Boardwalk Empire, the HBO series set in the age of American Prohibition, will be releasing the second volume of their soundtrack on September 3rd. The record features a variety of contemporary artists performing the swinging tunes of the 20s and 30s. Matt Berninger of The National fame sings “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Boardwalk Empire, Matt Berninger, The National | 1 Comment »
Remember that time Dinosaur Bones played Rifflandia? Good times.
Their new record Shaky Dream is out now on Dine Alone. The single is a song called “Sleepsick.” Its starting to show up on Modern Rocker radio stations across the nation, including their home town of Toronto… Indie 88…is it a fit for The Zone?
Go with yourself.
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Feeling tired today. Its been weighing on me most the summer. Most the time, I get a surge and can rise up; but then this week, the energy is just not there. Getting that vibe that something needs to change, or that I need to punch up “It All Feels Right.” And believe it!
When I was in Ditch the other day… I saw the new Washed Out record on the shelf… damn, I should have bought it too! “It All Feels Right” is such a pretty song. They had a poster for a Washed Out show in Victoria. September 2nd at Club 9one9…
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Chillwave, Sub pop, Washed Out | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday I raced down to Ditch Records during lunch to pick up the new No Age record, An Object.
I put the long player on while cooking up some dinner. We were sitting around, enjoying our spaghetti and meatballs when the final track came on, “Commerce, Comment, Commerce.” The song features a bit of a drone to close out the record and Madelyn remarked that she did not like the sound. I posted the quip on Facebook because I thought it was funny and BFF Leigh said I should record her for a radio bit. So here we go…. maybe an ongoing segment, maybe not…maybe we’ll leave the album reviews to the pros?
It is her goal to be a pop-star so Jack White, I’ll be sending demos in like 10 years… My hope it that you may develop the world’s first hepta-coloured vinyl single… and then one colour is rainbow, so I don’t even know how many colours that is!
Which record should she review next?
Go with yourself.
Posted in ...this is your father speaking, music | Tagged No Age, Sub pop, The Madelyn Review | Leave a Comment »
Sorry friends, I’ve been away from the blog. I fractured a bone in my arm last week… I thought I was skateboarder, turns out I’m not. It made typing not enjoyable, so outside of work, I tried to stay off the computer. Feeling a bit better today and I feel like a tool for not blogging (I don’t know why, not too many people read the blog…but it is such a habit I guess).
My song today is a nice trippy one from No Age. Their record An Object is out tomorrow…this one I might pick up. The video for the song “An Impression” was bouncing around the internet tubes today. They call it “punk” which is cool… art-punk? Its a thing.
I am constantly of the mindset that I am going to start a band, and the band was ALWAYS going to be called Bellinger…until this weekend when I heard the story of Len Bias on The CBC. Then I thought, cool band name.
To me, the two are weirdly connected. Henry Bellinger was one of the first Canadians killed on the Western Front. And I always think of him in the sense of, here’s a guy that had so much potential, probably had some plans, probably thought he was gunna get the job done in France, and before it really started, first battle… he is dead.
Len Bias is a going to be a basketball star. Gets drafted by the Celtics, signs a million-dollar shoe endorsement deal, leases a sports car and two days later, he dies of a drug overdose. Never plays an NBA game. Strange.
Go with yourself.
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I was DJing a wedding up at Merridale on Friday and so that gave me a chance to chat with Jess. She asked if I had bought me tickets for The National w/ Frightened Rabbit in Vancouver on September 22nd. We reminisced about all the great National shows we’ve been to over the years… I looked at my schedule…it will be a weird (and expensive) weekend, but I *could* make it happen…and what’s the point of money right?
Backtracking a bit…. While driving the highways and multi-lane freeways of Holleywoodland, USA I felt the urge to listen to Trouble Will Find Me but I had forgot to upload it on my phone.
When we got home, the need to listen to this record, really listen, would not go away. Back in Victoria, most my driving happens in the Purple Minivan and its audio technology harkens back to a previous century. I thought… hmm, I already have the record on vinyl, and MP3, what the heck eh? What’s $15 MORE dollars on The National and off to Ditch I went for the compact disc.
My campsite on Salt Spring on Mount Bruce looking over at Mount Maxwell and Burgoyne Bay.
It was a wise investment as this weekend saw my little mobile disco on tour with the previously mentioned party at Merridale and then on off to Salt Spring Island. Lots of music time.
I love The National. I can’t explain why, I think its because they write music that speaks to married Dad type dudes who need to work for a living. I dunno.
But the other thing about The National. I never like the new record when I first hear it. But something happens, and I love it more than the last. I need to sit with it, Listen to it.
When I rolled into work this morning, I was pretty amped. It was a mighty weekend of DJing parties out in natural settings for folks that were there to party. I camped. I listened to The National.
I fired up my morning email…. Bob Lefsetz. Of course. And an email about how the album is dead. He likes ripping into The National which I always found kinda weird. Its like he says all the time, “work hard, make good music, tour, be honest, be all over social media.” Which they do, but then he hates that they don’t write hits and you need to actually listen to the albums.
“Wait a minute, maybe you’re one of those people who believe the vinyl revolution is gonna conquer our society and you truly are listening to albums, albeit the National and other modern acts(…)”
He is going off about how the world hates records (stats don’t lie, they do) but that is not the music fans problem. Who cares?
“Don’t extrapolate from your musical addiction to the entire world.
The entire world doesn’t live and breathe music, doesn’t give a whit about your so-called career and only has time for excellence, because they’re so overbooked, their online calendars look like the Rosetta Stone.”
I will admit, that was a hard lesson to learn early in my radio career. I LOVE music, I made the assumption that EVERYONE did. Nope, most people just kind of hang out. But with a couple years, shaking a lot of hands, meeting a few people. That’s cool. They love other things, everyone loves something.
“No one’s got that much time to waste. No one wants to hear that much bad music. No one wants to listen to your album ten times to get it. That’s what we did when we had no cash and could only afford one disc, play it ad infinitum, now we just play what’s phenomenal.”
Wasting time is awesome. People should do it more. A record you have to sit with and listen to a few times when you’re navigating a switch backed logging road in the rain on an Island somewhere in the Pacific is amazing.
In conclusion. The national is great. Bob Lefsetz gets a C- for hating on The National but an A+ for digging In-N-Out Burger.
Go with yourself.
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About 3 months ago we talked about Swedish electro group NONONO and their song “Pumping Blood.” A catchy and fun song in the popular style of what’s passing for modern alternative right now.
The blogs were saying that this internet sensation might just be the one that breaks on through to the otherside…. commercial radio.
Well, it is starting to, with spins on some of the big US modern Rockers and even a couple features on The Zone here in the Garden City.
I received an email the other day from a dude named Johan Reinhold. This Swedish artist also had a track produced by the same guys ( Astma and Rocwell) that put together NONONO. His logic; if you like NONONO, then maybe you’ll be into “Ghost.” There is only one way to find out.
Wait a minute…. did Johan say he was a g-g-g-ghost?!?!
We gotta get that key and get out of here!
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Johan Reinhold, NONONO | Leave a Comment »
Homeboy McCord over at The Bear in Ottawa said, “pretty psyched to give the new Parquet Courts a spin.” McCord is not the only one getting behind Brooklyn’s Parquet Courts. Pitchfork liked it too!
Because I do whatever the internet tells me, I said, “Chewie, punch it!” and on came “Stoned and Starving.”
Hey that was pretty cool. I’ve been there… maaaaaaan.
Go with yourself.
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A new song and a remix from two monster Modern Rockers.
Kings of Leon have a new record on September 24th called Mechanical Bull. We’ve heard the first feature called “Supersoaker.” Now we get a little bit of a change-up. The slow jam called “Wait For Me.” IndieShuffle kinda liked it…but preferred “Supersoaker.”
Is the song about Caleb’s time in rehab? Will she? wait for him? I dunno… Marcus Mumford would….
I was DJing a wedding the other night and at the end of the party I dropped “I Will Wait.” People went crazy. Good times.
Here is a simple yet effective remix. Chromemusic called it “beautiful.” This song is by no means a banger, but it does lay a propulsive beat behind the Much Mega Hit.
Wait for me? I will wait.
Go with yourself.
Posted in music | Tagged Kings of Leon, Mumford and Sons | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday Coral called into my radio show of all places to tell me our next baby will be a boy. We’re both very excited for December and its not because of PRESENTS for a change.
I was thinking back to when Madelyn was a baby. Coral and I lived on Yates Street downtown in a little bedroom + den thing. Maddy’s nursery was in the den. Coral thought a room without windows was no place to raise a child so that is what made us respectable rate-payers and we bought our condo. But for about the first three months of Madelyn’s life, we lived on Yates Street beside a Moxies. I walked to work. We pushed a stroller to the Market for groceries or the Starbucks at Quadra for a coffee. We were on the ground floor so we even had a tiny yard!
During that time I listened to a lot of Grand Archives. The Seattle band doesn’t seem to be very active these days…but I can always listen to “Swan Matches” and be transported back to laying on my couch in our little apartment on Yates Street with a brand new baby.
I wonder if (or hope) that a song rises up in December or January that will be as special for the new baby.
Go with yourself.
Posted in ...this is your father speaking, music | Tagged Grand Archives | 1 Comment »
