let's listen to the songs of discontent

The G20 Summit begins today in my home city Toronto. While the first major demonstration happened peacefully yesterday, today is the real test for everyone in and around the city as at least two key groups will embark to march down the streets of Toronto in the afternoon. I think this is an incredible opportunity to capture some extraordinary images, but my friends had advised against any participation in the demonstrations due to the possible danger. At the moment, I am still undecided on whether I will get involve or not... in any case, I hope the protests today go peacefully and I wish all the demonstrators, police forces, and everyone involving to make smart decisions and be safe!

Here are a handful of my favourite protest/political songs:

At The Drive-In: Invalid Litter Dept. from Relationship Of Command
Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore: Only A Song from Dear Companion
Bloc Party: Helicopter from Silent Alarm
Bright Eyes: Old Soul Song (For The New World Order) from I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
Bob Dylan: Blowin' In The Wind from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Refused: Protest Song '68 from The Shape Of Punk To Come
Cat Stevens: Peace Train from Teaser And The Firecat
Strike Anywhere: Sunset on 32nd from Change Is a Sound

i'd kill for an adventure

Bloc Party fans are so lucky: this year alone, they have been spoiled with a world-class sophomore album, an extensively handsome list of b-sides and remixes; on November 12, the band will release a brand new non-album single entitled "Flux". Fans can get this electrifying dance party song on CD, 7” and 12” in the UK... and apparently, North America gets a special EP... pretty sweet eh?

Flux [wicked-cool song]
Emma Kate's Accident (from Flux CD Single)
The Once And Future King (from Flux 7"Single)
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stay tuned for pre-order details

lord give me grace and dancing feet, and the power to impress

So far this year, Bloc Party has released three fantastic singles from their sophomore album, A Weekend in the City. It is kind of a custom for artists/bands to release a couple of b-sides or remixes along with their singles. Bloc Party kind of took that to a new level! They have offered their fans at least an album (or two) worth of b-sides and remixes in various formats from the three singles. The majority of these non-album tracks are great; in fact, tracks such as "England", "Version 2.0", "Cain Said to Abel", and "Rhododendron" should have been included in A Weekend in the City. I am sure there will be more to come in the future, but for now, be sure to check out Bloc Party’s impressive list of the b-sides and remixes from A Weekend in the City below.


From The Prayer Singles:
We Were Lovers
The Prayer (Phones Metal Jackin' Remix)
England [wicked-cool song]
Version 2.0 [wicked-cool song]
The Prayer (Para One Remix)
The Prayer (Break + Silent Witness Remix)
The Prayer (Does It Offend You, Yeah? Remix) [wicked-cool song]
The Prayer (Hadouken! Remix) [super-wicked-cool song]

buy The Prayer Singles here


From I Still Remember Singles:
Selfish Son
I Still Remember (Music Box and Tears Remix) [wicked-cool song]
Atonement
Cain Said to Abel [wicked-cool song]

buy I Still Remember Singles here


From Hunting for Witches Singles
Cavaliers and Roundheads
Uniform (James Rutledge remix) [wicked-cool song]
Rhododendrons [wicked-cool song]
Secrets
Hunting for Witches (Crystal Castles Remix)

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buy Hunting for Witches Singles here

out this week

Bloc Party: A Weekend In The City
This tops Silent Alarm by far!! Bloc Party’s truthful postmodern lyrics and expressive melodies make A Weekend In The City an absolutely remarkable album!

Song For Clay (Disappear Here) [wicked-cool song]
Uniform [super-wicked-cool song]
I Still Remember [super-wicked-cool song]

buy A Weekend In The City here


The Noisettes: What's the Time Mr Wolf
The Noisettes created a fine album which features some versatile vocal styles.

Don't Give Up
The Count of Monte Christo

buy What's the Time Mr Wolf here


Bayside: The Walking Wounded
The Walking Wounded sounds almost identical to Bayside’s last release.

They're Not Horses, They're Unicorns
I And I

buy The Walking Wounded here


Deerhunter: Cryptograms
Alright, here’s the story: I got Deerhunter’s Cryptograms thinking that it was by the same band who released an EP last year entitled, Act I: The Lake South, The River North. However, the band who released that EP was The Dear Hunter, not Deerhunter... how fucking confusing!!!!!

Cryptograms
Spring Hall Convert
Strange Lights

buy Cryptograms here


V/A: Take Action Vol. 6
I’ve been supporting this compilation since the first volume. Each year, a portion of the proceeds earned from this title are donated to various services. This year, the proceeds will be donated to The Kristin Brooks Hope Center, which serves youth through YAH! The Youth American Hotline! 1-877-YOUTHLINE (1-877-968-8454). For more info, go to the Take Action! website here.

buy Take Action Vol. 6 here

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shows shows shows

Tickets info:

Brand New @ Kool Haus on May 17 goes on sale, Thursday (Jan 18) @ 10am

Cold War Kids w/ Tokyo Police Club @ Mod Club on April 4 goes on sale, Friday (Jan 19) @ 10am
Tokyo Police Club - Cut Cut Paste
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Bright Eyes @ Opera House on Feb 27 pre-sale, Thursday (Jan 18) @ 10am

Bloc Party @ Kool Haus on March 25 goes on sale, Saturday (Jan 20) @ 10am

Let me know if anyone is interested in going to any of these shows... I'm going to Brand New and CWK already, and I wouldn't mind seeing Bright Eyes and Bloc Party again.

upcoming shows

A few really sexy bands are heading out on tour across North America in the near future...

Bloc Party:
3/11/2007 Paramount Theatre, Seattle
3/12/2007 Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver
3/13/2007 Crystal Ballroom, Portland
3/15/2007 South By Southwest, Austin
3/17/2007 Concourse Exhibition, San Francisco
3/19/2007 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles
3/20/2007 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles
3/23/2007 Congress Theatre, Chicago
3/24/2007 Royal Oak Theatre, Detroit
3/25/2007 Kool Haus, Toronto
3/27/2007 Metropolis, Montreal
3/28/2007 Orpheum Theatre, Boston
3/30/2007 United Palace Theatre, New York
3/31/2007 United Palace Theatre, New York

Uniform [wicked-cool song]
I Still Remember [super-wicked-cool song]

A Weekend In The City comes out on February 6, pre-order it here


Cold War Kids with Tokyo Police Club:
3/6/2007 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
3/7/2007 The Rave at the Eagles Club Milwaukee, WI
3/8/2007 The Annex Madison, WI
3/9/2007 Subterranean Chicago, IL
3/10/2007 Mojo's Columbia, Missouri
3/12/2007 Juanita's Little Rock, Arkansas
3/14/2007 Gypsy Tea Room Dallas, Texas
3/19/2007 The Republic New Orleans, Louisiana
3/20/2007 Club Downunder Tallahassee, Florida
3/21/2007 The Social Orlando, Florida
3/22/2007 Cafe 11 St. Augustin, Florida
3/23/2007 Vinyl Atlanta, GA
3/24/2007 Mercy Lounge Nashville, TN
3/26/2007 Village Tavern Mt. Pleasant, SC
3/27/2007 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
3/28/2007 Nightclub 9:30 Washington D.C.
3/29/2007 First Unitarian Church Philladelphia, PA
3/30/2007 Middle East Downstairs Boston, MA
3/31/2007 Pearl Street Nightclub Northampton, MA
4/2/2007 La Salla Rossa Montreal, Quebec
4/3/2007 Zaphod Beeblebrox Ottawa, Ontario
4/4/2007 The Mod Club (ALL AGES!) Toronto, Ontario
4/6/2007 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
4/7/2007 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry [wicked-cool song]
Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds [wicked-cool song]
Tokyo Police Club - Citizens of Tomorrow [wicked-cool song]
Tokyo Police Club - Be Good [wicked-cool song]

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buy Cold War Kids' Robbers & Cowards here
buy Tokyo Police Club's A Lesson In Crime here

where is patrick wolf vcast episode 3??

iCast has released a Bloc Party vCast on iTunes, watch episode 1 of 6 here.
You can also pre-order A Weekend in the City from Insound. The first 1000 people to pre-order will receive a limited edition Bloc Party 7”.

reposts saturday

In the past two days or so, I’ve received a few requests to re-upload songs for several posts. I am slowly working on all of them right now... look for the links below to become active very soon.

Patrick Wolf on BBC and XFM radio show
Brand New b-sides, demos, etc.
New Bloc Party

last chance to spend a weekend in the city

The unbelievably incredible sophomore album by Bloc Party will go offline soon (probably in a few hours), grab it now before it’s too late!!!

another bloc party post

Bloc Party have started a photo blog, go check that out here.

You can also preorder A Weekend In The City now:
For the standard edition of the album, go here.
For the limited edition, go here.

no one can be trusted under the age of fourteen

So, my new current obsession is the new Bloc Party album, A Weekend In The City (out February 5, 2007). The big question I had before listening to this new record was how does a band follow a near perfect first album? ...and not to mention, probably the best remix album I’ve ever heard? The answer: explore new sounds while also retaining some traditional/signature style. With that being said, A Weekend In The City begins with an unrecognizable new sound. A soft falsetto vocal introduces "Song For Clay (Disappear Here)". That is soon disrupted by a crashing guitar riff that sounds very similar to Muse. In fact, the musical style of this first track is identical to Muse’s style from Black Holes and Revelations. However, that sound is short-lived as "Hunting For Witches" takes a step back to the fast and dancable drum and bass rhythm that makes Bloc Party great. The guitar and everything else here is notably Silent Alarm sounding... perhaps one last taste of the old Bloc Party sound? "Waiting For The 7.18" is one of those tracks that showcases Bloc Party’s remarkable ability to create an amazing sounding build up track. It beings with the crisp sounding xylophone and violin as Kele’s soft vocal enters. "Waiting For The 7.18" is slower, but it still retains the mid-tone guitar riff and rapid drum beats. This is a musically beautiful sounding song, especially about midway, where all the instrument layers come together to create an incredible full-blown texture. Next is their first single, "The Prayer". This track is a great choice as the album’s first single since it is perhaps the catchiest song on the album. Claps, stomps, chants, and random synthesizer effects... what more could one ask for?

I like to think that "Uniform" is the transitional point of A Weekend In The City. It is kind of like a preview of what the rest of the record is like: a slower and softer sound, yet maintaining that classic Bloc Party style... think "Blue Light" and "This Modern Love" from Silent Alarm with an added twist. This song also features my favorite part of the record, a catchy call and response which comes at about 2: 38 ("so why did you go picking fights that you’d lose…"). A quiet drum and a continuous synthesized melody support Kele’s soft voice in "On". A great thing about this song is that the music maintains this calm timbre even when Kele’s vocal becomes louder and more emotional. A chilling, monotone-ish voice begins "Where Is Home?" With a rebellious and angry tone, Bloc Party yet again borrowed from Muse: the crushing guitar riff and falsetto vocal at 2:10. "Where Is Home?" closes with an unbelievable sounding dense relationship between the synthesizer and the drum and bass. "Kreuzberg" is the only song I don’t really care for in A Weekend In The City. Compare to the last track, it is a little too slow and a bit boring. My suggestion, skip forward to "I Still Remember", a great love song with an extremely catchy melody. Everything about this song reminds me of "This Modern Love". "I Still Remember" is very New Wave/The Cure sounding and it is definitely one of the best tracks on the album.

Just when you think that there is no possible way to top the last track or make this album sound greater than it already is, you get hit with "Sunday", a song that features a dramatic rhythm, yet a beautiful melody. The finally track, "SXRT", is perhaps the most emotional song on the album: the lyrics, along with Kele’s vocal give me the chills here. I had a problem with the closing tracks on Silent Alarm; however, the last two tracks on "A Weekend In The City" are absolutely perfect! Oh my, what more can I say? ...A Weekend In The City is just a brilliant piece of art by a very talented band. No doubt, it is a more mature sounding record; they created this new sound that expends from "This Modern Love": the slow tempo, complex drum and bass textures, melodic guitar solo, catchy synthesizer, and soft vocal style… I accept the new Bloc Party!!!

Song For Clay (Disappear Here) [wicked-cool song]
Hunting For Witches [wicked-cool song]
Waiting For The 7.18 [wicked-cool song]
The Prayer [wicked-cool song]
Uniform [super-wicked-cool song]
On [wicked-cool song]
Where Is Home? [super-wicked-cool song]
Kreuzberg
I Still Remember [super-wicked-cool song]
Sunday [super-wicked-cool song]
SXRT [wicked-cool song]
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A Weekend In The City comes out on February 5, 2007.

slow and lazy day...

I am working on a review for the new Bloc Party disc, A Weekend In The City.... yes, NEW BLOC PARTY!!! So, look for that later tonight or early tomorrow.