Sunday, February 29, 2004

And the winner is ...


ps. I played basketball on Friday, skiied with my nephews on Saturday; blogging is no fun when you're exhausted(and I hurt my hand getting off the ski lift of all things); thus the late update.

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

"You say you want a revolution" - The Beatles

  • MP3:


    • There's been a lot of talk about the unauthorized JayZ/Beatles remix album 'The Grey Album'. Vis-a-vis Abstract Dynamics, check out one of the comments about 40% down the page whose writer is offering a download of 'The Grey Album'. Act fact because it won't be for long! For more info on the controversy, Yahoo! News has posted an article.


    • In honour of the High Llamas in Toronto tonight, I am offering the following link: the High Llamas site [media section] has for download the Black Sessions[13 tracks] in mp3 format. [alas, I won't be going to the show tonight. :-( ]


  • movies:


  • books:





  • You're Ulysses!

    by James Joyce

    Most people are convinced that you don't make any sense, but compared to what else you could say, what you're saying now makes tons of sense. What people do understand about you is your vulgarity, which has convinced people that you are at once brilliant and repugnant. Meanwhile you are content to wander around aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds of the city. What you see is vast, almost limitless, and brings you additional fame. When no one is looking, you dream of being a Greek folk hero.


    Take the Book Quiz
    at the Blue Pyramid.



    - I think I'll take the above with a grain of salt. (link seen at largeheartedboy)

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Suedehead Strikes Again

Sunday, February 22, 2004

Better Late Than Never


  • Movies: I figure there's no time like the present so yesterday I decided to tackle the DVD's/VHS movies I've accumulated over the last year or so. I can't remember all the times I've been channel surfing and nothing's on... Lent is just around the corner and I think I'll try to be a little more selective with my television viewing habits... So rather than watch an episode of Seinfeld for the umpteenth time(no offense to Seinfeld because it's still an awesome show!) I think I'll try to watch a movie instead. So hopefully over the next several months, I'll try to post reviews of the DVD'S/VHS movies I happen to watch. And the insanity begins:

    movie review: So Close

    So Close...the asian Charlie's Angels? Well not quite. On the surface, you could say many if not all of the action sequences in So Close draw similarities from the recent Charlie's Angels. But then you could say the Charlie's Angels' action sequences were highly influenced from asian cinema. Let's not play the comparison game. However the main difference between So Close and Charlie's Angels was that Charlie's Angels was a comedy that took pleasure in its campiness while So Close is very much a drama, which at times borders on cliched and melodramatics. Thankfully, cliches and melodramatics aside, So Close is still a very enjoyable film.

    The action scenes range from martial arts combat, to gun fights and to car chases. Through and through, there's a creativity to the action sequences that I haven't seen before(or at least seen recently). The action sequences are almost poetic [think John Woo and Mission Impossible II]. There's underlying stories about the main character's[the two sisters) parents being killed, as well as a romantic story. There's the cliche of the cop who is hot on the trail of the two sister's who are suspected of killing a top executive of a firm. For every cliche or melodramatic moment, there are moments of surprise, especially the 'lesbian' overtones of one of the character's behaviour. The three asian actresses(Karen Mok, Zhao Wei, Shu Qi) display sexiness in refreshingly subtle ways rather than in an overtly 't & a' way and the film is all the better for it. Finally, any film that can integrate the Carpenter's song 'Close To You' into an action sequence will definitely get my attention.


  • I had a chance to check out the The 'Advil' Outdoor Adventure Show. And yes Ryan Leech(Canada's top bike trials rider) did make an appearance at the Toronto show! He can pull off some really amazing maneuvers with his bike. Check out the videos page of Ryan Leech's web site to see what bike trials is all about and what Ryan Leech can do. I got interested in bike trials a couple of years ago...mind you I'm 32 years old and I don't think I'll be doing anything too crazy on my mountain bike but I hope to master some of the basic trials moves.


  • television: The film The Corporation will be airing in three parts on TVO (in Toronto) starting Wednesday February 25, 2004, then continuing on March 3 and March 10 at 10 pm; it will repeat over three nights starting February 29, 2004, then continuing on March 7 and March 14 at midnight. (info taken from Toronto Star's Starweek(February 21 February 27 issue)). My friend recommended this film to me and said that if you're a fan of Michael Moore you should enjoy The Corporation.


  • Food: Now Weekly's cover story this week is on comfort foods and the article inside has spotlighted several restaurants throughout Toronto. Whether I get a chance to sample these restaurants remains to be seen, but I'm getting hungry already. Mmmm, macaroni and cheese!(and I'm not talking about Kraft Dinner...homemade all the way!)


  • CD'S purchased today(75% off @ Indigo Books):


  • Records purchased over the weekend($2 each! @ flea market):


  • Yahoo! News: Lost Beach Boys Album Premieres in U.K.


  • MP3/videos: Check out meannmrmustard's Ryan Adams FTP site (well actually the link I've provided is a web page, but the instructions to log on to the FTP site, as well as what can be found on the FTP site, are there). I just downloaded a video of Ryan Adam's performance of 'So Alive' on Late Show with David Letterman.

Friday, February 20, 2004

The Good Life

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Amnesiac


  • movie review: 50 First Dates

    Let's start off by saying that this is a very charming film. I've always had a thing for Drew Barrymore; she has the same sort of likability as someone like Sandra Bullock or Meg Ryan. I think she's found her niche in films such as this newest one and Charlie's Angels. Adam Sandler although has always been hit and miss. He's annoying as hell sometimes(Little Nicky) but sometimes really funny such as in Mr. Deeds and (and it comes as no surpise) in The Wedding Singer, in which he also co-starred with Drew Barrymore. The premise of this newest film is that Drew Barrymore's character Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss(as a result of a car accident about a year before) and basically starts each new day with a clean slate not remembering what had happened the day before. Lucy's father and brother have chosen to ease the burden of her existence by renacting the day of which her accident took place, which happened to be the day of her father's birthday and is the last point in her memories which she can remember. So Lucy goes about each day as she would have on the original day, by having breakfast at the local restaurant, from which she would then go to meet her father for their annual birthday tradition. It is on one of these days that Adam Sandler's character Harry spots Lucy in the restaurant and is won over. [Adam Sandler's character at the beginning of the movie is portrayed as a non-committal womanizer, although surprisingly a likable guy regardless.] Harry and Lucy meet that day and gain a mutual liking for each other. They decide to meet for breakfast the day after. Harry waits for Lucy the next morning at the restaurant, but when she arrives and he proceeds to greet her, to his astonishment she has no recollection of him. Harry is made aware of her condition by the restaurant owner and it is at this point the film really takes off. Harry proceeds each day to attempt to win Lucy's heart: this is the premise of the movie's title. Harry's success each day in having Lucy fall in love with him(at least not find him repulsive) varies each day. There's a lot of hilarious moments; some of the scenes with Harry's friend played by Rob Schneider are downright bellyachingly funny! But alongside the moments of hilarity are touching and tender moments. 50 First Dates is a simple and effective romantic comedy that gains even more credibillity for it's non-idealistic yet happy ending.


  • Yahoo! Sports: NBA: San Antonio 86, Toronto 82 Went to the Toronto Raptors game yesterday at the Air Canada Centre with my sister and two nephews who had an extra ticket. Raptors actually managed to actually play well, and with a little help ie. Tim Duncan's way-off night on the free throw line, the Raptors actually managed to lead for most of the game. But then Chris Bosh went down and then Vince Carter hit the floor hard.


  • Pitchfork: Shins to appear on Gilmore Girls - Gilmore Girls is actually a good show. The mother and daughter relationship stuff I can handle and I think the shows works best when they stay away from 'Dawson Creek' relationships territory. I must admit that I get giddy when there are indie rock references on the show, mostly from character 'Lane Kim' played by cutie Keiko Agena. The Shins on the show is just icing on the cake!

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

"But I don't want to be a pirate!" - Jerry Seinfeld


  • Yahoo! News: RIAA Sues 531 Suspected Music Pirates (written by David McGuire, washingtonpost.com) - This is really bullshit. Privacy issues aside, I think the music industry is targeting individuals for the wrong reasons. They want to send out a clear message that they will not tolerate mp3 sharing because it is hurting the music industry. Who I find completely at fault is the music industry for their reluctance to substantially reduce the price of prerecorded music CD's within the last 20 years.


  • Toronto Star: Janeane Garofalo, essayist - Actress, turned author, Janeane Garofalo will release a new book this fall called For Those About to Salute, We Will Rock You. She's quite the outspoken activist towards issues such as the War in Iraq and the 'failures' of the Bush Administration. I'll be interested in reading more of her views on these and other subjects.


  • Yahoo! News: NBC's Conan O'Brien Issues 'Apology' to Quebec (from Reuters) - Conan is a class act. 'Nuff said.


  • DVD: DVD's purchased today(I've watched these a while ago but I couldn't pass up the deal of 2 DVD's for $15 at Sunrise Records):


  • MP3: Check out this French site which has a bunch of great live concerts available in mp3 format for download. These live sets are performances from the La Route du Rock festival. I'm not fluent in French(you'd think after taking French all through elementary and secondary school, I would have learned something!) so I'm not sure if this is site is officially affiliated with the La Route du Rock festival. I'm hoping it stays up for a bit so I have a chance to download some of the concerts. The site includes concerts ranging from Portishead and Goldfrapp to Interpol! Enjoy!

Monday, February 16, 2004

The Popcorn Report


  • Maybe it's the February blahs, but lately I've been thinking of going on a major movie binge: going to the theatre, watching the pile of DVD's and VHS cassettes that I've purchased over the last year or so but have not watched yet, and eagerly anticipating all the cool movies that should be coming out over the next several months.

    Over the weekend, I got to watch the trailers(on the web) for the following films:

    • Dawn of the Dead - This reminds me of 28 Days Later but I suspect that this one will be alot creepier(in a good way!). What really excites me is that Sarah Polley is in this one which I'm hoping lends some credibility to this film: read - I'm hoping that this film isn't cheesy.


    • Van Helsing - After seeing the poster for this film at the movie theatre, I had originally thought this was a sequel to Underworld because Kate Beckinsale's also in this one. However, I believe this is a totally different story. Considering the inclusion of Dracula, the Werewolf and Frankenstein, the concept is very interesting, in the same vein that literary characters were utilized in The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Come to think of it, the trailer for Van Helsing displayed the same sort of Hollywood CGI sheen that The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had. Is that a good thing? That remains to be seen. [Note: I thought The League of Extraordinary Gentleman was interesting but ultimately a letdown.]


    • Troy - Well Brad Pitts in it. The film reminds me of Gladiator. Mind you, I liked Gladiator and Brad Pitt has been in some good films[Snatch, Seven, Fight Club] but so far I have absolutely no interest in seeing Troy. Go figure.


    Purchased a couple of DVD's today:

    • Ghost World - Picked this one up today for about $12. I could not pass it up. It's a really quirky film and it'll be interesting to compare Scarlett Johannsen's performance in it as compared to her recent performance in Lost in Translation. And it's the first 'adult' role I think I saw Thora Birch in; really amazing performance.


    • So Close - Three beautiful asian women that can kick butt. What's more sexy than that? I think this one played at the Toronto International Film Festival last year or the year before. Also I caught a write up of one of its stars Zhao Wei in the current issue of Giant Robot.


    DVD's/VHS movies I've purchased within the last year or so but still need to watch:

    • Down With Love - I purchased this on a whim. The film I believe takes place in the 50's but rather than portray the wholesome image that films of that period usually did, I've heard it takes a rather modern racy approach to the dialogue. ...What it would be like to hear Doris Day say 'fuck you'.


    • Insomnia - I was tempted to pick this one up[used for about $9.99] after seeing Memento. They're both directed by Christopher Nolan. But then you already knew that.


    • The Virgin Suicides - I never got around to seeing this but was tempted to pick this one up after being so impressed with Sophia Coppola's 'Lost In Translation'. And the musical group Air does the score!


    • Grace of My Heart - This is an older film I never got around to seeing. As far as I know, it concerns a songwriter during the heyday of the Brill Building.


    • Waking Life - It utilizes an interesting animation technique. Oh and I picked this one up really cheap.


    DVD's/VHS movies that I decided to purchase because I thought they were were worth watching again(that I've yet to watch since I've purchased them):

    • A Life Less Ordinary - For those who like their romantic comedies with an edge!


    • Edward Scissorhands - Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder are perfectly paired in this modern romantic fairytale. I think it's one of Tim Burton's best.


    • The X-Files: Fight The Future - Let's just say The X-files was one of my favourite television shows ever! The movie was a fairly good extension of the television show.


    • Memento - This is a truly original film and is a modern classic in my opinion.




  • The BAFTA Film Awards were held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on Sunday, February 15th 2004. Lost In Translation won in the following categories:




  • IGN.COM - FilmForce: The very cinematic television show Angel will be ending after 5 seasons.

Saturday, February 14, 2004

"Keeping the Weekend Free" - streaming audio

Thursday, February 12, 2004

Icon Boner

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Chaos Theory


  • movie review: The Butterfly Effect

    I had really been itching to see this film for the last couple of weeks. The Butterfly Effect is one of those Hollywood films, starring one of its most Hollywood actors[Ashton Kutcher] that totally lives up to the expectations brought forth by the trailer. Kutcher does a credible job playing college student Evan, who has for the last seven years not had a mental 'blackout'. Evan experienced several traumatic events during his childhood and had unexpected blackouts and memory lapses which seemed to coincide with these events. Out of concern, his mother brought him to the local psychiatric institute to be tested. What results from those tests is the doctor's recommendation for Evan to keep daily journals in order that they might help jog Evan's memories. The film develops Evan's relationships between his childhood friends early on as they ultimately will play a large part in the film later on: Evan develops affection for his friend Tommy's sister; Tommy seems almost psychotic as a child(although this is ultimately explained later on in the film); Evan's other friend is a heavier, quiter kid who is quite intimidated, almost scared, of Tommy's bullying. Not to give anything away about why, but eventually Evan's mother decides to move. The expected reluctance of Evan to leave the girl he loves behind is shown. ... Fast forward to the future. Evan is going to college and has not had a blackout in 7 years. Through a series of events, Evan discovers his ability to time travel by reading his journals which transport him to the time of when those events happened. Gradually, he discovers that he can change the past which can ultimately affect the future. For better or worse, as Evan finds out. It's the cause-and-effect scenarios that play out amongst Evan, his mother and his childhood friends each time Evan transports himself back. As I said in my post yesterday, the film approaches the subject of time travel simplistically and never really explains how Evan is able to transport himself back to an earlier time. However, then maybe that would have complicated the film. What remains is a look at the human experience of time travel and the moral dilemma of Evan 'playing god'. Will he make the right choices?


  • MP3:


    • Check out an indiepop mix available in mp3 format at www.wiencis.com/mp3/feb2004.html. [It's available as one large mp3 file; good nonetheless.]


    • Since Monday of this week, Gene fansite "You'll Never Walk Again" has been hosting an 'Acoustic Week' by posting mp3's of the band performing live acoustic favourites. Get them while you can. And while you're at the site, navigate to the Audio page and download several more Gene mp3 rarities including the band doing a live take of British boy-band Take That's classic 'Back for Good'. It's really quite good! [Although do not think I'll be wanting to hear any cover versions of any Backstreet Boys' songs anytime soon. ;-) ]


    • Check out a couple of Pretty Girls Make Graves mp3's at the Matador Records site.[continue below for tour dates!]


  • Tour dates:


    • Pretty Girls Make Graves - The band plays in Toronto on March 31. Woohoo! 'The New Romance' is one of the best current CD's I have not yet bought[currently listening to a burned copy, but I'll surely purchase it legitimately if I can find it for a decent price.]


Conan, The Torontonian


  • Computer problems have plagued me over the last couple of days, but things seem to be running smoothly now. What did I miss?


  • The big news in T.O. - Conan began the first of 4 nights of taping Late Night with Conan O'Brien in Toronto at the Elgin Theatre. I have my VCR already to go for 12:35 am! Conan was on Muchmusic yesterday and had the crowd(of mostly teenage girls) enthralled. Justin Timberlake eat your heart out!

    Check out some related stories from yesterday's Toronto Star:


  • By the way, I just came back from seeing The Butterfly Effect. Awesome film! The science of time travel is approached quite simplistically but the cause-and-effect scenarios were really quite interesting... Sorry to get all, movie-critic. Felt like saying something intelligent. [I'll save the movie review for another time.]


  • music news: What-the-fuck exactly! Pitchfork reports that The Pixies will play their first show in more than a decade, in all places, Winnipeg, Manitoba! And then checking out the tour dates below(courtesy of Pitchfork):

    • 04-14 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Burton Cummings Theatre

    • 04-15 Regina, Saskatchewan - Doris Knight Ballroom

    • 04-17 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Prairieland

    • 04-18 Edmonton, Alberta - Red's

    • 04-19 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall

    • 04-21 Victoria, British Columbia - Victoria Curling Club

    • 04-22 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom

    • 04-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom

    • 04-24 Spokane, WA - Big Easy

    • 04-25 Boise, Idaho - Big Easy

    • 04-27 Eugene, OR - MacDonald Theatre

    • 04-29 Davis, CA - Freeborn Hall

    • 05-01 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival)

    • 06-02 London, England - Brixton Academy

    • 06-03 London, England - Brixton Academy

    • 06-12 Dublin, Ireland - Phoenix Park (w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers)

    • 06-15 Paris, France - Parc des Princes (w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers)

    • 07-10 Kinross, Scotland - T In The Park Festival (w/ David Bowie, The Darkness)


    Where the fuck is the Toronto show? Vancouver gets two fuckin' shows. Life is not fair!

Sunday, February 08, 2004

"Music, makes the people, come together" - Madonna

Saturday, February 07, 2004

"It was forty years ago today..."


  • CNN.COM: When the Beatles hit America: U.S. arrival 40 years ago changed pop music, culture...It's funny; The Beatles started out as a pop band playing r'n'b covers and their own lightweight(yet enjoyable) pop originals but they(along with their producer George Martin) became pop music innovators. Who at the time would have thought.


  • I received an e-mail from shibuya-kei@yahoogroups.com which is devoted to "fans of the Shibuya-kei style of Japanese pop (Jpop) music." The e-mail mentioned a record label called eenie meenie records which has just released a CD compilation called "PAR AVION-GLOBAL INDIE CLUBPOP". The following is the tracklisting:

      TRACK LIST
    1. YLK ORGANISATION- Happiness

    2. STEREO TOTAL- Hey Protest

    3. GALACTICA- Electronica

    4. FIGURINE- Impossible

    5. MAJESTIC- Nyra and Michelle

    6. EEL-FILLE UNIQUE- Homme Sympathique

    7. THE PANCAKES- Rock Guitar

    8. STARS- Elevator Love Letter

    9. I AM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER- Dancing Alone

    10. THE RAYMAKERS- Unending Capacity

    11. SEKSU ROBA- To Go or Not to Go

    12. VAU SHARRI- Machine


    Interesting compilation. I've only heard Stars' wonderful 'Elevator Love Song'. eenie meenie records looks like an interesting label, as the website describes itself "Forging a bridge between the Los Angeles underground music scene and Tokyo pop culture" . The page also has a bunch of mp3 downloads. Check 'em out!


  • Toronto Star: Land of the Pilgrim, home of the prude - Peter Howell...Yesterday I read the article which summarizes my feelings in a nutshell regarding the Janet Jackson 'breast' controversy. Why is North American media so intent on censoring nudity and anything to do with sex but do not hold such high standards in censoring violence? It's really quite illogical. I'm not saying that hard-core porn, or for that matter images of Janet Jackson's breast should be part of our prime-time television diet; but this was an isolated incident, and it was only a breast. Can we all just forget about it and move on to the next topic?


  • I've read several lacklustre reviews of April March's recent show at Lee's Palace. Check out the review of the show at UmbrellaMusic. See, I am one one of those fans who 'get' her music based on the CD's I have of hers(in particular, 'Chrominance Decoder'). I think I would have enjoyed her show in a small venue such as Lee's Palace, especially if I was given a unobstructed view of her. I can't blame her for being a bit unenthuastic considering I read that her van broke down on the way to Toronto from Montreal; in addition, I remember clearly that there was a snowstorm that day. And to add injury to insult, I read that there was not a large turnout to her show in Toronto(I wanted to go, but decided not to because of the weather). Let's hope that April March returns during the warmer months!

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Music, man


  • Check out all the cool concert announcements at Eye Weekly(for those in the Greater Toronto Area). Coming soon to a venue near me:


    • THE HIGH LLAMAS. Lee's Palace. $12, Feb 25

    • YEAH YEAH YEAHS w/ TV on the Radio. Phoenix. $20, (Early show: doors 5:30pm.) Feb 27

    • NEKO CASE & THE SADIES. Lee's Palace. Apr 3-4



  • MP3's: I checked out The Anti-Hit List by John Sakamoto which is published in Eye Weekly. Number 1 on the list (for the week of Feb.05.2004) is JAY BENNETT(ex-Wilco member), "My Little Wicked One", which is an mp3(along with others) that is available for download at www.bennettburch.com.


  • Concert: Pulled this info off www.ontariomusic.com:

    FRIDAY FEB 6TH
    MIDNIGHT TRAIN IN BRAMPTON
    45 RAILROAD ST

    THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB
    CONTROLLER CONTROLLER
    ROSESDEAD
    SEETHING
    6/2/04

    DOORS AT 6:30
    $6
    ALL AGES


    If I end up going, it'll be to see awesome locals(well actually Torontonians) controller.controller. But then again, it's all-ages...I hate all-ages shows(years of going to see concerts at Molson Park have soured me).


  • Grammy Awards: The only category that I'm really interested in is Best Alternative Music Album. Here are the nominees in that category(taken from The Grammys official site):

    Best Alternative Music Album
    (Vocal or Instrumental.)


    • Fight Test
      The Flaming Lips
      [Warner Bros. Records]


    • Hail To The Thief
      Radiohead
      [Capitol Records]


    • Untitled
      Sigur Rós
      [Fat Cat/MCA Records]


    • Elephant
      The White Stripes
      [V2/ThirdMan Records]


    • Fever To Tell
      Yeah Yeah Yeahs
      [Interscope Records]


    The 46th GRAMMYs will take place on Feb. 8 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. With a tribute to The Beatles and notable performances by The White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Outkast and George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic scheduled, this could be one of the more interesting Grammy's. And Beck will be presenting an award also!

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

"So What'cha Want "


  • dotmusic: "The Beastie Boys are reportedly putting the finishing touches on their first new album in five years." As the article states, the new record is "all hip-hop". I have full confidence in their artistic endeavours at this stage of their lives but at some point I just can't see the Beastie Boys performing 'Sabatoge' when they're 50 years old. But I'm psyched for the new album, and a little nostalgic for the days of yore, when they would be releasing their album under their own imprint Grand Royal which is no more :-(.


  • MP3's: I received an e-mail from the neverwalkagain@yahoogroups.com mailing list which is devoted to the British band Gene:

    "Hello Gene Fans!

    From next Monday (9th), there shall be an Gene 'acoustic' week at
    the 'Never Walk Again' site.
    Whats this?
    Well it will be different MP3's avaliable to download each night
    from various Gene acoustic sessions from over the years.
    Each individual MP3 will be avaliable for 1 day only and will run
    from Mon - Sun.

    Please keep this message as a reminder as i will probably forget to
    send another one before the time!

    Take Care,
    LewisX"


    Yes, this band is still around, they released a swell record "Libertine" a couple of years ago, and is still touring. In order to have access to the mp3's you'll have to sign up to the group through Yahoo! I can't wait till next week!


  • MP3's, part II: Surf to Bradley's Almanac, and check out the almanac mp3 of the week, as well as some full live sets(currently of Fugazi and Unwound) available for download.


  • Sports: NBA.COM: The 2004 NBA All-Star reserves were announced yesterday. Check out the complete rosters.


Tuesday, February 03, 2004

"Wake me up"


  • A friend of mine at work lent me her Evanescence CD 'Fallen'. The vocalist has a a beautiful ethereal voice. I'm not a big fan of today's mainstream alternative music but some bands such as Evanescence, Linkin Park, Billy Talent etc...have caught my attention on occasion with their singles. I'm sorry to say, but nothing on Evanescence's CD 'Fallen' tops their singles 'Going Under', 'Bring Me To Life', and 'My Immortal'. Some of the other songs on the CD have a more prominent 'goth' feel, and I've never really been a fan of that music. The piano balladry of 'My Immortal' is beautiful and gives me chills. 'Going Under' and 'Bring Me To Life'(especially with that rap break) are tough melodic hard rock songs. I'll give the CD a few more listens before I really make up my mind.


  • I picked up the new issue of Exclaim! today. Of note is the advertisment advertising the Exclaim! 12th Anniversary Cross-Canada Concert Series. So far the west coast dates will be featuring Broken Social Scene, The Stills, and Raising the Fawn. The east coast dates(including Toronto) will be featuring so far Tortoise, and Four Tet. I'm sure these are all interesting bands on one level or another(I'd especially like to see Broken Social Scene but they're not playing in Toronto), but so far I'm not really excited about this year's series.


  • News on the music front! : dotmusic: Pixies reunited...It can only be a matter of time before The Pixies tour North America! (well, let's hope)


  • DVD news: Oscar nominee/Golden Globe winner Lost In Translation is out on DVD today. For a DVD that is fairly bare-bones(ie. lack of special features), the DVD is fairly expensive: the cheapest I saw it was for $26.99 at Futureshop. I like the movie alot but I'll like it even better on sale.


  • MP3's: a shitload of mp3's for download at this Modest Mouse web site [click on sounds]


  • While I was at Futureshop today, they were playing House of Pain's 'Jump Around' which is a really wicked song. DJ Muggs is the man! Click here for the mp3 to the song.


    • Also check out the DJ Muggs site for the latest news on his Mash-Up Radio show(check out some samples on the main page). The site mentions that he worked on the new Cypress Hill album which is to come out in March!


Monday, February 02, 2004

"I'm Sorry Ms. Jackson"