Gosh!

Interrupting my work day to bring you this:

Lackthereof - Fake Empire

Menomena's Danny Seim = Lackthereof.

So excited.

xo.

Dear Spencer Krug,

Just because I think your name is Stanley 67% of the time doesn't mean I don't love you. And if you let me play the keyboard whilst sitting beside you in a taxi, I promise I won't wear a strange pink neckwarmer, or whatever that thing is.

But seriously.

Write back,

G3


xo.

for you and me, forever ago.

a friend violently demanded i listen to Bon Iver.
i obliged.
and i hate myself for not doing so sooner.
vocals reminiscent of TV on the Radio.
sung passionately enough, that at times i swear i can feel Justin Vernons heartbeat in the songs.
the words are what lyrics should be, poetry.
the entire album "For emma, forever ago" is immaculate
and in one listen has launched itself into my top 10 for 2008.
i've heard nothing that compares to date.

listen. and if you feel nothing after listening to the album,
you are probably a robot.

the play Lee's Palace this coming Tuesday, July 22.

Skinny Love - Bon Iver

Re: Stacks - Bon Iver

Brit Mix!

Because "petticoat", when said with a British accent, is possibly the greatest word in life. Listen to The Kooks to better understand this - because of Ooh La, I've been muttering this specific word to myself for the past few days. Out loud, you ask? Yes, sadly.

Here are some bands and songs that I fancy:

The Kooks - Ooh La
Art Brut - Sound of Summer
Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made For You
Babyshambles - Unstookie Titled
The Kooks - Seaside
Foals - Olympic Airways

xo.

Weekend update!

(NOTE: This is a bit late and has been sitting in our drafts for a while, waiting patiently to be spell-checked. Yeesh.)

Friday kicked off the weekend quite early – I don’t even think it was 10am when my brand new Zune was delivered to my office! So I spent the rest of the day excited to go home and play with it (which happened at 1:30 because my job is awesome). Upon getting home, I briefly charged my new toy, threw the new Girl Talk album on it and bolted outside for a run.

At this point I must mention that the Zune comes with these amazing noise-reduction earphones – so as I left my apt, I was convinced that the strange men drinking beer in the alley had just told me to “throw some D’s on that bitch”. Frightening.

Alas, this line was but a snippet of Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis’ new album, Feed the Animals. Possibly the best sound to run to, Gillis’ work consists of sample-based remixes ⁄ mash-ups. In his fourth LP, he continues to seamlessly mix old gems and current hits, combining genres and pairing up top-forty songs to indie tracks. For those unfamiliar with Girl Talk, it’s like being at a super-tight iPod battle, with songs popping up that have you going ‘yesss...’ (fist pump suggested). Think track after track of your favourite guilty pleasures mixed with the artists you’re not embarrassed to list on your Facebook profile. Ok, I’m sure I’ve made my point. It’s pretty good.

Now for the Zune. It was free in exchange for me talking about it on here. Which is a fair bribe, because it’s effing fantastic! Full color video screen, two pairs of earphones, wireless sync to your computer, FM radio... My co-worker and I have been sending each other songs at work, without having to get up or plug in silly wires. Craaaazy. For someone who has an unjustifiable aversion to Apple products, it’s the perfect mp3 player. So yes, check it out!

Oh, and on another note - I spent most of my weekend roasting in the sun at the Toronto Harbourfront for the Beats, Breaks and Culture festival. Amongst the artists on the lineup were Ladytron, Woodhands and headliners Crystal Castles. I must say that while Woodhands was spectacular and awkward and all kinds of wonderful, Ladytron and Crystal Castles were huge letdowns. Fine, the venue doesn't allow for the kind of loud sounds these bands need to sound cool, but Ladytron was simply boring and Crystal Castles were DICKS. Allow me to summarize my interpretation of their show:

9:30 - Huge crowd forms for CC show
10:15 - CC hit the stage to play a subpar set with next-to-no vocals
10:35 - Frustrated with their own mediocrity, CC leave the stage (perhaps to investigate the no-vocals problem)
10:36 - Ontario Place fireworks begin in the distance and entire crowd is distracted, turning around and completely forgetting to coax CC back onstage
10:43 - Defeated, CC come back (surely because of contractual obligations), play one more song and ruin their drumkit.

The End.
Jerks.

That’s it for now! More to come soon!

xo.

Fairy Tales.

Having recently done the mother of all groceries, I invited a few friends over for a lovely backyard BBQ, which we ate on my living room coffee table in the jungle that has become my backyard. While bbby kmbrly provided the hamburgers, I made a pretty badass pasta salad (opinion not shared by M.A., who has a debilitating fear of cold cheese but who politely ate most of it whilst hiding the remnants underneath his cob of corn).

This meal was followed by a trek to Rancho for Shameless Thursday’s first performance in the new venue. Walking up the stairs to the venue was eerie because a) Rancho Relaxo gets to feel like a pizza oven when it’s packed and b) people were sitting in front of the stage, cross-legged on the floor. I must say that sitting at a concert is a strange concept to me, and until now, only two factors have lead me to do so: exhaustion and Conor Oberst. To add to this list: Ghost Bees.

Tiny twin sisters from Halifax, Ghost Bees took the stage with a mandolin and painted faces. Their whimsical lyrics, tiny voices and delicate sound made them seem like some kind of forest elves, and their songs were inspired by folk tales and past eras. While the cutesy twin banter led to an inevitable Tegan and Sara comparison, I would say the sound was similar to a Joanna Newsom and Marissa Nadler hybrid. Regardless of comparison, their set was completely entrancing: the audience sat there, enchanted and open-mouthed, like kids at a kindergarten storytime.

Ghost Bees were followed by Laura Barrett, who is a classically trained musician from Toronto. Adorable and quirky, she took the stage accompanied by a bassoon player dressed like a pirate and a shaggy banjo player. She's very interesting to watch in action - she plays the Kalimba, which basically looks like a giant Gameboy from the audience's point of view. I can’t say I stayed for her whole set, because it was getting late and I am lame, but I would definitely recommend seeing her live if you get the chance.

Happy Friday!

xo.

Sharing is caring, no?

You know when someone tastes something really unpleasant, winces, and then tries this golden line? “Ew, you have to taste this, it’s disgusting”. Well consider this post the blogging equivalent. I’m warning you that I’m doing this to get rid of a song I’ve had in my head for days now, and I kind of want you to check it out too. Misery loves company, or something like that. Ha.

I was bargain hunting in Your Favourite Discount Store (which shall remain nameless) when I noticed that the music playing was targeted towards a very specific mom-type demographic. Granted, they’d hit the nail right on the head (as I was with my mom and surrounded by others’ moms), but being immersed in that kind of easy listening can only result in you humming Phil Collins to yourself for the rest of the day. Which is what happened this time, only worse.

Seal: Kiss From a Rose.

Oh, I know. This came on as I was trying on shoes and EVERYONE in the aisle started singing along under their breath. And I realized rather quickly - does ANYONE know the correct words to this song?? It’s catchy, it stays in your head, and we have ALL hummed it at some point (unless I’m particularly deranged) but wtf are the lyrics?? So while the ladies around me strolled along the aisle muttering nonsensical words, I told myself that maybe I should figure out what I had been singing before judging these women. (Disclaimer – I didn’t speak English that well when this song came out).

Here’s what I came up with:

Nananaaa nanananananaaaa , nanana.

...

But did you know, that when it shows, my eyes become larden,

The light that you shine can’t be sealed...

Baby, I’d like to be into a kiss from a rose on the range,

Oooh the more I get to feel strangers it feeeels yeah

Now that your rose is in bloom, my life hits the home on the grave...

Not bad eh? I had never even questioned it, not even the part about feeling up strangers. Here are the actual lyrics... Have fun humming this all afternoon!

Oh, and happy Canada Day!

xo.