Friday, January 30, 2004
Going Strong
Juliana Hatfield's opening up for Ryan Adams on March 22nd. Yay! It's been almost a decade since I heard Universal Heartbeat, and now I FINALLY get to see Juliana live! This is wonderful news :-)
Others on the sked:
Sarah Harmer, January 30th (tonight)
Mates of State January 31st (tomorrow)
The Walkmen / The Decemberists (February 11th)
Liz Phair, March 5th
Pedro the Lion, March 5th (if it's an early show)
There's a bunch of maybes too, like British Sea Power (as per Ron's recommendation), The Notwist (as per Tara's recommendation), and Damien Rice. Of course, there are always shows that haven't been announced yet. I heard a rumour about Belle & Sebastian in May. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
7:29 AM
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Looking Ahead
Excerpt from Sarah McLachlan's latest tour dates:
Vancouver, BC, Canada
September 10, 2004
GM Place
I don't usually make plans eight months in advance, but I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing the day after my 24th birthday.
C'mon! I know I'm not the only one in Vancouver who wants to see Sarah's triumphant return to Van City!
NP: (A Cook's Tour)
posted by Hanson |
10:14 PM
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Odds and Ends
So, I finished Kitchen Confidential a week or so ago. Goooood. It makes me want to read A Cook's Tour even though I've seen the episodes on TV a zillion times. Tony Bourdain is just plain cool.
Aisling sent me an email today that said this: "the b&s show was last sun here, naturally afterwards i snuck backstage and met the band, then went drinking with stevie jackson, bob kildea and some crew members." Yeah, I'm just a tiny bit jealous.
Ugh... I hate to admit it, but Pitchfork's right -- The Wrens are pretty damn good...
NP: The Wrens - She Sends Kisses
posted by Hanson |
10:15 PM
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Pretty Girls and Mean Guy
Last Saturday night, I experienced first-hand that loud bands can be both very good, and very, very bad.
I saw Pretty Girls Make Graves at Richard's on said night, and opening for them were a couple of local Vancouver bands whom I will not name. It really wasn't their fault; I just don't enjoy loud, amelodic banging-on of instruments accompany by equally loud and unintelligible screaming. Yes, screaming -- literally. It was like listening to a screamo band like Alexisonfire but without the cool guitar playing. For someone who doesn't screamo even when it has cool guitar parts, it was pretty hard to take. Still, sitting standing for all that was worth it.
Why, you ask? Five words: Pretty Girls Make FUCKING Graves. Oh geebus. Like the last time I saw them, they thoroughly kicked my ass. Unlike their openers, PGMG coupled their loudness with well-written songs and technical proficiencies up the wazoo. Tying it all together were Andrea Zollo's vocals, which were completely drowned out until the sound guy cranked up the vox. Their set was about half from the new album, and half from their old releases. Actually, I expected more new stuff, but since all their picks were solid, I can't really complain. For about an hour or so, I doused myself in the aural bliss that was around me; for an hour, my body jerked with every note, every beat, fully experiencing the magic that was being made on stage. Ah..... my heroin.
After the show, I went to Tara's Robbie Burns Day party with Carlos, b*, and lotus (it was nice meeting you in person, BTW). I didn't have any scotch, but apparently, I behaved as though I did. The story, according to one source, was that I was so mean to Carlos, I deserved physical injury done to me outside the confines of the apartment. Huh? I just call him on the fact that he punked out on the Centurion (twice), like I do every time he was around and the Centurion gets mentioned. That was about as mean as me talking about the repeated political defeats of one friend, or the propensity of another to go after young(er) girls. To me, all public and not-too-terrible moments of embarrassment were fair game among friends, like my spending a night sleeping on a puke-stained toilet. Hmmm... or maybe I'm just a mean person? I don't think so, but hey, you're only as nice or mean as other people perceive you to be.
NP: The Wrens - Hopeless
posted by Hanson |
10:27 PM
Monday, January 26, 2004
We Have Massive Golden Globes
All I gotz to say is that I'm SO glad Return of the King got the nod as Best Dramatic Movie (or whatever that category is called). Ditto Big Pete Jackson, Howard Shore, and Mary-Louise Parker.
Speaking of MLP, I'd like to thank her newborn son too for her boobs looking so great in that dress. Drool-tastic! Billy Crudup must be fucking insane. And dumping her at seven-month preggers? Class, mate.
Tomorrow: Pretty Girls Make Graves review, special edition.
NP: (Tape of Globes)
posted by Hanson |
1:40 AM
Friday, January 23, 2004
Zzzzzzzzz
Gah. I'm so tired right now. I was thinking about seeing Return of the King again tonight, but I'll probably just stay in. Can't function. I'll send the emails laters. Bah.
NP: Dntel - (This is) The Dream of Evan and Chan
posted by Hanson |
5:40 PM
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
You've GOT to be shitting me!!
Pedro the Lion is coming back to Vancouver. I missed him/them twice here over the past couple of years due to my being out of town, and this time around he/they is/are playing on the same night as Liz Phair! ARGGGGH!!! If I'm lucky, he/they'll play Richard's, in which case it'll likely be an early show since March 5th is a Friday. That way, I can see Pedro, and then head over to see Liz. Yes, that'll be perfect. *fingers crossed*
NP: The Decemberists - Odalisque
posted by Hanson |
4:08 PM
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Me No Talk Good
I've realized that if I don't get enough sleep, I become temporarily retahded, and when that happens, I ain't talk good. Case in point: today in class, I caught myself ending a sentence with "and stuff" -- twice. Ugh. Before you know it, I'll be saying things like "cul-de-sacs" and "yos-yo." Sometimes, I shouldn't speak words.
Oh. And American Idol has to be one of the funniest shows ever. It's not the bad singing that's funny; it's when people who are really bad think they're actually good. Wow. Simply stunning.
Oh. Another oh! The last of my mix CDs have been sent out. People in Canada, expect it in a week. People in Asia, expect it in two.
NP: Death Cab for Cutie - Title and Registration
posted by Hanson |
10:51 PM
Monday, January 19, 2004
Stay Up Late or Prime a Tape
Death Cab for Cutie will be making their live, (inter)national TV debut tonight on Kilborn. What song will they play? A source has told me that it will be either The Sound of Settling or The New Year, the latter of which has a video that has been getting sporadic airplay on some of the speciality shows on MTV (or MTV2). Whichever it is, I know it's going to be good! Remember: the show starts at 12:35 tonight on your local CBS affiliate. Death Cab will likely come on around 1:25 or so. Set your VCRs!
NP: Patty Griffin - Little God
posted by Hanson |
1:57 PM
For the Last Time, THIS is the New Year
So, I went to my first show of the year on Friday. It was supposed to be NTN Night for the Quiz Bowl club, but thanks to the crappy location that was picked, we decided to go somewhere else. I knew that The Organ was playing the Brickyard that night, so I suggested. Everyone seemed up for it, so off we went.
We all met out front, since we were spread among four different cars that night. Now, it was my first time at the Brickyard (surprised?), so I had a bit of trouble finding parking. Still, I got there second, which was OK since I still beat Carlos' car. As Mischa and I were waiting outside, I noticed people walking in -- my kind of people, button-wearing and everything. Hehe... this was going to be good! After everyone got there, we each paid our $7 and waltzed in. As I stepped inside and did a quick scan of the room, I knew I was going to like the place. Biggish/highish stage, good sight lines, and kinda dirty, the ambiance reminded me of the old Royal Hotel. Sweet! This was much better than the Pic, and perfect for bands who weren't big enough to do Richard's!
I won't say much about the sold-out show other than that it was good. La Drama, a three-piece indie pop/rock outfit with vocals sounding a bit like Sister-era Kay Hanley/Letters to Cleo, opened up. They were followed by the artsy, bass-less five-piece My Project: Blue. They were composed of four guys and a girl, who, refreshingly, was their lead electric guitarist instead of their bassist or keyboardist. Way to break the stereotype! She kind of reminded me of Amanda Walsh (from MuchMusic), actually, and showed that you don't necessarily have to fill out a tube top to look good in it. Anyway, both openers were good, and in retrospect, I wish I had bought one of the three CDs La Drama had on sale. I still haven't figured out whether that was three copies of a CD or three different discs... So, for not wanting to say much about the show, I've already said quite a bit. Why don't I just finish the damn thing?
OK. The Organ kicked some serious arse. They did a mix of new and old songs, maybe 50/50. The old ones sounded better than they did before, and the new ones were excellent as well. You could tell that their playing has improved quite a bit thanks to a year's worth of touring. As a whole, they sounded much tighter than when I saw them last. They still kept up their non-smiling shtick too -- during the songs, anyway -- which was entertaining. The only downer was that they didn't come out for an encore, probably because people there didn't clap as loud as they should've. Shame on you! Still, it was a good show, one that opened up the year nicely for me.
NP: Patty Griffin - Driving
posted by Hanson |
12:28 AM
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Top 37 of 2003: Part VII
It's about freakin' time! Entries 6 to 10 on my list were posted a week and a half ago, and now, imma finish the list off.... so that I may start compiling a new one for 2004 :-)
5. Kathleen Edwards - Failer (US release in 2003)
This is what you'd call shoe-horning. Kathleen's debut was released in Canada late in 2002, so I didn't really get into her until early 2003. But unlike The Sinking Ship's Out of Key Harmony, another 2002 release that I really got into in 2003, Failer came out in the US in December of 2003. Ah ha! Loophole! So yeah, this is by far the best release by a singer-songwriter "this year" (though I have yet to hear Brenda Weiler's new one). She doesn't sound like the daughter-of-a-diplomat-from-Ottawa that she is, rather recalling a more bar-maid-from-Arkansas kind of feel. I once called her a whiskey-soaked Sarah Harmer, and I think I'm going to stick by that. Her music is rootsy without being overly so. It's sparse when you need it to be, textured when you don't, and has just enough twang to differentiate her from the scores of guitar-playing, non-CMT Canadian women that are out there. Lyrically, Kathleen is a lot more cynical than her genre and 24-ish years on earth would suggest ("I don't wanna be your friend / just take off your clothes and get into my bed" from 12 Belleve is just a sniff), but that's a good thing. Failer puts everything Kathleen has to offer into a nice little package -- all wrapped up in flannel. I fucking adore this album. If you don't hate twang, you should too.
4. Decemberists - Her Majesty, the Decemberists
Where do I start? The irresistible melodies that go from chipper to chipperer? The smart, playful, literate, and operatic lyrics that references everything from mercantilism to Duchamp? The near-perfect production that adds slight touches without laying it on too thick? Colin Meloy's distinctive vocal styling? Perhaps the symphonic orchestration that befits a band that shits out grandeur? How 'bout the ever-changing mood of the album that goes from high drama to sublime understatement? Or maybe how the band, taking all these wonderful ingredients, was able to create something even greater than what the sum of the already-great parts already hinted at? Hmmmm... that's a hard one. What? I'm out of time? Oh shit...
3. Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
A friend asked me to go to a Sam Roberts show last year for which Metric was opening. I didn't want to pay Commodore prices, so I declined. What a stupid, stupid mistake! Besides being my Discovery of the Year, Metric also released the best Canadian album of the year too. Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? opens with a simple guitar rift accompanied by lead singer Emily Haines singing the title of the album (not to be confused with the name of the opening track, which is called I.O.U.). The rest of the band soon kicks in, and we're off to the races. Song after song, gem after gem, simple guitar rifts are married with simple keyboard ones, creating some of the catchiest tunes I've heard all year. Hustle Rose, Succexy, Wet Blanket, The List, Dead Disco -- you can't tell me these won't do well on mainstream radio! Add in Emily Haines' unique lyrics and that damn drool-tastic voice of hers, and you've got magic, pure and simple. If you claim to like pop music but haven't heard this, you should be ashamed of yourself.
2. Postal Service - Give Up
By now, I'm sure you've heard the story about how Jimmy Tamborello (of Dntel) and Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie), after collaborating on the brilliant (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan off Dntel's last album, exchanged tapes over the mail to create this side project. From such an inauspicious beginning, greatness was born. I've never truly appreciated IDM until I heard Give Up, as I never thought loops and beeps melded so smartly with more traditional indie pop instruments. The lyrics were ol' fashion Gibbardian, perhaps kicked up with a dash more sugar than usual. Backing vocals provided by the Jens (Jen Wood and Jenny Lewis) added perfect accents to the ten well-crafted songs. From the upbeat -- and dare I say danceable -- Such Great Heights to the moody This Place is a Prison, every song kicked ass in a unique way. A personal favourite of mine was the Ben and Jen duet Nothing Better (insert Human League reference). Song of the year? Definitely the (potential) karaoke song of the year!
1. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
Album of the year. Hands down. I've heaped so much praise on this record over the past few months, doing it again will just be redundant. Suffice it to say that it's wonderful, brilliant, astounding, and just plain un-fucking-believably good. If you can only get one album from last year (and you're into indie rock/pop), make it Transatlanticism. I beg you.
Fin. Until next year.
NP: Patty Griffin - Boston
posted by Hanson |
1:56 AM
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Speechless
ohmygodpattygriffinissofuckingamazing.......
NP: Patty Griffin - Little God
posted by Hanson |
9:06 PM
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
False Start
Bleh. No new Gilmore Girls tonight. I thought there would be since there's new Angel tomorrow, but not so much. I guess the WB skeds aren't synchronized!
Oh. Another reason why Letterman is (better) than Leno (but not Conan and Kilby): he's got The Shins playing on Thursday.
EDIT (9:01 pm): Apparently, The Shins are playing Letterman *tonight*, as in Monday, January 13th! This is the first time Chart has led me astray.
NP: The Dismemberment Plan - Pay For the Piano (remix)
posted by Hanson |
7:22 PM
Suck Suck Suck!
Worst. Episode. Ever. Of The O.C., that is. What a terrible episode. The music? Sucked. The story? Sucked. And Oliver? Suuuuuuuucked! Was that Puddle of Mudd I heard? Or was it Seether? Both? SUCK SUCK GO SUCK A NUT! Summer and Luke in the car was good, but everything else -- you guessed it -- sucked! Ugh. At least there's new Gilmore Girls tomorrow.
NP: Phantom Planet - The Happy Ending
posted by Hanson |
12:03 AM
Monday, January 12, 2004
Wahoo!
Reprieve! Reprieve! Maybe I'll have time to do MarkStrat after all!
NP: (in my head) Camera Obscura - Happy New Year
posted by Hanson |
2:05 PM
Pensive
There are emails that need to be sent. There are phone calls that need to be made. And yet I'm sitting here, thinking that My Baby's Daddy should've been called My Baby Daddy instead. Well, at least I got my McGill test case done!
PS: The Decemberists opening up for The Walkmen on Feb. 11th at Richard's. So. Friggin. There.
NP: John Vanderslice - They Won't Let Me Run
posted by Hanson |
1:09 PM
Sunday, January 11, 2004
Afternoon Quickies
Did anyone else notice Jennifer Aniston's nipples during her monologue on SNL? It must be cold there in 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
I don't know if I should order the new Camera Obscura and John Vanderslice from their respective record labels, or just find them at the local record stores so that I don't have to pay shipping.
You know what cheeses me off? People who eat pizza and consistently leave the crusts. Wasteful mofos.
Sarah Harmer's playing Rock for Choice on Jan. 30th! My ticket has already been bought.
NP: Phantom Planet - Jabberjaw
posted by Hanson |
10:38 AM
Friday, January 09, 2004
No, THIS is the New Year
There's a Chinese proverb about how given any mountain, there's always a taller one. If you ignore the metaphysical implication, it makes a lot of sense. I'm finding out about this first hand, as I find myself buried in a January with a workload far exceeding my expectations. Let me explain.
In my Marketing Research class, my group has been offered the opportunity to do our term project for a local market research firm. They are currently working with a client on a project, and we are to assist them in analysing the data. They will be doing the bulk of the data collection, sparing us of the 1000+ phone calls required to get a good sample, but the catch is that they’re expecting the project to be done by the middle of the semester. In essence, we will be putting together a report in six weeks that the rest of the class will have the entire semester to do. Not only that, we will have to get the theoretically background at an ultra accelerated rate, and on our own to boot!
Normally, I'd be all over this challenge. However, in the next month or so, I also have to get cracking on another market research project, this one for a non-profit agency, which will also be non-trivial. Add in the McGill Case Competition test case this weekend as well as the MarkStrat competition that I'm mulling over, and I've got a pretty busy month ahead. And I'm not including the regular schoolwork that we're supposed to do.
Ya. It begins anew -- the whining, that is :-)
NP: Camera Obscura - Eighties Fan
posted by Hanson |
2:36 PM
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Long, Slow Death
The tape deck in my car has officially died. Now, when I put my tape adaptor or even a regular cassette in the deck, it won't play (i.e. the tape mechanism doesn't recognize that there's something in the deck)). It's been fudging up for a while now, but usually, after a few ejects, it would work again. For the past few days, though, no amount of ejecting and re-inserting could make it come alive again. *sigh* This means I won't be able to listen to my CDs in my car! Tragedy strikes! Maybe I can scrape together a hundred bucks or so to get cheap-ass CD player put into the Ho Mobile.
On a possible note, on my drive to school this morning (at 7:30 am!), I was able to listen to Her Majesty, The Decemberists in its entirety cos CiTR, UBC's radio station, was spinning it on repeat. Not too shabby :-)
NP: Patty Griffin - Top of the World (much better than the Dixie Chicks version)
posted by Hanson |
7:12 PM
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
It's a Snow Day
Cue the Lisa Loeb.
I was actually looking forward to school this morning, but when I got there, classes were cancelled. Blah. I guess it's another day of Stargate, Hume, and Tony Bourdain for me. *scuttles off to grab a sandwich*
NP: Travis Morrison - Sixteen Types of People
posted by Hanson |
12:30 PM
Tonight in the Orange County
Finally, people shown attending a show on TV that isn't in an arena or a place with seats. Luke becomes comedic fodder, making me want to punch him less. Anna wins the battle, but the war rages on. Hailey has officially won the race of hotness in the OC. Another Transatlanticism poster sighting. If you missed all of this, catch it on Wednesday at 9:00 pm on Fox.
And speaking of Rooney, the new Phantom Planet album comes out tomorrow. I'd be more excited if I don't already have it.
NP: Phantom Planet - Happy Ending
posted by Hanson |
12:09 AM
Monday, January 05, 2004
Come and Get It
My year end mix CD is done! If you want a copy, feel free to track me down by finding me in person, sending me an email, or IMing me. Give me an address and I'll mail it there. Give me a time and place and I'll hand deliver it. I just want to spread da music!
NP: Patty Griffin - Boxes on the Lawn
posted by Hanson |
2:18 PM
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Top 37 of 2003: Part VI
Here's where I break out the hyperboles. I absolutely adore very album from here on in, so pardon my enthusiasm if I go a little overboard in my praise.
10. Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance
Building on the energetic sonic onslaught that was last year's Good Health, Pretty Girls Make Graves churns out the best pure rock-out record of the year. The opening track, Something Bigger, Something Brighter, slowly builds up and foreshadows a thoughtful and melodic album that takes the band beyond its post-punk roots. All Medicated Geniuses is brash post-punk, and the title track borrows from the new wave. Chemical, Chemical is anthem-esque and completely radio-ready, while Mr. Club is a 48-second instrumental full of bleeps and beeps you’d find on IDM records. The Teeth Collector has an incredible intro, and This Is Our Emergency has one of the catchiest choruses I’ve heard all year (coming from a guy who loves pop, this means something). The New Romance is a wonderful record that demands to be heard.
9. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Melancholy and cynicism never sounded so good. Gone for Good identifies the "fatal flaw in the logic of love," and So Says I proclaims that "we are a brutal kind," but all of the downers are covered up by the pretty melodies and poetic lyrics of James Mercer. This is intricate pure indie pop at its best, not overstretching in its stylistic approach, yet always managing to sound fresh with every song. I can listen to these guys all day and not be bored -- a little inadequate, maybe, but not bored.
8. Maplewood Lane - Maplewood Lane
It’s pretty. I don’t know a better way to describe the best album this year from a Vancouver band than to just say that it’s pretty. From the melodies, to the lyrics, to the singing, it’s just that: pretty. This is what you’d get if you can somehow turn Katie Holmes into music: cutesy, subtle, precious, innocent, but yet hinting at a buried complexity just beneath the surface. With only nine songs, the album borders on being an EP, but each song is so compelling, it makes every minute count. Mmmm... dreamy dream pop.
7. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
This is easily the most cheerful album they've ever recorded. Listening to old Belle & Sebastian albums has always made me feel a little sad, but his time around, it's upbeatness all the way. From the upbeat innuendo-filled opener, Step Into My Office Baby, to the epic six-minute closer, Stay Loose, it is as if the departure of Isobel Campbell has breathed new life into the band. Free of a disgruntled member (whose solo album is far inferior to this), the band was given a fresh start, and it's very much evident on the record. Lord Anthony offers hope in the face of despair while the acoustic Piazza, New York Catcher strips back all the layers to reveal a simple folk song. The last minute shuffling of the track-listings gave the album a further boost, as the weak Stevie Jackson tune Travelin' Light was dropped. Much has been said about how Stuart Murdoch assumed the role of bandleader on this album, and as the track shuffling has shown, it's a good thing.
6. Stars - Heart
I came for the Amy Millan, but I stay for the Torquil Campbell. What initially hooked me on to Stars and the wondrous record that is Heart was Elevator Love Letter, a doozy of a duet featuring Amy. However, upon listening to the album, it became clear that Torq was the star of Stars, writing and singing the bulk of the tunes. Heart is an album full of pop songs about love, and not in the cheesy Dianne Warren schlock sort of way. It's earnest. It's bittersweet. It's got wicked song names. Few can pull of an album with such a single-minded theme without sounding boring; Stars did that and then some.
NP: (MuchNews 2003 Review)
posted by Hanson |
2:00 PM
Wicked Ah-some
I had me a mini Affleck-Damon marathon tonight, watching Dogma followed by Good Will Hunting, both for the billionth time. My brother and I chuckled through Dogma and made comments about Kevin Smith's camera work. The latter was due to the fact we listened to the audio commentary of the two-hour pilot of Firefly earlier in the day in which Joss and Nathan "Caleb" Fillion kept harping on about shot angles and stuff like that. We continued to chuckle through GWH, as we just can't get enough of the Bah-ston accent. Good shit, both of'em.
In FA Cup 3rd Round action, Watford drew Chel$ki 2-2 at Vicarage Road. How cool is that? This means a replay, which'll mean a much needed cash boost for the Hornets. If they can take Abramovich's millionaires down, it'll be something special.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:23 AM
Friday, January 02, 2004
So This is the New Year...
... and I don't feel any different.
So long '03 and hello '04. Lets pretend this means something.
NP: Postal Service - Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
posted by Hanson |
7:35 PM
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