new x-men: 3 arms

check it out, new X-Men character! ...will he appear in the next X-Men movie??

what a beautiful town! ...oh, but what a terrifying view

This post is for Peter, enjoy:

Godrevy Point
The Hazelwood
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"oh, you let yourself in, how weird."

Wow, it is extremely late... 3:51am... but I just got my hands on the new Thom Yorke (Radiohead) solo album and I need to listen to it!!!!!!!! Any of you out there interested in hearing the album?... should I post the songs?

So, I am back from hiatus, sorry. The past week and a half has been extremely crazy but fun: it consisted of lots of movies and lots of parties, which were all part of the Insideout Festival. To top it off, everything was free… the screening as well as the galas... drinks!!!... I think I only spent like $10 the entire festival... goddamn sweet!!! I went to places that I’ve never been: the Spin Galley (the downstairs, where all the "regular folks" were smelled weird), blub (the wine I had was not that good... but it was free), 5th Elementt (nice place, nice patio, good martinis). The screenings that I went to were Loving Annabelle (not that good… I gave it a 3/5, but I want to change that to a 2!), The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (ok, but I did not like the pacing of the story), High School Confidential (shorts), Another Gay Movie, and the Queer Youth Digital Video Project (shorts). One of my favorites was School Boy Art, a short shown during the High School Confidential screening... it was really funny! Speaking of funny, Another Gay Movie was hilarious! I would recommend everyone (whether you are gay or straight) to see the film when it comes out. Scott Thompson (Kids In The Hall), who plays the Dad character in the film was in the screening. Very cool! I was extremely impressed with this year’s Queer Youth Digital Video Project. I loved all the shorts, except for one, which I won’t name. The highlights were: Soldier, a short I did not really get, but it was extremely well made, and I absolutely loved the cinematography! In Search for My Chinese Girlfriend was very funny and it won the audience award for shorts, congratulation to Lisa! Nevertheless, Calling Out was of course my favorite! The only film I gave a 5 out of 5 to in the whole festival. It was a prefect plot for a short film; it is funny, great pacing, great editing, and great use of music! I also loved the concept behind Transsensual; Mother, Maybe I? is very sweet and heartfelt; while Belly has a fantastic narrative.

Other than the Insideout Festival, I picked up tickets for my convocation yesterday, which is taking place on June 21. I bought some hot pants and went looking for new shoes… anyone knows where I can find some plain dark grey vans??? I looked everywhere downtown yesterday and had absolutely no luck (insert sad face here). I finished To the Lighthouse, which is a pretty good book... way better than I expected. I started reading Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis... did I mention that my goal is to read around 20 novels by the end of the summer? I’ve completed two so far. I also got a new cellphone. Well, my uncle got it for me from Hong Kong... it is a little too high-tech for my liking, but I am slowly getting used to it. (btw, my number is still the same) I am totally hating this heat, I almost died yesterday shopping around downtown! I am sooooo NOT a summer person, I want winter to come back! I am also planning to go to Japan sometimes in the middle or end of July. That should be fun! I will try to keep a regular update... hopefully... I think that is all for now, hope you enjoy reading another long and self-centered rant by me!

earth angel, earth angel...

This song has been playing in my head for the past few days:

"Earth Angel" by The Penguins
"Earth Angel" covered by Buddy Holly
"Earth Angel" covered by Death Cab For Cutie [wicked-cool song]
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Patrick Wolf A to Z

The idea of Patrick Wolf A to Z is inspired by Sufjan Stevens A to Z and Daryl Palumbo A to Z, which are two wonderfully composed lists. Enjoy!

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A is for "A Boy Like Me"* (from Lycanthropy, Patrick’s first full length).
*Live @ X-Posure, 2003

B is for "Beastiality"*, an unreleased track that Patrick preformed live at London Calling on November 8, 2003.
*Live @ London Calling, November 8, 2003

C is for Capitol K, the man who released Lycanthropy. C is also for "Childcatcher"*, one of my favorite tracks from Lycanthropy.
*Live @ X-Posure, 2003

D is for "Demolition"* and "Don't Say No"^ (both from Lycanthropy).
*Lowlands Session
^Live @ X-Posure, 2003

E is for "Empress" (from The Patrick Wolf EP, which is a limited 12" with only 1000 pressing).

F is for Faith and Industry, a record label responsible for The Patrick Wolf EP.

G is for "Godrevy Point"* (a beautiful track from Wind In The Wires CD single).
*Marc Riley Rocket Science Session on 6 Music, July 2, 2005

H is for Halloween 2005, the release date for Tristan CD and 7" singles.

I is for "Idumea"* (from Tristan single).
*live on BBC 6 Music

J is for June 30, Patrick’s birthday.

K is for Kings Cross, which Patrick mentioned in the song "The Gypsy King"* (from Wind In the Wires).
*Live @ Motel Mozaique in Rotterdam, Holland, April 15, 2005

L is for Loog, the record label that is releasing The Magic Position. L is also for Lycanthropy, Patrick’s first album and the name for this blog.

M is for Maison Crimineaux, a band that Patrick was involved in. M is also for The Magic Position, Patrick’s new record.

N is Neverland, where Peter Pan is from, and "Peter Pan"* is a track title from Lycanthropy.
*Lowlands Session

O is for "Overture", a song title from Patrick’s upcoming release, The Magic Position.

P is for "Penzance"* (from The Libertine single); "Pumpkin Soup"^ (from The Patrick Wolf EP); and "Pigeon Song"# (from Lycanthropy).
*Live @ Motel Mozaique in Rotterdam, Holland, April 15, 2005
^Live @ Paradiso in Amsterdam, April 14, 2005
#Live @ X-Posure, 2003

Q is the level of thought that Mr. Ramsay reached in To the Lighthouse, which is a song title in Lycanthropy. (I know this is kind of a stretch, but I can’t think of anything else for Q)

R is for "Running Up The Hill"*, a Kate Bush song in which Patrick covers live.
*Live @ La Cigale in Paris September 12, 2005

S is for South London, where Patrick grew up.

T is for Tomlab, a record label behind Wind In the Wires and numerous singles. T is also for Trinity College of Music, where Patrick studied composition for one year.

U is for ukulele.

V is Virginia Woolf, who wrote To The Lighthouse, which is also the title of a song from Lycanthropy.

W is for Wind In the Wires, a song and album title.

X is for XFM, a live session Patrick did in 2005.

Y is for Yeats... that’s William Butler Yeats. His poem, "The Song of Wandering Aengus" is the lyrics to "The Hazelwood" (from Tristan CD single).

Z is for nothing... I can’t think of anything Z... suggestions?

***all the songs on this post are live tracks. If you want the studio versions, email me or go buy the albums and singles!!

buy Patrick Wolf releases here

it was my job to be her hell

The Format is finally coming out with a new full length (Dog Problems, July 11)! It has been forever since they released Interventions & Lullabies... that was three years ago, a pretty damn long time... I don’t even remember what that record sounds like, oh well. In a way, The Format’s new album, Dog Problems is full of cheesy pop songs... let me rephrase, Dog Problems is full of cleverly written and wonderfully produced pop songs. For some strange reasons, the opening track "Matches", reminds me of "A Day In The Life" by The Beatles, especially at the 1:36 mark of the song. The next track, "I'm Actual", sounds like an epic... It begins with a cappella of the lines "can we take the next hour and talk about me? talk about me, oh we'll talk about me, talk about me, and we'll only talk about me" and it slowly builds up to a loud and dramatic closing by strings, drums, and the xylophone. The prelude is concluded as "Time Bomb" enters. It features a very catchy chorus of "tick tock, you're not a clock, you're a timebomb baby, a timebomb oh no…" The title track, "Dog Problems", echoes Tin Pan Alley musical styles. The track is highlighted by up tempo piano and brass accompaniments. The ending lines of "B is for believing you'd always be here for me. E is for everything, even when we'd see it though. C, C is for seeing through you, you are a fake, which brings me to A because, because, you always run away" further demonstrates The Format’s witty lyrical styles. The rest of Dog Problems contains endless 60s pop rock qualities as well as musical elements from bands such as Ben Folds Five and Something Corporate. The album ends with "If Work Permits". The quiet acoustic folk-ish beginning is contrasted by the loud, full rock and roll ending; "If Work Permits" is definitely the perfect song to end the album. Dog Problems is The Format’s masterpiece; it showcases their diversity as the album is full of different musical ideas. They were very successful in embracing multiple sounds as the focus is never lost, each song flows smoothly in an extremely well constructed and packaged record. That is perhaps one of the toughest things to accomplish as so many bands who tried to incorporate numerous musical elements failed miserably: the results often sound forced and musical ideas become shattered. One of my favorite parts of Dog Problems is that it features beautifully arrangements of countless instruments, especially in the brass and strings departments. After hearing Dog Problems, I don’t know if I ever want The Format to release another record as anything they come out with in the future can only go downhill... or perhaps not?

Matches [wicked-cool song]
I'm Actual [wicked-cool song]
Time Bomb
Dog Problems [wicked-cool song]
Oceans
Snails
Inches And Failing
If Work Permits [wicked-cool song]
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Dog Problems comes out on July 11, you can preorder it here

By the way, I am putting some final touches to Patrick Wolf A to Z, expect that later today or early tomorrow, peace homies!

i like this song

"Level" by The Raconteurs
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buy Broken Boy Soldiers here

z is only reached once by one man in a generation

I stumbled upon two great and innovative lists today:

Sufjan Stevens A to Z and Daryl Palumbo A to Z

Cool eh? Well, I will probably be working on my own A to Z lists to a few artists/bands that I enjoy tremendously. Right now, I am thinking of doing one for Patrick Wolf, Björk, BrandNew, Bright Eyes, Death Cab, Alkaline Trio, and Jawbreaker... suggestions?

when I wake up in the morning, and the alarm gives out a warning...

Did you ever just want to listen to the theme songs to some of your favorite old TV shows that are no longer on the air? ...You know, bring back your after school or Saturday morning memories... well, I found an excellent website with a pretty large collection of TV theme songs: they have got everything from Power Rangers and Inspector Gadget to Saved By The Bell and Smurfs theme songs... the site is totally beyond wicked-cool!

good lord, what a beautiful day for traveling, unraveling this heavy heart away

My total obsession of Patrick Wolf has led me to constantly search for live bootlegs, b-sides, remixes, or whatever... well, a few weeks ago, I came across three radio sessions that I don’t have... here they are:

Lowlands Session (2005) (rar. file)
Peter Pan
The Tower
Demolition

Marc Riley Rocket Science Session on 6 Music (July 2, 2005) (rar. file)
Ghost Song
Pigeon Song
Godrevy Point

Motel Mozaique Session (2005) (rar. file)
Teignmouth
Pigeon Song
The Railway House
Magpie
Land's End
Lycanthropy

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buy Patrick Wolf releases here

happy birthday Liam!

are you boy crazy??

I usually like music that features lyrics and vocals. Well, that is not the case for Boy Crazy: an instrumental band that plays rock (?), progressive rock (?) music... it is actually kind of hard to pinpoint one genre when describing the music of Boy Crazy, as their EP Whale Songs To Kensington Garden features a mixture of many different genres. Their songs incorporate techno beats and synthesized sounds to create dance qualities while using hard rhythms and guitar solos to create melodic and hardrock/psychedelic feels.

Artanctica
Egyptian Plover And The Crocodile
I'm Not A Tigress, I'm A Tiger
Cosmo Memory
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buy Whale Songs To Kensington Garden here

thank you mc lars for recommending this film

Wow, it seems like the only time I update this blog now is really late at night. I just got home maybe an hour ago and I can’t sleep. Anyways, to the main point of this post: everyone needs to see a movie called Loose Change 2nd Edition. It is a 9/11 conspiracy film. It is an excellently made and well researched movie... the conspiracies presented by the filmmakers are chilly and very real! If you watch only one movie this year, it should be Loose Change 2nd Edition! It is like knowing that your neighbor’s wife was murdered and you felt sorry for the husband, but then one day, you find out that the husband was the murderer... yes, it is exactly like that... watch the movie and you’ll know what I am talking about!!

You can watch or download Loose Change 2nd Edition for FREE at Google Video

if columbus was wrong i'd drive straight off the edge

I just got back from the Alkaline Trio concert at the Kool Haus. It was the most fun I had at a concert in a very long time… actually, it was my first punk concert in over a year. As promised by the band on their website, they played their first album, Goddamnit in its entirety. Before the show, I told my friends that I’ll probably head into the moshpit as Goddamnit is my favorite A3 album! I haven’t been in a real moshpit in soooooo long!!! As the boys from A3 took stage with "Cringe", I waited for a few seconds, got a good look at the members, took my glasses off, and handed them, along with my cellphone and wallet to my friends and charged into the crowd. The pit was fucking awesome! Half way through Cringe, I tapped this tall guy beside me and gave him the international sign of "I want to crowdsurf, so help me get up", but he was like "no"... and I was like "WTF!?!?"... he must have thought that I was asking if he wanted to crowdsurf, goddamn amateur!! So, I moved away from that douche by the second song and asked another person who actually knew what I wanted and help me get up and I crowdsurfed for the first time in three years (I think)... it was so much fun!!! Oh, yea, I am one of those annoying person who crowdsurfs like a billion times at a concert and kicks everybody on the head (sorry) each time. Actually, I think I only crowdsurfed like three or four times at this concert... I am getting too old for that shit. A3’s set was remarkable; they sounded great and played an extremely long show... although I wanted more. Matt Skiba finished off the Goddamnit section of the show with a solo acoustic performance of "Sorry About That". He then played another acoustic song before switching with Dan Andriano, who also played two solo acoustic songs. I know that one of the songs played acoustically was "Blue In The Face", but I don’t remember what the other two were. Anyways, after that, the rest of the band came back out and played another set of songs from the other albums. Oh, they were amazing, especially when they ended with "Radio" as everyone sang along to it. I think I’ll stop my rambling now, I need to take a shower because I smell and have other peoples’ sweat on me... ew!

get ready for some old school country blues

Micah Blue Smaldone plays music that I have been looking for: old 1920/30s county blues music. Really, if you just listen to the music without having any knowledge of the band, you would think that Micah Blue Smaldone is from the pre-WWII era. The musical style is nostalgic, and even the recording quality sounds rusty and classic. When listening to Some Sweet Day, I can’t help but immediately associate it with Hank Williams and Robert Johnson. (Sorry for such generic comparisons, but I don’t have an extensive knowledge of county blues) Williams’ style can be heard right from the opening track "Springtime Blues", especially in the lines "everybody got a sweetheart except for me…" My face filled with excitements when I heard yodeling in "Some Sweet Day", which is most likely influenced by Jimmie Rodgers. That is then followed by the instrumental steel guitar solo track "Blind Boy Rag", which is also a pretty damn sweet song! Even though Some Sweet Day sounds old and 'out of style', the music is surprisingly refreshing. There is no current band/release that sounds like Micah Blue Smaldone’s Some Sweet Day. The album is nearly perfect, and I am sure this will most likely end up in my best of 2006 list!

Springtime Blues
Old Dog Blues
Some Sweet Day [wicked-cool song]
Blind Boy Rag
In the Jailhouse Now
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buy Some Sweet Day here

all my friends were vampires...

So I have FINALLY watched The Devil and Daniel Johnston a couple of days ago. Finally is in capital letters because I have wanted to see the film ever since I heard about it back last September. It was my most anticipated film of 2006 for sure! So, did I like it? Would I recommend it? Of course I liked it… it is a great film! ...but I don’t know if I would recommend it... Let me explain, if you are familiar with Daniel’s music and art, and you adore both of those talents by Johnston but don’t really know too much about his life, I don’t think you should see the film. I thought, and still think that Daniel Johnston makes great, truthful music, but the film opened up things that I did not want to know as a fan of his music. My interpretations of the meanings and contents behind his songs are forever changed… the film kind of ruined the romantic ideas I had about some of his songs. I can never hear "Devil Town", my favorite track by Daniel Johnston the same way again... which is a little sad! On the other hand, if you don’t know really know anything about his work or his life, go see it, as Daniel’s life is beyond strange and interesting! Oh, who am I kidding… go see the freaking film... it is great! I would normally post a few tracks by the artists, but given what I have just wrote, I don’t think I will do that.

get crunk!

I visited Pitchfork this morning and saw a track review on Lil’ Jon’s new song "Snap Yo Fingers". Pitchfork also provided a YouTube link to the video... let me just say, it is probably one of the worst music videos I have even seen! Everything about it is shit... pure shit!! I don't even know how it got 1.5 stars out of 5 on Pitchfork... it's more like negative 1 million stars... anyways, watch that piece of crap below:



It really makes me mad that this kind of shit gets airplay and endless profits while small, talented artists/bands get turn down by major labels and radio stations everyday because they are not "marketable"... fuck!

Make sure you download MC Lars' brilliant song that makes fun of this unless subgenre and the sad state of hip-hop music:

Generic Crunk Rap [wicked-cool song]
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Read my MC Lars post here
buy The Graduate here

an extremely interesting student film

I can’t sleep, so I’ve decided to share with you all a little short film I just watched… well, more like a few hours ago. A couple of UCLA film students (Drew Mylrea and Joaquin Pastor) went undercover to interview students at Scotts Valley High (California). The high school students were asked about their political beliefs and moral ideals such as the Iraq war, the 2004 election, gay rights, AIDS in Africa, etc. Their biased and ignorant views are saddening, but hey, they are just high school kids…

Download the very interesting film here.
The file is quite large (132MB), and it only plays on QuickTime 7 (I think), but it is worth the wait!!!

damn... why isn't anyone on msn... it's only 3am... i'm bored...

new final fantasy single

Tomlab is releasing the first (?) Final Fantasy single for "Many Lives -> 49 MP" from He Poos Clouds. It features two unreleased tracks:

The Miner Becomes Forgetful
Jars Of Lars
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I was listening to both Has A Good Home and He Poos Clouds today, and in my opinion, He Poos Clouds is a far better album, but it just seems too short!!! ...I want more Final Fantasy!

buy the Many Lives -> 49 MP single here

featured artist: Yoko Tanaka

Tiny Showcase’s featured piece this week is by an artist named Yoko Tanaka... even though "Glass Store" does not exemplify Tanaka’s style (at all) and it is definitely not one of Tanaka’s best works. Instead, go to Yoko Tanaka’s beautiful site to see some truly amazing acrylic paintings. To sum up... in a really general description: Tanaka’s acrylic paintings feature modest human and sometimes animal characters with realistic and heartfelt emotions; in addition, she combines those characters with hints of fantasy and dream elements... they are absolutely gorgeous! Her "Suicide" editorial is one of the saddest and most beautiful pieces I’ve even seen (it almost made me cry when I first saw it)... I have to have it!!! I also really like her work on the Earl D. series as well as the Zibits Family series.

Make sure you go visit Yoko Tanaka's site here

is it normal?

Anti-Flag’s major label debut For Blood And Empire is one of my favorite releases of 2006 so far... and I don’t usually like political punk music: crappy music with generic political statements... no thanks! However, the music on For Blood And Empire is first rate and it helps that they are insanely catchy! It features elements of pop punk, skate punk, hardcore, folk, and power rock anthems. Honestly, I think every song from For Blood And Empire has the potential to become a top 40 single... but with the very expressive and explosive lyrical contents, they will most likely never see any radio play. The highlight track for me is "Depleted Uranium Is A War Crime". It is perhaps the most emotionally charged song on the album as it features some very chillingly truthful facts about the consequences of Depleted Uranium used by the U.S. military. In addition, the song features the voice of U.S. Representative, Jim McDermott as he utters the deadly effect of DU, it is absolutely a brilliant song! Read Justin Sane's DU essay here. Another highlight track for me has to be the very fast and catchy "The Press Corpse", which essentially is about the Downing Street Memo leaked to the public back in 2005. The song opens up with the very sharp lines of “the memo says...: we gotta work to make the facts fit the false charges, pull the wool over the eyes of the filthy masses...” The rest of the song consists of continuous clever attacks on the U.S. government’s deceptions and manipulations over the mass public. If you never heard of or gave any political punk album a chance before, you have to just open up and give Anti-Flag’s new disc a try. Like I said at the beginning of this review, I don’t usually like political punk albums, but For Blood And Empire is just way too important to ignore!

I'd Tell You But...
The Press Corpse [wicked-cool song]
Hymn For The Dead
One Trillion Dollars
Depleted Uranium Is A War Crime [wicked-cool song]
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You can also download a free b-side by Anti-Flag at Military Free Zone.

buy For Blood And Empire here

how to pirate a record

I don't think I'll be doing this to my vinyls, but very cool indeed!

don't lose your face

I have the new Futureheads album for about a week and a half now. Their self-titled release in 2004 was one of my favorite albums that year; as expected, I had high expectations for News & Tributes. And surely, disappointments usually derive from such great expectations... so naturally I was dissatisfied with the new disc at first. However, that negative feelings kind of faded late last night. Right now, I don’t know if News & Tributes is better than their first release, but I think it definitely has the potential to have a longer lasting effect. News & Tributes is slower and sounds more mature, but it is still fun and catchy; I just wished there were more of that harmonic vocal style from their self-titled release.

Yes/No
Cope
Skip To The End
Back To The Sea
Thursday
Face
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Futureheads are playing with Tapes n' Tapes on July 26 @ The Phoenix, tickets are on sale now
News & Tributes comes out on June 13, you can preorder it here

UPDATE WTF, Pitchfork did a review on the new Futureheads disc today too... damnit...

i heart free movies!!!

The Insideout film festival starts this Thursday and it runs till May 28. Make sure you go check out the films in this year’s fest... especially the Queer Youth Digital Video Project screening on May 27 @ 5:00pm. This year’s QYDVP features a short entitled Calling Out by the lovely and very talented "Trickee Bandido". I will be at that screening for sure and a bunch of other screenings this year because I know great (and sexy) people who are filmmakers and who are on the Insideout committee and they’re getting me free tickets... sweet! ...it’s great to have connections!!! You know who you are, so thank you in advanced!

frankie! frankie!!!!!!!!!! pt. II

I am so excited!!!! I was just surfing the interweb today, browsing through upcoming releases, and I came across this. I cannot wait for this release... and it's on vinyl too!!! For those of you who are too young or just don’t know who Suicide is, shame on you... haha, just kidding. Suicide is a two piece punk/post-punk/experimental band from the late 70s/80s. And without a doubt, they are one of the most influential bands ever... I bet somewhere in your ipod, CD shelf, computer, etc., that there is at least one artist/band that is influenced by Suicide. Their music was strange and extremely experimental. They were breaking boundaries and creating subgenres... keep in mind that Suicide existed during the time of disco, 80s synthesis pop, and the rise of MTV. As a result, they were innovative and became a huge cult/underground icon. Some of you may remember that I have made a post for the song “Frankie Teardrop” back in February; you can read that post here. I was unable to share the song back then, but I have managed to upload it this time, so here it is:

Rocket U.S.A.
Johnny
Frankie Teardrop^ [wicked-cool song]
^make sure you check out my pervious post on "Frankie Teardrop" before you download it because you may not want to hear it after reading the post
Keep Your Dreams
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I am not sure if the self-titled CD is still in print, but I bought the re-released vinyl a while back at Rotate This. Otherwise, shop around and I’m sure you’ll be able to find a copy somewhere.

we live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities

Did you know that Metric released an EP called Static Anonymity back in 2001? And did you know that it is great? Well, if you answered 'no' to both of those questions, you need to download the five songs EP below. Enjoy.

01 Grow Up and Blow Away
02 Siamese Cities
03 Down
04 Soft Rock Star
05 London Halflife
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Metric, along with The Fiery Furnaces, Secret Machines, Electric Six, and many more acts are playing at Fort York in Toronto on July 15.

buy Metric stuffs here

where’s the bride?

My current favorite band name belongs to Bondage Fairies. To be honest, I am recommending this band solely because of its name. Don’t get me wrong, Bondage Fairies’ latest album What You Didn’t Know When You Hired Me is not a bad record, but it is not anything special. There are some pretty good and humorous songs, however, the album as a whole do get a little annoying… even with a running time of only 32 minutes. What You Didn’t Know When You Hired Me features electronic dance characteristics of The Faint; the amateur playfulness of The Unicorns.... well, that sounds pretty good so far... however, the vocal style sometimes falls closely similar to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, which is where it gets a little annoying. Overall, a pretty good first full length, but there is definitely room for improvement! Listen to the songs below and make your own judgments. That's all for today, I must now go watch the Edmonton vs San Jose game.

Faze
Miss Volkova
Levenus Supremus
Aeppeltysken
Cancerfest
Gay Wedding
Fingus Cooked My Cock
Wanna Dance?
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check out Bondage Fairies's website here

to all the moms out there...

Happy Mother's Day!

here's a poem by William Butler Yeats about a hard working mother:

I rise in the dawn, and I kneel and blow
Till the seed of the fire flicker and glow;
And then I must scrub and bake and sweep
Till stars are beginning to blink and peep;
And the young lie long and dream in their bed
Of the matching of ribbons for bosom and head,
And their day goes over in idleness,
And they sigh if the wind but lift a tress:
While I must work because I am old,
And the seed of the fire gets feeble and cold.

too bad the cover art is beyond ugly

One of my favorite places to shop, interpunk.com, is offering an exclusive mp3 from the new Rise Against disc. You can download the new track "Injection" here.

i have to download this movie

A new documentary on piracy... interesting.

you put my hand to your heart, and ran right through your history

I realized that I was supposed to upload the London Calling show by Patrick Wolf right after my exams, but I forgot... sorry for the delay!

http://download.yousendit.com/1ED98B6152F914ED
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The show is yet another amazing live performance by Mr. Wolf... the sound quality is pretty good and it is very interesting to listen to as the lyrics to a few songs are slightly different than the album versions. Enjoy!

buy Patrick Wolf releases here

self promote time II

Here’s banner II... link this shit! Click on this link for banner I. That is all, I must get ready now to go downtown and party it up! (haha, how juvenile… whatever!)

Copy the link below and post a smaller version of the banner on your blog, MySpace, etc.

<a title="lycanthropy" href="http://ifyouwanttosingout.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/55/145275002_b9187bfed6_o.gif" width="165" height="90" alt="bannerII" /></a>

sometimes you just can't hold back the river

There is no need for me to introduce Tilly and The Wall again. However, in case you missed it the first time, you can read my T&TW post here. So, without any further ranting, here are a few tracks from their new album Bottoms Of Barrels...


Rainbows In The Dark
Lost Girls
Love Song [wicked-cool song]
The Freest Man
Coughing Colors
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Bottoms Of Barrels comes out on May 23, you can preorder it here

crepi il lupo

Murder By Death is the most improved band of 2006. With their third release, In Bocca Al Lupo, they have come a long way since their Little Joe Gould days. In Bocca Al Lupo is a solid release. Their music has never sounded better: In Bocca Al Lupo combines classical strings arrangements with folk and rock rhythms. The most noticeable instrument has to be the cello as it adds great textures and it provides a smooth continuous bassline to all the tracks... I think the music on In Bocca Al Lupo would be shit without the amazing sound of the cello!! All the tracks are little short stories that deal with the themes of conflicts, crimes, punishments, deceptions, sufferings, etc. The combination of classical/folk-like arrangements along with the storytelling features make In Bocca Al Lupo feels like a musical or theatrical play. In addition, the vocal sounds dark and wise: closely resembles to Johnny Cash’s vocal style, which is definitely a perfectly fit to the narratives. Perhaps the highlight of In Bocca Al Lupo is that when you listen to the entire thing, it creates this Medieval or Baroque mood... very cool indeed!
Here's my suggest as to how you should listen to In Bocca Al Lupo: pop in the record, light a bunch of candles, pour some red wine, and go take a bubble bath…. hmmm… that sounds good… maybe I’ll do that tonight!

Boy Decide
One More Notch
Dead Men and Sinners
Brother
Organ Grinder
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In Bocca Al Lupo comes out on May 23, you can preorder it here or here

there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about

I started reading The Picture of Dorian Gray today. Although I have only read a few chapters, I am already overwhelmed by the words of beauties and wisdoms portrayed in the book. One of my favorite passages so far is:

Beauty is a form of genius – is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is one of the great facts of the world, like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon. It cannot be questioned. It has its divine right of sovereignty. It makes princes of those who have it… People say sometimes that Beauty is only superficial. That may be so. But at least it is not so superficial as though is. To me, beauty is the wonder of wonders. It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.

deep in the cell of my heart, i will feel so glad to go

OMG, Xiu Xiu did a cover of my favorite song of all time: "Asleep" by The Smiths. I’m not really a Smiths fan; in fact, "Asleep" is probably the only song I like by them. I am not exaggerating when I said that it is my favorite song of all time... I have listened to that song more than any other song in my life! If I had to choose only one song to bring to a deserted island, it would be "Asleep". Plus, I have already decided that I want it to be played at my funeral. Seriously, the song means so much to me. I really don’t know where I would be right now if I never heard it... it stopped me from doing a really stupid thing time and again. The song is haunting, yet tremendously beautiful! Xiu Xiu’s version is actually very similar to the original, not a bad cover at all. Enjoy!

Xiu Xiu - Asleep from Fag Patrol [EP] (haha, great album title!)
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buy Xiu Xiu stuffs here

Ø

the countdown has began* begun...
*haha, thanks liam.... i need an editor for this blog... to prevent me from making stupid mistakes like the one above...

i am going to be the greatest artist of the twentieth century

So I lied, there will probably still be regular updates even though I can’t get access to my desktop. It turns out that my laptop runs even faster and better than my desktop. So, to sum up, fast laptop = more downloads/uploads = more updates!!! Hmm... so much to tell... I FINIALLY finished all of my exams! Saw Art School Confidential (review below) and bought three books that I’ve wanted to read for-like-ever: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, and Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. ...Ha, that is all and there is actually not that much to tell, oh well.

Ok, I cannot stop thinking and talking about Art School Confidential... I absolutely loved the movie!!! Maybe because I’m into the whole "art" thing and that I share similar views about art and artists as the writer. I felt like I was in the movie, or at least knew the characters or have experienced many situations in the film. I can sooooo relate to the lead character: the same passion for Picasso and the whole trying to find my own style thing... and oh so many more (sigh!), but I don’t want to give the movie away. Art School Confidential is real (to a certain sense), and it is full of ironies. The film could have been extremely bad, with its cliché characters and eventually cliché plot, but those are just some of the elements that support the whole ironic thing. And the same cliché characters and the somewhat cliché plot also helped create some extremely funny scenes. The only problem I have is the pacing of the movie: the first half of the movie is beyond funny, while the second half is somewhat serious. Well, that's all I want/can say about the movie, go see Art School Confidential asap, it is my favorite movie of the year so far!

i heart free stuffs!

Click on the banner below to download the brand new EP by Sherwood... it is absolutely free... thanks to absoulutepunk.net... all you have to do is enter your email and postal/zip code.

any computer expert out there? i need your help!

Have a safe flight Millie!! Have fun in Japan and don’t forget to bring me back some condom jelly and yaoi comics.

As many of you may have noticed, I haven’t been updating this blog as regular as before. This is because I haven’t really been home for the past week or so. I have been studying like crazy and spending endless hours downtown. To make it worst, there might not be any update (at least in the music department) for a while. I am writing this on my laptop as my desktop is acting crazy and I can’t logon (insert sad face here). I almost died because I have my last music exam tomorrow... but thank god for my ipod as I have previously uploaded all the songs I needed for my final on it!

So, that's the story... I have to get back to more studying now.

how romantic

I noticed this painting in my music textbook as I was studying at Sbucks today. I thought it was beautiful. It is by Caspar David Friedrich and the piece is called "Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer" or "A Traveler Looking over a Sea of Fog".

doing myself with chocolates and flowers and strawberry flavored lubricant

Without a doubt, in the recent years, the whole singer/songwriter genre has snatched the attention of major label A&R scouts as the genre itself becomes more and more marketable. So, what we get now is a bunch of sissies who write extremely simplistic songs who can only play the same few chords on their acoustic guitars. I know a fraud when I see one!!! Well, among the million of singer/songwriters out there, Richard Cortez caught my attention. For one, his lyrics are honest, his expressions are sincere, and the music feels genuine. For another, Craving Something Beautiful features ten wonderful tracks dealing with same-sex relationships, the consequences of meaningless and meaningful sex, and American politics. One of the highlight tracks for me is the amusing live recording of "Asshole": "And I guess in the bed department, it makes you a ten, because you make me go ‘ooo, oh, oh’ over and over again, it's like Ron Jeremy meets a Calvin Klien ad and then there's a little bit of Sid Vicious in there because you're always biting me by the end." On the contrary, the title track, "Craving Something Beautiful" is more or less a song about a one night stand that features a very heartfelt chorus of "…you don't have to explain it, put your clothes back on, I'll look the other way, I'm not gonna beg you for more... I'm not gonna ask you to stay... but next time you're craving something beautiful, and you're humming one of my old tunes, know I was more than willing to love you..." Essentially, Richard Cortez sings and plays beautiful music, whether you can relate to his subject matter or not. Craving Something Beautiful is a very amateur sounding record; however, the album is close to perfect for me. Richard Cortez is a young and extremely talented individual; and I am certain he will only improve and progress in his future releases. You can download a bunch of older bootlegs from Cortez’s label Wollenberg Records. My personal favouites among those tracks are "Boyfriend-to-Be" and "The Time It Takes to Love". (awesome ending!) So, check those bootlegs out... and oh, if you don't already get it, I highly recommend Craving Something Beautiful!

from Craving Something Beautiful
Craving Something Beautiful [wicked-cool song]
Asshole [wicked-cool song]
Of Thee I Sing
Big Brown Overcoat
Implode
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from bootlegs:
Boyfriend-to-Be
The Time It Takes to Love

buy Craving Something Beautiful here

be afraid of the old, they'll inherit your souls

Regina Spektor plays beautiful piano music. However, she’s not that typical girl on a piano, thanks to Spektor’s unique and diverse vocal styles and ranges. The way she conveys different emotions through her voice is extremely impressive. She sounds innocent and childlike in one track while sounding like a grieving middleage woman in another. Spektor indeed displays her extensive vocal styles in Begin To Hope. Her voice stretches from sounding sexy, fun, and upbeat to angry and sorrowful. Spektor’s lovely and powerful vocals are accompanied by her exceptional piano skills. "Samson" provides beautiful lyrical melodies while heavy poundings of the minor keys in "Apres Moi" really brings out Spektor's musical expressions. "That time" is probably my favorite track off of Begin To Hope. It is not a typical Regina Spektor track. First, the song has absolutely no piano part; instead, it features a repeated guitar riff with occasional drummings. The song puts a smile on my face every time I hear it. This is because the lyrics are so much fun: lines like "Hey, remember that month when I only ate boxes of tangerines? So cheap and juicy" and "Hey, remember that time when you O.D.ed? Hey, remember that other time when you O.D.ed for the second time?" are just unforgettable... it is the perfect pop rock song!

Samson
On The Radio
Hotel Song
Apres Moi
That Time [wicked-cool song]
Summer In The City
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Begin To Hope comes out on June 13, you can preorder it here

she's got the smile of a side show clown

I am ecstatic... why? new Head Automatica.

download Popaganda in zip format here (please don't sue me!)
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I put this up to help promote the band and the album. Please go buy Popaganda when it comes out on June 6 at your local record store. You can also preorder the thing at the link below.

Head Automatica are playing at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 5 with Taking Back Sunday, Angels & Airwaves, and The Subways.

go visit the very cool official website here
preorder the Popaganda here

we lay, we lay together just not too close, too close

I haven’t decided if I like the new Taking Back Sunday disc or not. Louder Now is definitely better... way better than their last release... which is not too hard to accomplish. Where You Want to Be was what I called "lyrics for dummies". The album was plan horrible!!! With Louder Now, TSB song writing has improved a little, but it is still a million steps down from their debut Tell All Your Friends (one of the best records ever!). There are actually a handful of pretty good songs on Louder Now; however, there are tracks which I cannot stand. At all! The first single, "Make Damn Sure" is catchy as hell, I am so in love with that song right now. With witty lyrics like "you hollow out my hungry eyes", the song has a feel of old school TBS. Plus, the video for it is pretty cool too – it has a lot of great imageries. Speaking of old school TBS, everyone at the AP messageboard has been declaring that "Error Operator" is the track that resemble closest to Tell All Your Friends... but I think it sounds like a slightly improved leftover track from Where You Want To Be. In my opinion, "Liar (It Takes One To Know One)" brings back some great call and response style that we all love so much from Tell All Your Friends. Overall, Louder Now is far from TBS’s punk/emo roots, it feels more like a power pop rock record. My suggestions: they need to work on their lyrics writing skills; more call and response; and I want to hear more vocal from Fred Mascherino!

Liar (It Takes One To Know One)
Make Damn Sure [wicked-cool song]
Error Operator
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Taking Back Sunday are playing at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 5 with Angels & Airwaves, Head Automatica, and The Subways.

buy Louder Now here or here

hospital vespers

My cousin’s daughter has entered the hospital in critical condition due to some unknown virus. I really hope she gets better soon. It really sucks when young children go through medical traumas like that... are they too young to remember? I hope so as the hospital can be very frightening.

UPDATE holy crap, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is on The View right now!

what will they think of next!?!?

As I was browsing through my weekly alternative newspapers on the subway, I came across this article on NOW under 'technology'... more specifically, the 'techtoys' (haha) section.

iBuzz Music-Activated Sex Toy: A sex toy that sings. Plug the iBuzz into your portable music player and get off to your favourite tune. The bullet vibrates in time to the music and more intensely the louder you make it. Gives new meaning to the lyric "I've got the music in me."

I seriously thought it was a joke... you never know what those hipster kids at NOW will come up with... but no, the thing is real! Go to www.ibuzzusa.com and you can read how it works as well as purchase the thing. WTF!!!! This is way too funny... and I thought nothing could top the Japanese and their Stop The Aids condom jelly!!

it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts...

I listened to the new Angels & Airwaves album to get me through my study today. For those of you who don’t know, Angels & Airwaves features members of Blink 182 (Tom Delonge), Box Car Racer (also Delonge, and David Kennedy), Rocket From the Crypt (Atom Willard), Offspring (Atom), and the Distillers (Ryan Sinn). A powerful and impressive lineup indeed! We Don't Need To Whisper sounds more like a Box Car Racer album than anything. However, it is much much better than BCR. In my opinion, BCR tried too hard to fit into the 'emo' category. They seemed too forced and insincere. So, Delonge left behind all the wrong formulas in BCR and formed a supergroup call Angels & Airwaves. There first disc, We Don't Need To Whisper (out on May 23 on Geffen) seems like a fine album after few listens. Although I haven’t got the chance to read or analyze the lyrics, the album sounds impressive. There is an adventurous and triumphant quality to the music. The overall structure of music in We Don't Need To Whisper sounds very much like a concept album... I guess I will find out if it is indeed a concept album as soon as I get my hands on the lyrics. So, put aside everything you love and hate about Blink 182 and Box Car Racer and give A & A a try.

Distraction
Do It For Me Now
The Adventure
Good Day
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Also, check out the very cool and hi-tech A & A website. You can watch mini-movies to a few songs as well as watch a movie trailer for the band/album.

A & A are playing a sold out show at the Phoenix on May 24. They are also on tour this summer with Taking Back Sunday, Head Automatica, and The Subways. The Toronto date is on July 5 at the Molson Amphitheatre, tickets are on sale now... get them quick as it will probably be sold out soon!

Pre-order We Don't Need To Whisper here or here

for a second I saw you so clearly, for a moment I knew you so dearly

I have talked about Great Lake Swimmers in my CMW recommendations and review a couple of months ago. Since then, I think I have also uploaded a few GLS songs. Well, if you still have not checked the band out, here is another GLS post. Basically, this post is to convince you all that Tony Dekker is one of the best songwriters to come out in recent years. Just download and listen to the following two tracks from Bodies and Minds.

When It Flows [wicked-cool song]
I Could Be Nothing [wicked-cool song]
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"When It Flows" has one of the cleverest sections ever: at the 1:31 mark of the song, instruments are carefully inserted to correspond with the lyrics of "…the subtle piano raindrops, the creaking of the buildings and their cellos, the wind was our violin…" Is this what people from the Baroque era called word paintings? By the way, listen for the cello at 1:40, absolutely beautiful!!!

"I Could Be Nothing" is just an overall stunning song. There is this epic/eternal feeling to it. It also features the sweetest chorus of "...I could be nothing, said the waves to the sand, I could be nothing without you..."

Damn, this blog is one of the reasons why I can’t study at home... well the internet in general is why I can’t study at home!

buy Great Lake Swimmers releases here

i am not sorry for this part of me, why should i be sorry for my beastiality

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I have been studying all week for my Beethoven exam. I have been sitting outside of Hart House under the beautiful sun and walking everywhere downtown these past two days. Needless to say, I have already got sunburn all over my arms and a little on my nose… I think I’m probably the first person in Toronto to get sunburn and it’s not even summer yet! The weather feels really hot to me already... seriously, I don’t know how I’m going to handle the summer... and I am so going to melt at the Olympic Island show in June! I want winter back! Anyways, I can’t waste anymore time ranting as I have to go back to more Beethoven... exam tomorrow!!!!!

I have received a request for a re-post of the Patrick Wolf b-sides and remixes, so here it is. Enjoy.

Patrick Wolf b-sides and remixes

Here are two bonus songs:

"Beastiality" from London Calling, November 8, 2003
I will post this whole show up as soon as all my exams are done. Look for that sometimes after next Wednesday.

"Night Train" (instrumental track)
This is like a continuation or extension to "Wind In The Wires". Listen to the instrumentation at the end of "Wind In The Wires", then listen to "Night Train" and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

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buy Patrick Wolf releases here