Photo By Shauna Patterson
Time For A Road Trip!

I’m off to the cottage for four days of chelaxing on the dock. My two week vacation is winding down, and honestly, I’m loathing going back to work.

Upcoming Shows:
July 16, 2005 – Final Fantasy @ The Trasheteria in Peterborough, Ontario
September 10, 2005 – Sufjan Stevens @ St. Pauls Trinity, Toronto, Ontario
Semptember 16, 2005 – White Stripes w The Greenhornes @ The Molson Ampitheatre, Toronto, Ontario

Top 10 Albums of 2005 (Thus Far)
Part One
I’ve jumped on the mid-year top 10 list bandwagon (as seen on Chromewaves et. all). Here is the first five of my favourite 10 albums that have been released this year. I’m going to do them in alphabetical order, which I feel is easiest, because I honestly can’t rank them in terms of my favourite to least favourite.

01. Amusement Parks On Fire - Self-Titled
I first read about these guys on Stereogum, where they were describred as emo-gaze (as in emo and shoegaze), and decided to check out their my space (click to sample a few of their songs). They blew me away upon first listen. Sad, emo-like vocals, over waves of distorted, My Bloody Valentine guitars. This is what Mogwai would sound like if Stuart could actually sing and write lyrics. They remind me of a louder, more aggressive Wrens, which may seem like a werid comparison. The Wrens always felt like emo for adults, emotional music with mature themes, instead of your typical “she left me and broke my heart” pop-punk type. This album is in the same vein but takes its inspiration more from shoegaze than indie rock (the Wrens).

02. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
I’m not going to bash Pitchfork like tons of people do, because they turn me onto tons of great music. This album was reviewed by them at the beginning of the year, and they added it to their best new music section. The first time I listened to it, I pretty much hated it. But after a couple listens, I fell in love with it. Antony’s vocals are strong yet fragile. His lyrics make me smile and want to cry at the same time. I don’t think that any album has effected me emotionally like this has since I first heard Elliott Smith back in high school (and The Smiths/Morrissey for that matter). There are many guest appearances on the album by notible musicans such as Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright and Devandra Banhart.

03. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
The release Silent Alarm marks the end of the nu-wave 80′s revival. Even though there are still tons of bands releasing albums within this genre (for example, the Kasier Chiefs, The Bravery, Maximo Park) the scene is offically over. The shit that’s coming out this year is so derivative, and these newer bands are re-hashing the sound of 2001-2002 a la the Strokes. Bloc Party stand out because they kids can really play their instruments, their rhythm sections is incredible, and Kele is a great frontman that isn’t afraid to look like he’s having a good time. I caught them for their debut show in Toronto at the Opera House and they were just as impressive live as they are on disc.

04. Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
Here’s another guy that tons of people like to talk shit about. Bright Eyes aka Connor Obest’s I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, shows once again what an incredibly brilliant songwriter he is. Every track on this album is great, Connor weaves touching narratives in his lyrics that deal with everything that is important in our lives. Standout tracks include Land Locked Blues, The First Day Of My Life and Poison Oak. The one thing that surprised me about this album is the fact that he left “When The President Talks To God” off the album. Follow the link to download the track for free from iTunes or his live performance on the Tonight Show.

05. The Decemberists - Picaresque
The Decemberists third album reminds me of reading literature from the past. The songs are all narrative-based, with a slew of interesting characters. Colin Meloy is not only a songwriter, but a writer of fiction. The Decemberists remind me a lot of Belle And Sebastian, but with much more mature songwriting. This album translates very well live, Meloy and company are excellent live musicians. Check out Chromewaves for some great pictures from the show I attended at the Phoenix in Toronto.

Photo By Mark Balson
Picture for Blog Profile.

New Missy Elliott Video for “Lose Control”
In the words of little Gwen, THIS SHIT IS BANANAS!! Just click on the videos tab on the bottom of the screen, and select the video. It’s insane that Missy keeps pumping out the hits. Every single she releases is pure genius.

Free Broken Social Scene Show This Friday (July 8th)
BSS are playing a free show in Toronto this friday night at Dundas Square for Celebrate Toronto(Yonge and Dundas Sts) at 10pm. This show starts at 8pm, and unfortunately, those who show up early will sit through horrendous sets by Great Big Sea, Holly Cole and Jully Black.

Free Out Hud Show This Saturday (July 9th)
Out Hud are playing a free show at Harbourfront Centre for Beats, Breaks and Culture: Electronic Music Festival. They’re playing the CIBC Stage at 8pm.

Shauna and I, July 2, 2004
Taken the night of my birthday dinner.

Youth Group…The New Coldplay?
Youth Group are a Death Cab endorsed, Austrialian band that have recently released their second album on Epitaph records here in North America. First off, don’t be put off by the fact that they’re signed to a punk label. They sound like Death Cab meets Coldplay, amazing ballads. Formed in Sydney, by Toby Martin (guitar/vox) and Danny Allen, the band recruited another guitarist (Cameron Emmerson) and a bassist (Patrick Matthews) to fill out the band. Skeleton Jar is emotional indie rock, but with better production. I want to love this band, but the fact that they sometimes tred so close to the other Martin’s band, makes me want to throw things at my stereo (I really can’t handle Coldplay anymore. Chris Martin has turned into the most annoying, cheesy man in music, and their sound is so derivative and bland, like eating unsalted soda crackers by the fistful). I am happy to see a band like Youth Group come out of Austrailia, instead of all the other shit (The Vines, Jet, Silverchair) that has been exported in the last decade. So in conclusion, are Youth Group the next Coldplay? Unless Toby marries a hollywood blonde and spawns a piece of fruit, I think it’s safe to say the the boys in Youth Group will end up alright, and not annoying.

Related Links:
http://www.youthgroup.com.au/

Has Chuck Palahnuik lost it?

I just finished reading his new collection of short stories titled “Haunted” and was incredibly disappointed. The plot is based around a group of people that sign up to go on a writer’s retreat for three months. The retreat location ends up to be an abandoned movie theatre, where the group is locked and held against their will. Each person is forced to write a poem, and short “dark” story based on their life. I liked the basis of the book, but I feel that Palahniuk dropped the ball in terms of character development and emotional attachement to the said characters (which is prevalent in his past work). I could care less that characters were cutting off limbs and committing suicide, because I didnt really have a feel for who they were. Overall, it’s not terrible (I’d rather read this than some shit Oprah book club book), but it’s not the classic Palahnuik I expected.
Related Links:http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/