion, it deserves at least a 4 out of 5!) He described the album as being “totally organic. It sounds like human beings at work - very talented human beings (I'm not talking about myself).” This guy is so talented; I don’t know why he hasn’t hit it big yet?! And yes, Buck 65 is the guy dancing with Feist in the One Evening video.

Sounds like: Atmosphere, Steve Earle, and a little bit of Tricky

Devil's Eyes
The Floor
Wicked & Weird (from Talkin' Honky Blues)
buy Talkin' Honky Blues and Secret House Against The World here


Great Lake Swimmers
GLS’s disc Bodies and Minds is enlightenment. The vocal and melodic sound is light, clear, and perfectly balanced in nature. The timbre is lively and bright, but calming at the same time. The whole album create such a simple, peaceful harmony, it is THE perfect driving CD, especially on a sunny, mid-May drive down the coast of Prince Edward Island. GLS are playing at the Reverb tomorrow night; go to CMW for further information.

Sounds like: early Death Cab, Joseph Arthur, Jens Lekman, Iron & Wine

When It Flows
Various Stages
Bodies and Minds
buy Bodies and Minds here


The Unicorns… Islands
The Unicorns are pretty much the opposite of Great Lake Swimmers. They are out-of-control, funky, funny, weird, and over the top. Their album Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? has some of the craziest off-beat and musically unusual sound I’ve ever heard. Unfortunately, the band has disbanded for a while now. However, members of The Unicorns: Nick Diamonds and J'aime Tambeur formed a new band in early 2005 call Islands. Their full length debut entitled Who Has Return to the Sea? is coming out on April 4.

Sounds like: Atom & His Package?, Architecture In Helsinki? …can’t really pinpoint what The Unicorns or Islands sound like!

The Unicorns - Tuff Ghost
The Unicorns - Les Os
download 2 releases by The Unicorns here
Islands - Abominable Snowman
Islands - Rough Gem
buy The Unicorns' Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? here

CMW... Day No. 1

Today is the first day of Canadian Music Week. (the festival runs from March 1-4) To celebrate CMW, I will devote a huge portion of this blog to Canadian artists and Canadian music from now on until the end of the festival. I will be posting one or two (or ever three) featured Canadian artists each day. Well, it all depends on what I can dig up from my iTunes and CBC Podcasts as my knowledge of Canadian music is not that great. So, with that being said, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and your recommendations of Canadian artists/bands in the comments section as it will be a great way to share and promote homegrown music! So, let me start off the first day with my favorite Canadian act right now...

Final Fantasy
I don’t even know where to begin with this band. I guess I’ll start by saying that Final Fantasy is not really a band, but it is a solo project by Owen Pallett. FF’s debut album, Has a Good Home was #4 on my 2005 top 20 list... if that means anything at all. Has a Good Home and the style of Final Fantasy is indie pop/rock influenced music and vocal style that features predominant violin instrumentation. (I think that is the best description I can come up with) Since I can only say so little about the musical style, I will tell you about my FF concert experience. I saw Owen perform twice so far, and I was blown away both times. In addition, the two concerts were completely different from each other. The first time I saw him, he brought along with him a string quartet. As a result, adding an orchestra feel to the songs. But really, he didn’t need any backups or extra members/players to accompany him because the second time I saw Owen, he performed solo for most of show. (with the exception of Lex Vaughn on drums for a couple of songs... oh Lex, she was so good!) The layers of violin music and the technicalities at this concert were just astonishing; I was staring in awe at Owen the entire time. He uses this foot pedal thing that loops his previously played musical phrases/melodies while he plays on top of that. (again, very hard to explain!) Final Fantasy’s second album He Poos Clouds is set for an early May release date.

Sounds like: nothing out there!

This is the Dream of Win & Regine
The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead
Peach, Plum, Pear (Joanna Newsom cover)
Illusion Song (live)
buy Has a Good Home here


Boys Night Out
Like many hardcore bands from Washington, D.C. during the early 80s had done, Boys Night Out made the transition from being a hardcore band to an ‘emo’-ish band. Their album Trainwreck is one of the coolest and most interesting concept albums I’ve ever heard! I won’t go into details here because I don’t want to spoil the story for you. But basically, the album deals with the themes of love and murder, dreams and reality, freedom and restriction… very cool!

Sounds like: Blood Brothers, Cave In, Finch, Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Medicating
Composing
buy Trainwreck here