The Playlist

Adding a fish to our intrepid number (currently four but soon to be three again – alas poor Johnny has become tainted with dreams of independence and enamoured by the West End) was always a plan along the road but, as master procrastinators, was a long time coming. Usually the idea would come up if we happened to be perambulating around the pet store in want of some other – more costly – animal companion. Common excuses for not getting a fish right away were: we needed to find a proper ‘tank’ (i.e. glass vase) big enough; we were tired that one day (used multiple times); we really didn’t feel like it today (see previous parentheses). Amazingly, once the first genuine excuse was resolved, the other excuses seemed pathetic to the point when on Sunday, July 26th of 2009, we ventured to find ourselves a fish!

(to be continued)

So it’s no secret by now that I have a weak spot for hip-hop, and that I am quite a fan of Jay-Z. So you can guess just how excited I was to find out that a new album would be released in September. Then came the release of the new single/video D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) which I must say is a very solid track. Add the recent announcement that MGMT is among the guests on the album, and let’s jut say that I am heavily anticipating the disc’s release.

Yesterday, I learned that the supposed second single for the album, “Run This Town” feat. Rihanna and Kanye West, was leaked to the Internet. While I really enjoy the song and do see it appearing on many a play list in the near future, there is something I find quite ironic about the whole thing. Press for the album has stated that “The Blueprint Vol.3″ will be an “anti-autotune” album, and the first single helps to back up that claim. What I find funny about the whole thing is that the two artists featured prominently on the next single have relied heavily on the technology.

First off, while Kanye is one of the most talented rappers out there right now, let us not forget that his WHOLE last album featured (well pretty much relied on) the technology.

Secondly, Rihanna sings the hook. Now don’t get me wrong, I actually kinda like Rihanna. While I wouldn’t say I am a huge fan of her music, I do feel it is catchy and fun to dance too, and that she is pretty much the most georgous and stylish “pop-star” at the moment. I also respect the fact that apart from her recent troubles with her (I hope) ex-boyfriend, you hardly ever read about her antics in the press. But let’s be honest here, her music heavily relies on production and auto tune. I have seen a live performance or two, and while they are flashy and entertaining, her vocals do not quite match up to the recorded version. At least she actually “sings” live however, although I do find it sad that we have reached the point where we need to applaud recent entertainers for that fact. But that is topic which would require a whole other post, and I will currently move on. 

Back to the new single. It should be noted that Kanye is back to rapping, and the auto tune has at least been turned down on Rihanna’s vocals. Maybe it isn’t ironic or a coincidence at all, and Jay-Z is smarter than me and making a statement by featuring these artists on his track. Or maybe I am being ridiculous and spending way too much time over-analysing a hip-hop track that I will simply find myself drunkenly dancing to in the near future. That last option seems like a very strong possibility.  Listen to the track below. 

Here is what 181 journalists, bloggers and broadcasters whittled down from the Long List:

• Windsor, Ont.’s Elliott Brood, Mountain Meadows
• Toronto’s F—ed Up, The Chemistry Of Common Life
• Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels
• St. John’s, N.L.’s Hey Rosetta!, Into Your Lungs
• Toronto’s K’naan, Troubadour
• Montreal’s Malajube, Labyrinthes
• Toronto’s Metric, Fantasies
• Halifax’s Joel Plaskett, Three
• Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane
• Montreal’s Patrick Watson, Wooden Arms

While I’m excited to see such talent go head-to-head, they are all established artists who, for the most part, have already been nominated in past years. Patrick Watson even won in 2007 for his album Close to Paradise. Furthermore, the list is definitely dominated by central and eastern Canada with the only album from west of Windsor being Chad VanGaalen’s Soft Airplane.

I would have liked to see more first time nominations make it to the Short List: Cœur De Pirate’s self titled album was a catchy Internet success story (though I don’t understand the lyrics because its entirely in French) and even Jill Barber’s simple and sultry album, Chances that alludes back to the days of smokey lounges and jazz ballads, was also worthy. Though I did not get the chance to check out much more.

So far my money is on Plaskett for his triple album Three, however, I would like Soft Airplane to win. I’ve followed Chad since before his first album and I find him a man of many talents (considering he plays most of the instruments on his albums and some he even invented in addition to illustrating/animating his own music videos) able to evoke strong emotions with or without vocals.

Hopefully I’ll listen to the other albums and let you know if my prediction changes. No promises though.

We could celebrate the founding of the first French colony. Or the American Revolution which essentially created two political entities in North America. How about the Balfour Declaration of 1926? It concluded that Canada (among other ‘colonies’) was “autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations.”

The Statute of Westminster of 11 December 1931 perhaps deserves the most consideration because it essentially marks Canada’s full legislative independence from Britain. Then again we didn’t get a flag until 1965, nor an official national anthem until 1980. Hell, our constitution wasn’t even in the country until 1982. That was also the year that July 1st became Canada Day. Until then it was Dominion Day.

While I believe that blind nationalistic fervor is evil, ugly and wrong, I consider myself a patriot. I consider the difference between a nationalist and a patriot to be that a nationalism is exclusive and a patriotism is inclusive. This country has seen some horrible things, things that could equate to genocide. We have been complicit to horrible wars. This is not to say that we should focus on the negative but rather be aware that Canada is not just hockey and maple syrup.

I take Canada’s history into perspective knowing that while we are not the ideal country (for many reasons it doesn’t make sense that Canada continues to exist) we are a young country and we have the ability to shape it more freely, learning from others without being bogged down with the burden of history or precedence. Not to sound too much like an Obama campaign but I sincerely believe that Canada can provide hope. It’s up to us to work together to overcome regional, provincial, territorial, and cultural differences.