Monday Mix Tape: Folk Fest edition
New feature! Every Monday (or many Mondays, at least) I will be posting a “mix tape” with either a theme that strikes my fancy or that has been suggested by one of my fives of loyal readers. More accurately, I’ll be posting two 23-minute YouTube playlists, which you could then somehow put onto the two … Continue reading
Paul Simon: Still awesome after all these years
(via Techdirt) If this doesn’t make you smile, well, I got nothing at this point: At a recent show in Toronto, Paul Simon was about to play the song “Duncan” when he heard someone in the crowd say “I learned to play guitar on this song.” Instead of just letting the comment pass, he invites … Continue reading
Things I like: A Bit of Fry And Laurie
I admit, I have been ridiculously derelict in my updating of this blog. Blame it on what you will — poor time management, overcommitment, a near complete lack of interest — but this is something that will soon be remedied. Plans are in order, rest assured, that have been engineered to maximize the knocking off … Continue reading
Potential Polaris Pick: The Luyas – Too Beautiful To Work
Pro: “Too Beautiful to Work” (the album’s title track) is just about the best four minutes of indie pop I’ve heard this year. It’s exactly what you would hope for from a popped-up version of Torngat (french horn and organ man Pietro Amato is in that Montreal three-piece) and Belle Orchestre (Amato again and drummer … Continue reading
New contender, best article summary ever
A gentleman in West Virginia who was discovered wearing women’s undergarments and standing over a pygmy goat’s carcass told police he was high on “bath salts” when he stabbed the creature to death. (via Boing Boing)
Potential Polaris Pick #1: Dirty Beaches – Badlands
(With the first round of Polaris Prize voting rapidly approaching, I’ve decided to post some thoughts here on albums that’ve been tossed around for consideration, in no particular order. If there’s something that came out between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011 that you think I’d be a fool to ignore, just drop me … Continue reading
Rules for golfing during the blitz – Boing Boing
Don Hertzfeldt’s Wisdom Teeth
In honor of my screening Everything Will Be OK in my film 201 class today — Don Hertzfeldt is a genius. He’s best known as the crass mastermind behind the ridiculous and brilliant Rejected, a collection of “commercials” that devolve into absurdity before collapsing on their own non-sequiters. That particular short was much-loved in my … Continue reading
Overlooked album: The World/Inferno Friendship Society’s Addicted to Bad Ideas
Watching The Maltese Falcon again a few weeks back reminded me of The World/Inferno Friendship Society’s Addicted to Bad Ideas, a fantastic slice of cabaret-punk that manages to push most of my film- and music-geek buttons. Concept albums in general tend to intrigue me, but a concept album about 1940s and ’50s character Peter Lorre, … Continue reading
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 10: A Song that Makes You Fall Asleep
Seven minutes of bubbling pianos, gorgeously warm synths and subtle textures… Yeah, I could fall asleep to this. Really, anything on Riceboy Sleeps, the ambient side-project from Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi and his boyfriend(?), Alex, would work here. It’s a beautiful album that didn’t get anywhere near as much attention as it probably should have.
The Consumption 