wow, my blog is one year old today! me and fifteen feet of pure white snow, a match made in heaven...who'd have thought i'd manage to stay interested for all this time...
so happy birthday blog, you're rad.
and shit kids, not only is it blog's birthday but it's the end of the year and holy smokes the need to be self-reflective has never been so strong.
michelle's year in review:
a lot of stuff happened to me this year so i'm just gonna pop it out in point form as i think of stuff...
-i spent my first full year without any sort of official educational pursuits at all since i was 5. no workshops, no classes, nothing. no wonder my brain feels all stupid and mushy. 2006 is sure to be the remedy for that.
-i met someone who i gave everything to way to quickly and in the process i had my heart completely dessimated. i also got over it and have made a full recovery, i hope.
-i had some of the BEST (and worst) sex of my life. in the process i learned that i LOVE what my body is capable of feeling. i also learned how easy it can be to turn off those parts of your heart and your brain that may be trying to tell you that what you're doing isn't the best thing for you. i don't know how i feel about that...going along with that i learned a fair amount about what does/doesn't turn me on and began exploring some fetishes...a little.
-i made some awesome friends this year and to all of you i am so glad to have you in my life. there were moments that i am not sure i would have been able to deal with were it not for you. you know who you are and i thank you for it.
-on a related note: some decisions were also made in regards to older friends. some friendships were put aside because they were self-destructive or whatever and others were strengthened. people far away or people i never thought i'd be so close with have become insanely important to me. thanks girls, you never fail to make me smile.
-i got a little star tattoo but have also started a major tattooing process that's making me feel things about my body and my relation to it that i've never experience in my life. i love that there's something about my body, my skin, that i WANT to show off, that i want people to touch...i've never experienced that before, ever!
-i also got a couple of fun piercings too.
-this was also a year full of new music. i have heard so much and bought so many albums and it's all been so amazing. i am learning to interact with music and listen to it in a way i've never done before. i'm also learning that there is stuff i NEVER thought i'd like in a million years. actually, 90% of my favourite albums of the year are things that last year i would have scoffed at. music has officially become my primary means of inspiration! (not that it wasn't before but now it's pretty much constant)
-i had a little taste of what it's like to make a record and wow! i have so much more respect for musicians of all kinds, especially the ones without serious financial backing. thanks for keeping me in the loop with that one jeff, it was amazing to see and i have a ridiculous amount of respect for what you were able to do.
-i moved out! (finally!) and came to a pretty good place in my relationship with both my parents. i am thankful to have them in my life...
-and (HOLY FUCK) natasha and i started mischief and mayhem, put on a show and were it not for our charitable donations, would have made money...
so yeah, and i am sure there were so many more things that happened...12 months is a long time and i spent this year making an effort to be more open to letting things happen and just having fun...
so in the spirit of the end i have made a few, not resolutions, but decisions for the upcoming year:
- i am going to try and be more forgiving. to me that encompasses being FAR less judgemental and far more willing to be open to accepting the idea that perhaps my first impressions of people may not be always be right.
-i am going to make a better attempt to take care of my shyness a little. i want to be more fearless and put myself into social situations that may be slightly awkward but have the potential for fun! i just need to be OPEN to all the awesome that people can share.
-i want to learn more about dance hall and electronic music; a lot more.
-kissing. more kissing.
-and i want to make sure that the people i care about are always close to me, if not in distance but in my heart. i want to make sure that my friends know how i feel about them...friends, i love ya!
xo and HAPPY MOTHERFUCKING NEW YEAR!
michelle.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
warning: PLOT RUINED BELOW!
when six feet under ends at the end of this, its fifth season, nate fisher dies.
is everyone alright? did i terribly ruin anyone's life with this information?
no? ok. but earlier today, i did.
i was having lunch with a friend and i told her i finally got around to finished off season four. ok, so i know it's lame to talk about a television show over lunch with someone you haven't seen in a while but it's a good fucking show and no one hesitates to talk about movies/music over lunch so whatever...not the point. so we're talking about the show and i say, 'keri told me that nate dies at the end of season five...' and she looked at me like i'd done something really and truly mean to her. seriously, i had to honestly apologize.
...it's fucking television people! get a fucking clue! it really IS NOT the end of the world by ANY stretch of the imagination! fuck! so nate fisher dies of some brain disease...who cares? so know you know and it's not a surprise, big fucking deal! seriously! for someone to get mad at me for telling them how something that ISN'T REAL ends...god!
i just can't even fathom how that is actually and realistically bad.
xo michelle
p.s. if you haven't seen it, the titanic sinks, kevin spacey is the bad guy, tyler durden is a symptom of jack's raging psychosis and it's all fucking fiction. let real life surprise and leave (even good) television to do what it does: delude and entertain.
is everyone alright? did i terribly ruin anyone's life with this information?
no? ok. but earlier today, i did.
i was having lunch with a friend and i told her i finally got around to finished off season four. ok, so i know it's lame to talk about a television show over lunch with someone you haven't seen in a while but it's a good fucking show and no one hesitates to talk about movies/music over lunch so whatever...not the point. so we're talking about the show and i say, 'keri told me that nate dies at the end of season five...' and she looked at me like i'd done something really and truly mean to her. seriously, i had to honestly apologize.
...it's fucking television people! get a fucking clue! it really IS NOT the end of the world by ANY stretch of the imagination! fuck! so nate fisher dies of some brain disease...who cares? so know you know and it's not a surprise, big fucking deal! seriously! for someone to get mad at me for telling them how something that ISN'T REAL ends...god!
i just can't even fathom how that is actually and realistically bad.
xo michelle
p.s. if you haven't seen it, the titanic sinks, kevin spacey is the bad guy, tyler durden is a symptom of jack's raging psychosis and it's all fucking fiction. let real life surprise and leave (even good) television to do what it does: delude and entertain.
the tattoo saga pt.12
holy crap! part twelve!!
i got my first tattoo in the summer of 2002. i was 21 and didn't even have my ears pierced.
it's winter 2005 and i am working on my fifth tattoo (can a sleeve really be called ONE tattoo...??), have my ears, nose, conch and nipples pierced.
when i got that first one done i never thought i'd be here. admittedly, i was surprised that i even got that one done and after it was done i figured that would be it; then i got the second one done and i said that was it; after the third one i said i'd get some more but never a sleeve; the fourth one was spur of the moment; the sleeve makes me feel more beautiful than i've ever felt in my whole life.
i have more planned too. a few more. i'd like to get something for my parents (an idea i fully admit to stealing), and some other more 'traditional' looking tattoos. i also want to get some surface piercings and get my other nostril and conch pierced and well as my hood. yep, i said i wanted to get my hood pierced. it'll be fun! like FUN all the time!
so that's where i am the current saga...the nose my get done on friday, we'll see.
but in the meantime here are some pictures of the latest work done on my sleeve:
xo m.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
spinning
so ok, i read spin magazine. i know it's total rock trash but i LOVE it! chuck klosterman makes me laugh and within those pages there is always something to annoy me and those of you who know me you know i love to be annoyed.
back tracking a bit, i've been a music fan since i heard green day back in like, 1992-1993 and a total hardcore music junkie since i discovered nirvana just prior to kurt cobain's death in late '93 early '94. i haven't looked back since. as a result i have been reading spin for just as long. i remember when kurt cobain died, i remember an old issue with tim armstrong and lars frederickson on the cover showing off their ninja hardcore moves, i remember when spin was a 'big' magazine (size-wise) like rolling stone. i remember all of that. i've also written them 4 letters over the years and had the first, and only one, published last year.
lately spin hasn't had much to offer me. they rarely feature bands i've not heard of or rarely have anything interesting to say; i blame twenty years of wading through crap and franz ferdinand...yes, i blame franz ferdinand for making spin sort of crappy over the last couple of years! it must be hard for a magazine to write interesting stuff when they spend all their time jerking off the crappiest band on the planet (next to U2 of course)...
...so here i am this evening, reading an old october 2005 issue that i hadn't had time to flip through until now (you should see how many unread books/magazines i have...i'm a word junkie) and the focus of the issue is their twentieth anniversary; more specifically it's their last special about alternative music 'innovators'...cool, eh?
so who would you expect to see in there? kurt cobain? well, he's dead so they can't interview him. frank black? check! anthony kiedis? check! chuck d? check! courtney love? check! eddie vedder? check! beastie boys? check! ian mackaye? check! conor oberst? check? brandon flowers? check?
ok wait, conor oberst and brandon flowers? i'm sorry...innovators? what? yes, i LOVE conor oberst. i want to marry the boy and save his sad emo soul but in the company of chuck d and eddie vedder he is hardly an innovator in the field of alternative rock. he's making smart, awesome music at a time when smart awesome music is cool, when indie rock is selling and when there's no need to sell yourself to a major label. i don't think i'm being too bold when i say that NONE of his success would have ever been possible were it not for those mentioned in the same article, he even cites ian mackaye and discord as being huge influences on him. conor oberst is 25...
...and so is brandon flowers! he isn't even 25! he's 24, he's my age! when spin asked him, 'what were you doing in 1985 when spin started?' he replied, 'i was 4 and in pre-school so probably not much of anything' so what the hell? innovative, i believe this even less than i believe conor oberst as an innovator. i think innovative has become a word so commonly misused and now refers to people who are popular. it has to! the killers are a gigantic band and have never been anything besides a gigantic band. they have the weight of nostalgia, 80s new wave, and a major record label behind them; the only innovation i can see is that of getting out of bed in the morning and putting on a dior coat.
this makes me mad. i think it's giving kids the wrong impression. i think it furthers this sort of post-post-modern belief that originality is dead and as long as you can make a decent copy of something previously existing you're good to go. maybe conor oberst has something to smart to say, i think he does (but i'm biased) but he certainly has yet to do anything truly innovative. and brandon flowers, c'mon...do you think i made that dior coat thing up myself? it seems like the guy has nothing better to do but rag on other bands and talk about clothes.
i miss 1995-1996 when all this was so new to me and there were people who had cool shit to say and cool music to make. i don't know, maybe it wasn't even innovative then, maybe i just thought it was, or just felt like it was...shit, maybe that's what the killers are to kids these days. maybe they're doing what nirvana did for me 12 years ago. i'd find that hard to believe but maybe it's true. maybe i'm a jaded snob who thinks a band that ended in 1994 with a stunningly sad shotgun blast was the best it gets. but that can't be true either because i'm still hearing stuff all the time that's making me feel good about music and where it's going. maybe now spin just needs to catch up!
wow, that was snobby!
thank god they don't say anything about franz ferdinand or i'd be writing another letter!
back tracking a bit, i've been a music fan since i heard green day back in like, 1992-1993 and a total hardcore music junkie since i discovered nirvana just prior to kurt cobain's death in late '93 early '94. i haven't looked back since. as a result i have been reading spin for just as long. i remember when kurt cobain died, i remember an old issue with tim armstrong and lars frederickson on the cover showing off their ninja hardcore moves, i remember when spin was a 'big' magazine (size-wise) like rolling stone. i remember all of that. i've also written them 4 letters over the years and had the first, and only one, published last year.
lately spin hasn't had much to offer me. they rarely feature bands i've not heard of or rarely have anything interesting to say; i blame twenty years of wading through crap and franz ferdinand...yes, i blame franz ferdinand for making spin sort of crappy over the last couple of years! it must be hard for a magazine to write interesting stuff when they spend all their time jerking off the crappiest band on the planet (next to U2 of course)...
...so here i am this evening, reading an old october 2005 issue that i hadn't had time to flip through until now (you should see how many unread books/magazines i have...i'm a word junkie) and the focus of the issue is their twentieth anniversary; more specifically it's their last special about alternative music 'innovators'...cool, eh?
so who would you expect to see in there? kurt cobain? well, he's dead so they can't interview him. frank black? check! anthony kiedis? check! chuck d? check! courtney love? check! eddie vedder? check! beastie boys? check! ian mackaye? check! conor oberst? check? brandon flowers? check?
ok wait, conor oberst and brandon flowers? i'm sorry...innovators? what? yes, i LOVE conor oberst. i want to marry the boy and save his sad emo soul but in the company of chuck d and eddie vedder he is hardly an innovator in the field of alternative rock. he's making smart, awesome music at a time when smart awesome music is cool, when indie rock is selling and when there's no need to sell yourself to a major label. i don't think i'm being too bold when i say that NONE of his success would have ever been possible were it not for those mentioned in the same article, he even cites ian mackaye and discord as being huge influences on him. conor oberst is 25...
...and so is brandon flowers! he isn't even 25! he's 24, he's my age! when spin asked him, 'what were you doing in 1985 when spin started?' he replied, 'i was 4 and in pre-school so probably not much of anything' so what the hell? innovative, i believe this even less than i believe conor oberst as an innovator. i think innovative has become a word so commonly misused and now refers to people who are popular. it has to! the killers are a gigantic band and have never been anything besides a gigantic band. they have the weight of nostalgia, 80s new wave, and a major record label behind them; the only innovation i can see is that of getting out of bed in the morning and putting on a dior coat.
this makes me mad. i think it's giving kids the wrong impression. i think it furthers this sort of post-post-modern belief that originality is dead and as long as you can make a decent copy of something previously existing you're good to go. maybe conor oberst has something to smart to say, i think he does (but i'm biased) but he certainly has yet to do anything truly innovative. and brandon flowers, c'mon...do you think i made that dior coat thing up myself? it seems like the guy has nothing better to do but rag on other bands and talk about clothes.
i miss 1995-1996 when all this was so new to me and there were people who had cool shit to say and cool music to make. i don't know, maybe it wasn't even innovative then, maybe i just thought it was, or just felt like it was...shit, maybe that's what the killers are to kids these days. maybe they're doing what nirvana did for me 12 years ago. i'd find that hard to believe but maybe it's true. maybe i'm a jaded snob who thinks a band that ended in 1994 with a stunningly sad shotgun blast was the best it gets. but that can't be true either because i'm still hearing stuff all the time that's making me feel good about music and where it's going. maybe now spin just needs to catch up!
wow, that was snobby!
thank god they don't say anything about franz ferdinand or i'd be writing another letter!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
the list: 2005
well, as most of you who read this thing regularly know, i'm huge HUGE music fan; and as a huge music fan i feel compelled to make THE LIST: 2005! the list:2005 will include the 10 best releases of the year, the five most disappointing releases of the year, the five best live shows of the year and the five most disappointing live shows of the year-all according to and from the little mind of yours truly, MOI!
so enjoy because this was a fun (and difficult) list to compile!!
THE TEN BEST RELEASES OF 2005
10. ladytron: the witching hour (rykodisc)
ladytron is the band metric would be if metric were awesome. lush, sexy, epic tales of electronic danceable love...
this is an album for late nights fueled by red wine, ghosts and unrequited love.
9. broken social scene: to be you and me-ep (arts & crafts)
before you start to freak out about how much better 'you forgot it in people' is take a second look at which broken social scene album i'm talking about...
yes, the full-length is rad but it's the limited edition ep that accompnies the self-titled release that really showcases bss' awesomeness*.
i think this was my year for loving things that i feel are 'lush'... or in the case of this ep, lushious. i want to make out to this.
sexy bass lines+pretty girl singing+lonely hotel room lyrics=wicked awesomeness*
*awesomeness is so a word!
8. xiu xiu: la foret (5RC/kill rock stars)
ok haters, i love xiu xiu; they're one of my favourite bands ever. 'knife play' continues to kick my ass every time i listen to it. there are moments with 'fabulous muscles' that make me weep uncontrollably. and now 'la foret' ok...at first i hated this record. it was too quiet. i put it on one afternoon while i was cleaning my house and within moments i had forgotten i was even listening to it. it made me mad. how dare xiu xiu (the quietest live band i've ever seen) make a quiet record?!
a week or so later i forgave a little and in a fit of insomnia i put it on with headphones hoping it's silence would put me to sleep; it didn't. instead, it kept me up all night listening and relistening to the amazing subtleties and minute shifts in instrumentation. i was instantly reminded of why xiu xiu is awesome: emotionally honest, unafraid and challenging with every shift and every release.
7. lcd soundsystem-s/t (dfa/emi)
everyone knows this record is rad. there are few who'll dispute it's radness.
i forgot that i sort of like really-super dancy electronic music and this record reminded me. for that reason alone it's on the list.
honestly, is there anyone who doesn't like this album? and who doesn't want daft punk to play at their house? or james murphy for that matter...
6. m. ward: transistor radio (merge)
ok, so it's not 2003 and m. ward didn't just release 'the transfiguration of vincent' and didn't just make me cream in my panties with all his folky goodness. in fact, i hadn't even heard of this lovely man in 2003. i was introduced to his awesomeness on october 19, 2004 when he opened for/played as part of bright eyes. he opened his set with a five minute acoustic guitar finger picking dance explosion. it was rad. i was in love.
so fast forward to 2005 and i have spent a bunch of cash tracking down harder to find older releases and then one day i bumped into this at blackbyrd...'transistor radio' a deliciously lo-fi ode community radio.
not as good as his '03 release, 'transistor radio' will still make you cream your folk-music panties. i'm firmly convinced that tape his is a required element for living and m. ward should convince you to. i can only imagine how good this album would sound on vinyl...*drool*
5. venetian snares: meathole (planet mu)
up until a couple of months ago i hadn't heard about venetian snares except in passing. while on a quest for music to 'make my ears bleed' i was seriously introduced to this album and it totally kicked my ass. i listened to it constantly for two weeks trying to figure it out. i didn't figure it out and i can't explain to you why it's awesome. i don't have the base to be able to discuss it. it's lush but painful. it makes you want to dance but keeps you sitting still. it makes you think your possessed by something but completely in control.
whatever it is...AWESOME! to me this is what music should be about...utterly (at least for me) unclassifiable but totally listenable...
4. les angles morts: what's real (blue skies turn black)
i am pretty much sick of the arcade fire and they can pretty much suck it, seriously. HYPE is deadly!
but les angles morts are the founding members of the arcade fire...thank god they're making something totally un-arcade fire/kings of canadian indie rock-esq.
this is jangly, lovely electronic something-else! i totally love this record. i don't have the backgroud to talk about the sound of les angles morts in comparison to other bands or generic classification; all i know is that this is good. it's clean and crisp and makes me long for summer time and being too hot and too stoned...go figure.
3. four tet: everything ecstatic (domino)
2005 was the year of 'new to me'...i know, how could i NOT have heard four tet before? it happens. there are people who have never heard the ramones, seriously so should it come as a shock to you that there's one band i hadn't heard of...
anyways, i've heard of them now and they're fucking awesome and this album makes me want to dance in the sun!
yay summer! yay four tet!
2. bright eyes: i'm wide awake it's morning (saddle creek)
i love bright eyes! i have for a couple of years now. i flew all the way to vancouver to watch him cry and strum away at that lovely little guitar. i have also watched him grow up and out of that little emo boy who cried his way through trips along the west coast in june into this wonderful grownup boy with a broken heart and a protest song to boot!
what the hell and i talking about up there? too boot? who uses that phrase?! and who cares if he's no longer a whiney emo kid...i think that's where people are getting all pissy about this record; they want to hate him. they want him to be the whiney emo kid so they can hate this album. it's easier to hate it than eat your words and admit that mr. oberst is indeed a good songwriter and does indeed have something to offer to independant music.
he has a voice and a style that speaks to honesty and true love and a developing political awareness that goes beyond the 'i hate george bush' rhetortic and actually has something to say and something to offer. it's all about hope i guess. four tet is my favourite new discovery of 2005. paying attention to what other people tell me has finally paid off...
1. antony and the johnsons: i'm a bird now (secretly canadian)
nick, i owe you a debt of eternal gratitude for this one.
i don't have the words. this is the BEST album, top to bottom, i've heard in years.
seriously. listen for yourself because nothing i can say is going to properly put it into perspective.
soulful, perfect, spectacularly and epically beautiful doesn't even begin to describe...
FOUR MOST DISAPPOINTING RELEASES OF 2005
#4. beck: guero (interscope)
beck's awesome! this record isn't! good isn't nearly as good as awesome so it's disappointing.
#3 hot hot heat: elevator (sire)
#2 metric: live it out (last gang)
while 2005 may have been the 'new to me' year it also appeared to be the 'rest on your laurels' year for bands that i used to like. it's not that they're bad, or it is. they are bad! these two bands have made albums that sound like nothing more than the bad b-sides from their previous (and good) releases. i think that perhaps the boys in hot hot heat forgot that amongst awesomely tight girl's jeans and hair product they were suppose to write catchy dance songs and perhaps emily haines just got too caught up in showing off her panties. whatever happened recycled cell phone jingles and faux-politics got these cats nowhere!
#1 city and colour: sometimes (dine alone records)
so it appears as if dallas green wants to take a step back from alexisonfire and pay homage to what...his obnoxious whiney emo roots. this album is nothing more than 10 whiney songs scraped from the bottom of annoying hardcore turned instropective singer songwriter and what's worse, it's been done. canada doesn't need our very own dashboard confessional, one on the continent is more than enough.
i bought this cd, listened to it once and gave it away. i couldn't get it out of my house fast enough.
to follow in our theme of disappointment and to end of a postive note with more awesomeness...
FIVE MOST DISAPPOINTING LIVE SHOWS OF 2005
#5. black dice at victory lounge.
it's not that they were bad, because they weren't. those boys are amazing musicians and this was the ONLY show at which i've ever worn earplugs. it was disappointing because a) they lacked any sort of stage presence and b) because their set was ridiculously short and c) the time appeared to be waaay to dependent on their visual display which was made totally uninteresting by the set up at victory. now, ok i know what some of you are thinking, 'michelle, how can laptop musicians have stage presence?' and i'm here to tell you that they can. stage presence isn't about what you're doing, it's about how much you want to be up there and i just didn't get the impression they gave a shit.
but hey, it was loud and i've wanted to see black dice for a long time so that's good.
#4. kid 606 at victory lounge
i had high high high expectations for this show, everyone had been raving about how super rad his latest release was and how awesome a show he's known to put on. i haven't heard is his newest release and his live show was FAR too much drum and bass for my taste. also, he had all these awesome little kid's noisy toys and i kept waiting for them to become a part of the show but they were never used. i'm so not a fan of needless set decoration.
#3. the most serene republic opening for broken social scene at reds
i'd seen the most serene republic three weeks earlier opening for metric and they rocked my sock drawer off. they were so fun and so jubilant and involved. fast forward to boring land. no jubilation, no involvement. not even a single pair of socks was rocked.
#2. caribou at new city
remember those high expectations that i had for kid606? they were even higher for caribou (formerly manitoba) because his record's good and everyone raved about his live show. i wish i could put my finger on why this show was disappointing but unfortunately i have nothing better to say then it was just sort of boring. we stuck it out for the whole thing but i could have left before he'd finished and not felt too bad about it.
#1. metric at starlite room
metric played THREE sold out shows in edmonton. when i heard they were coming i was pumped! i was so slack in my ticket buying i was actually worried that i wasn't going to be able to see them. i finally got a ticket and standing there with rachel and skye this show called to mind a lyric from one of my favourite metric songs (dead disco) that says 'kick off the lethargy' and that's what i kept waiting for. i stood there waiting for this show to be as good as it was when i saw them two years ago. i kept waiting to want to do dance, to be compelled by the music to shake something. it never happened, instead i stood there at the back on the starlite room trying not to scratch my newly tattooed arm staring up at the smoke detector checking how often it was in time with the kick drum. my chief complaint about this show is the same complaint i have about their album-lacklustre. everything in beige and i want hot pink!
TEN BEST SHOWS OF 2005
#10. folk fest in gallagher park
i'd never been to the folk fest before this year! happy birthday to me! it was a great four days spent in the sun with good friends and good music. highlights include: the weakerthans, marth wainwright, wendy mcneill, danny michel, ryan adams and the cardinals and steve earl!
#9. greg macpherson at power plant
i hadn't really intended to go out the night of mr. macpherson's awesome show but keri called me and said that adam was sure i'd be into it. so i went. why the hell not right? i'm so glad i went. i sat at the table drinking my face off with a contant smile. greg macpherson is an intensly watchable, apparently kind, amazing performer. i was impressed from start to finish!
#8. the (international) noise conspriracy at reds
they weren't headlining but they weren't opening. the were the co-headliners on what seemed to me to be the oddest bill in...ever. despite the fact that i really DID NOT enjoy and you'll know us by the trail of dead, t(i)nc were soooooo awesome! i danced, i sang along and i saw one of my favourite bands of forever!
#7. blonde redhead at new city
ok, the opening band sucked. SUCKED! SUCKED! they were so bad that i don't even remember what they were called. i can't put them on my list because i didn't even listen to them. thank god for blonde redhead. quiet, sexy, lush and the kind of music that takes you somewhere else. best new city show ever!
#6. jr. boys at new city
it's funny that the jr. boys should be on my list of awesome because the band that they opened for, caribou, is on my list of not awesome. these boys make SEXY music. i danced, i sweated into my vans (or perhaps my blue loafers) and had an awesome time.
#5. xiu xiu at freemason's hall
yep, i love xiu xiu. this show was amazing because not only were the two opening acts (junior bloomsday and this song is a mess but so am i) stellar but this was one the quietest most intimate shows i've seen. the fact that people got mad when audience members were talking too loud was rad. it demonstrated a respect for the band, the music and the people around you. wicked shit!
#4. polmo polpo w. noot at victory lounge
(noot) first. laptop. show. ever.
saw about 8 million more this year. this one's still the best.
then there were all those dials that polmo polpo had. i have no idea what they were all for but i was riveted. 100% there!
#3. no means no at the sidetrack
no means no have been one of the best punk bands of all time for years but up until two weeks ago i'd never seen them. well, all's right with the world! this show was rad, it was so fun to hang out with chelsea and MOSH! yep, i moshed a little...and it was totally voluntary and i wasn't annoyed about the mosh kids at all. superlatives are lacking!
#2 green day at rexall place
i've been a fan of green day since i was 11 years old and 12 years later i finally got to see them live. all weirdness aside (drunks chanting for thrice, my chemical romance, rexall place) this show was amazing! i was on my feet singing at the top of my lungs to every song (even the operation ivy covers) and it was fantastic. i felt like i was that kid again, that scared little girl with headphones on, rocking out secretly in my room. god it was awesome!
#1 tortoise at starlite room
this show was the highlight of my summer. everything about it was totally rad. i got to see someone i care about open for a band i love, and play an awesome set! tortoise, HOLY FUCKING CRAP! bonertown! seriously! i was standing right at the front of the stage and i could feel the music take complete control over my body. i just stood there, eyes closed, letting every note overtake me. i haven't left a show feeling that sense of satisfaction ever. EVER!
so i think that's the list. the whole list. yep, there are some honourable mentions for sure but my brain is tired from making this list so i'll do that list at another time.
xo michelle.
so enjoy because this was a fun (and difficult) list to compile!!
THE TEN BEST RELEASES OF 2005
10. ladytron: the witching hour (rykodisc)
ladytron is the band metric would be if metric were awesome. lush, sexy, epic tales of electronic danceable love...
this is an album for late nights fueled by red wine, ghosts and unrequited love.
9. broken social scene: to be you and me-ep (arts & crafts)
before you start to freak out about how much better 'you forgot it in people' is take a second look at which broken social scene album i'm talking about...
yes, the full-length is rad but it's the limited edition ep that accompnies the self-titled release that really showcases bss' awesomeness*.
i think this was my year for loving things that i feel are 'lush'... or in the case of this ep, lushious. i want to make out to this.
sexy bass lines+pretty girl singing+lonely hotel room lyrics=wicked awesomeness*
*awesomeness is so a word!
8. xiu xiu: la foret (5RC/kill rock stars)
ok haters, i love xiu xiu; they're one of my favourite bands ever. 'knife play' continues to kick my ass every time i listen to it. there are moments with 'fabulous muscles' that make me weep uncontrollably. and now 'la foret' ok...at first i hated this record. it was too quiet. i put it on one afternoon while i was cleaning my house and within moments i had forgotten i was even listening to it. it made me mad. how dare xiu xiu (the quietest live band i've ever seen) make a quiet record?!a week or so later i forgave a little and in a fit of insomnia i put it on with headphones hoping it's silence would put me to sleep; it didn't. instead, it kept me up all night listening and relistening to the amazing subtleties and minute shifts in instrumentation. i was instantly reminded of why xiu xiu is awesome: emotionally honest, unafraid and challenging with every shift and every release.
7. lcd soundsystem-s/t (dfa/emi)
everyone knows this record is rad. there are few who'll dispute it's radness.i forgot that i sort of like really-super dancy electronic music and this record reminded me. for that reason alone it's on the list.
honestly, is there anyone who doesn't like this album? and who doesn't want daft punk to play at their house? or james murphy for that matter...
6. m. ward: transistor radio (merge)
ok, so it's not 2003 and m. ward didn't just release 'the transfiguration of vincent' and didn't just make me cream in my panties with all his folky goodness. in fact, i hadn't even heard of this lovely man in 2003. i was introduced to his awesomeness on october 19, 2004 when he opened for/played as part of bright eyes. he opened his set with a five minute acoustic guitar finger picking dance explosion. it was rad. i was in love.so fast forward to 2005 and i have spent a bunch of cash tracking down harder to find older releases and then one day i bumped into this at blackbyrd...'transistor radio' a deliciously lo-fi ode community radio.
not as good as his '03 release, 'transistor radio' will still make you cream your folk-music panties. i'm firmly convinced that tape his is a required element for living and m. ward should convince you to. i can only imagine how good this album would sound on vinyl...*drool*
5. venetian snares: meathole (planet mu)
up until a couple of months ago i hadn't heard about venetian snares except in passing. while on a quest for music to 'make my ears bleed' i was seriously introduced to this album and it totally kicked my ass. i listened to it constantly for two weeks trying to figure it out. i didn't figure it out and i can't explain to you why it's awesome. i don't have the base to be able to discuss it. it's lush but painful. it makes you want to dance but keeps you sitting still. it makes you think your possessed by something but completely in control.
whatever it is...AWESOME! to me this is what music should be about...utterly (at least for me) unclassifiable but totally listenable...
4. les angles morts: what's real (blue skies turn black)
i am pretty much sick of the arcade fire and they can pretty much suck it, seriously. HYPE is deadly!
but les angles morts are the founding members of the arcade fire...thank god they're making something totally un-arcade fire/kings of canadian indie rock-esq.
this is jangly, lovely electronic something-else! i totally love this record. i don't have the backgroud to talk about the sound of les angles morts in comparison to other bands or generic classification; all i know is that this is good. it's clean and crisp and makes me long for summer time and being too hot and too stoned...go figure.
3. four tet: everything ecstatic (domino)
2005 was the year of 'new to me'...i know, how could i NOT have heard four tet before? it happens. there are people who have never heard the ramones, seriously so should it come as a shock to you that there's one band i hadn't heard of...anyways, i've heard of them now and they're fucking awesome and this album makes me want to dance in the sun!
yay summer! yay four tet!
2. bright eyes: i'm wide awake it's morning (saddle creek)
i love bright eyes! i have for a couple of years now. i flew all the way to vancouver to watch him cry and strum away at that lovely little guitar. i have also watched him grow up and out of that little emo boy who cried his way through trips along the west coast in june into this wonderful grownup boy with a broken heart and a protest song to boot!what the hell and i talking about up there? too boot? who uses that phrase?! and who cares if he's no longer a whiney emo kid...i think that's where people are getting all pissy about this record; they want to hate him. they want him to be the whiney emo kid so they can hate this album. it's easier to hate it than eat your words and admit that mr. oberst is indeed a good songwriter and does indeed have something to offer to independant music.
he has a voice and a style that speaks to honesty and true love and a developing political awareness that goes beyond the 'i hate george bush' rhetortic and actually has something to say and something to offer. it's all about hope i guess. four tet is my favourite new discovery of 2005. paying attention to what other people tell me has finally paid off...
1. antony and the johnsons: i'm a bird now (secretly canadian)
nick, i owe you a debt of eternal gratitude for this one.i don't have the words. this is the BEST album, top to bottom, i've heard in years.
seriously. listen for yourself because nothing i can say is going to properly put it into perspective.
soulful, perfect, spectacularly and epically beautiful doesn't even begin to describe...
FOUR MOST DISAPPOINTING RELEASES OF 2005
#4. beck: guero (interscope)
beck's awesome! this record isn't! good isn't nearly as good as awesome so it's disappointing.
#3 hot hot heat: elevator (sire)
#2 metric: live it out (last gang)
while 2005 may have been the 'new to me' year it also appeared to be the 'rest on your laurels' year for bands that i used to like. it's not that they're bad, or it is. they are bad! these two bands have made albums that sound like nothing more than the bad b-sides from their previous (and good) releases. i think that perhaps the boys in hot hot heat forgot that amongst awesomely tight girl's jeans and hair product they were suppose to write catchy dance songs and perhaps emily haines just got too caught up in showing off her panties. whatever happened recycled cell phone jingles and faux-politics got these cats nowhere!
#1 city and colour: sometimes (dine alone records)
so it appears as if dallas green wants to take a step back from alexisonfire and pay homage to what...his obnoxious whiney emo roots. this album is nothing more than 10 whiney songs scraped from the bottom of annoying hardcore turned instropective singer songwriter and what's worse, it's been done. canada doesn't need our very own dashboard confessional, one on the continent is more than enough.
i bought this cd, listened to it once and gave it away. i couldn't get it out of my house fast enough.
to follow in our theme of disappointment and to end of a postive note with more awesomeness...
FIVE MOST DISAPPOINTING LIVE SHOWS OF 2005
#5. black dice at victory lounge.
it's not that they were bad, because they weren't. those boys are amazing musicians and this was the ONLY show at which i've ever worn earplugs. it was disappointing because a) they lacked any sort of stage presence and b) because their set was ridiculously short and c) the time appeared to be waaay to dependent on their visual display which was made totally uninteresting by the set up at victory. now, ok i know what some of you are thinking, 'michelle, how can laptop musicians have stage presence?' and i'm here to tell you that they can. stage presence isn't about what you're doing, it's about how much you want to be up there and i just didn't get the impression they gave a shit.
but hey, it was loud and i've wanted to see black dice for a long time so that's good.
#4. kid 606 at victory lounge
i had high high high expectations for this show, everyone had been raving about how super rad his latest release was and how awesome a show he's known to put on. i haven't heard is his newest release and his live show was FAR too much drum and bass for my taste. also, he had all these awesome little kid's noisy toys and i kept waiting for them to become a part of the show but they were never used. i'm so not a fan of needless set decoration.
#3. the most serene republic opening for broken social scene at reds
i'd seen the most serene republic three weeks earlier opening for metric and they rocked my sock drawer off. they were so fun and so jubilant and involved. fast forward to boring land. no jubilation, no involvement. not even a single pair of socks was rocked.
#2. caribou at new city
remember those high expectations that i had for kid606? they were even higher for caribou (formerly manitoba) because his record's good and everyone raved about his live show. i wish i could put my finger on why this show was disappointing but unfortunately i have nothing better to say then it was just sort of boring. we stuck it out for the whole thing but i could have left before he'd finished and not felt too bad about it.
#1. metric at starlite room
metric played THREE sold out shows in edmonton. when i heard they were coming i was pumped! i was so slack in my ticket buying i was actually worried that i wasn't going to be able to see them. i finally got a ticket and standing there with rachel and skye this show called to mind a lyric from one of my favourite metric songs (dead disco) that says 'kick off the lethargy' and that's what i kept waiting for. i stood there waiting for this show to be as good as it was when i saw them two years ago. i kept waiting to want to do dance, to be compelled by the music to shake something. it never happened, instead i stood there at the back on the starlite room trying not to scratch my newly tattooed arm staring up at the smoke detector checking how often it was in time with the kick drum. my chief complaint about this show is the same complaint i have about their album-lacklustre. everything in beige and i want hot pink!
TEN BEST SHOWS OF 2005
#10. folk fest in gallagher park
i'd never been to the folk fest before this year! happy birthday to me! it was a great four days spent in the sun with good friends and good music. highlights include: the weakerthans, marth wainwright, wendy mcneill, danny michel, ryan adams and the cardinals and steve earl!
#9. greg macpherson at power plant
i hadn't really intended to go out the night of mr. macpherson's awesome show but keri called me and said that adam was sure i'd be into it. so i went. why the hell not right? i'm so glad i went. i sat at the table drinking my face off with a contant smile. greg macpherson is an intensly watchable, apparently kind, amazing performer. i was impressed from start to finish!
#8. the (international) noise conspriracy at reds
they weren't headlining but they weren't opening. the were the co-headliners on what seemed to me to be the oddest bill in...ever. despite the fact that i really DID NOT enjoy and you'll know us by the trail of dead, t(i)nc were soooooo awesome! i danced, i sang along and i saw one of my favourite bands of forever!
#7. blonde redhead at new city
ok, the opening band sucked. SUCKED! SUCKED! they were so bad that i don't even remember what they were called. i can't put them on my list because i didn't even listen to them. thank god for blonde redhead. quiet, sexy, lush and the kind of music that takes you somewhere else. best new city show ever!
#6. jr. boys at new city
it's funny that the jr. boys should be on my list of awesome because the band that they opened for, caribou, is on my list of not awesome. these boys make SEXY music. i danced, i sweated into my vans (or perhaps my blue loafers) and had an awesome time.
#5. xiu xiu at freemason's hall
yep, i love xiu xiu. this show was amazing because not only were the two opening acts (junior bloomsday and this song is a mess but so am i) stellar but this was one the quietest most intimate shows i've seen. the fact that people got mad when audience members were talking too loud was rad. it demonstrated a respect for the band, the music and the people around you. wicked shit!
#4. polmo polpo w. noot at victory lounge
(noot) first. laptop. show. ever.
saw about 8 million more this year. this one's still the best.
then there were all those dials that polmo polpo had. i have no idea what they were all for but i was riveted. 100% there!
#3. no means no at the sidetrack
no means no have been one of the best punk bands of all time for years but up until two weeks ago i'd never seen them. well, all's right with the world! this show was rad, it was so fun to hang out with chelsea and MOSH! yep, i moshed a little...and it was totally voluntary and i wasn't annoyed about the mosh kids at all. superlatives are lacking!
#2 green day at rexall place
i've been a fan of green day since i was 11 years old and 12 years later i finally got to see them live. all weirdness aside (drunks chanting for thrice, my chemical romance, rexall place) this show was amazing! i was on my feet singing at the top of my lungs to every song (even the operation ivy covers) and it was fantastic. i felt like i was that kid again, that scared little girl with headphones on, rocking out secretly in my room. god it was awesome!
#1 tortoise at starlite room
this show was the highlight of my summer. everything about it was totally rad. i got to see someone i care about open for a band i love, and play an awesome set! tortoise, HOLY FUCKING CRAP! bonertown! seriously! i was standing right at the front of the stage and i could feel the music take complete control over my body. i just stood there, eyes closed, letting every note overtake me. i haven't left a show feeling that sense of satisfaction ever. EVER!
so i think that's the list. the whole list. yep, there are some honourable mentions for sure but my brain is tired from making this list so i'll do that list at another time.
xo michelle.
Monday, December 12, 2005
inappropriate txt messages
is it uncool for me to send someone a text message that says the following:
'come meet us at _____ (insert the name of some bar), buy me a drink and then take me home and fuck me til i can't remember either of our names!'
or if i'm not at the bar,
'i want you in my bed.'
can i do that? i sort of want to.
xo michelle.
'come meet us at _____ (insert the name of some bar), buy me a drink and then take me home and fuck me til i can't remember either of our names!'
or if i'm not at the bar,
'i want you in my bed.'
can i do that? i sort of want to.
xo michelle.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
cake!
i love seeing old friends.
i love when itchy tweed feels good on my skin.
i love people who give good hugs-you know the kind that go all the way from your toes to your head. those are the best kind.
i love being told i look nice when i'm not wearing make-up and am in terrible need of a dye-job.
i love being complimented on my hoodie.
i love that i can look at him and hug him and not feel like my intestines are being ripped out through a small opening in my tongue, or even just being vomitted up and out my mouth.
i love eating cake and blogging and feeling good about my head aching and my tiredness and absolutely without getting stoned.
ha! i love getting stoned.
louise, i am SOOO SOOO SOOO sorry to hear about your foot. i am sending you hugs and love.
xo michelle.
i love when itchy tweed feels good on my skin.
i love people who give good hugs-you know the kind that go all the way from your toes to your head. those are the best kind.
i love being told i look nice when i'm not wearing make-up and am in terrible need of a dye-job.
i love being complimented on my hoodie.
i love that i can look at him and hug him and not feel like my intestines are being ripped out through a small opening in my tongue, or even just being vomitted up and out my mouth.
i love eating cake and blogging and feeling good about my head aching and my tiredness and absolutely without getting stoned.
ha! i love getting stoned.
louise, i am SOOO SOOO SOOO sorry to hear about your foot. i am sending you hugs and love.
xo michelle.
breakfast conversation...
so I get asked this question:
Friday, December 09, 2005
oh shit: an amendment
things have been weird.
i want to be with someone i probably shouldn't want to be with.
fuck, ok. i'll be clearer. a while back i slept with this guy. we've remained friends (which is weird considering we weren't really friends before) and we hang out on occassion. that's cool right? it's nice that we're able to have a mature adult relationship.
here's the new truth: while having this nice mature adult relationship i realised, somewhere along the path, that i sort of wouldn't mind dating him. yikes, right? a bit. mostly yikesy because i am not sure where we stand...i know i could just chat with him about it and i know i probably should just chat with him about it but i'm scared of rejection. i was about to make up this big story about him relishing in his position of dominance over me (yummm) and whatnot but that's bullshit. i'm just scared. amidst all this fear though is this ridiculous crush. i want to date him. he makes me soooo angry and he makes me laugh and he makes me feel beautiful and desired and when i am within 10 ft. of him i am a mess, his presence in a room turns me on! to the point of becoming a fidgeting mess, actually!
and then there was this other boy who i thought i'd had a giant crush on for ages. i did have a crush on him for a while. more from a distance than anything else. there was this mystique about him. dark hair, dark eyes, constantly surrounded by people obviously wanting something. then we became friends and he's none of those thing. he isn't particularly mysterious and while great fun to flirt with there's no real spark. he's a wicked kid. i love him to death. as soon as we met i liked him. i like discovering crushes on new friends weren't really that substantial to begin with.
so then last night i went on a date with a nice boy called mike. we had a good time, good conversation, good beer (the fact that i am hungover now reinforces the fun...) but there's just something i can't get into about him. now, i am NOT shallow. i have ONE aesthetic requirement when it comes to attraction and the rest is based entirely on chemistry and personality. my one requirement is height. i need a boy who is AT LEAST as tall as me, if not a couple inches taller. that's it. that's all i ask and i don't think that's asking a lot, nor do i think it's shallow. so mike is 5'2'' and i just can't get past the fact that he's close to 5 inches shorter than me! i felt so awkward standing beside him waiting for the light to change last night as we said goodbye. i couldn't picture myself bending down to kiss him. i like to be at equal height with a boys lips or have to stretch up to meet them. girls, you know how awesome it is to have to perch on your tippy toes to kiss someone. i LOVE it!
so what do all these little blurbs have to do with my 'fuck fuck fuck fuck' cut and paste previous posting? well, it sort of all came to a head on tuesday. the boy i want got back from a trip and i realised i missed him. the date got planned on tuesday and talking to the other boy about all this really put that whole 'crush' thing in perspective...it was a rough day.
i hate knowing that i wouldn't mind a little companionship. i'm good being on my own and it takes a lot for me to reconcile the fact that maybe we all need/want someone to spend those quiet evenings at home with...
xo michelle.
i want to be with someone i probably shouldn't want to be with.
fuck, ok. i'll be clearer. a while back i slept with this guy. we've remained friends (which is weird considering we weren't really friends before) and we hang out on occassion. that's cool right? it's nice that we're able to have a mature adult relationship.
here's the new truth: while having this nice mature adult relationship i realised, somewhere along the path, that i sort of wouldn't mind dating him. yikes, right? a bit. mostly yikesy because i am not sure where we stand...i know i could just chat with him about it and i know i probably should just chat with him about it but i'm scared of rejection. i was about to make up this big story about him relishing in his position of dominance over me (yummm) and whatnot but that's bullshit. i'm just scared. amidst all this fear though is this ridiculous crush. i want to date him. he makes me soooo angry and he makes me laugh and he makes me feel beautiful and desired and when i am within 10 ft. of him i am a mess, his presence in a room turns me on! to the point of becoming a fidgeting mess, actually!
and then there was this other boy who i thought i'd had a giant crush on for ages. i did have a crush on him for a while. more from a distance than anything else. there was this mystique about him. dark hair, dark eyes, constantly surrounded by people obviously wanting something. then we became friends and he's none of those thing. he isn't particularly mysterious and while great fun to flirt with there's no real spark. he's a wicked kid. i love him to death. as soon as we met i liked him. i like discovering crushes on new friends weren't really that substantial to begin with.
so then last night i went on a date with a nice boy called mike. we had a good time, good conversation, good beer (the fact that i am hungover now reinforces the fun...) but there's just something i can't get into about him. now, i am NOT shallow. i have ONE aesthetic requirement when it comes to attraction and the rest is based entirely on chemistry and personality. my one requirement is height. i need a boy who is AT LEAST as tall as me, if not a couple inches taller. that's it. that's all i ask and i don't think that's asking a lot, nor do i think it's shallow. so mike is 5'2'' and i just can't get past the fact that he's close to 5 inches shorter than me! i felt so awkward standing beside him waiting for the light to change last night as we said goodbye. i couldn't picture myself bending down to kiss him. i like to be at equal height with a boys lips or have to stretch up to meet them. girls, you know how awesome it is to have to perch on your tippy toes to kiss someone. i LOVE it!
so what do all these little blurbs have to do with my 'fuck fuck fuck fuck' cut and paste previous posting? well, it sort of all came to a head on tuesday. the boy i want got back from a trip and i realised i missed him. the date got planned on tuesday and talking to the other boy about all this really put that whole 'crush' thing in perspective...it was a rough day.
i hate knowing that i wouldn't mind a little companionship. i'm good being on my own and it takes a lot for me to reconcile the fact that maybe we all need/want someone to spend those quiet evenings at home with...
xo michelle.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
oh shit.
fuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuck
Monday, December 05, 2005
and suddenly i'm a reviewer...
in the interest of full disclosure i should tell you all that i consider jeff a good friend. i am so happy for him and he deserves years of rock stardom because he's such a genuine and hardworking guy.
now to rip apart the album he put his heart and soul into:
leaving juneau
get out of the weather
independently released, november 2005
produced and recorded by randor lin
mixed by chris sturwuld.
stuck out in the middle of the prairies edmonton has always been a musical town. perhaps it's due to the fact that it's too fucking cold to do anything besides sit in your warm bedroom and play guitar. resulting from all this cold weather guitar hibernating is a million shitty bands and a million more jaded scenesters. leaving juneau falls into neither of these catagories. made up of three of the nicest guys and born out of the ashes of two fashioncore/screamo bands (both guitartist/songwriter jeff (archibald) and drummer nick bryant played in sierra and bassist adam dingle played in the recently disbanned -stillframe-) leaving juneau seeks to find that niche indie rock spot in a sea of dancy-pants 'indietronic' casio loving hipsters.
composed entirely by archibald 'get out of the weather' is generally a strong record. the albums two greatest strengths are it's lyrics and production quality. the latter strikes the perfect balance between polished pop songs and underproduced indie rock. tape hiss, while a required element for living, is used sparingly and therefore convincingly and it's great to hear that producer randor lin isn't afraid of pop music. archibald is obviously a strong writer unafraid to be honest his feelings and about putting them on paper. he understand music's ability to be cathartic without falling into the catagory of whiney, self-indulgent, emo princess.
this album suffers, however, not for lack of lack of talent but for lack of experience. because the majority of these songs were composed by archibald for leaving juneau the solo project the addition of drums and bass appear, at times, haphazard and under-composed. bryant is strong drummer and a welcome addition to most songs but rarely steps away from that bright eyes influenced snare heavy drum sound. i also feel like the bass is under-used and under-represented in the mix. archibald's voice also feels the weight of inexperience. while almost always singing in key, the range is small and the articulation isn't always there. i also longed to hear more piano. it would be a nice contrast to the often strained snare drum sound.
guests on this album include matthieu damer playing cello and heathyr black adding her vocals to 'new', the opening track. I WANT MORE CELLO! i love the cello. while strings have become the ultimate in indie rock cliche they are an amazing addition to this album and really augment the intensity and emotional honesty of archibald's lyrics. black, on the other hand, over-powers archibald's singing. the quality and tone of her voice make an otherwise beautiful (and one of my favourites) song sound awkward. perhaps the addition of another male voice would have offered just as many dynamic shifts as the female voice.
i am forever in love with the moments when all three boys unabashedly embrace their pop roots and make us dance and sing aloud with equal ferocity. "streets" and "these walls have eyes" are specific example of this indie pop love! after seeing leaving juneau live many times it's these songs that they really blossom on as a band and that translates well when recorded. these are the songs where you know they were having fun in the studio, in rehearsal and every time they play them. you know they had fun because shit, you're having fun as you listen to them!
people love to toss around the dreaded 'emo' word when refering to this band. perhaps it's their backgrounds or the fact that as a song-writer archibald is unafraid to tell you how he's feeling. the absolute highlights of this album are the moments when we're let into archibald's world. it's not a world of falling black stars, bleeding hearts, or girl's jeans; it's emotionally honest. sit down with 'new', 'this one is for me' or 'speak without pause' and you'll be treated to something well beyond a broken-hearted treatise. you'll be told secrets and you'll listen, rapt, because you know they're true.
despite it's flaws this album is a beautiful honest piece of work and the love that went into it's production is evident in every chord change. this is an album for cold wintery days spent driving along highways and ever-expanding freeways. it's for sunday afternoons with your lover and with yourself. it's for anyone who's ever had their heartbroken or swam in cold water. it's worth your time to give this album a listen. so do it. now. c'mon. go get it.
to get your hands on it drop jeff a line at jeffreyarchibald@yahoo.ca or head out to your favourite whyte ave indie record store (blackbyrd, southside sound, megatunes). support your local musicians! they deserve it!
xo michelle.
now to rip apart the album he put his heart and soul into:
leaving juneau
get out of the weather
independently released, november 2005
produced and recorded by randor lin
mixed by chris sturwuld.
stuck out in the middle of the prairies edmonton has always been a musical town. perhaps it's due to the fact that it's too fucking cold to do anything besides sit in your warm bedroom and play guitar. resulting from all this cold weather guitar hibernating is a million shitty bands and a million more jaded scenesters. leaving juneau falls into neither of these catagories. made up of three of the nicest guys and born out of the ashes of two fashioncore/screamo bands (both guitartist/songwriter jeff (archibald) and drummer nick bryant played in sierra and bassist adam dingle played in the recently disbanned -stillframe-) leaving juneau seeks to find that niche indie rock spot in a sea of dancy-pants 'indietronic' casio loving hipsters.
composed entirely by archibald 'get out of the weather' is generally a strong record. the albums two greatest strengths are it's lyrics and production quality. the latter strikes the perfect balance between polished pop songs and underproduced indie rock. tape hiss, while a required element for living, is used sparingly and therefore convincingly and it's great to hear that producer randor lin isn't afraid of pop music. archibald is obviously a strong writer unafraid to be honest his feelings and about putting them on paper. he understand music's ability to be cathartic without falling into the catagory of whiney, self-indulgent, emo princess.
this album suffers, however, not for lack of lack of talent but for lack of experience. because the majority of these songs were composed by archibald for leaving juneau the solo project the addition of drums and bass appear, at times, haphazard and under-composed. bryant is strong drummer and a welcome addition to most songs but rarely steps away from that bright eyes influenced snare heavy drum sound. i also feel like the bass is under-used and under-represented in the mix. archibald's voice also feels the weight of inexperience. while almost always singing in key, the range is small and the articulation isn't always there. i also longed to hear more piano. it would be a nice contrast to the often strained snare drum sound.
guests on this album include matthieu damer playing cello and heathyr black adding her vocals to 'new', the opening track. I WANT MORE CELLO! i love the cello. while strings have become the ultimate in indie rock cliche they are an amazing addition to this album and really augment the intensity and emotional honesty of archibald's lyrics. black, on the other hand, over-powers archibald's singing. the quality and tone of her voice make an otherwise beautiful (and one of my favourites) song sound awkward. perhaps the addition of another male voice would have offered just as many dynamic shifts as the female voice.
i am forever in love with the moments when all three boys unabashedly embrace their pop roots and make us dance and sing aloud with equal ferocity. "streets" and "these walls have eyes" are specific example of this indie pop love! after seeing leaving juneau live many times it's these songs that they really blossom on as a band and that translates well when recorded. these are the songs where you know they were having fun in the studio, in rehearsal and every time they play them. you know they had fun because shit, you're having fun as you listen to them!
people love to toss around the dreaded 'emo' word when refering to this band. perhaps it's their backgrounds or the fact that as a song-writer archibald is unafraid to tell you how he's feeling. the absolute highlights of this album are the moments when we're let into archibald's world. it's not a world of falling black stars, bleeding hearts, or girl's jeans; it's emotionally honest. sit down with 'new', 'this one is for me' or 'speak without pause' and you'll be treated to something well beyond a broken-hearted treatise. you'll be told secrets and you'll listen, rapt, because you know they're true.
despite it's flaws this album is a beautiful honest piece of work and the love that went into it's production is evident in every chord change. this is an album for cold wintery days spent driving along highways and ever-expanding freeways. it's for sunday afternoons with your lover and with yourself. it's for anyone who's ever had their heartbroken or swam in cold water. it's worth your time to give this album a listen. so do it. now. c'mon. go get it.
to get your hands on it drop jeff a line at jeffreyarchibald@yahoo.ca or head out to your favourite whyte ave indie record store (blackbyrd, southside sound, megatunes). support your local musicians! they deserve it!
xo michelle.
a fetish for sentimentality
it's that time of year.
the time when things are ending. when the world is committing that wintery suicide to make room for a whole new...life.
i am already really looking forward to the spring. not because i hate winter or because it's cold but because i am feeling really good about today and tomorrow and what's to come.
as far as winter goes: it's officially here. it's cold. snowy as fuck today. but i love it. i want to go for a million snowy walks in the middle of the night. i want to stay up nights wrapped in a million blankets drinking wine and playing scrabble. i wish we had a working fire place.
another thing that happens as the year comes to a close and the earth freezes over is that i start to get really sentimental about the year that has past.
it's been a pretty crazy year. i started to fall in love, my heart got sort of broken, i started a theatre company, so much good music, i've made good decisions about who to spend time with, good tattoos, good sex...etc.
and mostly importantly i have made and hung on to some really amazing friendships. i feel really blessed to have met the people i have met in the past year. i guess as we get older the need for pretense and bullshit just seems to lessen. so much of what i have experienced in the past year has been because of you. you know who you are! thanks!
xo michelle, trapped in a winter wonderland and loving every minute of it!
the time when things are ending. when the world is committing that wintery suicide to make room for a whole new...life.
i am already really looking forward to the spring. not because i hate winter or because it's cold but because i am feeling really good about today and tomorrow and what's to come.
as far as winter goes: it's officially here. it's cold. snowy as fuck today. but i love it. i want to go for a million snowy walks in the middle of the night. i want to stay up nights wrapped in a million blankets drinking wine and playing scrabble. i wish we had a working fire place.
another thing that happens as the year comes to a close and the earth freezes over is that i start to get really sentimental about the year that has past.
it's been a pretty crazy year. i started to fall in love, my heart got sort of broken, i started a theatre company, so much good music, i've made good decisions about who to spend time with, good tattoos, good sex...etc.
and mostly importantly i have made and hung on to some really amazing friendships. i feel really blessed to have met the people i have met in the past year. i guess as we get older the need for pretense and bullshit just seems to lessen. so much of what i have experienced in the past year has been because of you. you know who you are! thanks!
xo michelle, trapped in a winter wonderland and loving every minute of it!
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