songofthemoment's Journal

9:17pm: Hi,

Your semi-anonymous friend back here with a long long overdue installment of songofthemoment.

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Artist: Dat Politics
Song: My Toshiba is Alive
Album: Wow Twist (Chicks on Speed Records, 2006)
Download: HERE

Lille, France natives Dat Politics have been pumping out album after album of laptop noise, experimental noise, blips and beats mixed with high pitched vocals that remind me of Add n to (x) and (this next analogy is Paul Philpott's creation) "an army of rats taking over the world." Their 7th album (in about 7 years) is without a doubt their popiest and catchiest to date. It's poppy, but just as fast as the music and vocals seem to construct a sensible pop melody, it is deconstructed again. It's really quite exhiliarating and the high energy (sometimes aggitating)ony of this release makes me wonder if this album is more punk than pop!

9:17am: Artist: Sigur Ros
Song(s): Saeglopur/Hoppipolla

About two weeks ago I had the great fortune of seeing Sigur Ros playing live. I have always liked Sigur Ros, but it was only after seeing them live can I say I fully appreciate what they do. Their performance made my brain tingle and gave me goosebumps. These two pieces from Takk.. are my favorites because of their minimal beginnings (simple piano melodies tug so gently on your heart) that grow into two of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever had the pleasure of hearing in my entire life. They shimmer and soar..

Sometimes when a band becomes big and plays larger venues, it's hard to feel the merits of their craft in my opinion. Sigur Ros, however, deserve and require this much recognition and space cause quite honestly they fill it well. My advice to anyone who is presented with an opportunity like I was is to take full advantage. As for me, I will be doing numerous dates on their next tour and that is a promise.

11:54am: Artist: Hidden Cameras
Song: We oh we

The Hidden Cameras are not overrated. Joel Gibb is a brilliant songwriter, and this is one of his best I think. How genius is lamenting over wanting to be with someone, wanting to be the star in their movie, and not just be old worms of yesterday? Pretty damn solid if you ask me.

Mr. Gibb beats Mr. Merritt for me anyday for fave queer songstress. Controversial? Yes, but goddamn, Stephen Merritt can't make me swoon half as much as Joel. And honestly, I think he's just as witty and literate.

4:04pm: Artist: Russian Futurists
Song: Your Big Brown Eyes My Big Broke Heart

The best canadian pop song ever written. No doubt in mind my. Do the gay and twee and hypersensitive!

9:06am: Artist: Tim Hecker
Song: Celestina

Tim Hecker's newest album (Mirages) was a really difficult album to get into. Radio Amor, as good as it was, caught me just as I was about to delete it from my library, convincing me that I should give this one a better chance. I am glad I did. Celestina is definitely my favorite Hecker track for walking either late at night or early in the morning. The bending possibly-piano samples simply break my heart.

1:31pm: Artist: Antony and the Johnsons
Song: My Lady Story

This album I initially passed on in Toronto last week, then bought it once I found myself singing a song that I heard 10 secs of, indicating that it had made more of an impression that I initially realized. I love everything about this song, and this album. Especially the artwork and its somewhat covered queer/trans topic that I am still figuring out. Absolutely beautiful soulful music.

6:12pm: Artist: Slowdive
Song: Celia's Dream

When I was younger, I wondered why so many people lose their shit over Slowdive and cite them as a influence. The first time I actually got to hear them was in The Doom Generation and even then I didn't really get what the big deal was. A few years later when I was doing my radio show at CHMR, and was stuck for something to play, Slowdive came to my mind for some bizarre reason. I played this song from "Not Just for a Day" and everything just clicked with me. The song remains my favorite Slowdive song to this day, and is definitely a song I have listened to on repeat many times. Absolutely awesome to listen to it stoned cause it's such a slow, dreamy pleasure. Makes me think that if My Bloody Valentine and Low ever collaborated, they would have made something that sounds like this Slowdive song. Stunning.

9:34pm: Artist: Joanna Newsom
Song: En Gallop!

I should have known I would have to revisit some of the more important songs from the past while, and this is definitely one of them. I can recall so many days walking around in janurary and listening to this song endlessly. Once I swear I listened to it for an hour straight once. I also frequently listened to it while stumbling home loaded drunk and wanting to call people I miss and tell them I miss them or tell people I love them. When I first heard Joanna Newsom I thought she was mostly annoying. I still sorta do, her brand of harp and wail is kinda tiring, but the slower sadder songs she writes are much better than her pre-teen precocious "I am a tree fairy wandering la vast forrest!" stuff. I always get super-moped out whenever I listen to this song, but it is such the heart-string puller. The version on "Milk Eyed Mender" is way better than the version on "Walnut Whales", for the record. Also, in these times of academic peril, who doesn't identify with the lines like "and I go where the trees are and I walk from a higher education for now and for hire". Ha! Maybe she is capturing lost love, academic crisis, etc etc all in one song? I will now call this the ballad of the 23-year-old masters student who is often prone to feeling sad or troubled.

4:30pm: Artist: Kings of Convience
Song: The Build-Up

Listening to this song on repeat almost makes heartache seem like a pleasurable thing. It always amazes me when someone makes a good quiet mopey song that makes the me reflect. Leslie Fiest gives a very nice addition in the vocals deptartment, normally I don't really dig her voice, but her and Erland together are as sweet as pie. The rest of the album (called Riot on an Empty Street) is not too shabby, but this little baby is the one that will send you swooning.