When you listen to a Frightened Rabbit song… you believe, “these guys must live in a cottage.” It was reassuring to read on their blog for the new song “Scotting Winds,” that it was in fact written on the bus to their cottage in the Borders.
My favourite Scottish sad rockers have a new extended play and glorious news, its a free download. That’s the best.
Waking up, trollingStereogum and discovering a new FREE Frightened Rabbit really made this Thursday a superior Thursday… compared to say, last Thursday.
Frightened Rabbit – “Scottish Winds”
Frightened Rabbit – “Fuck This Place”
Frightened Rabbit – “The Work”
I hope to take a second to download the EP… then maybe go back in time and listen to the older stuff. Its all pretty magical.
*** I helped Ceri over at Vintage Spirits with some music related stuff for her business… and so she set me up with a bottle of Baker’s Bourbon. Thank you Ceri!
My bourbon collection is slowly growing (like hockey jersey’s, its a hard thing to spend money on as it isn’t the most practical use of my limited funds) so barter seems to work well. My Maker’s is all gone, but I still have my Buffalo Trace, Bulleit and Woodford Reserve (that is what I used for my Bourbon Whip Cream on Thanksgiving).
I haven’t had a chance to taste the Baker’s… seriously I got it for the label. Same name as me! SWA?
One of my favourite things to do when Dave Sawchuk used to work at the Zone was hit Fairways and hope… HOPE that Wicked Thai soup was on the burner.
Dave is gone, and my day is filled with a void. I still wander to Fairways, and sure…its nice when Wicked Thai is being served…but its not the same. Dave one time was so fired up on the Thai soup, he bought every single bowl and sold them out of it, to teach them a lesson! WTF? Then he brought it back to the Zone and served it up to all the workers.
He often talked of opening a soup stand on Quadra just outside Fairways, that sold ONLY Wicked Thai soup.
Our holy grail of cooking was to find a delicious replica that we could make at home and take the power back from Fairways.
I am happy to report that today, Coral found the recipe.
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (a standard size tray package)
4 cups chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, cut into small dice
2 Tbsp. Gourmet Garden™ Lemon Grass herb paste (the stuff in the tube or the real thing, if you can find it)
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup half and half (10%) cream
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp. red curry paste
1 1/2 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili paste (or Sriracha, as an alternative but you may need less)
2-3 Tbsp. tomato paste (to taste)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups cooked rice (long grain white or brown rice or try a mix of long grain with wild rice for some added texture)
Fresh cilantro, parsley or basil leaves shredded for garnish
METHOD
Cook rice and set aside (or use left-over cooked rice).
Heat large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. oil. When hot, add mushrooms and cook until golden and tender. Remove to a plate. In same pot, add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and heat. Add onion, red pepper, and saute just until softened. Return mushrooms to pot. Add broth and chicken and heat through. Add lemon grass paste, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Add milk, turn heat to low, then cover and simmer 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, add curry paste, Sambal Oelek, tomato paste, 2 Tbsp. water and cornstarch and mix until incorporated. Stir into soup until combined and heat until soup simmers, thickens very slightly and has a velvety appearance. Add cooked rice, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. (You can also add more curry paste, tomato paste and/or Sambal Oelek to taste at this point, as well).
Pour soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, parsley or basil leaves and serve with additional Sambal Oelek for those who prefer a hotter soup.
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 2 hours 20 min
Yield: 6-8 servings
Adapted from a Taste of Home recipe
***
We cooked it up tonight and yeah… pretty rad. I couldn’t track down the lemongrass paste. Fairways was out of red curry paste so I used green… and we had no cornstarch. But it still worked out amazing.
Thought I better find you a song to go with your Wicked Thai Soup. Now the track that popped into my head right away was the Alex Chilton jam, “Bangkok.” Listening right now, I realize, this song is a little racist.
It is from 1978 when you could sing bizarrely inaccurate racial generalizations… and the dude has since shuffled off the mortal coil, so we might have to forgive the transgression and jump into the song.
The record that is changing my life for the better this week is not M83… as I had thought.
Rather a record I brought home from the Zone the other day, Michigan Left from Hamilton rock & rolla’s, The Arkells.
The Arkells are are winning at music because this album is just so darn happy. It feels like the lead singer is smiling while giving the wink-and-the-gun during every cut.
Picking a favourite is a challenge as there are more one gem buried in the grooves.
The single is “Whistleblower.” That song is solid and sounds great on the radio.
Right now, track one is getting it done for me.
The Arkells – “Book Club”
Solid jam.
At record club last night, I was talking with Michelle and Two about the greatness of this album and how much they both enjoy it.
Some songs we came away with as standout would be “Coffee,” “On Paper,” and “Kiss Cam.” All so good.
Arkells come to Victoria for a Zone Show on November 12th. WIN tickets from my radio show all this week… or you know, buy some tickets. Sadly I’ll miss this show (but for a good reason). So maybe you’ll go for me… because I can’t.
Last time I saw the Arkells live, they made me a believer!
As for the album title, Michigan Left. What is that?
According to wikipedia (and Michelle) its some weird way to make a left turn that you find all over the roads of Michigan. neat.
CRC96 fires up its third season with music from Acres of Lions. My favourite song off their new record ‘Collections‘ is the title track and last cut. Maybe its about hording? Jeff, are you trying to tell us you need an A&E intervention? Acres of Lions leaves tomorrow for Nova Scotia to perform at the Halifax Pop Explosion. http://halifaxpopexplosion.com/
JP Maurice teamed up with a who’s-who of Victorian artists to record a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” as the Noverdubs. Watch the video and documentary about the project at http://wearemaurice.com
Rocky Mountain Rebel Music teamed up with their friends in Everybody Left for a song Jesse describes as, “insane Dancehall/Blues.”
Lastly… Quoia released a new record a couple weeks ago… the promotion brought them to my studio to record their single live off the floor.
New M83 record is out tomorrow… I hope the iTunes download goes hot tonight, I am going to buy it for sure. Actually… if Ditch has the vinyl tomorrow… I’d really like that. I wonder?
Initial reviews have been promising. I adore the first single “Midnight City.”
Today I have been jamming out track one/side one, “Intro” Easy right… first song should be called intro.
Pitchfork loves this cut… I’m a little more meh on it… I am sure, in the context of the whole double album, this song serves well. As a stand alone single or song, it doesn’t have the payoff that I enjoy in a 5 minute ditty.
This is an epic, building, bright cut that you can imagine really crushes down for the next song… have a listen. It features vocals from Nika Roza Danilova of Zola Jesus.
I brought Mads so I couldn’t stay the whole time… but I will say that Madelyn is finally getting to an age where she can enjoy the process. She sits in her chair. Loves to clap. Pays attention enough to know that Victoria is the “Purple” team (the jersey is more blue-ish but shhhh). Yells “Go ‘Toria!” And loves her treats.
The Royals played the Kelowna Rockets (Grandpa Rob’s team) and gutted out an overtime win!
We also got to see super-stud #9 Kevin Sundher assist a Soudek goal. He is tied for the top scorer in the WHL right now. Nice.
I hope that I am fortunate enough to get another pair of tickets to take Madelyn again this season.
In other hockey news… Coral and I will be heading to Van for a game verse CBJ in November. Fun attack!
***
It was an eventful weekend. I kinda like not working my weekends away. I get that whole mantra that to be successful you gotta be working and creating all.the.time… but I’ll save that Radio Stars of the world. I’ll take some pleasure in a glorious Fall hike.
My brother CJ is turning into a true weekend warrior on the trail. I had to miss out so much on the hikes because of work, but this weekend was about living Island Time and having fun. CJ and Caitlin and I hit Gowlland Tod Park for an “easy” assent up to a lookout that offered an amazing picnic spot. We spied the Saanich Inlet and Malahat Mountain.
I kinda want to do it again next weekend… but I think CJ already has designs on East Sooke. Though, my bro will need a rain coat as we won’t always be so lucky to hike in the glorious sun in our temperate rain forest.
Do you have any favourite hiking spots that are an easy drive from the city?
I like to consider myself a Grand Archives fan. On more than one occasion of exalted the virtues of the song “Swan Matches.” That song has taken an almost mystical or religious place in my heart.
But scratching surface, the paint will fleck off and reveal, I’ve been a poor fan.
I’ll tell ya, it can be hard staying up on everything in music. I enjoy indie rock, classic alternative, chillwave and 60s music mostly on my own time. I work at a modern rock radio station, so I need to be up on whatever Dave Grohl is up to. I DJ weddings, lounges, clubs… and well, where ever someone feels they need a DJ. So I then need to have at least a passing grade of top 40, electro, dubstep, and new country knowledge… sometimes my brain gets full.
People call me on the radio or email wanted to talk bands. That makes sense. You’re sick; call the doctor. Need meat; call the butcher. Like music; call the DJ.
That is groovy and I appreciate being the friendly neighbourhood DJ. Occasionally someone says, “hey man, you should play the Bingo Bongo Band on your show.” I make the mistake and say, “never heard of them.” And then someone gets mad and says, “SWA? Never heard of the Bingo Bongo Band! They’re the greatest EVAR! What kind of DJ are you?”
Zoinks, I was the DJ born with a human brain that has to live on a planet that has a measly 24 hour day.
My homeboy Two sent me an MP3 today from the Grand Archives. Said the song was performed live for the Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Party a few years ago when it was new. BEFORE it was included on 2009’s Keep In Mind Frankenstein.
WTF mate… they had a new record? Heck they’ve had two since their most excellent self titled debut.
This is beyond DJ failure; this is a total fan breakdown.
I guess fortunately? the good news is the buzz on the subsequent records was poor, so maybe I didn’t miss much… the track that Two sent me is pretty pleasant like GA tend to be. Have a listen.
I’ve been thinking about Henry George Bellinger again. Long time readers of this here blog may recall tat I occasionally like to talk about World War One. Mr. Bellinger is often cited as one of the, if not THEE first Canadian killed in action on the Western Front.
For some morbid or bizarre reason, the story of being the first guy killed in a war intrigues me. Months ago I told Simon about Bellinger.
Basically, it would be the anti-war epic. The story would center on 35 year old, married father tailor man Henry living in Eastern Ontario. The call comes that there is war and he enlists.
He trains, gets shipped over. Sits around for awhile. Cracks a few japes with the boys, smokes some cigarettes… then gets blown up in the first few moments of the first battle. Roll credits.
No heroic bayonet charge, no dragging his injured bro to safety… just sitting around, attack begins and a shell catches him. The end. And that is Bellinger’s War.
Obviously, I am having hard time envisioning the commercial appeal of this endeavour… but perhaps it could be a powerful short film. The ultra real war film.
There is not much information about this tragic footnote in Canadian history. He was born in 1876. He was married to who I can only imagine was super babe, Mary Ann. He was a tailor. He enlisted in the army in Levis, Quebec. He is buried in Belgium. He may have had a daughter named Mildred. Killed by enemy shell fire along with Norman Fry on January 8th, 1915. He was 36 or 39 when he died. The end.
Go with yourself.
One of my heroes in rock & roll is The National‘s Matt Berninger. He was talking to the AV Club about the measured rise of the band. “We slowly crack; it’s never been a big explosion.”
I love the imagery of that little quote, like how I love almost all the pictures painted in their songs.
The National are great because they write smart sexy music that requires a little investment in time from the fan to appreciate. The band stays pretty consistent and on point with creating new work and has very methodically grown. Really earning the success they have. Its inspiring.
The first single from 2010’s High Violet was a song called “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” (download an MP3 here)
The song is interesting for a lot of reasons to me.
It begins with a sensual scene. The intimate and gritty real sort of life that you get up to when you’re married or in a relationship or basically not a porn star having sex. Getting ready for bed with someone you get ready for bed with everyday. Its mundane, but its also pretty.
The song then delves into the trials and stresses that we all… ok, well I do, you’re probably more financially astute than me.
“I still owe money, to the money, I owe.”
Then he escapes or has a dream where he travels back to the place where he grew up, Ohio. Neat.
On the weekend, a cover version of “Bloodbuzz” bounced around my twitter feed from Brooklyn-by-way-of-Denmark singer Oh Land. (what is it with cover songs lately? I’m really on a kick)
Oh Land’s version keeps true to the prodding pace of the original. But Oh Land has a sugar sweet voice and adds some echoey crashes and electronic bee-boops. When she sings, “Stand up straight at the foot of your love/I lift my shirt up,” its positively adorable… or it might be more so if the picture I found wasn’t some sort of fembot with feathers. Before I saw a picture of her however, I imagined some lithe hipster lovely nerd getting naked and it was a good thought.
Her version soars and is definitely lighter by the simple fact, she has a light female voice singing the words and not Berninger’s baritone saddening it up.
I helped Ceri over at Vintage Spirits with some music related stuff for her business… and so she set me up with a bottle of Baker’s Bourbon. Thank you Ceri!
The Morning After 