Again, How Much Is Too Much?

Handclaps in songs, baby. Handclaps in songs.

Rilo Kiley - The Frug
Viva Voce - From The Devil Himself
Lo-Fi-FNK - A. D. T.
El Perro Del Mar - I Can't Talk About It
Maps & Atlases - Every Place Is A House

Give me a moment please, to get over an almost crippling desire to make a really bad pun about my 3rd favourite STI.

Okay thanks, I'm ready.

Anyway: are there far too many songs with handclaps in them? I claim there are! I find handclaps annoying and ugly!

I sort of liken them to an old fat bald man walking into my photographs. I've got this perfect scenic framing all worked out, and the camera's settings are all just right (for once), but then I push the button and, damn, it's Horatio the Janitor all up in my memories. It's damaging, you know. And all I want to do is show my mommy the badass shot of the bean in Chicago with all the reflections lined up the way I want them to be, but this guy's mug is in the way, always in the way, with his pockmarked scalp and you can just SEE from the way he's blurred at the edges how RUDELY he must've been darting around, getting in EVERYBODY's pictures--

Besides, you see that shit in the liner notes, "thank you to so-and-so for your delightful handclaps", and it's like, wow so-and-so, you've amounted to so much, this is the life you chose?, etc.

Also I beg you to consider what exactly the handclap is: when you clap, the flesh and bone in your palms are knocking against one another. Try it! It's like if you were beating a rug with a flyswatter, but your rug and your flyswatter are MADE OF MEAT. Only nothing like that I would assume, but it's still gross.

What's more, all three bands mentioned in the first "How much is too much?", use handclaps! Coincidence...?

Fire!

Much as I found their first album kind of annoying, their second album is quite an accomplishment. That and they're bringing back the organ! There's been a void in my life ever since I left the church choir that can only be filled by the power and majesty of that instrument. Ok, I don't know how to write. But still, the point is that organs sound cool. Anyway, (I never thought I'd say this but) big-it-up for the Arcade Fire. Also the exact same can be said for the latest Clap Your Hands... record. Sheesh, what's next? Me, liking a BSS album? Don't think so!

Architecture in Helsinki: Australian Terriers of Indie Pop

AUSTRALIAN TERRIERS: Small hairy creatures yelping for meat and jelly from a can, and sometimes wearing cones around their faces.
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI: Small hairy creatures yelping for meat and jelly from a can, and sometimes wearing cones around their faces.

AUSTRALIAN TERRIERS: Used for rodent and snake control, adept at driving most living creatures and some non-living creatures away after a certain period of time with their exhaustingly obnoxious bark.
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI: Used for rodent and snake control, adept at driving most living creatures and some non-living creatures away after a certain period of time with their exhaustingly obnoxious bark.

AUSTRALIAN TERRIERS: Despite their many faults, their even disposition does make them suitable companion dogs.
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI: Ditto.

OTHER MUSICAL TERRIERS
James Blunt: West Highland Terrier of Breathy Musical Weeping
Ja Rule: Jack Russell of Hip-Hop
Animal Collective: Fox Terriers of Noise
Paris Hilton: Poodle Terrier of Lazy-Eyed Celebrities
Belle and Sebastian: Scottish Terriers.
The Arcade Fire: Airedales of Montreal
Six Organs of Admittance: Kerry Blue Terrier of Freak Folk
Google Image Result for Terrier Look Alike

Thank you for your time.

"Get Your Art On"? ft. Participation: Un Question Pour Vous!

I think this is a very cool thing!!!

But wait. If you feel like taking a look at the little art projects people have sent in to them...are they really good, or really bad? I honestly can't tell. But I do get the impression that pretty much anyone can design an appropriate cover-artwork-square-thing. Which is...depressing? Because designing album art could very well be one of the very raddest jobs out there, but I get the feeling, based on these examples others have sent in, and Sharpie graffiti on bus seats, and even just little sketches in the margins of kids' notes at school, that everyone is equally qualified for it. Art is easy, shit that looks good can happen out of anyone - maybe even YOU. Unfair, damnit! It makes my dream job far too easy to do and not get paid for, and damn near impossible to do in exchange for moneys. Also it makes me feel so very not-special.

AND, is there maybe a finite number of styles of album art out there? Bad grammar, maybe, but stuff looks the same as other stuff. I think.

Anyway, enough of that because I really must pose a certain question to The Ones Who Know (...I'm looking at you, Voxtrot fan guy):

Why isn't the Wolf Parade fellow really really really famous? He's talented and good looking with some likewise talented and good-looking chums, with whom he's made quite a bit of music. Near everyone who's heard them, likes them, and enough people have heard that you'd think word of mouth would make them bigger than U2. Would him and his cronies maybe be starsies if they were to unify their body of work or whatever, find some way to give it just one name instead of the one million different names they go by now? Or is it that they're Canadian (but has that ever mattered really)? Or that maybe I am dumb; uh, there's something obvious that I'm missing or what? They just aren't interested in getting lots and lots of money for something they do very well, or...is something stopping them? If so, what is it? Do they just need a bit more time?

Another Great Thing About Sweden

We all know about Sweden's extensive social programs, including their 62 weeks paid parental leave (with a right to return to the same job) as well as, of course, all of their attractive residents, but they've also added Peter Bjorn and John to their impressive resumé.

Voxtrot

Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives,

Raised by Wolves,
Rise up in the dirt!
Wrecking Force;
Missing Pieces
Sway.
Trouble.

Not poetry. Those are Voxtrot tracks. Go listen. Full-length being worked on...

Best of 2007

Update: Ok, too enthusiastic. Oops.

MySpace!

"It's a great way to get connected, keep in touch with old friends, make some new ones...BE BETRAYED BY ONE."

So a kid at school wrote this lengthy, whiny monologue about the emotional hazards associated with MySpace's illustrious "Top Friendzzzz" category, right, and then Time Magazine goes on for a million years about who and what has catapulted it/his/her/them/other -selves/-self into artistic greatness via this weird-ass website network...thing, so I figured it was time to hit up this dark and dreary and LAME (well, if you're like me, and start off not knowing where the hell to look) corner of the internet for myself. Admittedly I didn't get very far, but I'm learning.

I now present!
MY MYSPACE TOP FRIENDS, BUT NOT ON MYSPACE, YAH. ACTUALLY JUST FIVE MYSPACE LINKS TO...STUFF.

Ilona Mitrecey
I recommend you listen to: Un Monde Parfait

She's this twelve year old Parisian pop-star prodigy with videos of dancing marshmallows and such. I don't care that she doesn't write her own songs, or that she does a ton of commercials (eeeaagrr..), or that her voice is very doctored, or even that her videos look like Japanime or something awful like that. The "comments" section of the thing is dominated by NAZIS! What's not to like? "Danke schon, Ilona!" (that might be a curse! i don't know!) Oh, and that song up there? There used to be a better version of it up, with more awesome accordion action. This one is more techno and less French-outdoors-cafe-but-on-acid. Oh, well. A better video can be found here: http://wufs.net/coop/media/1-minute/Perhaps_512k.wmv !

DJ Hunnicutt,His Winnipegian Friends (not just those ones, there are many more on his "list", including Moses Mayes, that stuff's really good)
I reccommend you listen to: Memories

This is actually a poor replacement for Casper, because I lost the link to his thing (but if you can find it: he's a young Londoner and a very good freestyler, and I know he has a myspace SOMEWHERE...). Anyway, Hunnicutt's been around for a long time but no one seems to care, probably because he's just a tadge less "original" and "innovative" than he thinks he is (though, still pretty good) and thus hardly anything special, and also, maybe because he's had his fifteen minutes or whatever, maybe even some time before I was born. Though I do doubt that. Oh, he's got an OK record label, Peanuts and Corn, if you're at all interested. And there's a tutorial on crab-eating somewhere on the page, again, if you're interested. Two fun facts! One, he knows a lot about M*A*S*H, two, peanuts and corn are not only two of the slowes-digesting foods, they're also two of the top carriers of the CANCER-CAUSING "aflatoxins" also found in many animal products and genetically altered fruits and vegetables! Carcinogens everywhere you turn - learn about it, replace old insulation, don't inhale cleaning fluids, and fight cancer!!!

The Arsoncityscape
I recommend you listen to: We Will Go Down In History

Oh, brother - literally. There is nothing wrong with shamelessly promoting family members, especially if they're not bad, for a bunch of just-outta-highschool-ers. They've been doing this "glam rockpop" or "softcore emopop" (credit Isaac Sherry, 2007) since they were like eleven, and I guess the hard work (and breaking strings off my guitar, which I later had to pay for myself, which was totally not fair, until I got his bike stolen and now we're pretty much even, but not quite seeing as the bike was mad expensive, anyhow) pays off, or something. They've grown a lot in the past half-decade, from Grand Theft Gumball (the Simple Plan pastiche group) through to who they are now, and I got to watch them do it! But enough family sappiness. If you ignore the howling girls in my grade who respect them more than I do, and see nothing wrong with discussing their Madrenas Family Fantasies with me, they're great live, too. Unfortunately their very good looking bassist left recently, and they only just recently recorded some new stuff that's not finished yet, so I'm posting this right before they'll undergo changes, etc, or hit puberty or whatever. So if you don't like them now maybe you'll like them later?

Chris Bush
I recommend you listen to: The Ducks, VERY LOUDLY!

It's not even Chris Bush that I'm wild about, it's that one song. Pity it's not the full version there: the beginning of it, this lovely quietly swirling breathy-sounding-keyboard version of the main piano theme, that swells into the piano you hear here (hear here, hah), has been cut. It's still gorgeous, though! Words can't really describe this, especially if you don't know the Angles in America story, but try and picture: Prior and spectral Louis dancing by Prior's hospital bed, until the melody sort of...peaks, at which point, Louis drifts away to the park bench upstage, in Central Park, where he really is (in actuality he abandoned the sick Prior weeks ago). Prior dances with the air until suddenly, music changes, lights as well, he falls, coughing, into a red spotlight, sobbing and wheezing and twitching and sick until, finally, the music dies down and he collapses completely. The lights are back to normal, he's not dreaming anymore, just lying there, motionless............oh Christ it was such a good scene.

Roar & the Wolf
I recommend you listen to: Ghotel + Right Angles

Loverly electronica! Music avec le texture! This stuff is very Postal Service, and very awesome. I'm sort of typed-out, though (my arm's sore from giving blood - DO IT, easiest life i ever saved!), so I'm not going to go on for too long here. Just yeah, Ghotel is one of those wonderful modern-young-love-feeling songs like Such Great Heights (but not as sickeningly hear-it-everywhere-you-turn) that always puts a smile on my face. Am I making any sense, at all?

Also, www.myspace.com/exesandeyes is a friend of mine I've never actually gotten around to listening to, so if you want, you can do that.

Lastly, before I faint, Seth Cohen has a myspace. What does this mean? Can I contact him? MARRY HIM? ...please?

Can't You Just FEEL The Wetness Behind My Ears...

Okay, it may be just a trifle presumptuous of me to make a (VERY VERY LONG WINDED) best-of-2006 list when I heard maybe eight or nine percent of anything that came out, and also, everyone else on this site thing is probably way more qualified than me in this respect… But because I have little to say about Regina Spektor, it’s either this, or a picture of an eggplant (actually – good ones of those are really easy to find all over the internet, check it), or nothing at all. So?

Well first I’d like to state that two very epic albums didn’t make the list. Ghostface Killah’s Fishscale was simply too hardcore. I tried to put it on the list but it gosh, I got sick of putting bandaids on all the wimpy wounded albums who simply couldn’t live up to da spawn of Wu-Tang, yo. Also Futuresex/Lovesounds, though Sexy Back was the only listenable track, needs to be mentioned as it had the word “sex” printed on the insert at least ten times, assuming the word “sex” and the word “love” are interchangeable (“who ARE you, you’re fifteen, shut up.”)

Speaking of fifteen, that’s what it is, it’s a top fifteen. But go ahead and disagree with me about any of this and I’m sure you’ll be right.

15. The Blow – Paper Television

This album feels sort of pour-able. Like turning on a faucet – it’s on, and then it’s nice, and then it’s off. Maybe not extremely special, but really catchy nonetheless. And leaves lovely little evaporating beads of water on the bottom of your sink! Because what would the bugs drink otherwise? Thanks, Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt, for keeping the bugs satiated! Sorry what? Well your album’s really nice to hear, so thanks for that, too. But why do you guys look nightmarishly like men?!

Favourite Song: Parentheses (which I’m playing on loop RIGHT NOW)

14. Peter Bjorn & John – Writer’s Block

I’ll admit I only gave the album a listen because I was waiting for another Sharon Lois & Bram (I am forever waiting for another Sharon Lois & Bram.) That and my friend Levi classified the music as “shoegazing”, so what is that, anyways. Anyways. I like a lot of the vocal…stuff. Cute little guy-singing-with-girl harmonies or whatever, duets, are they called that?

Favourite Song: Young Folks – listen to it!

13. Vincent Delerm – Les Piqures d’Araignees

Bilingualism rules! I think this guy helped Yann Tiersen with the masterpiece that was the Amelie sountrack. Obviously this album doesn’t – couldn’t ever – live up to that, but it’s lovely nonetheless. The songs are so simple I’m sure you, or maybe Nick Carter, could have written them. In fact I think Nick Carter could be this guy’s American counterpart! But that doesn’t matter, at all, because French is the sexiest language and this album shows it.

Favourite Song: Favourite Song (seriously.)

12. Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope

My apologies! I’m constantly making fun of this creepy little Russian girl and her bouncy little songs and clicky-sounding little voice and little cookie-cutter fashionista fans and their use of non-words like “obv” and “def”. But honestly? When it comes to school coach bus rides to Toronto where it’s a choice between singing along to Fidelity or watching Elf, which would YOU pick? Besides: the Fidelity video: frigging gorgeous.

Favourite Song: On The Radio

11. The Whitest Boy Alive – Dreams

I’m trying to work the pun “black by popular demand” in here but it isn’t working. So anyway, this is the guy from Kings of Convenience being totally non-electronica-y and instead very traditional (drums. bass. guitar. voice.), and the simplicity is really very lovable. Hardly any layering, few effects, just clean and clear (but not a facewash?) and put-together sounding. The album is so Zenn-y and so effortless to listen to and totally the aural expression of its cover art; check that.

Favourite Song: Above You

10. Gym Class Heroes – As Cruel As School Children

The album that initiated my obsession with the phrase “on a scale of one to awesome I’m the shit”. Seriously, I can’t stand it when people complain about hip hop. You don’t like this stuff then you’re just a perverted old man trying to pick fights with teenage girls and watch them get “flustered”, also, the paint on your van is chipping guy and you have gnarly hands? On a scale of one to awesome, this album’s the shit!

Favourite Song: Scandalous Scholastics, but kudos to 7 Weeks for making a The Academy Is… song tasteful, and to New Friend Request for being the song I’d use to explain 2006 to the people of the future.

9. Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther

Fancy! I don’t know where the hell this came from, actually, but everyone is all over it, and I can kind of see why. It’s so delightfully old fashioned! It’s big sweeping stuff that sounds crap played quietly, but is totally worthy of listening to with eyes closed when blaaaaaaared. My family hates me? Ah, well! My ears don’t! …yet.

Favourite Song: Young Bride or Roscoe or Bandits or…well you get the picture

8. Copeland – Eat, Sleep, Repeat

This is the only non-local band I’ve seen live! (not counting individual artists as bands…) I’m pretty sure Aaron was drunk as hell but he can “emote” or whatever (and SWEAT) like no other. Tears in my eyes, seriously. (they come back on March the first!!!) They’ve gotten smarter and more worldly or something since their last album, though, and not as sappy – though still really maudlin, in a good way. Christy whistey, this album would make me cry if I let it. Though I don’t know where they stand in terms of public approval – do people hate them, or just not give a shit?

Favourite Song: I Think I’m Safer On An Airplane

7. Girl Talk – Night Ripper

Can you find any other, better obscure British mixtape hip hop? I didn’t think so. This isn’t necissarily “quality” stuff, if you want to engage in musical bigotry, but it’s mad fun to listen to and a wicked cool concept.

Favourite Song: the album is actually more just one continuous track?

6. The Divine Comedy – Victory for the Comic Muse

One of the most unjustly ignored albums ever, I found. Perhaps because this and all other of TDC’s stuff is really just a thinly-veiled Scott Walker impression? Though that doesn’t matter anymore – Mr. Walker’s dead to me after the pretentious, unlistenable abomination that was The Drift, but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, Bach as an influence really shines through here, the whole album’s kind of like a study in instrumentation, and beautiful. Orchestral stuff is rad? And the stories in the lyrics are just so vivid and his voice is just so grand and…I could go on forever…

Favourite Song: A Lady of a Certain Age (the lady’s increasing drunkenness is actually palpable when you hear the song, it’s just too good…)

5. Belle and Sebastian – The Life Pursuit

So apparently thirty billion minds think better than one. This band may have far too many people in it, but they really… “deliver”, even though it is really easy, too easy, to make fun of them. The only track I managed to genuinely hate though, was the first: "ohh if i could make se-ense of it all...i wish that i could SEE WHY EVERYONE LIKES THIS DUMB BAND?!" They’re a bit like Billy Joel though, both in the way the sound and the way they just…are. Like you recognize they’re not exactly brilliant, so why can’t you get these songs out of your head? Why are you still astounded at how cleverly (and Scottishly!) these lyrics are strung together, in a sort of way that makes it so you actually can’t physically stop yourself from singing along? Eh, it doesn’t matter. This Stuart fella’s simply charming.

Favourite Song: We Are The Sleepyheads (rrrrghsocatchy…) NO I CHANGED MY MIND, Dress Up In You is better

4. Lily Allen – Alright, Still

Imagine Noel Coward, in drag, on speed, imitating old school Nelly Furtado in a cockney accent. Or like, a chavvy Regina Spektor, Regina minus that sort of dreamy ennui stuff, and more honest. Also, witty, and kind of bitter. Plus Lily Allen’s fans don’t say “fave”. And every track on this thing could be some other album’s flagship single. They’re all just that good. I think, at least. Maybe not? Alright, still. (OH HO.)

Favourite Song: buh, all of them? LDN’s my favourite at the moment

3. Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming

I’m obsessed with vocals and generally can’t listen to anyone who can’t sing right but – oh wait, what’s this? Maybe this is only on here, and so high up on the list, to try and balance out the distinct lack of Canadians (sorry?). But I think I just love this album and can’t figure out why. Actually yeah, it’s just spectacular. Epic even. I’m raving, can you tell?

Favourite Song: I’d say the title track, but it takes eight minutes to do what They Took A Vote And Said No does in three.

2. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife

Admittedly at first I hated this album. What I loved about the Decemberists was that feeling like they recorded down by the docks in the fog, or something. This album didn’t feel that way at all, initially. Too polished and expensive-sounding but almost phony. I thought it wasn’t as dynamic as Picaresque, not as quirky (??) as Her Majesty, not as impressive as The Tain, etc, etc – but how wrong I was. I gave it a few more listens and then eventually a few bazillion more listens and I think every album should be like this. It’s a concept album but not as in-your-face concept-y (read:lame) as other concept albums. It’s tight, musically, lyrically, just really really good. And, as I now see (hear!), not worse than their other stuff in fact, on the contrary, it’s the culmination of everything Colin Meloy’s done so far and I’m sure they’re only going to get better from here. This album is…uh…perfect, almost.

Favourite Song: toss-up between Yankee Bayonet and O, Valencia!, if songs could flip coins

1. CLAY AIKEN – A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS!!!!!!!

So I’m sure I speak for the entire world when I say we all love Clay’s new look, eh? And like, just how awesome he is? Did you see him on Oprah? Did you? Did you? He finally reavealed his true feelings for Simon Cowell? SO emotional. (I’m not entirely kidding actually – I saw ‘im live! His first Canadian concert! It was Claymate History!)

Favourite Song; ALL OF THEM (just kidding, it sucked)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mashups, Cover Albums, Crazy People

Xiu-Xiu will release an album of covers next year with Sunset Rubdown providing a track. Deerhoof has had this album of covers available for free for a while now.

Also, this is happening: Scarlett Sings Tom Waits. Finally, if you're one of those millions of people whose favourite bands are both Queen and G-Unit, now they're together, at last.

How much is too much?

The Boy Least Likely To, The Bicycles, Math and Physics Club, what's with all this cute indie rock? Now, don't get me wrong; I love animals and kid-like illustrations and melodic music, but when do we reach the saturation point? As Socrates said, 'Check out the tits on that one" Wait, that was a creepy eighty-year old man from the British consulate in Chongqing. Sometimes I get my stories confused. Anyway, as Socrates said "everything in moderation", so if you can't handle this much indie cute-ness, here's the polar opposite, who today released a 'best of'.

Africa

First, I’d like to state for the record that I have great trouble with the labels ‘world music’, ‘alternative’ and ‘indie’. Basically, you shouldn't define genres using relative terms that have nothing to do with the genres themselves.

The necessary alternative to ‘world music’ must be ‘non-world’ music. This doesn’t make any sense. ‘Alternative’ music is a misnomer since it is usually mainstream, and as such, not the alternative. Finally, ‘indie’ music is rarely ‘independent’ in the sense that the producer is the owner. Instead, the producer’s work is owned by record labels, which may not even be that small and whose main difference may simply be an inferior capacity to distribute. Ideally, ‘independent’ labels are different by ensuring that artistic integrity is not compromised by corporate goals in the course of the production process. But I think that too often an artificial dichotomy is drawn between ‘indie music’, ‘alternative music’, ‘world music’ etc and this can serve to obscure rather than clarify. In reality, there is a continuum between the ‘mainstream’ and ‘indie’ music. More importantly, what's 'mainstream' in one place is 'indie' in another.

All of the above is a preamble for the following point. Africa, home to a plethora of cultures, styles, traditions, etc possesses a cornucopia of musical talent. Among that talent, Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Salif Keita, Rokia Traoré, Cecile Kayirebwa, Orchestra Baobab, Cesaria Evora and Mulatu Astatke, among many others, feature prominently. They make ‘world music’. It is very mainstream amongst connoisseurs of ‘world music’ but it is also very ‘indie’ in the sense that the ‘western mainstream’ does not recognize ‘world music’ as much or as often as it should. I hope that this post goes some way towards correcting that deficit.

On a related note, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) has worked with Malian musicians on Mali Music and with Tony Allen on his new project the Good, the Bad and the Queen and I am pleased to report that, like most things he has done, the results are impressive.

Happy Yet Sad

I wish there was a word for that. Logic would seem to suggest that there shouldn't be. But if it existed it'd be the most accurate word to convey my feelings about two cool shows going on in Toronto this upcoming week.

On Thursday, November 9 at The Boat you could see The Patients. The patients made an ep in 2003 and then disappeared for three years. I guess they got tired of pretending to not exist so they decided to finally make the full-length "Get Well Soon". Check
them out, they're a lot of fun live.

then

On Wednesday November 15th at The Drake, you could see Handsome Furs. Handsome Furs is a side-project from Dan Boeckner of Atlas Strategic and Wolf Parade fame. (Check out Wolf Parade's other side-projects Sunset Rubdown, Johnny and the Moon, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, if you haven't already) Anyway, it's just him on guitar and his fiancé Alexei Perri on drum machine and other gizmos. It's pretty minimalist and pretty fucking cool. He's a super nice guy and I have little doubt that this will be really awesome.

....and I'm stuck in fucking Kingston!