poster designed by Leia Bell
[ Mates of State - Operation Makeout - The Gossip ]
Winter is here. Snow has finally hit the ground, the city is bundling up, and I for one, am ready for some serious hibernation. Life continues to wax and wane, offering up constant changes and subtle evolutions; in short defying any of the clear delineation and grand proclamations that I am wont to make on these pages.
Since we last spoke, I’ve been putting a lot of energy into a new relationship (see the smiling face in the masthead above). Out of all of my recent experiences, she is actually the most deserving of my words. However, out of respect for something that is still in early bloom, I am going to save my poetry for her ears alone. I will offer a few impressions though:
Talented – Inspired – Utterly Gorgeous
And, I should add, adventuresome. She’s currently in Busan, South Korea conquering Mt. Geomjeong (with a little help of a cable car). On Tuesday she leaves Korea for a month long trek through Europe. I await her return in January with great excitement, anxious for a chance to see the world through her eyes (and her sketchbook).
Which leaves me with some available blog-time, and another opportunity to meditate and expand upon my own mythology. So be prepared to hear more about the life and times of a Ukrainian Prairie Boy in the next month or so.
Lately my free time has been occupied by evenings in, listening to music, preparing for class, procrastinating on marking and watching as much Documentary and Independent Film Channel as I can stay awake for. Housebound, I’ve been listening to all things loud, textured and epic. A pretty good cross-section of my apartment ipod selections are in evidence in my P77-15 mix – lots of Isis, Blood Brothers, Neurosis and Death From Above 1979.
When I plug in my headphones and venture forth into the streets of Winnipeg, however, I find myself drawn to music that is short, sharp and succinct. With that in mind, here’s a guide to my Winter Pop Life:
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I’ve been really smitten with Mates Of State. Husband. Wife. Drums. Keyboard. What I love about their music is the combination of melodic smarts played against guileless, charming imperfections – straining voices, songs that burst forward awkwardly in fits and starts. It’s the sound of an elementary school choir, rushing down the hall on Christmas morning and the breathless exhilaration of a first kiss.
[MP3] From “All Day EP”- Goods
[MP3] From “Team Boo” – Ha Ha
[MP3] From “Our Constant Concern” – Hoarding It For Home
[MP3] From “My Solo Project” – Proofs
You should also check out their new DVD “Two of Us”.
Here’s a link to a 5 Minute DVD Featurette/Preview (Quicktime 26 mb)
> Released on Polyvinyl Records
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poster designed by Geneviève Castrée
Besides having an insanely cool moniker, Vancouver’s Operation Makeout released one of my favourite albums of 2002 – “Hang Loose”. Their forte are songs that combine an joyous punk sensibility with witty and angular post-punk guitar work. And vocalist Katie Lapi has the best warble this side of Sleater Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein.
[MP3] From “Hang Loose” – Current Events
[MP3] From “Hang Loose” – Take the Rains
[MP3] From “First Base EP” – Close Encounters
[MP3] From “First Base EP” – Neon Eyes
> Released on Mint Records
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poster designed by Aesthetic Apparatus
The Gossip just kills. No irony. No trendiness. Just blues. Their secret weapon is Beth Ditto. Raw, commanding, scary. Really, her voice just make me want to do really, really nasty things. When the music crashes drunkenly into her words, The Gossip are who The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion have always wanted to be.
[MP3] From “Movement” – Fire Sign
[MP3] From “Arkansas Heat EP” – Ain’t It The Truth
[MP3] From “That’s Not What I Heard” – Sweet Baby
> Released on Kill Rock Stars
