Sunday, March 25, 2007

Montreal




So, after about six hours of driving, Kozma and I have returned from Montreal. It was a really fun trip and I would definitely recommend visiting, however I would only stay for 3-4 days due to the fact that you can pretty much see everything the city has to offer in that time frame. The people are very nice and pretty much everyone speaks English (however I'm pretty sure that some crack little jokes about "Americans" in French) Needless to say we got really drunk, and we met some interesting folks (hello female Torontonians, drunk girls from Maine, French girl I was attempting to have a conversation with, the sad looking strippers from Chez Paree, waiter at Les Brasseurs, relatively helpful girl at the front desk of the hotel, Ziggy, Absinthe drinking Party Boy from New York who was dancing on the roof of the hotel, and the various other animated characters we came across during our stay). Oh and on our way back we were stopped by the border patrol and searched, drug sniffing dog and all. I think Koz and I were stereotyped as stoner college kids trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S., excuse me but does it look like I swallowed any balloons today? After all that I can't say that I'm enthusiastic about returning to reality, in fact I'm depressed just thinking about it. Anyway, here are some of the tunes that were played constantly while we were up there, including songs that were played in bars, stores, and the top 20 countdown on MusiquePlus!, I have to admit that the music played was relatively good, most of it ranging from mid to late 90s pop rock to the indie hipster stuff I listen to today. of course there was your Nelly Furtados and Celine Dions (Canada has a Nelly Furtado day, for Christ sake), but for the most part the auditory experience of Montreal was a plus, so enjoy.

Mika - Grace Kelly
Nelly Furtado - Say It Right (iTunes Session)
Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
Gary Jules - Mad World (this song was like #7 on the top 20, I found this to be odd since the song is like 6 years old)
Malajube - Montreal -40C
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend (She's just like so, WHATEVER)

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Guilty Pleasures

You must be wondering to yourself just why, exactly, Barry Gibb and Barbara Streisand are staring at you with their icy, vapid, soulless eyes. Don't worry, I'm not subjecting you to anything objectionable, but rather presenting you with a collection of "guilty pleasures" (note the title of the above album and make the connection!) I've been searching for an excuse to post for the past few days and while nothing incredibly amazing jumped out at me, I did have this idea for a post revolving around those songs that you secretly like, and you're too embarassed to admit it. This all stems from a girl who shall remain nameless, who repeatedly claims that she doesn't like "emo-shit", yet still loves hellogoodbye, which is a band that I would file under "emo-synth pop". Either way, here's to all the songs that you tap your foot along with in the privacy of your own home, but denounce it quicker than a white supremacist rally in public.

Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms) - for a band that reportedly derived its name from a line that Screech delivered in the episode of Saved by the Bell when the gang heads to Hawaii, they're not all that bad. This song is downright infectious and the video features a Pog tournament rather prominently.

Soul Decision - Faded - remember this pop gem from '98? Didn't think so. Soul Decision was one of those boy bands that actually played their instruments, not that it really made any difference, but I'll sadly admit that I still know most of the lyrics to this song.

Frou Frou - Let Go - now I understand that Zach Braff included this tune in his flick Garden State, and that Imogen Heap is getting all sorts of crazy indie-hipster street-cred, but I mean, come on, this song is pretty queer.

Annie - Chewing Gum - I'll admit it, I find Annie to be light-hearted, breezy, fun, unabashed pop, but there is a little side of me that is afraid to confess it.

Sia - Breathe Me - I almost considered not putting this song up, mainly because one would find it easy to question my sexuality after listening to it. With that said I decided to include it because the simplicity of this song coupled with an amazing voice is a genuinely hard thing to find these days.
The Postal Service - Such Great Heights - granted they're a poor mans Notwist, and I'm really not a huge fan of their generic emo-ish vocals, but still, a bunch of nicely done bleeps and bloops.
Stars - Fairytale of New York - yes, I have one of their albums, I'll admit it, but you also have to admit that some of their catalog is downright corny.
Mates of State - Fraud in the 80s - now don't get me wrong, I like Mates of State a lot, and they call the town over from mine home so they're kind of like my distant neighbors, but as catchy as their songs are, lyrically theres not much there but bubblegum gushings about how much they're in love. We get it.
Sufjan Stevens - The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us - personally, I really like Sufjan. I even have his Christmas boxset. However there are a lot Sufjan haters out there, my rarely heard from writing partner being one fo them, who think he sucks, so I figured that earned Mr. Stevens a spot on the list.
Asobi Seksu - Thursday - I was rocking this track on my Ipod the other day and a friend of mine asked me what the hell I was listening to. After I informed her, she told me that it was "kinda queer".
Thats all for now, feel free to mention any "guilty pleasures" I might have left out in the comment field. Hopefully after my trip to Montreal I'll find some time to post some pictures and some music, so check back on Monday.