Category: Music

"She was the still point of the turning world, man."

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The shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize is up. It’s very, very good. You’d have to think the odds are with the Arcade Fire or Feist albums, but my dark horse is…well, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse.

.:.

The Virgin Suicides gets better every time I watch it. The scene near the end where they play music to each other over the phone just kills me.

.:.

Create your own Simpsons avatar over at the official movie site. I made one last night but it’s on another computer and (you guessed it) I can’t be bothered to go gittit. [via Showcase Sideshow]

.:.

Maybe more than any other show, The Shield just stays at an incredibly high level. There’s never really a lull or a down episode; it just stays good.

[tags]polaris music prize, the virgin suicides, simpsons movie, the shield[/tags]

If you're depressed and have ADD and you know it, download these (and clap your hands)

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

If you’re in need of a song that’s less than two minutes in length and guaranteed to put you in a good mood, here it is: “Quito” by The Mountain Goats.

Ah shit, I’m feeling generous. Here’s another: “Half-Empty Halls” by The Evaporators.

You’re welcome.

.:.

Nellie’s away for the night, and part of tomorrow. I lazed around for a bit, did some errands, went to the Nike store (as I was paying I realized Jason Spezza was standing next to me, buying a stack of stuff as tall as my wife), went for a run, ordered some pizza, watched JFK (just ’cause), cleaned up and am now listening to music at a volume that seems to frighten the cats.

.:.

I needed a drink last night after work, so we met up with CBGB and a friend at The Auld Spot. The veggie burger was extra tasty, the beer was cold, the waitress was hot and the conversation was lively. It was just what I needed to ease into the weekend.

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As of today I am 5/7 of the way through my MBA.

Aweso.

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Two cool bits of news courtesy of the two best Toronto-centric blogs: Torontoist points to the new and improved driving directions on Google Maps (which is very helpful if you’ve ever tried plotting a scenic route) as well as a neat little mashup called Taxiwiz that predicts your Toronto cab fare. BlogTO, on the other hand, discusses the recent decision that permits street vendors to sell more than hot dogs.

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Finally, I leave you with this hilarious little comic my friend Dino sent me.

Vegetarian Zombies

[tags]mountain goats, evaporators, nike store, jason spezza, auld spot, fun with fractions, torontoist, blogto, taxiwiz, google maps, vegetarian zombies[/tags]

64.827%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

OK, for polls like this people always pick what’s fresh in their minds rather than stopping to think about it for half a second, but it’s pretty hard to argue with #1. That song makes me want to claw my own ears off in the same way that “More Than Words” did many years ago.

“James Blunt’s hit You’re Beautiful has been deemed the most irritating song of all time, according to a global online poll by a U.K.-based firm.”

[from CBC]

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By the way, I don’t know why I have mentioned this before, ’cause it might just be my most favouritest news of the year: The alternate title of the Arcade Fire‘s “Antichrist Television Blues” is “Joe Simpson”. Yup, the father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson; the song’s an indictment of a creepy man. Well done, AF.

.:.

Off to find beer and dinner, in that order.

[tags]james blunt, extreme, arcade fire, joe simpson[/tags]

Richard Thompson = White Bear

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A few days ago I talked about how certain songs have particular — and often irrational — connections to certain places in my mind.  Another one just came to me as my Zen is on random: “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” by Richard Thompson, for some reason, makes me think of an English pub called The White Bear. My brother, his girlfriend, Nellie and I stopped there as we drove north to Scotland, and they had amazing food, a stunning view, great ambience and charm…none of which have anything to do with Richard Thompson or vintage motorcycles.

I have no idea why my brain makes that connection, but hearing the song just puts me back in that seat, eating a huge feast of duck in black cherry sauce, sipping whisky, ducking low ceiling beams, laughing with my family, surrounded by misty English hills as we started our European adventure two years ago.

I am a puzzle wrapped in a mystery inside a music-and-food-associating enigma.

[tags]richard thompson, vincent black lightning, white bear pub[/tags]

Experts agree: The Strokes suck

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Our bbq has gas. Not flatulence gas, natural gas. Not natural flatulent gas, just natural gas. We can now cook food. In fact, Nellie is outside doing so now whilst I try to recover from the day that was.

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Four interesting things that RSS’d their way to me today:

  1. There will be a Voltron movie. When it is released I shall re-live my childhood.
  2. Voting for the Golden Tap awards is now open. The awards honor the best microbreweries (and their beers) in the GTA, and in Ontario. My picks are as follows:
    • Best microbrewery in the GTA (Granite Brewery)
    • Best beer brewed in the GTA (Granite Brewery Dry Hop Special Bitter)
    • Best microbrewery in Ontario (Neustadt)
    • Best beer brewed in Ontario, outside the GTA (Neustadt 10W30)
    • Best pub in the GTA, in terms of draught selection (Bar Volo)
    • Best pub in the GTA, in terms of bottle selection (Smokeless Joe’s)
    • Best pub in Ontario, outside of the GTA (Manx, in Ottawa, though I should admit that it’s the only one I’ve been to)
    • Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario (Granite Brewery)
  3. Il Fornello, a Toronto restaurant, will be adding an Ontario-only menu.
  4. There are a lot of “classic” albums that I just can’t stand. A few of them are mentioned in this Guardian article, and some folks agree with me. In fact, the only ones I don’t agree with are the Arcade Fire (which seems out of place from the rest, and I think it’s just an easy and controversial target) and to some degree Nirvana and Pink Floyd. The rest I don’t care for at all.

[tags]natural gas bbq, voltron, golden tap awards, ontario microbrew, granite brewery, neustadt, il fornello, arcade fire, nirvana, pink floyd[/tags]

The musical meat grinder, um, grinds on

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In the last few days at work I’ve had a few periods of uninterrupted work at my desk (!), allowing me to screen some music that’s been sitting in my “inbox” for months, including:

  • apostle of hustle . national anthem of nowhere
  • dalek . abandoned language
  • low . drums and guns
  • ted leo . living with the living

None of them exactly set my world on fire, though each has a few good songs.

Listening to Ted Leo always makes me think of Ottawa, and for an odd reason: I always think of his song/album “Hearts of Oak”, which always makes me think of the Royal Oak (caution: site has loud & cheesy embedded music), an Ottawa pub my brother and I frequented when I lived there for a summer. In fact, we went there on the day that Keith’s was first introduced to Ontario. Anyway, yeah, that’s Ted Leo for me. My brain strolls in weird directions like that.

.:.

Last night was the second episode of the latest season of The Shield (aired here in Canada anyway; the season’s already done), which I’ve always said is one of the best shows on TV. It made me appreciate The Sopranos even more; without the success of The Sopranos, shows like The Shield (and characters like Vic Mackey) wouldn’t exist, let alone entire networks like F/X.

[tags]apostle of hustle, dalek, low, ted leo, royal oak, the shield, the sopranos, f/x[/tags]

"Damn, we're gonna win this thing!"

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

A few good songs have crossed my path in the last few days: “Road To Home” by Girl In A Coma, “The Gold We’re Digging” by Parts and Labor and “2080” by YeaSayer (thanks Joe). I’m also digging Patti Smith‘s cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Chris Cornell‘s cover of “Billie Jean”. Also: the mashup of The Ramones‘ “I Wanna Be Sedated” with Avril Lavigne‘s “Girlfriend”. It’s like listening to old bubblegum.

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My thoughts on the Sopranos finale: I liked it. I like it even more now that I’ve thought about it. I’ve put the rest of my thoughts after the jump; if you haven’t watched the episode, then DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. There are spoilers yonder.

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The night shift lullaby

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I just made my dad a CD, which I shall stick in the mail tomorrow. He likes getting them every now and then, and I like making them; it’s inspiring and reassuring to know that my 64-year-old father likes good music. Here’s the tracklist:

  1. cat power . “kingsport town”
  2. r.l. burnside . “old black mattie”
  3. amy millan . “blue in yr eye”
  4. magnolia electric company . “the night shift lullaby”
  5. black keys . “you’re the one”
  6. yo la tengo . “my little corner of the world”
  7. jessie mae hemphill . “standing in my doorway crying”
  8. old crow medicine show . “minglewood blues”
  9. ox . “1913”
  10. broken west . “down in the valley tonight”
  11. great lake swimmers . “i could be nothing”
  12. pablo . “wall street”
  13. william elliot whitmore . “does me no good”
  14. avett brothers . “shame”
  15. kings of leon . “the runner”
  16. sufjan stevens . “amazing grace”

I suspect he’ll especially like the songs by R.L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Ox (since it’s a Woody Guthrie cover), William Elliot Whitmore and The Avett Brothers. The Yo La Tengo, Pablo and Kings of Leon are stretches, but you have to keep the old man on his toes.

[tags]mixed cd[/tags]