Sun In An Empty Room

So, it’s Friday, and not a great one at that. The only great part of the day was when the bell rang at 2:30 and I got to go home. But, I have a way to make this day much better. And that my friends, is  a great topic. Now todays is a little old school, they go all the way back to 1997, but I think we can handle it. Now, if that wasn’t enough of a hint for you, todays topic is the Weakerthans. The fantastic indie rock, alternative band that in my opinion should make Canada more proud than say Celine Dion or Jim Carrey (who isn’t even Canadian anymore). But sadly that’s not how the world works, so we’ll just have to pretend in our own little worlds thats how it is.

Now I first discoverd the Weakerthans a few months ago (I know, I should have found them much earlier, but I didn’t), and it was immediately love. Although it was only love for their song One Great City! (which is actually about hate, especially for Winnipeg). But as time progressed my love for the Weakerthans progressed too. I discovered their song Reconstruction Site, and than more and more. Now, I’m a pretty full fledged fan. They have such a cool blend of indie rock and pop. I’m an especially big fan of their CD Fallow. If you’re looking for an introduction though I would try checking out Recontruction Site (one of my favs, the lyrics are amazing. This totally makes me think of car rides when I was little, “and his father laughed and talked on the long ride home and his mother laughed and talked on the long ride home”), One Great City! (another great one), and Sun in an Empty Room. For now though, here’s the video for Sun In An Empty Room. It’s pretty interesting.

I really like this video. I like how incorporated there hometown is. Although It is a little sad. It’s pretty cool. What I find so great about the Weakerthans, is how many emotions they can bring up. Their lyrics are really evocative and what I love most is just listening to their lyrics because I always here something new that convinces me just how great they really are. And they do all of that in the most happy and go-lucky way, no matter the topic. For now though, I’m out until next time. Hope you have a good Friday night, and talk to you soon!

Random Dan

It’s Monday, boohoo! But I’m not going to dwell on the negative and just move right onto the positive. And what is that you may ask? Maybe the fact that it’s RANDOM PLAYLIST MONDAY!! Hip-hip-hurray! Without further ado, here it is, on this lovely freezing cold day.

1. Piano Song – Meiko (I really like her if you’re into that cheery indie girl stuff)
2. Peace Train – Cat Stevens
3. Steady On – Shawn Colvin (this is quite the gloomy, folky playlist)
4. Two – The Antlers
5. Train in the Distance – Paul Simon
6. Coat Hook – Fionn Regan
7. Fantasy Man – Swell Season (a perfect song for the weather today)
8. Heavy Soup – Cornershop (also perfect)
9. Joy to the World – Arthur & Friends (getting into that Christmas mood)
10. Road Regrets – Dan Mangan

So that was a pretty awesome Random Playlist, although there isn’t really anything new on it, it was pretty old-school. So I am going to resort back to Dan Mangan. Now I know I’m always talking about him, but there is a video of his I’ve been wanting to show for a while, plus you can’t really get tired of Dan Mangan. Road Regrets is by far one of my favourite Dan Mangan songs, actually it’s one of my favourite songs over-all, and the video really lives up to the greatness of the song. So, without any more delay, here is the video for Road Regrets.

It’s a really clever video, and extremely cute too. It could also be one of those short animated videos at the beginning of some movies. What I don’t understand is why isn’t music like this more  popular? Why isn’t the Indie industry the main industry? It is so interesting and so in-depth and in my opinion knocks the socks off of the main-stream industry but for some reason never seems to be completely accepted. Well, for all those people for completely missing out because you don’t get to see gems like the fantasic Mr. Mangan. I think that is all of my music rant for the day, so until next time, have  a great night and talk to you soon!

Be Good Or Be Gone

It’s raining, it’s pouring, I really wish I was snoring, but I’m not, instead I’m doing homework (that’s quite the song, huh?). It’s a rainy thursday, and that’s pretty great. And what’s better on rainy Thursdays than folky indie boys, lets just say not much. In fact any day their pretty darn awesome, but rainy days especially. And for the topic of today, well let’s just say the rain just seems to enhance his awesomeness even more, which you wouldn’t think possible. Any guesses? I haven’t given you very many hints, indie folk guy who sounds good on a rainy day, that’s pretty broad. Here’s a few more, he’s Irish and his first CD was called The End of History. That’s right, Fionn Regan.

My very favourite Irish singer-songwriter. But it’s pretty hard not to like him. He’s got everything right, interesting music, kinda’ quirky, good name, good albums, good hair (just wait, you’re in for quite a treat!). I’ve been a fan since his first CD The End of History came out in 2007. That winter I just played it over, and over, and over again. It’s so quiet and lovely and seems so perfect for the winter. I’m especially a fan of Be Good Or Be Gone, Put a Penny In The Slot (this is an especially fantasic song that I will never get sick of, it’s defiantly the anthem of winter 2008), Hey Rabbit, and well they’re all really awesome, just listen to the CD. But after his first CD I kind of wondered what happened to him. It wasn’t until this past winter that he released his second CD, The Shadow Of An Empire, which is very, very different. The End of History is very folky singer-songwriter, just him and a guitar, but The Shadow Of An Empire is much more upbeat. For starters, he has a band, but his songs really changed to, and the way he delivered them. The Shadow Of An Empire has a much more  alt-country, folk vibe which is tres, tres Bob Dylanesque and just a little Bright Eyes. I’m also a fan of the second CD, but it’s a much different vibe than his first. If you’re checking out songs though I’d go for Protection Racket, The Shadow Of An Empire, and Lord Help My Poor Soul.

Today though I’m going to show you the video for Be Good Or Be Gone, one of my very favourite Regan songs. I really love the video too, it’s a cool way to see the song showcased.

I love that he sings in all these different places, and I love how all of them sound just a little different. His hairs pretty darn awesome too. The whole thing is just really cool. Although I have to say, I don’t quite understand the birds at the end, that’s a little odd if you ask me.

P.S. check out the video for Put A Penny In The Slot to, it’s also quite awesome.

Chai Lattes, Rain, and Mondays

It’s Monday, and a rainy one at that. I couldn’t possibly ask for a better day and hopefully that means a good playlist as well. So sit back, relax, get your Chai Latte all ready, and enjoy what should be a pretty awesome Random Playlist Monday.

1. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye – Leonard Cohen (it’s a good way to say hello though)

2. A Matter of Minutes – Shawn Colvin (for all your sad and miserable days)

3. Steady State – Penguin Cafe Orchestra (this is my favourite study music, not to mention just great music)

4. Rosie – Chubby Checker (this was for a playlist I made my little cousin, it’s a perfect baby song)

5. I Have Been a Fool – Jack Penate (this is another dad find and a pretty fantasic one at that)

6. Brian Wilson – The Barenaked Ladies (I’m afraid I have a bit of a thing for The Barenaked Ladies, especially their greatest hits CD)

7. Sleep – Meiko (Meiko is absolutely fantasic, check out some of her other stuff)

8. Not Too Late – Norah Jones (perfect rainy day music)

9. Sleeping With The Lights On – Teitur (I really love this song, but I always forget about it)

10. Run – Vampire Weekend

So a good playlist except for one little thing. NONE OF THE STANDARDS WERE ON IT! No Hawksley Workman. No Tom Waits. No Danny Michel. I think this is my first Random Playlist to not have atleast one of the three mentioned. But looking past that horrible fact it was pretty good otherwise. Especially for a rainy day what with Norah Jones, Shawn Colvin, and Leonard Cohen not to mention my very favourite Chubby Checker (why do all those guys have names like Chubby or Fat?). I think today is a good day for Teitur though.

I discovered Teitur a few years ago and like I mentioned above I always seem to forget about him. I’m not entirely sure why though since his music is fantastic and every time I hear him I think “wow, I love that”. He hails from the Faroe Islands (get ready for your Georgraphy lesson), which after googled (is that a word) I discovered are part of the Kingdom of Denmark situated between the Norweigan Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean between Great Britain and Iceland. No wonder he’s so pale. But back to the music, I’m a huge fan of his CD Poetry & Aeroplanes. It has most of the songs I like including Sleeping With The Lights On (which has made it onto many a Rainy Day Playlist), Poetry & Aeroplanes (my dad always says when you don’t know a artist or CD go for the song named after the album, which is what I did here), and Shade of Shadow but of course their all pretty darn good. Do check out his other CD’s to and get your Faroe Island fix. For now though here’s a sneak peek of his greatness with his video for Sleeping With The Lights On (which I actually do most nights).

He’s a pretty pale, skinny, nerdy guy with a pretty fantastic voice. I also kind of like the video in all it’s quiet and nerdy glory. That’s all for now until next time (hopefully tomorrow if I get my act together).

P.S. I went to the CNE yesterday and the “theme” of this one was Rock Legends. They had this great exhibit with clothes, records and shoes fromm the great rock legends. I came to the conclusion that John Lennon had pretty awesome clothes not to mention shoes. Oh and the Rock Legends on ice was even better. It’s pretty hard to make male figure skaters look like tough old rock’n'roll guys. They did try though.

P.P.S. to further my love of Dan Mangan I figured out today while listening to a podcast of his from CBC that he references Tom Waits CD Frank’s Wild Years in his song Tina’s Glorious Comeback. Anyone who references is good by me. It also gave me the idea to make a playlist of Tom Waits reference songs. How many could there be?

Endearing Hats

Okay so another whole week has passed. What is my problem? You’d think in the summer I’d have more time to write but it’s been the exact opposite. Of course I may write more during school time just to avoid homework. But none-the-less I am here now and ready to report more on music. I think my exuse this week for missing so many days (because there is always an exuse) is that I was away on the “culinary adventure” with my mom and we were to busy stuffing our faces (to put it really nicely. I always hate when people say that, not quite sure why I did…) with the most delicious food to write about music or anything else. Basically we just ate, and ate. But of course only the finest of foods (and one or two mishaps). But I have returned, am back on a normal diet (well an all salad diet to compensate for the amount of well not salad I ate well away) and ready to write. Sadly not much musically happened well we were away. I did though come across quite a wonderful little gem while searching for a topic for the day. I was thinking Aidan Knight and on a search for his video’s I came across a duet of him and Dan Mangan which seemed far to perfect. You already know how much I love Dan Mangan (speaking of, he has one song with the line “there’s a place I sometimes like to dine” in his song The Indie Queens Are Waiting and well that place for me is Ithaca, New York where we just went for our eating marathon) and I’ve just recently discovered Aidan Knight so for 3:27 of this song I was in complete and utter music heaven. Dan Mangan also sometimes performs with Shance Koyczan. He makes many heavenly music moments for me. Thank you Dan Mangan.

But back to the song. Like I said I’d only just discovered Aidan Knight (on last.fm of course) and only had a few of his songs including Altar Boys, Fighting Against Your Lungs, and Sorrows. But the discovery of his song Jaspar was a great one indeed. He has a great indie, folk, singer-songwriter vibe (which is just what I like) but also an added…twang? He has this other “thing” to him that makes him even more special and not just “another one of eyetunes folky indie guys” (of course he doesn’t have a beard either so take that world). I’ll let you see for yourself though. Here’s the video for Jaspar. Enjoy and talk to you in 3:27.

I like that their in the wilderness (well there’s a road behind them but still) I’m thinking probably close to Jaspar due to the snow and mountainous humps behind them. Plus it looks pretty darn cold, Mr. Knight and Mr. Mangan’s hands must have been quite frozen. The cold puffs of air coming out of their mouths each time they sing also adds quite the effect. The things people do for good music and the right atmosphere and feel. They could have just stood infront one of those fake scenes you see at photography places. That’s how you know a hardcore musician. Their red hats are also quite indearing (I’m a sucker for a red toque, but aren’t we all?). Oh and the song lyrics are quite lovely as well, they have a bit of an old-timey folk song feel and I like that. But that’s all for me tonight. For some reason I seem to write best at night but by the end I get very incredibly sleepy and my spelling and grammar probably just dies completely (sorry about that). For now though enjoy the video check out the musicians you won’t be disappointed and I’ll see you tomorrow for Random Playlist Monday, HOORAY!

Oh My God

So this is my first band post, post-Hillside. I thought I’d kick things off with one of my main Hillside highlights that I can’t stop thinking about. This was a show that I was kind of sort of excited for, but could of missed (I’d done that for a few other shows). Well within seconds of seeing The Wooden Sky my opinion completely changed. I fell madly in love with the band and everything about it. I sat there with my chai latte and margherita pizza (woodfired and so delicious. It was cool they had a portable woodfire oven), and was in complete bliss. I really don’t think it gets much better than that.

Their music can’t get much better either. It’s this great combo of indie-licious folk rock. It also has some sensitive singer-songwriter moments (and an invite to the SBB festival). Their live show was also amazing, mainly because the whole band is easy to watch, and pretty funny. But than they get into their music and turn completely serious. I almost melted when they did River Song One, as well as most people around me. It was one of those shows where I went in liking the band and left loving it (with a record in hand).If you ever get the chance to check them out live, do it. It’s not that their recorded stuff isn’t good (it’s freakin’ amazing) it’s just that when you see them live it opens up a whole new realm of The Wooden Sky.

I got their newest CD If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m going, but make sure to check out When Lost At Sea too. Both will completely blow you away in an awesome way. For starters (if you’re not ready to completely commit) check out Leave a Light On (this one really reminds me of Bright Eyes), River Song, When Lost At Sea, and Oh My God. For now though check out the video for their song When Lost At Sea, shockingly from their CD When Lost At Sea. It’s a pretty amazing song, and fun to actually see the band. I find his voice quite incredible and this song is a good show case of it. The Wooden Sky has some typical sounds and ideas. Once again you think well there’s another nerdy indie boy band but his voice makes the whole thing seem unique. It has a awesome country twang but also alot of folk vibes. Even if this isn’t your type of music I think you’ll be impressed (and want to thank Hillside for finding all these great up and coming bands. I hope these guys make it).

I hope you enjoyed the video and will check out more Wooden Sky it’s well worth the time. For now though goodnight until tomorrow with more Hillside music.

P.S. Canada really is the keeper of the indie music gems. That’s something that makes me proud to be Canadian. Not hockey, or maple syrup, our team spirit or the beaver, but our indie music scene.

P.P.S. random Monday playlist is on hold for a week. I’ll double it for next week. Sorry for the in-convience but really, get over it.

Him & Me

It’s rainy, somewhat cool, I’m almost done school, I’m feeling good and I have the perfect music topic for today. It feels like a very M. Ward kinda day, dontcha’ think? I do, so here it is eyetunes, my take on M. Ward.

M. Ward for me is another one of those guys that my dad loved and repeatedly listened to (so much that listening to again, I still know most of the words) and of course I did to, but it took quite a few years for me to really get and appreciate M. Ward. When my dad first discovered M. Ward he had his CD Post-War, which was pretty much our anthem for the year of 2006 and than M. Ward for us anyways, kind of fell off a cliff and nothing much happened. He released one EP and that was. But than came along Zooey Deschanel. Their collaboration CD She & Him was awesome in a total country twang with a twist of Indie kind of way. Now in 2009 he relased another CD called Hold Time which I am seriously loving. It has the same jangly guitar and M. Ward’s insanly lovely voice, but it also has another twist that I’m having trouble explaining but that I think kind of sets it apart from his other CD’s. But even with all these twists, I will forever and always be a fan of Post-War, with it’s wacky songs and old men (and he really does talk about old men, of course that’s fine by me). Of course Requiem, Chinese Translation, Poison Cup and my all-time favourite Rollercoaster are just a few greats from Post-War, ’cause there really isn’t a bad one. He may actaully be one of the greatest song-writers, I mean you kind of get distracted by that lovely voice, but his songs are really awesome to. Listen, and I mean really listen to some of his lyrics, they will deffiently make you wonder what M. Ward was doing well he was writing Post-War (and I mean that in the best possible way) and why he hasn’t been noticed more for his song writing.

Of course on his new CD Hold Time there are also some great songs like, Shangri-La, Jailbird, and Stars of Leo that are for sure worth checking out, and of course if you haven’t already check out She & Him, although it may not be for everyone, well it’s deffinetly for some people.

So, I was going to show you the video for Rollercoaster, but that literally is really all it is, so I thought I’d go for Requiem instead, and of course it has old men, so what could be better, right? Please still go check out Rollercoaster and all his other stuff, and just let your day roll right on with M. Ward.

P.S. So I have another band question. Why does it seem all the awesome American bands these days and past days seem to come from Portland, Oregon? I mean what’s so great about Oregon, and why don’t I live there? That may be next move, or my first move.

Time With Consequence

Okay, so it’s Saturday, how exciting, but this Saturday I’m in a slightly melancholy mood so I’m going to go a little quieter today. For my quieter day, I’m thinking Alexi Murdoch (which is what I usually think). I think I’ve mentioned him in a few other posts but today is completely devoted to him. Of all the artists I play Alexi is one of my very favourites.

I disocvered him 2 Christmas’ ago at a really bad time and Alexi Murdoch was the the perfect cure. Although none of his songs are upbeat, something about them just makes me feel right. His one and only CD Time Without Consequence (although in my not so humble opinion I think time always has a consequence, although that may be to deep of a subject for right now) is one of the greatest things in the world. At first the only song I listened to was Orange Sky which my mom fondly calls the “crying song” because like I said that was a bad time. About a year ago I started to listen to the rest of the CD and realized all of it is good. Of all his songs my very favourites have to be Orange Sky, All My Days, and Song For You. The Ragged Sea is probably my favourite song. Sadly it’s not part of the CD but from the movie Away We Go *which is one of my favourite movies, I highly recommend it). He does most of the soundtrack and there couldn’t be a more perfect person for it.

There’s something about his voice and songs that just makes everything seem so simple just while you’re listening to it (of course than it ends and life goes back to the crazy thing it is).What I mean is he provides this simple and calm oasis and sometimes that’s just what everyone needs. You know how some songs just let you take a deep breath and relax for a second, well his beatuiful voice has the power to do that. He also manages to prove my point that most great things come from Scotland. I really must go sometime (of course I’ve already told you my man Scotland fantasies). I find he’s also incredibly soothing to watch. You know how some people just have this came aura around them, well I think Alexi has that (although of course I don’t actually know him).

Did you get the chills from that, because I did. His voice is so undescribly soothing, it really makes me feel like everything is okay (and trust me Alexi that’s quite a feet to accomplish). Plus I’d say he’s also pretty easy to watch, which is always a good thing. Enjoy Alexi today and hopefully everyday. Remember when you need a little soothing he’s your man (I wish he always was).

P.S. his last.fm radio is also fantastic, which is always a good sign.

Music On The Hillside

So it’s only Tuesday, which sucks because that means there is still 3 days of school left. But to make this Tuesday better I have some good music to talk about which in my opinion makes every day better. I’ve created yet another playlist but this one is super exciting. This is my Hillside 2010 playlist (yes I know I’m obsessed). It features bands that are playing at Hillside this year. I’ve gone through and picked ones that I thought sounded interesting, but feel free to check it out for yourself here. I’ve added bands I already knew that were playing plus I went in search of some new ones and think I made some pretty fantastic discoveries. Below is my playlist, the ones with the *’s beside them mean their new to me and maybe to you too.

1.  Heart of my Own – Basia Bulat

2.*City Lights – Bent by Elephants (this is awesome, I got a few songs, I highly recommend checking it out)

3.*Girls’s Night – First Rate People (I think this will be good live, but it sounds interesting, I’m liking it for a young indie canadian band)

4.  Babies Don’t Like Blue Anymore – Yukon Blonde

5.*Slow Knots – Brasstronaut (I’m really happy about this discovery, it has a cool beat and the voices are awesome)

6.  Winnipeg Winds – Jason Collett (I’m excited for him live)

7.*River Song – The Wooden Sky (another great discovery)

8.  The Hideout – Sarah Harmer (of course she’s a classic, a classy classic)

9.*Dark Eyes – Calexico & Iron & Wine (I got this song just because I have an Iron & Wine thing, sorry if I excited you although Calexico is sounding good too)

10. Take Me To The Riot – Stars

11. Kindergarten – Zeus

12. Doot Doot Plot -Hidden Cameras (I really love this song, but check out the rest it’s awesome, I can’t wait for Hillside)

13.*Firecracker – Frazey Ford (so I didn’t know she was from the Be Good Tanyas until I heard her voice, than I knew)

14.*Even While You’re Sleeping – The Acorn (another indie boy band but trust me I’m not complaining)

15.*Curs In The Weeds – Horse Feathers (to feed everyone’s need for some good ol’ twang, although he isn’t as twangy as I thought, he’s more pretty voice)

16.*Your Island – Young Rival (more indie boy, although more upbeat)

As you can see alot is new to me, which is great. Please check out all of the bands and listen more, these are just songs I kinda liked — you may feel differently. Featured below is The Acorn with Even While Your Sleeping. It’s awesome to see the band play live and it makes me even more excited.

I hope you don’t mind my many Hillside rants. I thought this would be okay because it’s giving you awesone new music that maybe you wouldn’t have found any other way, I know I probably wouldn’t have. Check out more  by all the artists.

Marching to Hillside

So it’s Hillside ticket buying day. We got ours…luckily. My aunt stood in line at the actual store and got them but I thought I’d check the internet just for fun. Within 5 minutes I think all the weekend passes were gone. It’s incredible. 5 minutes, last year, it was 20 minutes. If you wanted to go to hillside, better luck next year. I think for people that have been going forever they should get free passes, I mean around 11 years later and I still have to wait like everyone else. When my family and I first went, we could just go to the booth that day and get in. Now there’s millions of line-ups and people. It’s all because of the year Arcade Fire, Bedouin Soundclash and Stars played (sadly I was too young to really realize, and couldn’t appreciate the music greatness). That year made the festival so popular. It’s all worth it though. It may be the greatest experience ever — if you haven’t gone, I recommend you do, but it will have to be next year.

The line-up this year looks awesome. It features bands like Sarah Harmer, Jason Collett,  Zeus, Yukon Blonde, Hidden Cameras, Basia Bulat, The Acorns and the Stars among many others. I’ve seen Sarah Harmer , The Hidden Cameras and Stars all at Hillside, but not the others and not to mention the bands I don’t know at all, but soon will, those are the best.

For those of you who don’t know Hillside I’m about to give you a tour, so close your eyes and imagine it, than open them again to finish the tour. Okay, there’s 4 stages, the smallest is the sun stage, it’s mainly spoken word and a few workshops. The next is the Lake stage conveniently set right on the lake, it’s second smallest, usually the where the littler bands play (you can tell the popularity rank of a band by the stage they play on). Third is the Island stage which is my personal favourite. It’s off to the other side of the island. It usually plays the bands that aren’t tiny but aren’t huge. It’s also where the more upbeat bands play, whereas the Lake stage plays quieter music, mainly because it’s smaller and there isn’t room to dance (just to clarify, when I say stage it’s mainly a big tent except for the main). And last but certainly not least (I never got that saying) is the main stage. It’s where the big people play like Sarah Harmer, Stars, Jason Collett. It’s open so if it rains, well you get soaked (and it always rains). Around the stages is the food tent (which is amazing), areas to swim (it is on an island) and vendors usually with clothes, pottery and jewelery.

I hope you enjoyed my mini tour. As you can probably tell, I LOVE Hillside, I have ever since I was about 3. But I’m going to stop ranting about how great it is and move onto music (it really is great).

I figured I might as well talk about a band playing at Hillside, so I thought it would be a good day for Zeus. They’re a pretty small Indie Canadian band (probably a Island stage band). I thought it would be a good time to talk about them because I never probably will think about them again. My mom discovered them on CBC. It took us a few times to actually like the song, but I do now. They have this great indie, rock thing and the one song I like has a great chorus that always get stuck in my head. I have only really listened to the song Marching Through Your Head, I guess I’ll discover more at the show.

The video is hilarious and the song great. This may be one of my favourite videos. Really strange but awesome. The video is also really great because, well it’s camping, and most people wear those kinds of boots at Hillside. So, let the song “march through your head” and laugh away.

Click here for the Hillside site, check out the rest of bands playing, let me know if you know any of them.

P.S. sorry about the long Hillside rant

P.P.S I got the Where The Wild Things Are record to add to my collection, it’s a awesome soundtrack, maybe I’ll talk about them tomorrow.

P.P.P.S. I feel like I’m writing a diary with all these P.S.’s sorry.