If there's one thing I can say about my listening tastes in 2008, it's that it was dominated by energetic and/or happy music. I still appreciated my share of quieter music (Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes), but they just couldn't hold my attention for as long as those albums which had some life and spark to them. Maybe next year things will change.

Top 5 ( Read more... )

This is London. And grad school. It's often hard to distinguish between the two. Living outside of Toronto for the first time, and in what I can only describe as a university town, I suppose that continually equating the two isn't so strange. It's the only way to rationalize things. If taken separately, the concept of moving to a new city and ( Read more... )

Eugh, what a week.

Ups

Slightly over one week from European Vacation! Have found a place in Brussels (which I believe is near out hostel) that sells Westvleteren. I'm hoping they've got some when I'm there. They produce such a small quantity of their beer that it can be hard to get... virtually impossible outside of Belgium. That's also why it's ( Read more... )

Okay, so I've been playing too much NHL 2K6 lately and not enough guitar. As things usually go for me, I was trying to work on finishing a song when I came up with something completely different. I turned on Garageband for the first time in weeks and quickly had this chorus down. It features me trying to learn how to harmonize by ear. Fun times! I ( Read more... )

I really should be editing an essay right now, but I've been meaning to post for a week or so now. The past couple of days have been filled with thoughts of travelling, either in the summer or when I'm finally done school in August. So far, my wish list is this ( Read more... )

Within the span of one week, my two most anticipated albums of the year will be coming out. And by "most anticipated," i mean "when these albums leak, I will jump up and down, scream and celebrate like the Leafs just won the Cup." On May 15th, Wilco's Sky Blue Sky comes out, followed by The National's Boxer on the 22nd. Of course, these will leak ( Read more... )

What comes to mind when you think of a class action lawsuit? For me, it conjures up stupid Americans, smokers suing tobacco companies, fat people suing McDonalds, and commercials from law firms in Buffalo or Rochester trying to get people in on the fun. I was surprised when my mom forwarded me this article about a class action lawsuit against Dell ( Read more... )

This may be getting a bit too weird [me blogging about a blog that blogged about my Torontoist post], but it think it's too interesting to let it pass.

From For The Records:
"Torontoist ponders if 2007 might be the year of Basia Bulat. Such a polite Canadian stance if I've ever seen one. I mean, if it were the NME they'd be declaring it(of course ( Read more... )

I saw this done on a music website a year or two ago and thought I'd give it a try this year. The Best Musical Moments in 2006.

10. Lily Allen - "LDN" 0:00-0:09. A great sample, perfectly setting the tone for the song.
9. Magneta Lane - "Daggers Out!" 0:06-0:18. Ninth spot for great use of distorted guitar.
8. Band of Horses - "The Funeral" 1:21-2 ( Read more... )

I haven't made out the exact track list yet, but some of these will definitely be on ( Read more... )