So long, 2010!

This video pretty much sums up the whole year for me:

United State of Pop 2010

Super-fun mashup of the year's hits by one of the best mashers out there, DJ Earworm:



I actually think the 2009 one was much better...

The A-pop-alypse and other thoughts

As described by Patton Oswalt. Excellent read here.

This touches on something I've been thinking about lately, as sort of a New Year's Resolution (the concept of which is utter bullshit, but bear with me). We recently went through the great year-end pop culture holiday known as Listmas. Every publication puts out a list of their favourite whatever of the past year. So what inevitably ends up happening in December is that we experience a whole year's worth of stuff in one month.

For me, I'm exposed to more new music in December than in any other month, just because everywhere you go you're shown something you missed back in April or May that everyone else has been digging since then. This replaying of the entire year makes me a bit depressed about my music consumption for a couple reasons. One is that I feel like I missed out on so much great stuff. The other is that in the time I spend sifting through all the new music, I could be listening to music that's really great that I love and music that's really great that I already know I don't spend enough time with.

So for my New Year's Resolution, I'm going to make an effort to listen to less new music... there's a concept I never thought I'd be buying into... if only so I can take the time to really enjoy music that I already have in my collection.

One of the ways I might do this is to sign up for a service like emusic. I think that a service like that would cause me to be more selective with my music choices, and I'd be able to enjoy more music because I'm getting rid of all the fat. CDs are still a viable option to me. Though I loathe to pay $17.99 for a god damned plastic disc, the sound quality is far superior to what you can find on the web, and by giving myself a CD budget, I'll probably pick nothing but 'the best' music.

The library is a great way to get your hands on CDs you might never listen to, except that it may take you a few months to get stuff. For example, back during the Polaris Prize buzz in the summer, I put pretty much every album that I didn't have on the short list on hold. The copies finally came in, and I picked two of the albums up yesterday. You can get great stuff for personal use, but you have to be patient. That's the trade off.

Like most 'resolutions' this one also has a chance to evaporate a bit by the spring, and almost certainly in its entirely by next Listmas.

Saigon Sunday

This is my attempt at tying in Boxing Day to a band... it's Anything Box with 'Living in Oblivion'... It's weird because it sounds like the guy from Postal Service before that band even existed. Add to that this track sounds like it came out in 1984 when in fact it came out in 1990. So, the lyrics are eerily prescient, as the band is not just living in oblivion now, but in fact living outside the space-time continuum.

Definitely a sonic artifact though. I actually bought the CD at Sam the Record Man back when it was still open... I found this one in the discount bin for a buck. I'd never heard of any of the other tracks, but I figured that the one track alone was at least a dollar, and the rest of the album they were practically giving away at that point.

Best of 2010 week: Lack of posts

I had a grand plan to do a post every day of the week, but it hasn't turned out that way, has it?

Anyway, if it's alright with you, I'm going to make next week part of this week for the purposes of extending 'Best of 2010 week'... then likely I will be adding another week after that... nah... never would happen...

It's almost like... we're all busy with some kind of holiday season...

Canadian indie rock Xmas

Compilation here [via Torontoist]

6 Reasons Why The Album Format Died

Bobby Owsinski's Big Picture Blog: 6 Reasons Why The Album Format Died:

I think it's safe to say that we're at the end of the "album age," and although the format will hold on for a while, it's clearly waning in popularity. I've given this a lot of thought and have come up with what I think are the reasons, but be aware, they're not all exactly what the popular wisdom assumes.

Best of 2010 week: Most visited posts

To clarify, it's most visited posts on this blog this year. Some, there's no rhyme or reason, I just got lucky with some keywords, I suppose... here are the ten most popular:

Song in the Resident Evil: Afterlife trailer
Caribou concert review: solid
Kanye West samples King Fucking Crimson
Devo interview
The library: Still awesome
Brian Eno doc from BBC: Must watch [video link now dead]
Broken Social Scene-G20 fan mashup
Secret of the 'Inception' soundtrack
Brian Eno funk mix
Pretty Hate Machine re-issue!!

Best Of 2010 Week: Tracks

Here's my two cents, mostly gleaned from my '2010 Top Played' playlist in iTunes. I have a bit of trouble using this method, cause the best I stuff I end up buying on CD and thus the play counts are not recorded in iTunes. Oh well.

For this list, I'm limiting myself to one track per artist, mostly for variety.

So here they are, a bunch (not a top ten) of tracks I really dug this year, in alphabetical order by track title:

"Angel Echoes" - Four Tet
---I've never been crazy about Four Tet, but this album really does it for me... this opening track is just awesome, I love the way the vocal sample is chopped and looped. It's kind of a bridge between dubstep and electronic pop, a very fresh sound.

"Dance Yrself Clean" - LCD Soundsystem
---Opening track from the album that might be the group's last. Definitely stands up to the other two album openers, and the title recalls "Yr City's a Sucker", another track with a chugging groove... Except this track kicks it up a notch. Awesome production trick of starting you off small... narrow range of frequency and sound field for three minutes to lull you in, then BOOM goes the dynamite, and the track just explodes. Then you know you're in LCD territory.

"I Feel Better" - Hot Chip
---Just watch the video.

"Odessa" - Caribou
---Hypnotic and pulsating, Caribou never fails to deliver. I don't think there has ever been a catchier and more layered dance song...

"Round and Round" - Ariel Pink
---My friend Matt called this one back in April as the track of the year, and with the highest play count for 2010 in my iTunes, he was pretty spot on for this one as well.

Great song that recalls songs from one of those late night Time-Life 1970s CD compilation infomercials, mixed with contemporary rock.

"Shine Blockas" - Big Boi ft. Gucci Mane
---"Shutterbug" gets all the glory, but I guess I'm a sucker for a smooth R&B sample, Blockas just edges it out for my list. Great production, great use of the sample source... You can't beat this for a hip-hop ballad.

"Superfast Jellyfish" - Gorillaz
---Catchy and fun as hell, and sort of the thesis of Plastic Beach, an album about our disposable culture (to oversimplify)
The album is filled with great cuts, this one's my fav though.

"Walk in the Park" - Beach House
---I love the vibe of this whole album, it takes you to a space. The rhythm on this track is great, and the chorus is killer.

"We Used to Wait" - Arcade Fire
---I can't believe this one didn't make so many of the top tracks of the year lists. If I had to pick three to be the top, this one would be there... maaaybe the best one of the year. Just amazing. I can't help but think of Steve Reich when that first piano riff comes in, regardless of how much of a stretch that reference would be.

Great song, ground-breaking video, amazing production, what else can I say?

"Written in Reverse" - Spoon
---I love the rhythm of the whole thing, the way it snaps and jerks and stays melodic. That bass line is pretty damn funky too.

Counter-culture Xmas

Have Yourself a Counter-Culture XMas: Red-Nosed Misfits, Elven Outlaws & Bearded Marxists

This one is definitely worth a read. You will never watch the famous Xmas specials the same way again....

[One] could argue that while the domestic Christmas of invented tradition becomes the face of the season, the real heart of Christmas rests not in a placid still-life of carolers, sleigh rides, and easy listening music, nor even in a devout, pious, and formal religious ceremony, but rather in the tension-filled class struggle of chaos and rulebreaking

Saigon Sunday

This one came on the sound system at the pub the other night, and it instantly took us back... great tune. You haven't experienced this track until you've heard it in a club setting. It's like you're hearing it for the first time. And whenever I hear this song I'm transported back to that space...

Blur - "Girls and Boys"

John Oswald & Plunderphonics

John Oswald - Plunderphonic & Discosphere [Unheard Music]

Oswald distorts, compounds and chops recordings into bits, sometimes rendering them unrecognizable. His work isn't for everyone and much of it would probably be labeled noise by those who don't appreciate the avant garde, but for those with an appreciation for the different or bizarre, Oswald's works are considered genius, and I strongly agree with that belief.

Definitely worth reading up on if you're unfamiliar with Mr. Oswald's work.

Emeralds - Does it Look Like I'm Here?

Some excellent electronica here:

RIP Captain Beefheart

[Link]

My mind has just been blown

10 Mind-Blowing Easter Eggs Hidden in Famous Albums

The article starts off cool, but then we get to this part about Radiohead, OK Computer & In Rainbows:
Consider that In Rainbows was meant to complement OK Computer, musically, lyrically, and in structure. We found that the two albums can be knit together beautifully. By combining the tracks to form one playlist, 01 and 10, we have a remarkable listening experience. The transitions between the songs are astounding, and it appears that this was done purposefully.

My first reaction: WHOA
Second reaction: Must verify before continuing to freak out... could this be just another Dark Side of Oz phenomenon? I just made a playlist with the sequence, this will have to be play-tested....

Ok I just got back from play-testing it. I'm not really sold, but it's a cool concept to think about.


This was a pretty astounding article, kudos to the writer!

Link via Recordingformation

Peace on Earth for 2010

Hilarious:

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly from Will Ferrell

[The Star]

FRUITCAKE!!!

Here are some kitschy holiday tunes from a group fronted by Fred Schneider of the B-52's, The Superions...





The whole thing feels pretty mailed in... but I guess it's pretty good for a $36 budget...

A dubstep track...

...that has nothing to do with the film of the same name.

Winning comment from YouTube: A man driving a 1963 impala across the brooklyn bridge at night in the year 2044
An apt description. This is definitely smoother and more melodic than some of the other tracks I've heard from this artist. Definitely worth a listen:

Rudolph vs. Roxanne

Fun if sloppy Xmas mashup:



[via Wire to the Ear]

Saigon Sunday

New Order - Thieves Like Us

Pop Matters' best free albums of the year

Go for it! Why not? They're free!

#1 comes highly recommended by Mr. Angry Robot (this blog agrees)

Jackson returns from the grave

Nope, it's not Thriller, it's a brand new album...



Let the annual posthumous releases begin!

Aminals, yes Aminals

Check out this track, the artist is somewhere between Flying Lotus and chillwave (if you're into that sort of thing)



This definitely falls under "things I missed this year"

Saigon Sunday

Morbidly beautiful track from the kings of de-evolution:

And so we enter one of my favourite phases of the music year...

...When I get to catch up on all the music I was too busy to pay attention to throughout the year.

I'm hoping to scoop some of the bigger publications and have my favs of the year lists up some time this month. A few ideas I'm going to go with:

Best albums
Best concerts
Best singles
Most overrated (this might be a whole essay)
Favourite musical moments
Best videos
Top blog posts (of my own of course!)

etc etc


So yeah keep an eye out for that stuff, it'll be coming soon. Hopefully.

Exclaim.ca is already into year-end mode, as is the mighty Pitchfork (don't bother entering their reader poll if you're not in the 50 states). Hipster Runoff did a fucking hilarious decade review in 2k9, hopefully the 2010 review is as good, though that's a tall task.

Popmatters does excellent year end reviews on all strains of pop culture, so check that out. I usually fill up my library queue pretty quick after their year end run downs.

Other than that, watch this space for my own bloggy blog commentary on the year that was (and wasn't)... if, you know... I get around to it. :)

Loving this album lately

From Radio Radio's Belmundo Regal album:

Saigon Sunday

Awesome dance moves from the vocalist of Toronto band Blue Peter:



These guys did a reunion show with fellow T.O. band The Spoons a couple years ago. I was there, it wasn't too bad.



Now if all three of these bands got together, that would be about all of the 1980s that one venue could handle. There might be a nostaliga explosion...



Interestingly, the drummer for IIV also played drums for Skinny Puppy... which is interesting, because it reminds you that the gap between a new wave band and an industrial band is a lot slimmer than you think. Throw in some minor keys, a few tweaks of a keyboard, distorted vocals, poignant sampling, ba-da-bing. Industrial band. Don't remind hardcore industrial heads about this fact though, they will deny it, and say there's a lot more too it than that.

Macy Parade balloon reviews

Via Hipster Runoff

Kool Aid Bro: 9.4
Really solid effort skate boarding on chillwaves, living a kool ass lifestyle.

Great French Canadian rock song, or Greatest?

Malajube, Montreal -40°C

Allmusic Kesha review

Taking a cue from Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster, Kesha's Cannibal is a mini-LP released on its own and also tacked onto her debut Animal, which has been squeezed dry of hits. Cannibal is expressly designed to rectify that situation, amplifying every annoying element of Kesha’s persona -- the sing-song hooks, the relentless Dr. Luke loops, the squeaked sleazy rhymes, the defiantly transparent Auto-Tune slathered on every track, the cheerful bragging about the dingy film left behind after hookups with douche bags.

Ha. Hilarious.

Review

For fans of My Bloody Valentine

I've been listening to this track a lot lately:

Saigon Sunday

From the video description on the 'Tuber: Classic song from the pioners [sic] of the industrial rock.



Call me late to the party, but the usual morons commenting on the video seem to forget that Trent Reznor/NIN often cites this group as a major influence, among many other "pioners" of industrial rock. Pop and rock simply doesn't exist without influences and "pioners", so it's ridiculous to make comments saying that one is valid and the other is not, especially considering the attention that NIN brought to all of the groups that were influences on their sound.

I'm pretty biased though, being a bit of a NIN-superfan... I also love this commenter's remark: stop whining on youtube and listen to the album vivi sect vi by skinny puppy and anything by killing joke or the first album by the human league. they all did what your hero trent reznor does but did it first and did it better.

Buddy here is doing the same whining on youtube and giving grief to others for doing the same. The main difference here is that Trent Reznor took elements of these bands and created something new out of the pieces. It doesn't necessarily make his work "better", but he definitely did a better job at bringing the sound to the masses. I've listened to the entire Skinny Puppy catalog (because I am a fan), and while there's a lot of brilliant, cutting edge stuff in there, there's also a lot of unlistenable shit. Unlistenable shit that was repeated album after album. I'm not sure how many times I can listen to Nivek Ogre scream through pure distortion about death and decay, but I'd say two or three albums worth of that stuff is plenty (I think that was the point though).

Say what you will about NIN, but the sound evolved between every album. Each album took a different approach, different concept, different theme. Skinny Puppy, Cabaret Voltaire, they did too, but they mostly worked within the ground-breaking spaces they created. Human League? Well, I think this track here speaks for itself. Haven't heard the soft rock turn of any of the other bands I've mentioned in this post, so yeah. Food for thought. Who's the real sellout?

Loving the new Girl Talk

How can you not?

This new album feels more organic than the previous two, but somehow he's managed to cram more samples into the album. Could be that it's like 20 minutes longer than either Feed the Animals or Night Ripper.

I also find that this one takes its time, allowing you to enjoy the interesting juxtapositions for almost a whole minute at a time, whereas the last two the best parts would last at most maybe thirty seconds. It's been pretty fun to see this guy's evolution of the past few years. If you haven't seen RIP: A Remix Manifesto, you should definitely check that out. Highly recommended.



It'll be interesting to see where Gillis goes from here... I'm starting to hear stuff he's sampled before. But maybe that's just his style, much the same way we expect Keith Richards to have a distinct style to his guitar playing. As the film above describes, we could be entering into an entirely new way to look at creativity... that is, unless those in power have their way.

Hat tip to Angry Robot (who has been supplying me with lots of bloggable bits lately) for sending me this site that lists all the samples on All Day in real time. Cool stuff.

Bruce & Neil cover Willow

Mr. Angry Robot sends me this video from Jimmy Fallon... At first, I thought I would hate it but it's actually hilarious. Check it out.

A note on productivity apps

As I mentioned recently, I've been tackling a novel project this month (so far so good... must stop trying to edit as I go), and I've been using a productivity app called Pomodoro to help me keep my focus. These types of apps are only worth what you put into them, but I've made it work for me and found it to be quite helpful. 24,000 words helpful.

Here's a quick vid that explains what the app does:



Gotta run, my back to work timer just went off.

New Girl Talk album today

Check it out... if you can. I still haven't been able to access the server.

Thanks to all my homies for the tip.

Apple gets the Beatles?

Big announcement tomorrow from Apple. Wall Street Journal via Daily Swarm says Beatles finally added to iTunes... maybe.

Saigon Sunday

Here's a track from when Robert Smith was briefly a member of The Banshees:



Pretty awful video, but what a great track. I guess this was from that awkward phase when people were still figuring out what the hell to do with the medium of music videos.

See also: The time Robert Smith was briefly a member of Crystal Castles

Check out this podcast

Here's a podcast I heard recently with a bunch of awesome tunes. It's from CBC Radio 3, and the guest host was Owen Pallet, fka Final Fantasy. A few excellent tunes here, worth checking out... at least the first half anyway.

The music starts right away so check yer speakers before clicking the link!

Saigon Sunday

Very few cuts can handle the title of 'Pure Saigon Sunday', but this one definitely qualifies.

That iconic synth-line could come from no era but the 1980s. This video holds true to its roots as well for sure... A major plus for this track getting weekly retro radio play is its CanCon status.



And apparently the dude is still making music.

Advance apologies for potential lack of bloggage

I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month, where entrants attempt to write a first draft of a novel in just 30 days.

My progress: So far so good. About a day behind, but hopefully I can make up for it with some serious weekend mashing. But apologies in advance if the blog isn't updated as much as usual this month.

I'm looking forward to the flurry of year-end lists that will beseige us in December... I always find gems that I may have overlooked throughout the year, so it's an exciting time coming up.

First listen to Rap with a book critic

Listening to the Anthology of Rap

[via Angry Robot]

Smooth Saturday

So smooth...

It is the night
My body's weak
I'm on the run
No time to sleep
I've got to ride
Ride like the wind... to be free again

MJ and the Illuminati?

Vigilant Citizen reports on the symbolism on the forthcoming Michael Jackson compilation/cash-in, Michael.

It's complicated, but it's not...

The Real and ONLY Reasons Why Fans File-Share Music

“People stopped buying albums because they wanted the fucking money. It’s complicated, but it’s not.”

Interesting read here.

Saigon Sunday

I post this every Hallowe'en, which is funny because it's exactly the opposite of what the title suggests. Anyway, it's a perfect Hallowe'en song and perfect Saigon Sunday tune.

!!! new video !!!

Pretty out-there new video from rock/electronic/funk band !!!:

!!! [chk chk chk] - Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass from Ladeson Productions on Vimeo.

Killer basslines as usual... and is that sexual metaphor I see in a rock video?

[via Synthtopia]

Libertarian or Rapper?

Take the Quiz!

I got 8/10... funny stuff.

[via Daily Swarm]

Robert Smith helps Crystal Castles cover a band known for borrowing from The Cure

Crystal Castles ft Robert Smith - "Not In Love"

Pros:
-American hipsters now know who Platinum Blonde is
-More royalties for Platinum Blonde (assuming the track makes any money)
-Updating of a song that did not age well; thus making is supremely listenable once again.
-Mad hits and downloads for Crystal Castles


Cons:
-American hipsters will start wearing Platinum Blonde t-shirts, ironically or otherwise
-Robert Smith is now caught in a temporal paradox, helping an artist from T.O. cover a retro T.O. band that took a lot of their sound from The Cure.

---

And neither pro nor con would be the fact that the attitude of the original is gone... I felt the PB version was about the singer convincing himself of the title sentiment rather than conveying the sentiment to a(n) (ex)lover. See also: 10cc.

Pretty Hate Machine re-issue!!

Oh this makes me so excited:
'Pretty Hate Machine' Relocated & Remastered & Reissued...

Not that there was anything wrong with the original (there wasn't), but with Trent Reznor overseeing the remastering what could go wrong? I suppose the worst we could get is something like Let It Be... Naked, but even that wasn't that bad.

Saigon Sunday

Great tune, this one always reminds me of heading to the retro club on a Sunday night.

Of friends and photoblogs

Check out my friend Cassie's arty lo-fi photo blog here.

Clutch Toronto concert site

Concerts TO aggregates all the upcoming concerts in the city.

One of the most useful features is being able to sort by not only date, but venue and even price... anyone up for a $10 show? It also tells you where the tickets are still available.

Clean, simple, effective. I think this will be my new go-to site. Usually I check Rotate This for concerts, but this looks like it could take over.

[via Torontoist]

Universal Studios audio facilities

Cool stuff!
Soundworks Collection

Why Death Metal fans hate the 'loudness wars'

Turn your speakers down for this one, take your headphones off if you're wearing them... :)
Why Death Metal fans hate the Loudness Wars

Saigon Sunday

M+M (aka Martha & the Muffins, after an ill-advised name change) with "Black Stations, White Stations", about the state of radio in the early 80s. Great tune, but overall it hasn't aged that well.

Say hello to Holly

My neighbour Holly is a folk/rock musician, check out her website here

From her bio:

Like Joni Mitchell, Loretta Lynn, and her hero Tom Petty, Holly Andruchuk writes songs that sound out of time, but never out of touch. True-life tales spun out into five-minute mini-epics, her music connects through both lyrical heft and melodic charm. You don’t hear these songs, you listen to them. And when you’re up late, alone, driving to some strange new place, you feel them, too.

You can get her EP for free in exchange for your soul... er... email address. Good bargain!

Plastic concert

Gorillaz big-band sound [thestar.com]

If [the] first tour made a point about how secondary actual human musicians have become to pure presentation in pop music, this one is making a show of how much genuine, flesh-and-blood musicianship goes into creating the multimedia artifice that is the Gorillaz universe.

Sounds like a pretty wicked show, wish I was there.

Kanye's cool samples

I'm pretty excited about Kanye West's forthcoming "return to form" album (hopefully it goes through at least one more name change). He might actually sell a few records the way he's been promoting it.

His albums are always loaded with great samples used rather effectively. Check out an extensive list of songs he sampled.

WhoSampled is a great site for this kind of thing, you could spend all day looking stuff up.

This one made me laugh...

Nevermind

Saigon Sunday

This one is inspired by my post the other day about a book on the Top 100 Canadian Singles...



Happy 10/10/10!

Stayin' Alive in the Wall

Great mashup! Hilarious how well the two songs and videos fit together. The juxtaposition of clips from The Wall and clips from Saturday Night Fever highlights some eerie similarities... dancing as mind control? Nah, I'm thinking about it too much. Fun song.



[via Synthtopia]

Fine music previewing site

Here's a site you can check out that has music for previewing before you buy it. It's called the Sordo Music Database. Not that I promote that sort of thing.

Cool mashup: Stars of the Lid and Epcot video

I've just recently started listening to the ambient duo Stars of the Lid. Very ethereal stuff that pre-dates Sigur Ros for dreamy spacey drone pop. They also did soundtracks for Twin Peaks.

This is a cool mashup idea, pairing Stars of the Lid with Walt Disney's Epcot film from 1966:



The marriage of the music and picture works well here, capturing a sense of wonder. It reminds me of Eno's Apollo soundtrack...

Chromeo has some competition

Check out this clip from 80s synthpop revivalist Grum:


Pretty hilarious video... and the song has some serious kitsch factor as well... all the synths, drum machines, chord changes plucked straight out of an 80s movie soundtrack.

Ugh

The Glee cast now has more Billboard 100 songs than The Beatles [AV Club]

Your new favourite mp3 blog

Not that I promote that sort of thing... [Unheard Music]

[via Daily Swarm]

Apparently, it's kind of a funny story.

What can I say... this flick doesn't interest me that much... I think I got all I needed from the trailer: Zach G is hilarious, awkward kid who did voices on Family Guy gets a starring role, guy and girl kiss on the roof top. Happy ending. Plus the folks who directed this one also did Half Nelson, which I didn't much care for.

What I dug about Nelson was the soundtrack, done by Broken Social Scene, and they're back at it again here, putting "7/4 Shoreline" to good use in the trailer. They also plucked Ida Maria's song "Oh My God" which has lyrics that are frighteningly perfect for the subject matter.

Social Network vs. Facebook

My brother Jon sends me this link on Facebook fact vs. fiction from G4TV.

When praising the film, the first thing the talking head mentions is the great soundtrack.

There's much more to it than that though... I mean, a Hollywood film that's largely dramatized and practically fictional? Pfft.

New Caribou album already!

Caribou Vibration Ensemble

I had read about this but didn't expect it so soon, it's a recent concert recording from ATP... Live albums are usually hit and miss (more often miss), and this sounds like it has the potential to be a mess. Maybe I just like to set my expectations low so I'm blown away. The above Pfork review claims there's four drummers in the set, so the mix could get muddled... Dan Snaith hasn't made so much as a misstep so far in his brilliant career, so this will be interesting to check out.

Joy Division divorce lawyers

"Love Will Tear You Apart"

Roly poly fish heads

My girlfriend and I were preparing fresh sardines yesterday and this song immediately popped in my head... classic video humour.

Glass

Check out this trailer for the 2007 film Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts:



I watched this doc the other day, it's an excellent piece of work. If you're not a fan of classical music, it's an astonishing portrait of a brilliant mind.

Interesting article on the future of radio in Canada

My friend Adam sends me this link: Audio column: Why are Canadians stuck in an AM/FM world?

News came out the other day that one of the most popular worldwide music streaming sources, Pandora, has put its plans to expand into Canada on hold. That’s because the royalty rates we’re demanding “are astronomical,” according to Tim Westergren, who founded the California-based music service.

It also features a choice quote from industry stooge Graham Henderson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association:

[He] cited widespread illegal music downloading in Canada as the real reason why services like Pandora wouldn’t want to come here. “Why would you spend a lot of money trying to build a service in Canada when Canadians take so much without paying for it?” he said.

I'm pretty tired of hearing this argument... if anything the Canadian music industry has weathered the digital storm and ensuing cloud pretty well, as the article mentions later, in regards to CBC Radio 3. Might I also mention the wonderful Polaris Prize?

"Old" media is changing, as is "new" media... 100 years from now people will laugh at the brief period in human history where music was commodified in a absurd fashion for 50 years. To oversimplify an extremely complex argument, the music/audio/radio industry has to adapt.

Start the arguments, indeed

Canada’s top 100 singles [article].

[Complete list]

Some notables:

22. Maestro Fresh Wes — “Let Your Backbone Slide”
29. Arcade Fire — “Wake Up”
42. Rheostatics — “Claire” (one of my all time favourite songs)
51. Malajube — “Montreal -40C”
90. New Pornographers — “Letter from an Occupant”
100. Wintersleep — “Weighty Ghost”

===

It's from the same guy who did the top 100 Canadian albums... Nice to see someone include "new" music, and not just rely on the usual suspects, the way most of the old school establishment does. Perhaps the inclusion of songs from the 00s will encourage the kids today to check out Mashmakhan. It's your heritage, drink it up!

Humour gold from The Onion

Quiet Riot Speaks Out Against Nation's Poor Metal Health Care

Loving the new Deerhunter album

Halcyon Digest might be their best one yet:

PS

Just found this in Google's recommended items, mere seconds after my previous post. See also this.

The Social Network trailer

This is a great trailer. I especially love the use of the cover version of Radiohead's "Creep" by a Belgian girls choir. Hearing that version of the song in that context sends chills down my spine... the way the lyrics take on a new meaning sung unison by a group of young people... the global spin on it as well, everything ties back to the idea of the pervasive social network.

I'm looking forward to catching this flick next week, since it's getting rave reviews and features a score by one of my favourite artists of all time.

Regardless of how the movie turns out, the trailer will truly continue to be an excellent stand alone work of art.

You've probably already heard this one...

...considering it as a staggering 10 million views, and another version has 28 mil. But every time I hear it I laugh.



The hand claps kill me every time. Very well done. I wonder if all the promotion has led to the perp's capture.

File under overrated

I'm not sure why critics have a huge hard-on for the buzzband 'How to Dress Well'... the songs are mediocre at best and the album itself sounds like fucking garbage. I'm sure I'm missing the point of the 'lo-fi aesthetic', but sounds this unpleasant to listen to shouldn't be paid for.

The Pitchfork review states "It feels brave, like it's going places a lot of artists in this sphere are afraid to go."... among other things that make me want to throw up in my mouth. Music recordings have become so devalued that the ephemera passing through our shitty computer speakers gets raised to the level of art. I'm a little annoyed.

Of course this could all be for moot as I'm listening to mp3s... but to that point, my friend Matt picked up the recent Ariel Pink album on CD after enjoying the mp3s for months. He was hoping for the disc to be worth the value, 14.99 or whatever the price was, which would include higher quality sound. Boy was he ever disappointed. Something about having it on CD made the music sound worse, because the expectation was that the digital hard copy would sound better than the particulate floating around the interwebs.

So that's where we are in 2010, entry level artists can't afford quality production so they're stuck with manipulating Garage Band or some other cracked software in order to get their mp3s onto the hard drives of relevant websites while so called 'legacy artists' who made their money under the old paradigm, like Trent Reznor, are able to release new material on stunning Blu-Ray 5.1 surround sound.

I know which one I prefer to spend my money on.

Cool blog title alert

My friend Adam sends me this link to Soundological Investimigations. The title is interesting enough on its own, but then you see that it's written by someone named 'Cheeba', then the title makes more sense.

Late Polaris Prize recap

Good on the judges for picking Karkwa for the 2010 prize. My choices would have been Shad, Dan Mangan, or Radio Radio:



These guys blend English, French, and I believe a flavour of Acadian all into one unique hip hop sound... no word to rhyme it in French? Then use the English word! Brilliant. I was blown away when I heard this song, I thought it was fun and fresh. To be fair, I haven't heard the entire album, but could this group be the missing link between Anglo and Franco Canadian pop?

As for the other nominees... Caribou won last year so it wouldn't be fair (and sooo unCanadian) to give it to him this year, whether he deserves it or not... Owen Pallett already won it... Broken Social Scene doesn't need the buzz and would be the band most likely to receive a backlash from a win...

I don't envy the judges in any year, but it would have been tough as hell with a loaded bill of talent. I think the prize is a good idea, and at least it generates some level of conversation about some of the best rock music Canada, and indeed the world, has to offer.

You can find the entire performance on CBC Radio 3.

Please, anyone but Bon Jovi....

Even J Geils band would be better... but I guess if Madonna can make it in then the gates are open for Mr. Bon Jovi. If there was a terrible music hall of fame he'd be right at the top of my voting list.

Can't argue with the people though... hopefully whoever votes has some sense.

This year's Rock Hall nominees here.

Katy Perry's breasts get her banned from Sesame Street

Seems benign at first, but won't someone please think of the children?

How to test your car stereo

So says a GM audio engineer... his top 10 tracks to test your stereo.

Found through Google Reader's recommended items.

Time to remix Phoenix

The band takes the NIN/Radiohead route and releases the multitracks from their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

And speaking of NIN, Trent Reznor has just announced the release of The Social Network soundtrack (aka Facebook movie), coming out next week. Looks like the Ghosts experiment worked and he got the gig he was after - scoring a major motion picture.

Get that song out of your head

Interesting/funny idea, for when you get stuck with an earworm... most of the songs I've scanned through are as likely to get stuck in your head themselves... at least they'll force out the one that's already in there.

Unhear it [via Waveformless]

So... wait... Katy Perry was a Christian rock singer?

Breaking: Failed Christian Rock Singer Katy Perry Is An Excellent Pop Star Worthy Of Your Adulation...

Is it next Tuesday yet?

Alex Ross, the author of one of my favourite music books ever is releasing his new book next week. I rarely buy new books, I usually prefer to grab the library copy, but I will definitely make an exception for this one.

There's another audio guide for the new book, but I'm a spoiler-hater so I think I'll wait til next week...

Everything is a remix

Interesting new web series here, the first episode showing Led Zeppelin's history of "remixing" blues tunes into arena rock.

Via Wire to the Ear

Machines do the work

Check out these two videos over at Synthtopia - Fatboy Slim remixing Raymond Scott's soundtrack to a film that appears to be an avant-garde ad for IBM. Classic stuff. The original film was directed by Jim Henson (!)... Tell me that's not him doing a bit of narration from around 3:56.

The Indie Rock Swindle

Article here about the brief history of the Polaris Prize. Only one week away!

via Daily Swarm

March to 300

I'm not talking about the movie, but the march to 300 blog posts on the year.

Last year I came up a couple short of my goal, but this year I stand reasonably poised to absolutely wreck my previous totals while I'm smashing Pageview records. No steroids will be used in this pursuit, other than the usual inspirational stimulants.

However I must also be careful not to set the bar too high, as I will likely be clamouring to raise the bar again next year.

Anyway, should be an exciting rest of the year. Stay tuned.

Lady Gaga and the death of sex

Article here. Worth more than a skim.

via Vigilant Citizen

Saigon Sunday

New Order is one of my all time favourite bands. This song came up on rotation the other day, and it definitely had a different poignancy to it than ever before... one of those "this song is speaking to me right now!" moments.
Sure, the lyrics are clumsy and silly at times but you can never blame them for having a lack of heart.

Video/track from YouTube:


And this is the real video here, New Order with the cast of Baywatch. Yup. It's real. Note: the audio has been disabled by the fat cats at WMG. I wonder if that's the truth, or they just didn't want you watching this piece of crap. I know it's real cause it's on the New Order DVD.

MuchMusic rockin' it with Lights

Here's an image spot for MuchMusic featuring Canadian indie-electro-pop artist Lights, with sound design by yours truly. Apparently the fans love it (see comments on the YouTube page). Thanks kids!

Greg Calbi on loudness and mastering

Worth a watch, the renowned mastering engineer talks a bit about the absurdness of'level wars'.



[Recordingformation]

Dying days of the music industry

Gasping for Breath as the Ship Goes Down – the final days of the recorded music business

Good read as always at The Future of Music.

Of course Kanye West's new video is about Masonic rituals

Kanye West’s “Power”: The Occult Meaning of its Symbols... another interesting and entertaining read from the Vigilant Citizen.

I mentioned Kanye's new video recently.

How to make Justin Bieber sound good

[Link]

This one might have broke the Internet this week.

Kanye West samples King Fucking Crimson

Video: Kanye West – Power



Kanye is no stranger to sampling seminal 70s rock acts, just look to Graduation, when he sampled kosmische kings Can on a track with Mos Def. This takes it to the next level, as the lead single from his forthcoming album, whatever it ends up being called, takes a major sample from King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man".

Not sure what the deal is with artists sampling my favourite early 70s rock songs... but I have to say I kinda like it.

When tracks first started to surface for 808s and Heartbreak, I was definitely not a fan, then over time (likely due to overexposure) I started to dig the tracks bit by bit. It could have been the fact that I learned where a bunch of the samples on that album came from (Alan Parsons et al), but that one was a grower for sure.

This Kanye album seems to be a much different approach but still Kanye.

The cynical side of me sees him hand-picking rock geek gems and inserting them into songs in order to coast on their already defined cred, but the rock geek inside me gleefully enjoys hearing the way he's re-purposing classic tunes to reach a modern audience. I assume Crimson kingpin Robert Fripp is cool with it, as it allows him to spend more time noodling and frippertronic-ing on his guitar under black lights and have to worry less about feeding himself and paying the rent.

Final verdict: Should be fun to see how this one plays out.

PS: When the hell are we going to hear the version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" with Maynard James Keenan? Or has the Internet been lying to me all these years?

The definitive Beastie Boys sample list

Amazing run down! Check this out...Link [via Computer Music]

Saigon Sunday

At the height of Oasis' popularity, I pretty much couldn't stand the band. I've since upgraded them to 'tolerable' status, but it's the pomposity of their whole act that really turns me off. I dig this track and a couple others though.

It might just be coincidence, but I've heard this one a lot on radio and iPods lately. So here it is!

The Osmonds just got a little bit cool.

If this doesn’t make you cringe & smile, nothing will.

Donny Osmond jams on the Moog modular synthesizer on the Donny and Marie Show, with some help from Desi Arnaz Jr., Jay Osmond and Jimmy Osmond on drums.

Ok, that's hilarious.

[via Synthtopia]

Secret of the 'Inception' soundtrack

Great job, Internet! [AV Club via Angry Robot]

I just saw this movie the other day, and all I can say is: tour de force. Awesome flick.

Some popular recent posts on my blog

Song in the Resident Evil: Afterlife trailer

Swedish Chef does "Popcorn"

New Caribou video - Sun

CARIBOU - Sun from Caribou on Vimeo.

As Kurt Vonnegut liked to say: "Um,"

I liked his animated stuff from a couple albums back much better. Welcome to the Canadian music industry, kids. Unless you're on a big label, you get $40 to produce your video, so you'd better have some talented friends.

[via Gorilla vs. Bear]

History of the Beatles as told by their hair

[Link]

More Disney and classical

After thinking about Impressions of France, I opened up my classical music library on iTunes and came across "Rhapsody in Blue", which reminded me of this excellent Disney bit from Fantasia 2000...

Impressions of the French Pavillion

Back in May, on a trip to Disney World, we visited Epcot's French Pavillion. One of the main attractions there is the film Impressions of France, which is shown on a massive screen, and features breathtaking shots of the cites and countryside in the nation.

Also of note is the exceptional soundtrack, with many well known French composers such as Debussy, Ravel and Satie. I was thinking about it today and hoped I could track down a few of the compositions... turns out that the entire soundtrack list for the film is on Wikipedia.

Here's a nice sample:


...aaaand after reading the comments for that clip, I just found out this was used in Twilight. I guess nothing is sacred after all. And the argument that 'at least these kids are listening to good music' holds as much weight as 'Harry Potter will get kids to read more'... it's not the act of listening or reading that's appealing, it's the content.

Kinda reminds me of when people hear a song and don't realize it's a cover... then you try to explain to them that someone else wrote the song. They listen to it... then decide that the version they heard first is superior. Then I sigh. Ah well.

Swedish Chef does "Popcorn"

Disney continues their Muppet-mashups with the Swedish Chef doing the popular 1969 novelty hit, "Popcorn" by Gershon Kingsley.



[via Synthtopia]

Wait... what? House uses Massive Attack for its theme song?

I may work in television, but it took me a long time to learn that the theme song for the popular television medical mystery drama House is a song from Massive Attack's excellent Mezzanine album, titled "Teardrop". Not sure if I get why it's relevant to the show, maybe the producers just thought it sounded good. Anyway, I'm sure the band doesn't mind, as that one deal can probably allow them to focus on music and not worry too much about selling records, which is definitely a good thing.

Here's a clip of the track that's garnered over three million views, and isn't even an official video... pretty rad. I'm surprised this one hasn't been taken down, but I guess the label people dig it. Neat concept though:

Saigon Sunday

This one came up on rotation the other day. Awesome track.

Music comic that I found on the 'tubes

Found this one on Google Reader's recommended items. I thought it was pretty funny. The guy's got a wicked blog too:
http://thatlukeperson.blogspot.com

Breaking: "Tik Tok" and "California Gurls" share similar chords, song structures, are both pop songs from 2010 about intercourse sung by vapid yet highly sexualized females; more to come on this developing story

And it's got absolutely nothing to do with the fact that uber-pop-sensation producer Dr. Luke had his masterful mitts on the console.



via: Elitaste via Daily Swarm

New Matthew Dear

Here's the trailer:

Matthew Dear - Black City Teaser from Ghostly International on Vimeo.

Sounds like his signature style for sure, a mix of Bowie, Prince and some sweet slick electronica.

Check this link for more, including the mp3 download link.

Broken Social Scene-G20 fan mashup

In 30 years when someone asks me what life was like in the summer of 2010, I will direct them to this video. Assuming we're all still around by then.

The library: Still awesome

I like to preach/rattle on about how awesome the Toronto Public Library system is, and here's yet another reason to love the service: A newly redesigned website.

Check out the blog section, specifically the music blog, 'Make Some Noise' with recommendations on buzzband and other popular artist CDs available in the system.

Reminder: For the time being, it's still legal to convert CDs to mp3s for your own personal use. Enjoy it while you still can!

More of Gary Numan selling out

That is, if the term "selling out" actually means anything these days, which I suspect it doesn't, given the numbers and quality of artists who are receiving sustenance from the corporate teat...

Anyway, remember how a few weeks ago I posted a thing about Gary Numan schilling for soda? Well the synth master is back with a new one:



No press is bad press though, eh?

Why wouldn't the guy want to go with the company who refers to him as "the man that invented electronic music"? How's that for an ego-boost? I guess Kraftwerk weren't available to sell batteries that week.

Rap battle translation. Prepare for fisticuffs!

Saigon Sunday

World Cup edition:

The first one here is by New Order from 1990, featuring rapping footballers and all (2:33):




And here's a priceless clip from BBC Sports, Mark E. Smith from the Fall reading the football results. Words can barely describe the ironic awesomeness contained herein:

A dialectical narrative of rock music

Excellent academic article on the history of rock music here. Grab a drink, this one's a good read.

The infamous Prince interview

In which the genius musician declares the Internet to be "over".

I love reading these interviews with the reclusive, eccentric star. It's amazing to see what superstardom does to a person. I especially love this quote:

"Come," he says, and like an excitable Willy Wonka, he leads me down corridors lined with glinting platinum discs to a lounge where his three talented backing singers, Shelby Johnson, Olivia Warfield and Elisa Fiorilla, are waiting by an ebony futuristic grand piano.

Polaris Prize Shortlist

It's that time of year again. Time to debate about a bunch of albums most of us haven't even had the chance to hear. The 2010 Polaris Prize short list is up!

It's a mix of conservative and way-out-there picks, including a couple of previous shortlisters and even winners... plus the most francophone albums I've ever seen on their shortlist, which is awesome.

Maybe the prize people put Caribou on there so they could award themselves... he won it previously and that cash probably helped him record the new one. Kind of like a return on your investment?

If I had my guess, I'd say it'll be Dan Mangan's Vonnegut inspired album... or one of the francophone groups, just to stay edgy. Then again Shad seems like a cool guy. Jeez I don't know. I guess they're all winners in a way *rolls eyes*

Overall, not the greatest year for Polaris, but these artists will hopefully see a sales spike and really that's what it all comes down to, keeping the industry healthy.

No one ever accused The Black Keys of being original

Check out the Black Keys' new track:


And the classic T-Rex song 'Mambo Sun', the opening track from Electric Warrior:




Homage/rip off/modern update?

T-Rex's Electric Warrior, features a track titled "Rip Off".  Probably just a coincidence.

Blogger in Draft

Just found this tool, Blogger in Draft. I must have missed the email about this one, cause it's pretty handy. Boy was I ever confused when the Blogger help page looked nothing like the editor I was using. Anywho.

Electronic music label releases album in Bento format

After 100 Records, A Bento Box, July Events Full of Ghostly International [Create Digital Music]

Summer tunes

Oldies edition.

Saigon Sunday

On a Monday. I had such a nice day yesterday I didn't feel like posting.

So here's a happy Monday for a happy Sunday. One of the best opening lines for a rock track ever:

New Sleigh Bells song samples one of my all time favourite songs

Sleigh Bells "Rill Rill"



Funkadelic - "Can You Get To That"



If you haven't heard the album this song is from, Maggot Brain, go listen to it now.

Tipped off from the NPR All Songs Considered podcast.

"I make money like Fred Astaire"

*laughs*

Pachelbel Rant

I was searching YouTube for classical music and came across this gem:



I'm not one of the 8 million people who've seen this one before... glad I saw it though.

Kinda reminds me of this one:



I might send a link to this post to the guys drawing up Canada's new copyright laws.

Hipster Runoff responds to G20 madness

Does n e 1 know what G20 protesters are even protesting? Seems like they just want to make .jpg internet memes

Love it. Not sure if I should file this under humour... I might make a new tag for 'irony' though.

Saigon Sunday: Protest edition

Now, here's a peaceful Toronto protest... I love seeing the city in retro form.



A couple years ago at Canadian Music Week, I was sitting in a seminar at the Royal York (I think it was the Tony Wilson interview), and the lead singer of the Parachute Club sat down right next to me. Kind of a cool experience. I wanted to talk to her, but I didn't really know what to say and besides, the great Tony Wilson was up on stage.