classic song of the moment

Actually, there are two classic songs today: both are from two of the most important albums of all time. One popularized the California beach/surf sound, while the other gave birth to the emo genre... that's the first generation of emo music in the 80s!

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows from Pet Sounds (1966)
Hüsker Dü - Pink Turns To Blue from Zen Arcade (1984)
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i want to fight brandon flowers!

The Killers/Fall Out Boy drama:

Brandon Flowers of The Killers continued his attack on Fall Out Boy earlier this week, he told NME.COM,

There's a creature inside me that wants to beat all those (emo) bands to death... You don't realise what you could be getting yourself into with Fall Out Boy... Emo, pop-punk, whatever you want to call it, is dangerous.

In response to Flowers’ comments, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy said on MTV News,

Honestly, I like Brandon a lot from what I've read in interviews... He's sharp. I don't think people would take as much notice (of his comments) if he wasn't. I respect that... I kinda like how he called Fall Out Boy 'dangerous'. It felt like how Ice called Maverick 'dangerous' in 'Top Gun'... I kind of think of it this way: How could you feel like a superhero if you didn't have an arch-nemesis? We met a couple of times... I think they maybe tried to order drinks from us at the MTV Video Music Awards, because they thought we were waiters. The drummer (Ronnie Vannucci) was really nice though.

Conclusion: Brandon Flowers = an ass; Pete Wentz = actually pretty cool and funny.

i am in love with lisa from toys r us

I have been listening to a lot of older music by Mr. Bright Eyes recently. By older music, I mean his first three solo cassettes and Commander Venus stuffs... so, if I did the math correctly, he’s only like 13 or 14 or 15 when he recorded those albums. Even at such a young age, Oberst has already developed a somewhat impressive songwriting skill. Being a huge Bright Eyes fan, these old solo cassettes put a huge smile on me every time I hear them. Oberst’s voice is prepubescent-ish... it is completely different... it is very high and not as crackly... very cute and funny! So, if you are a huge fan of Bright Eyes, you must download the tracks below... actually, if you don't like Bright Eyes, you should still check them out.

Water (1994)
1. You Should Be In Sweden
2. Hubcap
3. Over it
4. Collage
5. Blue
6. Get Into It
7. Ouija
8. Half a Minute Away
9. Purple Chin

Here's To Special Treatment (1995) [wicked-cool cassette]
1. Sledge Winston & The Element Of Surprise
2. Things You Know
3. Tar
4. Space Invaders
5. Lava Monster
6. Puddle Stomper
7. The Day Statues Broke
8. The Bumpercar Blues
9. Blowtorch
10. J-Bone
11. Sundress

The Soundtrack To My Movie (1996) (warning: the quality of this recording is pretty damn bad)
1. In My Sights
2. The Halcyon
3. District 66
4. Floodlights
5. Your Tightrope
6. Oh, To Be Friends
7. Oh, Tired Eyes
8. Flying J
9. Great American Radio
10. Oh, Sweetest Heart
11. German Chocolate
12. Animal Prints
13. Another Night In
14. The Reason I Exist
15. Show Me How

***all files expire in 7 days *re-posted on December 3, 2007

i seriously cried from watching this... way way way way too funny!

happy birthday patrick wolf!

incredible deal!!!

Vagrant is having a Holiday Blowout sell: when you buy Dashboard Confessional’s Dusk and Summer between Friday June 30th and Sunday July 2nd, you will receive any album in the Vagrant Catalog for FREE! That’s so cool!!! I suggest getting new Moneen or John Ralston... or any classic Alkaline Trio albums! Go here for more details.

i stumbled upon pictures i tried to forget (haha, not really)

For those of you who know me, I am a freak at taking photos... and since I got a camera phone about a month ago, I have been taking a bunch of pointless photos. As a result, I have created a new photo album called "Random Phone Photos". This is where I will put some of those pointless photos... if you are interested, go here to look at the album.

this is for all the art nerds out there

I found two great art related sites today on the interweb:

ArtDorks
We Heart Prints
(since I am moving to a new place downtown... everyone should buy me some prints to fill up the lonely walls!)

this is like the best christmas concert ever!

dorothy, wake up, it's time for work

I was just cleaning up this blog, and I noticed that most of the songs on the Happy Hollow album by Cursive have exceeded the allowed number of downloads. This makes me really happy because you guys are actually downloading stuffs from my blog! Anyways, if you were unable to download this truly incredible album, leave a message at the comment section and I’ll see what I can do. Don't forget, Happy Hollow comes out on August 22 and you can preorder the "Dorothy At Forty" single here.

sometimes the last thing you want comes in first, sometimes the first thing you want never comes

Today has to be the laziest summer day for me so far: I woke up late, updated this blog, had lunch and watched some really crappy yet entertaining shows on MTV. Oh, then I went to take a long nap. Hehe, see how lazy my day has been! And to top the laziness off, I am probably not going to do anything tonight but watch So You Think You Can Dance (I don’t care what you haters say, but that’s an awesome show!!) Anyways, I think Aqualung’s "Strange And Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)" sets the mood on how I feel today (the music and vocal, not so much the lyrics).

Aqualung - Strange And Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You) [beyond wicked-cool song]
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This is really a must have song. It’s about four years old, but I still listen to it regularly! "Strange And Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)" appears Aqualung in the UK and Strange And Beautiful in the US.

i used to hate myspace, but now i go on it everyday!

You can listen to the new Muse album, Black Holes and Revelations at their MySpace page.

fake faces everywhere I see, fake people looking back at me

Some of you may remember my post about how disappointed I was with the new From First To Last album... well, I have officially changed my mind... I actually really like Heroine now. So, here’s the story: when I first heard the album, I was in complete disappointment. I loved Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count, and sadly, I just could not get into Heroine. Well, I put aside the album for a while... until about a month ago. I decided to give Heroine another try, and to my surprise, I enjoy it much more than before! Conclusion: it is not always never good to compare albums by the same band as one album can be very different from the other (eg, Björk and Patrick Wolf). I have also made the same mistake at comparing the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs record with Fever To Tell… they are two different albums by the same band, and Show Your Bones is just as amazing as Fever To Tell... actually, I think I like Show Your Bones more as it is a more solid album!

Mothersound [wicked-cool song]
The Latest Plague [wicked-cool song]
...And We All Have A Hell
Afterbirth
World War Me
The Levy
Waltz Moore
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buy Heroine here

could it be... venom??

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! New Spider-man 3 teaser... it looks absolutely amazing... warning: I almost died watching it! WTF... May 2007... there is no way I can wait that long!

a trend you can't sweat out

Amazon.com was hacked earlier... and the targets: popular punk/"emo" releases! Here’s an image taken from Punknew.org:

lost at sea

After months of delay, the new Sigur Rós EP is finally coming out in a few weeks (July 11). The EP contains four tracks: the new single "Sæglópur", as well as three brand new Sigur Rós songs!!!!!!!!! It also comes with a DVD which includes the video for "Hoppípolla", "Glósóli", and "Sæglópur". This is a must have EP because: 1. "Sæglópur" is an amazing song! 2. Three new Sigur Rós songs! 3. All three videos included are spectacular! (you really don’t have to be a Sigur Rós fan to enjoy the music videos)

1. Sæglópur [beyond wicked-cool song]
2. Refur
3. O Fridur [wicked-cool song]
4. Kafari
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go buy Sæglópur EP on July 11!

i am so in love with beirut right now

Other than the new Cursive and UnderOath records (both are amazing!), I have been listening to lots of Beirut (aka young Zach Condon) lately. Although I didn’t really like Condon’s singing style at first, I was surely fascinated by the musical styles on Gulag Orkestar. After about half a dozen listens, I grew to accept and enjoy the vocal while the musical side of Gulag Orkestar still fascinates me! I can’t really explain the music of Beirut except that it sounds like an exploration through Eestern Europe... if that makes any sense at all. So, before ending this very short introduction of Beirut, I just have to say that the music on Gulag Orkestar is beyond fascinating... it is fun, unique, and absolutely original!! Conclusion: I highly recommend Beirut!!!

The Gulag Orkestar
Prenzlauerberg
Postcards from Italy [wicked-cool song]
Mount Wroclai (Idle Days) [wicked-cool song]
Rhineland (Heartland)
Scenic World [wicked-cool song]
The Canals of Our City
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buy Gulag Orkestar here

Patrick Wolf has a new myspace profile picture!

Here’s a picture of a tired Wolf:

a huge achievement

Underoath’s Define The Great Line debuted at number 2 on Billboard Top 200, selling 97,602 units last week! ...that is beyond crazy... and this makes me happy because there are lots of people out who listen to great music! Hurray!!

ew... scary forest man-ish thing

Omg, this is sooooo freaky!!
http://www.abum.com/show/18199/scary_forest_man.html

i heard she said she’s got a problem but she’s only seventeen

I am beyond impressed with this band called Sydney. They sound like a high profile screamo band out of the Long Island/New Jersey area. But in reality, they are five kids from Burlington, Ontario. Their self-titled debut, Sydney, is probably the first album I have heard in a long time that resembles closest to Tell All Your Friends (one of my favorite records of all time)... especially on tracks like "Got Some Purple Stuff... Hey, Sunny D", "Get To The Chopper" and "End Transmission". I can’t say the music on Sydney is original, but the band did an amazing job at combining the sounds of numerous well established emo/punk bands. If you like the bands such as Over It and Taking Back Sunday, you will no doubt enjoy Sydney.

Jubert's Path Of Destruction
Got Some Purple Stuff... Hey, Sunny D
Get To The Chopper
For I Am Spartacus
In Dreams We Believe
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buy Sydney here

classic song of the moment

The majority of songs and artists I featured on this blog are all pretty new-ish. So, being a fan of music from all eras, I have decided to create a 'classic song of the moment' feature. So, here’s a song to start this Tuesday morning off, enjoy!

Rod Stewart - Maggie May [wicked-cool song]
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forced to live like it's a curfew, translation: it means i love you

Alright, here is a really really really (x1000) bad recording of Feist live at the Olympic Island. I started recording from the second song and the last three or four songs are missing because I ran out of memory on my cell.

Feist live @ Olympic Island in Toronto, Ontario (June 24, 2006)
(Warning: this is a horrible recording!)

If you want to hear a really good bootleg, listening to Feist amazing version of "Major Label Debut" live at Park West.

Feist - Major Label Debut [wicked-cool song]

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plan b raps about cutting people with knives and stabbing people in their eyes

The other day, I received an email from 679 Records promoting this artist named Plan B. I usually pay no attention to emails like this; however, for some strange reasons, I opened up the email and actually checked out the links to a few videos. I was blown away by Plan B’s rhymes and flows... I was especially impressed with his lyrical contents. Some of what Plan B raps about are very real, while some are so deliciously violent! "Sick 2 Def" and "No Good" can easily be compared to some of the most violent Eminem lyrics. Plan B is also kind of unique in that he uses an acoustic guitar to create his backing beats; a definite refreshing touch from all the genetic hip-hop beats out there. In fact, tracks like "Everyday" and "Tough Love" even featured piano and strings. Who Needs Action When You Got takes the best from Mike Skinner and Eminem, making it an amazing record!

Sick 2 Def [wicked-cool song]
No Good [wicked-cool song]
Mama [wicked-cool song]
Charmaine
Everyday
Where Ya From?
Missin' Links [wicked-cool song]
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buy Who Needs Action When You Got here

blog trouble

Several people have told me that they are having trouble reading my blog... something about the texts being the same colour as the background. The only explanations I could think of were: 1. you have a slow and shitass computer (Jesse); 2. you are running under Apple or using a different internet browser other than Internet Explorer. Anyways, my blog is supposed to look like this:

So, there you go... If there are any webpage design experts out there, please take a look at the code below and tell me why the white table is not showing up on some computers, thanks.

margin:0px auto;
width:665px;
text-align:left;
padding:10px;
background-color:white;
border:0px solid white;

fake buzz band

I love this: a fake band that received bunch of buzz/hype. This just shows you that a band/artist can live off hype even though the music is bad... cough... Arctic Monkeys... cough.

exclusive: impeach my bush

Happy Pride Day!
To celebrate, here is the new Peaches album in its entirety! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE I have been requested to remove this album from my blog. For those of you who had a chance to download the thing, make sure you go buy Impeach My Bush on July 11!

UPDATE #2 In an unlikely turn of events, I am after all allowed to post a few songs off of the new Peaches album. So, here they are:

Two Guys (For Every Girl) [wicked-cool song]
Rock the Shocker
Give 'Er (featuring Feist)
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1. Fuck Or Kill
2. Tent In Your Pants
3. Hit It Hard
4. Boys Wanna Be Her
5. Downtown
6. Two Guys
7. Rock the Shocker
8. You Love It
9. Slippery Dick
10. Give'er
11. Get It
12. Do Ya
13. Stick It To The Pimp

Impeach My Bush comes out on July 11, you can pre-order it here

hopping into puddles

I went to the Olympic Island show today... BSS was alright, Bloc Party was fun, and Feist was great. She was sick and her voice still sounded amazing! I recorded a little more than half of her set, the quality is pretty poor, but I will post that up in a few days for those of you who are interested. I really hope someone has a better bootleg! Speaking of bootlegging, the majestic Sigur Rós played at the Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario about a month ago (May 13). Unfortunately, I missed that show (insert extremely sad face here). Anyways, thanks to the beauty of bootlegs and an amazing Sigur Rós bittorrent site, I have acquired the entire show. The version I downloaded was in Flac. format, but I have converted them into Mp3s. I am not supposed to share these tracks in Mp3 forms, but I think that this blog is so small that I can do this without getting myself into trouble.

Sigur Rós Live @ Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario (May 13, 2006)
[wicked-cool concert]

1. Takk...
2. Glósóli
3. Sæglópur
4. Njósnavélin
5. E-Bow
6. Gong
7. Andvari
8. Hoppípolla
9. Með Bloðnasir
10. Svo Hljótt
11. Heysátan
12. Olsen Olsen
13. Smaskifa
encore
14. Dauðlagið
15. Popplagið

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schedule for the olympic island show

Taken from Emerge blog:

Olympic Island (part of Toronto Island)Saturday, June 24th

Gates: 1:00pm
Raising The Fawn: 3:00pm
J Mascis: 4:15pm
Feist: 5:45pm
Bloc Party: 7:15pm
Broken Social Scene: 8:45 - 10:45pm

SOLD OUT! There will not be any tickets available at the gate.All ages. Children 4 and under will be admitted free.There will not be strict food restrictions as the past few years. You will be permitted to bring your lunch from home. No glass bottles please.

free online portfolio

If any of you need an online portfolio and don’t know how to make a website or can’t afford a webspace, sign up for Carbonmade. It is a great place where you can display your arts, etc. for free. I know that many of you, myself included, already have an account at deviantART, but in my opinion, Carbonmade is a better host, and way easier to navigate!!

I have created a portfolio at Carbonmade, you can check it out here.

interview with mr. daryl palumbo

No, I am not interviewing Daryl Palumbo... I wished! But you can go to Danceinmyblood and read a pretty cool interview with GlassJaw/Head Automatica's frontman.

exclusive: happy hollow

I have spent half of yesterday listening to Cursive’s new record Happy Hollow. I knew even before listening to the album that it is highly unlikely that Happy Hollow can surpass The Ugly Organ (Cursive’s best album and one of my favorite records of all time). Nevertheless, from the first listens, Happy Hollow sounds like a pretty damn good follow-up. One thing that sets it apart from The Ugly Organ is that Cursive have completely abandoned the cello and strings (Gretta Cohn left the band, very sad!); and instead, their new record features a five-piece horn orchestra... and you know what... the horn arrangements work beautifully!! Another new and different feature in this new Cursive record is that the album deals largely with the theme of religion... extremely different from anything Tim Kasher has done!

1. Opening the Hymnal/Babies [wicked-cool song]
a teaser intro which will eventually be heard again on the last track; "Babies" is a great classic Cursive song

2. Dorothy at Forty [wicked-cool song]
fast drumming intro; a ska-ish/swing-ish sounding song

3. Big Bang [wicked-cool song]
loud horns!! ...a song about the Big Bang Theory... weird

4. Bad Sects [wicked-cool song]
a very soft song... it features one of the best lines on the record: "I know this is wrong, cause we're told this is wrong."

5. Flag and Family
fast and loud; great guitar melodies; another classic Cursive song

6. Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes
this one sounds like a Good Life song

7. Retreat!! [wicked-cool song]
omg, this one sounds even more like a Good Life song... I love it! it also features some jazz/blues elements

8. The Sunks
this song is sung by Ted Stevens... ok musically, but I don't really like Stevens' voice

9. At Conception
a war song; lovely piano parts; an overall up-beat track with lots of horns

10. So-So Gigolo
a weird sounding song... don't quite know what it's about yet

11. Bad Science [wicked-cool song]
another loud track with lots of horns

12. Into the Fold
the softest song on the album... great vocal by Kasher... there's also a female voice in the last minute and a half

13. Rise Up!! Rise Up!! [wicked-cool song]
amazing lyrics! ...a kind of don't waste your time with religion and fuck the church song... perfect!

14. Hymns For The Heathen [wicked-cool song]
this is an extension of "Opening the Hymnal", which brings the album in full circle

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Happy Hollow comes out on August 22, preorder information coming soon!
In the meantime, you can preorder the "Dorothy At Forty" single here

a me, myself, and i post

Alright, this week has been a crazy week for me. Well, if you are interested, here’s a list of what’s been happening in the past three days of my life:

Millie and I have been looking for a new place downtown for a couple of weeks now, and we may actually have found a place... the application is being processed now, so we just have to wait and see. The picture on the right is the front of what could possibly be our new home comes July 1st. Hehe, I like how you can see a reflection of the rainbow flag in the front door.

My Japan trip is in full-swing: I have booked my flight. I am leaving Toronto to Osaka on July 24 and coming back on August 18!!

I am finally a university graduate. My convocation was held yesterday. I thought it was going to be hot and boring, but the weather was beautiful and I actually was able to sit through the entire ceremony, even with my ADD. And to make the ceremony that much cooler, Jesse from Death From Above 1979 was in attendance (haha, I was probably the only one who noticed him). Anyways, I think he was there for his sister Rachel Keeler, who also received her honours of arts.


representing westside! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx me doing my best dracula impression

me with my mom and dad xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxjesse from DFA1979

Go here to see more pictures from my convocation (thanks Robin for being the photographer)

Luno (Bloc Party Vs Death From Above 1979) [super-wicked-cool song]
Blood On Our Hands (Justice Remix) [wicked-cool song]
Romantic Rights (Erol Alkan's Love From Below Re-Edit)
Black History Month (Girl On Girl Revision Featuring Final Fantasy)
Metric's Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT)
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buy Silent Alarm Remixed here
buy Romance Bloody Romance here
buy MSTRKRFT 12" here

Haha, see how I can even make a post about my personal life into a music post!

this is my shortest music recommendation post, ever.

I really like John Ralston's new album Needle Bed: it's like Bright Eyes meet Ben Folds... a fun pop record.

It's Not Your Fault
When We Are Cats
I Believe In Ghosts
No One Said It Was Easy
Gone Gone Gone [wicked-cool song]
Our Favorite Record Skips
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buy Needle Bed here

rakuen

So, I have been obsessed with this anime series called Wolf’s Rain. I watched all 30 episodes, that’s about 750 mins, in less than a week. In my opinion, Wolf’s Rain is the best anime series of all time!

"Stray" (opening theme) by Steve Conte
"Gravity" (ending theme) by Maaya Sakamoto
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you want to see me disappear? well so do i... so do i...

Define the Great Line came out today, go buy it!

bebop bebop a loo la, bebop a loo la

Pride week starts today. To celebrate, this blog will pay tribute to artists that are in one way or another significantly important to the gay community. So, in the next seven days, I will feature artists such as Madonna, George Michael, Elton John... oh my god... no fucking way! I am just kidding... haha... happy pride week!!

I must admit, the reason why I checked out El Perro del Mar’s new self-titled album was because I thought she looks very pretty on the album cover. So, I was absolutely surprised in actually hearing her music. There is this 50s/60s pop-ish feel to El Perro del Mar’s music... very refreshing! I am writing this after only hearing her album a couple of times, but I think El Perro del Mar is a perfect summer record, especially skipping down the Yorkville area with shopping bags in your hands. (I have yet to try that out because: #1. I can’t afford anything in the Yorkville area and #2. I would probably look retarded skipping down Yorkville with shopping bags in my hands by myself... but trust me, you should totally try it!)

Party
Coming Down the Hill
This Loneliness
It's All Good
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buy El Perro del Mar here

cool... but when's the next a3 album??

Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio along with Joe Steinbrick of F-Minus started a new side-project called Heavens. They were recently signed to Epitaph and their first record is scheduled to release on September 12, 2006.

go check out Heavens' Myspace page here, Epitaph Records artist info here
you can also listen to the track "Patent Pending" here

conor oberst was spoofed (poorly) on snl

As you can see, this skit was somewhat horrible… but I was pretty surprised that SNL impersonated Conor Oberst.

exclusive: define the great line

Alright, I can't wait till Tuesday to post this. There has been a lot of Ø symbols appearing on my blog... and just a few days ago, this blog was invaded by the very same symbol. Well... in case you’ve been living under a rock, Ø = UnderØath, and their new album, Define the Great Line is out on Tuesday (hence the counter under my profile). There has been way too much build-up to this album; actually, I have never seen so much anticipations for an indie album in the punk/hardcore community, ever. The unmastered version of Define the Great Line was leaked to the public sometimes around February or March, and it has been receiving massive buzz ever since. Like many fans of the band, I have listened to those unmastered tracks countlessly and they are very good indeed. Well, let me just say, the final studio product is a thousand times better... in fact, it is freaking amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, without further ado, here is the studio version of every track from Define the Great Line, enjoy!!!!!!!

1. In Regards To Myself [wicked-cool song]
2. A Moment Suspended In Time [wicked-cool song]
3. There Could Be Nothing After This [wicked-cool song]
4. You're Ever So Inviting [wicked-cool song]
5. Salmarnir
6. Returning Empty Handed [wicked-cool song]
7. Casting Such A Thin Shadow
8. Moving For The Sake Of Motion [wicked-cool song]
9. Writing On The Walls [wicked-cool song]
10. Everyone Looks So Good From Here [wicked-cool song]
11. To Whom It May Concern [wicked-cool song]
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Please go buy the Define the Great Line on Tuesday. It comes in CD or vinyl. There is also a limited edition digipack version which features alternative artwork and a DVD documenting the making of the album.
preorder Define the Great Line here

don't forget about the blue skies, sunrise, and all the space between

I used to listen to a lot of pop-punk; however, I don’t remember the last time I have truly enjoyed a great pop-punk record. I think Drive-Thru has forever ruined my enjoyment for modern pop-punk music. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed numerous Drive-Thru bands many years ago, but they have really overkilled the genre in recent years. Well, then late last year, Valencia came out with This Could Be A Possibility – the first good pop-punk record in god knows when! So you may ask, what makes Valencia stand out from the countless similar sounding bands in the same genre? Well, maybe because This Could Be A Possibility consists of all the right formulas: poppy hooks, loud and multi-layered guitars, energetic drummings, correctly use of the synthesizer, and my favorite, the occasional clapping!

The Space Between [wicked-cool song]
What Are You Doing Man? That’s Weird!
The Closest I Am To Living Life On The Edge
Eagle Mount Drive
Three Thousand Miles
Backs Against the Wall
Away We Go
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buy This Could Be A Possibility here

the interweb's all about wasting time...

Jesse, you are going to love this!!!

TourettesGuy.com





Speaking of wasting time online, Liam showed me two very funny sites the other day:
Pink Is The New Blog
Go Fug Yourself (go read the feature on Kirsten Dunst, it is beyond hilarious!)

(go west) life is peaceful there, (go west) in the open air...

Go here to read about RIAA’s beef with people dancing to music on YouTube.
That is too bad, I was going to post a video of myself dancing to Pet Shop Boys' "Go West".

Pet Shop Boys: "Go West" [wicked-cool song]
Sound City Girls: "Go West" (Pet Shop Boys cover) [wicked-cool song]
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UPDATE The mp3s on the Be Your Own Pet post expire in a few days... fans of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, make should you download the songs! You will love them!

fake bird sounds = awesomeness!

Ok, here’s my Gruff Rhys (the opening act for Bright Eyes) post. I was going to tell you about his performance, but my friend Liam beat me to it. So, I am just going to quote what he wrote on his blog because I think it is nice and short and to the point:

Gruff Rhys, who usually plays as part of South Wales's Super Furry Animals took the stage and entertained us through a number of songs. His use of a loop pedal was hilarious, looping fake bird sounds, 'artificial bagpipes', drum beats and breathing noises.

So, there you have it, Gruff Rhys is very entertaining live!
I have uploaded his entire album (Yr Atal Genhedlaeth) because I think it is quite hard to find a copy in North America without paying a ridiculous amount for it.

Gruff Rhys: Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (full album, rar. file)
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insound has Yr Atal Genhedlaeth for $15.98, you can buy it here

i heart my new cellphone!

As many of you know, I went to see Bright Eyes last night at Massey Hall. Gruff Rhys was a great opener, but I won’t say anything more about him right now becasue I will dedicate a post to him and his record. (look for that very soon) Anyways, the Bright Eyes performance was pretty good overall... although I wished he was drunk… he didn’t even fall or trip over things, what a rip-off! However, I think he was high or something, especially near the end as he kept saying something about a soft penis???… very strange! Anyways, I recorded the opening song (a new song!!!) using my cellphone... you can watch that below... unfortunately, both the video and sound qualities are pretty poor.



...and you can see pictures from the show here. Again, the quality of the pictures are pretty poor. Btw, I don't know why, but some of them are really tiny!

the truth is that i'm overrated

I first heard of Less Than Jake in my first year at U of T. Although I can’t say that I am a big fan, I did enjoy Hello Rockview and Borders And Boundaries. However, I don’t remember the last time I played those records. Their new album, In With the Out Crowd came out about three weeks ago, but I have just started listening to it a few days ago. Well, at first I did not really care for it – I wasn’t even going to listen to the album, but I decided to give it a chance and I must say, it is a pretty damn good release! All the songs sound solid. Unlike other LTJ records, In With the Out Crowd features less of the ska sounds and ultimately, it is more like a pop rock record... or should I dare say... an emo-ska record. Don’t be put off loyal LTJ fans, there are still some of that pure ska elements which clearly can be heard on tracks such as "A Still Life Franchise" and "Let Her Go". I don’t know what the lasting value for In With the Out Crowd will be, but for now, I am enjoying it!

Soundtrack of My Life
A Still Life Franchise
Overrated (Everything Is)
Don't Fall Asleep on the Subway
Rest of My Life
Mostly Memories
Hopeless Case
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buy In With the Out Crowd here

invasion!

This blog has officially been taken over by Ø...

Writing On The Walls [wicked-cool song]
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Patrick Wolf singles

For those of you who can't find the Patrick Wolf singles in your local record stores:

from The Libertine
Penzance
Wind in the Wires (Clifftop Demo)
Afraid

from Wind In The Wires
Souvenirs
Godrevy Point


from Tristan
The Hazelwood
Idumea

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you can buy all of the singles and other releases by Patrick Wolf at Tomlab

untitled (aka i can't think of anything to write for the title)

Wow, another good hardcore album out: Birthing The Giant by Cancer Bats. If you did not enjoy my pervious post on This Is Hell, don’t bother reading the rest of this. Cancer Bats are as loud and as aggressive as This Is Hell. Although I like Sundowning more, Birthing The Giant is still an extremely solid release. These guys are from Toronto, so go buy thier album and support the local scene! Cancer Bats are opening for Moneen tonight at the Opera House. If I wasn’t already going to see Bright Eyes, I would definitely check out this show. The Red Tree by Moneen is one of the best releases of 2006 so far!

Golden Tanks
French Immersion
Diamond Mine
Bonus Track

Demo 2005 (full album, rar. file)
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buy Birthing The Giant here
go to the official Cancer Bats website here
go check out their myspace page here

Conor Oberst A to Z

I am seeing Bright Eyes at the Massey Hall in in less than 24 hours. It will be my first time seeing a concert there... I can’t wait as I’ve heard many great things about that venue! So anyways, this is just another excuse for me to create another A to Z list, so enjoy.

A is for Amos House Volume II, a compilation disc released by Wishing Tree Records which features the track "Entry Way Song" by Bright Eyes.
A is also for "Amy in the White Coat", a track from the 12" version of There is No Beginning to the Story EP.
[download: Entry Way Song]
[download: Amy in the White Coat]

B is for Bright Eyes, Oberst’s current project.
B is also "Burn Rubber", a b-side from the Take it Easy (Love Nothing) single.
[download: Burn Rubber]

C is for Commander Venus, a band Oberst was in from 1995-1997. Members consisted of Tim Kasher (Cursive/Good Life), Todd Baechle (The Faint), and Robb Nansel (co-founder of Saddle Creek Records).
[download: Commander Venus: Do You Feel At Home?] (full album, rar. file)

D is for Desaparecidos, Oberst's side-project. They released Read Music/Speak Spanish on Saddle Creek Records in 2002.

E is for the Every Day and Every Night EP, released in 2000 between Letting Off The Happiness and Fevers and Mirrors.

F is for February 15, 1980, Oberst’s birthday.
F is also for Fevers and Mirrors, Bright Eyes second full-length which give both the band and their label (Saddle Creek) national as well as world-wide attentions. Oberst dropped out of school shortly after the release of Fevers and Mirrors to go on tours.
[download: Feb. 15th]

G is for "Going for the Gold" from Oh Holy Fools split with Son, Ambulance. A live version of the song was also featured on a compilation entitled Future Soundtrack for America released in 2004 by Barsuk Records.
[download: Going for the Gold]
[download: Going for the Gold (live)]

H is for Home Volume IV, a split with Spoon’s Britt Daniel. The two songs by Bright Eyes were "Spent On Rainy Days" and "Southern State".
[download: Spent On Rainy Days]
[download: Southern State]

I is for I'm Wide Awake It's Morning, one of two albums released by Bright Eyes in January 2006.

J is for "Jetsabel Removes the Undesireables", a track from the Japanese import of Fevers and Mirrors.
[download: Jetsabel Removes the Undesireables]

K is for Tim Kasher, who was in Commander Venus with Oberst.
K is also for "Kathy with a K's Song", a song from Oh Holy Fools split with Son, Ambulance.
[download: Kathy with a K's Song]

L is for Lumberjack Records (1993-1995) (not to be confused with Lumberjack Distribution), the label was founded by a group of friends in Nebraska including Justin Oberst, Robb Nansel, and Mike Mogis which would eventually become Saddle Creek Records in 1996.
L is also for Letting Off The Happiness (1998), the first Bright Eyes record.
L is also for Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground (2002), Oberst’s and Saddle Creek’s first 100K records sales.

M is for Mike Mogis, a co-founder of Saddle Creek Records. He also engineered/produced many Saddle Creek releases including albums by Bright Eyes, The Faint, Jenny Lewis, etc. He is currently a member of Bright Eyes.

N is for Nebraska (Omaha), Oberst’s birthplace.

O is for Oh Holy Fools, a split with Son, Ambulance released in 2001.

P is for Park Ave. Oberst played drums for them from 1996-1998. Their only full-length, When Jamie Went to London, We Broke Up, was released on Urinine Records in 1999. It was repressed by Team Love last year. Park Ave. also featured current members of Tilly and The Wall.
P is also for "Padraic My Prince", my favorite Bright Eyes song.
[download: Padraic My Prince]

Q is for nothing.

R is for "Road to Joy". A song from Bright Eyes' I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. Oberst borrowed the melodies from the forth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
[download: Road to Joy]
[download: Sym. no. 9 by Beethoven (Ode to Joy)]

S is for Saddle Creek Records.
S is also for Spend An Evening With Saddle Creek, an excellent documentary on the label.

T is for Team Love, Oberst’s record label, an imprint of Saddle Creek.

U is for an "Untitled" track from the Insound Tour Support EP released in 2000.
[download: Untitled]

V is for Vote For Change Tour. Bright Eyes were involved in this tour, which took place in October of 2004 and its aim was to encourage people to vote against George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential Election.

W is for Water, Oberst’s first cassette (1993) recorded by Ted Stevens (Cursive) on a 4-track in Oberst’s parents’ house. It is also Lumberjack Records’ first release.
[download: Conor Oberst: Water] (full album, rar. file)

X is for nothing.

Y is for "You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will." from Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground.

Z is for... I can never think of anything for Z... damnit!

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buy Bright Eyes releases here
visit Saddle Creek here and Team Love here

new regina spektor video!

Get this video and more at MySpace.com
Regina Spektor's new album, Begin to Hope is out today, go buy it right now! (Well, I guess not right now since it is like 1:40 am and nothing's open. So... go buy Begin to Hope first thing in the morning!) You can read my Begin to Hope review here.

Fidelity
On The Radio
20 Years Of Snow
That Time [wicked-cool song]
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brain running down along spear from the wound in the eye hole

The Drift by Scott Walker sounds like a lot of things: ranging from a soundtrack to a David Lynch movie to an opera by Schoenberg. However, if one had to describe the musical style of The Drift, it would be either avant-garde or expressionism. The songs are strangely composed and the music is extremely abstract: it is randomly structured. Walker plays with the idea of time as he stretches, broadens, speeds up and slows down various stages of his songs. In addition, Walker employs a speech-voice singing style, very similar to Suicide or Xiu Xiu’s freakout vocal style, creating the feeling of hysteria. Indeed, this feeling of hysteria upraises as Walker sings "I’m the only one left alive, I’m the only one left alive..." repeatedly at the end of "Jesse"; making the ending section absolutely chilling! The Drift continues with "Jolson and Jones", which middle jazz fusion section sounds like something out of the Lost Highway soundtrack. Again, this jazz fusion sound appears at the seven-minute mark of "Cue". The lyrics cannot get any more abstract than "Hand Me Ups", what the hell is Walker singing about?? Nevertheless, I love the song! The second last track, "The Escape", despites multi-levels of fear and horror. The listener gets a surprise shock when freakout vocals and music enters at the 2:44 mark. This terrifying excerpt of "you and me against the world... world’s about to end..." eventually ends as the vocal and music soften. That is until the 4:10 mark, where a mutated voice appears and it is backed up by the strumming of the minor chords. Musically, The Drift by Scott Walker is not for everyone. It is very avant-garde and at times, seems very pretentious. You will either like it right from the beginning or hate it forever. If you dislike it after the first listen, don't waste your time as this album will not grow on you after several listens. For me, perhaps one of the appeals to The Drift is Walker’s unexpected directions in treating each of his songs as every track is a surprise!

Jesse
Jolson and Jones
Hand Me Ups
Psoriatic
The Escape
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check out The Drift's mini-site here
buy The Drift here

who has tried this ad?

BBDO, an advertising agency based in Toronto has created a subway poster for Pepsi that lets you hear exclusive tracks by plugging your headphones into the ad. For more details, go here to read the full article.

I think this is an absolutely brilliant idea:

We see thousands of ads everyday, and we spend an average of less than a second seeing each ad. So, when you plug your headphones into this ad, you are forced to stare at it for longer than usual... as a result, you may actually read the ad.

In my opinion, I think this is a groundbreaking ad as almost all types (print and multimedia) of advertisings are one-sided. That is, you do not get to interact with most ads, aside from the fragrance ads find in various magazines. However, with this new Pepsi ad, people get to play with and enjoy the ad.

happy birthday Millie!

i'm here to take your money

I think a lot of you out there would really enjoy Be Your Own Pet. They sound kind of similar to Yeah Yeah Yeahs (the Fever To Tell disc) and Test Icicles. Their new self-titled album is full of noisy-garage-punk-rock tunes. All the songs on Be Your Own Pet are fast, fun, and energetic. If you are hungry for something loud that you can dance and rock to, Be Your Own Pet will definitely fulfill that craving!

Thresher's Flail
Bunk Trunk Skunk [wicked-cool song]
Adventure
Fuuuuun
Bog
Let's Get Sandy (Big Problem)
Love Your Shotgun
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buy Be Your Own Pet here

parklife

Millie and I went to a park near this developing neighborhood today... and since I recently acquired a camera-phone, I used it today and took a bunch of pointless pictures. For those of you interested, here they are.

Ø

Check out a new teaser video for the new Underoath record, Define The Great Line! I am really impressed with all the promotional stuffs for their new album... there are some very stunning designs. I love the cover for the limited edition of Define The Great Line... in my opinion, the best album cover of 2006! I think all their stuffs are done by this designing company called Online Revolution... I want to work for that firm!!!



Define The Great Line comes out on June 20... that's like in...

there's an east swell coming and it's howling off shore

Below is an update from Brand New regarding their new record... finally!!!

Our main focus for these past 10 months was to make the best record we possibly could…for us and you. With this in mind there was always a
part we felt we could play better, or a part we felt could be improved. This tedious process explains why it has taken so long. We have all lost our minds on numerous occasions, and to be honest…still haven't found them.

We will finally be entering the mixing process on Monday June 12. Rich Costey has signed on to man the faders and we all couldn't be happier! The record should be out…you know…sometime this year….. There will be 13, 14, 15, or 16 songs being mixed And 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 of those songs will make it on the record.

We are blown away by the response the tour has received and hopefully will be testing out a few new songs on the road.

We, again, are sorry we have not kept you guys in the loop. We feel now that we are truly happy with our record, and we will notify you of any SIGNIFICANT news in the future.

We can't say it enough:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

.brian / brand new

I wonder which demos will appear on the final-mix...

Brand New: New Album Demos [wicked-cool album demo]
(rar. file)
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i want to control oprah

I don’t know what it is, but I can’t stop listening to Automatic City by Controlling the Famous. It’s not like I am obsessed with it like the new Thom Yorke and Xiu Xiu albums, but I just cannot seem to be able to let go of the record. I don’t think there’s anything too special to it; in fact, not one track really stands out for me in the entire record. Despite this, the album as a whole sounds great – just simple indie rock music. I don’t know what else to say about this disc... I guess you can listen to the songs and see for yourself. Enjoy.

Detox
Easy Life
If You Die
Two Sides (I think the rhythms to this song sound a lot like "Talk To Me, Dance With Me" by Hot Hot Heat)
Pyromaniac
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buy Automatic City here

omg...

this is the sound of a young man breaking ties

Fans of Every Time I Die, Fear Before The March Of Flames, and GlassJaw, check out the brand new album entitled Sundowning by This Is Hell. However, if you are not into hardcore (or harder) music, this is most likely not your cup of tea, or coffee, which-ever you like more, ...I guess. The intro track, "Retrospect", begins with an energetic driving drum beats that sets up This Is Hell's aggressive styles. Next is "Prelude (Again)", a prefect title as it somewhat continues from "Retrospect", providing a second opening track. Together, they set the pace for the rest of the record, which is fast, sharp, and loud. I guess one can break Sundowning into three sections, with "4/8/05" and "8/27/05" as interludes. These are slow tempo instrumental tracks carefully inserted as breaks from the fist-pumping, head-banging, body-tossing music. For many, the highlight track is probably "Procession Commence", which features guest vocal from a certain God-like individual from one of my favorite bands of all time! However, tracks such as "Here Comes The Rains", "Permanence" and "Nobody Leaves Without Singing The Blues" are equally amazing! On a side note, the extraordinary J. Bannon did the design and illustration for the record, you should pick the album up just for that reason! Wow... WTF... I just noticed that the album cover looks very similar to the background of this blog... did J. Bannon rip me off?? ...haha, I wished! Sundowning is hardcore music at its best: a great first record with only one or two weak-points... This is Hell is going to take over the world very soon!

Retrospect
Prelude (Again)
Here Come The Rains
Permanence
Procession Commence [wicked-cool song]
Nobody Leaves Without Singing The Blues
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buy Sundowning here
For those of you living in Toronto, you can buy Sundowning from the HMV on 333 Yonge for only $10.99... great deal!!!

stars were meant to shoot, waves were meant to crash

Great Lake Swimmers are playing at the Sneaky Dee’s tonight. If you have nothing to do, go check them out. They are great live and I think it is only like $8.00 to get in. As I have said before, I think Tony Dekker is one of the best lyricists in music today (definitely the best in Canada!) and he has an amazing voice. If you are a fan of Iron and Wine and early Death Cab stuffs, you need to check out Great Lake Swimmers.

from Great Lake Swimmers (2003)
Moving Pictures Silent Films
Moving, Shaking
I Will Never See The Sun [wicked-cool song]

from Bodies and Minds (2005)
Let's Trade Skins
When It Flows [wicked-cool song]
Various Stages [wicked-cool song]

Imaginary Bars

I Saw You In The Wild

I Could Be Nothing [wicked-cool song]
Long Into The Evening

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buy Great Lake Swimmers and Bodies and Minds here

extreme makeover: blog edition

I gave Jesse’s ugly blog a makeover.
Check it out here:

i need to learn flash... maybe that's what i'll do over the summer!

This is the coolest flash animation ever!

Enjoy.

insert something scary here

I meant to post this earlier today, but Blogger was acting crazy and I couldn’t update. I’m at Hart House right now searching for the NME that featured an article on Patrick wolf. I am seeing The Omen tonight! (I know, it’s going to suck, but it should be fun) Haha, oh yeah, it’s 6.6.6. today... what does that mean? I don’t know... but I guess it gives me a reason to post a totally random track onto this blog... so here it is:

Scary Kids Scaring Kids - What's Up Now
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buy After Dark here