Polaris Music Prize: Where's Kevin Drew's New Record?

There's no doubt that this year's Polaris shortlist had all the good Canadian records of 2007/08 (good call on the inclusion of Two Hours Traffic, Kathleen Edwards and Basia Bulat). I am even sure the right band won (Caribou). But for a music prize that purports to choose the best Canadian album solely on the basis of artistic merit, did the judges listen to that little Kevin Drew record called Spirit If...? I'll be hard pressed to find a better sounding record than that in recent times, in and outside Canada.

Listen to a stream of the entire album here. See how you feel at the end of it all.

New Centro-Matic / South San Gabriel!!!

Okay, I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but the two sides of Will Johnson and the band can never be a bad thing. I still haven't stopped enjoying Fort Recovery, but here's hoping that I can finally get over that and move on. I managed to get some legal tracks off the new double split LP, so enjoy!

Centro-matic
"Quality Strange"

"I, The Kite"


South San Gabriel
"Trust To Lose"

Get from iTunes

Poll Time: The Smiths

Okay, forgive me for asking again, but it is all the fault of Travis, who it turns out, thinks a certain Smiths album is the best when its not and such and such.

Vote away, and enjoy some random Smith goodies below.

more at twiigs.com...

Sweet & Tender Hooligan
London
Shoplifters of the World Unite
Wonderful Woman
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (Live)

Ad: OrtzRoka - Planets

Planets -
Planets - Neon Coyote Remix

The Charlatans Have A New Record!

Does it not say a lot when it takes a new Charlatans record to bring me out of my self-imposed silence? Oh Charlatans, thank you for making blogging fun again!

Better still, it's being offered as a free download on XFM. Thanks Radiohead!

Too lazy to download the full thing? Then hit up these two songs.

Oh! Vanity
Bad Days

In other news, if you like in Vancouver and love Oasis or Ryan Adams as much as I do, hit me up for two tickets to see both live in concert in August. Real good seats too.

Poll Time! Morrissey Records

So this is from a debate Travis and I are having. I have my favorite picked out for sure, but I don't want to influence the vote.

more at twiigs.com...

And as a bonus for voting, ladies and gentlemen, some outtakes from Viva Hate.

Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness
Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness (Sandie Shaw on backing vocals)
Dial-a-cliche (rough cut)
Hairdresser On Fire (Vini Reilly on vocals)
I Know Very Well How I Got My Name (orchestra ending)
Dial-a-cliche (Moz speaking at end)
Dial-a-cliche (wrong key)
Moz discusses Everyday is like Sunday

Old Songs Discovered

Knock That Door Enon (very Blondie, with a pleasant twist)
Sound & Vision David Bowie (always fresh)
Receptacle for the Respectable Super Furry Animals (Better than the Beatles?)

Spitzergate: And the Singer Sings Her Song...

So Mr. Spitzer's "Kristen" is an aspiring singer! It's our job then as music bloggers to do the best we can to hype her to stardom, isn't it? I would have voted for her on American Idol. Isn't she lovely!?

Ashley Alexandra Dupre: What We Want

Vancouver, Venison Burgers, and Jeff Buckley Live

So I am hanging out in Vancouver right now, loving the city. Lunch break escape from a meeting where there's a lot of talk going about things called "assays" and "in vivo". I took the bus down Main St. and discovered Neptoon records, where I found some cool LPs. Favorite find - Eno & Bryne: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts ($10). The guy at Neptoon made me check out, and buy the new Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings record (which for reason I had stayed away from - hmnnnn...), and then told me to grab lunch at Locus Restaurant on Main (intersection: King Edward's). Best Venison burger and hash browns combo I ever had. Best any kind of burger I ever had. Faaking A.

Anyway, here's some live Jeff Buckley. The details are in the tags.

Intro
Dream Brother
So Real
Last Goodbye
What Will You Say
Lilac Wine
Mojo Pin
Grace
Eternal Life
Lover, You Should Have Come Over
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Hallelujah
Kanga Roo

New Hot Chip

Made in the Dark

Absolute 9 - The A Side

Here's a treat for my friends who read this blog, and for those of you with uncool bosses. My boss, currently a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, used to sing lead in a number of bands in the New Wave/"New" Weezer era. I like the alt rock incarnation better, but the dance pop grooves of the self-titled Absolute 9 record was alright too. Just so you don't think I am sucking up, check it out for yourself.

Stop Thinking
Love and Work
The Fence

Recorded from vinyl, so there might be some pitch issues. Best enjoyed in 80s mode, with baggy pants and great hair.

Feist Live

Haven't listened to this, but it's Feist. Get it?

Live, SWR3 New Pop Festival, Kurhaus, Baden- Baden, September 20, 2007

When I Was A Young Girl
So Sorry
The Limit To Your Love
Mushaboom
I Feel It All
Secret Heart
Inside And Out
The Water
Sea Lion Woman
1234
Let It Die
My Moon My Man

Now I have to go watch this:

My Aunt's Playlist: CBS/Pepsi Special Offer - Simon & Garfunkel/The Tremeloes

This is a special find - not sure how many of this are still in circulation. Google and Ebay searches confirm that this guy and this guy have one, so that makes me the third person who is known to possess one for now. Just in case you are a fan of The Tremeloes...

A-side: The Tremeloes Here Comes My Baby
B-side: Simon & Garfunkel The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)

Both from a 1967 7-inch single Pepsi-Cola Offer through CBS Records. Enjoy.

My Aunt's Playlist: Twiggy

So while vacationing in Nigeria I found a bunch of precious goodies on vinyl in my aunt's "very dusty" collection. I plan to post these here over the next few weeks, not just to show how cool my aunt was and still is, but also to take a break from the usual "live music" posts. Not even sure I want to do those anymore.

My reaction when I first saw the Twiggy single? Somewhere between surprise and disgust. Kinda like how I felt about Tyra's Shake Ya Body (some things shouldn't happen). But I was being merely ignorant - apart from the fact that this was a high-charting single (#17, UK), Twiggy is actually more than a decent singer. The single, "Here I Go Again" is a cover of 60's folk rock band Country Joe and The Fish, but the real treasure here is the B-side ballad, "In Love Together". Enjoy.

Here I Go Again
In Love Together

Explaining the Hiatus

For those of you who have wondered about the lack of new posts here, here's your reason. I am on vacation in Africa right now, and internet access where I am situated is a bitch. There you have it. A reason. However, I am collecting some really kickass exciting music on vinyl here, and will be totally prolific when I get back. I even managed to find some single released by Twiggy (sure to go on ebay when I return), a 1964 promotional single by The Beatles, the Declaration of Biafran Independence speech by President Ojukwu, some really old Fela, and some badass highlife music. It's on.

Have a happy holiday!