Happy New Year!

Wishing you all the best for the New Year. Lay those resolutions aside and just do.





The video:

"Happy" by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Does it get more lovely than Jenny Lewis?

New York, New York

Monday January 10, 2011: Tony Scherr at the Jalopy
Wednesday January 12, 2011: Caveman, Teen (members of Here We Go Magic) at the Mercury Lounge

Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Trudeaumania

Creation "Making Time"

1966 was a good year

Do Make Say Think and Dakota Revue gig; Tuesday December 28, 2010

Yesterday was one of the most exciting musical evening I've had in a while.

I adore DO MAKE SAY THINK. A swift reminder why I love music

"Never Forget You," by the Noisettes

Noisettes in French means hazelnuts. I have the greatest memory with my cousin in France just eating hazelnut chocolates like crazy. A fabulous way to broaden my French vocabulary.

How can you feel like crap listening to this song?

'Transatlanticism'

I love you to pieces.

"What's in the Box?" Music Festival

DO MAKE SAY THINK DO MAKE SAY THINK DO MAKE SAY THINK!

"Illuminated," Arto Lindsay

This bloke is fifty seven!!!!

"Elegiac," Jon Hopkins

One of my dream jobs is to select music for TV shows and movies. In watching Sex and the City last night I stumbled upon the following gem. It has a slight Zero 7 vibe to it. The whole Petrovsky relationship in that series has a trip hop soundtrack to it.

Apparently, Jon Hopkins has worked with a pile of people that you are definitely familiar with such as Imogen Heap, David Lynch, Brian Eno and Coldplay.

'Obsessive Consumption,' by Kate Bingaman-Burt

To celebrate some serious thinking on a very unserious day like boxing day. I ironically bought a book by a woman who for a year or so documented everything she purchased by doodling. Incredible:

Doug Paisley, "End of the Day"

The Black Keys 'Brothers,' album of the year

'Pierrot le fou'

Colour!!

'Album of the Year,' Tim Kasher

Beach House 'Teen Dream,' album of the year

The Raveonettes "The Christmas Song"

Amazing:

Jason Collett, Daytrotter

Does it get any better than this?

Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne"

I can't help but think of Bright Eyes' "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" for the female back up vocals -

George Harrison, 'All Things Must Pass'

Whenever I talk about Harrison with my Dad we both sort of get a warm fuzzy feeling inside both of us. It's completely unspoken of, but I know it's there.

He always refers to Harrison's All Things Must Pass as the first Beatles solo album to really take off. He's right.

All Things Must Pass is stunning through and through. If you haven't bought or downloaded it yet, get on it!

John Martyn, "Couldn't Love You More"

Don't know much about John Martyn but I really like the song "Couldn't Love You More." A tune a pal recommended.



Turns out I've probably heard it before at the Lisa Hannigan show:

Best Coast, "Boyfriend"

The answer to Girls' "Lust for Life." Best Coasts' "Boyfriend." When I bought the album, I asked the guy at Soundscapes what he thought about the album. He responded: "Yeah, it's good." I then asked him what it sounded like and he responded: "That '90s sound..." Really weak response but I needed some kind of affirmative coaxing to justify the blind purchase.

I like the rough sound, girl vocals and yes it does have a bit of a '90s sound to it.

On Covers, specifically Carole King's

I had a great moment this morning when I realised the tune "One Fine Day" was written by the one and only Carole King! I know it best by the girl group the Chiffons.





For one of my Christmas gifts, I'm putting together a cover album for a dear friend of mine. I normally hate covers but she put this idea forward a couple of years ago as a gift to her father. Well, guess what? She's getting it now! This is definitely making it!

Beth Orton

Beth Orton is one of those artists that I've always noticed, and even bought a few albums real cheap but never got around to listening to them. She's amazing. She experienced a fair bit of fame in the late '90s, early 2000s. She's 40 now.

Watch out Feist, Cat Power and Liz Phair.

Kiersten Holine, "God Only Knows"

A YouTube superstar after being published in Rolling Stone mag as something to be talked about. I love her! She's absolutely wonderful, great voice good taste in music (by her cover choices). Give her a go:

Paul Simon, "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover"

This tune has such a brilliant narrative throughout:

The Rolling Stones, sentiments

I'm a Beatles girl at heart, but I love the edge that the Rolling Stones sported so well. The Beatles were always so damn sweet!

I'm feeling the Stones today.

Beatles Art

Amazing Beatles poster! I don't think i'd buy it, but it's a cool idea just the same!

Mississauga

No amount of good music will make me like living in Mississauga!!!!

The Shins 'Oh, Inverted World'

The Shins' opener to the album 'Oh, Inverted World' is one of the best openers I know of. What a great start.

Coldplay's 'Parachutes' is a very close second.

Neko Case

I can't think of a stronger female singer than Neko Case. With that being said, I read her very hesitant article in the literary journal called Poetry and felt a little at ease with all my academic insecurities.

My Flaming Hamster Wheel of Panic About Publicly Discussing Poetry in This Respected Forum

BY NEKO CASE

When I was asked by Poetry to write an article for them I was ecstatic. I was flattered. I felt important! I agreed immediately. About twenty minutes after sending my e-mail of acceptance I paused to triumphantly sharpen my claws on the bookcase when I noticed the blazing, neon writing on the wall. It said: YOU'VE NEVER EVEN PASSED ENGLISH 101 AND EVERYONE WHO READS THIS MAGAZINE WILL KNOW IT. Why do I care? I'm not sure. I think it's because I don't want to let poetry down. Poetry is such a delicate, pretty lady with a candy exoskeleton on the outside of her crepe-paper dress. I am an awkward, heavy-handed mule of a high school dropout. I guess I just need permission to be in the same room with poetry.

I think the fear began in about fifth grade. Right off the top they said poetry was supposed to have "form." Even writing a tiny haiku became a wrestling match with a Claymation Cyclops for me. (I watched a lot ofSinbad.) We aren't too cool for poetry; it's the other way around. At least that's the impression I took from public school. The fact that these feelings would remain into adulthood is ridiculous. We all have the right to poetry! How could I still think it's for other people? Smarter people. What's doubly confusing is I don't have the same reservations when poetry is accompanied by music. Perhaps I feel that way because there is music all around us — it's the wallpaper of our lives. It's not considered precious in American culture unless a symphony is performing it.

I do know when a string of printed words busts my little dam and the tears spill over and I sponge them up with my T-shirt. I couldn't give you that formula before it happens, it  just hits me like a bat to the face. That's a sweet, hot, amazing, embarrassing moment. It even makes me feel a little included, as if  I have to be "ready for the poetry" for it to be happening.

I can't choose which kind of poetry I like best. Sonnets? Prose? I don't know the terminology. I just blurt out some fragmented gibberish into the vast, woodsy country of poetry. It freezes in midair. Here come some examples now . . .

Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus haunts me. Aaron's death speech is veiled, venomous gospel music. I read it over and over even though I've already memorized it like a teenage girl in love. W.H. Auden scares me under the couch (even when he's being funny). I hold my flashlight on "The Witnesses," with its haunting "humpbacked surgeons/And the scissors man," until my arm shakes, my trusty dictionary in my other hand. Dorothy Parker makes me manic! I can't even make it through the first three lines of "The Godmother" without bursting into tears. Lynda Barry and Sherman Alexie save my life constantly. They battle identity crisis with a sense of  humor and a language that speaks so hard to me because they came from my home, in my own time, and they talk to me in our special parlance. They tell me I'm not crazy because they remember it too. It really is the old Washington State that created my personal brain-picture ABC's. (D is for "Douglas fir.") The same Washington State I can never go back to. Barry and Alexie volunteer to go in my place. Their memories make friends with mine. I can't live without them.

What do these poets have in common? They don't write sycophantic, roman-numeral-volumed postcards to God. They don't get all "love-ity-love-love" either. I get the sense they imagine their audience and want to comfort them. They are so good at it they even have the ability to comfort us with scariness. Sadness too. I think that is a powerful magic. They don't just write poetry either; they are playwrights and painters and singers and novelists.

How can we help them out? I guess we keep on needing them, even if it's kind of a secret. If the poets handed out anonymous comment cards for us shy poetry lovers to fill out so they could get a better idea of what we needed, I would direct them to the Osbourne Brothers' bluegrass classic, "Rocky Top." They say in two lines what poets and writers "Anna Karenina" themselves to death to convey, about a girl who's "wild as a mink, but sweet as soda pop/I still dream about that." If those lines were written about me I could lie down and die. It is perfection. Uncool Perfection.

I'm currently listening to:

Elliott Smith, 'Figure 8'

My silly friend Ted a while back carelessly bought this Elliott Smith album in attempts to get into something great. It for some odd reason didn't strike a chord with him... So after a very brutal evening of continuously asking him for it completely sober and another evening of drunken theft, this CD now belongs to me.

I also stumbled upon this video of Elliott Smith at Lee's Palace twelve years ago, around the time Figure 8 was released. I can't believe I missed that set, shame I'll never see it live. I wonder what sort of camera this bloke had in 1998.

The good soul somehow managed to capture all the songs on video, with decent sound!

elliott smith at lee's palace- toronto, ontario,- october 7, 1998. the setlist went as follows:
1-division day
2-sweet adeline
3-bottle up and explode
4-waltz #2 (xo)
5-pictures of me
6-stupidity tries
7-bled white
8-alameda
9-happiness
10-baby britain
11-speed trials
12-ballad of big nothing
13-independence day
14-say yes
15-condor avenue
16-i didn't understand

Music Lost and Found

I've been a little crushed since I saw Vetiver a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't find their album Tight Knit. My belongings have been all over the place since the big move three or four months ago.

But I am elated to report that I have stumbled upon CDs T-Z, safe and sound. I'm the happiest girl alive right now.

Please hold me to this when I come to you in a crummy mood.

Here are a few selections of the latter half of the alphabet that make the little hairs on my arms stick up:

Beck on The Zombies!!!

Not as good as the original, but it's kind of exciting. Beck is someone that's always on the back burner for me.

The Zombies

I have this memory of when I first got into the Shins five or six years ago. My Dad and I were sitting in an airport and I passed him my headphones playing the brilliant Oh, Inverted World! tune "Saint Simon." He said within seconds of his listen that this band was copying the Zombies. I couldn't help but feel angry because my Dad never likes 'new' music to his ears. By 'new' I mean songs that were written by artists beyond his time. So with that being said, my Dad really enjoys solo projects of artists he loved forty years ago. I suppose he's the fool your hating Robert Plant for, for releasing stuff beyond his years. Maybe a bad example, that Allison Krause/Robert Plant album was in fact pretty good.

My point of this note was to highlight the fact that The Shins really do sound like the Zombies and that The Zombies have crafted truly timeless music.

The Zombies have 3 studio albums that were created in their '60s prime. Most common and best put together is The Odessey & Oracle. Before that came the album The Zombies or in the UK it was titled Begin Here. It's pretty remarkable how much music they had between the two releases, but it really wasn't until Odessey that I feel they really harnessed their sound.

OK, slight tangent, but I find the Zombies' sound to be really easy to listen to, but very different from other '60s bands and bands today for that matter. If you haven't already, you must must must listen to the following songs for your education:

"You Really Got A Hold On Me/Bring It On Home To Me" (A brilliant mash up cover of two very similar songs! I love the longing in his voice, shame he hasn't kept this well in his senior years!)

"I'm Going Home"

"Care of Cell 44" (One of my favourite songs of all time!!)

"Beechwood Park" (A very pretty tune!)

Julie Doiron

How have I just started listening to her this year?

Monotonix

This is the fourth or fifth time (at very least!) that I have missed Monotonix. The Tel Aviv band is known for putting on a hands on, brutal show and I can't help but feel intrigued.

Daniel Martin Moore

You know those albums that you look at and you know you'll love.

Meet Daniel Martin Moore, the latest artist for me to dip my toes into. He's got a Michael Buble glimmer that your mother would like but the Sub Pop label support that give him some edge.

http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/It_Won_t_Be_Long/2JKE7q

She and Him and Conan do Christmas

I love M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel more than one probably should. Collectively, they've sort of flopped off of my radar for the last little while until I stumbled upon this lovely ditty:



Zooey Deschanel does Christmas very well -

April Wine

Nearly forty years ago when my Dad was in high school, the band that played at his dances was April Wine. It's really unfortunate that the extent of my high school dance music was Keepin' 6.

Q107 plays this about once a day. So does my work.

Phillistine, the Beatles

I'm a total sucker for anything Beatles. The Beatles are truly a timeless band, but hey, you already knew that..

"A Tender History in Rust" by Do Make Say Think

Completely worth it for that little chuckle about a minute into the song!

Doug Paisley 'Constant Companion'

The new Doug Paisley album is incredible. I really prefer it's sound compare to the live gig I saw him play. This is probably because of the country twang that Julie Penner injected into each of his tunes with her violin playing.

Reminds me of 'Lars and the Real Girl'

And the Japanese film 'Air Doll'

George Harrison, Yim Yames

Nice cover Yim Yames...

Blue Valentine

Saw this movie at TIFF in September and I really didn't feel it. But looking back, I'm definitely giving it a second chance. Great trailer -

Jason Collett Basement Revue

Tonight is the first Collett revue spot of 2010. This is my fourth year attending and my ambitious girlfriend and I decided to go to all of the gigs so we didn't miss a thing. I am absolutely thrilled for my evening tonight, I am going to be in good company from every angle possible.

I'm pretty stoked because I'm almost certain in this month I'll see acts like Zeus, a band I can't shake, Doug Paisley and brilliant literary folk.

Reasons like this event really get me going. To me, this is Canada, or perhaps just really myself. Going to these events give me reason to wake up in the morning. A tad dramatic? Yes. But completely true to how I feel.

Get your ass to the Dakota tonight and every Tuesday of the month, if you know what's good for you. Because it sure is.

Beatles, Apple

I am in love with these classic new Beatles/itunes ads. They're very classic cool:

Siskiyou

Siskiyou is a band I recently got into after seeing them open for Sandro Perri. It's also a county in the northern most part of California.

Their great artwork that they scored from real life big foot depictions! Gotta love the pencil crayon/pastel look:

MGMT - "Kids", Joanna Newsome

On Working at a Record Store

I miss working at the Record Store. Throughout high school and a good chunk of university I had the great fortune of working at a couple of record stores.

I miss play copies of albums.

I miss seeing the newest of releases and diving on them first.

I miss talking about music day to day with people who love music as much as I do.

I miss the laid back feeling of the record store atmosphere.

I miss working for Ticketmaster.

I miss first cracks at tickets.

I miss selling movies.

I do not miss Sunrise Records and will never ever shop there again.

I do not miss selling shitty music like that really awful Canadian band with the leadsinger named Chad that I do not want affiliated with my blog.

I know I'm about three years late but I recently dove into MGMT for their song "Kids." It plays at my work once or twice a day and I loooove it. Turns out i've had their CD for a couple of years now without knowing it because it was a play copy that I didn't actually pay for.

Hankerings

I often fall asleep with my phone. I have the good intentions of falling asleep to great music but instead I normally just fall asleep awkwardly with half in headphones and my stupid iphone.

But on the upside, I have these great hankerings where I have to listen to something the moment I wake up. Today it was Zeus and I was completely elated. Great way to greet the day.

Bahamas at the Glenn Gould Theatre; Thursday November 25, 2010

Bahamas aka Afie Jurvanan is an incredible performer. He absolutely blew my mind at the Glenn Gould Theatre with his charm and talent. It was really nice to hear his songs bare, he just played with percussionist Jason Tait of the Weakerthans, very cutely referring to him as Home Hardware because of all the odd instruments and sounds he was making.

I should've made this gig in London too.

Double dose of Zeus in Toronto Friday December 3, 2010 at the Horseshoe and Saturday December 4, 2010 in London, ON at Call the Office

I've discovered I function best on overdrive and stacked busy. Given it can be quite exhausting, I think I'm at my best last minute and jam packed busy. This weekend I was completely at my peak. Last minute and spontaneous. (Shout out to you Tom)

Zeus put on easily one of my favourite shows of the year. As that special time comes around, I begin to think retrospectively. I had the absolute pleasure and good fortune of seeing Zeus both Friday and Saturday. Both times very different but equally as exciting.

The gig on Friday December 3 was at the Horseshoe in Toronto. I wasn't overly excited for this show but I was looking forward to it. Much to my surprise the show was completely sold out which means it was a complete sweat box at the Horseshoe. This is probably my fourth or fifth time seeing Zeus live - hearing all their songs put to life really give me a positive energy. On that note, their songs are incredibly positive and upbeat. Their charisma as both a band and individual players really show in their live performances. I couldn't help but feel completely drawn to them.

We saw the first show in its entirety opening up with "Marching Through Your Head" and closing with "You Gotta Tell Her." The second gig we got there a song and a half late, living spontaneously, missing the opener of what I can only assume was "Kindergarden" and the first part of the "Greater Times on the Wayside"/"River by the Garden" combination. We leapt in as fast as we could to catch "River by the Garden" in its entirety. The crowd at the London show was lively but quite a bit thinner than the Toronto show, which in actual fact I very much appreciate. There's something really lousy about a jam packed sardines show like at the Horseshoe.

My favourite bit of the first show was the band's performance of "Heavy on You." The tune is a Neil Quin song, the youngest member of the band. It's got good drive and momentum to it that keeps me on my toes when I listen to it live, even though I know exactly what's coming next in the tune. I was really happy with the crowds at both shows, they were incredibly into it, but not obnoxiously. Just really great concert etiquette

Here's an early pre-Zeus cut of the tune:

And here's what the tune actually sounds like now:

The thing I love about Zeus is their Beatles like ability to write songs that have a signature sound to the band while being able to sound together. Three of the four members played some serious musical instrument roulette switching it up between guitar, bass and the keys. It's always a pleasure to see them flip flop around between instruments. I've gotten to the point where I can feel what songs their going to play based on what instruments their sitting on.

A really great example of this is the Neil Quin tunes that are still circulating online. Many of the Neil Quin tunes that made it on the Zeus album Say Us were penned lifetimes before by Quin yet they still have a full band comfortable organic feel to them. In addition to the videos below, this is totally worth a peek.

"Kindergarden":

I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this. They played this terrific tune "Are You Going to Waste My Time, Or Be Mine" at both gigs too:

"Anybody ever work a dishwashing job? Anybody ever want to drink cold beers after that job?" Amazing:

Always playing their Genesis cover of the tune "That's All":

I'm not sure what this song's called but they played it at both shows this weekend past:

How can you not feel good listening to Zeus? They put on the best full band live show of any Toronto band I can think of at the moment.

Happenings

In my absence from blogland, you really haven't missed much. I bought a really great compilation of soul music from the south. I'll post a few tracks when I really get around to sinking my teeth into the material. It's quality stuff though I assure!

Tomorrow, I am going to see one of my favourite Toronto bands. It's funny because I have sort of come to call the Darcys my favourite 'local' Toronto act, but I think I'm teetering towards Zeus on this one. All things considered the Darcys are quite a bit smaller than Zeus, but I couldn't help but draw the comparisions. Regardless, both bands put on tremendous shows and both are in the very near future.

Zeus is playing tomorrow night at the Horseshoe Tavern while the Darcys are playing the Silver Dollar Saturday December 18. I was really crossed between seeing the Great Lake Swimmers or Zeus tomorrow night - evidently I have made my decision. Pretty jazzed for Zeus.

I saw Bahamas last week. It was one of the loveliest gigs I have had the pleasure to see in a while. This is in large part because of the cozy Glenn Gould theatre but moreso because Afie Jurvanan is so god damn charming. Charmed completely. Will write more thoughts soon.

Christmas is a coming and I am thrilled to get on with the holiday cheer, I really do enjoy the season. That and my twenty third birthday is coming up! It's going to be grand.

I am absolutely in love with the Arcade Fire tune "Intervention." I know I am two years behind you all, but I just can't get enough of it.