The Liptonians - Perfect Swimmers (Album Fundraiser) from Nice! Productions on Vimeo.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Bucky's Back
Bucky D. from The Liptonians is coming into the studio (again) to talk about and perhaps even play some songs from the bands new record Let's All March Back into the Sea which is due out tomorrow! The CD release party is at The West End on Sunday. Here's a taste of what to expect.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sexy Music
Cass McCombs has a new single out, "County Line", which I can't get enough of right now. It's sexy music done right, performed in a fragile and hollow manner that allows the singer to really embrace the riskiness of the desires he sings of. It's a song that deals with the difficulties encountered in the relationship between people and places, particularly those places we tend to find ourselves most comfortably situated in. Anyways, here's the song.
Cass McCombs - County Line by DominoRecordCo
What I love most about the song is the simplicity of it. There is no attempt at any point to deceive the listener, to provide that hook that appears out of nowhere which serves to disrupt the song as a whole (a technique way too overused these days). The song is fragile enough purely in its simplicity that it need not make such maneuvers. Instead, it simply embraces the melancholic experiences you encounter when you go home to find out that this place which you love so dearly, isn't nearly as holy as you once thought. Or, to put it another way, the cold we experience here in Winnipeg isn't really all that romantic. It's just really freaking cold.
Cryptic perhaps, but this shift to melancholy (shift is perhaps not the best word, as this is nothing really new from Cass), is going to hopefully prove to be the main aim of my show tonight. I'm going to be playing melancholic songs focusing on the relationship between people and place. Any suggestions would be more than appreciated.
Cass McCombs - County Line by DominoRecordCo
What I love most about the song is the simplicity of it. There is no attempt at any point to deceive the listener, to provide that hook that appears out of nowhere which serves to disrupt the song as a whole (a technique way too overused these days). The song is fragile enough purely in its simplicity that it need not make such maneuvers. Instead, it simply embraces the melancholic experiences you encounter when you go home to find out that this place which you love so dearly, isn't nearly as holy as you once thought. Or, to put it another way, the cold we experience here in Winnipeg isn't really all that romantic. It's just really freaking cold.
Cryptic perhaps, but this shift to melancholy (shift is perhaps not the best word, as this is nothing really new from Cass), is going to hopefully prove to be the main aim of my show tonight. I'm going to be playing melancholic songs focusing on the relationship between people and place. Any suggestions would be more than appreciated.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Snowed in
No show again this week as I am currently snowed in. After spending a week in waist deep snow in Edmonton, now Winnipeg seems to be getting hit (although, the amount in E-town is still substantially more). All this has led to a few week's of snowed in music listening. Here's what's been on heavy rotation
New(ish) Heavy Rotation
Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs. Evil
Deerhoof are maybe one of my favorite acts to see live. With this week's release of Deerhoof vs. Evil however, the band has put out what, in my opinion, is their best studio work to date (although I reserve the right to always go back to Apple O or Reveille). Douglas Wolk criticized the record on Pitchfork as meandering, claiming the record fails to properly allow its rock undercurrents to break through. This may in fact be the case. However, part of me wonders if if it's fair to criticize the band for not being 'rock' enough. Do we love Deerhoof because they create great rock music (which they certainly do)? Or do we love Deerhoof because they create great rock music in spite of the fact that they needn't? Records like Reveille and Deerhoof vs. Evil seem to push me more in the direction of the latter. Highlighting the band's humor, quirkiness and excellent experimentation, Deerhoof vs. Evil serves to accentuate the awesomeness of more straightforward songs such as "Panda Panda Panda" and "+81" situating them within a larger and more bizarre context. Bellow is the records shinning moment - which also proves to be its most predictable.
Yelawolf - Trunk Muzic 0-60
Southern Hip-Hop at its best. Released on the same day as the Kanye record, Trunk Muzic 0-60 proves yet again that all the accolades thrust upon MBTDF may have been premature. This record is equally weird and enjoyable as Kanye's so-called masterpiece, while avoiding the ridiculous length (it's almost half as long!). Here's my favorite "Daddy's Lambo".
John Vanderslice - White Wilderness
A more organic sounding record than his previous albums, White Wilderness highlights the songwriters skill at arrangement and prose.
Lower Dens - Twin Hand-Movements
This record actually came out a while ago, but I only came across it more recently. The record is built primary around Janna Hunter's bizarre poetry and reverb-drenched guitars which never seem to overdo it. At first the closest comparison to Twin Hand-Movements would be Beach House's Teen Dream. However, after repeated listens, THM proves to be a much riskier record than the safer (and more mediocre) Beach House record playing with its own fragility in fascinating ways.
Retro Heavy Rotation
Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics vol. 1
The influence of the Minimal Electronics and Cold Waves movements of the 1980s on contemporary North America Electro can't be overstated. However, rather than wasting more of your time, I'll just let these videos speak for themselves.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Amping Destroyer's Kaputt
Destroyer's Kaputt is due out in a couple of weeks. I make no bones about being a big Destroyer guy, and I don't want to say much about how wicked the record is quite yet (I want to make sure I get it right). However, the first few listens through the record have resulted in me going through some of my records to try to figure out how to better locate this whole "slow disco" aesthetic he's built throughout the record. Bellow are the results.
In my mind, Kaputt's closest cousin is Destroyer's 2004 record Your Blues. Like on that record, the question of the distinction between life and artifice is at all times at the forefront, blurring the lines between firm conceptions of real and fake.
Some more classic inspirations.
Crappy video quality. But you get the point.
And then from Destroyer himself.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Top 20 [EDITED VERSION
[NOTE - totally forgot to add the Poirier record which is easily my favorite dance record of the year. See below)
Okay, I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible. I've submitted my top 20 to UMFM, and thought that I should post it on here. To be honest, I'm not one to obsess over lists like these that terribly much (I much prefer reading other peoples). So, if you were to ask me in an hour what my top 20 records of the year are, with the exception of the top 5, it would most likely be pretty different. The top 5 here though are records the rest don't even really come close to. If you want a mix, please don't hesitate to ask.
Here goes nothin'
Records that just missed the cut:
Titus Andronicus, (The record is about 8 songs to long to crack the top 20). Salem, Books, Baths, Little Women, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, The National, Dave Holland Octet, Chicago Underground Duo, The Bad Plus, Vex'd, Badawi, The Bad Plus, Mount Kimbie, Frog Eyes
If they were not EP's they would definitely be here:
Kurt Vile - Square Shells, Destroyer - Archer on the Beach, all of the James Blake releases.
Top 20:
20.) Tomboyfriend - Don't Go to School
19.) Teengirl Fantasy - 7AM
18.) The Shining - Black Jazz
Norwegian free-jazz group goes prog-metal. What's not to love. (if you watch the video you have to at least wait until the 3:30 mark - is that a saxophone I see?)
17.) Owen Pallett - Heartland
16.) Warpaint - The Fool
15.) Future Islands - In Evening Air
14.) Freeway and Jake One - Stimulus Package
13.) Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher
12.) Actress - Splazsh
11.) Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti - Before Today
10.) Forrest Swords - Dagger Paths
Probably had the best chance of the bottom 15 records to eventually crack the top 5, but it's still too young for me to have it any higher. A great cousin record to Gang Gang Dance's Saint Dymphna.
9.) Pantha Du Prince - Black Noise
Sweet melodic techno that builds well off of one of the genre's finest releases This Bliss.
8.) Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal
7.) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
6.) Christian Scott - Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
Awesome post-Katrina New Orleans Jazz. Scott's concert here this past June was easily the best show I saw all year (all decade??).
5.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
This may be a little bit backlash related, but as much as I love this record (and I really do), the record is really not deserving of all the hype. I can't help but think that it's the collaborations that make this record work as (with the exception of the whole Sarcophagus - esophagus line) Kanye's performance on this record is not necessarily his best (and Jay-Z's appearance is borderline brutal). Nicki Minaj steals the show clearly (EVERY TIME she raps, not just on "Monster"), and Rick Ross, the Rza and that dude from Bon Ivery do a fine job as well. But outside of the guest spots, the record is really only good, not great. That said, from "Power" through to "Monster" is some of the best pop music you'll ever hear.
5. 1.) Poirier - Running High
Proving yet again that as much as I like to rock out, I like dancing even more.
4.) Women - Public Strain
I haven't loved a rock record this much in ages. "Eyesore" is particularly beautiful. I think I've said enough about this record elsewhere.
3.) Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
Carl Wilson recently criticized this record for its lack of editing. Honestly I can't find a song on this record I would want to take out. If I were to rank this records in accordance to the number of times I've played them, Have One On Me would win by a country mile.
2.) Janelle Monae - The Arch Android
I can't help but see/hope Afro-futurism becoming the next big musical genre. Especially considering how awesome this record. I mean seriously, the record is 70 minutes long and, with the exception of the misguided Of Montreal collaboration "Make the Bus", the record really never loses my attention. Plus, how can you not help but love someone as ridiculously awesome as Janelle Monae?
1.) Darkstar - North
This is the record I've been waiting the Junior Boys to make since Last Exit. A perfect blend of dubstep, wonky, synth pop and crooner vocals. I could listen to this record a 100 times and it would surprise me every time. Here's their wonderful cover of The Human League's "Gold".
Okay, I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible. I've submitted my top 20 to UMFM, and thought that I should post it on here. To be honest, I'm not one to obsess over lists like these that terribly much (I much prefer reading other peoples). So, if you were to ask me in an hour what my top 20 records of the year are, with the exception of the top 5, it would most likely be pretty different. The top 5 here though are records the rest don't even really come close to. If you want a mix, please don't hesitate to ask.
Here goes nothin'
Records that just missed the cut:
Titus Andronicus, (The record is about 8 songs to long to crack the top 20). Salem, Books, Baths, Little Women, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, The National, Dave Holland Octet, Chicago Underground Duo, The Bad Plus, Vex'd, Badawi, The Bad Plus, Mount Kimbie, Frog Eyes
If they were not EP's they would definitely be here:
Kurt Vile - Square Shells, Destroyer - Archer on the Beach, all of the James Blake releases.
Top 20:
20.) Tomboyfriend - Don't Go to School
19.) Teengirl Fantasy - 7AM
18.) The Shining - Black Jazz
Norwegian free-jazz group goes prog-metal. What's not to love. (if you watch the video you have to at least wait until the 3:30 mark - is that a saxophone I see?)
17.) Owen Pallett - Heartland
16.) Warpaint - The Fool
15.) Future Islands - In Evening Air
14.) Freeway and Jake One - Stimulus Package
13.) Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher
12.) Actress - Splazsh
11.) Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti - Before Today
10.) Forrest Swords - Dagger Paths
Probably had the best chance of the bottom 15 records to eventually crack the top 5, but it's still too young for me to have it any higher. A great cousin record to Gang Gang Dance's Saint Dymphna.
9.) Pantha Du Prince - Black Noise
Sweet melodic techno that builds well off of one of the genre's finest releases This Bliss.
8.) Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal
7.) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
6.) Christian Scott - Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
Awesome post-Katrina New Orleans Jazz. Scott's concert here this past June was easily the best show I saw all year (all decade??).
5.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
This may be a little bit backlash related, but as much as I love this record (and I really do), the record is really not deserving of all the hype. I can't help but think that it's the collaborations that make this record work as (with the exception of the whole Sarcophagus - esophagus line) Kanye's performance on this record is not necessarily his best (and Jay-Z's appearance is borderline brutal). Nicki Minaj steals the show clearly (EVERY TIME she raps, not just on "Monster"), and Rick Ross, the Rza and that dude from Bon Ivery do a fine job as well. But outside of the guest spots, the record is really only good, not great. That said, from "Power" through to "Monster" is some of the best pop music you'll ever hear.
5. 1.) Poirier - Running High
Proving yet again that as much as I like to rock out, I like dancing even more.
4.) Women - Public Strain
I haven't loved a rock record this much in ages. "Eyesore" is particularly beautiful. I think I've said enough about this record elsewhere.
3.) Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
Carl Wilson recently criticized this record for its lack of editing. Honestly I can't find a song on this record I would want to take out. If I were to rank this records in accordance to the number of times I've played them, Have One On Me would win by a country mile.
2.) Janelle Monae - The Arch Android
I can't help but see/hope Afro-futurism becoming the next big musical genre. Especially considering how awesome this record. I mean seriously, the record is 70 minutes long and, with the exception of the misguided Of Montreal collaboration "Make the Bus", the record really never loses my attention. Plus, how can you not help but love someone as ridiculously awesome as Janelle Monae?
1.) Darkstar - North
This is the record I've been waiting the Junior Boys to make since Last Exit. A perfect blend of dubstep, wonky, synth pop and crooner vocals. I could listen to this record a 100 times and it would surprise me every time. Here's their wonderful cover of The Human League's "Gold".
Friday, December 3, 2010
Out to Lunch
So, maybe it's been a while since I last posted on here. Sorry about that. It's been pretty freaking busy in my life lately. To make it up to you I'm working on what hopes to be a killer year-end wrap up that I will be posting between the 17th and 20th of this month (after all my papers, and before I leave for the holidays). To set things up you should first go a check out Fact Magazines top 50 albums list which I always find provides a nice counterpoint to many of the North American based website lists as it introduces a bunch of unknown British acts, and is unapologetic about its love for hardcore electronic music. Then, check out these videos from artists who will all be appearing on my list.
Little Women
Freeway and Jake One
The Budos Band
Oneohtrix Point Never
Poirier
Tomboyfriend
Future Islands
Joanna Newsom
Little Women
Freeway and Jake One
The Budos Band
Oneohtrix Point Never
Poirier
Tomboyfriend
Future Islands
Joanna Newsom
Monday, November 8, 2010
One the Program Today ...
Just a heads up. Tonight the wonderful and talented Bucky Driedger from the Liptonians and Royal Canoe will be co-hosting the show with me. Bucky's a great guy, with excellent taste in music so it will be fun to hear what he brings tonight. He'll also be talking with us about the upcoming Liptonians album fundraiser happening on Saturday at the Park Theatre with Wool on Wolves and Henry and the Nightcrawlers. Should be a blast!
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