Honk!

Inspired from Quebec's Neorhino party's slogan, "Make Canada slope from Newfoundland to BC so that you can coast from coast to coast,"

NxEW.ca: "Music blogging from Victoria to PEI so you can rock from rock to rock."

Like falling in love again for the first time

Do you believe in rock & roll?

Photo credit: Pete Nema Photography

All the gold and the guns and the girls couldn't get you off.

Watch out Cupid
Money is a sick muse
Pull your little arrows out
and let me live my life.

Although a bit disappointed with their show... Metric sure released a mean CD. I concur with the reviewers who predicted that this will take them to stadium tours. There's not a single weak track, although I am kind of tired of hearing Help I'm Alive by now.

Finally got Fantasies after anticipating it since Help I'm Alive was leaked months ago. My current favorites, after listening through the album several times, are Gold Guns Girls, Sick Muse and Front Row, all three of which were played acoustically at the show last night.

Speaking of which, here's some snapshots from Thursday night at the Media Club.

Finally can see what all the hype is about.

Cubicle life

is going to drive me insane.

There's something extremely therapeutic about sitting here and listening to Night Windows off my own blog. It's like a silent, earplugged rebellion to office inefficiency and mindless work.

Whoever said you can't be saved by a song?

Whoever said that was stringing you along

Weekly-ish recommendations

Ok, so this is where I'm going to list a couple of songs that have really touched me in the past little while, kind of like an evolving musical diary of what I'm currently listening to.

Why? Well, I've been thinking. The music you listen to really becomes a background track of your daily living; the music that speak into your situations will dig just a little deeper into your eardrums and stay a little longer in your temporal lobes. Reciprocally, those songs will inform the lens in which you view your life events as they come up.

They won't always be new songs; in fact, since I'm just starting out, there'll likely be a few from the archives. I will try to link to the mp3 wherever possible.

And please buy music! =)

Here we go. Week 1.

1. The Weakerthans - Night Windows
The Weakerthans has a wonderful way with words, of turning the mundane into something beautiful. From the haunting echoes of the intro, reminiscent of ticking clocks of the time that crawls by, to the "Remember how... I'm sorry that... I miss the way... Could we?" pleadings of someone who has recently loved and lost. This song speaks in quiet replayed never-to-be-had conversations.

2. Joel Plaskett - All The Way Down The Line
This song from disk 3 of his latest sent shivers down my spine when I first heard it. A lovely melody with an equally lovely ode to a quietly vibrant love. The complementary harmonies in the bridge entwine and emerge as something envious, something divine.

3. Hey Ocean! - Alright
"'Cause you're alright in my eyes, I would forgive you anything. And I will never ever think differently 'bout you babe... no no way... no no way." =)

In case the link doesn't work, and because Hey Ocean!'s strength is in their live performances:


4. Metric - Gimme Sympathy
"Oh, seriously. You're gonna make mistakes, you're young." Looking forward to buying this addictive (so far) album at their show on Thursday!



5. Kathleen Edwards - Sure As Shit
This is a ditty to love, both restrained and free, hopeful yet careful. But it's definitely not vague in its honesty. Indeed, people cuss both offhandedly and to make a point, and this song captures that dichotomy.

More internet infamy!

Part of the "Where You Listen to CBC Radio 3" contest. There sure are a lot of us listening on the bus. Alas, I did not win the iPhone/iPod, but the guy who won it was in mad hiking gear and eating a cactus. That's pretty baller.
Anyway, how in the world did someone let me get my mug onto a CBC Radio 3 podcast?
More importantly, what was that lady behind me looking at?

An admission: I do like country music

I'm a hussar, I'm a Hun, I'm a wretched Englishman
Routing Bonaparte at Waterloo
I'm a dragoon on a dun, I'm a Cossack on the run
I'm a horse soldier, timeless, through and through

It started with Kathleen Edwards' Asking For Flowers. Joel Plaskett's latest with Drifter's Raus and Pine, Pine, Pine confirmed my suspicions, and I gave in with Corb Lund's Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! and its sublime history lessons.

I can't discriminate no more, Ma. I loves me a nice guitar ditty with a colourful story.

NxEW & Other music news

North by East West
A geographically impossible blog for a geographically impossible country.

The subtitle says it all: Canadiana, music and a healthy dash of wit. I think I've found my avenue to attaining press passes to concerts... bwahahaha.

We're officially a month old as of this coming Monday (horn is tooted). And there's already 47 contributors and 196 entries (and growing!). We have readers from Japan (most hits), Canada (duh), the States, France, and wherever DE is (I think it's Germany), which is pretty neat.

A couple of things to note:
- The first podcast!
- Of those 196 blog entries, I've made 3. 2 of those have been around exam time, and 1 written at work. I know my priorities.
Hello World! : Reaching Across the musical expanse...
Sam Roberts: "Best Frontman In Music"
Private Metric Shows In Western Canada

To wrap it up, tomorrow's International Record Store Day! Go buy a CD or two... preferably two because university exam season is conveniently smack dab in the middle of everything fun. So buy one for me in spirit. (I recommend Joel Plaskett's Three for the millionth time.)

But seriously though, the Whistler Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival: Arkells, The Stills, Metric, Shad et al. FOR FREE. And a band called Run GMC which is pretty much the coolest band name ever although I have no clue what they sound like (yet) FOR FREE. CALLING MY NAME. UGH. I hate my life.

who am I kidding? I'm incredibly blessed :)
and Happy IRSD!

Pretty Epic!

I just won 2 tickets to a contest winner-only Metric show at the Media Club next Thursday! "Live, acoustic and intimate with Metric." Best part is, that's the last day of exams so that's a hell of a send-off into summer! Actually no, best part is I've called the Peak almost daily (yesterday alone I called 3 separate times) trying to win tickets and was so close to giving up after being caller 6 yesterday (you have to be caller 5). And today was my lucky day!! Persistence pays off :)

Now, once again, the question (as always) is who I should bring with me...?

Note to self

Too much Rock Band makes you sick of music.