Okay, I cringed but I kept on reading, and then I thought I should write something, lest your post be greeted with that horrible wall of silence we've all experienced from time to time on this blog. Though I'm not a great fan of country rock, I'm open minded and in possession of a turntable so I encourage you to bring some Gene Clark and Steven Stills to the next cd/music club, Stuart.

I asked for submissions for music from films and then quietly buggered off for the rest of the week, which I will blame as always on my hectic travel sched. Since I'm back in the office for the rest of the month, I have no such excuse for the next week or so.

There are probably some good all time greats like Mrs. Robinson or Night Fever that I could mention but these seem a little obvious so I'll go with some more recent choices:

-Jaan Pehechaan Ho - Mohammed Rafi (‘Ghost World’) - great way to start off a film and set the tone
-Trees Lounge – Hayden (‘Trees Lounge’) - while it appeared only at the end, it seemed to sum up the general feeling of the film and the slack desperation of Steve Buscemi's character
-Fight the Power – Public Enemy (‘Do the Right Thing’) - again, an opening credits sequence, set to a young woman dancing, signaled the forthcoming bombastic and righteous storyline to follow
-Miss Misery - Elliot Smith ('Good Will Hunting') - there were a few more of his tracks sprinkled throughout the film but this was the one that was nominated for an award and was consistent with the turmoil and tension between Matt Damon and Minnie Driver's characters (how do we keep working this woman into the blog....)

Gotta say I love the Lulu pick, would agree that most of the Tarantino soundtracks are solid and that there's a big difference between a song that is tacked onto the soundtrack (ie. U2's "Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me" from Batman Forever, which is a decent enough song, but had nothing to do with the movie--not that its inclusion would have improved the film as a whole) and one that enhances the scene in which it plays (ie. the original music by György Ligeti and Jocelyn Pook in the underappreciated 'Eyes Wide Shut', without which, the nerve-wracking creepiness in almost every scene wouldn't have been half as palpable).

This will only be of interest to some of you, however, I have found myself listening to a Gene Clark cd I bought a few years ago and loving it to death. Its called white light. Clark is ex Byrds and has been a principle guy in the early country rock, (if you just cringed stop reading here),a founder some think. I have also been listening to Steven stills first record (self titled) which I picked up last winter ($5 for an old LP), and loving it too. Stills is not unrelated to this whole genre perhaps coming more from the folk point of view , but also county influenced. In short, I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations for this second tier level of artists in this genre (ie crosby, nash, messina, other ex birds, etc ) . I think the public has missed out on some truly great stuff..... ( I realise this blog will probably be greeted by a great wall of silence and thats Ok..)

Or Clint Eastwood's score for Million Dollar baby. (Yes, he composed it. The man is a genius. But I digress.)

I assumed Kyle was looking for songs that were written for the movie, and not necessarily Oscar candidates or winners, thank God...so my first few choices, more to follow, were:

(1) To Sir With Love - Lulu
(2) Alfie - Cilla Black (c. Burt Bacharach)
(3) Georgy Girl - The New Seekers

All set in swinging London in the sixties. Obviously a fave period of mine.

There aren't too many films where I can recall an original song being a big part of my enjoyment of the film. The music that tends to make an impact with me is incidental music scored for the entire film such as Jon Brion's "Punch Drunk Love", Thomas Newman's "American Beauty" or Yann Tiersen's "Amelie" to name 3 recent examples. Songs that register with me tend to be older tracks that have been used in scenes where they make perfect sense as opposed to being tacked on to add some extra value to the CD that accompanies the film. So with that in mind some of my favourite movie/song moments are:

"Son of a Preacher Man" - Pulp Fiction
"Stuck in the Middle With You" - Reservoir Dogs
"Lust for Life" - Trainspotting
"Sing Sing Sing" - Bright Young Things
"Moon River" - Breakfast at Tiffany's"
"Everything You Do is a Balloon" - Morvern Callar


And one that still resonates to this day "Man in Motion" from St. Elmo's Fire.

Kyle do the songs have to have been Oscar winners (dammit! theres always somethin about me and rules....)IF so I can only think of one song in my lifetime that I thought worthy, and believe it or not its Philadelphia by Springsteen. This song is unlike pretty much anything he has ever done and tied in beautifully with the film itself. It supported the movie rather then being a distraction from it. The film I thought was the first and last really good film Hanks has ever done. Ive never understood his appeal at all. This film runs the risk of being shot down for sentimentalising such a serious topic (AIDS) however I bought into it completly and the film and song have remained forever linked since, which is I guess the whole point of an "oscar" song....hold on.... i think our boy elliott smith had an oscar song with miss misery? ....also....I think Shaft- Issac Hayes was an oscar winner , and aside from political correctness issues ....man that song still knocks my socks off.
s

Bah humbug. I think the difference between our opinions starts a lot further back than this particular film - it's about the American film tradition. The whole aesthetic in fact. Your reference to Hallmark Movie of the week is quite appropriate - but only in that light. It's naturally naive, cliched-sounding at times, but when done well, which this was, it can still resonate. It's a style I can enjoy - a similar film that comes to mind in tone and allegorical style is Shawshank Redemption, love it or hate it (I actually didn't like it that much). Anyway, gotta say I found MDB very moving, which means I had fun, and you didn't. So nah nah nah nah nah. Guess I'm just a softy.

Sorry to harp on about movies but MDB was as riveting as any other Sunday night Hallmark movie of the week, which is to say not at all. Some of the scenes previously mentioned were cringe inducingly bad. And apart from these scenes what did we have but more Rocky'esque scenes of hyper-speed boxing and wise tired old words exchanged by Clint and Morgan. I didn't buy into it one bit. About as moving and relevant as "The Other Side of the Mountain".

Great idea for a list....I'm on it. I'll start with the sixties.

Re MDB...you say contrvied, I say thematically consistent. Not to say that there weren't a few trite moments (you've identified the worst of them, though I don't agree about the "MF beating the shit out of the punk"), but I found the mood to be brilliantly evoked, the inevitable sadness profound, and the build up to a few critical moments agonizingly well done.

way to embrace your inner youth, bri, or alternatively, your dirty old man's penchant for the young and nubile (welcome to the club).

have to say though, that i wasn't as impressed with either 'million dollar baby' or clint's performance. to me, it seemed like more of a showcase for his teeth-gritting, lone wolf tough guy act more than anything, and found the story as a whole a little too contrived, especially with its moments of catharsis (morgan freeman punching the lippy boxer, hilary swank telling off her greedy mother). i'll grant you hillary swank's oscar worthy performance, though i always find her equine features a tad unsettling.

never saw 'the aviator' or 'ray', mostly because i find biopics tiresome...they all seem to follow the same narrative arc (obscure guy shocks the system, rises to fame, runs into problems, has fight with wife who breaks an item of furniture, finds redemption). all more or less variations on the story of christ, i guess. never saw the mel gibson movie either, a recut version of which was recently re-released. not sure if i'm into prolonged scenes of torture without any kind of self-referential tarantino-esque humour accompanying it.

since we're on the topic of movies, and since i mentioned some of the other films that were nominated for oscars this year, and since this is a music blog and since we've been without a list query for awhile and since...okay okay i'll get to the point. the 'best original song' category always causes me to gnash my teeth and wail because of the piss poor quality of the nominees year in year out. but clearly, there have been some great songs from great films and not so great films so i ask you, what are your top 5 songs from a film, alltime?

Yeah!! What? Oh right, Minnie Driver. Getting on a bit on wouldn't you say...why, she must be mid-thirties?? At least. Wow.

re Shins, I'll still go. Love hanging out with the OC gang. Such nice skin.

And very belatedly, I saw "Million Dollar Baby" on the weekend and thought it was very (surprisingly) strong. Very American cinematic, with a powerful, operatic sort of a script. Clint was outstanding in it - and I don't use that term lightly, he's a fucking terrible actor most of the time...and I'm a fan anyway - and Hillary was even better. Amazing range she has...she gets my nod (well, this week wnyway) for best female actor working today (sorry Derek, I like Samantha Morton too).

Derek maybe you can splain the Ms Driver thang. I saw a picture of what I took to be the actress in Now claiming her band was coming to the Drake as you mention. Is this really the actress, if so does she have any merit other then her beauty )Not that theres anything wrong with going to the Drake for that reason alone...)

didn't realize it was an all-ages gig. maybe you can get minnie to belt out 'kissing the lipless' or better yet [insert joke about kissing her].

Since we're doing lists these days:

#1 - I just read the bleedin' listing last night
#2 - Yes its a good album (maybe two?) but $21??
#3 - Going to concerts south of the Gardiner is just so 90's
#4 - It's an all ages show which means it will be full of kids who just dig them because they heard them on the O.C.
#5 - I'm saving my money to see the divine Ms. Driver at Lee's a week later

okay, since my last post seemed to slam the doors shut on any conversation, let me pose this question:

how come no one told me that the shins were coming on april 17th?

my excuse for not knowing is that i'm never in the effing country. what are your excuses?

now that the smoke has cleared, let me chime in to say:

1) Thursday April 7th is a go for the next cd club meeting at my place, directions to follow as we approach that date
2) i'm in for the spinatra or whatever the hell was suggested, unjustly or otherwise, by mr. doyle (will follow up the link and spelling in due course, bri)
3) i don't mind if stuart picks the next classical piece and in fact will happily grant him my turn in the rotation as well
4) marc, you're this close to having your blogging priviledges suspended if you keep clicking the publish post button everytime your screen doesn't load
5) actually, i don't have a fifth point but thought there should be one anyway

am in seattle for the next couple of days and may try to see m.i.a. tonight, if they still have tickets available. will be away for the bclub on wednesday so have fun at bettys and enjoy the wings you bastages who will be in attendance.

Hey marc, at least you didnt get dissed 4 times in a row. I thought you were just trying to really make your point.... OK Apologies to Brian, I didnt realize Derek picked the last one. Never-the-less I'd like a shot at picking the next one after Janacek , if thats OK w you Brian, Ill probably need the next 3 months anyway just to find something you guys dont have already....
yours humbly (and suitably chastised!)
s

OK boys, the 7th is officially fine for me. We haven't got the go ahead from our host yet, so I'm assuming it's tentative for now.

As for classical selection, Stuart, stop trying to control everybody.

...and apparently i have a propensity for repeating myself!...not exactly sure how that happened; repeatedly said it could not publish and then went ahead and posted them anyway...boy do i i feel silly!

Stuart's propensity for rule making must be a backlash to the Ontario Building Code compliance examinations he is being forced to write...so Stuart, what's the setback from the sidewall to the lot line on your proposed classical music survey?

Stuart's propensity for rule making must be a backlash to the Ontario Building Code compliance examinations he is being forced to write...so Stuart, what's the setback from the sidewall to the lot line on your proposed classical music survey?

Stuart's propensity for rule making must be a backlash to the Ontario Building Code compliance examinations he is being forced to write...so Stuart, what's the setback from the sidewall to the lot line on your proposed classical music survey?

Stuart's propensity for rule making must be a backlash reaction to the exams he is writing for Ontario Building Code compliance...it's all about the rules you see!...so Stuart, what's the setback from the side wall to the lot line on that classical music survey?

First things first. Yes Stuart you are out of your fuckin mind. Secondly I would normally be the last guy to come to Brian's defence (after all he is indefensible) but he did not select the classical music piece that we listened to several months back. The Honneger was selected by yours truly.

Janacek sounds good to me.

Count me in for the janecek but.....I beleive this makes 2 choices in a row for you brian, and as I am a democratically minded fellow (unlike your passive fascist character)......for the next time...... I vote for a rotation on this classical music survey that we are doing.
I realise Brian and Derek have large amounts of classical so they or anyone may veto suggestions that are not new or interesting. I know I know rules again......
what do you guys think? am I out of my f...mind?
s

Here's a link to a description of the Sinfonietta if you're interested.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=42:29360~T1

Archer Who?

OK, you smug bastard (sorry, lovely smug bastard), you got one of 'em. But there are many many more than that. Well, five. Anyway, I think you need to hustle out and buy a few new ones to keep up.

Is everyone on board for the Janacek?

It's just possible that the 7th is less than perfect for me. Given Stu's issues we might have to move it to the next week (I've got my M-I-L visiting from Oz that week). I'll confirm the date later today.

The 7th is OK for me, but not sooner as I am studying for an exam which takes place on the afternoon of the 7th. ( I will be in the mood for drinking after this so dont count on any usefull dissertations on music .....like I usually provide??)
s

guy, guys!...where's the love...show a bit of da' love!

Hey buddy bring it on!! Hopefully you've got more than the latest Archer Prewitt in your arsenal. Sign me up for the 7th.

once again, at the risk of sounding like nothing ever happens in my life, yeah the 7th is fine for m, as are any of the 4th through 8th...from now on you might just want to assume that i can make it...how sad is that!

Oh for the love of Pete how many tickets can one man have?? Time you settled down like the rest of us and snoozed on the couch in the evenings. Highly recommended. I'm a little sleepy now come to think of it.

I just had a successful Soundscapes outing and am feeling the need to duke it out with Derek manna a manno - number, quality, variety, I got it all.

So, reluctantly, and with the full undertsanding that multiple beers will be bought by the Scotch Man at the next opportunity for his lack of consideration, I suggest we look at the week of April 4 - 8. How about Thursday the seventh?

Sorry to put a spanner in the works boys but I wont be able to attend a CD club prior to April 3. Feel free to go ahead without me although I know that the music I planned to bring kicks ass. Well it's better than the new Jennifer Lopez album at any rate.

Precious little purchased by me in the past couple of months, Kylie. I need the excuse of the CD Club to go and lighten my wallet a little bit. Definitely a few things I'm curious about right now. I'd tell you but.....

i may scoff, scorn, or mock and i frequently deride but i never sneer, stuart.

and i'm in for april 1st. we can have the meeting at my place, say around 7:30pm. i'll email the details as we get closer to the date. i'm also fine with Janacek's Sinfonietta (thank god for copy&pasting functionality--you typed that, bri?)

anyone pick up any interesting music lately, apart from obvious solo projects from lead singers of bands that were cool 16 years ago (note to sw: this officially qualifies as a 'dig')?

'the digital urn for a digital age' or whatever its called by bright eyes is decent but doesn't exactly rock my work. i'm told the more acoustic release is better. is this true? i'm enjoying the latest 'stars' disc. also, anyone catch the new beck tunes on 'the oc' hier soir?

Frankly,
I am just so happy not to have Kyles sneering email to me (on Ian Brown), everytime I check for life on metabeats that .... Ill agree to anything. April 1 is fine for me....

April 1st???????...are you trying to pull a fast one on me?...ok, the 1st will do just fine. I think i have to get a life...Evidently i do not have enough scheduling conflicts.

How's the 1st for everyone?

No can do on the 31st I'm afraid. I have tickets for a show that night. And the 30th if I'm not mistaken.

I'm good for the 31st.

OK boys, seriously...I know we're capable of this......when's the CD club? I'll throw out a date to get the ball rolling. Thursday March 31st?

Going to hit the shops tomorrow to buy "CD Club music".

Are we going to try a classical piece again this time? If so, I nominate Janacek's Sinfonietta.

Ian Brown reminds you of Oasis?! No, no no no no! Oasis reminds you of the Stone Roses!!!

Sorry to italicize there, Stuart but you had it coming... I'm not sure any band ever lives up to the hype but the first Stone Roses album is at the very least, one of the better pop releases in the last 20 years. Revisit it. Now!

Also, my apologies for my recent absence from the blogosphere and my non-committal on a cd club date but 1) I've been really busy with work and travelling like crazy 2) i have been itching and scratching for the past 6 days due to an unforeseen and wholly irritating allergic reaction I'm having due to, what is presumed at this point but cannot definitively blamed on, new fabric softener sheets, and 3) i'm waiting to hear back from some clients before i can firm up my schedule for the end of march. Are there any dates the week of March 28 to April 1st that won't work for any of you?

Regarding the NYT Magazine article and the quote that you posted, Derek...

It's a rule of thumb that marketing people are completely full of shit but in this case, I think Ms. Fishman has her head completely up her ass. While I don't dispute the usefulness of demographic segmentation, attributing the lack of enthusiasm for a Motley Crue revival among my cohert to bad parenting and schooling is a bit much. I'd like to think it's because generationally, we're less lame than the Boomers, whose endless evocations of Woodstock and 60s nostaglia become more grating with each 'For What it's Worth' soundtracked, 'bombs dropping on Vietnam and prostesters putting flowers in gun' montage that crops up on tv every other week.

But I think the main reason for the low attendance at these nostalgic tours is mainly a numbers game. There are a lot more Boomers than GenXers so the market is just smaller for the kind of self-absorbed, remember-when-we-were-cool navel-gazing that would precipitate the purchase of a Billy Idol revival ticket.

On another note, has anybody heard any music from a NY band called, "Brazilian Girls"? I almost picked up the disc a few weeks ago after listening to a few tracks and reading a lot of hype but was put off by the cd cover. Is this wrong? Am I shallow? You can see what I mean here. You can listen to them here.

Hope to have some dates suggested soon.

Bill bought a cd into work recently that his university girls have been listening to.-Ian Brown -solarized. ( popular with the kids). I dig it baby, sort of like Oasis but less formulaic at least to my mind. Also a bit seventies influenced, which is never a bad thing for me.
I checked out some of his other albums on allmusic and found him to be the singer of stone roses, which is odd, because as much as I have tried ( and I have put some serious effort into it) I just dont get what all the fuss is about the stone roses.
Maybe some of you could let me know how his work with them is so much better ( as I predict will be your response) then his latter solo stuff. or if you like his solo stuff, what is good?

Perhaps Kyle was just kidding about the next CD club or maybe he's just tongue tied as a result of his Downy induced affliction. At any rate I just hate to see Stuart left dangling in the breeze twice over and I am long overdue to post something.

In catching up on my Sunday NY times reading I came across an article from 2 weeks ago that dealt with the resurgence(?) of 80's bands and their music. Can't actually say that the re-emergence of Tears for Fears, Billy Idol and Motley Crue is taking up much of my headspace but that was partially the gist of the article. One particular segment in the article did stand out for me and that was only because I thought it was entirely ridiculous. I will lay it out here for your edification and comments.

The woman quoted below is speaking in regards to 30 somethings not turning up in droves for the new work put out by these aging musicians.

According to Ann Fishman, president of Generational Targeted Marketing, the problem's not with the music, it's with the memories. The fans from Generation X, she says, "are not particularly grounded in their youth."

"Would you be grounded in something where you had divorced parents, poor schooling?" she asks. "We presume nostalgia is a great selling tool. It is to the baby boomers. It's not to Gen X. The history of their youth has forced them to grow up more quickly. Nostalgia is not necessarily something that's going to move them ahead. They enjoy the music of their youth but it's not a need."

What is this woman talking about? Normally I'd just read right through paragraphs like these without a second thought but I just couldn't ignore the ramblings presented here. The only thing I partially agree with is the last sentence. Yes the music of my youth (for me 1976-1983) was enjoyable but probably not a necessity at this stage of my life. But isn't that true of most intelligent, maturing, and responsive music lovers?

I also did not realize that a fine education and a solid family life were the keys to my subsequent realization that "Pass the Dutchie" was indeed a musical milestone.

And finally weren't we always being told that for Gen X'ers growing up was the last thing on our rather empty agenda? Weren't we the group that was happily postponing all the pleasures that come with responsible adult life? Apparently we were mislead.

I guess that was a real conversation stopper.....

name your date....
s

Kylie - I'm good for late March / early April. Let the buying frenzy begin.

re: Bright Eyes. I bought Sarah one of the discs last weekend, the more acoustic of the two, "I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning" but haven't listened to it yet. I saw the 'Digital Ash in a Digital Urn' on sale for $9.95 US yesterday so I might as well pick it up and we can all have a listen at the next cd club. You're welcome to rip the tracks off either disc to check it out.

I'm not around much these next few weeks (and am fact, not around at present) but would like to host a cd club towards the end of March. Are there any dates that would not work for anyone, say the weeks of March 20 to April 1?

I knew you'd be all over that one Stu. I also love Pag's "Some Sing Some Dance". Didn't you say you had a disk (or a few) of 70's tracks that you were playing at the office? I might be ready for that.

Brian. one of my favorite singles " lovin you aint so easy, I ,in fact, have the album. Which also has the great track "rainshowers" you know "rain-rain-rain showwwers.....I previewed Bright eyes at soundscapes and Ill pass, way too sweet for me (which is saying something!)
s

Oh sure, why not? Not like me to turn down an offer to buy a disk, even something that strikes me as puerile. I'm in.

Can't say how the music is, having not heard any of it yet but on several occasions on the weekend I had both discs in my grubby little mitts and just couldn't pull the trigger. I just didn't want to feel like I was succumbing to the tidal wave of hype that has surrounded these records.

Having said that I'm still extremely curious and if anyone wants to go halvsies on the discs that would work for me. That way I just pay for one but get to rip and listen to both of them. Let me know if anyone is interested in said arrangement.

I downloaded a few Bright Eyes' tracks on the weekend - I can only ignore the critical groundswell for so long - and it sounded to me like over-earnest cutsie crap. This based on about five minutes combined listening, mind you. Before I write it off and move onto the next flavour of the month, is anybody listening to and liking it? And if so, which songs?

Thanks for the tip Stu, but much as I love Soundscapes it's not in my nature to order/wait for music I'm interested in to save a few bucks. I just don't have it in me. Kind of like the way I drink beer.

Kyle, re fave Canadian tracks - interesting time to be choosing since CBC/Gomeshi are re-visiting the 50 tracks concept with a Canadian skew.

Thinking of songs that have slid into relative obscurity....

One I've always liked (strong childhood/nostalgia element) is "Me, You, and Mexico", by Edward Bear (1969) - you guys will likely think that is shit - and (this was played by Jay Ferguson on last week's Gomesh-orama and gave me chills I remembered and loved it so much) "Lovin' you Ain't Easy" by Michel Pagliaro. Gorgeous.

Couple of comments,
1) Soundscapes has proven to be the cheapest by far for classical recordings. I picked up Beethovens cello/piano sonatas by Perenyi for $35 there, vs $6 and $10 more at sams and HMV, I ordered the new Berg/ Britten violin concertos that were $26 and $28 at sams and HMV and it was only $19.99 at soundscapes (it took 3 weeks to arrive). Greg sais he can get pretty much anything we want as long as we dont mind the wait.
2) Kyle - I too am truly lovin that Kos cd , it has been constantly getting play at our office. Anyone half way interedted in this stuff should pick it up.

My Favourite Canadian Albums of the Past 20 Years:

- Labour Day – Spirit of the West
- Harvest Moon – Neil Young –
- Twice Removed – Sloan
- Poses – Rufus Wainwright
- The Electric Version – The New Pornographers
- Everything I Long For – Hayden
- You Forgot it in People -- Broken Social Scene

I didn’t include the Arcade Fire or K-Os because they’re still kind of new and I’m not sure if I’ll be as gaga a year from now as I am presently.

There are some glaring omissions. I’m not a big fan of the Rheostatics, Rush, or Alanis Morissette so my list is far from quintessential. I’m probably more familiar with songs from the 70s than complete albums so I’d be willing to scrape my memory glands for a list of the greatest Canadian ditties. What are the best/your favourite Canadian tracks of all time?

Sorry Destroyer record listed below is Streethawk a seduction....I really should proof read...
s

I would agree with the Band, Sloans' twice removed, Neils Harvest, Daniels' Acadie as all faves of mine and I'd add in no particular order:
1) Neil Yonge's - On the Beach (side 2 being my favorite single LP side period)
2)Gord Lightfoots - Summerside of life (side 1 being my favorite single LP side period)
3) Joni Mitchels Ladies of the canyon ( the perfect rainy day record)
4) L. Cohens -Songs of ...( the perfect late nite by yourself and a little wasted)
5) Bruce Cochburn- Stealing Fire.. (still hangs together really well notwithstanding that 80's production)
6)Spirit of the West- (Faithlift) (perfect mix of celtic and alt rock)
7)Blue Rodeo- 5 days in July (Keelers depiction of standing under that streetlight as the snow falls after you have fucked up has to be the quintesential depiction of the canadian moment, (mine repeatedly anyways))
8)Lowest of the low- Shakepere- ( to make you forget what you fucked up - see item 7 above)
9)Destroyer- Bejars glam rock twisted lyrics opus that has melody and musical twists that never tire from repeated listens)
10)Neils -Rust never sleeps ( for making me survive my youth)

Some excellent choices Marc. I love that Art Bergman record, and the previous one (with "Empty House" on it). I also liked the Inbreds "Winning Hearts" record - it might make my top ten - and was a pretty big fan of the Doughboys' "Crush" before it went multi platinum and got played every thirty seconds for two years, and the Guess Who's "Canned Wheat shouldn't be wholly ignored (thought go ahead if you want to). Also Hardship Post's "Somebody Spoke" was a fave of mine for about six months in the mid nineties.

Stuart, did you want to extol the virtues of Canadian folk? You're a little more sensitive than I.

Top 10 Canadian albums in no particular order

Neil Young – Decade, I know, that’s cheatin’ but as you say, an argument can be made for the top 5 albums being all Neil so here we have 6 solid sides all in one package…with a poster to boot!

Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark, I have only recently picked up Blue and it may well overtake c & b as my fav. Joni. It’s interesting that my first two picks transplanted themselves to places other than Canada.

Tragically Hip – Up To Here, the band still young and edgy…and so quintessentially Canadian

Art Bergman – Sexual Roulette, so dark and angry and largely overlooked

Blue Rodeo – Outskirts, was this album the birth of a new Canadian music scene?

Daniel Lanois – Acadie, brings a modern edge and interpretation to very strong folk (French) roots…haunting at times

Robbie Robertson – solo debut, admittedly not very Canadian sounding at times

Leonard Cohen – The Future (1992) nobody says “get naked” like Lenny. I find this work to strongest when listened to with an understanding of his earlier writings. Here we have a great artist with a very respectable end to his career.

Arcade Fire – Funeral …I know, I know, it’s far to early to be calling this one of the all time great pop/rock albums but it’s a great representation of what great things might be on the horizon for mod. Rock

Broken Social Scene – You Forgot it in People, Again it’s a little preme to be calling it a classic but I still love it.

There you have it. Not a bad representation of 4 decades in CDN rock

People, people, people. Four days without a blog. Four lonely days. Quiet and lonely. Four. I'll be fine.

OK, re the much ballyhooed Brian Doyle Best Canadian albums of all time...was that my imagination or did I hear a collective gasp of excitement?

Here they are:

1 - Harvest - Neil Young. I expounded on this at the Vino Espanol Noce but am prepared to argue it again. But it's obvious, so figure it out. A case could be made for the top five all being Neil Young.

2 - Sloan - Twice Removed. Best Sloan album by far if you ask me (didn't you?). How is it they've become (almost) a parody of themselves?

3 - Circle C - Great eponymous angst-rock album from Vancouver-based group in the early nineties. Only album they released and you'll likely never find it anywhere (helpful eh?) - I'll bring it along to the next music club.

4 - The Band - Music From Big Pink. Phenomenal songs from start to finish, and played with a beautiful looseness that has inspired musicians ever since.

5 - Hayden - Skyscraper National Park. My favourite album of his - I love this guy - though I think a compilation of his best songs is better than any one album, unlike some artists.

Done for now.....and expecting this to generate some excitement.

In the unlikely event that nobody cares, perhaps I can entice you to consider (and blog on) the Best English albums of all time. Or is that the same as the best albums of all time?

No wait, Dylan's a Yank. And REM. And Nirvana. The Pixies too. Somebody stop me....

Great post Marc. And Stuart, that's a nice shirt, it brings out the colour in your nipples.

It's true that there's a little bit of spoiled childness lurking behind the lamentation that an artist can't consistently produce stellar work. Okay, you won the Nobel Prize for literature, went into hiding to avoid death threats that were a reaction to your art, and continued to write moving fiction that seamlessly melds Eastern and Western storytelling traditions with humour and candor but...what have you done for me lately, Mr. Rushdie?

You asked, “What gives us the right to expect intellectual immortality of them when we so often dream of not having to work so hard at what it is we do? “ and you’re right, it is unfair. But I guess because I find what a musician, visual artist, or writer does is far more interesting than what I do, I expect a little more. There's also a precedent that the artist sets with his baby.

I have to back up Stuart's critique of your claim that art was never about wealth. Were it not for the patronage of some very wealthy people, there would be precious few paintings hanging in the great galleries of the world. Agree that any worthwhile artistic effort is not going to be motivated by commercial concerns but the impact of money, and the realization by some that compromising one's standards may lead to an increase in sales (hello Treble Charger, Liz Phair) is a very real phenomenom. What I find most frustrating is the lack of commercial success of really great bands relative to the success of the countless braying jackasses (Simpson sisters, minute 14 just ticked by) whom I am subjected to every time I open a paper, turn on a radio, or turn on a television.

All this talk of JS gets me thinking not about Johann Sebastian but Jeremy Sandell...how come he never posts? Gotta send him another invite.

Thanks for the jazz lists, Brian and Derek. I had that Mobley disc in my hand a few weeks ago and decided not to buy it, for no reason in particular. Clearly, that was an idiotic decision that should be rectified in the near future.

Hope to see you all very soon, white teeth stained pink by multiple glasses of Spanish red.

I think you are right Stu, when you say that you can't point to any one condition that will produce great art...if you could then we would probably loose much of the mystique and wonderment that surrounds it; maybe we would all be creating it if one would identify that magic touch.

...and you are right about the socio eco comment, there are countless examples when you start to think about it.

Interesting, when you start to think the pressures of producing "the next great piece of art" and relating that to the pressures of producing art when you are the progeny of a great artist...Jacob Dylan, Sofia Copola, any one of a given Bach's etc. ...just try and be true to yourself!!! ...yeah right.

Phew, lots of great points marc, I dont know how you guys can put such effort into blogging, I seem to find it hard to focus on just reading these lengthy dissertations. ( since no one has replied to marc yet I think I am not alone???)That said, a few things filtered through my addled brain, reading this marc, ...there is a new controversial book out about the history of western music, ( I may have mentioned this to some of you so forgive my repetition), and in it, ( having only read the book review and forgetting the authors name),it purports to draw a strong link between the artist and their socio economic context. For example , contrary to a point of marcs', some famous artists like Chopin, were wealthy and catered to from birth and lived in what we would consider stardom from inception, yet he still produced this great body of work. Just goes to show that there are holes in all our theries and that you cant pin down artistic impulses to any one set of rules. I do believe hartily with marc that we expect far too much from our artists and I think that was the thrust of my first reaction to Brians original comment, ( marc expressed it much more eloquently)...
s

Once again, long overdue…

Three billion monkeys stroking away at their keyboards… is it any wonder that some of them are going to come up with a few great ideas now and then?

I have been thinking long and hard on this topic, and the more I reflect upon it, the more closely I relate it to our society as a whole. How different is the plight of the artist from the struggles of the banker, the politician, the scientist or the schoolteacher. We all have moments of relative greatness and moments we would rather have wiped from our hard drives. Why is it we have come to expect so much from artists?…so much from people?…so much more than we might be willing to give of ourselves. What gives us the right to expect intellectual immortality of them when we so often dream of not having to work so hard at what it is we do?

The late 20th century has brought us an unprecedented access to and inundation of media and entertainment that has warped (or simply changed) our perspective on pop culture and art… and where do we draw the line between art and pop culture. One must be careful not to confuse one for the other. They are neither mutually exclusive nor one in the same and sometimes when we refer to artists I think we should be referring to pop culturists. The line draw between the two is grey, fuzzy and fraught with interpretation.

Never before has society had access to and consumed so much media…of all sorts. We gobble it up. We consume so much of it that some of us have to leave it unwrapped on our shelves for a time when we have room to digest more!!! Would you like to supersize that sir? Through all the belly aching of the record companies and the entertainment industry, unit sales for cd’s have risen once again to outstrip the growth rate of our GDP. More music than ever with ever less to be said…so it would seem. One of the more ironic tales I have heard, is of how The Wallflowers firs Album grossed more to Jacob Dylan than all of Bob’s albums had combined to that point in time. Hard to comprehend.


It is interesting when one compares art and artists of the time before the advent of mass media with those of the 20th century. I think that many of what we deem to be great artists, were, ahead of their time, unnoticed in their time, excommunicated by the church, starving, prone to cutting of their ears, and none were as rich as the richest have become today! Art was never about wealth. It was something that had to be done in spite of its financial shortcomings and lack of recognition. A hardship that had to be endured and that informed the work. Something that came from the heart. The ability to create art is a luxury and a self indulgence and yet people have come to complain about how hard it is to make a living as an artist. Supply and demand baby! If you can’t make a living at it, you ain’t no good at it! Give it up and get a real job!…sorry I don’t really believe that, but there are far too many people who feel that it is within their right to make a living as an artist. Truly great art is seems to bear little relation to its value.

Art is a tapestry…a time and place cross with a mind that expresses a new and significant idea…the threads are woven together to form a fabric that is a critical reflection of society. Time and place make ideas significant, without them, provocative concepts become meaningless. The fabric of the tapestry is delicate and forever in flux. Work created yesterday can be relevant and brilliant but meaningless and insignificant if created tomorrow. The interesting thing is that great works of art usually remain great maintain their significance over time.

Someone mentioned Louis Armstrong, and he was without a doubt, one of the key figures in defining modern jazz. You work a theme through for a few decades and that becomes who you are…what you play…it is part of your core value…the way you play your music….what did you want him to do next? invent jazz-fusion?

The problem is that we are all a product of a time and a place …a great artist makes a statement about the world in which they live… the world changes, in part due to the contribution that the artist made and the statement becomes valuable and viewed for its value in changing society. An artist can only explore an avenue so far. At a certain point the artist needs to redefine himself. The better the artist, the more readily the artist can redefine themselves. In our day and age, change seems to be occurring on a logarithmic curve . Through sexual revolutions , cultural revolutions and technological revolutions, an artists world changes but the artists core values can no longer change the world since the world has changed around them. Compounding this problem, the lives we live are becoming longer and longer and it becomes more difficult to live out a lifetime of creativity when so much change occurs though our lives. People are still alive who saw the birth of the automobile, flight, the radio and the telephone, the world at war (twice) space travel and the computer…what changes did J.S. Bach see in his 65 years on earth…probably seemed like a lot to him…what changes will your children see in the years to come? And speaking of J.S….there is a very good example of someone whose artistic contribution was largely written off for about a century…how did that happen…who has been overlooked within our generation?



As we grow older our bodies and souls change and our core value change. Things that were important to us when we young (like getting laid in the back of Dodge) seem to be replaced with more meaningful pursuits (like getting laid in the back of our X5 or Land Cruiser). You need to grow and change as an artist as the values in your life change but it might well be that you are not able to successfully translate your matured values into art. Maybe the matured you does not care at all about anything…you are numbed by the existence of your success. It is an impossibility to isolate yourself from the reactions to your art, be they monetary or critical.


Geniuses are hard to come by but we have come to look for them all around us…the next big thing. Through the escalating changes in the world we seem to reject and accept icons of pop culture and art and discard them with ever increasing rapidity.

Art is never something we do in isolation. We draw from those around us whether they be lovers, family, friends, partners or collaborators. Would U2 be what they are without Lylywhite, Eno or Lanois? The dynamics of these relationships are always in flux and that will invariably affect the quality and content of our work. I think that we can never underestimate the contribution that others make in the support of the artist; after all, if the there ain’t no audience there just ain’t no show!

The flow of an artistic career has much to do with the discipline in question and the way it changes in society. Musical pop stars seem to reach their pinnacle shortly after puberty these days while the saying still goes that you are not an Architect until you are 40! (and yes I believe that good architects are artist, as few and far between as they may be)…..(but in this I have experience…I might hazard to say, that an architect is only as good as their client)….hmmm, if the there ain’t no audience there just ain’t no show! Language and the stories that are told in print seem to change at a much slower pace than film or music that seem to be much more affected by progresses in technologies and are so much more quickly digested by pop culture and run quickly through change. This might have a lot to do with the way that the product it consumed. Good books tend to be consumed slowly, sit on shelves and are borrowed from libraries and are around for a lifetime while movies are publicized to death, are run for a few weeks and then go to dvd where they are once again publicized to death, consumed and put in the delete bin. It is no wonder that the career of a writer can be so much more enduring than that of a musical pop star (artist) or film maker?…or can it?

What are you going to do to change the world?

I was kinda wonderin' what happened to Wayne. I would put most of the discs I own by him up on anyone's top jazz albums list. Besides "Speak no Evil" I would throw in "JuJu", "Night Dreamer" and "Adam's Apple".

Some of my other faves:

Ben Webster - Soulmates (Webster on sax is smooth as silk and his classic rendition of "Chelsea Bridge", unfortunately not on this disc, is one of my favourite all time jazz numbers)

Sonny Rollins - Tenor Madness - this disc features the two sax giants of the era, Rollins and Coltrane in 1956, on the first track. Along with Coltrane the other 3 players on this disc make up Miles Davis' quintet of that era which leads me to my next choice(s),

Miles Davis - with Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Philly Joe Jones on the skins and Coltrane and Davis any one of the 4 albums, from 1956 "Cookin", "Relaxin", "Steamin" or "Workin" make for extremely listenable and pure pleasure jazz.

J.J. Johnson - Proof Positive - if you're going to have one "trombone" jazz disc in your collection and everyone should have at least one, you can't go wrong with this beauty featuring the highly underrated Harold Mabern on piano.

Stan Getz - Focus - a jazz album from 1961 featuring violins, viola and cello along with the cool sound of Getz on sax. Unlike some of the more saccharine classical string-jazz efforts this one has a definite edge and is great meditative music.

Joe Henderson - Inner Urge - as Brian mentioned one of several that you could pick from his large body of work

Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch - certainly far more "out" than pretty much anything else on this list but while it might send your granny running for the earplugs its a good start in to the more adventurous side of jazz. The combination of sweet and sour on the first track "Hat and Beard" is pretty much how I picture the jazz scence of the early 60's. One of those album openers that never tires.

Freddie Hubbard - The Body & the Soul - hate to go on about album openers but "Body and Soul" with Dolphy on flute and Hubbard on trumpet is a killer smooth jazz track as is "Dedicated to You". The ladies will be sure to love them. If you dig Freddie on this album seek out some Clifford Brown.

John Coltrane - "Giant Steps" but again there are very few of his that wouldn't make the list.

And I suppose if picking an album featuring piano any of three by McCoy Tyner - Inception, The Real McCoy or Supertrios.

Forgot one that I love as much or more than any others on that list - Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil" (1964). Magic.

I'll start with a list of my most listened to jazz music. This isn't the best, most significant yadds yadda list, but jazz being as musically "out" as it sometimes is, some of the the really important stuff can be harder on the ears, and doesn't get the late-night spins. And some of the below-noted is the best of the best. It's worth mentioning that I prefer the jazz era from about 1952 to 1966 - a great period for sure, but many think jazz was already dying by then, along with the original be-boppers like Parker, Powell, etc. Me, I think it's the best combination of groovy beats, true musical expression outside the first wave of bop (which at times has a sort of "look at me I'm playing a flat fifth and sharp ninth back-to-back" bravado quality to it), and some incredible experimentation and re-thinking of form. Though, as I say, none of the stuff I'll list is could be described as hard listenining (so, no Shepp, Coleman, Bley e.g.).

I poked around my collection and came up with ten. OK, fourteen. In no order they are:

vocal
Sarah Vaughan - with Clifford Brown (1954) (this one is a must have)
Anita O'Day - Anita Sings the Most (1956)
Helen Merrill - Dream of You (1956)

instrumental
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)
Bill Evans - Interplay (1962) ....this was a tough choice. He is my favourite jazz man of all, but this record is unusual in that he's playing with a guitar player (Jim Hall) and trumpeter (Freddie Hubbard), whereas he typically led a trio. His trio stuff is gorgeous and equally (probably more) essential, particularly Portrait in Jazz, Explorations, and Live at the Village Vanguard, thought it all has some quality to it, but this was the first Evans disk I fell in love with, and I think for a newcomer to jazz the extra instrumentation adds melody and life.
Hank Mobley - No Room for Squares (1963). I'm a huge fan of this guy's catchy hard bop (blues-based jazz), though he's considered a bit of a non-innovator. He has about five records that are all mighty fine.
Charlie Parker - Bird's Best Bop on Verve (1951 - 53)
Charles Mingus - Ah Um (1959) - so much soul, guts, and energy, and beautiful composition.
Bud Powell - The Best of Bud Powell on Verve (1950 - 55). My second favourite pianist after Evans, though utterly different....flamboyant, bold be-bop.
Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land (1964)
Chet Baker - The Best of Chet Sings (1952-53) - no better choice if you're trying to get a girl to...oh right, we're all married. Despite the cliche, this is some of my favourite music.
Joe Lovan0 - From the Soul (1991) - my favourite "modern" jazz tenor man...though even Joe's gotta be in his mid-fifties by now.
David Murray Quartet - Body and Soul (1993) - my other contemp fave, this album is the hardest thing on the list, though it's really not that tough - angst, energy, and creativity combined into amazing soundscape.
Joe Henderson - In and Out (1964) Could have chosen any of his from this period...he was teaming with trumpeter Kenny Dorham.
Coltrane - Africa Brass Sessions (1961) . Same story, pick a Coltrane record and you're likely fine, though careful with anything from 1965 onwards (unless you want to clear Sarah out of the house). I love the huge passionate cacophany of this record, played with a horn section arranged by Eric Dolphy, consisting of, among other things, nine French horns.

That'll do for now. Top 50 would have been easier....lots of gaps which I'll let the other guys fill if they're so inclined.

And as for writing on other subjects, that'll have to wait for another night.

Maybe "Best Canadian records" isn't hat inspiring after all. (No, goddamn it, I will blog on this tomorrow).

Stu, Feb 27 at the El Mo sounds cool. And I'm going to be at The Shoe this coming Monday (31st) to see a neighbour's nephew's band play a little showcase if anyone's looking for an excuse for a beer.

Excellent points, Kyle
My comment on Jaggers , was meant to say that he is an exception for producing great work ( along w Richards, Jones , Taylor etc) for a long 15 to 20 years. The last 5 from the early eighties are not great but still good. This is an exception to the 3 albums and your out rule. I think all this discussion warrents drinks and I know M. Ward is playing the elmo on the 27th of February, any takers????

Kylie, a most excellent answer, and I agree that the temptation is to make some bland generalization about the nature of art and artists irrespective of media. Which of course, is what I was trying to do....and in fact, I am still planning to do so when I write on this later tonight.

Also, have been giving some thought to your jazz CD question, and to my roundly ignored best Canadian album question (I wonder, what if I'd said best English...), and will post on them tonight too. Most happy to hear that you are contemplating entering the murky, annoyingly pedantic and yet damned rewarding world of jazz appreciation. Between me, Derek, Stuart, and Marc we should be able to get you started.

Clearly I haven't kept my resolution pertaining to the close editing of blog posts. I'll complete my response to Derek here:

As much as I grumble about the ubiquity of such appalling untalented and bland celebrities like Ashlee Simpson, or the lack of any decent radio station in this city, at least I have access to resources like the internet and live in a city that offers a variety of cultural options. With very little ease or expense, I can usually find interesting music, books or films. I'm not sure if this was possible even 10 years ago.

Sorry for the delay in responding but it's been a pretty hectic week and hey, you've bitten off quite a bit here with your questions, Brian. I'll attempt to do them justice.

Several times this past week I've found myself typing a response, definitively answering one question only to find myself coming up with a stream of examples that immediately contradict my own claims. For example, to your first question,

"Why (or whether you agree) there appears to be a tendency in the "modern" world towards unfinished artistic careers?"

I've come around to the view that it's difficult to come up with an answer that covers all the different forms of media you referenced.

When it comes to popular music, I agree that there is definitely a tendency towards an 'unfinished career'. I think this is because pop musicians 1) really only have a handful of really good releases in them at best (the '3 albums and you're out rule') and 2) are at their creative peak when they are young, fairly ignorant of past trends and influences (and therefore more risk-taking and less contrived), and can honestly articulate the frustration, anger, and impatience with the world that is inherent in youth. That's not to say that someone over the age of 40 can't release a good pop album, it's just they probably would have released a better one in their youth.

I won't comment on classical or jazz musicians because I just don't know enough about either genre to make any intelligent contribution. [And to those who would suggest that I am equally out of my depth when it comes to pop music, my advice is that you attempt the anatomically impossible and let me define my own parameters of self-deprecation].

With literature, I think some authors actually produce work that gets better with age, or at the very least go through a middle-years slump that is overshadowed by later, more impressive work. Philip Roth may be best known for 'Portnoy's Complaint' but some of his recent work is excellent and I think John LeCarre's last two novels are better than anything he wrote in the past. While I'm the first to bemoan the recent efforts of perennial favourites like DeLillo and Rushdie, I still think they will surprise with better efforts in the future. Again, there may be a finite number of artistic points/statements about the state of humanity/reflections on socio-political-cultural phenomena that each writer can make before he or she runs out of steam. But age can bring perspective and there are probably countless other modern examples of writers whose crowning glory was achieved in their later years; okay, this is a bit of a copout for not providing examples here but I'm pressing on cause there's still a lot of ground to cover.

When it comes to filmmakers...well, let me answer here by referring to one of your other questions, namely,

Is it the necessary balance between money and art?

Here I think is a medium most affected by the demands of commerce and where money plays the biggest role in determining or denying artistic legacy.

Some very actors and directors consistently make great choices but along the way, all seem to make some really big stinkers (ie. recent Coen Brothers, Julianne Moore, Ben Kingsley) in the name of the almighty buck. Other directors attempt to keep making great films but no longer have anything relevant to say anymore, perhaps because the've said all they really wanted to say in the first place (ie. Oliver Stone, Hal Hartley, Whit Stillman, David Mamet). Others may have reached their apex years ago, still strike out occassionally but still hit a home run every once in awhile (ie. Spike Lee, Robert Altman, Woody Allen...okay maybe he should be in the Oliver Stone category...). And still others consistently churn out thought-provoking, intelligent work (ie. Mike Leigh, Michael Winterbottom, Pedro Almodovar).

What separates this latter group from the former groups mentioned? Is it a singular artistic vision or the inner strength required to resist materialistic overtures from Hollywood?

I remember a Q&A at the Festival a few year's back where Gary Oldman was answering questions about his very personal and difficult film "Nil By Mouth". He stated bluntly that he takes on roles in such unspectacular fare as 'Air Force One' and 'Lost in Space' so that he can raise enough cash to work on projects that he truly cares about. I'm sure he's not the only one cashing in from time to time, for noble reasons or not, but his revelation speaks to the reality that 1) putting together a film requires a hell of a lot more money and collaboration that most other artistic endeavours, certainly more than recording an album or writing a book, and 2) the temptation for to abandon their quest to push the boundaries of the medium in order to make more sellable fare is so great that only a select few artists are willing or able to resist.

So to summarize my answers:

Pop Music=small time window in which to express a limited amount of artistic energy
Fiction/Literature=disagree, art may improve with age
Jazz/Classical=i am a moron, requiring the purchase of a 'dummies' book or enrollment in a proper finishing school
Film=$$$$

To your question,
Are we too close to these events to see how history will judge them?

Pop Music=No.
Fiction/Literature=Yes
Jazz/Classical=i am a moron, requiring the purchase of a 'dummies' book or enrollment in a proper finishing school
Film=Let's discuss the next time we all have a pint in our hands

Derek, you asked,

"At a time when we have available to us more forms of entertainment than could ever have been imagined 100 years ago are we suffering because of this surfeit?"

I'm not sure that we are suffering any worse than anyone would have 100 or even 10 years ago. I think there's always been a tendency towards mediocrity in the mainstream. As much as I grumble about the ubiquity of such appalling untalented and bland celebrities like Ashlee Simpson, or the lack of any decent radio station in this city, at least I have access
I don't know if that was always the case.

Stuart, while I applaud your concession that Tony Bennett, while possessing the charisma and the pipes to do that one trick really well, isn’t still producing great work, I question your assertion that Mick Jagger is still producing great work. I think the Stones are one of the best examples of a group that 1) hasn’t produced a decent record in almost 25 years (1981’s Tattoo You was probably the last to qualify) and 2) should channel any artistic impulses into what they still do well, namely banging hot young women. And with the exceptions of a couple of non-terrible singles, the bulk of Mick’s solo/duo projects are egregiously pathetic ('Dancing in the Streets' w/ David Bowie and 'State of Shock' with Michael Jackson are two cringe-worthy examples). If you think Mick’s Golden Globe win this week bolsters your case, I’d say you only have to look at the list of recent winners (schmaltzy dreck from Sting, Elton, and Celine) to see what a non-achievement this really is.

Marc, every time I take the subway, I have to fight the urge to belt out 'I'm waiting on a subway line/I'm waiting for a train to arrive' from the Walkmen's 'Thinking of a Dream I Had'. I love the sort of rambling intensity in his voice and the swirling guitars. Very suited to standing on a platform in these frigid days.

Okay, enough rambling of my own for now.

What top 5 or 10 jazz albums should I rush out and buy immediately?

Well, I for one am breathing a little more easily. Thanks Marc. And yes, it hadn't escaped my notice how your top five are all rock or kind-of rock records. Interesting evolution on your part.

I will await Kyle's reply to my note of a few days ago (since he promised that one was forthcoming when we bumped into each other at Dora's the other night) before re-jumping in with my somewhat nebulous take on artistic longevity.

(Though I will say that Derek's note had me one step from suicide, or the 2005 equivalent - channel surfing - until, incredibly, I found God, in the form of the SI Swimsuit Model Search. TV, at least, continues to shoot for the stars.)

I know, I know…you have all been waiting with baited breath for the release of my list of top 5 albums of 2005…anxiously wondering what pearls I’ve had squirreled away in the piles of walnut dust in my shop. Well I am sorry to disappoint, but there is nothing new for you boyz on my list but what is a surprise (at least to me), is what I find I have been drawn to most over the past year and can’t get out of the cd player

Top 5 in no particular order…and you’re lucky I managed to actually nail down five!

Arcade Fire – Funeral
Interpol – Antics
Walkmen – Bows and Arrows
Wilco – a ghost is born
Jolie Holland – Escondida
What I find interesting about my top five is that amongst them, there is not a single album that falls into a jazz/afro/electo/latin/dancey slots that got me off in the past number of years. With the exception of Holland, it’s all music in the straight up, pop/rock genre.
The other thing that I find interesting about several of the choices, is that they follow albums that were considered by many, to be stronger. I came to know Interpol, Walkmen and Wilco recently and revisited earlier works only after falling in love with their current releases.
I think that this resonates with the discourse on the blog (which I must admit I find very provocative) in that our perceptions of an artist’s work can’t help but be altered by our understanding or familiarity with their other works. Is it possible for me to hear a ghost is born in the same light as someone who has grown up with Summerteeth or Yankee Foxtrot? (two albums with which I was wholly unfamiliar) Is my perception of Ghost intrinsically different from yours because I was never a fan of theirs before? In any case, The direction that Wilco has gone with Ghost grabs me in a way that Wilco’s work never has before…have I simply entered a new headspace…was Wilco waiting for me to come to them or was I waiting for Wilco to change? I love the album with the exception of all the wanking of the last ten minutes….it’s all been done before and what ever you’re trying to say is either lost on me or empty…and no “you will never hear this song on the radio”!
Interpol’s – Antics? Super strong follow up to their debut…stronger still. The problem with it is that it may be seen by some as “more of the same” after their stellar freshman release. At a session of the cd club a while ago, someone, I think it was Brian, said, and I paraphrase, “if you own one of their albums do you really need to go out and buy another….it’s good music, but is it not just more of the same?…am I really gaining something from this album that was missing in my first experience?” If you ain’t got any Interpol, make it Antics. Antics outshines in its energy, dynamics and production.
Arcade Fire…didn’t see the show at the beginning of the summer so I could not be disappointed by the lack of energy captured on the album as I have heard some were. Again, it’s all about expectations. To my ears the sound is fresh, creative and full of the stuff of life.
The Walkmen?…all I want to know is what’s in it for me?
Jolie…a warm breeze…a swing on the veranda…the scent of magnolia…oh! for an afternoon to do nothing!
…and I gotta say that I’m not hugely disappointed with the year in music…I’ll grant you there was no Nevermind or London Calling

Don't mean to be a prat but I have to present these partial lists to back up my little part of tackling the matrix as Stuart so aptly put it.

Best-selling books of 2004 (presumably US)

1. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
2. The South Beach Diet - Arthur Agatston
3. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
4. The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
5. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
6. The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide - Arthur Agatston
7. My Life - Bill Clinton
8. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
9. Deception Point - Dan Brown
10. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown

Of the top 100 perhaps only 10 could be considered actual works of literature (and they sure ain't in the top 10, rather hard when the ubiquitous Mr. Brown had a hall of fame season) and 4 of them only made the list because hey Oprah liked it why shouldn't you.

Top 10 grossing films of 2004

1. Shrek 2
2. Spider Man 2
3. Passion of the Christ
4. The Incredibles
5. Harry Potter and etc
6. Day after Tomorrow
7. The Bourne Supremacy
8. Meet the Fockers
9. Shark Tale
10. Polar Express

Wow, 4 cartoons (don't give me that high falutin "animated feature bs), 5 sequels, and despite having seen nary a one of these films I can safely assume no more than 30 seconds of real life adult dialogue (unless you count Aramaic) or authentic situations. Combined gross in the US alone for these 10 master works: $2.5 billion.

Top 10 selling CDs of 2004:

1. Usher - "Confessions"
2. Norah Jones - "Feels Like Home"
3. Eminem - "Encore"
4. Kenny Chesney - "When the Sun Goes Down"
5. Gretchen Wilson - "Here for the Party"
6. Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"
7. Maroon 5 - "Songs about Jane"
8. Evanesence - "Fallen"
9. Ashlee Simpson - "Autobiography"
10. Various - "Now That's What I Call Music 16"

Insert your own version of Charlie Brown's patented scream here.

Where the hell did we go so horribly wrong? I hate to be a cultural snob but these lists speak to me of a species that's lost the plot.

My point. How does an artist, one who cares passionately and intelligently about his craft, reconcile what these lists say to him and the time, energy and the search for next month's rent that is required of him to create something he deems meaningful and hopefully with lasting effect. Radiohead anyone? Is it any surprise that directors, authors, musicians, put out 1, 2 maybe 3 movies, novels or albums never to be heard from again. I think the astounding thing is that there are any at all staying the course. An author like James Kelman, a band like Low, a director like Jim Jarmusch god love them all for at least struggling on despite the complete lack of any mainstream success.

And these are artists I know. There are undoubtedly thousands, (millions?) of others wallowing in complete obscurity. Our "give it to me now and forget about it 30 seconds later " society has no patience to allow an artist to mature and develop an oeuvre that would be remembered for decades to come. At a time when we have available to us more forms of entertainment than could ever have been imagined 100 years ago are we suffering because of this surfeit?

In a world where people never tire of telling us that there's just not enough time to relax and yet where more diligence than ever is required to sift through the crap that passes as art to extricate the real gems I truly believe that we're not likely to see any artistic giants from the current era striding through the landscape of future generations.

Can I go watch Fear Factor now?

I was attempting to answer your questions in my first ( rather biligerent reply) , unfortunately my long winded ramble is not very clear. If you reread from the part about venereal diseases down, what I was trying to say is that I think the artisitc decline is inevitable but for a few exceptions. One aspect of this decline is I think the fact that the artists who succeed tend to get treated to a lifestyle of fawning and they eventually lose touch with the world that they are attempting to create art in response to. I think you are on to something with media because novelists , who dont get the same publicity (and thus stardom)seem to maintain their impulses longer then most. Also Classical musicians of the past , though treated somewhat like rock stars , they were still not as recognizable as todays stars ie in peoples magazine etc... Classical musicians also tend to be more rigouously prepared for the world with education and practice habits etc.... that they may be better equipped to maintain their creativity, this may be especially so with performers, like Perlman etc..)
So in summing up I think these sociatle issues play a fare roll in the decline....
I hope that is clearer,though it only answers part of the matrix. It was also way less fun to write. ..
s.
s

Actually, I believe performers are artists, generally speaking. Like anything creative it's a question of accomplishment, and of significance. Creating can be in the execution as well as the concept as far as I'm concerned. e.g., Louis Armstrong is primarily known as a performer (didn't write all that much), and yet he almost single-handedly created modern jazz in the mid-twenties. Or so the story goes. And while we're talking about Louis, I would place him in category (c) rather than (a), seminal early output, followed by less and less relevant stuff, slow-ish fade to black (pardon the quasi-racist pun) and almost a caricature of himself by the 1960's/70's.

Nobody's actually answered (or attempted to) my questions by the way.

Can I assume that when we talk about consistent artists that we are strictly talking about people who actually create rather than simply perform. I bring this up after Stuart mentioned Keith Jarrett who I tend to agree is certainly one of the most consistent (if not entirely loveable) performers. But is he a consistent creator of art?

Especially for jazz guys this is an important distinction as Jarrett for one has seen many of his recent releases inlcude many works not written by Jarrett or anyone else in his trio. I understand that that by definition they are giving us their interpretation of the original but that's far from the creative process that I think the original discussion at Betty's had in mind.

And where do people like Maxim Vengerov, Martha Argerich and Hilary Hahn fit in to this discussion? Does someome who performs for much if not all of their adult life like a Perlman not count because once again they are only interpreting someone else's baby? Can we thus discount all classical performers (at least those who only play and not compose) and say that none of them are true artists?

Back to the point about musicians with longevity and quality I think we'd have to include guys like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

My partner Bills, inlaw has been a member of the small ensemble who tours with Tony,
and apparently Tony is so uber professional and generally a good guy all around , that just impresses the hell out of me for an icon of that magnitude. This inlaw also has some obscure connection to Keith Jarret , who is one who I must say still puts out very edgy stuff for now over a quarter of a century in both jazz and classical. I wonder if he wins the catagory of maintaining quality for the longest time?
s

Sure Tony's lost a bit of his edge, but he's in his late seventies now, so I'm OK with that....and apparently he rocked the house on the last Apprentice.

I take your point Brian, but I just reread my comment and I think I lost all credibility earlier when I inferred that Tony Bennet was a example of someone still putting out great work, .... what the ???....( maybe I really should edit my emails and blogs)

Good point big guy. I guess what I should have said was that the long-term view of the artists in question (rather than the art) will be tarnished by their years of consistent wretchedness. The thought of Stevie Wonder, for example, already provokes serious cringing (and justifiably so) despite the genius of Songs In the Key of Life et al. 'Cause it's been twenty four years of crap. Not every example is pronounced but you get my drift.

Well I agree with your career catagories , roughly, and think it a worthy debate, as most debates that originate at Bettys tend to be, I do take some issue with a few of your points . I would have to say questioning the merit of earlier works simply because there later work is bollocks is , well, simply bollocks. Steve Wonder put out at least 5 great albums in the early seventis and another 4 or so good albums in the sixties over a span of 10 years, Rod put out about 8 very good discs over about 6 years ( including work w Jeff Beck and also Faces, ) MIles Davis , well you did qualify he might be safe from this. I realise your argument was more that these artists did have there quality drop off and I agree there is no doubt about that. Pop music sets the worst example here , think Paul McCartney , The Band, the list goes on and on and the greater the musician the greater the perceived crime. Classical music fares considerable better , but most of them died from venereal diseases ( tut tut) and that moves them into another category, although few doubt Beethovens late years and many more like him.
I think pop music which is born of a non schooled youth , non intellectually rigoris roots has less to fall back on. Thes people are mere babes , who get thrust into the media limelight and treated in a manner which would cause damage to most. It is, I think, the norm- to loose touch with the reality (which early work of pop musicians descibes so beautifully) when you live in such a rarified sterile existent of brown nosing false friends catering to your every whim. Only a massively fucked up person ( Dylan, Coltrane, Neil) or a massively strong person ( Mic Jaggers, Tony Bennet) can servive this and still produce great work. Others rest on the money and laurels and so be it.
I am rambling now , but I think it pointless to dismiss early great work simply because they can no longer pull it out of themselves anymore. As far as the one trick ponys , I think that is simply another category of humanity, and the artists who maintain a group dynamic ( Led Zeppelin, Stones, the who, U2 , have a better chance as they feed of the artistic impulses of others rather then just having producers tell you that the dreck you just recorded is bliss.
s

Rod Stewart - yeah baby! Prime example of a musician/artist who was once cool, who once understood and engaged in the creative process, who slowly, inexorably became spiritually and artistically flabby, ultimately and luridly fascinatingly moving into Monty-Python-Meaning-of-Life-Fat-Guy-Eating-One-Thin-Wafer level of revoltingly obese artistic nothingness. To give him credit, when he said "fuck off" to making good music he did it on a leviathian-like scale. Some Guys Have All the Luck. Impressive.

(prologue to next comment....this next thought is not entirely my own and has been the subject of much discussion at Betty's)....it seems to me the twentieth century is filled with examples on both sides of the ledger of artists working in various media who create meaningful, remarkable art early in their career, and either (a) continue throughout their lives to pull their souls apart and contribute artistic output with passion, spirit, and iconoclasm, e.g., (all lists subject to debate of course) John Coltrane, Leonard Cohen, Dmitri Shostakovich, Philip Roth, Pablo Picasso, Robert Altman; (b) appear unable to "grow", make similar artistic statements time and time again and quickly self-select (in the annals of art history) as one-trick ponies - e.g., Kazuo Ishiguro, John Fowles, Pearl Jam, Jesus and Mary Chain, Hal Hartley.... or (c) make increasingly bland and/or misguided and/or commercial and/or superficial art that, as time passes, will inevitably call into question their initial, strong work (long list here....Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis (he may be safe from this), David Murray, Brett Easton Ellis, Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Copolla, and (sadly and reluctantly admitted) the Coen Brothers. Tons of others.

There are (d) and (e) categories that suggest themselves (d) artists who die or stop early thereby preserving and possibly enhancing their reputation for what might have been seen as a limited artistic idiom in the fullness of time (Salinger, Rothko, Modigliani, the Doors, Hendrix, etc), and (e) artists that produce remarkable work for a significant period of time before tailing off (Dylan, Stones, Norman Mailer, Stravinsky....OK Miles Davis probably belongs down here), thereby likely preserving their reputation, but these two catergories don't necessarily fit well into my upcoming question(s), so I'll put them aside for now. Too many categories makes for poor blogging.

Basically, I'd like to hear your opinions on why (or whether you agree) there appears to be a tendency in the "modern" world towards unfinished artistic careers. Is it the necessary balance between money and art? the intervention and influence of mass media? are we too close to these events to see how history will judge them? or is this simply a natural inability in artists (and people generally) to lose your "edge", to rest on your laurels and stop searching (if so, are we all doomed to this)? What does it take to have longevity in your artistic and creative impulses, and why don't more artists appear to have it?

Your thoughts.

Another subject of discussion presents itself to me. WARNING: It concerns lists, and encourages you to think about and/or publish a list.
The below list of top 25 Canadian albums of all time is posted on the Pitchfork site - not sure if any of you have come across it. It was compiled in 2000, and is (to my reading) in turns pretty funny, bang on once or twice, and blatantly idiotic a lot of the time. Any of you interested in posting your favourite or best Canadian albums of all time? I'm going to try to come up with a top five or ten in the next couple of days, with requisite rationale.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/columns/no-jacket/00-05-canada/

Mea Culpa ,
The second album is Gasoline Alley, ....Every Picture ...is the 3rd album, ( I should have verified on all music guide before I posted) The 2 albums I prefer are The Rod Stewart Album and Every Picture , though Gasoline Alley and the aforementioned A nods as good as a wink ( Faces )are pretty terriffic too.
s

I have to confess, Stuart, that the only reason I'm aware of 'Handbags' is its use in the opening sequence of "The Office" and yes, episode 4 is probably one of the best in the series, from the guitar playing to Gareth's response to a question about his ultimate fantasy: "Two sisters. Lesbians. I'm just watching."

Thanks for the suggestions re: Rod. I remember my mother had the singles for 'Tonight's the Night' and 'Maggie May' but the only other one of his I recall with any clarity is 'Do ya think I'm sexy?' which I reckon would not make an appearance on your list. I'll have to check out those earlier albums. Gracias.

Kyle I couldnt agree more with you about the pure Nordic Bliss of the first (for me ) 2 albums of Sigour Rios.On a separate note I have been experiencing recurring Rod Stewart moments as of late... 1st Derek makes an oblique reference on the metabeats site, Then Kyle gives me a mix disc with Handbags and Gladrags on an otherwise recent releases mix, Then Yvette and I start watching "the office" on DVD and Handbags and Gladrags is the theme music. ( by the way the 4th episode of the office wherin our hero serenades his staff on guitar is pretty damn funny , but thats another topic).I thought I would recommend to any who missed Rods early career the first 3 records...The Rod Stewart Album..(with Handbags), Every Picture tells a Storey and Gasoline alley ( and maybe the Faces disc ..A Nods as Good as a Wink.... All of these (in particular the first 2 Rod discs) are still favorites of mine that get regular play and seem timeless in a Stones or Dylan kind of way.

While Marc is mapquesting his way through the birth canal and Stuart is presumably sweating through an upper body workout and Brian is cursing me for insisting that Green Bay would easily beat up on Minnesota and he would be foolish not to pick the Packers in his elimination-style pool (do they allow first week mulligans...no?) and Derek is....Derek is....well, he's either skipping the last hour of work to catch a movie, is on his way home to or from hmv/soundscapes, or returning a rental car, I'm thinking about how great the first Sigur Ros album is and how it's a soothing complement to the month of January.

A couple of other tracks that I've recently downloaded and found are similarly channeling the essence of Janus:

"An Adagio for Tandems Stacked" by 'Teargas & Plateglass', is an ambient, drum-driven track that recalls DJ Shadow, Portishead and Massive Attack. There's a building sense of menace for the first four or five minutes that gives way to quieter, slow paced (the titular adagio?) softer beats. A perfect accompaniment to those cold nights of drunkenly stumbling through Regent Park or Allen Gardens. [Note: After clicking on the link, you'll find this track on the bottom of the page. Right click to download it or choose some of the others if you want to hear more].

"Kjammi" by Stafraenn Hakon [note: if the link doesn't work, try www.shakon.com and then click on the Sounds link on the left], another Icelandic musician who crafts some beautiful instrumentals with some pretty string arrangments, a few cymbals, and bass guitar.

Hopefully you won't think they channel the essence of anus.

Still awaiting a moments rest and opportunity for rebirth…look for the remainder of my top 2004 picks to be posted late in 2005/ early 2006

You didn't think Glass Tiger was an inspired choice? Just wait until Broken Social Scene headlines New Years 2019!!

Marc, are you still alive darling?

That's a pretty eclectic list of Top 10's. When I don't recognize even half of somebody's list I figure they're just making most of it up or these are all bands their friends belong to.

As for Canada being New England I know we have similar weather, topography and good seafood but I've never been much of a Red Sox fan and I know we have much more talented writers than people like Stephen King.

As for the wheelhouse reference all the discs I've mentioned have received heavy rotation (listened to at least once through) chez moi and while good in fits and spurts just don't come together as what I would consider a "great" record. And maybe I'm getting pernickety in my old age but 2004 just didn't see the emergence of too many great records.

Already looking forward to some new releases for 2005 including one that Stuart will be pleased to hear about. M. Ward's new disc "Transistor Radio" comes out in February and Lou Barlow has his first solo record out this month.

And by the way Royal City are local boys which begs the question: with all this great local music (perhaps the strongest scene in years) why the fuck were Glass Tiger the "headliners" at Nathan Phillips on New Year's Eve? Was Casino Rama booked?

Happy New Year!!!

My resolutions:

1) To post more often
2) To sharpen my writing and editing skills so that I don't look back at earlier posts and wince
3) To avoid the urge to compile or solicit lists
4) To open up every wrapped cd Derek has in his possession without his knowledge
5) To get a year round movie blog up and running a la the toronto film festival blog
6) To follow thee more nearly, day by day by day by....

It's funny that you should mention the Panada Bear song, Brian. I downloaded it a day or so after our last cd club meeting and then several days later, I was sitting in an airport, listening to it on my walkman, reading the NYTimes art section that I picked up off the seat beside me, and what do I come across but an article on Panda Bear and the Animal Collective.
The track (Track One?) is still in my 'hmmmn' column, along with the Fiery Furnaces disc but at least I no longer fear either.

I'm not sure what 'haven't found my wheelhouse' means, Derek. Do you own the cds but haven't listened to them? Have you listened to them but haven't warmed up to them yet? Or is there a sillier interpretation of this phrase that I could come up with as a third option to make you all groan but would again underscore the need for clarification of said phrase?

The inclusion of Royal City in your final list from 2004 serves of another reminder that there's a lot of really good music coming out of montreal these days.

It also gives me a reason to throw this question out for all to consider:

Is Canada the new England, as an editor from Artforum recently suggested? [Note: this site, like many others, asks that you 'register' in order to read their articles, so I go to a site called Bugmenot, which will give you a password to use so you don't have to keep registering at different sites.]

Time to wrap this baby up. I think I'm not going to reach a top 10 at this point either. I'll leave it at 9 with the previous 6 selections plus these final three picks.

Needless to say the Arcade Fire disc is my top pick for the year. Iwon't bore anyone with the reasons why. If you haven't heard them by now you haven't seen me since June.

Also making the list is another Canadian act that dare we say received slightly less attention than Montreal's finest. Royal City's "Little Heart's Ease" took its own sweet time winning me over and that's primarily because it's not a record that jumps up and down trying to grab your attention. They certainly aren't part of any musical movement of the moment, I assume they're not that cute and there's not even a song as catchy as "Spacy Basement" that their first record had. All reasons for them being completely overlooked perhaps.

Final record selection is from a couple of oldtimers, one of whom is no longer with us. At the time of recording Billy Higgins was 64 and Charles Lloyd 62. Higgins, primarily known for his drumming, died within 6 months of recording the music on this double CD, "Which Way is East". Judging by the elegiac nature of much of the music and the liner notes Higgins must have known that his time was short. The urgency in the music puts the noodling of many younger jazz artists to shame. If this is the legacy that these two class jazzmen are leaving for today's young lions they've set the bar awfully high.

Some other thoughts re this year's music:

Critically acclaimed albums that still haven't found my wheelhouse: Bjork's "Medulla", Madvillain's "Madvillainy", The Sadies' "Favourite Colours" and TV on the Radio's "Desparate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes".

Albums that I could come to love with a bit more time: Devendra Banhart's "Rejoicing in the Hands", Joanna Newsom's "The Milk-Eyed Mender" and David Murray's "Gwotet".

Best reason not to believe anything a 19 year old NOW scribe has to say: "Red Tape" by Brooks.
(this disc will be first up for bids if we reprise our CD swap)

That's it for the music. Looking forward to listening to some of the discs I picked up at Soundscapes last Monday. Didn't leave much for you Brian but if you were in the Kinks section buddy then there was no fear of us crossing paths.

Thought I would throw in my favourite films of 2004 since we're doing that sort of thing:

Triplets of Belleville
Eternal Sunshine
Dogville
Before Sunset
Hero
Le Cou de la Girafe (film festival pick)

Two to avoid, regardless of what the critics have to say: Million Dollar Baby and Distant.

Happy new year to y'all.

OK, my top ten list has slowed to a crawl. Truth is, I think I've only really liked about seven records released in 2004. But I've probably only bought 15 or so, so percentage-wise it doesn't suck. Nevertheless, a very mediocre (at best) year, I think.

My number one favourite at this point is definitely the final (?) Elliott Smith record. See my earlier outpouring for details on why.

The Panda Bear record continues to grow on me and gets honourable mention, as does the Sonic Youth (but I'm a total sucker for them). And GBV's Earthquake Glue (2003) is magnificent (whereas this years' s "Half Smiles" is much less so) but I've decided to take the high ground and stop breaking the non-rules re choosing previous year's stuff.

A few songs that I liked and haven't mentioned:
The Black Keys - 10 a.m. automatic. Great retro sixties sounds on this tune, but the album sounds too much like coherent Jon Spencer (blues riffs...yippeee) meets White Stripes. Solid enough but ultimately unoriginal.

Death Cab for Cutie - A Lack of Colour. I know Derek likes Passenger Seat from this record, which is a goody (in the same vein), but for me Colour's clean bittersweet melody and simple folky arrangement caught my ear first. Unfortunately the album is spotty - often these guys are embarrasingly commercial sounding (in an eighties/early nineties indy rock way, sounding like Guadalcanal Diary meets The Odds), sometimes the songs are good enough to work in spite of that.

Camper Van Beethoven - The Gum You Like is Back in Style. Great to hear one of my fave late eighties' bands playing again, and this song is vintage sarcastic, intelligent, rhythmic CVB. Their new record has four or five equally memorable tracks/perfomances, but overall was disappointing. Since when did CVB play minute-and-a-half prog-rock guitar solos - I thought I'd bought a King Crimson reunion record after the first couple of tunes.

I scooped up a bunch of records at Soundscapes sale the other day (the ones Derek rejected, presumably); ended up with a lot of re-issues - the Kinks "Village Green", the Pretty Things "Emotions" and The United States of America eponymous and only record, all from '68, being the highlights. The fact that I spent a lot of the year looking back in history for pop gems (and finding some.....hmmm, can I mention Nico again) is a good indication that this wasn't a stellar year for me and pop music.

Happy New Year y'all.

The only other disc I think worthy of the list for me is Max Richter's "the blue notebooks"....
Unfortunately I bought it a few months ago and lent it to Derrick immediately after purchase..(stupid stupid stupid) I only listened to it once , but thought it potentially great....Fortunately Derek returned it to me after only a few weeks, but unfortunatly it was immediately misplaced again with all our construction stuff going on at our house ( we are living out of 3 rooms and a hall)... I remeber it being moody piano and with spoken word --I know that is pretty much all anyone needs to hear from me to turn off and not finish reading my review, so Ill have to turn it over to Derek to ask him to comment as he has at least listened to the disc more then once... I realise putting a disc up for best of the year after only one listen is risky but hey ...what the fuck... So Derek do you even remember the disc?

Final album is the year is The Walkmen's 'Bows + ....wait, Derek already talked this one up, quite well I thought. So I'm gonna have to go with Elliot Smit...actually I haven't listened to it as often as my wife has so I can't really make that call.

Instead, let me go with Bebel Gilberto, whose self-titled album washes over me with its warm vocals, lush production, and fluttery bossa nova beats. Just noticed that all my faves from 2004 are ones that comfort me. Is this my reaction to the cold weather or do I have deep-seated womb issues? This is a rhetorical question so don't answer please.

One album that won't comfort me is the new Fiery Furances disc that you raved about, Derek. I've only listened once so I'm willing to give it many listens and chances and hope that it rewards me as it has you. However, jarring does not begin to describe my reaction to it on first play, particularly because I've listened to some tracks off of their EP and they are markedly different.

If I don't talk to yall tomorrow night, have a bitchin' christmas and may santa leave you many presents.

Topic for next week: discs I got for christmas or purchased at boxing week sales!

I forgot to post a song of the year......this week it'll be Arcade Fire's "Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)", (also known as track 2). I will say that I'm not entirely smitten by the whole AF package (yeah yeah, we all know that); too much self-conscious eighties sound-alikes that pulled me out of the musical moments and reduced the impact of their simple, strong songs. Regardless, there are some magnificent, completely successful works here, and Laika is my favourite of the bunch. Great lyrics, great Pixies-like angst and energy.

Well, Derek (the bastard) has scooped me on the Vanderslice disk, so I'll just add a couple of points. I agree with most of what DM said, and the after hours (OK, 7:14 pm) quasi-poetic tone which he used to describe the disk is very appropriate. Vanderslice is working in an ambitious and earnest - at times pretentious, at times melodramatic - voice, but while some of it feels unconvincing, the good stuff is very good. And it would likely be a different batch of songs for each listener - personally I think "They Won't Let Me Run", "Promising Actress" and "Lunar Landscapes" are the highlights.

My other notable 2004 record for this week is a Charles Ives collection featuring a selection of his songs performed by Susan Graham, and more importantly (for me), a superb rendition of his Second Piano Concerto (the Concord) by Pierre Laurent Aimard. This is a magnificent piece of work, which kept me stuck to a listening post for thirty minutes when I came across it in the summer. Very twentieth century, with all of the good and bad things thereby connoted, but with a central beauty (amid the chaos) that enthralled me. The performance is equal parts dreamy and high octane. Quite a revelation, and precipitated a headlong plunge into learning more about Ives and his contemporaries (primarily Elliott Carter).

I will be purchasing the Iron and Wine disk, owing to its universal belovedness. I downloaded "Naked as We Came" in the summer and am a fan.

Am I allowed to rant and rave about Nico as a 2004 experience? Though it's from the late sixties early seventies, it's my numero uno discovery of the year, but outside the bounds of these list. Damned unfair. Maybe I'll do a "best re-issue" list (though actually her music wasn't even re-issued in '04, goddamn it).