RAGE!!!!

Rage! A tremendous and sometimes wonderful emotion. Many things set off the Rage factor, stupid people, exes, getting punched in the face. So when you feel the Rage you need a different music then you might typically listen to. Let's face it Sigur Ros or Flo Rida are not going to sufficently let you get that feeling out. I had a day which was neither good or horrible, but instantly became bad when I ran into an ex who I hate more than I can ever express. So off to my car I went plugged in my iPod and began looking through my collection for some good music to get that crappy feeling away. Here's what I listened to and why.

Killswitch Engage: Wow! This is an anger filled band, a lot of loud guitar and screaming. As far as metalcore bands go, they are pretty good. The screaming and rage they convey in their songs certainly help get that feeling out of you. Their album 2006 release As Daylight Dies provides great tracks expressing anger and rage. This started off the car ride and certainly made me feel a lot better.

F*cked Up: A hardcore punk band from Canada, put out an album this year which was great. The 2008 release Chemistry of Common Life was a critically acclaimed album. Harcore punk is always great for helping with anger issues. Some good short tracks with solid screaming about life and death...man good times. This was the next couple songs I listened to, it was good as the issues began to roll off.

Electrelane: Okay my car ride was coming to an end and beer was soon to be drunk so I didn't feel a need for the anger and rage songs but something with solid guitar and drums that I could just mellow out to a little. Electrelane one of my favorite new bands who are unfortunately on indefinate hiatus as I discovered them a little too late. They can just jam out on a track with just some great guitar riffs and big drumming. Great way to roll into my parking spot.

3 great bands, 1 beer and some time to chill out I was able to bounce back very quickly from a sucky day.

Till the new year. Have a great one everyone.

-Dave

2008 Best Of and 2009 LOOK OUT!!!

The end of the year draws closer and closer. It's a nice time of year to look back and think of all the things that have happened in the last 12 months. Personally, I had a pretty solid year. Setting PR's in the 10k and Marathon distance, made my first attempt at the Death Race which was a success in some ways and a failure in others. I was able to manage my time fairly well this year so I could train and still spend time with my friends and family. I also heard some great great music, which is why you are all here reading this.

Now, we saw some fun things this year. Bands reunited, Kanye West had tantrums, Festivals were attended and New bands were discovered. That is always one of the top highlights of the year, is discovering new bands, and maybe not even new bands but bands I am just catching up on as well.

Indie music made a big leap to closer to becoming mainstream, more so this year I believe then in years past. With the use of indie music in commercials and indie bands being spotlighted on teenage drama shows this genre is getting more and more popular. We are in the midst of a musical shift with the popularity of satellite radio, internet radio and ipods. So does this mean that conventional City radio stations are dying??? Well, perhaps they will gain back some success with the downturn in the economy and people not being able to afford the iPods and satellite radio.

Now, I don't like top ten lists, mainly because they are really hard to create, there is always a battle between number 10 and 11. I like top 3's better, because there isn't often a challenge in the top stops for me it is pretty clear cut. I have quite a few categories that I would like to cover, it was a little hard to decide on the top three because I had to remember what exactly came out in 2008 and not late 2007, because at least for me this year went by really really quick. So here are the winners this year as the top of their respective musical areas.

Best Reunion/Comeback:

3. Blur - No Album Yet

2. Tricky - Knowle West Boy

1. Portishead - Third

Unlike such releases like GnR, Portishead's return after a prolonged hiatus was freakin' awesome. Third was highlighted with great tracks such as "Machine Gun", "The Rip" and "We Carry On". The entire album is beautifully crafted as the pioneers of trip-hop showed why they helped create a genre and are amazing at what they do.

Trip-hop saw their heroes return, not only did Portishead release a new album, but Tricky also returned with a great (not as great as Vulnerable) return with Knowles West Boy. The often controversial artist had his album delayed due to a dispute with an alleged co-producer who wanted credit on the album. The new album was very well produced and the stand out tracks were "C'mon Baby", "Far Away" and "Past Mistake". Hopefully from both the these great artists we don't have to wait years for their next album.

Finally, rounding it up was the late in the year that Blur is reuniting and we will be working on new material in 2009, so maybe we will or won't hear from the band in 2009, but we can hope. Exciting news anyway and let's face it GnR doesn't deserve to be in the top 100 of Band reunions given their horrid release after a 17 year wait...

Best New Artist/Band

Please note: I declare a New Artist/Band as someone who released a debut full-length album in 2008.

3. Fleet Foxes

2. Cool Kids

1. Vampire Weekend

No other band took over the way Vampire Weekend did with their release of their self-titled debut. They began to get noticed in mid-2007 and toured with the Shins in late 2007. This was an album that received much praise through the year, but due to it's early release in January of this year by the summer people were beginning to wonder if the hype was too much. After seeing Vampire Weekend in Pemberton, their live show certainly needs some work but their music is truly solid and they will continue to be a force in the coming years.

The Cool Kids are exactly that, cool kids. They were able to get people who don't generally like hip-hop to pick up their album due to it's 80's style throw back. Their laid back flow was infectious in the good way. Their simple beats were great party tracks, "Bassment Party", "A Little Bit Cooler" and "Black Mags" received a lot of attention and rightly so. The Cool Kids brought back the simpleness that can make hip-hop so great. To quote " Did you know I made this beat with my mouth and a bell/ Just and F.Y.I., I'm F-L-Y and for those that can't spell I'm a pretty swell guy"

Fleet Foxes they received a number of Album of the Year praises from various music sources (hint: they won't be mine). I can certainly understand why, they are tremendous musicians. The reason I won't place them higher is because it wasn't an album that I could listen to constantly, the soft, almost ambient melodies they produced didn't make for an everyday kind of album, more like a Sunday morning drinking coffee kind of disc. But oh those Sunday mornings were good this year thanks to those Fleet Foxes....

Best New Discovery
Every year we all find someone new that we have never heard of that maybe has been around for years.
3. Kate Nash
2. Tilly and the Wall
1. Electrelane

I stumbled on Electrelane by accident. I was reading a review of an album called Guitargument, a collab from Electrelane guitarist Mia Clarke (who is pretty hot) and DJ Andy Moor. Electrelane is a noise pop rock indie band that has been around who have been around since 1998. They are four girls from England who began with a release in 2000. After some personnel changes they released their debut album Rock It To The Moon in 2001. They release 4 studio albums leading up to 2007, when the band announced that they were going on indefinite hiatus. With strong influences from the Velvet Underground, Stereolab and Sonic Youth they made 4 tremendous albums.

Tilly and the Wall was a not so accidental stumbling upon. I was reading a review on Pitchfork of their 2008 release O it was a glowing review so I thought I would check them out. I am glad I did, they have no drummer but instead have a tap dancer as their percussion section. They make indie pop music and do it well, so well in fact they were on Sesame Street performing the alphabet song. Their 2006 release Bottoms of Barrels is my favorite of their albums that I have picked up. They have a great arrangement on their albums from start to finish and sound awesome on vinyl.

I have a think for Brits, not sure what it is. Maybe the accent, certainly not the teeth. Kate Nash is a British pop artist, but she certainly doesn't put out your typical Hilary Duff type songs. Not afraid to toss some profanity into her songs or knock down those bubble gum tracks she makes highly entertaining pop music. Her debut 2007 release Made of Bricks was a hit in the UK and made some headway in the US market but not much. Great tracks on the album include "Birds", "Pumpkin Soup" and "Foundations". We can expect big things from this young singer-songwriter and I think with age she will only get better.

Honourable Mentions
I know you are all waiting to see what the Album of the Year is, well you could just scroll down, but first I thought I would mention this year's honourable mentions. Every year albums just don't make the cut, not to say they aren't great albums but they just weren't the best.

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III - A good rap album and one of the best selling albums of the year. Lots of solid tracks, certainly not for everyone but rap fans love it and rightly so. Also, this album has the best cover art of the year.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Ahh, Stephen Malkmus great show and great album but just not great enough to make the top three. The entire album is great and I have the autographed vinyl that I picked up when seeing them at the Warehouse on my birthday. It was a good day. This album is one that should be in every one's collection.

Black Mountain - In the Future - Another great album. I saw this band twice live this year once at the Warehouse and then again at Pemberton. The show at Pemberton was better and I was able to see "Tyrants" live which is amazing as it has one of the best lead ups I have heard. I really liked Black Mountain because of their almost Led Zepplin-esc big sound.

Jamie Lidell - Jim - For a white guy, his vocals in soul are out of this world!! And I hear his live performance is pretty wicked too. This entire album is great and it was certainly the album of the summer this year. "Another Day" is still one of my favorite tracks of the year.

The Subways - All or Nothing - I was very eager to hear this album produced by the legendary Butch Vig who has produced Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and is the drummer of Garbage. Billy Lunn and the very very hot Charlotte Cooper were once engaged and made beautiful music together when they released Young for Eternity. They announced that they had split while recording the new album but that the band would carry on. All or Nothing grew on me as the year went on and made a very close run to cracking the top three. The production is great, they hold true to their rock and roll genre and their songwriting has improved drastically since their debut. I stand by my initial thoughts that if they make it to 5 albums their 5th album will be a Rock and Roll classic for future generations. They have so much energy and passion for their music is is amazing. Great tracks to check out are "Strawberry Blonde", "Shake, Shake" and the title track "All or Nothing".

There are many many more that should be on here but it would take me all of 2009 to write about the good music that came out this year. There was some bad as well such as: GnR's - Chinese Democracy, Black Kids - Partie Traumatic and m83 - saturdays = youth. But we won't dwell on these disappointments and finally I will let you know my picks for album of the year.

Album of the Year
3. Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
2. Black Keys - Attack and Release
1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

It is not surprising the TV on the Radio got top spot. Their well crafted Dear Science was slotted in top spot on many many of the music sites best of 08 list. With good reason it is a f'ing awesome album. With amazing tracks like "Dancing Choose" and "Family Tree" the amazing lyrics and musical arrangement this was a very easy pick for the best album of the year. Do not be surprised to see more from TVOTR in 2009 and expect it to be just as good if not better then Dear Science.

The Black Keys sounds like they could open for Led Zepplin, plucked straight out of the 1970's this album was a hit. Ranked as the number 1 selling band on vinyl in the US, there is a reason. The Black Keys don't belong on digital, you need to hear the full vibrant sound that vinyl brings to hear the deep guitar and the drums...oh god the drums. Amazing. "Physchotic Girl" and "Remember When" both Side A and B are unreal. Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach make up the duo that is The Black Keys and from video their live show is something worth seeing. A tremendous album, so much so that I have picked up all their previous albums and they do not disappoint.

Kings of Leon...I honestly didn't think this album would be in my top three, I am actually surprised I didn't have any hip hop or rap in it as there was some good stuff put out. But, this album killed it. They took all their fame from the UK and their lack of interest from US fans and decided to blow everyone out of the water with an terrific album. All the songs with their bluesy rock influences get in your head and stay there. They are getting a ton of radio play and press, with hugely positive reviews. So many good songs on the album I would say all the songs are equally as good. If they continue with a solid follow up to this album those North American fans will jump on board with what the Brits already know...this guys are great!

This was a great great year in music, and there is plenty to look forward for next year. Here are a few artists to keep an eye on and a few artists who will be releasing new music that I can't wait for.

Kid Cudi - Partnering with the likes of Kanye West and releasing a very successful mix tape he will be releasing his debut album next spring.

Mia Clarke - Word is that she is working on a new project in Chicago and people are very excited, as a freelance writer as well for such great music sites like Pitchfork I am very excited to see what her new project will be.

K'Naan - That's right! A new album in being released next month and there are new tracks (which are great) available on iTunes. Produced with the Marleys in Jamaica this album should be a great follow-up to Dusty Foot Philosopher.

Weezer - After a long wait to get the Red Album, they will be releasing the currently titled "yellow album" next year. Although, Rivers is crazy so don't bet on it. But man if they do release a new album for the love of all that is good TOUR CANADA!!!!

Well kids, I hope you have enjoyed New Music Tuesday the newsletter and now the blog. It will continue and hopefully be more regular in the new year. Due to work and moving things haven't been as consistent as I would have liked. And with me moving to Toronto, I may need some help from my friends in Calgary to occasionally update us all on new music in the great Calgary music scene (don't scoff, bands like Chad VanGaalen and Women are wicked awesome). I will be taking a break till January, but will update things if anything important pops up. Hopefully, I have introduced you to some new bands that you have fallen in love with.

Have a Safe and Happy Holidays Everyone! And Enjoy the Tunes!

- Dave

Indecision

The Best of 2008 and Look Out 2009 will be released tomorrow. It was supposed to be today, but well indecision....

- Dave

Wow! I am writing an update on Tuesday which actually makes my blog make some sense. Well let me reassure you this blog probably won't make much sense at all. I have a couple new albums to fill you in on and some other stuff too.

Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

17 years we waited??? Well, maybe waited is a strong word...let's try anticipated...no no that is too strong as well. Okay Okay I have it. For 17 years we were mildly curious as to what Axl Rose would put out without the help of amazing guitarist Slash. Well it is finally out, it is #1 in a number of countries since it's release and the reviews have been fairly good. Now, I am not the biggest GnR fan, but curiosity got the best of me. Rose certainly tried to capture that "November Rain" vibe on a number of tracks, all in all the album was good but not 17 years of mild curiosity good. The tracks lacked that solid heavy guitar sound. Buy it one day.

Shugo Tokumaru - Exit

I read about Shugo Tokumaru in a Spin Magazine while on my Thanksgiving trip to Montreal/Toronto. A multi instrumentalist from Japan, Exit came out earlier this year in North America and in late 2007 across the sea in Japan...hopefully someone gets that reference. The album has a very indie pop sound and although I have no idea what the lyrics are the sound is great and can be put in the category like such bands that I enjoy such as Sigur Ros, Amiina and SSLYBY. Check out some tracks online first.


Marnie Stern - This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That

That is an insane title, well Marnie Stern isn't the most sane person. To pay for a traffic ticket that she received on tour they decided to set up a kissing booth at their shows. The repetitive title certainly sets you up for the album and the tracks do repeat a lot. It is a high energy run from start to finish. It plays well and can be a good album in the right moment. Not sure I was in the right moment when I checked out this album. Check out something else first.


Other Stuff:

For those who don't know I am in marketing and I love ads. In the last few years advertisers have wised up that good music can make a good ad great. Take Apple for example they began a trend of putting indie songs into their ads that people would google find the artist and then they would buy that album on iTunes in a perfect world. Now a lot of advertisers are using bands the masses haven't heard of and are putting them into great ads. Such as the latest from genius creative agency Sid Lee who is in charge of the Adidas Originals new store concepts and their ads.



The ad has a great remix of the Four Seasons - "Beggin" by DJ Pilooski

Recently, I was watching television and saw an ad for the new Prince of Persia game and instantly I heard one of my favorite bands and one that I did not expect to hear in any ad ever. Sigur Ros was playing and it was a very well done advertisement.



The track is "Saeglopur" off the Takk album. These are just a few examples of the new ways people are finding their music. Some may disagree with it, but as someone in marketing and someone who loves a lot of indie bands I think it is a great thing and I can't wait to see some more great ads and hear some more great tunes.

Till next time.

- Dave

I am posting for the first time in almost a month, so much for my dream of getting everyone caught up on music. But, 80 hour work weeks and plenty of friend time will not leave much time for writing. So I will do my best in the post to give you some essential new stuff to listen to. With out further ado I will get into it. 

Q-Tip - Renaissance:

Q-Tip has returned to grace us with some of the best beats and lyrical flows we have heard in years. The former Tribe Called Quest member returns with his sophomore album after quite a long wait considering Amplified was released in 1999. But the wait was worth it, Renaissance is filled with his trademark vocals and beats that will just simply cause your ass to shake. Tracks like "Move" and "Fight for Love" highlight Q-Tip's production ability with funky beats and a smooth flow. The highlight track for me was his colab with Norah Jones whose vocals pair amazingly with a hip hop back beat, the track "Life is Better" has been on repeat on iTunes for at least a week now. Buy It - This album is in the running for the best hip-hop album of the year and certainly in the running for the top 5 of all genres. 

Love is All - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night:

Poppy, punky fun sounds...sums up the album pretty much. Think CSS or Ponytail, it is a good album. This album certainly has got high praise

 from the indie community and most larger media outlets outside of Rolling Stone (but really....). Love is All is straight out of Sweden and this album is their second studio album, not including a couple EP's and remix albums that have been released. With a catchy melody with a solid guitar and a synth-pop/punk backing is a great fit with lead singer Josephine Olausson almost desperate vocals. Partnering on the vocals is Nicholaus Sparding who softens the vocals sounds with a melodic tone. My highlight tracks on this album are "Give It Back" it has a softer sound then the rest of the album and uses the triangle which you don't hear enough of. (I was a great triangle player in elementary). Also tracks to check out are "Rumours" and "Big Bangs, Black Holes, Meteorites" This album won't be for everyone so: Check out their MySpace First. 

The Dears - Missiles:

Oh being a creative genius is hard, especially when you think your a genius and of course your wife agrees, this of course causes you to alienate the rest of the group and cause them all to leave. Well of course this is all just rumours. Since their great initial release of No Cities Left and their even better follow-up release of Gang of Losers they have lost almost every member in the band by the time the latest release was ready. Who was left? Well of course the mastermind of The Dears Murray Lightburn and his wife Natalie Yanchak, they have added some new members to help with the tour. My faith in how long the new members last is slim, but we will see I suppose. As for the album Missiles is a decent album although it has received positive reviews from the bigger music sites, I feel this album is a little flat. The band is still tight musically and I am a huge fan of Murray Lightburn's vocals, but it doesn't have that feel that the first album had with explosive energy and great arrangements. Lyrics on the album are also not as strong and insightful as the previous albums. Perhaps the band members leaving in the middle of recording caused the disappointed feel that this album carries. However, it is still a decent album from one of Canada's indie darlings. If you like the rest of the indie darlings ie. Metric, Broken Social Scene and the rest of them, then Buy It. 

Well that is three albums to check out and have a listen to until the next time I actually find time to post something. Also, I will be compiling the best albums of the year in a few short weeks, so if any of the readers have input please drop me a email to sopossible@gmail.com and I will be posting the results by Dec. 24th. To update you all on other music news in and around town(Calgary...soon to be Toronto) here is some upcoming shows that you might want to check out. 

November 25th - The Herbaliser will be playing the Warehouse (if you don't know Herbaliser and want to see a good show this is the one to see). 

December 17th - MSTRKRFT will be playing at the Whiskey

February 23rd - An Evening with David Bryne is coming the to Jack Singer Concert Hall (this will also be really cool to check out. David Bryne is awesome, check out his "Playing the Building" Art. Seriously very cool)

Hopefully, that fills every one's music needs for a little while, if there are actually any readers left on this blog. Again sorry for the long delay in between posts, I will strive to improve that. 

- Dave

" And Now I have found a new connection

   Being bored is really such a chore 

   Some of us out here don't know shit 

   Some of us don't even want to know" - The Dears - "There Goes My Outfit" off of the Gang of   Losers album

Ben Folds - Way to Normal

The way back to normal, oh those normal days where I would write regularly and people were interested in music. Well, I am going to start a mission to return back to normal. I am going to provide a review each day of the music I have been listening to that has been released over the last few weeks, months, etc. This week we start with Ben Folds - Way to Normal. The reason I am starting with this album to review has nothing to do with any great interest in the album or because it is the latest release I have been listening to. No, no it has to do with my disagreement of Pitchfork's review of this album. I understand that as a music critic they have a right to not like the music they listen to as we all do music critic or not. 

Ben Folds has been around a little while, he writes very much the same music as he did in the mid-90's. He writes funny little songs about break ups and insane women who he has dated. Way to Normal isn't any different, really it's the same as a lot of his music. But, what is nice about Ben Folds is that his music is charming and he infectious lyrics and harmonies make his music very easy to listen to. This latest album is not his best work and will not make any one's 'best of list' this year. But he writes about relationships gone wrong and getting free coffee which everyone can relate to. Sure it isn't original, but sometimes a little bit of constant is a good thing.  

Way to Normal offers up plenty of nice, quaint diddy's such as "You Don't Know Me" with Regina Spektor, which is a great blend of Ben's and Regina's vocals on a 'stuck in your head' kinda song. "Free Coffee" and "Bitch Went Nuts" are those kind of songs that you'll start humming out of no where, like "Peaches" by the Presidents of the United States of America. The rest of the tracks are not as catchy, but they don't assault the ears and the entire album can be listened to on a sunny day while walking down the street. 

Sometimes, it isn't easy to let you know whether or not you should get the albums I review. I picked it up, because I hadn't heard Ben Folds in a while and wanted to reconnect with a band I enjoyed in the 90's. But, I also listened to this album for free before I picked it up, so that would be my suggestion if you are at all intrigued. Listen to it for FREE first! In this current economic crisis where we are all pinching our pennies the smart musicians are going to give people the chance to listen to the album first before they make the decisions to spend their money on the albums. 

Tomorrow's album is a very solid album from a band touring with the Dandy Warhols. 

Cheers,

Dave

=w=

Hello,

This week we have a very special guest writer for New Music Tuesday joining me. I am very jealous, but one of my greatest friends, Diana, was lucky enough to see Weezer play in Toronto and was amazing enough to write a stellar review for us to enjoy. So here it is - Take it away Di.

It was definitely a top five in the all-time concert listing. We were late and missed Tokyo Police Club and (unfortunately) caught most of Angels and Airwaves, who sound like Dashboard Confessional with 1/2 the talent. They were stunning in their mediocrity. Then came an amazingly short set change (like 20 minutes compared to an hour and a freakin' half for Modest Mouse) and....

WEEZER!

The guys came out in white coveralls and slammed into a three song opener: back to back to back big hits, "My Name is Jonas", "Pink Triangle", and "Perfect Situation". After that the lights went down and when they came back up the coveralls were gone, revealing the band members in red track suits. Rivers Cuomo said they needed the wardrobe change "to take it to the next level - you know, like the mezzanine of rock".

This was followed by one of the most electric moments of the concert: moody lighting and the deafening sound of thousands of people belting out "Say it Ain't So." From here my memory of the exact set list gets a bit fuzzy, but I know that they did play "Pork & Beans", "El Scorcho" (which was awesome), "Hash Pipe", "Susanne" and a couple I'm missing. Rivers introduced the band and got each member to say where they were from and how far it is from the Canadian border, pronouncing each member "practically Canadian", even the guy from Tennessee. He finished with himself, declaring himself practically Canadian because he's going to play for Toronto FC (at this point he booted a soccer ball into the crowd).

They then got the douchey lead singer of Angels and Airwaves back on stage, along with A&A's drummer, for a duet of "Undone - the Sweater Song", which was good because how on earth could it be bad. After this there was a brief discussion of Noel Gallagher's having been tackled in Toronto earlier this year, followed by an amazing cover of "What's the Story (Morning Glory)". and followed up (coincidence? a jab at Oasis' egos?) with "I'm the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" - which was hilariously sensational live, especially the operatic parts. Some more stuff off the new album - I heard "Troublemaker" and not sure what else. Then the band leaves, and comes back for...

The Hootenanny! This was so hilarious and amazing - they had at least 50 people on stage with them, Rivers on vocals and the rest of the band on acoustic guitars. There was an accordion player who got to do a solo, a double bassist, tonnes of guitars and bongos, a guy with a triangle and some instruments I've never heard of before. They did "Island in the Sun" with the crowd on supporting vocals for the "hip, hip"s and then "Beverley Hills". THEN...

The band leaves and one of the roadies sets up a bright red Weezer chair with a turntable on it and puts on a record - that's right, a Weezer record. I didn't recognize the song but there was a lot of singing along. THEN....

The band comes back on stage and Rivers flying kicks the turntable and chair over and they bust into a Nirvana cover of "Grandma Take Me Home", and then close out the show with "Buddy Holly".

As you can tell, they played for a long time (over 2 hours, I'm pretty sure). It almost makes up for them touring only once every three years.

Thanks Di for a wonderful review, it sounds like an amazing show and I really wish I was there...but I am in T.O tomorrow and will be able to catch wonderful shows in the T.O in only a few more months. Okay, well I have some new tunes for you to check out, it may not have been released today but dang is it good.

CD REVIEW:

Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

Oh goodness, this album it amazing. 12 times I have listened to it and it is still a great album. I would write more and will at some point, but I need to pack so check it out it's worth it.

That's all the time I got this week, Thanks again to Diana for the contribution and I am in need of some new tunes, so if you have heard something let me know so I can check it out.

- Dave

Polaris Music Prize

Hey Kids!

Well, it's been announced and the winner for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize. The winner is.....

Caribou - Andorra

Certainly a great album to win, a bit of a surprise considering the amount of press Shad and Plants and Animals got. Check it out, and congrats to Dr. Daniel Victor Snaith aka Caribou and formerly Manitoba.

Till tomorrow. Enjoy the tunes.

Dave

TV on the Radio, High Places, Thievery Corp., and Jenny Lewis

It's a good day. Well not really really good, but health issues aside a good day for music. Four of my favorite bands released music today and not one of them bombed with a major disappointment. So for the first time in months there is actually a New Music Tuesday on a Tuesday...as long as I can type fast enough to get this done in time. So let's get started, I'll even do it in order of best to freakin' Awesome.

CD REVIEW:










Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

Jenny Lewis' last release Rabbit Fur Coat was and still is a favorite among all the albums I own. The Watson twins accompanied her on that album and their combination was amazing. A great alt-country album, I have an issue with the term 'alt-country' but I'll rant about that another time. Acid Tongue rolls in with a solid track "Black Sand", she loses a little bit of that gravelly tone in her voice, but it is still beautiful. The lyrics in all the songs are a little heart wrenching, captured pretty well in the title track "Acid Tongue" with the opening line "I went to a cobbler/ To fix a hole in my shoe/He took one look at my face/And said, "I can fix that hole in you". Only, two tracks out of the 11 just did not seem to be a good fit with the rest of an otherwise great album. "See Fernando" and "Jack Killed Mom" both fall a little flat and just don't seem to measure up with the rest of the album. This album certainly is no Rabbit Fur Coat but it is still very good. Buy it at some point.







High Places - High Places

Ahh! High Places, consisting of the beautiful Mary Pearson and her partner in crime Rob Barber. They make music that is a little hard to describe but I'll give it a try. Take a techno beat made with various noises including a coffee can filled with random items, add a sing-song style vocalist and you get a sound that you might not at first enjoy. At some point you will be walking down the street or sitting at your desk and for some reason you will just want to listen to High Places. Then you become a fan and listen to them all the time. Sadly though after their release of singles called 03/07 - 09/07 and getting to know their sound, I was very excited to hear new material from the dynamic duo. Their first official release on record label Thrill Jockey is certainly a great continuation of those collected singles release earlier this year. The self titled High Places is much of the same songs and even though it has a great flow, they don't take that experimented sound and grow it as far as I was hoping. The transitions from each song is great and the album will certainly be on a constant rotation for me, but I am hoping for more from one of my favorite new bands. Check out their MySpace or on Imeem.











Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation

Thievery Corporation has been around for quite awhile releasing their first stuff in the mid-90's. One of the best ambient electronic sounds ever to grace our ears. Radio Retaliation certainly sounds a lot more aggressive then the album actually is. It is a fantastic disc to just relax to or do other things to....use your imagination. With a collection great guests like Anoushka Shankar and Seu Jorge. The flow is seamless and makes a perfect chill out disc. Most of the tracks are very similar so to call out any one is a disservice to the other amazing tracks. Often timed politically themed albums, which unless you listen closely you don't really hear, Radio Retaliation is no different. The duo of Thievery Corp. make comments on the current political climate. This is a must have album to have in your collection. Buy it today!


TV On The Radio - Dear Science

Is it too soon to name the album of the year? Probably hey? Well TVOTR's latest release is a catchy album then their last Return to Cookie Mountain. Which isn't a bad thing, let me tell you! Every review of this album has got it high marks, you could say it is critically acclaimed. The beat is the most upbeat they have ever been. The lyrics are extremely engaging ranging from death to sex and it is AWESOME! I honestly don't want to ruin anything. This album needs to be listened to, and for many it will be your album of the year I promise you that. Buy it, listen to it, put it on repeat!



Sure, some might say that my reviews get shorter and shorter as they went on. Could be because it is a long day and my energy level is dropping, but I say....well your probably right I am exhausted and just can't type anymore. Enjoy the music! Let me know what you think.

- Dave

Everything is.....

Hello. The Polaris Music Prize is the highly anticipated follow up to Britain's Mercury Prize, think of it as Canada's Version of the Prize. There is certainly a great short list of nominees this year, I have heard almost all the albums and they do deserve to be there. I have a fair amount to update you all on as it has been very busy lately I have fallen behind in my musical research. So This week I will give a review of The Streets newest album, and give you a run down on what to expect from the Polaris Gala taking place on Sept 29th.

First, let's take you to The Streets. Their latest is called Everything is Borrowed and after a slightly disappointing follow up to their first breakthrough album A Grand Don't Come for Free they seemed back on track based on the initial two single releases from this album. Opening with "Everything is Borrowed" a not so newly insightful look at life and how to appreciate it. Ending with "The Escapist" a song on which Mike Skinner filmed a video of him walking from London to France...obviously he didn't do it, because he didn't even complete the New York Marathon when he said he was going to. Everything else in between is mediocre and rehashed from their last album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. Such not so good gems like "The Way of the Dodo" make this album a little harder to listen to then they already are to begin with. The Streets are great storytellers and that is what makes them charming and fun to listen to. When they just try and make social points and lose that storytelling view it tends to fall through.

Now, onto the Polaris Music Prize. There are certainly some great nominees, but first lets catch you up with who has won this award in the past. This past year in 2007, Patrick Watson's album Close to Paradise and of course the year before was a shocking winner Final Fantasy's odd album He Poos Clouds. This year there is a whole lotta good tunes to listen to, try checking them out if you haven't already. Here are the nominees.

Black Mountain - In the Future
Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling
Caribou - Andorra
Shad - The Old Prince
Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War
Holy F***k - LP
Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue
Two Hours Traffic - Little Jabs
The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour

It is very hard to pick a clear winner, but some certain front runners will be Plants and Animals and Shad. All the other albums will certainly give these a run for their money ($20,000 to be exact), but these two artists have received a lot of press for their albums and almost all of it very positive. As the bulk of the judging panel have spoken very highly of these two albums it is a very good chance that it will come down to these two.

Next week is a very exciting week with two of my current favorite artists releasing new albums. So, if you know who they are take a guess, and if you have predictions about who will win the Polaris Prize let me know.

-Dave

Mercury Prize and all that Jazz

Today, a big day for sure well overseas anyway. The Mercury Prize was announced. The shortlist consisted of:

Adele - 19

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

Burial - Untrue

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

Estelle - Shine

Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim

Neon Neon - Stainless Style

Portico Quartet - Knee Deep In The North Sea

Rachel Unthank - The Bairns

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement

Always some good build up to these awards and I am sure some good performances. I was following along on the guardian.co.uk live blogging of the event. I was hoping for Radiohead or Burial to take the prize. Alas, when the announcement came it was Elbow for a good album The Seldom Seen Kid. 

More news to come later today. But for now I have to get back to work. And I was only narrowly beat out by Pitchfork in announcing the winner. Darn, I need to type faster!!!

-Dave

Better Blogs Then I...

Kind of a defeatist title to the Blog this week hey? Now, I know what your thinking - "Dave is sitting at home listening to some emo band with bangs and for some reason has eyeliner on" (Sidebar: I never understood the eyeliner emo kids have, if anyone can explain it would help solve a puzzle that has bothered me for a long time. ) Well I am not. I am actually catching up on the episodes of House cause the season premiere is soon and I missed a bunch of shows. 

But back to my rather depressing title. I have recently encountered two new music sites that provide a wonderful look at music and introduce us to new music. As my musical updates have become sporadic at best, considering I can't do this as a full time job I do the best I can. Oddly, though New Music Tuesday hasn't been updated on a Tuesday for a while now. Not because I don't have time, but because their hasn't been too much to bring you up to speed on that I have heard. 

Well, I started thinking today that maybe I should give those Internet folks who read this blog a view at other places to go while you patiently await my next update. 

First, if you haven't been yet you need to go. It is my #1 source for all things music. 

Pitchfork Media (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/). They have just about everything you can desire for any indie or hip hop news. Occasionally, if the news is interesting enough they will even dip into mainstream, but let's face it all you have to do is turn on the TV or go to any other website to get you pop fix. Pitchfork also has Pitchfork TV which is a great addition and has wonderful programming to fill the day. 

Then when you find some new music on Pitchfork or my site, and you want to check it out but when you look in your wallet or check that ol' credit card statement and realize you have no cash to legally buy that new tune. Well of course you can go to the bands Myspace, but an even better choice is to check out. Imeem! (http://www.imeem.com/), a wonderful site that you can listen to just about any band you can think of as long as someone has uploaded a track. Great way to listen to new tracks or new bands that you are not sure about yet. You can create playlists, share them with other friends and have all sorts of rootin' good times. 

Now! To the recent discoveries. Although, I am trying to figure out if I knew about this next one a while ago and just never followed it much till now. 

I (Heart) Music (http://iheartmusic.net/) is a daily and weekly (for some sections) blog covering a lot of Canadian content. I have just been exploring this site, so not really sure how amazing it is. But so far I have been listening to some decent tunes they have posted about. 

And thanks to our favorite French connection, I was put onto CBC Radio 2. The newly launched CBC Radio 2 to be exact. What is special about this relaunch, well let me tell you. A gentleman by the name of Rich Terfry who is better known as the best Hip Hop DJ Canada has seen aka. Buck 65 is the host of a show called Drive which takes place during the ride home between 3pm and 6pm Calgary time. (http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/) I listened for the first time today and hear a great collection of songs. Check it out, the morning tunes are pretty good too. 

So, whilst you constantly refresh the New Music Tuesday page in hopes that I have taken the time to bring new musical joy to your ears. Take a moment and go check out one of these fine blogs or news sites to fill the hours, days and occasionally weeks that may pass between postings from me. (Clearly, not in an emo state, perhaps my ego need a little deflating but then this blog certainly wouldn't be as much fun). 

Stay tuned to for the September 23rd edition of New Music Tuesday when two artists who I love will be releasing new albums, I will let you wait in suspense till then. But there may be occasional musical tidbits between now and then when I hear something I will certainly share it. 

Till next time 

-Dave 

How to Make a Sad Robot Happy!

It is very simple to those wanted to make their sad robots happy...get that great indie pop band Stars to release a fairly dynamite EP and problem solved. Today was the release date of the somewhat cryptic message Stars put on their Myspace page last week and Pitchfork reported about late last week. Well of course I got it as soon as it was release, in fact I am finishing listening to it right now. It cost's $4.20 so the verdict is of course to buy it!!!! But I will give a proper review.

Stars - Sad Robots

The first track is an introduction to the sad robot, more instrumental with a distorted robot vocals spaced through it. The 6 track EP includes one live track titled "Going, Going, Gone" - a old Stars track which was done with Metric's Emily Haines, this live version has Amy Milan taking over Emily Haine's vocals. Other then the opening track which is fairly standard as intros go for the Montreal band the EP is solid and contains some soon to be Stars favorite songs for many people. "A Thread Cut With a Carving Knife" is the stand out track on the EP, Tourquil's vocals are great as always and the melody of the song is very catchy. Buy It! Let's face it most of those who read this blog have the entire Discography and you will be buying this one too. Enjoy it. (Purchase the EP at www.sadrobots.ca)

-Dave

Bitter Sweet Return

So today I ran in the Nike+ Human Race, not really a race as a mobilization of hundreds of thousands of runners around the world getting out and running in the biggest organized single day event ever. It was pouring rain, but I was able to run with people I have never run with and was able to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. It was a slow run coming in at 56mins but lucky for me during the shuffling of songs on my iPod I was getting a lot of Weezer and Cool Kids so it was certainly good tunage for the run. But, that's not what anyone who actually reads this thing cares about here is what I got for you this week; The Verve have returned, my vinyl collection has grown and bands I love have released some new songs.

CD REVIEW:

Ahh, Richard Ashcroft and the gang are back together. Perhaps another stone faced walk down the street being very cool and running into people along the way??? Well, perhaps they have grown up a little and have more to offer. It has been a decade since "Bittersweet Symphony" was released and marked the Verve into our lives forever, because seriously that song is great and people loved it and still do. Well after a long long hiatus the gang are back with a follow up to Urban Hymns titled Forth. The entire band worked on various degrees of successful side projects, most notable was Richard Ashcroft's fantastic release Keys to the World.

The songs on Forth are epic, not necessarily in the it's epic therefore it's great. I mean like Dave Matthews kind of epic in that the songs are long the shortest track is 5min 29 seconds long...come on. The average music listener nowadays does not have the patience to listen to long songs no matter how good they may be. I always like to read reviews that others have written before I write mine. Some inspire my own opinion and others make me think critics are idiots. With an established band like The Verve people will naturally compare their previous releases to this one and those that gave this album a poor or mediocre review did not hide the fact that they don't like Richard Ashcroft. Biased reviews are always going to occur, but for Forth I tried to be impartial and look at it from an new listeners point of view.

The first 6 tracks were great, a menacing, psychedelic guitar coupled with Ashcroft's non-caring British vocals made for some very enjoyable listening. Then we hit "Noise Epic"... what can I say - it's just not good. It is like reading Charles Dickens and halfway through "A Tale of Two Cities" he writes "I like cotton candy" and then continues an otherwise fantastic novel. This is what occurs in Forth because after this bizarre little track they go right back to having great songs. Maybe "Noise Epic" will somehow grow on me like some weird fungus, but to be honest I will listen to this album a fair amount over the next year and I will certain press skip to avoid that track. But, 9/10 tracks being good makes for a solid purchase - Buy It! If you liked their previous releases you will certainly enjoy this album.


MUSIC NEWS:

Stars - Canada's favorite indie pop band Stars created a website last week www.sadrobots.ca to announce their upcoming EP which is to be released tomorrow. It is an odd little website with no information other then an animated heart and the title of the website saying an EP will be released. Go figure they are doing something artsy...well, digital releases will be available tomorrow and if you go see them live word is as reported by Pitchfork is that a physical copy will be available. www.sadrobots.ca

The Streets - Mike Skinner is an quirky individual, I am pretty sure there are only two people in Canada who actually like this band, me and my friend Diana. The Streets spoken-word/rap is unorthodox style and can take a while to get used to. They have a new release prepped and ready to go, being released at the end of September they have already released two tracks and two videos. Check out Pitchfork's Forkcast section for their latest, sounds like it could possibly be their best release to date, from the singles they have released anyway. www.myspace.com/thestreets

Tilly and the Wall - One of my favorite new bands over the last few weeks, I just picked up their 2006 release Bottoms of Barrels on vinyl which is great. They will be appearing on an episode of Sesame Street in the coming weeks and for those eagerly waiting for the start of the new 90210 (don't kid yourselves I know there are a few of you out there who love that crap) keep your eyes peeled for Tilly and the Wall performing in an episode. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be an O.C link to fame for bands showcased on the show. www.tillyandthewall.com

Till Next Time

- Dave

Dark Shades of Blue

Hey-oh,

Well I am back with some new music, some concert announcements, some music news and a round up of the latest podcasts. So as you gear up for the long weekend, here is a new album to blast during that one last camping trip, last raft down the river or just while your kickin' it at a end of summer bbq.

CD REVIEWS:







Xavier Rudd - Dark Shades of Blue:

I recently saw Xavier Rudd in concert, it was amazing. A very gifted musician who falls under the general genre of Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, etc. For those who are unfamiliar with Mr. Rudd I will give you a bit of a background. He is from Australia, loves Canada and plays a multitude of instruments including the didgeridoo, banjo, and harmonica. He first start gaining popularity in Calgary at Mount Royal's Liberty Lounge. After gaining a strong following in Canada and Australia his albums began getting stronger and stronger. Dark Shades of Blue is Xavier Rudd's latest release, his fifth album. From his last album White Moth to his latest, his sounds has grown into a edgier, more vibrant sound.

From the opening track "Blackwater" you can hear the more aggressive guitar he has throughout the album. The songs transitions on the album are seamless and create an incredible flow. The blend of the stronger guitar sound and his vocals matching that closely recreate what his live show is like. Lyrically, he still creates a politically charged, environmental and aboriginal rights focused theme throughout the album. "Uncle" is the strongest socially conscious song on the album with a solid instrumental section closer to the end of the almost eight-minute track. This album is fantastic, it is going to be great to see him play these songs live and if this is the continued direction he is taking his music I certainly am looking forward to the follow up to Dark Shades of Blue. Buy this Album!

CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks w/ guest Blitzen Trapper - Oct 23rd @ The Warehouse - Tickets are on sale Now, $22. This is what I am doing for my birthday so if you care to join that would be cool.

Neil Young w/ Death Cab for Cutie and Everest - Oct 19th @ The Saddledome - This show will certainly be a good one and certainly an interesting mix of Neil Young and Death Cab. Tickets range from $50 to $250.

MUSIC NEWS:

In Weezer news, Brian Bell is launching his solo side project called Relationship. No worries to all us Weezer fans though, Weezer is still going strong with tour dates (none in Calgary) and plenty of positive news that Rivers isn't going into seclusion and disbanding the band.

The Arctic Monkeys are sticking to their side projects for now, as the drummer is releasing a mix disc. Taking the dance floor by storm Matt Helders takes that good drum sound and turns it into danceable tunes. With the other side projects going on in this band one has to start to wonder when we might see a new album from Arctic Monkeys. Hopefully, it's soon!

The Clientele has released an EP in what is hopefully a lead up to another full length release, following up their great release God Save The Clientele. Sadly as well they only have one live show with a wicked line up. They are playing with Camera Obscura and Frightened Rabbit.

Podcast Central is on a break for a while as I try and get caught up listening to all the ones I have missed over the last few weeks. Only so many hours in the day so if you have been looking for a new post, I will get caught up over the long weekend to provide you will all the music news you need.

Till next time.

-Dave

Three Elements

After an extended musically filled vacation from writing I am back at it, I sent New Music Tues - The Newsletter out this week and now it's time to update the blog. I have a few non-musical notes to make as well. Life is great out here right now, I have a job that keeps me busy, I am almost back to my running self and I have heard a lot of great bands and have some exciting concerts coming up to finish off the year. So, as I sit here reflecting on the year and life in general I thought of the old questions "If you were stranded on an island....?" Well as opposed to material things I thought of what elements in life I needed. One: Food - obvious choice but not just any food, I want good food. Two: Music - another obvious choice for me, I would need a constant source of new music and access to Pitchfork Media's website. Three: Sport: Watching the Olympics has been inspiring with great athletes bettering their own records and destroying others.

I wanted to have an Olympic theme to the blog this week. I have been glued to the TV watching and at work I have the Olympics streaming on-line. So I am going to take my three elements and award Gold, Silver and Bronze to three bands from this year, three restaurants that I feel deliver the goods, and finally three sports moments that have changed perhaps just my life, but maybe yours as well. I hope you enjoy and it would be great to know your Gold, Silver and Bronze choices as well.

First up we have food, only because I ate at a fantastic restaurant last night and want to share the experience. Food in Calgary isn't always the greatest and sometimes good restaurants fall off the podium faster then athletes in Beijing are being caught for doping. So I want to share my favorites.

Food Challenge:

Bronze - The Living Room takes bronze in the food challenge, their constantly innovative menu and great atmosphere create a great dining experience. Also, they are a great spot to enjoy some nice wine or other higher end drinks. 

Silver - Earls is a constant performer, a great atmosphere and a constant menu. Never a bad dining experience and it doesn't send you into debt to eat there. All the locations are great and it is the perfect restaurant when your not sure what you want as they have a bit of every thing. 

Gold - A new comer in Calgary but an amazing dining experience and a perfect atmosphere for almost any situation. Olives takes gold this year. A great menu with a mainly Italian influence, a great wine list and very solid desserts. The service is amazing and the vibe is relaxed but upscale. Certainly a pricey dinner but worth it for a special occasion. 

Sports Challenge:

Bronze - Deena Kastor winning the Chicago marathon. Here near perfect training schedule and her dealing with a near crippling injury (which finally got her this year at the Olympics very sadly). She battles through everything with a smile on her face and nothing but positive things to say which is very cool. A genuine athlete and Chicago was the first marathon she had won and it was very well deserved. 

Silver - Payne Stewart's US Open win in 1999. I was a junior golfer, his four amazing rounds on Pinehurst, one of my favorite golf course to watch being played (and of course a dream course for me to play), were very inspiring at the time. Coupled with his sudden death shortly after his US Open win, his final putt on the 18th on Sunday is forever engraved into my memory. 

Gold - Paula Radcliffe is along with Deena one of my running heroes. If any runner has dealt with adversity it is Paula. After dropping out at Athens the British media ripped her apart. Less then a year later she came back to run the London Marathon with the infamous "pit stop" on live tv and won the marathon. She is an inspiring athlete and she is synced up with my Nike + system to tell me how good I do on my runs. 

Music Challenge:

Bronze - Clearly I can't choose based on bands that formed this year. But I am going to award based on bands I only found out about this year. So bronze goes to Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. The release of  Real Emotional Trash is a great release from start to finish it is one of the CD's that have stayed on constant rotation since it's release. Check the band out on Oct. 23rd at the Warehouse. 

Silver - The Cool Kids take silver with ease, their throw back style of rap have been so infectious they have converted many white folk into rap fans. Their tracks are catchy and leave you boppin' your head long after the tracks are over. Their long awaited release of their EP  The Bake Sale has taken over on the hip hop scene and will continue to be played for years to come. 

Gold - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin for those who read my newsletter you all know this is my favorite new band. Their laid back indie pop sound has been fantastic, I have everything they have released on vinyl (just got their 7" green vinyl today). A great band, their great releases of Broom and Perishing will be on constant rotation for a long long time. 

Well, considering it has been almost a week I have been working on this blog post, I am going to forgo the rest of the usual Tuesday blog stuff and try to update you all tomorrow which is Tuesday!

-Dave

Pemberton Music Festival Review

40,000 people, 1 million tonnes of dust, 20 bands seen. 1 great concert experience. Below is the day by day breakdown and all the fun and exciting events that occurred over the three days. So get ready for the story, you might need a coffee to make it through I am going to into a lot of detail.

Friday

We rolled into the Pole Yard Parking in the early afternoon, we had heard nightmarish stories from those people trying to come on Thursday and Friday morning so we were a little concerned with what we would face. Apparently, we arrived at a perfect time we faced no major traffic delays and were able to park with no issue. We boarded the shuttle after a little delay as people brought way to much stuff and cramming on a yellow school bus with backpacks, tents and sleeping bags made the drive to the festival site hot and uncomfortable. We got off the bus and were told where we needed to go for camping, carrying a ton of gear we started the lengthy walk to the campsite. After many stops to readjust and pick up fallen gear we made it to an open plot of land to set up camp. Thankfully, Metric was on the main stage and we were able to listen to most of their set while setting up. I being a great camper, set up my tent and such in a few minutes and as I do at festivals ditched everyone else off in search of music.


Metric had finished their set by this time so I wandered to the Lillooet Stage which was the side stage. Shearwater had just started their set so I grabbed some dusty dusty ground and watched the set. The set was good, very much like their album a subdued set would have been great to take a nap to if it hadn't been so incredibly dusty. During the break between Shearwater and The Secret Machines I wandered back to the Mount Currie Stage (the main stage) to watch Wolfmother. I have seen Wolfmother before at the Sasquatch Music Festival, it was virtually the exact same show as two years ago. They put on a good rock show sounding much like their album. The have a great energy on the stage and are certainly a fun band to watch live.

I headed back to the Lillooet Stage for The Secret Machines as I wanted to get close to the front, I was looking forward to checking out this band as I listened to some streaming tracks on their Myspace page and they sounded pretty good.


The show didn't disappoint, it was great. A three piece band they put on a good rock show the lead guitar player was a lot of fun to watch as he clearly played air guitar when we was younger. When he hit the higher notes you could see he was making the sounds like an air guitarist would, it was great. They were probably the highlight of bands on Friday for me. It was fun to be at the front for the concert and I was surrounded by their fans who clearly knew all the songs quite well.
After Secret Machines it was time to wander back for Serj Tankian, I was looking forward to seeing him, however at this point was I getting pretty tired from the drive up and the first few concerts so I chilled out a the back of the masses to listen and enjoy. Serj Tankian's show was very good, he is certainly a good performer and a wonderful musician. Naturally, their were a lot of political statements made which got a little old as the set went on. The crowd was buzzed when he played his hits and I was certainly feeling it when he played "Feed Us" which is my favorite Serj track.
After that I made a quick stop at the other stage to catch a song by Kathleen Edwards which was great and I am sure the rest of her show was just as great, but long drives on a sketchy highway and a lot of sensory overload made my body scream for a nap. So back to the campsite I went for a quick nap so I could stay up for the NIN set, I missed Interpol which I wasn't that concerned with as I am not a big Interpol fan.

NIN put on another great live show, I saw them two years ago at Sasquatch and it still measured up to that performance. Trent Reznor plays a great live show and the the light show was fantastic. Everyone was rocking out pretty good, probably stoned out of their minds as most of the concert goers seemed to be. NIN capped off a great start to the concert even though the dust was horrible and a lot of people were quite grumpy with the transportation issues from earlier.

Saturday

I woke up early on Saturday, we wandered around the camp ground got some coffee and breakfast. The camp grounds were very well behaved and everyone respected everyone else which was great. The garbage and portable toilets were starting to feel the effects of 40,000 people and the company in charge were doing a very poor job in taking care of things, this trend would continue through the entire weekend.

I spent the entire early afternoon/evening at the Lillooet Stage, to catch all the indie bands. Brazilian Girls cancelled their set due to a "schedule conflict". So the sets all started later then expected. Low vs. Diamond whose album was released today, came on stage and put on a fantastic show, they were clearly an emerging band as they were just as excited to be their as we were to watch them. They were taking pictures of us and thanking us a lot during their set, very cool band and great sound. Check out their album, kinda generic but a good sound all the same.

Carolina Liar was next up, they didn't really impress me at all. If Low vs. Diamond was generic these guys were one step up. Kind of a cross between the Killers and Theory of a Deadman, I did not enjoy them very much. In the middle of that set I made my one stop at the beer gardens to drink my dust filled $7 beer and headed back to get a good spot for Mates of State.


Mates of State were so much fun! It is hard to pick a highlight from Saturday but this show would have been close for sure. I was hanging with some great people and they put on a high energy, extremely fun show. They got a big turn out from the as all the set times were conflicting and they got the break between Sam Roberts Band and My Morning Jacket. We were very close to the front for the show and it was fun to watch the people dance along to the songs.

Now came the highlight of Saturday. Buck 65 took the stage and blew every one's mind. This was the 12th time I have seen him and he never disappoints, a great show with a ton of energy, as we were sitting around the camp site later that night, everyone was still talking about the Buck 65 show. He told some great stories about the not so glamorous state of the artist port-a-potty and was fairly graphic in his description which he blamed Sam Roberts and Gord Downie for. He played his favorites such as "Wicked and Weird" which got the crowd jumping, he was one of the few artists I saw where the crowd was demanding another song, however due to the time schedules no encores happened.

A quick pit stop at the campsite for some food and I headed back for Black Mountain, ran into some friends who were also going for the show so went with them to watch a great Canadian band. I saw Black Mountain earlier this year, but we left before the show was over as it was a Tuesday concert and it was late and I am old. This time I got to see the entire set. It was great, a few songs in they played "Angels" which is one of my favorite songs and they finished with "Tyrants" which in my opinion has one of the best intros to a song ever. Great drums and an amazingly deep guitar sound. It was a great live show and they are certainly a better outdoor venue band then inside a club. They need that open air to really bring out their true sound. Check Black Mountain out live if you get a chance.

It was a bit of a break between sets and so it was off for some horrible festival food, even though it was perogies and sausages it was pretty greasy and gross. But at least the coffee was good and surprisingly the sandwiches weren't too bad either.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers finished off the night and they were Awesome! Such a great show, experience counts for a lot. He played a ton of his hits and it was a great sing-a-long. during "Free Fallin" the crowd nearly drowned Petty out and it was great. A perfect way to finish of Saturday and a great concert to add to the list of artists I have seen. After all the shows and putting up with drunk, high people it was pretty much straight to bed for the final day.

Sunday

The final day, started off a little wet after a night of rain and it was nice to keep the dust down. The garbage had piled up so much it was disgusting and the toilets were overflowing to the point that it was the constant topic to hear.

Vampire Weekend kicked things off for the final day on the main stage. They were good, although their set seemed quite rushed. I was in a pocket of fellow Vampire Weekend fans so we had a great sing-a-long session. They played about half of their debut album and covered all the best songs. They didn't banter with the crowd much, but put on a good show. I would see them again perhaps at a smaller venue. I went to the Rogers tent to charge my phone and made it back in time to see N.E.R.D.

N.E.R.D was the exact same as a few weeks ago at the Kanye West show. They put on a solid live show with high energy, Pharrell did his customary track upon which all the whorish girls from the front come up on stage to grind with him and lick his chest....yeah. The show ran long which put all the other shows behind schedule. A little bit of a piss off for those who wanted to see Coldplay and DJ Shadow.

Death Cab for Cutie came on and where I was the audio was distorted and horrible, it also wasn't a good follow up to N.E.R.D or a good lead in to Jay Z. So I headed back to the camp for some food and a break for the day. Thankfully, I was getting text message updates from Rogers and was set the new set time for Jay Z. It was nice to relax a little bit and I wasn't feeling very well after the constant crappy food and lack of healthy food. But after some Advil my stomach settled down and I was ready for Jay Z.

Jay Z!!!!!! This show was my highlight for Sunday. It was crazy good, he played his hits, he played his hooks and got the whole crowd singing "Umbrella". It was a crazy high energy show everyone around us were dancing and throwing up the rock, including me! It is very fun to throw up the rock, you should give it a try. The surprising thing was that there was no collab between Chris Martin and Jay Z. For a time it sounded like there was going to be one, the crowd was calling for "Beach Chair" to be played but we were out of luck. It was wicked though that Jay Z brought Memphis Bleek out for some tracks it was awesome.

Finally, Coldplay took the stage. They put on a great show, had the whole crowd going nuts and singing along to every song. They did a great two song performance from the small sound stage in the middle of the crowd, this got me pretty close to them, not as close as row 3 during their Rush of Blood tour a number of years ago. They played their hits "Yellow", "Fix You", "The Scientist" and "Clocks" and covered their newer songs on Viva la Vida. It was a really good show and a great way to finish off the weekend. By the time I got back to the campsite we were all pretty exhausted and hit the tents for a early start to Monday morning. It was an early start and things went smoothly on the way home. It was great, Trant and I had some good sing a longs in the car that made the 11 hour drive a lot nicer. Overall, the concerts were great, the people were good and the filth and garbage was horrible. It made for a good experience, but there are certain things that this festival will have to fix for this to run for year and years.

I kept out some of the most horrible scenes I saw at the festival, whether your high or not you should never ever do some things in public! Don't believe the media in the fact that the festival goers created all that mess, if there were more garbage cans and recycling areas it would not have been so bad. But, there were maybe 20 garbages on the festival grounds and they got emptied at the end of the day, 40,000 people can create a lot of waste in a short time. The camp garbages were not emptied all weekend and the port-a-potties were cleaned sporadically. I hope you enjoyed the review, I hope you check out some of the bands you haven't heard of and let me know what you think. There will be no New Music for the next week or so as I am running Death Race this coming weekend and it's going to take a while to recover from.

-Dave