June’s EMusic
Posted by raj | Filed under Music
- Attention Please by Boris
We’ve never known quite what to expect from a Boris album, as they’ve always been musical chameleons, effortlessly shifting style and sound. Attention Please is one of two simultaneously released albums (the other being Heavy Rocks), and the two couldn’t possibly be more different. Unlike previous albums, this one is sung entirely by Wata. With sounds ranging from Attention Please’s deliciously slinky and sexy electropop to Spoon, which might be the most perfect My Bloody Valentine song that Kevin Shields never wrote, this album is liquid gold.
- Ninth by Peter Murphy
I’m a total sucker for all things Peter Murphy. Bauhaus, Dali’s Car, solo material, I think I have all of it, but even I can admit that the post Holy Smoke output has been somewhat uneven. (Okay, I didn’t really care for Dali’s Car either.) Ninth is probably my favourite of Peter Murphy’s albums since Deep, though. It’s a bit more rock-y than any of its predecessors, and really, it just sounds like Murphy had fun making it. There’s joy in these songs, and there’s joy in listening to them.
- Undeveloped by OhGr
OhGr has always polarized Skinny Puppy fans – the ones that just wish Nivek Ogre would keep making Last Rights over and over again all hate it, and the rest of us (ahem) Dig It. This is the best OhGr album yet and, perhaps not coincidentally, the least poppy. There’s lots of old-school Nivek-Ogre-chant-style vocal gymnastics, and a much sharper edge to the music. It’s not Skinny Puppy redux, but that’s fine – Skinny Puppy is still making their own music. I’m happy to get OhGr’s own brand of industrial too.
(I still hope that the album stalled by SPV’s insolvency gets released, but it looks like a newer album, “HanDover” will be out some time in 2011.)
May’s EMusic
Posted by raj | Filed under Music
April’s EMusic
Posted by raj | Filed under Music
I see I’ve managed to get to April without talking about my March downloads. I just haven’t had time to sit down and listen to the albums the way they deserve, but I’ll get to it, I promise. Anyway, April’s downloads!
March’s EMusic
Posted by raj | Filed under Music
Rick Mercer on The Harper Government
Posted by raj | Filed under Politics
Rick Mercer sets PM Harper straight.
He’s not here for you.
Posted by raj | Filed under Politics
So the Conservative party of Canada has been running ads attacking Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. These ads question Ignatieff’s commitment to Canada, and essentially claim that Ignatieff’s return to Canada is little more than an ego-trip:
Now, have a look at what is going on in the minority government run by Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party:
The Harper Government? Okay, I may not know why Michael Ignatieff is here in Canada, but I know why Stephen Harper is, and it’s not for me.
On Science
Posted by raj | Filed under General
I’ve been in a twitter conversation with @maverynthia, @nonconneko and @scottmadin, but twitter really isn’t the best place for long discussions. @maverynthia wrote a lengthy post (because sometimes 140 characters really isn’t enough) to explain her grievance with the scientific community, this is my long-winded response.
Maverynthia starts by quoting me as saying “if you want me to believe in fairies YOU provide proof”. I had prefaced that with “I can’t prove a negative” – I’ll never be able to prove that fairies don’t exist. I can’t prove that there are no such things as miracles, that humans aren’t animated by spirits or that ghosts don’t exist. Why? Simple – absence of proof is not proof of absence. This isn’t being dismissive – it’s the nature of science.
Wikipedia defines the scientific method as:
- Define the question
- Gather information and resources (observe)
- Form hypothesis
- Perform experiment and collect data
- Analyze data
- Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
- Publish results
- Retest (frequently done by other scientists)
The job of the scientist is to follow this method and then convince the community using the evidence they’ve gathered.
I should make clear that science isn’t singularly skeptical of things supernatural or paranormal – it’s skeptical of other science too. This is why we don’t fall for the noise spewed by anti-vax cranks, or cold-fusion.
The Large Hadron Collider had an accident in September 2008 that delayed took it offline for just over a year. Holger Bech Nielsen of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, and Masao Ninomyia of the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics in Kyoto theorezed that the Higgs-Boson particle was so abhorrent to nature that when the LHC created it, it travelled backwards in time to sabotage the LHC to prevent itself from being created. Particle physicist Brian Cox, when interviewed on The Colbert Report said (and I’m paraphrasing as the link I posted doesn’t work outside the USA) “The scientific community has a word for that: bollocks”.
On the surface that certainly sounds like it’s being knee-jerk dismissive, but there’s simply no evidence to back the theory. In our conversation, Maverynthia mentioned theories of multidimensionality as being just as outlandish as the existence of fairies and the existence of the soul. I think there’s an important distinction, though: many of these theories are supported by mathematical models of the universe. Furthermore, we recognize there’s little physical evidence to support these theories and thus they remain theories. Science never claims to understand something with 100% certainty. Science operates based on the information at hand.
Maverynthia’s example of earth-lights only serves to reinforce my point. Derr and Persinger did dismiss the fanciful theories behind earth-lights. Rather than accept fairies, gods, ghosts or dragons as the explanation for these lights they formed hypotheses, observed the phenomena, conducted experiments and formulated a conclusion that explained the phenomena they saw.
Science, by its very nature, is skeptical. That’s not a weakness of science – it’s its biggest strength. Aristotle defined science as a body of reliable knowledge that can be logically and rationally explained. Reliable is an important factor in that definition – anecdotes, on their own simply aren’t reliable evidence. Scientifically, it’s not only rational to say “I didn’t see it, so I don’t believe it”, it’s the point.
Ultimately, people will believe what they want or need to believe. The lack of any evidence of the existence of a supreme being doesn’t stop roughly 85% of the world’s population from believing in god(s). For flat-earthers, no amount of evidence is enough to prove the earth is a sphere, and for conspiracy cranks there’s no proof that man landed on the moon. I have no problem with anyone believing anything at all, but I think it’s unfair to be critical of somebody or some community for not believing the same things you do. And in the absence of repeatable, measurable evidence all you have is belief.
Warning Shots
Posted by raj | Filed under Music, Politics
In light of all the amazing, mind-blowing, inspiring peoples revolutions in the Middle East, this seemed appropriate – Thievery Corporation’s “Warning Shots”
They try their best just to smash up the resistance,
Warning shots and sirens from a distance,
Riot gear and barricade for an instance,
And the words from mi mouth, mi nuh response.Hollywood sending signals of destruction,
We are eternal, made of the creator,
Stereotype the ghetto youths as the bad man,
Overcome the rough times and we grow strong,
Step up in a life, now them want to shake we hand.
Won’t fall to the soul-less devastators,
Divide and conquer, and try to separate us,
Up to this day, them still try fi rape us.
February’s EMusic Downloads
Posted by raj | Filed under Music
- Recollections of Memory by A Shoreline Dream
I go on and on about shoegazer music on my blog, I know, but Denver, CO’s A Shoreline Dream are a cut above. They fuse psychedelic rock and shoegaze in equal parts to generate something entirely new yet intimately familiar.
- samdhya by diaphane
One of my favourite podcasts is the Regen Radio podcast hosted by Toronto’s own DJ RaZoRGrrL. She’s continually introducing me to new music by bands I’ve never even heard of. Diaphane is one such band – they make beat-driven but moody and atmospheric electronica that you can totally lose yourself in.
- archive.one by Klangstabil
Klangstabil is another band I first heard on Regen Radio. Klangstabil does not make music you can lose yourself in. They make music that grabs you by the throat and shakes you ’til your head rings. Pounding beats and droning vocals absolutely command your attention.
- Cold by Lycia
Many moons ago, when the earth was young and the sun rose twice in a day I went to see one of my favourite bands, a short-lived Toronto goth band called Thrive. They were the first opener, ahead of Trance to the Sun, for Lycia. I’d never heard of either Trance to the Sun nor Lycia, but I loved Thrive well enough that I went to the show, figuring I might discover somebody I’d like. Turns out I loved everyone on the bill that night. Cold is an early Lycia album – cold, haunting, an absolute standard-bearer for what came to known as Darkwave.
- Find Me Before I Die A Lonely Death.com by Minuit
This is an odd one for me. I heard a track by Minuit whilst flipping channels one night, bored out of my skull. The song was intriguing so I grabbed the old iPhone and fired up Soundhound, and discovered the song was Aotearoa. I downloaded this album on the strength of that song because I’m an obsessive compulsive completist, and can’t bear to have the odd song floating in my library. This album is a mixed bag – it starts off pretty weak, with quirky folky songs, often happy or bouncy but with pleasingly bleak lyrics, but then takes a turn for the dark around the midway point. It slips a bit again, but finishes off with a couple of dark, heavy, brooding gems that pull in breakbeats to stellar effect.
- Profanation: Preparation For A Coming Darkness by Praxis
I’ve been a Praxis fan forever – Bill Laswell, Buckethead, Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell all in the room is enough to shift the axis of the earth, but having them make music together? It’s plate tectonics in action! Sadly, Profanation doesn’t feature the bass stylings of the Mighty Bootsy, but attempts to make up for it with the craziest gathering of guest vocalists ever – Doctor Israel, Iggy Pop, Serj Tankian, Killah Priest and Mike Patton all take the mike for a song each. The album is, as you might expect from such an eclectic group, totally scattershot. It’s uneven and incoherent and ridiculously awesome.
- Albino Peacock by Stripmall Architecture
A four-track EP from San Francisco’s greatest export, Stripmall Architecture. There are times on this EP where I swear singer Rebecca Coseboom has been possessed by Siouxsie Sioux. The Cosebooms have never been content to rehash their old material, and that’s certainly true of Albino Peacock. It’s the quirkiest thing the band has done, and I hope it’s a sign of things to come.
- Carte-de-visite by Stars of the Lid
Stars of the Lid make gorgeous, flowing, drone-based ambient music. Carte-de-Visite is a collection of outtakes spanning 1997-2007, but you’d never guess it. Part of that’s because they’re so minimalist it’s hard to tell songs from one another – they don’t leave a lasting impression. But SotL’s music is like the waves of calm ocean gently lapping at the beach. Barring geologic time, it won’t leave an impression at all, but while you’re there you just enjoy it.
- Red Barked Tree by Wire
Wire keeps getting better and better. Red Barked Tree is my favourite Wire album since at least The Ideal Copy, maybe even since the seminal Pink Flag. Their press release claims it features songs that “range from the hymnal ‘Adapt’ to the barking sledgehammer art-punk of ‘Two Minutes’” and “encompasses the full palette of style and nuance that has always endeared Wire to pastel-tinged pop afficionados and bleeding-edge avant-rockers alike.” [ last.fm ] Well, press releases can say anything, and are always self-aggrandizing, aren’t they? Except that this is exactly what Red Barked Tree feels like. It’s a fantastic summation of Wire. Brilliant.
A New Year, A New Year of Music
Posted by raj | Filed under Music
Last year I kind of let my eMusic download posts dwindle into simple lists of albums. I’m going to try to be a bit more disciplined about posting descriptions of what I’ve grabbed this year. I’ll still post the lists immediately when I download, but I will make a better effort towards going back and revising the posts after I’ve given the music a real listen.
- Strike a Match by Autodrone
Imagine Raise-era Swervedriver’s arrangements with Ladytron’s vocals and you have only the barest hint of what Autodrone sounds like. This is an album with serious bite.
- Remain by The Blood of Heroes
In August of last year I raved about the self-titled album by the Bill Laswell and Justin Broadrick project called The Blood of Heroes. This is the remix album, and it’s every bit as good as the source material. Sometimes remixes bear no resemblance to their source songs, but on this album every single track is recognizable, yet utterly unique from it’s source.
- Jordan by Buckethead
As far as I know, prior to the release of Guitar Hero II, Jordan was only ever performed live. It’s a pretty cool song, but you don’t really understand the sheer technical prowess of the Bucketed One until you see this video of him playing Jordan, interspersed with (I think) Post Office Buddy:
Jordan’s played entirely without strumming – just hammer-ons and a kill-switch. Think about that – it means he’s playing the negative space with his right hand. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.
- Mute by Catchers
Sweet early 90s indie pop from Ireland. Folk-infused in the way the first Cranberries album was, but, unlike the Cranberries’ debut, with the listener held at arm’s length. There’s a bit of a Lloyd Cole feel in here too.
- In Praise of More by Engineers
Last month I grabbed the incredible moody and atmospheric Three Fact Fader, by Engineers. (I know, I never posted a review – briefly, it’s a wonderful album that feels as much like a tribute to early Ride as Malory’s Not Here, Not Now feels like a tribute to Slowdive.) This month, I downloaded the follow-up, In Praise of More, which truly sounds like the band is finding their identity. It still bears the hallmarks of shoegaze – gorgeous shimmering walls of guitar and effects with gentle harmonized vocals that are nearly lost in the mix, but the sum of the parts is something gentle and comforting. It’s a musical blanket – it wraps around you and keeps you warm.
- Cover the Windows and the Walls by Grouper
Grouper is Portland singer-songwriter Liz Harris. I’m getting conflicting information out of Discogs.com and Allmusic.com, so I’m not sure if this is Grouper’s third or fifth album. Regardless, of the three I have, it’s probably my favourite. Beautiful dreamy vocals floating above gentle guitar and keyboards all awash in reverb, it’s sweet, atmospheric, haunting, and, at times, terrifying. I hear something new every time I play it, it’s an incredibly rewarding listen.
- Aquatic by Highspire
I’m positive that Highspire are deliberately derivative of late 80s / early 90s shoegaze and dream pop, and that’s why I love them. Their first album was a mixed bag – a couple of really excellent songs but mostly forgettable. Seven years later they’re back with Aquatic, a consistently excellent tribute to the music of my youth.
- Chemical Playschool 8 & 9 by The Legendary Pink Dots
Catch a Match … is one of my favourite LPD songs, and I’d have grabbed that lone track if not for my musical OCD. See, I’m a completist – I can’t stand to have portions of albums. That said, the 18 other tracks on this 2 disc set are wonderful. Trippy, crazy, druggy messes that take you to remote galaxies. It’s a long way, as the Dots say, to Andromeda, and there’s no better music for the trip.
- Clinging to a Scheme by The Radio Dept.
This was eMusic’s #33 album of 2010, and was described as “Shoe gaze by way of the Pet Shop Boys”, a description too intriguing to resist. The description is a deft way of describing the shift in the band’s sound, but it does little to describe the album, which sounds like synth pop songs arranged in a more traditional rock manner. A most pleasant surprise.
