Saturday, November 28, 2009

with these distractions we could be having fun

i saw the junior boys in concert a couple of weeks ago. other than making me feel like an uber hipster, it was awesome. they are so much better live, and you really get to see how experimental and fun they are, something i dont think translates well on their recorded stuff. more than anything though, i love their vocals. so soft, contradicted with the sharpness of electronica.

au revoir simone does a similar thing. but these girls are a little less experimental, a little more into harmony, and a lot great. here they are on CBC's Q.




i think that junior boys and au revoir simone need to hook up. their shows would be the perfect kind of indie electronica. and then they could make babies and those babies would be perfect little indie electronica bands. and the world would be whole and right and good.


and i think when i grow up ill be a musical match maker.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

and i shot at the poor boy's soul

i have fallen completely and totally in love with bandcamp.

<a href="http://samamidon.bandcamp.com/track/wild-bill-jones">Wild Bill Jones by Sam Amidon</a>


since sam amidon wasnt on the last mix, here his is on his own. enjoy.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

the road to hell is paved with good intentions

I try to make this blog less about adverts, spam, and shite, and more about random things that strike my fancy.

This is kind of an advert (sorry!) but also something i happen to think is a really great tool to get people interested in climate change issues, and to learn exactly what they are.





Also, I've been posting a lot lately to avoid writing horribly dull papers. And now that I'm done said papers, I might just post on here even more, because I''ll have so much pent up creative energy! (Or I'll be bored out of my mind and spend entirely too much of my time on the internet).

Monday, November 23, 2009

soaked to the soul

I have a lot of friends who are musicians.

This particular friend, Miz Lauren Best, has an album on the threshold of release. Listen and enjoy this demo, recently played on CBC Radio 2's "Deep Roots" program.

<a href="http://laurenbest.bandcamp.com/track/soaked-to-the-soul">Soaked to the Soul by Lauren Best (and the Renegade Company)</a>


I cannot say enough about how gorgeous her voice is. I can say from experience though, that her concerts are one of a kind, so if you live in the Southern Ontario region, look her up!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

what a relief to see all of your sins absolved without a washing cloth (T&S Series #7)

I have an addictive personality. Right now you could say I'm addicted to the mellow, acoustic, simplicity of songs.

You could also say I'm addicted to scanning the online headlines of the Globe and Mail, refreshing my Twitter page, and procrastinating when its time for me to sit down and write a paper.

Regardless, these eight tracks, beginning with Aidan Knight's "Jasper" (which I've played up in a previous post) fall into that category of mellow, acoustic, and simple. Ok, well not exclusively acoustic, what fun would that be?



I put the Civil Wars on this mix because they sound sooooo gorgeous. I love when two singers are perfect vocal matches, and I think these two are. I especially like it when a live show comes out sounding like theirs does - so clean! In that way they really remind me of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

Winter Song is something of an addiction right now. I just had to put it on. Don't judge. (But seriously, the layering of the two voices in the last 30 seconds of the song is perfect).

Fleet Foxes is just the epitome of all of the above classifications of music.

Cat Power is pretty chill too. She has her peppy moments (check out Aretha Sing One For Me), but for the most part keeps it on the straight and narrow of calm and bluesy.

This Alec Ounsworth song is off his solo album (he is the singer/guitarist of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). Its much more low key that previous work. And I think I like this side of him.

I listen to Wilco on long car rides, or on early mornings on the bus. They're good gentle wake-up music too.

LUM's "Mysterious Ways" is just so soothing to me. I listened to this song on repeat for a night while writing a last minute paper. It totally calmed me down. Hence it being on the mellow 8 track mix.

And finally, a bonus 9th track. I know, I know, against the rules. But of all the artists in my iTunes, Sufjan Stevens has to be on this mix.

I so desperately wanted to put some Bon Iver up, but I'm pretty sure I've put him on two mixes now... a little bit of over kill if he were on three. Sam Amadon would be perfect for this too. So give them a listen anyway. Just not on my 8 tracks site this round.



So they're simple songs. (but maybe they're complex in their simplicity? is that possible? oooooh food for thought!) And mellow, no crazy beats this time. And, for the most part, they feature the ever charming acoustic guitar. I would say these tracks are good things to get addicted to. I mean, its wayyyy better than coke, right?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

I think this time around, I am going to do it, like you never knew it (T&S Series #6)

I'm going to tell you a secret. (Shhh... Keep this on the DL because I don't do this often...)

I have dance parties.

Solo dance parties.

They may or may not involve singing at the top of my lungs, dancing around erratically, and awkward clothing choices.

This mix includes some of my favourite groovin' tunes. They are pretty classic tracks, and hopefully they inspire you to get your groove on too.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

screaming infidelities

The other day I was having lunch at a friend's apartment. One of her roommates also had a friend over, we were all cooking together. We hadn't met the roommates friend before, so we did the usual pleasantry of introductions; name, where you're from, program you're in, yadda yadda. I answer his questions, nothing special, but when he turned to my friend, and she said she was doing a double major in psychology and womens studies, he blanched. He awkwardly paused, and then said, "so you're one of those feminists." He went on to blunder around by saying he didn't have "anything against us" and he "had dealt with feminist before", all of which just made my blood boil, and he wasn't even directing these comments at me.

My first thought: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS GUY?!

It is in these moments where I firmly believe you should think before you speak.

I don't go around saying I have learned to deal with patriarchal society, or that I've lived and worked with men before, as if it were some challenge to overcome. Why is it that today, in modern times, someone can still spit out the word feminism with a frown on their face and negative connotation attached to the word? From the way that guy said those words, you could tell the day he calls himself a feminist is the day pigs fly.

So let me just tell you all loudly, clearly, and most importantly, proudly.

I AM A FEMINIST. I BELIEVE IN FEMINISM.

And please, let me elaborate, so you understand just how serious I am.

I like to bake. I like to cook. I wear skirts and dresses. I wear heels. I have had boyfriends. I like getting good marks. I like to sing. I really like to dance. I know how to put on make-up. I like to wear make-up. I have stuffed animals. I like to knit.

Are you confused about the stereotype of a feminist yet?

I also think think that women are under represented in too many sectors of society, all around the world. I believe in equality, equal representation, and justice. I believe in a woman's right to say yes, and her right to say no. I believe in her body, her choice. I think that women's voices are discounted more often than not, and I think that is very, very wrong. I think that I shouldn't have been taught to be afraid when I walk home, by myself, at night. I think that there should be an international statement of apology for heinous crimes against humanity, because ignoring half the population's opinion, feelings, and needs for thousands of years should never be considered just another part of history.

I am not a man-hating, bra-burning, monster of a feminist, contrary to popular stereotyping. Instead, I am a complex individual who holds the ideals of feminism to be true.

And if a douchebag like my friend's roommate's friend (wow, kinda confusing) can still buy in to such an outdated perception of feminism, I think I'm justified in my continued belief of it.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Monday, November 9, 2009

should i call you officer... (T&S Series #5)

My mood dictates what music I listen to. Right now I'm a little homesick, and a lot tired. So, I'm going to be horribly nostalgic with this mix.

I won't go into what each of these songs mean to me, (frankly thats just sappy), but I will say that each of these songs reminds me of the 'Sound and that is just one of the many reasons why I like them.

Some of the artists are "home grown" so to speak, or others pop up a lot in campfire sing-a-longs. Who knows what makes me associate one with the other, but just know, if the 'Sound was an 8 track mix, this would be it.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

but through it all i left my eyes on you (T&S Series #4)

To me, the bass line in a song is the drama of the song. Forget flashy guitar solos, or charming little melodies on the keyboard. Bass is where its at.

This mix is a tad eclectic. Who would ever dream of putting Bay City Rollers and Vampire Weekend and Northern State together? Not me. Thats for sure.


Joy Division's "The Kill" is so unlike them I love it (not that I dont always love them). For this charming song they made it a upbeat. What a revolutionary idea. The bass line definitely helps that along.

I might be crazy, but I think that this Bay City Rollers song is a little over produced. Maybe even all of "Rollermania" was over produced. (Can horrible cultural periods in history be over produced?!). Notice though, that no matter how much extra stuff they try to throw into this song, you can still follow the bass!

Dappled Cities are a group I should be listening to more of. They are going places. And their bass line is helping to take us there.

The use of the bass line in War Pigs really is just for drama. Its urgent, and insistent in the beginning and then just carries you through the song.

No matter how many times I listen to "If you love someone, set them on fire" it always surprises me. Dead Milkmen do something very unusual in that the bass keeps the beat, and the guitar is on the off beat. Percussion is thrown in there for accent, and the lyrics are just crazy. Throws me for a loop, and then I remember that its awesome.

Bullion is just plain classy. Thats right, classy.

I love Northern State (and not just because Hesta Prynn requested to follow me on Twitter). Just when you think you've got them pegged, they remind you that they're square, and its a circular hole. I think the bass line on Signal Flow is funky. They're pretty discriminatory in how they only feature it in the refrain, but there you have the drama.

Vampire Weekend is a favourite of mine. They REALLY know how to make music. They also REALLY know how to use a bass line. Not just on "Campus" either, but throughout the whole self-titled album. Give it a listen. Your ears will thank you.


A good bass line is a good bass line. So crank your bass and give this whole thing a listen. Maybe even playing it loudly. Your ears should thank you for that too.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

came up to the water

Thanks to twitter my musical world has expanded ten fold.

Tonight Said the Whale directed me towards Aidan Knight and his music video for his new song Jasper.

You have to watch it.

Looks like the kind of video some friends of mine would make, and some friends of mine would be in.

You can bet this track will be on a mix soon.