I Met the Walrus video

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the Oscar-nominated short film "I Met The Walrus" based on an interview by a young Toronto lad by the name of Jerry Levitan.

(blogto)

Concert review: Steely Dan

Steely Dan - July 4, Casino Rama

The incomparable Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Steely Dan took to the stage in rather languid fashion, letting their "Steely Dan Orchestra '08" play through a few minutes of instrumentals before casually walking on stage as though they were some kind of religious figures, and judging by some members of the devoted audience, it wasn't entirely unwarranted.

As the for the music itself, if was 10% more of a snob, I'd say, a la Amadeus:

"Emperor Joseph II: My dear young man, don't take it too hard. Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect."

Donald Fagen... what can I say about this guy. He really wants to be Ray Charles or Randy Newman. Or both. He said he was having throat problems, but why the hell was he sipping Coke? Why? At least take a ginger ale... unless he spiked that coke. Anyway, I always find it hilarious that there's no food or drink allowed in the venue up there, but the artists can flaunt the Rama laws all they want. I guess it pays to be in the Hall of Fame.

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Here's the setlist, as provided by Adam, who has a much more extensive knowledge of the group than I do:

The Royal Scam
I Got The News
Show Biz Kids
Two Against Nature
Hey Nineteen
Glamour Profession
New Frontier
Do It Again
Gaucho
Parker's Band
Third World Man
Josie
Aja
Peg
FM

Encore:
Kid Charlemagne

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Steely Dan concert by the numbers:

"Orchestra" members: 10

Michael McDonald look-a-like sightings at the buffet: 3

Classic rock radio hits not played: 2 (Reelin' in the Years, Rikki Don't Lose That Number)

Classic rock radio hits re-worked: 1 (Do It Again)

Number of sips by Fagan from his two cans of coke: 3

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Here's a highlight for me, "Hey Nineteen"

Totally mashed!

From boingboing:

Mashup of the 25 most popular songs in the U.S. in '07

A whole year of trash mashed into five minutes! Nah, it's actually really cool.

Bangers and Mashed

Mashuptown.com - Best Mashups of 2007

My favourites on the list are "Lugosi's Mongoloid Loser" and "Don't Stop Believing In Planet Rock".

It's freaky, but I like it

Justin Timberlake - Lovestoned (Justice Remix) [Hype Machine]

Our tracks are better than your tracks

It's that time of the year. The time where we take a moment or two to reflect on the year that was, the good times that were had, and all the life-changing songs we missed. But, thanks to the modern marriage of pop journalism and the web, you'll never miss a hip track again in your life. Or else.

Any 'best of' list you read this year will be best enjoyed with Hype Machine open in another tab.

Top 50 tracks of '07 [Pitchfork]
Top 50 tracks of '07 [Stylus]

Don't forget about the always hilarious Metacritic. Their 'Top Albums' list is of the organic sort. It could be different next week.

The real school of Rock

Brian May to head British University [CBC]

And they sign their names with a capital 'T'

Radiohead have mastered showmanship in the 21st century. They excel at every aspect of their craft and performance, from musicianship to marketing - it's no mistake that they've just released their most mature album. In Rainbows is refined, and in the same vein as previous releases, carrying the usual undertones of slick, dark alt-pop just under the surface... this time, that undercurrent bubbles up and rears its ugly head. This record feels a lot like what Year Zero means to the career of Nine Inch Nails. Both acts have been around long enough that even if they put in an undercooked effort, they will still sell a boatload of albums and have all the reason in the world to tour to their respective rabid fan bases. Both acts are also no longer under major label contracts, allowing them to take all the risks that their former bosses wouldn't have the guts to pull off, such as releasing albums for free. It's not like they need the money, right?
It's no coincidence that the Trent Reznor-produced Saul Williams album has been given a similar release format to In Rainbows, save for the "guilting-you-into-buying-intellectual-property" act. I can't shake the feeling that Mr. Williams is a willing guinea pig in testing the waters for an upcoming NIN release.

Something to think about (for about six seconds): YZ clocks in at 63:42, nearly as long as Reznor's longest single LP, The Downward Spiral, and IR comes in as the band's shortest studio LP, at 42:34.

Read:
Trent Reznor, Saul Williams interview

At Ease [#1 Radiohead fan site]

Some bitchin' new videos

The single cut for this song features the old "speed-up-the-track-for-the-single-mix" trick:

Club of choice

Damn you, BRMC, and your insistence on denying me the ability to embed your video into my humble blog! I will promote this song anyway, 'cause it's one of the top rock singles of the year... as for the video, it's visually striking, as far as performance videos go, anyway.

Links:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club [Official Site]
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club [myspace]

Happy Monday

Unkle Dysfunctional isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. After an extended break from producing albums, Manchester's most -lovable miscreants are back at it with a new album that certainly doesn't diminish their legacy. Part of the reason the music sounds fresh is because the band hasn't changed their sound... yes that's right. Thanks to pop's cyclical self-replication regime, 1991's hottest sound is also today's biggest fad. And depending on your viewpoint, this is either terribly sad or terribly impressive.
Besides boasting excellent tunes, the album is actually fun to listen to, there are also sorts of production flourishes that audiophiles will enjoy. It's sort of like going to some ecstacy-fueled carnival, and everyone at the carnival is kind of old. Truth is though that the songs here are filled with more melody and attitude, not an easy feat, than anything the current crop of rock and roll deltas could muster out in their collective careers.

Patrick Polaris

Monday night's Polaris party saw Patrick Watson walking away with the big prize of 20 grand and, of course, a boatload of publicity. Good to see the judges picking one of the artists who will receive the greatest benefit from the prize, a tactic which apparently baffled the Pitchfork writers. That news item ultimately serves to prove the whole point of the prize... exporting Canadian artists and giving them wider exposure. Rolling Stone was also surprised, once again proving they just aren't as cutting edge as they once (never?) were.
Let's face it, if Arcade Fire or Feist did win the award, these outlets would be going on and on about the "obvious" choice, and would temper that by mentioning all the hype that these publications themselves had so very little to do with in the first place.

If you haven't done so already, sign up for the CBC Radio 3 podcast. Right away. The current episode is a Polaris Prize gala edition.

A lot in Common

Lily Allen features on the alleged third single for Common's new album, Finding Forever. This track and most of the album is produced by Kanye West, and I can't help but wonder why he doesn't save more of these killer tracks for his solo material (strong as it is).
An appearance on Joss Stone's album, including an up-and-coming British songstress on an album and single poised to be huge... you'd almost think Common is trying to crack the UK market.

The song is much, much better than the video, but... the video is free, and right in front of your face. And also, you can play spot the reference. Keep an eye out for the "Astronaut lady"... "Hey, I've got an idea, how about everytime he says something, we'll give the audience a literal interpretation.".... "Brilliant, just brilliant. Go with it."



On the subject of Mr. West, Graduation is his first album not to feature Common, funny enough. "Curtis v. Kanye, 2007" didn't hurt either performer's sales... their symbiotic press machines combining for (according to Wikipedia) over 2 million units sold. Graduation also features the usual eclectic and hilarious samples, including Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne", Can's "Sing Swan Song", and Jackson's "P.Y.T." The Can sample is the most clever of the bunch, and if you squint your ears, it sounds like Damo is actually singing Kanye's lyrics. It's also probably the first time Can has been sampled in a pop hip-hop song.

Monday's big announcement

The prestigious Polaris Prize is being announced Monday. The Toronto library has 49 (!) copies of the Chad VanGaalen album, and 0 (!) holds! I expect the holds would jump after Monday, especially if he wins. I certainly don't envy the jury, as they've got a tough job ahead of them. My vote would be for Joel Plaskett, but this is a Canadian prize, so it could go to an artist who hasn't had tons of praise heaped on them (even if it is deserved).

Last year's winner, Final Fantasy, was a bit of a surprise to me, I thought it was the weakest of the bunch. I do agree with giving the lesser-known, and perhaps under-appreciated artists the prize. I don't see Miracle Fortress scoring an iPod commercial; and $20,000, though it looks sweet to anyone, would certainly look sweeter to one of the nominees without massive distribution deals.

The Nominees:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse
The Dears - Gang of Losers
Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up
Feist - The Reminder
Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
Miracle Fortress - Roses
Joel Plaskett - Ashtray Rock
Chad VanGaalen - Skelliconnection
Patrick Watson - Close to Paradise

Video Vulgaris

The Queens of the Stone Age, currently in the midst of a tour and PR blitz in support of their stellar new album Era Vulgaris, appeared recently on the Henry Rollins show.



The band rolls into Toronto in October, playing the former O'Keefe Centre (3200 capacity)... an odd choice of venue, though it could be that they've outgrown the Kool Haus (2400 capacity) and not quite able to fill the ACC (about 20,000).

National Post

American indie rock band The National released its fourth album this year. Before listening to Boxer, I had only heard their previous album, 2005's Alligator. Every cut is solid, and the new recording easily entices and earns multiple listens. The drums are noticeably louder and punchier, giving the piano and guitar parts more space for melody and texture. You know a rock band is serious about the piano when the piano player doesn't sing. Although, judging from their band configuration for their recent performance on Letterman, one extra slice out of the pie doesn't make a huge difference. Subtlety is the key word with this band, and that performance pretty much caught it... not bad for a TV performance, actually. Stand out tracks include 'Slow Show, 'Fake Empire', and the single Mistaken for Strangers, which sounds like a pseudo-goth/pop track from 1982 that time forgot, then found, then re-wrote, re-arranged and re-forgot. (read: compliment)
Oh, and Sufjan plays on a couple tracks.

Sweet Conchordia

Haven't heard of 'Flight of the Conchords'? Post-modern parody rock/pop for the post-9/11 world. Recently, they took their act from BBC radio to HBO in the States, with an August 7th release of an EP featuring 3 songs featured in the TV series and 3 live tracks. 'The Distant Future' is well-executed, showcasing the group's studio production and performance prowess.
If you're plugged into cable in Canada, The Movie Network has their entire first series available on demand.

Links:
Flight of the Conchords official site
Flight of the Conchords Myspace page

Hugh Dillon is the man

The former Joe Dick and former Headstones frontman has come a long way. His new starring role, in "Durham County", has the former (still?) head banger taking on middle class suburbia not as a punk, but as a cop with a hidden secret. Set against the backdrop of wasteland suburbia, the Sweeney family begins their new life in a new county, with Dillon playing the patriarch Mike, looking for a fresh start after the death of his partner. Dillon's antagonist just happens to be an old high school buddy, (played by CanCon favourite Justin Louis) except the two had a falling out... and now they live across from each other! Conflict is character! Character is conflict!

Some of the highlights include dramatic, introspective scenes with Mr. Dillon dealing with family issues while his own music serves as the soundtrack! What a fucking cool job!

Links:
Durham County [imdb site]