Independence is no solution

Last thursday, Owen Pallett performed in Halifax, at - his now usual haunt - St. Matthew's Cathedral in Halifax.

He performed this song (not recorded on site) and I have had it stuck in my head ever since. I know that it's a cover, but have been having a hard time finding any more info. Any and all will be appreciated.

I've got a tape I want to play.

This is just another reason why I love edits.

Take the best bits, stretch them out until you're begging for more.

New Modeselektor track

Oh, Modeselektor, how I love thee.



You know, I don't care if Silikon is four years old. I still dig it.

The Cold Song

This song just popped into my head #3

Don't ask me why.

But it did.

And I am glad.

Klaus Nomi was an alien god among men. R.I.P.

I had forgotten...

This song just popped into my head #2


...how much I love Iron & Wine.



I mean, it goes beyond the beard love, but the first time I heard him, I thought to myself, "These are the songs that I would want to hear sung to me, in the middle of the night, very quietly, while laying in bed."

Every song from a heart this mangled will be draped in strings, strings, strings

Image by Paul Hammond


I was lucky enough to meet Owen Pallett, a.k.a. Final Fantasy last time he performed here in Halifax. I think one of the most surreal moments I have experienced in the past few years was sitting in a dingy bar talking to him about Japanese literature while alcoholic gamblers played VLTs behind us.

I contacted Pallett a few months ago when I found out that he would be performing in Halifax during this year’s Halifax Pop Explosion. I wanted to interview him about the show, his career and his upcoming album, “Heartland”.

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Your father was a church organist, correct? Did you grow up surrounded by ecclesiastical music, or was there any room for a bit of pop music in there?


FF: My favourite records, by age, were as follows. 3: Pachebel's Canon. 4: Vivaldi Four Seasons. 5: Bach Double Violin Concerto. 6: Holst The Planets. 7: Bartok Music For Strings, Percussion and Celeste. 8: Prokofiev Romeo And Juliet. 9: Stravinsky Rite Of Spring. 10: Digital Underground Sex Packets. 11: Jean Michel Jarre Oxygene. 12: Shostakovich 10th Symphony. 13: Black Sabbath Paranoid. 14: Sibelius 1st Symphony. 15: Bjork Post. 16: Tori Amos Boys For Pele. 17: Pink Floyd Animals. 18: US Maple Long Hair In Three Stages.

There. You can trace my entire history.


Have you ever wanted to do any arrangements of any "classical" pieces and record/perform them? I remember seeing you live for the first time a few years ago and thinking, 'I wonder what he would do with Part's "Fratres"…"


FF: No. I don't really think it's necessary. "Classical" pieces are concert pieces, meant for live performance. There's no point in trying to recreate a Mahler symphony on record. Also, in the 70s, I felt that it was pretty clear that most 'electro-acoustic' composers didn't give a shit about what was going on in pop music. Now, it's totally different. New music composers are writing albums, they're getting into how they sound. Honestly, I think 2008 was the best year for music, ever.


I heard about the performance you contributed to at Pop Montreal where you and members of Bell Orchestre created a new soundtrack to "Cruisin' 57". How did that come about?


FF: Well, Stef Schneider used his swishy-sense to contact me. I was busy banging some dude and all of a sudden, a message came in on my gaytennae. It said, "zzzzzrallyinmontrealzzzzzbringgaypr0ntothehipstermasseszzzzzzzpleaseconfirminvolvement". I thought to myself, "Gay porn? Hipsters? I'm there." Then I got in my penismobile and spurted off to Montreal. We rehearsed in between dinner parties and bathhouse visits.

In truth, Stef e-mailed me and I said, "OK."


The last time I emailed you, you were walking on something for the Pet Shop Boys. How was it working with Neil Tennant, a man who is arguably one of the greatest queer pop songcrafters of all time?


Awesome! He has a really strong Newcastle accent, though; it was difficult to understand him over the phone. Which is ironic! Because he has the finest elocution of all pop singers. But the new songs are great, they're a band that never fell off.


What was it like to work with the Pet Shop Boys?

Amazing!

Did the twelve-year-old gay kid in you get a little freaked out?

A little bit. Neil was sweet, complimented me on some Youtubes he'd seen and He Poos Clouds album. I have a hard time coming back and saying, "Well, Being Boring changed my life." I should've said so.

You've collaborated with everyone from Zach Condon to Grizzly Bear to Fucked Up. What is it about collaborations that bring about so much in you?

When you're a solo musician, there's no way of getting accurate feedback on your work. Except applause (measured in seconds). I love working with other musicians, just so that you can occasionally get a "that sucks!"

But your collaborations are rather disparate. Do Pet Shop Boys have anything in common with Fucked Up?

No, both collaborations were very different, obviously. Every collaboration is different. Pet Shop Boys, I didn't even meet the guys until later. Fucked Up, I didn't hear anything or score anything before recording, I just worked it out with them in the studio. Arcade Fire, they have clear ideas of what they're looking for, so I typically work with the entire band---especially Win, Regine, Sarah and Marika---in realizing their goals. I have a borderline perverse fascination with being entirely "at your service". It's wonderful.

Who have you yet to collaborate with that you would love to?

There are too many people to name. Thomas, my guitarist, we're only just starting to get to know each other musically, I'm really excited about working with him on writing some new songs.

Name a few, just for shits and giggles. (I personally have always wanted to do something with Yoko Ono).

Diamanda Galas, obviously. Dagmar Krause, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Dolly Parton.

Has anyone asked that you have said "No" to?

A few. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark asked me to do some work for them, orchestrating their early hits, but I those songs are too dear to me, it felt like I was asked to tattoo my children. After working on "Souvenir" for a couple of weeks, I turned them down. I once said no to Of Montreal, although I regret it. I did an arrangement for a song on Spoon's "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" album, I thought it was one of the best arrangements I'd ever written, but they turned it down.

How did you react to their "no"?

I cried for about six seconds and then I stepped up my game.

You also are well known for performing covers of everything from Mariah to John Cale. Where does this love of covers come from?

I work on lots of covers at home, most of which you'll never hear.

Damn. You've done one album of covers, would you ever do another? Maybe of various artists, a la Cat Power?

I'd definitely love to do another album, covering another single artist. Or even more Alex Lukashevsky songs.


Are you sick of playing any?

Most of them, except Simon Bookish.

Have any of the artists whom you've covered contacted you to let you know what they think of your covers?

OMD did, Andy McClusky was really sweet about it.

What have you yet to cover that you think you should?

Hmm, I don't know. I used to really enjoy playing covers. In 2005, it really felt like not as many people were doing covers of contemporary songs, except for laffs. Now, though, it's out of control. You've got Glee doing po-faced versions of everything. Rappers covering indie, classical musicians covering IDM. It's mostly great, but I think the final straw for me was seeing that shiteous Dan Black cover of Biggie Smalls, that really, really damaged me and I don't think I'll ever try and cover anything ever again.


You've worked with so many people; do you ever feel like you're not giving yourself enough time for yourself and your work?


Always! But when I'm alone, I get lonely really quickly. I can work for a couple of days on my own before I start e-mailing Elton John, like, "Sir? Sir? Need an arrangement? What about now? How about now?"


How do you feel about performing with a symphony?

Excited like you wouldn't believe. There's a large part of me that wants to go out and get a camel raincoat, brimmed hat and thick brown spectacles. Walk around Halifax like an L.A. composer. But I'm restraining myself.

You were classically trained. Do you think your music fits in a symphonic format?

Not really. I studied classical but my heart and my ears are for pop albums. It's a funny thing, right? My boyfriend did cinema studies and now all he wants to watch is Lindsay Lohan. I'm dating a Cinema Studies graduate and I've never seen a single Truffaut.

That said, I've wanted to make an orchestral album for some time and I'm excited that I might be able to share some songs in that format. Nostrovia!


If you were to perform a traditional "classical" piece, what would it be?

Galina Ustvolskaya doesn't sound anything like Final Fantasy but I've always thought our music comes from the same place.

You're constantly touring. How do you find time to write/compose?

I have a laptop.

You once told me you have moments where you wonder if what you're doing is worthwhile. How do you fight that?

There are a tonne of things I could say about this, but most are best saved for therapy. Essentially, I feel that the music scene that I grew up with, and the values and currencies that shaped me, that scene is long past. I'm not talking about file sharing--although it is a hideously manic thing for a musician to consider that their music is both worthless and yet eagerly shared. I'm talking about the surprising things that free music has midwifed. The value of music writing, for example; many people would rather read about music than listen to it. Which is really interesting! But it's also kind of weird, as a musician.


*

Final Fantasy performs with Symphony Nova Scotia, Friday October 23rd, at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band:

Disco is not a dirty word #14

For fans of Munk, !!!, Liquid Liquid and live disco bands. A 12" was released a few weeks ago, featuring remixed by Horse Meat Disco

Enjoy.

Pop

This song just popped into my head #1

Beth Orton, "The Sweetest Decline", from Central Reservation.



Don't mind the cheesy images. Just close your eyes.

Edit:

So as I am looking up other songs by Beth Orton, including, "I wish I never saw the sunshine", and little do I know, but it's actually a song by the Ronnettes!!!

Listen and be wowed.

Italo.

Disco is not a dirty word #12

I found this today.



It's a short article by Serge Santiago about his love of Italo and twenty of the most fundamental Italo records ever made.

MP3 and crate digging, here I come.

More disco

Disco is not a dirty word #11

I can't help it. I'm obsessed.

I will be posting more about the wonderful world of disco.

In the meantime, enjoy this track which has been stuck in my head for the past few weeks.

A heavy cross to bear

Watch this #6
New releases #9

Major label. A career that has humble roots in blues-tinged rawk. A recent flirt with disco and electronics.

Holy shit, I love the Gossip.

A warning, a death, a birth a remix.

On November 12th, two of my posts were removed by Blogger due to copyright infringement. We here at I wanna listen to this take these violations seriously and have always been interested in disseminating music for the masses and neither at this time or in the past has I wanna listen to this received any money for its work.

Now back to the music.


I wanna listen to this#27



Yma Sumac, one of the greatest and strangest voices and personas of the 20th century, died on November 1st, 2008 at the age of 86.



I discovered Yma Sumac while reading the ReSeach books about Incredibly Strange Music. I later heard her voice on a compilation a friend of mine owned. Thus began a ten year obsession with the mystery of Yma Sumac. I bought everything and anything I could find. I bought her albums in 78 albums (which is where the term arguably began, with these "albums" of 78s), on 45 box sets, on 10" and 12" LPs. If it had Yma, I bought it.

She was amazing.




*


Yo! It's in THREE-DEE!


Image by Yo Rodeo

Last Saturday, October 18th, Paul Hammond and Seth Smith, aka Yo Rodeo presented their new work in a show called Three Dee Realms at Argyle Fine Art, here in Halifax.



The entire show was comprised of a collection of screen printed anaglyphic (red and blue) 3-D prints created by the talented duo, known for their distinctive posters seen about town and all over Canada. I had the chance to talk with Paul Hammond last tuesday when he came to CKDU to talk about Yo Rodeo, their work, their creations and the headaches (proverbial and literal) that come from printing in three dee.

Yo Rodeo on Moody Morning Music(Zshare)

Note: For more on Paul Hammond's shenanigans, click here.

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Gordon MacDonald, Gulliver

I also had the opportunity to hang out and chat with award winning photographer Chr!s Smith. Sm!th and the folks at Argyle Fine Art organised RePixx, a cross-pollination of musicians and artists. Chr!s came down to CKDU to talk about his work and making dirty hairy musicians look good.

Chr!s Sm!th on Moody Morning Music

Girls On Stage And Boys On The Floor!

I'm in the mood for this #24
Disco is not a dirty word #9
New releases #7

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it.


Image by Yo Rodeo!

One of my favorite Halifax bands, The Stolen Minks are launching a new CD on Friday, August 22nd at Gus' Pub, here in Halifax.

(It's a bit of a contentious trifecta between them, Dog Day and Windom Earle. It's only contentious for me, because I don't like to choose.),

Apparently, there will be a cupcake eating contest, which makes me incredibly giddy. Also playing are Halifax wunderkinds-cum-legends The Maynards (one of whom is actually my next door neighbour, howya doin' Heath?), Bloodsport as well as Memories Attack.

I'll be there with bells (and my Stolen Minks t-shirt) on. Check the thread on Halifax Locals for more info.




Strut Records has done it again.

Kid Creole & The Coconuts's latin-inflected disco magic has been collected on various compilations (see below) yet remains mostly forgotten save by die hard disco fanatics. I remember seeing his records in bins at record stores, but I never really gave them a spin. This compilation, entitled "Going Places: The August Darnell Years" makes me regret my poor selector choices. The Kid (Darnell himself) worked as a producer before starting his own band, working on tracks for Cristina among others.

One of these tracks, the compilation's opener, is by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band entitled "Sunshowers". Sound familiar ?

MP3: Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, "Sunshowers"

And speaking of disco...




A big shout out to my friend Frank B for giving me a copy of the Mutant Disco compilations as well as the first two Disco (Not Disco) comps. I, my blog and my record collection are forever indebted to you. If you wish to be indebted to Frank and myself, simply click on the links to discover the aweseomness of these albums. Also, for your perusal, scroll down for a video of one of the tracks from the second Disco Not Disco compilation, Laid Back's anti-coke disco tirade, "White Horse". The track, as well as a few others, are played on this week's episode of Moody Morning Music. Also played on this week's episode is a classic bollywood track sung by Geeta Dutt, called "Meera Naam Chin Chin Choo" (My name is Chin Chin Choo)". It's one of those songs that you can NOT get stuck out of your head, so might as well indulge it and put it on repeat.


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Moody Morning Music for Tuesday, August 12th, 2008.

Dig it

Stars, "The Beginning after the end", In Our Bedroom after the war
Antony & The Johnsons, "Frankenstein", The Lake EP
Great Lake Swimmers, "Song for the angels", Bodies & Minds
Sun Kill Moon, "Moorestown", April
Bloc Party, "Blue Light (Engineers Blue Light Remix)",
Ron Sexsmith, "Thoughts & Prayers", Exit Strategy For The Soul
Laura Peek & The Winning Hearts, "A Name", From The Photographs
Brendan Canning, "Something for all of us...", Something for all of us
Beck, "Youthless", Modern Guilt
The Superfantastics, "Van Gogh", Choose your destination
The Stolen Minks, "Stop Talking", Family Boycott
Windom Earle, "Kitten Vs Pegasus", Gold Wave
Geeta Dutt, "Meera Naam Chin Chin Choo"
Dr Buzzard's Original Svannah Band, "Sunshower", Kid Creole: Going Places
Laid Back, "White Horse", Disco Not Disco 2
Was (Not Was), "Wheel Me Out", Mutant Disco
Yello, "Bostitch", Disco Not Disco 2
Ghislain Poirier feat Face-T, "Blazin' (Modeselektor Remix)"

Laid Back, "White Horse"



Geeta Dutt (as performed by Helen ), "Meera Naam Chin Chin Choo"

In that instant it started to pour...

Love is #2

Taken from Simon's Folly:





Even before he came out to sing, he came out on stage and looked at all of us. "Are you all alright?", we could see him mouthing. The roar told him yes.

And then they all came out. They threw red and white roses into the crowd.

It had been spitting rain for over an hour. We were all huddled towards the stage, wanting to see his antics, listen to her voice, watch their banter. The new romantic meeting the old guard, male and female, both transcendant. Together a synthesis of love, fantasy, lust, release and serenity

"The night starts here, forget your name, forget your fear".

There has always been this sound, or rather, a feeling to the sound of Stars. In my head, listening to them has always been like travelling, moving into somewhere. The melody laying a path onto a trip, somewhere. The pont st champlain, a bedroom, or in my case, listening to a love letter in my best friend's car while driving along the eastern shores, our hands outside the car, waving in time.

When they began to sing, "Your ex-lover is dead", the lyric, "In that instant it started to pour", it did. We looked up the the skies and watched the rain through the floodlights. We didn't care. It was, if anything, a kind of watershed emphasis to how their songs made us feel: letting go. The crowd sang along. We swayed and swooned with the melodica sounding its familiar tune. We imagined the scar on the porcelain skin.

We remembered why we love the Stars.

Let's go to hell together: How Buck 65 killed it.

I'm in the mood for this #20
Rotate this #2


Image courtesy of CBC


I remember the first time I saw the video for "Kennedy Killed The Hat". I was working in a dingy gay bar, it was mid-afternoon and I was watching MuchMusic.

Now, I had heard Buck's earlier stuff under the monkier Stinkin' Rich and a few pieces of his work with Sixtoo under the monkier of The Sebutones. I had loved his last album, "Talkin' Honky Blues", and I remember seeing him as a clerk at my local news stand. I even remember telling him I had found some bootlegg stuff of his online from an unreleased album. He thanked me for telling him and told me he would find out who leaked it.

To me, Rich Terfry was the face of Halifax Hip Hop.

And then he pulled out with Secret House Against The World. Gainsbourg references (both lyrically and musically), rough edged drum breaks, a cover of an old Halifax band and of course, my absolute favorite, Kennedy.



There he was, his shirt off, that rip roaring, DFA 1979 sounding guitar (whom one of its members, under another moniker would later remix), that delivery, and that chorus that just gets stuck in your head, the words points of reference to the strange world in Buck's head:


And we're surrounded by assassins
fantomas
mutantes
and serpents
werewolves and sex fiends
New York
New York City
Lafayette Street
Alright now
Bang Bang
London Paris
shoot the lights out
Come on now baby


That was in 2005. Three years, another record and all of a sudden, I hear another version of Kennedy, this time featuring CKDUers Mike Catano on drums and Laura Peek on vocals and other sundry musical items. Gone is the heavy drum beat, here is a melancoly dirge, accented by Peek's voice, supporting and lifting Buck out of the netherworld of his own deadpan.


Listen here, and enjoy

Clear is still the new black.



***

Moody Morning Music for June 1st, 2008. Now with over 70% CanCon! Enjoy.

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
Sigur Ros, "All Alright", Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Arcade Fire, "In The Backseat", Funeral
Feist, "Limit to your love", The Reminder
Jose Gonzales, "Love will tear us apart", Veneer
Young & Sexy, "The city you live in is ugly", Stand for your mother
Portishead, "Machine Gun", Third
Islands, "J'aime vous voir quitter", Arm's Way
Wolf Parade, "The Grey Estates", At Mount Zoomer
Immaculate Machine, "Wo Xiang Tanbai (Dear Confessor)", 7"
Broken Social Scene, "Windsurfing Nation", S/T
Stars, "Take me to the riot", In Our Bedroom after the war
Duchess Says, "Rabies (Baby;s got the)", Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs
You Say Party! We Say Die!, "Downtown mayors goodnight, Alley Kids Rule", Lose All Time
Gwen Guthrie, "7th Heaven", Padlock EP
Crystal Castles, "Air War", S/T
Gonzales, "Slow Down (Feat. Teki Latex)", Soft Power
Cut Copy, "Out there on ice", In Ghost Colours
MSTRKRFT, "Bounce (feat. N.O.R.E.)", Bounce EP
Thom Yorke, "The Clock (Surgeon Remix)", 12"


Moody Morning Music for July 8th, 2008. Enjoy

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
Buck 65 feat Laura Peek & Micheal Catano, "Kennedy Killed The Hat (acoustic mix)
Thom Yorke, "Harrowdown Hill (12" mix)
Black Keys, "All you ever wanted", Attack & Release
Wolf Parade, "Language City", At Mount Zoomer
Sigur Ros, "Goddledigood", Med Sud I Eryum Vid Spulum Endalaust
Bloc Party, "Tulips (Club Version)"
Stars, "What I'm trying to say", Set yourself on fire
Tokyo Police Club, "The Nature Of The Experiment"
The Gossip, "Jealous Girls (NYPC Remix)"
!!!, "Heart Of Hearts", Myth Takes
Duchess Says, "Tenen Non Neu", Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs
Danger Doom feat. Cee-Lo, "Benzie Box", THe Mouse & The Mask
Zapp, "Dance Floor"
Santogold, "Les Artistes (Molecule Mix)"
Girl Talk, "Give me a beat", Feed The Animals
Crystal Castles, "Vanished", S/T
Cut Copy, "Heart's On Fire", In Ghost Colours

Sounds like a Brazilian kids show...

Watch This #3
Cover me #5

Jesus Christ, I love Xiu Xiu

I do want, what I want, from Women as Lovers



It's not that he sings in this bizarre throaty way, or that he has a habit of screaming, or that it took me a while to understand/get used to/appreciate his music/art/performances/ideas. It's that he does what he does, because it's him.

And I admire that.

Profoundly.

Ceremony, live (Joy Division cover)



For the Archivist

Sincerely, L.C.

I'm in the mood for this #16


On saturday night, I experienced, the man.



I discovered Leonard Cohen when I was a teenager. I heard his voice and was blown away. I found his arrangements strange, almost archaic. Here was a man who sang in his distinctive deep voice, surrounded by cheap sounding synths, cooing women. It was all so idiosyncratic. I didn't always get it, but I knew I had found something special.

As I got older, I discovered his earlier work, I learned to understand the subtleties of his prose, of his delivery. I was fascinated how a jew was obsessed with distinctively christian icons and had become a buddhist monk. The man was obviously on a journey and wanted to understand it. He told us about, so that when he spoke, he would understand it himself.

When news hit that Cohen was coming to town, I knew I had to get tickets. Two shows were announced with gold seating at $125.00 (which I would have paid in a heartbeat) and regular seating at $87.00. When the tickets went on sale, the first two shows sold out in less than an hour. They soon added a third, then a fourth and even a fifth show, the latter being the one I attended.

I was in the tenth row. He came out, bowed to the audience. He was thinner than I expected, in a well tailored double breasted suit. He smiled to the audience, an air of beneficence on his face. He opened with Dance Me To The End Of Love. His voice was still there. Deep, sandy, frighteningly soft.

He sang most of his well known songs from the 80's and 90's ("Anthem", "Democracy", "Everbody Knows") and the 60's ("Suzanne", "Bird on a Wire", the latter which was wonderfully arranged). He also sang a few new songs, and recited a poem or two.

In the 2nd part of the show, he came out on stage, pressed a button on an old Yamaha keyboard and began to sing this. When he played the small flourishes on the keys between the verses, the audience applauded and cheered. He smiled, embarassed, moved and humbled. It spoke of the reverence the audience had for him, for his voice, his songs, his craft.

He was gracious. He was tremendous. He did three encores.

And I am glad I was able to see him.

Note: I only have a small caveat. When he sang "Anthem", he changed the lyric of "Give me crack and anal sex" to "Give me crack and dangerous sex". I was a bit shocked. I wanted to hear the man sing about anal sex.



In honour of Cohen's coming to Hali, I played a bunch of his songs on the May 13th episode of Moody Morning Music. I hope you enjoy it

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
Jose Gonzales, "Killing for love", In Our Nature
Old Man Luedecke, "Just like a river", Proof Of Love
Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne", Song of
Rufus Wainwright, "Chelsea Hotel No.2", I'm your man
Leonard Cohen, "If it be your will", Various Positions
Antony, "If it be your will", I'm your man
John Cale, "Hallelujah"
Leonard Cohen, "Tower of Song", I'm your man
Grizzly Bear, "Knife", Yellow House
Wolf Parade, "The Grey estates", At Mount Zoomer
The Long Blondes, "Erin O'Connor", Couples
Heloise & Savoir Faire, "Illusions", Trash, Rats &Microphones
Radiohead, "15 Steps", In Rainbows
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's gonna save my soul", The Odd Couple
Modeselektor, "The Dark Side of the sun (feat. Puppetmastaz)", Happy Birthday
Crystal Castles, "Untrust Us", S/T
Hot Chip, "One Pure Thought", Made IN The Dark
Hercules & Love Affair, ""Raise Me Up", S/T
Holy Fuck, "Super Intuit", LP
MSTRKRFT, 'VuuVuu", Bounce EP
BoysNoize, "Lava Lava", Oi Oi Oi Remixed

Moody Morning Music for May 20th, 2008.

Enjoy

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
Jose Gonzales, "Time to send someone away", In Our Nature
Sun Kill Moon, "Moorestown, April
Old Man Luedecke, "Wake up Hill", Proof Of Love
Islands, "The Arm", Arm's Way
Wolf Parade, "The grey estates", At Mount Zoomer
Superfantastics, "Lullaby Punches", Choose Your Destination
Portishead, "Machine Gun", Third
Thom Yorke, "Harrowdown Hill", The Eraser
Jamie Lidell, "Where'd You Go", Jim
Gnarls Barkley, "Going On", THe Odd Couple
Hercules & Love Affair, "Time Will", S/T
Matmos, "Rainbow Flag", Supreme Balloon
Zapp, "Dance Floor"
Kano, "Now Baby Now (Kotey Edit)", Disco Italia: Essential Italo Disco Classics 1977-1985
Crystal Castles vs Health, "Crimewave", S/T
Thunderheist, "Bubblegum (Hatchmatik Birdflu In June Remix)"
Windom Earle, "Kitten Vs Pegasus", GoldWave
Duchess Says, "Rabies (Baby's got the)", Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs


My favorite Leonard Cohen song, performed by one of my favorite artists, Antony Hegarty

Cyclying Trivialities

Watch This #2

I just found out the most amazing news.



Jose Gonzales is playing in Halifax, June 26th at St. Matthew's United Church (the same space where Final Fantasy performed when he was here). The show is being promoted by Jeemy.Net and tickets go one sale Friday May 16th, through Ticketpro both online and through their various retailers here in Halifax.

I am delirious.

As I said on a certain messageboard, I am going to cry more than a mascara'd emo teenage girl with clairol-dyed hair.

In honour of this, I am posting a video from La Blogotheque of Gonzales performing in the back of a pickup truck in the middle of nowhere in the U.S.

TakeAwayShow_JoseGonzalez-1-DivX
by lablogotheque

She was into S&M and Bible Studies

I'm in the Mood for this #13

Once again, two for the price of one, and to top it all off, lots of links. Enjoy.



Moody Morning Music for April 15th, 2008

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
She & Him, "You really got a hold on me", Volume 1
Great Lake Swimmers, "Moving Pictures, Silent Films", S/T
Radiohead, "Videotape", In Rainbows
Old Man Luedecke, "Proof Of Love", Proof Of Love
Forest City Lovers, "Country Road", Haunting Moon Sinking
Belle & Seabatian, "If you're feeling sinister", If you're feeling sinster
Beautiful South, "We are each other", 0898
The Magnetic Fields, "Three-Way", Distortion
Nouvelle Vague, "Ever fallen in love (with someone you shouldn't), Bande a part
Fantastic Plastic Machine, "You must learn all night long"
!!!,"Heart of Hearts", Myth Takes
Battles, "Race: In", Mirrored
Meryn Cadell, "Spelling Bee", Angel food for thought
Gnarls Barkley, "Neighbours", The Odd Couple
M.I.A., "Paper Planes ( DFA Remix)" 12"
Buck 65, "Sleight of hand", Cretin Hip Hop Vol 1
Hot Chip, "One Pure Thought", Made in the dark
Crystal Castles, "Crimewave (Crystal Castles vs Health)", S/T
Duchess Says, "Black Flag", Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs
Dee-Lite, "What Is Love", World Clique
MSTRKRFT, "Vuuvuu", Bounce EP


Moody Morning Music for April 22nd, 2008

Broken Social Scene, "Capture The Flag", You forgot it in people
Old Man Luedecke, "Sad as a forest", Proof of love
Forest City Lovers, "Monsters", Haunting Mon Sinking
Final Fantasy, "This lamb sells condos", Has a good home
Superfantastics, "Van Gogh", Choose your destination
Yeah yeah yeahs, "Fancy", Show your bones
Wolf Parade, "Call It A Ritual"
Buck 65, "Dang", Situation
Santogold, "My Superman"
Portishead, "Machine Gun (Live on Jools Holland)", Third
M83, "Couleurs"
Gnarls Barkley,"Charity Case", Odd Couple
Hercules & Love Affair, "Theme"
Goldfrapp, "A&E (Hercules and love affair remix)"
Hot Chip, "Hold On", Made In the Dark
Crystal Castles, "Courtship Dating, S/T
Jahcoozi, "BLN"
Thunderhiest, "Jerk it"
MSTRKRFT, "Bounce (feat. N.O.R.E.)"
Duchess Says, "Tenen Non Neu", Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs
Holy Fuck, "The Pulse", LP

Portishead, "Machine Gun", Performed on Jools Holland

Duchess Says: I am your MSTR

I'm in the mood for this #12
New releases #4
Disco is not a dirty word #5

Although they're not really disco per se, two bands who are highly influenced by leftfield disco are Canada's own MSTRKRFT and Duchess Says. Jesse Keelor and Al P's respective solo projects owe a lot to dirty disco and dancey post punk as much as the fair duchess. In honour of this connection, I played a few choice tracks in honour of both of these acts putting out new releases for the spring.


The first time I saw Duchess Says was at a show at the Marquee in Halifax duing the Halifax Pop Explosion in 2006. I didn't know anything about them, all I remember was seeing this girl with brown hair up on stage, a keytar in her hands and a huge ass sound coming out of the speakers. Screaming, bleeps, bangs and a tangle of hair crowd surfing into the adoring public.

Then last week I was very excited to find and hear their new album when it came into the offices of CKDU. The album, "Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs" comes out April 17th in record stores across Canada. In the meantime, check the links at the end of this post for an MP3 of the opening track, "Tenen Non Neu"



Ever since The Looks dropped in 2006, MSTRKRFT
have been riding a crest of hot press, sweet remixes (of their own work and for others) and capacity crowds. Laurels aside, there is something to be said for a duo who are just as comfortable producing rock records as they are working on remixes for UK Girl bands. In the middle of all that, there is a steady beat, a dirty bass and a sweaty sound. DJs are bored of playing the same records, crowds want something new and with their new single, out on Dim Mak. The single landed on April 1st, with a new album slated for release this fall.



Enjoy

Gonzales, "Overnight", Solo Piano
Feist, "Intuition", The Reminder
Richard Buckner, "Desire", Bloomed
Old Man Luedecke, "Little Bird", Proof of Love
Forest City Lovers, "Don't go"
Xiu Xiu, "I do want when I want", Women as Lovers
Nouvelle Vague, "Just can't get enough", Nouvelle Vague
Fred Hughes, "Baby Boy"
Etta James, "Seven Day Fool"
The Flirtations, "Nothing but a heartache"
Mark Ronson feat Amy Winehouse, "Valerie", Version
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's gonna save my soul", THe Odd Couple
Merryn Cadell, "Job Aplication", Angel Food For thought
Buck 65, "Indestructble Sam", Cretin Hip Hop Vol 1
Radiohead, "15 Steps", In Rainbows
Hot Chip, "Shake A Fist", Made In The Dark
James White & The Blacks, "Contort Yourself", Disco Not Disco Vol 3
Maximum Joy, "Stretch (Disco Rap Mix)"
Duchess Says, "Rabies (Baby's got the)', Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs
Holy Fuck, "Frenchy's", LP
Crystal Castles, "Vanished", S/T
Modeselektor, "Silikon (feat Sascha Pererra)", Hello Mom
MSTRKRFT, "Bounce (feat. N.O.R.E.)", Bounce EP

***


Duchess Says, "Tenen Non Neu", Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs

MSTRKRFT, "Bounce (feat N.O.R.E.)", Bounce EP


Duchess Says, live at the Marquee, shot by StolenDave. That's me yelling at Annie, telling her she's making me moist.