My recent mp3 music mix is filled with everything I could scramble together from the Deadly Snakes (RIP 2006) and taking a look over my general favourites 2008, I have to give a huge "I love you so much, sob..." to Canadian indie music.

Maybe it is just me but I have the feeling that Canadians are able to take a Genre, drag it through some dark forests and dirty roads to turn it into something completely eccentric, innovative and new. Whenever I stumble upon a band that makes it hard to compare it with another band, I have to find out they are from Canada.

Maybe it is the same phenomenom as with the Desert Rock crew. Because most Canadian bands share more than one band with each other, therefore creating a huge network of musical genius across the country. Or it is the syrup and the bears, yeah, I think that's it.

If I had a timemachine and could travel to every time imaginable to see great concerts of the past, one of my first choices would definitely be one of the Deadly Snakes shows. I know, I know, "how about The Doors and Nirvana and Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin?", well I would eventually come to them but the loss of seeing this band live is so frustrating because the split up about 2 years ago. It's like a gigantic V flicked in front of me when I discovered them. They are generally described as Garage, or better, as influenced and starting out as Garage, although they pretty much mixed everything else into their music as well. Some of their songs sound like Gospels dragged through the mud, some sound like dirty punk beasts laced with folk and some of them sound like indiesongs tortured with sandpaper. Everything sounds a bit raw and edgy but with so many musical details and a stunning songwriting that it's impossible to assign them to a genre.

One of the major evidences that this band is/was awesome is the fact that all the following bands after the split up are fantastic as well. Nordic Nomadic (beautiful indie), Andre Ethier solo (songwriter a la Nick Cave and Bob Dylan) and Quest for Fire (supercool Stoner Rock). Seriously, three superb bands/artists out of one band? That's only possible if that band was The Deadly Snakes.

I know, Sunset Rubdown is a project by Spencer Krug of the Wolf Parade, so why not introducing the Wolf Parade here? Well, I love the Wolf Parade but I am in love with Sunset Rubdown. It's "Shut up I am dreaming of places where lovers have wings" that pretty much stunned me from the first second on. There is so much beauty, cynicism and itsy bitsy details in their songs that it doesn't matter, whether the song is 3 or 7 minutes long, you will enjoy the ride because it definitely is a ride. Racing through the songs, bumping into screaming obstacles and experimenting with instruments like mad scientists, a short introduction to the sunset rubdown is not possible because a short introduction into a musical freak show of modern artrock is impossible.

A new song sang in the back of a cab. His voice is a miracle.

The weirdest thing about this band, which is also closely connected to the Wolf Parade, is the fact that their name actually translates into their songs. No, this is no pretentious interpretation of a Jason Pollock picture trying to drag some explanation of economy and social criticism into it. But the image of the frog, something you can lick for drug pleasures, something you can kiss to get a prince to marry and live happily ever after with and something that always seems to stare in an irritating, nearly manic way is pretty close to what you feel when you listen to the Frog Eyes. Their music feels manic, sped up, dreamy as if someone mixed some LSD into your fairy tales. Even their 9 minute monster Bushels seems to be over in a minute because this reckless piano and Carey Mercer's adorable voice that always seems to long for something swirl you around and keep you in a dream that is beautiful and disturbing at once.

Idle Songs (it's an insane video, I am not joking)

There are also a hundred other fantastic bands but I am busy with cleaning my room and getting ready for the semester start next week (I also have to find another three bands for the next blog) but here are some bands I also recommend, if I haven't already praised them. Although you probably already know them. Anyway, here they are:

The Deadly Snakes crew: Nordic Nomadic, Quest For Fire, Andre Ethier

Other Bands (Indie, Electro, Alternative): Besnard Lakes, Plants and Animals, Crystal Castles, Junior Boys, Stars, Great Lake Swimmers, Tokyo Police Club

Så nu skall jag sura för att det inte blev något nytt idag.
Surhet blandat med att lyssna på indierockarna Wolf Parade.

The new Vivian Girls LP (actually a re-release of a 1000-copy pressing earlier this summer from In The Red records) is, as is so often the story, the culmination of a long wait after a year or so of massive underground hype. In this effort, the all-girl trio from Brooklyn actually live up to expectations.

The album, all 22-minutes of it, is brimming with energy. The band plays fast and furious in an impeccably lo-fi environment. The noise and distortion also conceal some pretty excellent pop hooks and even some sung harmonies. However, all of this is basically the checklist for a good punk/lo-fi album these days, and hardly makes the Vivian Girls special.

What does make the album special is the way the emotional intensity is channeled into a coherent narrative structure. On the A side, the protagonist goes from the nascent inklings of a crush to finally having the object of her desire and announcing it jubilantly in "Tell The World". Those of you with the vinyl go to flip the album over, only to be met the first cracks in the relationship. The somber "Where Do You Run To" leads into the actual breakup, which climaxes with "No". The bitterness, anger and nihilism of the post-breakup world comprise the subject matter of "Never See Me Again" and "I Believe In Nothing"*.

Throughout this story, the emotions felt are palpable. The driving musical background thrusts the intense, youthful feelings to the forefront and keeps them there. And obviously the listener identifies easily with the protagonist, having lived through the same thing probably once every 6 months in high school.

The intensity of the emotional content and the way it's conveyed do, however, severally limit its depth. "Tell The World" is hardly the most insightful commentary on newfound love ever recorded, and similarly, yelling "no!" for a minute and 20 seconds doesn't really help anyone sort out the complex anxieties of an ended relationship.

This doesn't mean it's not a completely effective and valid representation of those anxieties though. "No" is essentially the Platonic ideal of breakup anger. If you don't ask for insight the Vivian Girls won't disappoint. On this album they present a vigorous and captivating portrait of a relationship encapsulated in a few key emotions, and I'm fine with that.

Rating: 7.9

*Note: All the cool kids this fall will be making mixes that begin with Wolf Parade's "I'll Believe In Anything" and ending with the Vivian Girls' "I Believe In Nothing".

Was man zu hören kriegt, sind ein Dutzend verführerischer Ohrwürmer mit trademarkig jaulenden Gitarren und leicht windschiefem Gesang - so gehört sich das halt in dem Sub-Genre. Wer einen Eindruck gewinnen will, sollte sich mal "Beauty Of A Scar" (hier Download) anhören.

Mock Orange, Captain Love (Mi Amante/ Cargo), VÖ: 26.09.2008

[2008, Secret City Records and Saddle Creek Records]

Release Date: October 7th, 2008

Land of Talk is one of the twenty or so bands to have ties to Broken Social Scene. Lead singer and guitarist Elizabeth Powell took up touring responsibilities with the Canadian behemoth of indie rock last year having already been involved in Land of Talk in 2006. She’s that other girl, not Feist, not Emily or Amy Haines, who sings on “7/4 (Shoreline)” when Broken Social Scene hits the road. After guest appearances with Brendan Canning on his last album, and the semi-recent cover of Patti Smith’s “Horses” for the The Tracy Fragments, Elizabeth Powell has finally made the time to put out a full-length with her main band Land of Talk.           

            After the well-received Applause Cheers Boo Hiss, the group began getting noticed by radio outlets and music blogs, touring with various Broken Social Scene members didn’t hurt either. Broken Social Scene aside, there are lots of other good bands from Canada currently making noise here in the states. Land of Talk will have to avoid the comparisons if they hope to become their own musical entity in the world of Canadian indie rock.

            Land Of Talk’s Some Are Lakes fails to find the same melodic footing that is so easily attained by the band’s big brothers and as for female singers doesn’t match up with Feist’s past two works. Before things get ugly, let me remind the reader that Justin Vernon, formally of Bon Iver fame, produced the album. While I don’t know how much of personal touch he had on the album, his sparse style does come through in songs like “It’s Okay” and “Troubled”. Oddly enough, those are the only two down-tempo songs on the album of mainly straightforward rockers.

            They'll be around for another decade, that’s plenty of time to mature into a butterfly or an indie rock music machine. Relative newcomers Wolf Parade also spent two years before putting out a full-length and we saw what happened to them. Perhaps it will take Land of Talk a few more EP’s and tours to figure it out. Let’s just hope that “Some are Lakes” doesn’t wind up in the finale of Grey’s Anatomy…

This is what Rilo Kiley always wanted to sound like... 

Fabakis Rating: 7.4 (Shoreline)

Buy the album via Saddle Creek 

Land of Talk - Remaining 2008 Tour Dates
10/8 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College *
10/11 - Madison, WI @ Union Theatre/Univ. of Wisconsin *
10/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
10/14 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown *
10/16 - Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont *
10/17 - Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note *
10/18 - St. Louis, MO @ The Gargoyle *
10/19 - Urbana, IL @ Foellinger Auditorium/Univ. of Illinois *
10/21 - Richmond, VA @ Toad's Place *
10/22 - Falls Church, VA @ State Theatre *
10/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Masonic Temple *
10/25 - Brunswick, ME @ Bowdoin College *
10/26 - Boston, MA @ Wilburt Theatre *

* w/ Broken Social Scene

Nick Lowe-Jesus of Cool [1978 reissue]
Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians-Fegmania! [1985]
Vivian Girls-Vivian Girls [2008]
Metallica-Death Magnetic [2008]
Phil Spector-Echoes of the 60's [1977 "greatest hits" compilation]
Wolf Parade-At Mount Zoomer [2008]
Magnetic Fields-Distortion [2008]
Sloan-Parallel Play [2008]

Here's video of Vivian Girls' first video for the track "Tell the World" from their debut album, recently reissued by IN THE RED records. Catch 'em on tour.

Give me your eyes – I hate sunshine.

-- Wolf Parade, I’ll Believe In Anything

*

She finds herself faltering -- backing off, even -- because he surprises her. He surprises her with his constancy. His hotheaded assurance that things really are the way they are and that there are no hidden meanings, despite it being adorable that she insists otherwise. She finds herself asking stupid questions and offering up information that seems terribly irrelevant, like it’s raining, when they’re both soaked to the skin and running towards their tent.

It’s November and as far from the rainy season as one can get, but the sky doesn’t seem to care. The ceiling has overturned like a pot of freezing water, and in response, the fiery remains of festival sizzle and hiss. In fact, Beatrice swears, as they finally break free from the boiling torrent of other confused and soaked showgoers, that there is smoke rising from the top of his dishevelled head, and almost voices her concern for his safety except that he monopolizes the expletives – all of them – first.

“Fucking rain!” he exclaims without reservation, while depositing her on her sleeping bag with a twist of his wrist. “I fucking hate this shitty city.” He flips the wet hair back from his forehead and glances at her as if to say, well could you agree already? And at her hesitation, continues warmly: “The rain just doesn’t fall straight down anymore, does it? It has to play games. Fucking mind games. You must enjoy this, Bee. You’re convoluted as hell, you know that?”

She is still finding it hard to believe how much ground he is capable of covering with one breath, but somehow manages to extract her tongue from its temporary paralysis. “Uh. No?”

“Whatever. What did you think of the band?” He shrugs off his backpack and starts going through it. “Singer thinks he’s fucking Liam Gallagher or something. What a cunt.”

“Who? Gallagher or the singer?”

“Both of them.”

“Hey! I happen to like Oasis.”

“Yeah, so do I. I’m just saying that they’re cunts. Dude thinks he’s Lennon reincarnate and fucking calls George Harrison a nipple. Anyway, I thought the band was shit. Cute guitarist though.”

She offers him a small smile, but feels a twinge inside.

He has always liked the girls with guitars. She remembers that she almost picked up the guitar back when she was trying to impress him with her musical prowess. Now she just tries to impress him, period, and with even less success. He’s just so strong with his convictions; they outstrip him most of the time, while hers drag along behind her like ribbons tied to tin cans. She thinks she hangs out with him mostly to watch him race those convictions; it’s a losing battle and they both know it, but it’s thrilling. Always thrilling.

“Thrilling,” she says aloud, which causes him to give her an odd look.

“What is?” he asks suspiciously.

“Uh. Nothing.”

“Okay. Well, it looks like this has effectively cancelled the rest of the day’s activities. We can’t walk around in this. We’ll drown in the mud. Chill here for a couple hours and then ponder?” His inflection makes it sound interrogative, but she knows his mind is already made up.

From his backpack, he extracts a pillow and a beer. The latter he tosses to her. “Here. Keep yourself hydrated, sweet cheeks.” At her botched catch, he just sighs. “Honestly. I don’t know why I even bother with you.”

She feels herself redden, as it’s a question that she’s often ruminated on. “Well, I advise you not to figure it out.”

“Whatever. I’ll say goodbye, then.”

Goodbye? Almost by reflex, she asks, “Where are you going, JuJu?” and immediately regrets the anxiety in her voice. His is deadpan by comparison and slightly muffled by the pillow, which he’s tucked between shoulder and neck as he zips up the backpack:

“To look for America, where else?”

She starts to breathe again. “Oh.”

“I’m kidding. To sleep, of course.” He slides into his sleeping bag in one swift motion. With his left arm, he throws a pillow at her, which hits flush in the face. “You should too. No worries, Bee. America will still be there in the morning. The rain won’t.”

She stares at the pillow, then back to him. She barely keeps the admiration from her voice. “You’re…so sure of yourself.”

“Of course I am. No one else is going to do it for me. Now leave me alone.” He turns his back to her.

But as she hears his breathing turn shallow and regular, she says what has been on her mind all day.

“Actually. I am very, very sure of you. And what are you going to do about that?”

*

a/n: For Norman. Because I promised. No theme, no importance whatsoever. Just a line about the rain that stuck with me.

2:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. Rosewood Thieves - Esurance Main Stage

I got to the venue in time to catch some of the Rosewood Thieves as they were finishing up their Dylan-esque folk rock set. I enjoyed the laid back jams I heard and wouldn't mind giving trying to check them out another time.

2:45 P.M. to 3:15 P.M. Snowden - New Belgium Stage

After making the long trek up the stairs from the Esurance Main Stage to the New Belgium, I had the chance to catch my breath during Snowden's chill rock set. I really enjoyed grooving to their experimental rock, but what really caught my interest were the amazing bass lines and soulful harmonies of Corinne Lee.

3:00 P.M. to 3:45 P.M. Tokyo Police Club - Esurance Main Stage

Of all the bands at the festival, I must admit that Tokyo Police Club was the band I was most excited to see. This was partly because I really like their music, but also partly because they've canceled three shows that I've tried to see them at and I was finally getting to see them play live. The boys did not disappoint and put on an energetic set that had the audience clapping along. They all seemed genuinely pleased to be playing for the crowd and their enthusiasm was well-expressed in their music.

3:45 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. The Handsome Furs - New Belgium Stage

The Handsome Furs were one of those bands that I thought was really good, but maybe not as great as people are making them out to be. Denver was excited for this band because they're not getting a visit from Wolf Parade on their upcoming tour, so I suppose this spin-off group sufficed. However, while they rocked musically, their stage show was a little dry.

4:30 P.M. to 5:10 P.M. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Woxy.com Stage

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson has been well-supported on this site by the other editors and writers and now I finally saw what the party was all about. MBAR and his supporting crew excellently swelled from mellow acoustic melodies to exploding indie rock anthems supported with big bass drums and guitar solos. MBAR treated the audience to a few new songs, which indicate the upcoming album should be amazing.

5:00 P.M. to 5:45 P.M. Tilly and The Wall - New Belgium Stage

Omaha represent! Tilly and the Wall are one of the best live groups you could possibly see. They play a series of songs that has everybody dancing whether they tap or not. One Omaha guy loves them so much he follows them around in fun outfits and Tilly even let him join them on stage. This was the first time I got to hear songs from O live and they sounded much better when accompanied by their live stage show than the recording was able to capture. My only regret about Tilly and the Wall was that I didn't plan ahead and try to carpool to Monolith with them.

5:50 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. The Whigs - Woxy.com Stage

When I heard the Whigs on the radio, I wasn't blown away. For the first song of their set, I still had yet to be blown away, but once the guys loosened up their Nirvana meets The Beatles music finally caught my attention. I especially loved when lead singer Parker Gispert kicked along with every clash of the cymbal.

5:45 P.M. to 6:45 P.M. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Esurance Main Stage

I just caught a few songs of soulful singer Sharon Jones' set, but she definitely has a powerful voice that will get people grooving along. The highlight of her show was when she spotted Tilly and the Wall's number one fan in the crowd and had security bring him on stage to dance with her.

6:30 P.M. to 7:15 P.M. The Kills - New Belgium Stage

There are just two members in the Kills, but they produce a sound as full as any band. This UK group is getting a lot of deserved buzz, but I suggest you catch them now before Alison Mosshart destroys her voice with her chain smoking.

7:15 P.M. to 8:15 P.M. Band of Horses - Esurance Main Stage

Band of Horses took to the main stage to play their easy rock tunes to a packed crowd that I was glad to see actually knew the words to more of their songs than what was in commercials like "Is There a Ghost." I saw these guys a few years and loved the vocals, but was kind of bored by the stage show, which offered little more than what you could hear on a CD. However, these guys have come into their own and feel a lot more comfortable being on stage and it shows on their songs. This was a much improved set.

7:10 P.M. to 7:50 P.M. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Woxy.com Stage

I wish I had gotten to this party sooner because I was forced to listen to the electronica songs of Does It Offend You, Yeah? from the hall as the played to an overflowing room of dancing bodies. Even from the hallway, they were a fun show to listen in on.

7:50 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. The Airborne Toxic Event - Gigbot Stage

So, you might have noticed that The Airborne Toxic Event's album's reviews are slightly mixed, though we love it. However, one thing is for sure and that is that their stage show is phenomenal. While all the musicians are quite skilled, keyboardist and violinist Anna Bulbrook especially shined on stage as she climbed on amps and rocks, while playing the violin.

8:15 P.M. to 8:45 P.M. Paper Bird - Madeloud.com Acoustic Stage

Up in the rocky mountains, Colorado has been keeping a little secret, but I doubt they'll be able to keep septet Paper Bird secret much longer. With bass, banjo, trombone and some of the prettiest harmonies of the weekend, it was hard to not to become endeared with this sweet group.

8:45 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. TV on the Radio - Esurance Main Stage

They almost didn't make it. Van troubles in Utah threatened to keep the boys in TV on the Radio away. Rumors the entire day were that they were not going to make it, but TV on the Radio insisted they wouldn't miss it for the world and the rented cars to speed through the mountains in. You have to admire a band that determined to not let their fans down. They barely got to the venue in time, but the drama of their drive and the lack of a warm-up did not seem to phase these boys as the ripped through a set of old and new material. The new album held up quite well next to the older songs.

Monolith Music Festival put together a great line-up of the finest indie acts. With five stages hosting one fine group after another, it is very hard to criticize any aspect of the festival. Although I wish more people had come for the entire weekend. In the future, a weekend with this solid of a line-up should be a sell out.

Monolith Music Festival: website | Sunday line-up | Saturday review pt. I | Saturday review pt. II

Photos and writing by: Bethany

Since Wolf Parade is from Montreal, it only makes since that they would have recorded their most recent album, At Mount Zoomer, in the church owned by Arcade Fire, right? Well maybe not, but they did. At Mount Zoomer is an interesting album. Rolling Stone probably said it best, "It's largely indecipherable, totally animalistic and frequently breathtaking." Their track Fine Young Cannibals has remained at the top of my playlists since the album dropped in June. And no, the track has no association with the 80's British band Fine Young Cannibals.

"Some reviews of Wolf Parade's recent At Mount Zoomer noted that the quality of the band's work might have taken a dip relative to 2005's Apologies to the Queen Mary as a result to the members' efforts with a multitude of attention-sapping side projects, including Handsome Furs, Frog Eyes, Swan Lake, and this Montreal-based outfit, Sunset Rubdown."

Indeed, it was The Village Voice itself that complained of creative thinness before. But I think differently. Krug, for instance, is simply a renaissance man. Constantly creating, constantly experimenting. And what's wrong with doing something else on the side, to please your own spark? Nothing.

Show Notes:
00:27 - Intro
01:37 - Ratatat at The Gargoyle
04:03 - Review: Whiteout by Greg Rucka / Steve Lieber
08:02 - September Book of the Month - Batman Year One by Frank Miller / David Mazzucchelli (47% off at instocktrades.com)
09:28 - Review: Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People Episode 1 (Wii)
12:52 - Review: Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
17:35 - Review: ASM #570
18:56 - Outro

Running Time: 20 minutes
--
Subscribe. Discuss. Read. RSS.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Wolf Parade, "At Mount Zoomer""][/caption]

At Mount Zoomer's high ambitions bring decidedly mixed results. Epic closer "Kissing the Beehive" rides its pretension and bombast to nowhere, and gets there very very slowly. "Call It a Ritual" begins with a gloomy, ominous bounce that fails to embody any real emotion; calculated bursts of noise fail to prevent the song from feeling limp and rote. "California Dreamer" employs goofy, mock-spooky organ and basslines that undercut the ambition in song's spaciousness and sprawl, before the song bizarrely degenerates into a brief Doors-like freak-out. This is no better of an idea here than it was when the Doors did it—though at least Wolf Parade's noodling doesn't last for minutes on end.

On the other hand, album opener "Soldier's Grin" achieves its appealing grandeur by alternating passages of tight and tense rhythmic guitar riffing with with huge, soaring verses. If the whole record had maintained both the big sound and emotive energy that are in full effect here at its start, At Mount Zoomer might have been a great deal more successful. "Language City" brings the pop song power to the fore—the song opens with a vibe that's no less ominous than that of "Call It a Ritual," but then smartly locks it in with a memorable vocal hook. Synthesizers snake around the song's closing bridge and coda, building just the right atmosphere and tension to take the repeated vocals home.

But the song that really keeps me coming back to At Mount Zoomer, and which reaffirms my belief that Wolf Parade remains a band with a bright future, is "The Grey Estates," the melody of which has been haunting me for weeks. The song tunefully expresses a simple-but-deep longing to abandon the status quo and hit the road for somewhere new—but complicates this idea with sad knowledge of the fact that the new place is likely to leave you feeling just as unsatisfied and restless as the old one. "So let the needle on the compass swing," the speaker implores, "Let the iron in your heart's blood ring." Restlessness and longing are facts of human nature, built into our very hearts—but maybe there's no time we're happier than when we're on the road with the wind in our hair and with our old homes receding behind us into the distance.

I really wasn't keen on the last Wolf Parade album, but I like this one much better.  The first was released about the time that Broken Social Scene, the New Pornographers and various others were leading something of an explosion of Canadian bands onto the scene, and all the talk was of these loose-knit collectives which seemed to spawn endless musical projects with a variety of combinations of members.

Wolf Parade themselves came from situation in Vancouver that was lumped into a similar box, although despite comprising former members of Frog Eyes and Hot Hot Heat, I never got the impression that it was quite the same thing.

The sound is very much what I would describe as characteristic blog rock.  Yelping vocals, delivered with a bit of spirit, with a sort of crunchy, awkward guitar sound underneath, and a spot of synthy organ for good measure.  It's not my favourite album of the year by any means, but songs like Call it a Ritual and California Dreamer really are excellent.  Others might not quite hit the spot as much, but there are a lot of things on this album that I really like.

Without meaning to be derogatory, I get the impression that this is a record that will provide me with a lot of fodder for mixes and playlists, without necessarily being one that I play in its entirety all that often.  I like it a lot more than the last one though, which seems like a good sign to me.

Wolf Parade - Call it a Ritual[audio http://www.matthewjamesyoung.com/sbt/WolfParade-CallitaRitual.mp3]
Wolf Parade - California Dreamer[audio http://www.matthewjamesyoung.com/sbt/WolfParade-CaliforniaDreamer.mp3]

MySpace | More mp3s | Buy from Amazon

Yahtzee, game on.

Ever read a news story while instantly visualizing the next three headlines on that topic in the coming weeks? This was precisely my experience with this announcement from Hallmark that they would begin selling cards appropriate for gay-marrieds becoming civilly unionized, or whatever they call it these days, just in time for Portellen's joyous union. These new cards arrive on the heels of a series of "coming out" cards unveiled last year by the retailer.

Cue the protesters: A number of Hallmark stores in the state of Idaho have announced that they will not carry the new offerings. The esteemed American Family Association has also added Hallmark to their shit list by encouraging a protest, just as they had earlier this year with the homo-friendly, gay pride mongers McDonald's. Their rationale?

"... promoting same-sex marriage for profit is not the very best for families or our nation. Hallmark is a private company obviously driven by greed," reads the official AFA petition. "Let them know you do not appreciate Hallmark promoting a lifestyle which is illegal in 48 states."

Ho hum. You would think that the right-wing conservatives would find it enough to simply not buy the ghey cards and let the Bush-endorsed capitalist marketplace work itself out by eliminating the unholy pieces of parchment stuffed in equally evil envelopes. This is almost as amusing as the post-9/11 Dixie Chicks protest.

Speaking of illegal lifestyles and weddings, check out this story about a Michigan couple that was recently straight-married and wound up being tasered and spending the night in separate prison cells. Is this proof that the homosexual agenda has finally gained steam? Or did a bunch of bitches just get schwasted? Judge for yourself

Download: Dosh 'I Think I'm Getting Married'

Download: Wolf Parade 'Call It a Ritual'

Download: Telepathique 'Love and Lust'

If you haven't heard of them, check em out. If you have spread the joy!
Wolf Parade is this months "Band of the month".
http://www.myspace.com/wolfparade

When I listen to music, I'm always accidentally making connections between the things I listen to. It might be from spending too much time in school, but I think it's just what we humans do: we try to make narratives out of whatever's at hand. Which is why, when I realized that four songs I absolutely adore somehow have the same title, I tried to figure out what bound them together. Was Spiritualized deconstructing the Rolling Stones? Did Wolf Parade cop lyrical matter from the Constantines? Was it one long story, like a rock version of telephone? What conspiracy was this?

All I got is this: all of these songs are celebrating beauty through some kind of pain, through the hardness of life. It sometimes seems desperate, like when Steve Lambke sings, "Half done, half done," or in the guitar squalls Spiritualized throws in at the end, but all these songs end up making me glad to be around.

The Rolling Stones - Shine a Light

Spiritualized - Shine a Light

The Constantines - Shine a Light

Wolf Parade - Shine a Light

PS - Sorry the first is an m4a - the original is packed and shipped, so I can't reformat. But if you don't have "Exile on Main Street," you shou...nah, you've got it. What was I thinking?

My mom said I should focus on one thing at a time. She thinks this music blogging business is 100% pure procrastination. She makes a good point. Doesn't mean it's right or that I'll listen to her, but I will certainly give it some thought. While I'm thinking, I'll spit a bunch of songs out, so that I can take a breather and not feel bad about it. So, for no particular rhyme or reason and in no particular order I'd like to present the following:

The Cure - 10:15 Saturday Night
Them - I Can Only Give You Everything
Sizzla - Jerusalem (Like Mountains)
The The - This Is The Day
The Association - Never My Love
Jeru the Damaja - Ya Playin' Yaself
Petula Clark - Angel of the Morning
New Order - Age of Consent
Neil Diamond - Kentucky Woman
Missy Elliot - Work It
Lovin' Spoonful - Nashville Cats
Buju Banton - Love Sponge
The Manhattans - Shining Star
Method Man & Redman - Da Rockwilder
Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Grey Cell Green
Dr. Dog - From
Simon & Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy In New York
Wolf Parade - Kissing The Beehive
Novos Baianos - Tinindo Trincando
The Small Faces - Itchycoo Park
Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
Joe Bataan - Ordinary Guy
Broadway Hush - Tonight You Belong To Me

PS - I love my mom, she's the greatest!

PPS - Check out those glasses!

PPPSSS - I've been overdoing it with the postscripts. This is the last one, I swear.

I was never the biggest fan of Wolf Parade, nor was I ever their smallest. I greatly (and I mean greatly) appreciate their talent, but something about their music just doesn't connect with me on an emotional level. My appreciation of them is strictly technical.

Regardless, I was impressed by their show last night at metropolis : setting aside the crazily entertaining songs, amazing vocals (so rare these days) and totally fresh dynamics, I was mostly happy about the fact that the whole thing felt like a bar concert from a start-up band. And I mean that in the best way possible : no stage decoration, no fancy lights, no custom-made apparel or flashy gear. It was just them, with their instruments, rocking out. This is the way rock should be and this is the way it isn't nowadays. So Hats off for them !

And for that, I will listen more and more to their music to try and "connect" with it. Because they clearly deserve my attention and I feel bad for not giving them more of it.

Enjoy Call it a Ritual, a great song from their new album

[audio=http://earfarm.com/music/02%20Call%20It%20a%20Ritual.mp3]