Normally, I'm Good With Titles

165 SONGS

2010-02-14T17:49:00.019-05:00

From my iTunes. With "love." **

** OOPS: I tried to remove all the results that had "love" in the band name or album title because I wanted to just have love tracks. Rereading the list, I realize a few slipped through the cracks. #tryingtobeawesomevalentinesdayblogfail

OOPS 2: I also just noticed there are some song doubles. I guess I should have been less sloppy. But then isn't sloppiness what Valentine's Day is all about? #doublentendre

This was going to be a blog about Wolf Parade but instead it is about Technology

2010-01-27T22:58:00.012-05:00

Kind of.

I've noticed that my blogs are getting shorter and my status updates are getting longer.

Somewhere, somehow, something got f*ck up.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This blog was brought to you by the iPad. Because everyone and their gearheaded brother is talking about it today.

[Wolf Parade, I still love you and I still give a damn anyway]

Highway to the Danger Zone

2010-01-26T21:24:00.007-05:00

[...]
It is stuck in my head and now it will be stuck in yours.

[hunk]

TOP 100 ALBUMS OF THE DECADE (woh)

2010-01-03T18:18:00.021-05:00

I’ve loved the 2000s. I’ve loved the music, I’ve loved the fashion, I’ve loved witnessing the impact of our move to digital everything. Yes, we’ve seen a lot of rehashing of styles and sounds, but there was a lot of “making it new” à la Ezra Pound -- taking old classics and molding them to be relevant, fresh, sometimes lame, other times awesome, always intriguing. I’ll save my favourite trends, films and moments of the decade for a another blog, though. For now, it's music.

The thing with Top 10 (20, 100) lists is that they're never truly comprehensive. Particularly when you're trying to sum up the best of a whole decade. Where do you start? Fundamentally, the picks will always be subjective because musical tastes are a very personal thing. So for this list, I decided against simply putting what I thought were the most revolutionary and influential albums of the 2000s and chose, instead, ones that were memorable and landmark for me. Self-indulgent? Maybe. But isn’t that the best part of being a college radio DJ?

Note: sometimes I just couldn’t choose between two albums from the same band so I just put both down. F*ck that.

Note2: this started off as a Top 20 list. Oops.

Top 100 Albums of the Decade

Zero 7 – Simple Things
Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mother
Beck – The Information // Modern Guilt
Radiohead – Kid A
TV On The Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
The Strokes – Is This It
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
The Arcade Fire – Funeral
Boards of Canada – Geogaddi // Campfire Headphase
Death From Above 1979 – You’re A Woman

And in no particular order…
The White Stripes – Elephant / White Blood Cells
The Shins – Oh, Inverted World
The Dandy Warhols – Welcome to the Monkey House // Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia
Handsome Furs – Plague Park
Air – Talkie Walkie
Mindless Self Indulgence – Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy
Groove Armada – Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)
Ladytron – 604
Justice – Cross
Swan Lake – Beast Moans
Metric – Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming
The Killers – Hot Fuss
Mount Sims – Wild Light
The Postal Service – Give Up
Daft Punk – Discovery
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell
Thievery Corporation – Cosmic Game
The Kills – Midnight Boom
Autolux – Future Perfect
Beirut – Gulag Orkestar
Vitamins For You – I’m Sorry for Ever and for Always
Sinewave – Unity Gain
MSTRKRFT – The Looks
Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
Caribou – Andorra
The Rapture – Echoes
Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil
M.I.A. – Kala
Does It Offend You, Yeah? – You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into
Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future
Jackson and His Computer Band – Smash
Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
Sam Roberts – We Were Born in a Flame
Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
Wintersleep – Untitled
Destroyer – This Night
Digitalism – Idealism
Edit – Crying Over Pros for No Reason
Feist – The Reminder
Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Like Bad News
Le Tigre – This Island
The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Grizzly Bear – Yellow House
Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther [Bonus CD]
Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
The Horrors – Primary Colours
M83 – Saturdays = Youth
Bellavista – Bellavista
Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene
The Blood Brothers – Crimes
The Black Keys – Thickfreakness
The Chemical Brothers – We Are the Night
The Von Bondies – Pawn Shoppe Heart
Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights
Hexes and Ohs – Goodbye Friend, Welcome Lover
John and Jehn – Amour Ne Nous Dechirera Pas
You Say Party! WE Say Die! – Hit the Floor!
Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – Fear is on Our Side
All India Radio – Permanent Evolutions
Dungen – Ta Det Lugnt
Coldplay – Parachutes
Giant Drag – Hearts & Unicorns
Goldfrapp – Black Cherry
The Hives – Tyrannosaurus Hives
Beef Terminal – Anger Do Not Enter
Ulrich Schnauss – Far Away Trains Passing By
Eagles of Death Metal – Death By Sexy
Frog Eyes – The Folded Palm
Vinyl Republik Compilation – Fear of a Digital Planet
Peaches – Teaches of Peaches
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Wolfmother – Wolfmother
Madonna – Confessions on a Dance Floor
We Are Wolves – Total Magique
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
Tokyo Police Club – A Lesson in Crime
The Knife – Deep Cuts
T. Raumschmiere – Radio Blackout
Supergrass – Life on Other Planets
Miles Tilmann – Xenon EP
The Presets – Beams
Calvin Harris – I Created Disco
Alphawezen – L’après midi d’un microphone
The Organ – Grab That Gun
Nouvelle Vague – Bande a Part
Nathan Fake – Drowning in a Sea of Love
Hot Chip – Rarities and Remixes
I’ll finish off with one of my favourite songs of the decade: Louis XIV – “Finding Out True Love is Blind”

AND a huge thanks to somafm.com’s “Groove Salad,” last.fm and CJLO Radio for getting me through many a late-night paper session, to all the cool people I’ve shared music and musical moments with over the years (you know who you are), to iPod playlists, to CMJ marathon, Pop Montreal, Mutek, Piknic Electronik, RESFEST and the dozens of great festivals, shows and venues (RIP Spectrum), to Montreal artists period, and finally, to the blessed Internets, with your discographies, lyrics, band info, set lists, Myspaces, Facebooks, Wikis, Youtube vids [making a music videophile not ever have to videotape another music clip (15 tapes of videos is enough, right?)], and just your, like, everything.

BIRTHDAY FAIL

2009-10-23T23:10:00.010-04:00

Deciding to forgo any sort of birthday celebration this year seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, on a Friday night with one hour left of birthday time, I realize I may have miscalculated things.

HELLO 29!

This message was brought to you by PMS. Because whining never felt so good.

This Just In

2009-09-17T22:58:00.003-04:00

.
.
.
I am still alive. Apparently.
.
.
.

TOP ALBUMS AND SHOWS OF 2008

2009-01-01T22:22:00.007-05:00

MOST-LISTENED-TO ALBUMS

1. At Mount Zoomer – Wolf Parade
Yes, it’s true. I have a serious hard-on for Wolf Parade. If you ask me about musical faves, I’ll inevitably blather on about Spencer and Dan or, by extension, Sunset Rubdown, Handsome Furs or Swan Lake, even. My love for the band, however, is not unfounded; I think they write fantastic shit -– both lyrically and musically –- and the uniqueness of the two lead vocals solidifies the fact. Apologies to the Queen Mary was, and still is for me, a close-to-perfect album –- one that grabs you with its catchy hooks, and lingers with its lyrical dexterity. So much so that three years later, it’s still on my heavy rotation list. You could imagine, then, how much I was anticipating their sophomore record -– especially after seeing what the two leads were doing with their side projects. Admittedly, At Mount Zoomer didn’t really stick right away -– it took several listens for me to warm up to it. But when I did, *sigh,* I really did. Unlike Apologies’ quick catchiness, ... Zoomer beckons us slowly, almost subtly at first, and has more of an experimental and epic feel to it, revealing that Dan and Spencer have interpolated their side-project musings into Wolf Parade. This is not a bad thing. The tracks maintain an air of unpredictability, many of which build up to gloriously satisfying climaxes (“California Dreamer” “Kissing the Beehive,”). Songs like “Language City,” however, keep up the spirit of the band’s generational-anthem sing-alongs that made their debut so yummy. Oh, and their use of keyboards totally kicks ass. Don’t believe me? Check out “Animal In Your Care” and “The Great Estates.” What else can I say about this album except that it makes me cry happy tears?

2. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
I debated putting this album on my list at all, never mind making it my number two. The controversy surrounding the band gives me a headache, but, unfortunately, they managed to sample their way into my heart. Their use of excerpts from the likes of Death From Above and Van She, and their collaboration with Health yielded some of my most listened-to songs of 2008 (“Untrust Us,” “Vanished” and “Crimewave”). And while at times this album sounds like a schizophrenic Atari console, it finds balance with more mellow and highly listenable tracks. Like it or not, these kids have upped the ante on late 2000’s electronic music, and will have, no doubt, a slew of both copycats and followers.

3. Midnight Boom – The Kills
How do you perfect the lo-fi bluesy goodness of No Wow? You release Midnight Boom, evidently. With hints of Blondie and Peaches, this album has more of a dance spin to it but never abandons the raw feel that the band is known for. Overall, a refreshing and sexy rock release. Oh, and do me a favour and see The Kills live, too.

4. You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into – Does It Offend You, Yeah?
“We Are Rockstars” was swimming around the scene for years without a home, so it was fine time these guys released an album. While You Have Know Idea… consciously combines all that is trendy in dance-punk today, it does it well enough to create a fun, energized album. Sebastian Grainger’s vocal appearance is also *very* welcomed.

5. Welcome To The Third World – The Dandy Warhols
Courtney Taylor-Taylor and his crew continue to what they do best -– self-consciously, and successfully, allude to different rock eras. I still enjoy.

6. We Are The Night – The Chemical Brothers
The Brothers still manage to work it out. A fantastic record to drive to.

7. Dear Science – TV On The Radio
In my opinion, Dan Sitek, Tunde Adempipe and co. can do no wrong. Wait, I lie. Return to Cookie Mountain was a slight downer for me, simply because parts of it felt like a rehash of some of Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes’ finer moments. Dear Science, however, is a step in an exciting direction, and the follow-up album I had been hoping for.

8. Heavenly Bender – Sam Champion
Maybe I have a little soft spot for Sam Champion because they were the first band I ever interviewed (and they were so damn nice!) Regardless, Heavenly Bender houses some wonderfully nostalgic garage tracks.

9. Saturdays = Youth – M83
A valentine to children of the 80’s everywhere.

10. A Heart Full of Sorrow – Yussuf Jerusalem
I have Mike to thank for introducing me to this gem of an album. I’m really not sure how to describe the sound, other than awesomeness, and maybe lo-fi 60’s garage. Not interested? You will be, after you’ve checked him out. No, seriously, check him out. I demand it.

Forgotten Mentions (how could I?):
Modern Guilt - Beck
Trouble In Dreams - Destroyer

Honourable Mentions:
Attack & Release – The Black Keys
?Como Te Llama? - Albert Hammond Jr.
In Ghost Colors - Cut//Copy
Dystopia - Midnight Juggernauts

---

MOST AMAZING SHOWS

There is too much to be said about all these concert experiences, so I will save their elaboration for my blog. All you need to know about them is…THEY GAVE ME ONE. (100 points for identifying obscure quote.)

1. Wolf Parade @ Metropolis
I didn’t think I could love Wolf Parade any more. I love them even more.

2. Caribou @ La Tulipe
One of the best shows I’ve seen. Ever.

3. The Kills @ Le Studio Juste Pour Rire
Hot chemistry + hot music = hot concert

4. Radiohead @ Parc Jean-Drapeau
Do I really need to explain? Didn’t think so.

5. Beck @ Theatre St-Denis
Proof that Beck still has it and will always have it.

6. Destroyer @ Lambi
Dan Bejar is really not as pretentious as you may think! He's awesome, actually.

Happy Thanksfusion

2008-10-20T13:07:00.026-04:00

It's no secret that I love food/cooking/baking/mixology. The whole deal. Those who know me well enough, know of my slight [sic] addiction the Food Network, my mounds of cooking mags/books, my love of hosting dinner parties and my desire to learn about the origin, science and cultural impact of food (for those of you who share that interest, or have any curiosity about the chemistry/history of gastronomy, I really recommend picking up Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. A food-lover's dream.) If it was up to me, I'd spend all day in the kitchen (ideally, one of those cool, top-of-the-line ones with gas ranges and stainless steel everything), preparing meals for the people I love (luckily for you, I love many). Much to the chagrin of the flames of my teenage feminism, I am a domestic soul at heart.

I get especially excited about trying different ethnic cuisines (are we still allowed to say "ethnic"? Do I care?) Montreal has its pick of worldly restaurants, but my philosophy has always been, if you can make it at home, why not? And, thanks to the Internet, you'll find shit* that you would have never tried before, wowing yourself and everyone else in the process.

All this to say that this year's Thanksgiving was a fun one. Yes, I had the huge Turkey-with-the-works meal that my Mom and Nonna make so well, but Raeanne (my radio and Jean-Talon Market partner) and I decided to fuck with tradition and make Indian on Saturday. We're both obsessed with naan and have the hots for Ramasutra (ok, maybe that's just me, but come on, he's hot), and our recent visits to two of my favourite Indian restos, Mysore and Bombay Choupati, just fueled our fire.

One of the most amazing dishes I've ever had, and continue to enjoy, is Bombay Choupati's Chole Chaat. It's a potato/chick pea/tamarind/yogurt/coriander food thing that is as close to a food orgasm as it can get. I can't really describe it; you'd have to try it for yourself (I've tried it at several different places, but none compare to Bombay's version).

Chole Chaat [from Bombay Choupati]

This dish, for the time being, was off the agenda (I didn't want to mess with it just yet); instead, I decided to attempt tarka dal, my other stomach pleaser (for this, Mysore tops the list) and homemade chapatis. Rae was going to try to recreate a potato-spinach curry plate she had (also at Mysore). After a day of shopping at J-T Market and finding out what the hell asafoetida was, we finished the meal.

The result? Success! Not only did Rae and I discover just how kitchen compatible we were (should we ever decide to bat for the other team, we're getting married), but the food was damn tasty. My tarka dal, while not as layered as Mysore's version, was still yummy. Rae's on-the-fly potato curry dish rocked (it was brought to new heights by an improvised addition of pineapple curry sauce she purchased in Amsterdam). The chapatis were a bit of a FAIL, though Rae and her fiance, Denis, were too nice to say otherwise. For some reason, they didn't puff up...I blame the wok I made them in completely. And myself, for losing the war on flat bread. Still, all and all, our experiment yielded awesome results.

What truly made the night, though, was our catapult back into "holiday" spirit with the pumpkin pie Rae had prepared for dessert. While we were knocked semi-conscious by the mix and thus had to rain-check our Rock Band band practice, the meal kept us laughing all night. Therefore, Curry + Lager + Pumpkin Pie = Best Thanksgiving Ever. Next Thanksgiving, I'm making Yemini.

Homemade Indian FTW

"Changes in my life / I've GOT you by my side"

2008-10-02T18:32:00.003-04:00

I just realized something.

Okay.

I didn't just realized it. Nor did I just realized it. (Confused yet?)

This blogspot hasn't been updated in ages. Mainly due to the fact that life after Facebook is a very strange place. Also partly because after grad-school bitching, what is there to talk about really?

There's plenty. So I will revive this. From the ashes, a new blog will rise...stronger and more outrageously awesome than the last.

Are you ready for it? I hope so.

Oh, and this colour scheme will go. Oh, there will be changes...

* Sad thing is that the only people who understand this reference won't even read this.

Die you zombie fruit flies! Die! Die!

2007-06-28T23:31:00.004-04:00

Why is it that I only manage to write (original) notes when I'm just about losing my mind with paper writing? Is that all I'm good at? Complaining about writing (and, therefore, penning my own irony?)

I'm at that point in the evening after having spent all day writing / researching/ eating / writing some more / watching TV / revising / pacing / rethinking / talking on phone / reconsidering / mental exhaustion / descending into discouragement / self-doubt / self-loathing / transference of anger on paper, the Victorians, the course, prof, school, my entire academic career, back to me etc, etc

AND WHERE ARE THESE FRUIT FLIES FROM HELL SPAWNING FROM?

Yeah, it just might be that time to call it a night. I look forward to future ramblings containing light-hearted, happy thoughts.

HAPPY. happy. HAPPY. happy.

Yeah, I like Zoolander. Deal with it.

Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast...hopefully.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This pointless, self-absorbed blog has been brought to you by the letter Q. Just because it can never stand alone.

Kyss Thys

2007-05-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

I hate Malory.

I hate Lancelot. I hate Gwinevere. I hate chivalry. I hate adultery. I hate sexuality.

I hate Middle English. I hate Medieval scholars. I hate this paper.

And as for the Grail, yeah, I hate that too.

They Only Come Out At Night

2007-03-30T04:10:00.001-04:00

I just killed the ugliest, biggest fucking creature ever. Here I am, in my basement, typing away at my computer, pondering bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a black furry thing moving. I look, and there it is -- a 3-inch insect from hell. I had just enough time to freeze in my position before it scurried under the book shelf.

In shock, I just sat there wondering if I was hallucinating. If I had seen what I had just seen, there was no way I was going to bed with that thing still alive and crawling around my place (even though my bed is in another room entirely, one can never be to cautious). After about 10 minutes of just staring at that stupid shelf, the billion-legged monster creeped out and went running under my school bag (mental note: never leave my school bag, and anything else, on the floor again). I scanned the room for something, anything, to kill it. I was hoping to have enough proximity as possible between myself and the Thing, but since I didn't have a fire hose on hand, I had to settle for my slipper. My poor, pretty little ballet slipper. I mustered up the courage to walk to my schoolbag with the hope that it wouldn't just sprint out at me (I would have been a dead woman, otherwise); thankfully, as if knowing about its own tragic demise, it moved with trepidation. I then abhorrently squished it with said slipper (that poor, pretty little slipper) and of course, it didn't die right away so i had to squish it even harder.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

WWWWW.

Goose-bumped, I ran to my computer to check up what this thing could be. Turns out, it's a house centipede. A website aptly said that it looked like a moving hairbrush. Apparently, these bugs are really "friendly" and they kill spiders and other household pest......uhhh, how is this not a pest? How is this even posited as being a human "friend"???

Wonderful. Now I cannot sleep. I just feel like this centipede thing is crawling up my arms. I am probably going to dream about it. Maybe I will even end up having supper with it one day, just because I'm lucky like that.

I am not moving that shoe for a week. Does exoskeleton evaporate? (Please say yes.)

The Soundrack of My Life on Party Shuffle

2007-03-17T15:19:00.000-04:00

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...

---------------------------------------------------------------

Opening Credits: Ladytron - "Laughing Cavelier"
Sounds like something from the Dr. Who soundtrack. Perfect. (Did anyone else watch it as a kid and wonder how the hell that computerized office fit in a phone booth?)

Waking Up: Medeski, Martin and Wood - "Mami Gato"
If I could wake up in this type of jazzy mood each morning, I wouldn't hate my life so much.

First Day At School: Wintersleep - "Migration"
If I have to migrate to another "first day at school," I will kill myself.

Falling In Love: The Kills (covering Serge Gainsbourg) - "I Call It Art"
Yes, I'm that pretentious.

Sex Scene: MSTRKRFRT - "She's Good For Business"
It's funny 'cause it's true.

Fight Song: Air - "Photograph"
I love you Air, but I'm so not fucking fighting to your limp-wristed, vanilla lullabies.

Breaking Up: Eagles Of Death Metal - "Poor Doggy"
Nothing like reducing your ex to a dog. Or maybe doing it doggy one more time for the road. Whatever the case, it works.

Prom: Lush - "Ocean"
If they played this at my prom, I would have been one happy starry-eyed, shoe-gazing, hormonally-charged 17-year old.

Life's OK: The Strokes - "Electricityscape"
Life would be A-OK if I was in NYC with Julian and company.

Mental Breakdown: Beck - "Static"
I'm breaking down as we speak.

Quitting Shit Job: Half-Life 2 Soundtrack - "Lab Practicum"
The fact that I have this song in iTunes is a testament to why I -- and the person who sent me this track -- should stop gaming and get back to work.

Driving: The Rapture - "Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks"
Not only apropos, but fucking hot.

Flashback: Jackson and his Computer Band - "Moto"
Jackson can flash my back any day. Wiki him and you'll understand.

Getting Back Together: The Magnetic Fields - "Underwear"
The only reason to get back together, really.

Birth of Child: The Arcade Fire - "Headlights Look Like Diamonds"
Can the father of the child be Win Butler? No? Fuck it, then.

Wedding: Supergrass - "Run"
Indeed.

Final Battle: The Vines - "Gross Out"
It would be a minute-long fight, but dammit, it would be fucking crazy.

Death Scene: Boards of Canada - "Tears From the Compound Eye"
YES.

Funeral Song: vitaminsforyou - "Everything is Always"
My funeral song will not sound like postmodern fluff.

End Credits: Roni Size - "The Streets"
Fuck this, let's dance.

Pigeons Go Doggy; Spring Arrives

2007-02-28T22:46:00.000-05:00

Well -- it looks like Spring is here. Not only is the sun shining, the wind a gnat's wing less frigid, and people's blood flowing a little more excitedly, but the pigeons are doing it.

Today, as I was sitting at the triangular benches outside the Hall building on McKay -- the ones I've managed to chill out on every Spring for 7 years (yeah, I *really* need to leave Concordia) -- I witnessed one pigeon of unidentified sex beaking (perhaps prepping?) its own gonads. In flies bird number two and they start making out like it means something (anyone who has birds and has ever kissed someone in front of them knows that Blue Budgie and Yellow Budgie quickly pick up the habit). Then one of the pigeons (whom we assume was the male, but one's never too sure) jumps on the other's back and they started getting funky, until a passing student yells "get a room!" and the two lustbirds fly off in shame.

Needless to say, love, and Spring, are in the air.

Book yer face

2007-01-03T02:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, my friends, this is the story of my life.

What is "this" you ask?

That under the right circumstances and environmental elements, I can be seduced by the internet. Really -- it is true.

So, it's 2AM. I went to bed a few hours back but woke up because I was too...awake, I guess would be the best word. I tend to feel hyper and restless the night before the first day of school, so it's no surprise. But anyway, I get out of the comfort of my bed to go to the comfort of my Ikea jean chair across from my ever-accommodating monitor. I do the routine skim through my various accounts. I get invited to Facebook. I join Facebook.

I am officially a lose-er. Someone, give the lady a pen and paper.

Prelude to Consolidation Or Beginning to Begin

2006-12-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

Okay. So, you may not know me, or at the very least, know this about me, but I'm a little obsessed with order. I like it. It's pretty and neat and makes me feel like a better person.

This is why I feel the need to consolidate blogs. You see, I began a blog (my first, first ever, wow) sometime in May when I created a MySpace account. Maybe becoming too intimate with the web has been my downfall, but hey, it happened. In any case, because I don't like the idea of scattered accounts/blogs, coupled with the fact that I'd like to share my life-changing thoughts with more people than my private MySpace circle, I thought I'd paste the few blogs I have written over the course of the past 6 months into this space.

So now, what I create there, goes here and vice versa. I'm feeling better already.

You've Got The Spirit, Don't Lose The Feeling

2006-12-01T23:34:00.000-05:00

I was about to use this bloggy opportunity to fill out (yet) another survey, but then I thought, why? Why spend this precious moment sharing yet more of the same tosh I've been spitting out to you since I first came on this thing back in Spring (shucks, it's our 6 month anniversary!) Not that I discount surveys...god knows how addicted I am to reading them, filling them out, and coming up with ones of my own. I simply want to provide you, my avid subscribers, with a little bit more to chew on. Or, at the very least, something with a little extra icing/whipped cream.

That said, I just have one small thought (wow, I'm anti-climactic). I'm currently in the midst of discovering a bunch of great music from fantastic artists, which obviously, are happily demanding much of my musical attention. There is (almost) nothing better than falling in love with a song and having a moment with it upon each listen. It's a moment, very similar to the meaningful and passionate early stages in a relationship, that you wish would last forever. But it doesn't, in either cases. So you try to counteract this kismet by stopping (or at least decreasing) your interaction with a song. I do this all the time with songs that strike a resonant chord with me -- as soon as I realize I'm giving them too much love, I try to back off, just so the feeling could last. It doesn't work though...inevitably, I can't not tune in for too long, and with time, feelings become neutralized and the songs, while still great, fail to get me going as they once did.

Yes, I am still talking about music here. Do you know what I'm saying though?

PS: Oh Dan Bejar, keep composing...

This Is Not A (1 AM) Student Rant

2006-11-19T00:56:00.000-05:00

This is just a frustrated blog to say that I am so brain-deep in paper correcting at a weekly interval that I don't have time to write anymore. I have half-finished concert/movie reviews for Nouvelle Vague, TV On The Radio and Fast Food Nation. Additionally, I haven't gotten the chance to even begin putting down my CMJ experience into words. I want to write, and yet I can't. And so I think...and think...

This sux. For those of you who think students have it easy, that student life way surpasses the 9-5 deal, then I would simply like to say:
a) being a grad student who works shoots down that theory
b) even if I didn't work, the stress of research/seminar preparation is enough to constantly be on one's mind. When most people pack up their desks and head on home for the evening/weekend, our work hangs on our brain like a tiny bat in a never ending slumber. Weekends? What are those? I don't know anymore!

Wow, talk about rant-y. That's what blogs are for, eh? Self-absorbed nannerings of computer addicts like me? Anyway, for anyone who's patient and still gives a damn, there are a lot of good bits on their way.

And now, back to work...

Teenagers from Mars, we do care; or, Fantasia's back in town

2006-07-24T12:42:00.001-04:00

DJing for the festival was such a blast. Here are some of my top picks, if anyone still cares...

The Descent

Highly disturbing and gripping the whole way through. It's also refreshing to see a movie about smart, tough chicks battling it out. My only complaint would be that some of the ladies felt a little too much like stock characters (Juno, anyone?). However, the emotional resonance of the main character's psychological trauma paralleled with the notion of being trapped in a cave makes this horror movie stand out among the other junk.

A Bittersweet Life

Ah, one of the most debated movies at Fantasia (see Angelica's good summation of the film on CJLO's forum under "Favourites"). While I'm mildly annoyed by the Romantic pursuit of the idealized female plotline, the lead skillfully plays emotional depth and silent frustration -- making questionable motives and slight melodrama more palatable. After all is said and done, remains one of my favourite festival films this year.

DJ XL5's Zappin' Party Cavaclade

Not only the best collection of shorts I've ever seen, but the best movie-going experience I've had at Fantasia. It was a buffet of good-times -- you never knew what was coming up, and in the whole two-hour screening, there was just one lackluster short. Not bad. Highlights: the conflated movie trailers such as "Brokeback to the Future" and "Toy Story Requiem," the tampered-with horror trailers made to look like heart-felt films ("Shining," "Cabin Fever"), and much much more...

Edmond

Turning a play into a screenplay has never been an easy feat. You can either take major creative license and hope for the best (ie: Titus) or remain faithful to the script and completely flop (ie: Proof). Edmond manages to remain identifiable "drama," which in my opinion, works in its favour. It feels like a play, and if you're familiar with the genre, viewing Edmond won't be such an uncomfortable experience. Still, its style, birthed from "in-your-face" playwriting that was especially popular around the time of its inception, coupled with its retaliation against political correctness, may not be for everyone. If, however, you enjoy being psychologically stabbed every once in a while, then Edmond may be right up your alley...

Bon Cop/Bad Cop

The highlight of this experience was the fact that I saw the film's Canadian Premiere liquored up from the Fantasia cocktail with the awesome peeps from CJLO. Oh, and Patrick Huard was there in the flesh!!! :P All and all, a hilarious way to end the festival.

Postmodern Blues

2006-06-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

Contemporary society has afforded us the wonderful opportunity to "get our word out there" and "say it if it feels right/good/necessary." Anyone with -- or with access to -- a computer can post journals of their daily thoughts and deeds for the world to see.

But this isn't a blog about contemporary society. Nor is it a critique of blogs themselves. I could write a metablog about blogs, but then I don't know what would upset me more -- the irony of it all, or the fact that irony has become such a cliché in and of itself.

So why am I blogging? I guess to display the dilemma we all find ourselves in. We deride certain behaviors/systems of life, only to find ourselves caught up in the circle. We hate commercialism and yet want every-colour-of-that-item-please. We scoff at superficiality but find ourselves obsessed with reality T.V. and tabloids. We value human interaction and warmth and yet here we are writing blogs...

We tell ourselves these are escapes, not traps. Does it boil down to the postmodern condition of the individual creating his/her own truth and the ever-popular line "it's all relative"? Is life so because we believe it is so?

[Ok, so this turned out out to be the blog I said it wouldn't be. How ironic. Forgive me???]