30 Day Song Challenge, Day 28: A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty
(Sorry for the questionable video quality) Why does this make me feel guilty? It’s pretty simple. See how nuts the crowd is going? See how their minds are being collectively blown by a near-perfect fusing of flashing lights, smoke machines and absolutely sick French house? At a set that is widely regarded as one of … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 27: A Song You Wish You Could Play
(Note: It starts getting really impressive about a minute in, after the intro.) I think I’ve harped on enough about Colin Stetson’s absurd saxophone skills, so I’ll lean towards a different brand of virtuosity here. I used to dream about playing bass like Bela Fleck and the Flecktones’ Victor Wooten (say what you will about … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 26: A Song You Can Play on an Instrument
I was hoping I still had an mp3 of the cover I did for last year’s Choose Your Own Festival ghost song night, but no such luck. So you will not be hearing me sing or play guitar on this post — probably a good thing. I’m also stretching things, in that I can barely … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 25: A Song That Makes You Laugh (Plus Bonus Laughs!)
First, a song that is not actually a joke, but still makes me laugh: Stephen Malkmus’ “Gardenia” has the absolute most convoluted metaphor I’ve heard in a song, and it gets me every time. What is even connoted by “You are a gardenia pressed in the campaign journal in the rucksack of an Afrikaner candidate … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 24: A Song You Want Played at Your Funeral
On the one hand, I wouldn’t want my funeral to be an overly stuffy affair. On the other, playing something too ridiculous wouldn’t be fair to my family, and the funeral’s more about than than it is about me. I just about went with The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset,” but somehow an instrumental track just seems … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 23: A Song You Want To Play At Your Wedding
The assumption that I’m getting married seems a bit off the mark right now, but in the spirit of things, I’ll give this some legitimate consideration. I’ll assume we’re talking the processional or at least the first dance, and not just “at some point during the reception,” because that would just get too broad. And … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 22: A Song You Listen To When You’re Sad
As much as I stressed the difference yesterday between a song that puts you in a mood and a song you can only appreciate while in that mood, I’m pretty sure this song would work for either one. Because, god damn. Just listen to it. Bonus song: Totally different kind of sad, and far less … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 21: A Song You Listen To When You’re Happy
There’s a fine line between this and “A Song That Makes You Happy,” which I already listed way back on day 3. “Then He Kissed Me” could put a smile on my face no matter where I was at when I heard it. This, on the other hand, has to be a track that I … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 20: A Song You Listen To When You’re Angry
Sometimes you just have to go back to the classics. Lyrically, “Tannhauser/Derive” is actually pretty optimistic, and the outro isn’t particularly menacing. But that violin line, and then the way the whole thing just erupts, with Dennis Lyxzen just shredding his vocal chords and the riff staying somewhere just barely above a dirge? There’s some … Read more
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 19: A Song From Your Favourite Album
Remember a while back when I said that The Weakerthans had been unseated as my favourite band? Well, Left and Leaving is much harder to unseat. It taps into my continued vague homesickness for Winnipeg, for one (even though I’ve been away for about as long as I lived there at this point). It’s an … Read more
