Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack

so, the other night my friend gave me a copy of the soundtrack for the upcoming film (and hopefully best movie of the year) Where The Wild Things Are, and i have pretty much been listening to it nonstop.

for those that don't know, the movie is directed by one mr spike jonze, who started off directing music videos, such as everyone's favorite, Weapon of Choice, with Christopher Walken dancing like there is no tomorrow. for the soundtrack he enlisted the help of his ex-girlfriend, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to come up with the music for the film, songs and scores. She then enlisted a handful of other fantastic indie musicians, including YYY bandmantes, and members of the Raconteurs and Deerhunter and more.

and let me tell you it payed off.

the soundtrack has a lighthearted cohesiveness to it that i just can't get enough of, and from incredibly playful and upbeat songs like All Is Love, to the eerily fragile vocals on Hidaway, Karen O has proved that she is up for any challenge. off the heels of her own bands fantastic release, It's Blitz, she unleashes this gem upon us and i couldn't be any happier. the other aspect that plays heavily in with the movie and adds to the playfulness of the soundtrack is the untrained childrens choir. on tracks like the previously mentioned Love, and on Rumpus the songs explode with an energy best represented by kids getting crazy and having fun, but also if you listen carefully, you can hear Karen's voice entwined with the childrens. but listen closely. it's magic, pure magic.

this is one of my favorite albums of the year, and a soundtrack rivaled only by some of my personal favorites such as The Fountain and Royal Tenenbaums. check it out, and watch this here.

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pop music

it's not that i don't like pop music, i do have a soft spot in my heart for a really catchy, 3 and a half minute long song, but i generally do not have a chance to check out what's really popular and what is mainstream unless i search it out.

muchmusic and mtv rarely ever play music videos any more.

the radio has so many commercials and annoying dj's.

and my emusic subscription is solely for indie type stuff.

so really i have no idea what is going on, and what is popular and what is out there. sometimes that's not such a bad thing. there's alot of rap and r&b i really don't like, especially with tough guy posturing, and ridiculous lyrical content. give me back pack rap any day of the week. and there are some things that confuse me. such as.

how is Taylor Swift considered country?

i mean i'm assuming she gets tons of play on country stations and such, but any time i have heard her songs, she just comes across as a pop star. i hear nary a twang in her voice or song writing. pop music, that's all. and also, as much as everyone likes her.

well she is pretty boring. in my opinion anyways.

who is not boring, and is at the top of the game right now, as a female artist and as a pop star is of course lady gaga, and i must say i wrote her off. until i did some research. read some interviews. watched some videos and such.

she is definitely far from boring.

not in some time as well have i heard as much rumors as to where she has come from, and things about her that make her so bizarre. is she a stripper? is she a he she? is she from mars? does it really matter, she makes super catchy pop music, and you know, can actually write music and has a stellar set of pipes and has a ridiculous eye for fashion which always ends up being far more intersting than what anyone else is wearing. i even ended up buying her album. great disc by the by.

oh, and i clicked on the video for just dance, and noticed it has over SEVENTY SEVEN MILLION PLAYS!

how does that even happen? anyways, check out the video for poker face, probably my most favorite pop song of the year. oh lady gaga, thanks for making pop music interesting again.

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Get Up Kids

A couple weeks back I went to seattle and saw the Get Up Kids.

It was the greatest concert of my life.

here is a clip of the first 3 songs, and so you can get an idea of how sweet it was. please note that the venue holds about 600-700 people.


so good.
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Green Go

So i did as show this past month (which seems even longer than that) with this amazing dance rock band from Guelph, that goes by the name of Green Go. you should definitely check them out for sure, especially if you like your dance music created by a band. i have nothing against dance music created by one or two people, especially as myself and kyle are about to embark on that journey ourselves, but sometimes when you have people singing, pounding on a kit, and "slappin da bass" there's just something i find that much more enticing about dance music being created live.

and Green Go did not disappoint.

there set was booty shaking goodness from beginning to end, and as well the last set included an epic jam out that was musically impressive and that also helped to work up a sweat that's for sure.

the album, Borders, which came out this year does a fairly decent job of capturing the live show. some of the songs i don't quite dig, the groove is only so so on, but songs like Brains For Breakfast and Cash Money Gremlins will make you if not completely move, at least tap your foot until it breaks. possibly. all throughout the album tho, even with some of the songs i feel only ok about, it's still a solid dance rock album that should be checked out, especially if you like Winter Gloves or Woodhands.

Green Go. watch out for this band. they'll continue to pick up steam. and won't stop.

bon iver plus sasquatch

probably one of the greatest musical moments of the year.
if not my life.
still watching this video just gives me chills like none other.
go see mr. justin vernon if you ever get the chance.


definitely worth it.

these are my picks so far

so since it's august right now, i figured i should at least put down some of my favorite albums of the year thus far, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves, complain about why so and so isn't on my list and the whatnot. please note though that these are my favorites, and not what i would say as the hands down definitive top albums of the year. i don't have enough time or ears to listen to all of that music. that being said, listen to these albums if you haven't.

phoenix- wolfgang amadeus phoenix
dirty projectors- bitte orca
the most serene republic- and the ever expanding universe
grizzly bear- veckatimest
mamiffer- hirror enniffer
green go- borders
the rural alberta advantage- hometowns
gobble gobble- neon graveyard
the low anthem- oh my god, charlie darwin
thrice- beggars
treelight room- the children win
isis- wavering radiant
the wind whistles- animals are people too
lightning dust- infinite light
pissed jeans- king of jeans
black mold- snow blindness is crystal antz


so there you go. there's more than a few albums for you to listen to if you haven't yet. definitely a few on there will make it to the end of the year list, excited for other albums to come out tho over the next few months. keep your ears open.

rhombusversary in advance

so it has been brought to my attention, by myself that is, that i am coming up on a year of rhombus shows. this has kind of been blowing my mind.

i am super pumped that the hydeaway has been doing well and serving it's purpose in our music community over this last year now. i remember in our meetings and stuff talking about how we didn't want it to just kind of disappear after a few months. it's been almost a year and more and more sweet shows are coming up. oh hydeaway, one of the greatest things i have ever been a part of.

and not just there, but in other venues and doing other things, i think about some of the amazing talent that i have gotten to work with. doing my own shows tons of sweet local talent, and upcoming amazing folk like library voices, absent sound, the rural alberta advantage, laura barrett and more. working on other shows with foundation and working with sweet people like patrick watson, the bell orchestre folk, joel plaskett and his dad, and tv on the radio and the dirty projectors. awesome.

me and raymond b. had a little discussion at the recent famines show, and he asked how big i would be comfortable in getting, as far as promotion and stuff goes. honestly, i have no idea. all i know is that i get to keep working with amazing people, talented people, and people that in general have a love for what they are creating. i like to keep it positive, and as long as things are staying posi, then i'll keep on doing what i am doing.


please note that closer to october i'll do some sort of summary of rhombus shows and thoughts and all that kind of jazz. please note that there are some amazing shows coming up this fall that i'm masterminding. oh i can't wait...