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Lady Sovereign
So I went to the Toronto Comic Art Festival this past weekend. One of the guests was Kagan Mcleod. Dude does a wicked comic called 'Infinite Kung Fu' as well as amazingly beautiful pieces for the National Post. He's also getting well known in rap circles for his ‘History of Rap’ poster. I purchased the first incarnation in 2003 which had about 80 heads. The newest version has over 200, but on both sheets, the female rappers are few and far between. As someone who pays attention to the girlie rappers, I found the whole thing a little disheartening. There are scads of awesome women rappers, one of them is definitely Lady Sovereign, and no, she wasn't on the poster.
I got into the Lady three years ago when I heard her rap about girls that wear too much spray on tan ("Tango"). She cracked me up and I was sold. I never got to see her on her initial Def Jam run, so I was really looking forward to this show. This was the third show of her tour and I almost missed it. See. it's been my experience that headlining acts in Montreal don't even start until 11. The show started at 9 and she had two opening acts, Chester French and Hollywood Holt. I was very curious about the kind of tour mates she'd invite along so I got there at 10, just in time for.........Lady Sovereign. Hunh?! To chants of “LA-DY!” she burst onto the stage with a female DJ and male drummer, ready and tight. The place was pretty crowded so I was happy to stay in the back. It was my first time at Club Soda and it was the perfect venue. Plenty of room to see and boogie.
Much has been made of her singing versus rapping on the new album (Jigsaw) but it worked well at the show. Initially when I heard the Cure sample in "So Human", I was like, clever, but I'm so over it now. I dread hearing that song everywhere this summer. She certainly has a poppier sound this time around and it’s an interesting evolution. With her crowd banter you could tell her sense of humour was still intact as she, at one point, began throwing t-shirts into the crowd. Some call and repeat and her huge gold chain necklace gave it a bizarre old school feel.
I could hear everything that she was saying, which is rare at any show... three cheers for her sound engineer. She also gave time to her DJ and drummer, intense scratching and furious drumming ensued. Her beats were more on the electro side, and her drummer had no trouble keeping it steady. You'd think the set would be sparse with such a minimal crew but they managed to pull off the full sound of the album and more. There’s been a bit of a broohaha about her dump from Def Jam and subsequent depression, but with her bombastic rendition of "Pennies" and the in your face style of "Love me or Hate me", she proved that the wee cheeky Brit is back. The most popular song of the night, (as evidenced by crowd response) was "Food Play" though my favourite song of the evening has to be "I Got you Dancing"...and boy did she ever.
Towards the end of the show it became this explosion of grime speed punk rap. After listening to the chants of “S-O-V!” she came back out to do two more songs. Gone were the electro beats and on came the ska/oi bounce rap of "Public Warning". No – one – was – stationary!
And that was it. No really, we were all out the door by 11:30. It was odd, but I guess the Lady wanted to party elsewhere. The way she brought it, I say she earned it. I know I wasn't alone in those thoughts as I saw one sweaty smile after another exit and crowd around the merch booth.
In true comic nerd form my last thought was; who would win in a rap battle, Lady Sovereign or Amanda Blank? Set that up and there would be no way you could ever ignore the female presence in rap. Lady Sovereign's show at Club Soda proved that in spades.
K-OS + Lioness
Leave it to K-os to come up with the idea of a “pay what you want” concert. I learned about it days ago and saw him playing video games with an E-Talk correspondent on the eve of the concert. I was thrilled when I found out I was one of the lucky CJLO staff that would see him at L’Olympia.
The last time I saw K-os perform was during the 2007 Concordia Orientation with Metric as the opening act. It was a short but sweet show. I felt that any K-os live, no matter how brief, was worth the time. At L’Olympia, he had a lot more time and four albums worth of material to explore. This May 2009 date is in conjunction with his newest album Yes!, but the audience got tracks as early as “Superstarr, Pt. Zero” to the current “4,3,2,1”.
The pay what you want concept went beyond a clever promotional tool. The proceeds went towards the David Suzuki Foundation. After you placed your donation in the basket, you were given a copy of the “Yes!” remix CD, made up of remixes by aspiring Canadian producers. Lioness, the opening act, was performing as I arrived to an energetic crowd.
The transition from Lioness to K-os’ set seemed extremely lengthy. There were soothing reggae sounds of Yellowman and Burning Spear as the crew set up K-os’ equipment, but it felt like an intolerably long time. I would not be surprised if we waited for thirty minutes for K-os to take the stage. The crowd started to get impatient until the moment we realized the wait was over. The crowd had been chanting his name by that point.
Behind K-os and band were two interesting pieces of décor. One was a sign with the word “Yes!” as one can see on his latest release and the other was a four colored stop light. Anyone knowledgeable about K-os knows that each of his albums from Exit to Yes! is colored green, yellow, blue and red. As a song was beginning, the light corresponding to the album cover would shine. That made me understand how much K-os has accomplished during this past decade.
The hits were performed along with the newer material. In some cases, he would apply the melodies of famous songs like “Stairway to Heaven” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” to his songs and the crowd responses were raucous. Those re-interpretations definitely put a smile on my face. Another special treat was when K-os called for Toronto hip hop legend Saukrates to join him on stage for an energetic performance of “I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman”. One of the most unforgettable moments of the show was when a crowd member body-surfed his way from the stage to the back of the venue.
I noticed during the set that “Man I Used To Be” had not been performed. All anxieties were resolved at the encore when he and a dancer returned to the stage. I realized “Man I Used To Be” is my favorite K-os song because of how happy I was to hear it. I was not alone with those sentiments. The crowd singing the falsetto parts of the song in unison was probably the definitive moment of the show and of K-os’ impact on Canadian pop culture.
This show was by far a more thrilling concert experience than the last one I experienced from him. He was charged and in control. At any given moment, he reached for a guitar or drum machine to add to the performance and display his talent. If anyone asked me if I would want to see K-os live again, the answer is…Yes!
The Rumble Strips
I am possibly the biggest Mark Ronson fan at CJLO, in Montreal and maybe in Quebec. I admire his production, his albums and his own radio show has been influential on me this year. His playlists are practically musical treasure maps. One night while listening to his show, he mentioned a group and played one of their tracks. Being a disciple, I paid attention to the group name and the track. Months later, the "Girls & Weather" arrived at the station and it is fitting that I get to review The Rumble Strips' debut CD.
Ronson's "Version" started me on a quest of learning more about the British Indie rock scene. Names like Charlatans, Jam & Kasabian were new to me until I discovered Ronson was covering classics that most current Indie rock fans have known or should know. I remember the day I saw the CD and how excited I was to hear more Rumble Strips. Little did I know how significant that day would be. I hoped the CD would be as good as "Time", the track I heard on Ronson's show, and that it would be an introduction to what is going on musically within the present Indie rock scene. From the moment the first track finished, I knew I was listening to a future entry on my year end Best-Of-2008 list.
I understood why Mark Ronson will be producing Rumble Strips' sophomore CD. They are the band he would have created had he created a band. Their sound is very similar to what he has produced for himself, Amy Winehouse and others. The emphasis is on a driving beat and brass section for most of the "Girls & Weather" tracks.
On my first listen, I was blown away by the energy of the first half of the CD. The tracks "Motorcycle", "No Soul", "Creole" and especially "Girls & Boys in Love" are so fast and furious that I was hooked. I remember being disappointed that the tempo slowed down for the other half of the album. My personal preference is for fast paced songs of any genre. In retrospect, I realize it was good for Rumble Strips to present different aspects of their talent by giving the listener varying songs.
Rumble Strips were supposed to perform at Zoobizarre on October 30. The street near the venue was quiet and there was no one on in front of the venue except for me. A woman unlocked the door, opened it to talk to me, assured me there was definitely no concert going on that night and locked the door after wishing me a good night. Had the concert taken place and it was as dynamic as the "Girls & Weather" CD, this review would have been that much more dynamic.
I read online days later Mark Ronson had a talent showcase during the CMJ Music Marathon featuring Wale, Rhymefest, Daniel Merriweather and Rumble Strips. I read about how well they performed that night. Missing Rumble Strips twice in a year is truly disappointing. To be disappointed about missing a new band's concerts says something about the band and their music. Rumble Strips' debut CD is very entertaining and it is a shame I do not have a live performance of their music to add to this year's revelation. Perhaps I will have more luck and fun when they release their Mark Ronson produced CD and add more music to their already impressive catalogue.
Thursday
Common Existence finds New Jersey’s Thursday at a crossroads: having been ditched by major label Island after their less-than-stellar studio album (2006’s A City By The Light Divided) and ending back up on their former home Victory Records, the band released a b-sides/rarities compilation in late 2007 entitled Kill The House Lights, and then last year dropped an EP with Japanese band Envy. The b-sides release showcased the driving, urgent rhythm that ignited what is arguably their best album, War All The Time, while the split with Envy showed a pensive, adventurous side that was willing to let songs build up, crescendo and explore space.
Common Existence melds these two versions of Thursday quite well; “Resuscitation Of A Dead Man” serves as an awesomely powerful opener, kick-starting things and allowing the band to put the naysayers to rest. Conversely, “Time’s Arrow” brings out moody, slow-driving Thursday, incorporating an acoustic guitar, a slow midsection made up of a wall of backwards sound and singer Geoff Rickley’s most melodic performance in a while.
The record satisfies me in ways that their previous studio records couldn’t; it’s a “best of both worlds” scenario that caters to fans of all versions of Thursday that doesn’t sacrifice any of its potent musicality to please any fans of a particular version of the band.
Psychroptic
With three previous studio albums already under their belts, Australian death metal giants Psycroptic released their fourth this year on Nuclear Blast Records to a fan base that had a pretty good idea of what to expect from them: extremely high caliber musicianship and a certain captivating energy that set the band apart from many of their less dynamic contemporaries. On the first account, this year’s Ob(Servant) certainly isn’t lacking; on the second, however, it leaves fans to wonder what exactly happened to the inspiration behind the band’s tech death masterpiece, The Scepter of the Ancients.
With the release of Ob(Servant), Psycroptic seems to be paying the price for being a technical death metal band that has consistently raised the bar with their previous efforts. Fans of the genre have gotten a taste of the kind of musical ability that is extremely rare and difficult to attain, and they are no longer satisfied with anything that falls short.
It’s unfortunate, really, because there are a lot of great things to be said about this release.
In the album’s accompanying DVD, the band expresses a wish to branch out and reach a wider audience, and there is certainly no dearth of groovy riffing or catchy melodies on the part of guitarist Joe Haley. Furthermore with this undertaking his brother, Dave Haley, has only increased his reputation as one of the most skilled drummers in all of death metal. Jason Peppiatt, who joined the band on vocals for Psycroptic’s previous release Symbols of Failure, delivers another solid performance with a few new vocal styles, including one somewhat in the vein of Meshuggah frontman Jens Kidman’s rhythmic rasp.
So what’s the problem? Well, here’s something new for you: for the first time ever, we have a Psycroptic album that you can put on only to forget that it’s playing. That’s right - Ob(Servant) simply does not grab your attention. Sure, the individual parts sound great- when you actually remember that you’re listening to them- the overall effect just lacks cohesion and, in the end, simply isn’t satisfying. The dynamic structures that have characterized Psycroptic’s songwriting in the past seem to wander aimlessly with this latest effort, making an erstwhile high energy, directed yet fluid listening experience fall generally somewhere between confusing and utterly forgettable. Indeed, even after repeated listens, it is difficult to recall any memorable songs- or even riffs, for that matter. One gets the impression that the songs all sound very similar to each other, but it’s impossible to say for certain–– we keep forgetting what they sound like.
The Knux
I learned about The Knux weeks before their debut CD Remind Me in 3 Days was to be released in October 2008.
When I interviewed them hours before they would take the stage at Club Coda during Pop Montreal, one of my first questions (to break the ice and to get an understanding of where the brothers were coming from musically) was what they thought was a criminally underrated album. Unanimously, they replied with The Fugees The Score. That answer floored me because I did not believe that the album that launched the careers of Wyclef Jean & Lauryn Hill and was a commercial and critical success would ever be considered underrated. This would be the beginning of a series of bafflements for me during my listening of Remind.
The record is by no means your typical hip-hop album. It defies classification, which works both for and against them. Almost none of the average expectations of a hip hop album are met. Knux present a unique style and sound that hip hop has not experienced since Outkast at their most experimental.
The inside photos of Remind help prepare the listener for what they are headed for. The mentality behind Knux's debut must have been "party like a rock star" because the photos of the duo lounging with two lovely ladies in what looks to be a VIP section applies completely to the music on the CD.
There is a very Hollywood sound to the album that makes one think they created it to be part of a playlist on "The Hills.” There has not been so much glam pop/rock guitar on a hip-hop album to date. Over half the album has a rock guitar undertone. In this sense, the Knux aim to distinguish themselves from their contemporaries and succeed.
Another issue that needs to be addressed are the vocals. The lyrics are so indistinguishable that one is disappointed to learn the lyrics do not accompany the glossy photos. In one case, a second listening of a track gave a better sense of what Krispy & Al were saying. The choruses are so sing-songy that one feels the Knux were aiming for pre-teen audiences or, again, the limelight seeking Hollywood club heads.
The pre-album internet publicity almost gave the impression that The Knux were serious hip-hop contenders. It is up to the listener to determine whether Knux will be around in the future or just flashes in the pan. Between the Hollywood soundtrack, VIP lounge photos and inaudible lyrics, the listener will have to decide if they need to be reminded in three days to listen to it again.
The 5 Ghosts of CJLO Past
If you happen to be the type of person that loves both music and short, numerical lists, then boy, do we have something for you! As part of the move to the Brand New CJLO.com, we've started to bring over all of the older magazine articles, incorporating them into the newness. Amongst the first to be migrated are the old year-end Staff Picks lists, representing the favrouite music of CJLO DJs past and present.
Check out these lists at http://cjlo.mtset.com/magazine/feature. We've got 5 up here, from 2004 straight through to 2008. Can you guess what bands and albums will make the cut for the 2009 Staff Picks? Challenge issued!
Be sure to come back regularily in the next month to catch up on all the archived CJLO.com articles as well as this year's Staff Picks, currently being compiled by our hard working Magazine Editor, R. Brian Hastie.
2004 CJLO Staff Picks
“Hey, let’s do our Top Ten lists and post them on the website”. You figure that would be enough to send everyone scurrying to their keyboards and add to the avalanche of year-end lists that are fail-safe crowd favourites, if not the mark of lazy writing. So what happens when we’re too lazy to even do that? Well lure them with free alcohol.
So it was at the CJLO Christmas Party that I navigated through the crowd in search of fellow CJLO DJs to fill out their lists so that you can shop better before the year is over. Of course, given that this mightily ambitious endeavour takes place in an alcohol-friendly environment, the lists were not always complete, readable or even dealing with our friend, Mr.2004. And that, lads, is punk rock journalism.
Dan Stefik: Rocks In Your Head, Mondays 6pm – 8pm
1. Out Of The Shadow (Rogue Wave)
2. Fortune (Mendoza Line)
3. Funeral (Arcade Fire)
4. Early Morning Hymns (Old Canes)
5. Shock City Maverick (Beans)
6. Dents and Shells (Richard Buckner)
7. SMiLE (Brian Wilson)
8. Shake Sugaree (Elizabeth Cotton)
9. We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers (Chin Up Chin Up)
10. If You Can (the Race)
Dave Marriott: Rocks In Your Head, Mondays 6pm – 8pm
1. …And The Tin Pan Bended and the Story Ended… (Dave Van Ronk)
2. Golden Apples Of The Sun (Various Artists)
3. Cherry Tree (the National)
4. Dents and Shells (Richard Buckner)
5. Out Of The Shadow (Rogue Wave)
6. Every Night (Saturday Looks Good To Me)
7. SMiLE (Brian Wilson)
8. Sung Tongs (Animal Collective)
9. Love Songs For Patriots (American Music Club)
10. Thunder, Lightning, Strike (the Go! Team)
Jennifer Testa: Nostalgia For The Present, TBA
1. Out Of The Shadow (Rogue Wave)
2. Rejoicing In The Hands (Devendra Banhart)
3. Satanic Panic In The Attic (Of Montreal)
4. Dents and Shells (Richard Buckner)
5. These Were The Earlies (the Earlies)
6. Funeral (Arcade Fire)
7. Sung Tongs (Animal Collective)
8. To The Moon (Monster Movie)
9. The Concretes (the Concretes)
10. When I Pretend To Fall (Long Winters) *
* 2003
Dallas Richter: Don’t Mess With Dallas, Tuesdays 8am-10am
1. Shake The Sheets (Ted Leo and the Pharmacists)
2. Future Perfect (Autolux)
3. Gros Mammouth Album Turbo (les Trois Accords)
4. Mute Print (A Wilhelm Scream)
5. Futures (Jimmy Eat World)
6. You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine (Death From Above 1979)
7. Phantom Planet (Phantom Planet)
8. Everything In Three Parts (the Golden Dogs)
9. Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition (Murs)
10. E&A (Eyedea and Abilities)
Alex Huynh: Losing My Edge, Sundays 2pm – 4pm and Tuesdays 8pm-10pm
1. A Grand Don’t Come For Free (the Streets)
2. Funeral (Arcade Fire)
3. Thunder, Lightning, Strike (the Go! Team)
4. Blueberry Boat (the Fiery Furnaces)
5. A Ghost Is Born (Wilco)
6. Secret Wars (Oneida)
7. Sung Tongs (Animal Collective)
8. We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers (Chin Up Chin Up)
9. Bows and Arrows (the Walkmen)
10. Le Retour du Bleu Métallique (Gwenwed)
Ollie Pulleybank: Boozehound Radio, Sundays 6pm – 8pm
1. The Bronx (the Bronx) *
2. Give It A Name (Million Dollar Marxists)
3. Switchcomb Massacre (Alter Egos)
4. Empire Strikes First (Bad Religion)
5. B-Sides (New Bomb Turks)
6. London Calling: The Vanilla Tapes (the Clash)
7. You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine (Death From Above 1979)
8. The Libertines (the Libertines)
9. Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Modest Mouse)
10. 2004 sucked
* 2003
Katie Kotler: Katie The K, Wednesdays 10am – noon
1. New Deutsch (Various Artists) *
2. Loops From The Bergerie (Swayzak)
3. The Milk-Eyed Mender (Joanna Newsom)
4. Electric Wilderness (Tinkertoy)
5. Grab That Gun (The Organ)
6. Backstroke (Matthew Dear)
7. Cocteau Twins?
8. Ultravisitor (Squarepusher)
9. Closer (Plastikman)
10. Are + Be (Mocky)
* 2003
Jordanna Belle-Isle: Canadian Invasion, Fridays 4pm – 6pm
1. “Romantic Rights” – Death From Above 1979
2. “I Believe” – Marble Index
3. “Combat Baby” - Metric
4. “Gimme That” - Sloan
5. “Dirty Water” – K-Os featuring Sam Roberts
6. “Inside Out” - Feist
7. “Watch” – controller.controller
8. “Zombie Girl” – Howie Beck
9. “Give Me a Chance To Fall” – Gentleman Reg
10. “Party Of One” – Peter Elkas
Nikkie Landry: More Rock Than A Crackhouse, Tuesdays 10am – noon
1. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (My Chemical Romance)
2. In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: Volume 3 (Coheed and Cambria)
3. Casually Dressed and in Deep Conversation (Funeral For A Friend)
4. Writer’s Block (Evergreen Terrace)
5. Franz Ferdinand (Franz Ferdinand)
6. The Curse (Atreyu)
7. Futures (Jimmy Eat World)
8. They’re Only Chasing After Safety (Underoath)
9. Miss Machine (The Dillinger Escape Plan)
10. American Idiot (Green Day)
Fraser McCallum: F-Train 120, Mondays 8am – 10am
1. “Power Out” – Arcade Fire
2. “The World At Large” – Modest Mouse
3. “This Cold” – John Frusciante
4. “The Rat” – the Walkmen
5. “Slow Hands” – Interpol
6. “Take Me Out” – Franz Ferdinand
7. “House Of Jealous Lovers” – the Rapture *
8. “Can’t Stand Me Now” – the Libertines
9. “Taj Mahal” – Sam Roberts
10. “Ch-Check It Out” – the Beastie Boys
* 2003, even arguably 2002
Louis Rozza: Hooked On SONiCS, Tuesdays 6pm – 8pm
1. The Libertines (the Libertines)
2. Blueberry Boat (the Fiery Furnaces)
3. You Are The Quarry (Morrissey)
4. Heroes To Zeroes (Beta Band)
5. Grab That Gun (the Organ)
6. Weightlifting (Trash Can Sinatras)
7. Goodnight Nobody (Julie Doiron)
8. So Jealous (Tegan and Sara)
9. Future Perfect (Autolux)
10. Margarine Eclipse (Stereolab)
11. Rubber Factory (the Black Keys)
12. Little Heart’s Ease (Royal City)
13. II (Sovietes)
14. The Concretes (the Concretes)
15. Sit Down For Staying (Charmparticles)
16. Universal Audio (the Delgados)
17. Love The Cup (Sons and Daughters)
18. Faded Seaside Glamour (the Delays)
19. Underachievers Please Try Harder (Camera Obscura)
20. You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine (Death From Above 1979)
Chris Bussmann: Bop and Beyond, Wednesdays 2pm – 4:30pm
1. Einsturzende Neubauten, Club Soda, Montreal QC
2. Burning Spear, Washington Sq. Park, Albany NY
3. Kepler, Casa Del Popolo. Montreal QC
4. Napalm Death, Fouf's, Montreal QC
5. Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, Doubleday Field, Cooperstown NY
6. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, El Salon, Montreal QC
7. Kalmunity Vibe Collective, La Sala Rossa, Montreal QC
8. The Pixies, CEPSUM, Montreal QC
9. Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Club Soda, Montreal QC
10. The Sifters, The Lark Inn, Albany NY
Mike Bresciani: Wake Up Late With Mikey, Mondays 1:30pm – 3pm
1. Futures (Jimmy Eat World)
2. Give Up (Postal Service) *
3. Join The Dots: B-Sides & Rarities, 1978-2001 (the Cure)
4. Abbatoir Blues/ The Lyre of Orpheus (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
5. Cool To Be You (the Descendents)
6. The Libertines (the Libertines)
7. American Idiot (Green Day)
8. From A Basement On The Hill (Elliott Smith)
9. Pressure Chief (Cake)
10. You Are The Quarry (Morrissey)
* 2003
Antonella Fratino: The Siamese Libertines, Thursdays 6pm – 8pm
1. Talkie Walkie - (Air)
2. Funeral - (The Arcade Fire)
3. End Of The World Party [Just In Case] - (Medeski, Martin & Wood)
4. This Tyrant Is Free - (A. Graham and the Moment Band)
5. Good News For People Who Love Bad News - (Modest Mouse)
2005 CJLO Staff Picks
The thing with lists, especially year-end ones, is that they undercut the obsessive passion of the music lovers. There's no true way around it, as any discussion will eventually boil down to inane nitpicking. That's why CJLO, as a whole, does not have a Top Ten list based on votes or anything remotely objective. Instead, we're throwing together individual staff picks from our motley crew of DJs, not to represent anything else but their true love for this year's music (mostly). Remember, these are not your ordinary music fans; they are willing to trek on a weekly basis to the depths of NDG just to immerse themselves in the music that they love for one or two hours. This is out of love, not out of some misguided sense of loyalty to CJLO (I like to think that they would have the execs' heads on a stick outside of Loyola Lord of The Flies-style if given the chance).
Fraser McCallum: F-Train120, Tuesday Noon – 2pm
Albums
1. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
2. Broken Social Scene (Broken Social Scene)
3. Cuff The Duke (Cuff The Duke)
4. Live It Out (Metric)
5. La De Da (Joel Plaskett)
6. Gimme Fiction (Spoon)
7. Wintersleep (Wintersleep)
8. A Secret House Against The World (Buck 65)
9. No Pressure (Sharp Live Knives)
10. Demon Days (Gorillaz)
Gigs
1. Arcade Fire + Wolf Parade @Théâtre Corona, April
2. Metric + Lovely Feathers @Club Soda, October
3. Joel Plaskett + Peter Elkas @Main Hall, April
4. Broken Social Scene + Islands @Metropolis, October
5. Spoon @Club Soda, November
6. The Go! Team @La Tulipe, October
Darcy MacDonald: Homework, Wednesday 10pm – Midnight
1. Hell's Winter (Cage)
2. You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (Atmosphere)
3. Late Registration (Kanye West)
4. Be (Common)
5. The Hear After (J-Live)
6. Year Of The Beast(C-Rayz Walz)
7. 1988 (Blueprint)
8. Fire and Glory (Kardinal Offishall)
9. Breakupdown (Ghislain Poirier)
10. Chapter Seven Instrumentals (Copperpot)
Antonella Fratino: The Siamese Libertines, Thursday 4pm – 6pm
Albums
1. Howl (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
2. The Campfire Headphase (Boards Of Canada)
3. You'll Rebel To Anything (Mindless Self Indulgence)
4. Get Behind Me Satan (the White Stripes)
5. Wild Light (Mount Sims)
Songs
1. "Finding Out True Love Is Blind" - (Louis XIV)
2. "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement" (Broken Social Scene)
3. "Broken Drum [Boards Of Canada remix]" (Beck)
4. "Dare" (Gorillaz)
5. "Jessica Numbers" (the New Pornographers)
6. "You Are A Runner, I Am My Father's Son" (Wolf Parade)
7. "Luno" - (Bloc Party)
8. "Seven Days In Sunny June" (Jamiroquai)
9. "Red Receiver" - (Sons and Daughters)
10. "Fog" - (Wintersleep)
11. "Radio Caca" - (Jackson & His Computer Band)
Gigs
1. Thievery Corporation @Spectrum, May 19th
2. The Black Keys @La Tulipe, November 17th
3. The Dandy Warhols @Spectrum, December 2nd
4. Stereophonics + Augustana @Cabaret, May 15th
5. Mindless Self Indulgence @La Tulipe, June 3rd
Honourable Mention: The Shins @Spectrum, April 19th
Chris Coates: The Melting Pot, Tuesday 10pm – Midnight
Top 10 Joints
1. "Do Ya Thing" - (B.R. Gunna ft J Dilla)
2. "I Ain't Heard Of That [remix]" - (Slim Thug ft Jay-Z)
3. "The Ride" - (Oh No ft Medapoar)
4. "Hide Ya Face [EL-P remix] - (Prefuse73 ft EL-P and Ghostface Killah)
5. "Late" - (Kanye West)
6. "Albany" (Kev Brown)
7. "Lonely City" - (Specifics)
8. "Stay With Me" - (Platinum Pied Pipers ft Tiombe Lockhart)
9. "Fish Fillet" - (SA-RA Creative Project ft Pharoahe Monch)
10. "Pioneers" - (Bloc Party)
Top 5 Club Joints
1. "Gold Digger" - (Kanye West)
2. "Stay Fly" - (Three-Six-Mafia)
3. "Hate It Or Love It" - (The Game ft 50 Cent)
4. "I Ain't Heard Of That" - (Slim Thug)
5. "Big Ballin'" - (Paul Wall)
10 Names To Watch In 2006
1. Dabrye
2. Eternia
3. Cannibal Ox
4. Blackstar
5. B.R. Gunna
6. Raekwon
7. Count Bass D
8. John Robinson (f.k.a. Lil' Sci)
9. Jneiro Jarel
10. Lady Sovereign
Shaun Anderson: Losing My Edge, Tuesday 8pm – 10pm & Sunday 2pm - 4pm
1. Ta Det Lugnt (Dungen) -- slightly cheating, but whatever
2. LP (The King Khan & BBQ Show)
3. August (Elevator)
4. Porcella (Deadly Snakes)
5. Hypermagic Mountain (Lightning Bolt)
6. Medway Wheelers (Buff Medways)
7. For The Season (The Gris Gris)
8. Icki Baby (Intelligence)
9. Celebration Castle (the Ponys)
10. Let It Bloom (Black Lips)
Top Disappointments
Turbonegro - Party Animals
Total piece of crap record shit out by one of the best bands of the whole 1990s. A far, far cry from the glory days of Ass Cobra and the epic Apocalypse Dudes, the worst part about this album is not just that it's completely lacking in the monstrous riffs, bad-ass attitude and the incredible songwriting of virtually all of their previous albums to date, it's also painfully unfunny and ridiculously lame in subject matter as well. It's like as if the band had decided that "death punk" wasn't catching on, so they might as well just emulate The Darkness, Andrew W.K and the countless other shit-mongerers who have capitalized on their Apocalypse Dudes model of huge power pop songs mocking the excess and homoeroticism of glam rock and 80's hair metal. To go from having brilliant songs like "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker" to self-parodying garbage like "Blow Me (Like The Wind)" is not just embarrassing, it's fucking sad.
Coachwhips - Peanut Butter & Jelly Live at The Ginger Minge
Really disappointing final album from one of the most exciting bands of the last few years. The Coachwhips took blues-inspired garage rock and mutated it into spastic artcore with often brilliant results, but this record fails to even hold a candle to the group's three previous albums. It wastes a great recording and production job by Weasel Walter, as well as the epic "I Made a Bomb", an incredible track that may have been the best thing they ever did and the only song on the whole album with any staying power beyond the first couple of listens.
Usaisamonster - Woah
This NYC two-piece have really thrown me in a loop in the last year or so. The first half of this album is amazing, full of absolutely bone-crushing melodies and crazy prog time signature changes galore. Then inexplicably, the whole last half of the album becomes a lo-fi folk record of strange, incoherent Native American-inspired chants. Say what? They pulled the same routine during their live show the last couple of times I saw them, leaving many scratching their heads and prompting a few more to make an early exit. I'm all for their intense politicizing of Native American folklore; I just wish they kept it in the context of delivering a whole album of what they do best.
Human Eye Human Eye
An embarrassing attempt at art-damaged psychedelic rock brought to you by Timmy Vulgar, the man responsible for the late great 90's Michigan-based punk 'n' roll band, the Clone Defects. Unlike the Defects, who had giant hooks and great songwriting, Human Eye sound like a band that's just pissing ideas in the wind, hoping that the stream doesn't blow back in their faces. If you can find a single catchy hook or riff on this whole record that sustains itself for more than two seconds, then you've got much better ears than me.
Mikaela: Lessons In Lo-Fi, Friday Noon – 2pm
Albums
1. I Am A Bird Now (Antony & the Johnsons)
2. Cripple Crow (Devendra Banhart)
3. Illinois (Sufjan Stevens)
4. Tanglewood Numbers (Silver Jews)
5. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
6. In The Reins (Iron & Wine/Calexico)
7. Superwolf (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney)
8. Silent Alarm (Bloc Party)
9. A River Ain't Too Much To Love (Smog)
10. No Rest For Ghosts (Minus Story)
Songs
1. "Hold On" - (Minus Story)
2. "Hope There's Someone" - (Antony & the Johnsons)
3. "Feel Just Like A Child" - (Devandra Banhart)
4. "Werewolves Of London" - (Magnolia Electric Co.)
5. "Bloody Motherfucking Asshole" - (Martha Wainwright)
6. "I Cannot Have Seen The Light" - (Magnolia Electric Co.)
7. "Losing My Edge" - (LCD Soundsystem)
8. "For Real" - (Okkervil River)
9. "Casimir Pulaski Day" - (Sufjan Stevens)
10. "Suburbs With You" - (Herman Düne)
Katie Seline: Elegantly Wasted, Wednesday 4pm – 6pm
1. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
2. Misty Medley (Kiss Me Deadly)
3. Pretty In Black (the Raveonettes)
4. Has A Good Home (Final Fantasy)
5. X Amounts (Controller.Controller)
6. Skeleton Jar (Youth Group)
7. Goodbye Friend Hello Lover (Hexes & Ohs)
8. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
9. In Case We Die (Architecture In Helsinki)
10. Live It Out (Metric)
11. Wintersleep (Wintersleep)
12. Arular (M.I.A.)
13. Some Cities (Doves)
14. Silent Alarm (Bloc Party)
15. Young For Eternity (The Subways)
Johnny Suck: Turn Down The Suck, Monday 1:30pm – 3pm
1. Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
2. Kill Rock 'n Roll (Vulgar Deli)
3. III (Acid King)
4. To Walk A Middle Course (Kylesa)
5. Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
6. Strength Through Vengeance (A Perfect Murder)
7. How The Great Have Fallen (Raging Speedhorn)
8. Get Some! (Nashville Pussy)
9. In The Arms Of God (Corrosion Of Conformity)
10. The Unquiet Sky (Indian)
Mike Bresciani: The Lonesome Strangers, Monday Noon – 1:30pm
Albums
1. Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (Eels)
2. Set Yourself On Fire (Stars)
3. Some Cities (Doves)
4. Picaresque (the Decemberists)
5. Plans (Death Cab For Cutie)
6. Guero (Beck)
7. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
8. Waiting For The Sirens' Call (New Order)
9. Howl Howl, Gaff Gaff! (The Shout Out Louds)
10. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
Gigs
1. Stars + Donkey Heart @Art En Majuscule, September 30th
2. Doves @Spectrum, September 13th
3. Beck @Bell Centre, September 28th
4. Bright Eyes @Spectrum, January 22nd
5. Tegan & Sara @La Tulipe, February 19th
6. Motörhead @Metropolis, April 30th (loudest show I've ever seen)
7. Death Cab For Cutie + Youth Group @Spectrum, October 16th
8. Magnolia Electric Co. + Grand Buffet @La Sala Rossa, August 7th
9. Stars + Jason Collett @La Tulipe, December 19th
10. Kings Of Leon @Club Soda, October 2nd
Top Gigs Missed
Wilco + My Morning Jacket
Social Distortion
Both Shout Out Louds shows
Nine Inch Nails
Depeche Mode
Broken Social Scene
Arcade Fire + Wolf Parade
I Will Never Understand...Or Like
1. Antony & the Johnsons
2. Coco Rosie
3. People under the age of 20 who like Motley Crue
Fiona Mak: Airworks, Friday 10am – Noon
1. Illinois (Sufjan Stevens)
2. In The Reins (Iron & Wine/Calexico)
3. Broken Social Scene (Broken Social Scene)
4. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
5. The Vertical Struts (The Vertical Struts)
6. Z (My Morning Jacket)
7. Strange Geometry (The Clientele)
8. Infiniheart (Chad Van Gaalen)
9. The Milk Of Human Kindness (Caribou)
10. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
Trevor Kiernander: Ones and Zeroes, Monday 10am – Noon
Albums
1. The Campfire Headphase (Boards Of Canada)
2. The Dancing Box (James T. Cotton)*
3. Multiply (Jamie Lidell)
4. New World Observer (Deadbeat)
5. DE9 Transitions (Richie Hawtin)
6. Far Away Trains Passing By (Ulrich Schnauss)
7. The Witching Hour (Ladytron)
8. Anger Do Not Enter (Beef Terminal)
9. Hangable Auto Bulb (AFX)
10. Backstroke (Matthew Dear)
Tracks
1. "A-Sided" - (Jesse Rose)
2. Bout ready To Jak Remixes (Osborne)*
3. "Sex With The Machines" - (Brett Johnson)
4. "Feel Alright" - (Magik Johnson)
5. "Chromakey Dreamcoat" - (Boards Of Canada)
6. "Nothing Happens In June" - (Ulrich Schnauss)
7. "Lost In Translation" - (Hieroglyphic Being)
8. "Just Fucking" - (Audion)
9. Afrika EP - (Osborne) *
10. Oh Momma [Thomas White remix] - (Da Sunlounge)
* 2004
Cara Ventura: Classified
Albums
1. Has A Good Home (Final Fantasy)
2. Gimme Fiction (Spoon)
3. Tender Buttons (Broadcast)
4. Feels (Animal Collective)
5. Robyn (Robyn)
6. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
7. Born To Be A Motorcycle (Bunky)
8. OK Cowboy (Vitalic)
9. Home Sweet Home (Kano)
10. Akron/Family & Angels Of Light (Akron/Family & Angels Of Light)
11. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
12. Days Of Mars (Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom)
13. Demon Days (Gorillaz)
14. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
15. Late Registration (Kanye West)
16. Arular (M.I.A.)
17. Confessions On A Dance Floor (Madonna)
18. Wearemonster (Isolée)
19. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
20. Loose In The Air (The Double)
Gigs
1. Superpitcher @SAT
2. Think About Life @Friendship Cove
3. Final Fantasy @Ottawa Bluesfest
4. Animal Collective + AIDS Wolf @La Sala Rossa
5. M.I.A. + LCD Soundsystem @La Tulipe
Remixes
1. Superpitcher ("The Difference It Makes" - The MFA)
2. The Knife ("Parliament Square" - Stina Nordenstam)
3. Jacques Lu Cont ("Lose Control" - Missy Elliott)
4. Dahlback & Dahlback ("Pass This On" - The Knife)
5. Alan Braxe & Fred Falke ("Number 1" - Goldfrapp)
Gregor Tedford: Digressions, Tuesday 4pm – 6pm
Albums
1. Mutek 05 (Various Artists)
2. Remembranza (Murcof)
3. Born Again: Collected Remixes 1999-2005 (Sutekh)
4. New World Observer (Deadbeat)
5. Eco (Skipsapiens)
6. Humla (Skugge & Stavostrand)
7. Chaos Theory (Amon Tobin)
8. The Four Quarters (Vladislav Delay)
9. Blue Note Trip (Jazzanova)
10. Konfusion (Skalpel)
Gigs
1. aRTIST oF tHE yEAR @Montreal Jazz Festival, July 8th
2. Roots Manuva @La Tulipe, May 6th
3. Prefuse73 @Cabaret, May 8th
4. M83 @Cabaret, April 18th
5. SND + Autechre @Elektra Festival, May 10th
Brennan: The Almighty Riff, Thursday 8pm – 10pm
Albums
1. The Quiet Offspring (Green Carnation)
2. Fused (Iommi)
3. Tyranny Of Souls (Bruce Dickinson)
4. Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
5. Soul Mover (Glenn Hughes)
6. Mafia (Black Label Society)
7. Rapture Of The Deep (Deep Purple)
8. Atomic Soul (Russell Allen)
9. Rosenrot (Rammstein)
10. Earthquake Machine (Supervillain)
Disappointments Of The Year
Angel Of Retribution (Judas Priest)
Touched By The Crimson King (Demons & Wizards)
Best Gig
Judas Priest + Anthrax @Bell Centre, October 12
Best Album Cover/Packaging
Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
Worst Album Cover
All Over You (Ben Jackson Group)
Album That Most Made Me Want To Jam Ice Picks Into My Ears
Ascendancy (Trivium)
Video Of The Year
"Rosenrot" - (Rammstein)
Stephanie Doyle: Twee Time, Monday 5pm – 6pm
1. Capture/Release (The Rakes)
2. Pretty In Black (The Raveonettes)
3. I'm A Bird Now (Antony & the Johnsons)
4. Worlds Apart (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead)
5. The Campfire Headphase (Boards Of Canada)
6. Aerial (Kate Bush)
7. Get Behind Me Satan (the White Stripes)
8. The death of Bob Moog in August made me feel really sad
9. Seeing Grant Hart at Casa Del Popolo was moving, and it freaked me out because that guy hasn't aged a day!
10. Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Rami The Space Ninja: Morning Milk and Your Snooze Button, Thursday 10am – Noon
Top 5 CDs That I Salvaged That Were Thrown Out Of The Vault
1. No Sense In Waiting (Cerulean)
2. Daisy Spot (Daisy Spot)
3. Heavy Wish (Odiorne)
4. Voices Have Eyes (Eccodek)
5. Hey Sunshine (Drazy Hoops)
Top 5 Dumbest Things Ever
1. Oxygen bars
2. Jews for Jesus
3. The OC
4. Britney's unborn child
5. Scientology
Top 5 Things That Start With "The"
1. The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show
2. The Matrix
3. The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson
4. The Subways
5. The Harp
Josh: The Kids Are So-So, Saturday 10pm – Midnight
1. Vheissu (Thrice)
2. Stop Doing Bad Things (Spitalfield)
3. Discovering The Waterfront (Silverstein)
4. Songs Not To Get Married To (Reggie & the Full Effect)
5. Late Night Conversations (The Forecast)
6. Bayside (Bayside)
7. Good Apollo I Am Burning Star IV, Vol.1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness (Coheed and Cambria)
8. Nightmare Anatomy (Aiden)
9. Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (Gogol Bordello)
10. If You Speak Any Faster (June)
Derek: The Kids Are So-So, Saturday 10pm – Midnight
Bands To Watch In 2006
1. Bosio (WI)
2. Khoura (DC)
3. The Flaming Tsunamis (CT)
4. Trophy Scars (NJ)
5. Aiden (WA)
6. Useless (NJ)
7. Farewell To Arms (CT)
8. Post Break Tragedy (NJ)
9. June (IL)
10. Aviator (KS)
Jordan-na Belle-Isle: Canadian Invasion, Friday 4pm – 6pm
Top Canadian Releases
1. Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides (Death From Above 1979)
Do we really need three versions of "Black History Month"? Yes! Just when you thought you couldn't get enough of this sweaty duo, they put out this excellent remix CD. Their tunes have become even more danceable, if that's possible.
2. Whitey Houston (Whitey Houston)
Not to be confused with DFA 1979, but are just as kick-ass in-your-face in a different, less stylized, more punk-rock kinda way. Hey, West Coast Canada needed a sweaty drum duo too!
3. Wintersleep (Wintersleep)
I can play "Faithful Guide" on repeat for hours, but this whole disk is fantastic. Brooding and moody in the right ways. The bigwigs have been checking these guys out and it's easy to see why
4. Cuff The Duke (Cuff The Duke)
Singing the plight of the common man in beautiful arrangements, Cuff The Duke has brought out an appreciation for quasi-country music I never knew I had. With Hayden's label Hardwood Records now behind them, it will be great to see where this Oshawa-bred band will go.
5. Broken (Luke Doucet)
Breaking up is hard to do. . . unless it inspires you to write a whole album. Luke Doucet needs a big hug and you need to hear this heartfelt, honest album.
6. A-Sides Win: Singles (Sloan)
I loooooooooove these guys, and if anyone merits releasing a best-of, it's Sloan. Get the two-disc version with the DVD of all the videos. Hours of delight for any Sloan fan. Yeeeeeeah!
7. A Secret House Against The World (Buck 65)
Sexe. Cinéma. Politique. More clever quips from the Halifax rapper. En français aussi, to boot!
8. Elevator (Hot Hot Heat)
I've already gotten so much flak for liking this one, but whatever. The perfect album to blast out your car stereo in the summer while singing along at the top of your lungs with your best girlfriends.
9. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
One listen to Tournament Of Hearts, and it brings a warm feeling of familiarity. Bry's rasp is ever-present and their clean-rock anthems give you hope for the everyday.
10. Personnel (The Floor)
What the 80's new wave revival could have been if people left the mascara, band battles and big labels at home.
11. We Win! (Ninja High School)
Hey punk, wanna fight? Never has an album made me want to dance and kick someone's ass at the same time.
12. Has A Good Home (Final Fantasy)
Violins in the Rock section of your local HMV? Yes, it can happen and it can be awesome. Final Fantasy makes the violin cool.
Honourable Mention: Songs In The Key Of Jay (Mary Cobham)
A whole album dedicated to and about Jay Ferguson of Sloan. Yes Mary, we know it's tongue-in-cheek, but it's still kinda creepy. Not close to being good musically, still I'll give you props for putting yourself out there.
Top Canadian Standout Songs Titles
1. "I Got Fucked By Liberty Mutual" - Whitey Houston
Yeah that's right Liberty Mutual, don't you mess with Edmonton electro-pop rock duos. Could easily be replaced by "Enron" or "Paris Hilton."
2. "I Dream In Poutine" - BA Johnson
Greasy fries and melting cheese curds, topped with steamy hot gravy. . .hey, who wouldn't dream in that.
3. "You're Lovely (But You've Got Problems)" - Death From Above 1979
It's always the lovely ones, eh. Sigh.
4. "Handjobs for the Holidays" - Broken Social Scene
Guess what Broken Social Scene really want for Christmas? Ah, the gift that keeps on giving.
5. "Shut Up and Kiss Me" - Pony Up!
For that cute bespectacled nerd in your Math class who can't stop talking about quantum physics.
6. "Nobody Call Me Unless They Want Something" - Shout Out Out Out Out
Let's be honest: nobody just calls to say I love you anymore. They always have some ulterior motive.
7. "Apocalypse Meow" - You Say Party! We Say Die!
Cats versus napalm in the morning? Potential cinematic sequel here!
8. "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" - Stars
Good news for jilted lovers.
9. "Abominable Snow" - Islands
Montreal boys summing up the sentiments of our city come December.
10. "Hair in my Eyes Like a Highland Steer" - Corb Lund
You have to be from Alberta to understand this one.
Chris Bussmann: Retired CJLO Jazz Director
1. At Carnegie Hall (Thelonius Monk/John Coltrane)
2. Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
3. Naturally (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings)
4. Jesu (Jesu)
5. The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code (Napalm Death)
6. Kif Kif (Afrodizz)
7. Living Room Sessions Vol.1 (Romi Mayes & the Temporarily Employed)
8. Grandmasters (DJ Muggs vs GZA/Genius)
9. Flashback (Freaky Flow)
10. The Witching Hour (Ladytron)
Honourable Mentions
Another Day On Earth (Brian Eno)
Equatorial Stars (Robert Fripp & Brian Eno)
Range Of Motion (Jo Ann Daugherty)
Alex Rabot: No Sleep Till Bedtime, Wednesday 6pm – 8pm
1. Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
Amazing Stoner/Doom/Power-trio Rock, with a hint of Black Metal (mostly in the album art). See my review in the CJLO Magazine!
2. Gamelan Into the Mink Supernatural EP (The Psychic Paramount)
Brilliantly all-over-the-place super trippy, fuzzy rock. The record is unfortunately really short, but packed with amazing guitar acrobatics, loads of delay, and drums and bass so blown-out you'd think they were playing IN YOUR BRAIN. Also, the loudest record I own.
3. Hellfire (1349)
Super-complex, incredibly LIVE sounding Norweigan Black Metal. Ends on a heavy dirge that trumps even the most fucked-up and depressing San Francisco bands. The best Black Metal album of the year.
4. Lullabies To Paralyze (Queens Of The Stone Age)
Great tunes, super sweet tones and amazing jams. Josh Homme's vocals keeps getting better too. I can listen to it endlessly.
5. Pink (Boris)
Boris' most 'rock' album yet, totally distorted, red-lined and aggressive, with plenty of noise and effects piled on, with all the atmosphere you'd expect, and in the coolest packaging all year.
6. Impaled - Death After Life
An incredibly catchy, fresh take on Carcass' old-school sound. Impaled are obviously having a ton of fun revelling in their gory, splattercore style, and not overthinking anything.
7. Clutch - Robot Hive/Exodus
Another amazingly solid record from the band, who always push into new territory but still remain very much Clutch. An excellent collection of songs and jams, especially hot off the heels of the last (also great) record.
8. To Violate the Oblivious (Xasthur )
Perhaps the best record to come out of the whole 'I can't trust anybody so I'll record whole albums by myself and give it a zany name' Black Metal movement! Forget Burzum, this is droney, buzzy, alien, and totally terrifying.
9. I, Monarch (Hate Eternal)
Extremely over-the-top brutal, technical Death metal. Ridiculously fast and pummeling, but still catchy and interesting enough to be enjoyable through and through.
10. Hex: Or, Printing in the Infernal Method (Earth)
This record is Earth's first real full-length since their string of masterpieces for Sub Pop in the early/mid 90's. Totally underwhelming at first, this one gradually ropes you into a strange world of spooky drone, haunting chimes, and a classically American guitar sound.
Omar Goodness: HOOKED ON SONiCS, Tuesday 6pm – 8pm
Albums
1. Before The Dawn Heals Us (M83)
2. Physical City (Cadeaux)
3. Flies The Fields (Shipping News)
4. Vheissu (Thrice)
5. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
6. Be (Common)
7. The Woods (Sleater-Kinney)
8. Suit Yourself (Shelby Lynne)
9. The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw (Pelican)
10. Metal Cares (Picastro)
Top Late Discoveries (2004 edition)
1. Absence (Dalek)
2. Catch For Us The Foxes (Mewithoutyou)
3. American Whip (Joy Zipper)
4. I Am Hollywood (He Is Legend)
5. He Has Technology (WPP)
Louis Rozza: HOOKED ON SONiCS, Tuesday 6pm – 8pm
1. Vheissu (Thrice)
2. Out Of Nothing (Embrace)
3. The Witching Hour (Ladytron)
4. Love Kraft (Super Furry Animals)
5. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
6. Magic Numbers (Magic Numbers)
7. Happiness In Magazines (Graham Coxon)
8. Cold Roses (Ryan Adams & the Cardinals)
9. Throw Down Your Arms (Sinead O'Connor)
10. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
Angelica: BVST, Thursday 6pm – 8pm
II (Cursed)
Black Thunder (Doomriders)
Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
First Blush (Tricky Woo)
Hello Master (Priestess)
Horns Up (Maximum RNR)
In The Heat Of The Moment (C'mon)
Lullabies To Paralyze (Queens Of The Stone Age)
Nobody's Darlings (Lucero)
Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
Idle Mind Matt: Idle Minds, Sunday 4pm – 6pm
This doesn't represent the rest of the Idle Minds in any way. Also, considering this list, it's hard to believe we're labelled as a punk show... but honestly, the state of punk is pretty rough these day.
Albums
1. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
Pure pop bliss!!! Also contains the best song of the year, "The Bleeding Heart Show"
2. Silent Alarm (Bloc Party)
At first, I dismissed it as sounding like every popular band coming out of the UK these days (Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs etc... etc...), but then I realised it was better than all that... MUCH better. Didn't leave my CD player for a good chunk of the year. Special mention for Silent Alarm Remixed, a remix album almost as good as the original.
3. Illinois (Sufjan Stevens)
I'd give anything to be as musically talented as this guy...
4. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
Sorry, I know it's pretty trendy to like these guys. But damn it, it's a good album.
5. The Evens (The Evens)
Ian MacKaye could put out an album of himself coughing for 30 minutes and it would still be good. OK, maybe not, but his guitar-and-drums duo with Amy Farina is pretty damn great. When the hell are they coming to town though?
6. Get Behind Me Satan (the White Stripes)
Not their best album, but even when they're not at their best, it's better than most of the crap out there. "My Doorbell" is up there in my favourite songs of the year.
7. Sieg Howdy! (Jello Biafra & the Melvins)
I guess you can consider this a punk album... my god, there's a punk album on my list! So good to hear Jello singing again. A collection of odds and ends, including a live update of "California Über Alles", that's better than the first Biafra and Melvins album.
8. Suspended Animation (Fantômas)
Mr. Bungle meets Friz Freleng with Dave Lombardo drumming. Joy! Seeing them was also one of my concert highlights of the year.
9. You Could Have It So Much Better (Franz Ferdinand)
Not as good as the first album, but it has really been growing on me lately.
10. If Footmen Tire You (The Bloody Hollies)
Best band name ever. Good album too.
Honourable Mentions
1. Mesmerize/Hypnotize (System Of A Down)
Great music... too bad the lyrics are so bad. Cigaro?!
2. Chaos Theory (Amon Tobin)
Great album and another concert highlight this year. Now if only he'd release that unreal drum 'n bass remix of Slayer's 'Raining Blood" that he finished the show with. Intense!
3. Kicking Television: Live In Chicago (Wilco)
...although I think I prefer the bootleg copy of the June 28th show at the Metropolis
4. Lullabies To Paralyze (Queens Of The Stone Age)
"Little Sister": best use of cowbell of the year.
5. The Now Sound Redesigned (The Free Design)
Interesting idea for an album, and very well-executed. Now they need to take Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Smile, and give it the remix treatment like this.
Dishonourable Mention
I Am A Bird Now (Antony & the Johnsons)
I don't get it. Seriously, can someone explain this to me.
Alex Huynh: Losing My Edge, Tuesday 8pm – 10pm & Sunday 2pm - 4pm
Albums
1. Separation Sunday (The Hold Steady)
2. The Sunset Tree (The Mountain Goats)
3. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
4. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
5. Face The Truth (Stephen Malkmus)
6. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
7. Gimme Fiction (Spoon)
8. Robyn (Robyn)
9. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
10. Born To Be A Motorcycle (Bunky)
Reissues/Compilations
1. The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004 (The Fall)
2. Children Of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1996
3. One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found
4. Dinosaur/Bug/You're Living All Over Me (Dinosaur Jr)
5. Germ Free Adolescents [Expanded] (X-Ray Spex)
Songs
1. "This Year" - (The Mountain Goats)
2. "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" - (Martha Wainwright)
3. "Oh My Gosh" - (Basement Jaxx)
4. "Ode To L.A." - (the Raveonettes ft Ronnie Spector)
5. "The Bleeding Heart Show" - (the New Pornographers)
6. "My Doorbell" - (the White Stripes)
7. "Since You Caught My Eye" - (Banner Barbados)
8. "Do You Want To" - (Franz Ferdinand)
9. "Clinicly Dead" - (Chad VanGaalen)
10. "Dylan Pt.2" - (Akron/Family)
Remixes
1. The Knife ("Parliament Square" - Stina Nordenstam)
2. Michael Mayer & Tobias Thomas ("Maps" - Ada)
3. Richard X ("Cool" - Gwen Stefani)
Gigs
1. Dinosaur Jr @Festival d'été à Québec, July 16th
2. Broadcast @Cabaret, November 7th
3. Dirtbombs + Deadly Snakes + Sunday Sinners @Cabaret, September 30th
4. Wilco @Metropolis, June 28th
5. The Wedding Present @Cabaret, April 27th
6. Think About Life + Get Hustle @Friendship Cove, October 27th
7. The King Khan & BBQ Show @El Salon, February 5th
8. Moutain Goats @The Old American Can Factory, July 2nd
9. Grant Hart @Casa Del Popolo, August 3rd
10. Wolf Parade @Parc des Amériques, June 18th
Worst Album
Gemstones (Adam Green)
Biggest Disappointment
The Craft (Blackalicious)
2006 CJLO Staff Picks
Once again, CJLO grew this year and if anything, it grew even more diverse judging by the staff picks below. Besides perhaps Ghostface Killah's Fishscale and Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio, there weren't many albums that found themselves repeated often among the different lists. It's a testament both to the goldmine of releases this year and to the eclectic tastes of the boys and girls that entertain you night and day on the ol' dot com. Personally, I wasn't married to many records this year, instead opting to play a wider field. In fact, only Liars' Drum's Not Dead came close to anything special in my book, though it wasn't the only good album, not by a long shot. Other highlights include the emergence of Montreal's The Nymphets, seeing legends such as Roky Erickson and Mark E. Smith (The Fall), the impossibly phenomenal Man Man show in June and despite the insane number of bands and labels starting up, there is quality to be found for just about every discerning taste. Even the old farts have something to be excited about, given the steady flow of reissues of both classic bands and those thought to be forgotten by history. Anyway, have fun sifting through the staff picks and don't be afraid to leave a comment on the CJLO message board.
Chris Coates: The Melting Pot, Tuesday 10pm - Midnight
Albums
1. Hell Hath No Fury (Clipse)
2. Two/Three (Dabrye)
3. Donuts (J Dilla)
4. Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip (Hi-Tek)
5. Fishscale (Ghostface Killah)
6. Moonlighting (Tanya Morgan)
7. Game Theory (The Roots)
8. Food and Liquor (Lupe Fiasco)
9. Here (Nicolay)
10. Doctor's Advocate (The Game)
Show Of The Year
Thunderheist @Vinyl, October 2006
Next Shit Of The Year
B-More Club Music
Fraser McCallum: F-Train 120, Monday Noon - 2pm
Albums
1. Modern Times (Bob Dylan)
2. The Avalanche (Sufjan Stevens)
3. The Eraser (Thom Yorke)
4. Chemical City (Sam Roberts)
5. The Crane Wife (The Decemberists)
6. He Poos Clouds (Final Fantasy)
7. Return To Cookie Mountain (TV On The Radio)
8. A Hundred Miles Off (The Walkmen)
9. College Rock EP (Smothered In Hugs)
10. Everything All The Time (Band Of Horses)
Best Live Shows
1. Wolf Parade @Le National, April
2. Belle Orchestre + Final Fantasy @Le National, November
3. Flaming Lips @Osheaga Festival, September
4. Sam Roberts @Metropolis, November
5. The Raconteurs @Metropolis, September
6. The Walkmen @La Sala Rossa, February
7. Metal Hearts @Green Room, September
8. Wilco @Alderley Landing (Halifax), July
9. Kid Koala @Le National, November
10. Jill Barber @Théâtre Outremont, November
Worst Live Shows
1. The Stills @Osheaga Festival, September
2. Justin Rutledge @Spectrum, November
3. Islands @Metropolis, March
4. The Colour @Osheaga Festival, September
5. Ben Harper @Osheaga Festival, September
Top Venue
Le National
Cody Hicks: Breakfast Of Champions, Thursday Noon - 2pm
As you may know, I'm pretty clueless about new music. I've given it the old college try and come up with 10(ish) albums that I thought were really groovy this year.
Albums
1. Fishscale (Ghostface Killah)
Nothing even came close this year. Ghost is once again completely unfuckwithable.
2. Orphans (Tom Waits)
Yet another old guard who came out and blew away all the young guns. Any record that covers the Ramones and Charles Bukowski is an A+. Tom Waits might be the coolest man alive.
3. Boys and Girls In America (The Hold Steady)
I didn't get this band at first, but after hearing "Chips Ahoy!" off this record I was hooked. This is what I play on-air to satisfy my Springsteen fix.
4. Thunder Down Under (Hot Snakes)
A pretty fantastic swan song for one of my favourite groups.
5. Shattered (The Exploding Hearts)
R.I.P. Punk is dead.
6. The Obliterati (Mission Of Burma)
Does anyone see a pattern emerging? Another incredible punk record by a band that is logically too old to be this good.
7. Return To Cookie Mountain (TV On The Radio)
I wasn't huge on this until I went to the live show and now I have to say that the hype is true. Believe it!
8. The Drift (Scott Walker)
This guy's voice could stop bullets, melt diamonds and perform other magical feats.
9. Kiss Of Death (Motörhead)
Scratch that. Lemmy is the coolest man alive
10. Close Calls With Brick Walls (Andrew W.K.)
For some reason this gem of a record was only released in Japan. My friend is completely obsessed with this dude and shelled out for the import, so I got to hear what was far too glorious for American ears. This beat the piss out of his last album and is a strong contender for "Party Record of All Time"
11. Hex Enduction Hour (The Fall)
Yeah, I know this wasn't released this year. Who cares. I bought it this year and I listened to it more than anything new. Long live Mark E. Smith!
Brendan O'Flaherty: Catatonia Shall Prevail, Sunday 8pm - 10pm
Albums
1. Avatar (Comets On Fire)
2. The Trident (Unearthly Trance)
3. Conference Of The Birds (Om)
4. Chaos Is My Name (Khlyst)
5. Grind Finale (Nasum)
6. Dead Mountain Mouth (Genghis Tron)
7. Asceticists (Whitehouse)
8. Mammatus (Mammatus)
9. Banks Violette DVD-A (Thorns Ltd.)
10. Subliminal Genocide (Xasthur)
Johnny Suck: Turn Down The Suck, Monday 6pm - 8pm
Albums
1. Kalas (Kalas)
2. Time Will Fuse It's Worth (Kylesa)
3. Witch (Witch)
4. The Abominable Iron Sloth (The Abominable Iron Sloth)
5. Age Of Winters (The Sword)
6. Fires Under The Road (Grim Skunk)
7. Chapter Chaos Begins (Anonymus)
8. Birthing The Giant (Cancer Bats)
9. Cryogenie (Ghoulunatics)
10. The Ultimate Destroyer (Lair of the Minotaur)
Top Live Discoveries
1. Colour Haze
2. Graves At Sea
3. The Last Vegas
4. Desperate Living
5. The Mongrels
Favourite 2005 Albums That Were Not On Last Year's List 1. Those Once Loyal (Bolt Thrower)
2. Shadows Are Security (As I Lay Dying)
3. Electric Last Minute (Dutch Oven)
4. Vampire Circus (Earthride)
5. The Galilean Satellites (Rosetta)
Jackie Hall: Bridge The Gap, Tuesday 4pm - 6pm
Albums
1. Our Darkest Days (Ignite)
2. Songs Of Beer (No Redeeming Social Value vs Slumlords)
3. Where The Sun Never Sets (A Global Threat)
4. Death To Tyrants (Sick Of It All)
5. On The Stremph! (Slumlords)
6. Violent Epiphany (Icepick)
7. Hold A Grudge (Hold A Grudge)
8. 100,000 Watts Of Pure Power (Or At Least That's What We Tell The Girls) (Ripcordz)
9. Changes Are What Bring Us Home (Solidarity)
10. EP (Epidemic)
Shows
1. Adicts + U.K. Subs w/ Misfits @Foufounes Électriques, November 3rd
3. Sick Of It All @Foufounes Électriques, September 30th
4. A Global Threat + Wednesday Night Heroes @L'Inco, November 14th
5. Ignite + A Global Threat w/ Strike Anywhere @Club Lambi, September 6th
6. Gorilla Biscuits + Murphy's Law + Comeback Kid@Le National, August 8th
7. Hold A Grudge album launch w/ Union Made @Café Chaos, June 24th
8. Circle Jerks + Ignite w/ Pennywise @Metropolis, October 14th
9. Slumlords @L'Inco, June 10th
10. Municipal Waste + GWAR @Club Soda, October 22nd
Honourable Mentions
Ignite w/ Comeback Kid @Foufounes Électriques, March 31st
Fearless Vampire Killers @L'Inco, September 16th
Far From Finished + Union Made @Foufounes Électriques, April 2nd
Jaws Of Life's last show w/ Pulling Teeth @L'Inco, November 4th
Gutter Demons @Café Campus, September 7th
Katie Seline: Wrong Side Of The Bed, Wednesday 5pm - 7pm
Albums
1. Carnavas (Silversun Pickups)
2. I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (Yo La Tengo)
3. Powder Burns (Twilight Singers)
4. The Coast Is Clear (In-Flight Safety)
5. Modern Currencies (Uncut)
6. Dancing With Daggers (Magneta Lane)
7. Show Your Bones (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
8. Knives Don't Have Your Back (Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton)
9. At War With The Mystics (The Flaming Lips)
10. Return To Cookie Mountain (TV On The Radio)
I had honestly completely lost hope on new releases halfway through the year. However, come the release of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Show Your Bones, things began to look up. 2006 surprisingly ended up producing some of my favourite albums and some of the best I have heard in a long time. It was hard to narrow the list down to just 10 but I decided to stick with the albums that I simply couldn’t stop listening to. To me, never getting sick of something is a true sign of quality.
Honourable Mentions
Gang Of Losers (The Dears)
Robbers & Cowards (Cold War Kids)
A Lesson In Crime (Tokyo Police Club)
Gravity Won't Get You High (The Grates)
Peregrine (Appleseed Cast)
It broke my heart to take these albums out of my Top 10 -- all were really good. I was most surprised by the Dears’ album Gang of Losers; I’ve never minded the band, but this album was the first of theirs that I can willingly listen to over and over again. Cold War Kids and the Grates were tough ones too. The Grates’ album for me was 2006’s equivalent to Metric’s Live it Out, and I know all I would have to do is see Cold War Kids live for me to get completely hooked on their songs. They, along with Tokyo Police Club, are bands to watch out for in 2007. The only reason A Lesson in Crime didn’t make the cut is because it is an EP.
Guilty Pleasures
Life In Slow Motion (David Gray)
Eyes Open (Snow Patrol)
The Lookes (MSTRKRFT)
Let’s be honest: I love cheesy, poppy, pull-at-your-heartstrings songs when placed in the right moment of a sitcom television show music. Snow Patrol’s Final Straw was the soundtrack to my summer and live this band just plain kills me. The same goes for David Gray and his album Life in Slow Motion. As for MSTRKRFT, sometimes a girl just needs to dance.
Biggest Disappointments: Albums
Make History (Thunderbirds Are Now!): To be fair, this album is AMAZING live
He Poos Clouds (Final Fantasy): Yeah he poos something else too; a REALLY awful album. I was shocked considering his first release was one of my favourites of 2005.
Biggest Disappointments: Shows
Kanye West in Melbourne, Australia: This guy’s head is too big to get in the door. I did not pay $80 for 45 minutes of back-up singers thanking you. “Yo buy my album it's hot WHAT”, my ass. It is good though.
The Walkmen @NYU, New York: Hands down, worst show I have EVER seen. The sound was hideous, the stage was way too big considering the number of performers, there were seats and ushers keeping kids out of the aisles, and the band clearly didn’t give a crap. The drummer, however, was AMAZING.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @Osheaga Festival: I don’t even want to dignify this with an explanation.
Best Shows
Flaming Lips @Osheaga Festival: If you were at this show, you know what I mean. These guys are the kings of the stage show.
Les Savy Fav + The Hold Steady + Thunderbirds Are Now! in Melbourne, Australia: If you ever have the chance to see ANY of these bands, do it. You’ll thank me later.
Silversun Pickups @Pianos: Somehow I had never even heard of these guys until this show. The album is my number one. I think that’s all the explanation you need.
Hana Feldman: The Reign, Wednesday Noon - 1pm
Putting together this info, I had a little trouble determining exactly what happened in 2006; I can barely remember what I did last week. Did Nas and Jay make up in 2006? Nah, that was 2005. Did Bun B release one of my favorite albums? Also 2005. Did Lil Kim go to jail? Did Hova un-retire? I was getting more on track. So after some hard remembering and a little research, what I did determine was that the south continued to kill it in 2006 and most of the club bangers of the year came from the dirty dirty, which has got me wondering when the East Coast is going to take the game back. Even after figuring out that my top album was technically released in 2005, I’ve been banging it all of 2006 so I decided that it’s going to keep its spot anyways. So here it is, my 2006 roundup and a prediction for the coming year. Until then...
Albums
1. Trill (Bun B)
2. King (T.I.)
3. Hell Hath No Fury (Clipse)
4. More Fish (Ghostface Killah)
5. Fishscale (Ghostface Killah)
6. Second Round's On Me (Obie Trice)
7. Release Therapy (Ludacris)
8. The Inspiration (Young Jeezy)
9. Killa Season (Camron)
10. Game Theory (The Roots)
Top 10 Club Bangers
1. "I Know You See It" - Young Joe
2. "Getting Some (remix)" - Shawna ft. Lil Wayne Pharrell & Ludacris
3. "Where The Cash At" - Currency ft. Lil Wayne
4. "Hustlin (remix)" - Rick Ross ft. Jay-Z & Young Jeezy
5. "Money Maker" - Ludacris ft. Pharrell
6. "Shoulder Lean" - Young Dro ft. T.I.
7. "What You Know (remix)" - T.I. ft. Lil Wayne
8. "Ridin" - Chamillionaire
9. "Touch It" - Busta Rhymes
10. "Grillz" - Nelly
2006 Artist With The Hottest Feature Spots On Tracks
Lil Wayne
2006 Male Artist With The Flyest Style
Kanye West
2006 Female Artist With The Flyest Style
Beyonce
Artist To Look Out For In 2007 Saigon
Jackson MacIntosh: Track Marks, Wednesday 10pm - 11:30pm
Songs
1. "Kilo" - Ghostface Killah ft. Raekwon
2. "Promiscuous" - Nelly Furtado
3. "Raise The Spark" - Akron/Family
4. "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" - Camera Obscura
5. "Glass Pipe" - Eliot Lipp
6. "Jealous Boyfriend" - Dishwasher
7. "Uma" - OOIOO
8. "Workinonit" - J Dilla
K-Man: "Beyond That Graveyard III", Friday 9pm - Midnight
Best Metal Show: Turn Down The Suck
Best Alt. Show: Losing My Edge
Best Overnight Show/Smoothest Voice: Go-Go Radio Magic Show
Best Overall Show: BVST (or "Beyond That Graveyard III")
Executive With The Most Hustle: Chris Quinnell
Executive With The Most Dedication To The Cause: Alex Huynh
Alex Rabot: No Sleep Til Bedtime, Thursday 6pm - 8pm
Best Album I Knew Would Be Good
Blood Mountain (Mastodon)
Biggest (Good) Surprise
A Senile Animal (Melvins)
Biggest (Bad) Surprise
The New Black (Strapping Young Lad)
Most Fucked Record
New Death Experience (Spektr)
Best Song
"No Heroes" - Converge
Best Re-Issue
Slaughter Of The Soul (At The Gates)
Most Annoying To Omar
Jaggernaut (Scissorfight)
Best Reunion Record
Monotheism (Celtic Frost)
Most Expensive Purchase
Dronevil: Final (Boris) - $25 US, paid twice, still not received
Best Singalong
"Set Fire To The Face On Fire" - Blood Brothers
Shaun Anderson: Losing My Edge, Sunday 2pm-4pm and Tuesday 8pm-10pm
Albums
1. Hidden World (Fucked Up)
2. Blood Visions (Jay Reatard)
3. Shallow (Pissed Jeans)
4. Shrinking Moon For You 10" (Wooden Shjips)
5. Pro-Fucking-Motional EP (The Nymphets)
6. To Find Me Gone (Vetiver)
7. C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. (Mika Miko)
8. II (Annihilation Time)
9. The Empire Strikes Back (Country Teasers)
10. Hearts Addendum (Battleship)
Most Listened To Non-2006 Album
Let It Bloom (The Black Lips)
Best 2007 Album Leaked In 2006
Are The Dark Horse (The Besnard Lakes)
Best Live Band
Brutal Knights
Best Re-Issue
The Kids/Naughty Kids: 30th Anniversary Issue (The Kids)
Döc Holidæ: Phantastiq Cypha, Friday 9pm - Noon
Top 10 Television Programs That Progressively Got Worse
1. The Simpsons
2. American Dad
3. Pimp My Ride
4. Survivor
5. The O.C.
6. Desperate Housewives
7. E.R.
8. Charmed
9. That 70's Show
10. Smallville
Lisa Sookraj: Unsystem Addict, Saturday 6pm - 8pm
Albums
1. Out Of The Angeles (Amusement Parks On Fire)
2. Night Creatures (Cities In Dust)
3. Wires In The Walls (North Atlantic)
4. A Lesson In Crime (Tokyo Police Club)
5. Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not (Arctic Monkeys)
6. Give Me A Wall (¡Forward, Russia!)
7. Silver (Jesu)
8. Waiting For The Next End Of The World (Channels)
9. So Divided (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead)
Honourable Mentions
Not Accepted Anywhere (The Automatic)
Print Is Dead (Yourcodenameis:Milo)
Nine Times That Same Song (Love Is All)
Vision Valley (The Vines)
Reissues/Compilations
1. Thunder Down Under (Hot Snakes)
2. His 'n Hers/Different Class/This Is Hardcore 2xCD deluxe edition (Pulp)
3. Everything Wants To Be Used For What It Was Made For (Single Frame)
4. Wowee Zowee - Sordid Sentinels reissue (Pavement)
Shows
1. Death From Above 1979
2. NOFX
3. The Strokes
4. Arctic Monkeys
5. Franz Ferdinand
6. Rancid
7. ¡Forward, Russia!
8. Gary Numan
9. Convenant
10. Moneen
Antonella Fratino: Siamese Libertines, Thursday 8pm - 10pm
Indie Albums
1. The Information (Beck)
2. Gulag Orkestar (Beirut)
3. Yellow House (Grizzly Bear)
4. Beast Moans (Swan Lake)
5. Destroyer's Rubies (Destroyer)
6. The Trials Of Van Occupanther (Midlake)
7. Shut Up I Am Dreaming (Sunset Rubdown)
8. Fear Is On Our Side (I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness)
9. Return To Cookie Mountain (TV On The Radio)
10. Modern Currencies (Uncut)
Electro Albums
1. Unity Gain (Sinewave)
2. Drowning In A Sea Of Love (Nathan Fake)
3. Trans Canada Highway EP (Boards Of Canada)
4. The Looks (MSTRKRFT)
5. The Legend Of Bird's Hill (Vitaminsforyou)
6. Echo Other (All India Radio)
7. History Is Bunk Pts 1 & 2 (Hefty Compilation)
8. We Think As Instruments (I'm Not A Gun)
9. Birdy Nam Nam (Birdy Nam Nam)
10. Xenon EP (Miles Tillman)
Shows
1. TV On The Radio + Grizzly Bear @Le National
2. Wolfmother @Le National
3. David Gray @Bell Centre
4. MSTRKRFT + Van She @Puma Store, NYC
5. Wintersleep @Parc Jean-Drapeau
6. You Say Party! We Say Die! + Controller.Controller @Club Lambi
7. Nouvelle Vague @Club Soda
8. Supergrass + Pilotdrift @La Tulipe
9. 5th Projekt + super/heater + The Diamond Sea @Green Room
10. The Nymphets @L'Escogriffe
10.5 Jackson and His Computer Band @SAT
Spanky G: The Lonesome Strangers, Wednesday 3pm - 5pm
Albums
1. The Crane Wife (The Decemberists)
2. The Avalanche (Sufjan Stevens)
3. With Strings: Live At Town Hall (Eels)
4. Gravity Won't Get You High (The Grates)
5. The Life Pursuit (Belle & Sebastian)
6. The Lemonheads (The Lemonheads)
7. Sell Control For Life's Speed (Pilate)
8. A Little Place In The Wilderness (Memphis)
9. Honey From The Tombs (Amy Millan)
10. Songs For Christmas (Sufjan Stevens)
Mike Bresciani: The Lonesome Strangers, Wednesday 3pm - 5pm
Albums
1. The Life Pursuit (Belle & Sebastian)
2. Honey From The Tombs (Amy Millan)
3. It's Never Been Like That (Phoenix)
4. Pet Grief (The Radio Dept)
5. Return From Cookie Mountain (TV On The Radio)
6. The Information (Beck)
7. Modern Times (Bob Dylan)
8. Rather Ripped (Sonic Youth)
9. The Lemonheads (The Lemonheads)
10. With Strings: Live At Town Hall (Eels)
Alex Rapagna: The Aftermath, Monday 2pm - 3pm
Worst Franchises
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
2. New York Knicks
3. Chicago Blackhawks
4. Houston Texans
5. Kansas City Royals
Knockouts
1. Maria Sharapova (Tennis)
2. Natalie Gulbis (LPGA)
3. Martine Gaillard (Rogers Sportsnet)
4. Bonnie Bernstein (ESPN)
5. Sam Ryan (CBS)
Best Games
1. Rose Bowl - USC vs Texas
2. Elite 8 - George Mason vs UCONN - 86-84 OT
3. Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres - 09/18/2006
4. Phoenix Suns vs New Jersey Nets 161-157, 12/7/2006
5. Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers Game 4 ALCS
MVP
1. Ladainian Tomlinson
2. Troy Smith
3. Steve Nash
4. Justin Morneau
5. Vince Young
Biggest Disappointment
1. The CFL
2. St-Louis Cardinals winning the World Series
3. The Montreal Alouettes
4. Bryant Gumble calling NFL games
5. The BCS
6. FOX Sports
7. Team Canada men's hockey team at the Olympics
8. Detroit Pistons running out of gas in the playoffs
9. Mario Williams
10. The Indianapolis Colts choking in the playoffs
Christopher Bussmann: former CJLO Jazz Director
Albums
1. Hosannas In The Basements Of Hell (Killing Joke)
2. Mr.Beast (Mogwai)
3. Personal File (Johnny Cash)
4. Fishscale (Ghostface Killah)
5. Silver (Jesu)
6. We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Bruce Springsteen)
7. Smear Campaign (Napalm Death)
8. The Fountain (Clint Mansell)
9. Made In Brooklyn (Masta Killa)
10. Palm Of Soul (Kidd Jordan/Hamid Drake/William Parker)
Angelica Calcagnile: BVST, Wednesday 7pm - 9pm
Favourite metal albums of '06, in no particular order:
Blood Mountain (Mastodon)
This monster of a record is continued proof that braininess and brutality aren't mutually exclusive.
RIYL: music
Sahg 1 (Sahg)
Don't be fooled: this might look like a black metal album but this may just be the year's best stoner rock release, all dirt road riffs and doomy, gloomy goodness.
RIYL: Satan, bong hits
Now, Diabolical (Satyricon)
Possibly the catchiest black metal record ever recorded... careful, this slope is slippery. One minute you're bobbing your head, the next you're burning down churches.
RIYL: disco, being scared shitless
Witch (Witch)
Droney, fuzzy proto-metal... J Mascis brings the fanboys in, but it's the creeping, hypnotic rock 'n roll that keeps 'em there...
RIYL: long hair, deciphering backmasked messages in Zeppelin records
Into Oblivion (Rise and Fall)
Who said Belgians are boring? Not this crushing, tortured sophomore release stamped with the Converge seal of approval.
RIYL: Cursed, waffles
III: The Eyes Of Fire (Unearth)
An unexpected scorcher. If you like blistering metalcore, don't overthink this one - just turn it up.
RIYL: driving really fast, barfights, other brainless pleasures
Origo (Burst)
Like ocean waves grinding cliffs into sand, this intricately crafted record, full of searing highs and bone-shaking lows, is destructive in the best possible way.
RIYL: unconventional makeout music
Prisons (Eyes Of Fire)
Anguished without being emo, this is an epic, darkly melodic and doomy album, produced by Matt Bayles (Isis, Mastodon, Murder City Devils).
RIYL: existentialist philosophy, highly depressive ruminations
Jaggernaut (Scissorfight)
The Granite State destroyers are back with a long awaited dose of headbanging, tongue in cheek, whiskey-soaked mountain man rock.
RIYL: malt liquor, lowbrow pursuits
Deaf To Our Prayers (Heaven Shall Burn)
Dense, powerful melodic death metal from Deutschland. As punishing as it is pretty, this is one of 2006's sleeping giants.
RIYL: making fun of Myspace, In Flames
Favourite Gigs
Bad Wizard @Midway, NYC: Like the MC5 with extra boogie, this just might be one of the most dangerous bands in rock 'n roll... seeing them at their finest in a sweaty Alphabet Village dive is one of my fondest CMJ moments.
Mastodon (Unholy Alliance tour) @Bell Centre: They were all I expected and more on their headlining stop at Spectrum, but this appearance gets the nod because despite the odds (playing early to a half-empty stadium) their mesmerizing performance blew the rest of the bands off the stage.
The Last Vegas @Café Chaos: When this Chicago five-piece took the stage, Café Chaos became some smoky Sunset Strip shithole in the late 70's, and as their lead singer snaked about, I remember why I listen to rock 'n roll in the first place.
Fiona Mak: Airworks, Tuesday 2pm - 4pm
Albums
1. Skelliconnection (Chad VanGaalen)
2. The Avalanche (Sufjan Stevens)
3. You Are There (Mono)
4. The Greatest (Cat Power)
5. Disaster Poetry (Flotilla)
6. Ships (Danielson)
7. The Crane Wife (The Decemberists)
8. And Now That I'm In Your Shadow (Damien Jurado)
9. He Poos Clouds (Final Fantasy)
10. Destroyer's Rubies (Destroyer)
Shows
1. Silver Mt Zion @Le National
2. Low + His Name Is Alive @La Sala Rossa
3. super/heater + The Golden Dogs @Main Hall
4. Danielson + Oneida @La Sala Rossa
5. Deerhoof + The Fiery Furnaces @La Tulipe
6. Joanna Newsom + Under Byen @Ukrainian Federation Centre
7. The Great Lake Swimmers + Centro-Matic @La Sala Rossa
8. Telefauna + They Shoot Horses Don't They @Le Divan Orange
9. David Bazan @Green Room
10. CT Sirens + Flotilla + Tanya Nielsen + Only Forward @La Sala Rossa
10. Architecture In Helsinki @La Sala Rossa
Correy Baldwin: Airworks, Tuesday 2pm - 4pm
Albums
Paper Television (The Blow)
Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Neko Case)
The Greatest (Cat Power)
The Crane Wife (The Decemberists)
Destroyer's Rubies (Destroyer)
Shut Up I Am Dreaming (Sunset Rubdown)
Return To Cookie Mountain (TV On The Radio)
Skelliconnection (Chad VanGaalen)
Orphans (Tom Waits)
I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (Yo La Tengo)
Zombieboy: The Almighty Riff, Sunday 6pm - 8pm
Albums
1. Mystica (Axel Rudi Pell)
2. A Matter Of Life And Death (Iron Maiden)
3. You're All Living In Cuckooland (Budgie)
4. Rocket Ride (Edguy)
5. Edge Of The World (Tipton, Entwistle & Powell)
6. A Light In The Dark (Metal Church)
7. Beyond Fear (Beyond Fear)
8. Denial Of Death (Brain Surgeons)
9. The Monkey Puzzle (UFO)
10. A Twist In The Myth (Blind Guardian)
Honourable Mentions
Warrior Soul (Doro)
Rebel Meets Rebel (Rebel Meets Rebel)
Educated Horses (Rob Zombie)
Trust (Saga)
Kiss Of Death (Motörhead)
Dominate (Adagio)
Top 2005 Releases Heard In 2006
1. Holy Hell (Rob Rock)
2. Majestic (Gamma Ray)
3. Scream (Tony Martin)
4. Aeronautics (Masterplan)
5. Rising In The East (Judas Priest)
Best Shows
Gamma Ray + Hanker @Le Medley, May 6: can’t wait to see the Gamma Ray Live in Montreal DVD
Paul Di'Anno + Sudden Flames @Club Soda, April 9
Nashville Pussy + Priestess @Les Saints, September 22
Biggest Disappointments
1. Operation Mindcrime II (Queensrÿche): A sorry excuse of a follow-up to one of the best metal discs of the 80's. They didn’t help matters with their overblown and pompous stage show on November 10th either. Time to go back to basics, guys.
2. Iron Maiden live October 10: It pains me to say it, but Iron Maiden flat out sucked. Playing the new album in its entirety was a terrible mistake. It’s a great work, but simply too long and involved for a live event.
3. Too many projects delayed (Megadeth, Manowar, Type O Negative and others: 2006 was a pretty slow year for old-school metal fans, but with all the delays that took place, 2007 should be amazing.
Most Metal Moments
Dio reuniting with his old Black Sabbath bandmates to form Heaven and Hell.
Budgie coming back with a great album after more than twenty years.
Getting to interview Hanker — these guys rock and I’m predicting their next release (hopefully coming in 2007) will be their breakthrough.
Ian Hundt: Sound Control To Major Tom, Friday Noon - 2pm
Ian doesn't listen to new music or directives from the magazine editor.
Albums
1. Surf's Up (The Beach Boys)
2. Remain In Light (Talking Heads)
3. Blonde On Blonde (Bob Dylan)
4. There's A Riot Goin' On (Sly & The Family Stone)
5. Abbey Road (The Beatles)
6. Songs In The Key Of LIfe (Stevie Wonder)
7. '77 (Talking Heads)
8. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
9. Funky Kingston (Toots & The Maytals)
10. Band On The Run (Paul McCartney & Wings)
Songs
1. "A Day In The Life Of A Tree" - The Beach Boys
2. "Stay" - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
3. "Ebb Tide" - The Righteous Brothers
4. "Father & Son" - Cat Stevens
5. "Carrie-Anne" - The Hollies
6. "Jump Into The Fire" - Harry Nilsson
7. "Proud Mary" - Ike & Tina Turner
8. "Medley: Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In/The Flesh Failures" - The Fifth Dimension
9. "Kitty Can" - The Bee Gees
10. "It's A Shame" - The Spinners
Stephanie Doyle: Twee Time, Monday 5pm - 6pm
Stuff
1. Begin To Hope (Regina Spektor)
Upon my first listen, I didn't know what to think about Begin to Hope. Regina Spektor accompanied by a band? Regina playing electric guitar? A new version of "Samson"? Hmm... I better listen to this again. Well, I better listen again. OK one more time, just for you Regina. Oh, now I get it. I luv u Regina.
2. The Life Pursuit (Belle & Sebastian)
I think Belle & Sebastian have been listening to a lot of 70's cheesy pop records, but these catchy tunes had me tapping my feet.
3. "Shoes" video by Kelly Come on, you betch I'm gonna betch slap yah shut up yah shet bag. Gotta love this video! We've got Kelly (comedian Liam Sullivan), her creepy family, shoes that rule and shoes that suck, hot girls twirling flaming hula hoops, big freak outs, and 80's references. Oh My God. Look for it on youtube.
4. Pro-Fucking-Motional EP (The Nymphets)
I was wallowing in great sadness thinking punk was dead, until I saw this band during Pop Montreal. The Nymphets are three normal kids who listen to pop records and belt out the best punk music I've heard in a long time. A girl drummer too. A band after my own heart.
5. Friendly Rich & The Lollipop People (The Friendly Rich Show)
I love Friendly Rich! He's super cool and gives a good interview and his CD kicks ass. OK, ass-kissing over. The Friendly Rich Show is the second release from Friendly Rich and his band of prodigies The Lollipop People. Imagine an energy drink made of heaven and hell in musical form. Imagine what would happen if you threw Tom Waits, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Pink Floyd, the Phantomas and some camp into a blender along with a bass, a trombone, some drums, a cello, an accordion, a banjo, a bassoon, a harp, a double bass, Friendly Rich on vocals and a doctor playing a harpsichord, turned the blender on high speed with crushed ice and let them all bleed into one big bloody milkshake of musical bliss. Serve with a twisty straw and a mint leaf in a tall frosted monkey head glass. Yup, that's Friendly Rich.
6. Orphans (Tom Waits)
This three-CD set is a collection of new and rare songs. Tom covers two Ramones songs from End of the Century ("The Return of Jackie and Judy" and "Danny Says", the latter is such a soft sad song). Tom, thanks for taking the Spector out of that song. You make me cry.
7. Dýrðin (Dýrðin)
Indie pop from Iceland! Sweet. They sing songs in their native language! Kick ass. I appreciate that you did not sell out just to please the masses. It's pronounced "Deerthin", by the way.
8. Singer (The Besties)
Super poppy and sweet, this Brooklyn band is definitely one of my favourites this year. Light and happy, Singer makes ya smile. What more could a person want? They even turned my friend Matt into a wussy punk boy.
9. Voila! (The Snow Fairies)
Indie-pop from the Snow Fairies. I do believe this new CD is a more mature work than their debut.
10. The Affected Provincial's Companion by Lord Breaulove Swells Whimsy (book) Each year I like to include a book because I'm modern that way. Lord Whimsy has definitely shared something beautiful with the world. This is book is not only about Dandyism. It's about a joyous way of life and offers a hopeful message. To Lord Whimsy I say, YES. Let us ditch our sweat pants and transfer from the past all that was beautiful and bring the beauty and manners into the present and become the most splendid version of ourselves! I'm game. But do you like Twee?
Matt Leitman: Idle Minds, Monday 9pm - 10pm
Albums
1. Hidden World (Fucked Up)
I haven't stopped listening to this since I got it. Amazing.
2. The Obliterati (Mission Of Burma)
MoB haven't lost a step. "2wice" is one of my top songs of year too. So damn catchy.
3. Rather Ripped (Sonic Youth)
I'm definitely in the minority here, but I think this is best thing they've released in years. Needs more Lee though (as always)
4. A Senile Animal (Melvins)
Two drummers!!!
5. Pro-Fucking-Motional EP (The Nymphets)
Best band in Montreal. See them!
6. All Roads Lead To Ausfarht (NoMeansNo)
One of the all-time favourite bands. Best thing they've done since Worldhood Of The World.
7. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Neko Case)
Her voice is so good it gives me shivers.
8. Return To Cookie Mountain (TV On The Radio)
Would probably be higher on the list if hadn't started listening to it last week... but I haven't stopped listening to it all week. Amazing.
9. Christ Illusion (Slayer)
It's Slayer with Dave Lombardo! C'mon!!!
10. Love (The Beatles)
Could have been a disaster. It's not.
Most Disappointing Album Of The Year: The Outsider (DJ Shadow). Awful
Top 2005 Album Heard In 2006: Porcella (The Deadly Snakes) ... and then they broke up, and I never got to see them.
Best Concert Experience Of The Year: Sonic Youth @Osheaga Festival. Feedback solo after "Teenage Riot" nearly killed me. Thurston and Lee sword fighting with guitars?!?!
Adrian Warner: Eclectricity, Sunday 10pm - Midnight
Favourite Not Necessarily 2006 Albums
1. Madvillainy (Madvillain)
2. Everything I Own (Ken Boothe)
3. Soundpieces (Lootpack)
4. Black Album (Jay-Z)
5. Joyful Rebellion (K-Os)
6. Game Theory (The Roots)
7. Street Songs (Rick James)
8. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Joe Jackson
9. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Jeffrey Osborne
10. Exclusive Sugarhill Mixtape - Prime Cuts From The Scratch Perverts
Top 10 Singles I Felt For Some Reason Or Another In 2006
1. "Crazy" - Gnarlz Barkley
2. "Check On It" - Beyonce ft. Slim Thug
3. "Evidence" - Eternia
4. "Do It To it" - Cherish
5. "Touch It" (Mega Remix) - Busta Rhymes
6. "Fix You" (Live 8) - Coldplay
7. "Daydream" - Lupe Fiasco & Jill Scott
8. "My Hood" - Young Jeezy
9. "What You Know" - T.I.
10. "Rubberband Banks" - Young Dro
Top 10 Artists I Always Made Room For On My Show
1. Wilson Pickett
2. Stevie Wonder
3. Nina Simone
4. Tony Bennett
5. Peter Tosh
6. Bob Marley
7. Guru
8. James Brown
9. Oscar Peterson
10. Ella Fitzgerald
Top 10 Most Disturbing/Disappointing Moments
1. Dawson shooting
2. J Dilla's death
3. Xmen 3 not directed by Bryan Singer
4. Superman Returns directed by Bryan Singer
5. Madlb's performance at Le National
6. Waiting for Rakim's performance in September
7. Wilson Pickett's death
8. The state of Montreal radio stations
9. The state of television programming
10. The state of hip hop music
Josh Mocle: The Kids Are So-So, Saturday 8pm - 10pm
More 2006 review from The Kids Are So-So
Albums
1. The Sufferer and The Witness (Rise Against)
2. In Bocca Al Lupo (Murder By Death)
3. Young Machetes (The Blood Brothers)
4. No Heroes (Converge)
5. Dancing For Decadence (The Sainte Catherines)
6. Happy Hollow (Cursive)
7. A City By The Light Divided (Thursday)
8. Yes, Virginia (The Dresden Dolls)
9. The Always Open Mouth (Fear Before The March Of Flames)
10. Red Eyed Soul (The World/Inferno Friendship Society)
Alex Huynh: Losing My Edge, Sunday 2pm - 4pm and Tuesday 8pm - 10pm
Albums
1. Drum's Not Dead (Liars)
2. Pro-Fucking-Motional EP (The Nymphets)
3. The Warning (Hot Chip)
4. Yours To Keep (Albert Hammond Jr.)
5. We Are The Pipettes (The Pipettes)
6. Blood Visions (Jay Reatard)
7. Someone To Drive You Home (The Long Blondes)
8. El Perro Del Mar (El Perro Del Mar)
9. Under The Surface (Marit Larsen)
10. The Life Pursuit (Belle & Sebastian)
Honourable Mentions
Get Lonely - The Mountain Goats
Etiquette - Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
Nine Times That Same Song - Love Is All
Yes, Virginia - The Dresden Dolls
The Truth Doesn't Matter - Nikki Sudden
Songs
1. "You Broke My Heart" - Lavender Diamond
2. "Pull Shapes" - The Pipettes
3. "Dreaming Of Dreaming" - The Nymphets
4. "Nightmares" - Jay Reatard
5. "Wednesday Morning" - The Nymphets
6. "Engrish Bwvdd" - Man Man
7. "I Love Creedence" - Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
8. "Littlest Things" - Lily Allen
9. "The Greatest" - Cat Power
10. "You Are Here" - Nathan Fake
Reissues/Compilations
1. Echoes Of The Past (Dead Moon)
2. Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels (Pavement)
3. Shattered (The Exploding Hearts)
4. McLuskyism (McLusky)
5. Fab Four Suture (Stereolab)
6. The Future Crayon (Broadcast)
7. Die Donnergotter/An Angel Moves Too Fast To See (Rhys Chatham)
8. Welcome To My World (Daniel Johnston)
9. Out Of Cold Storage (This Heat)
10. Singles & Sessions: 1979-81 (Delta 5)
Gigs
1. Man Man + The Creeping Nobodies + The Wharton Tiers Ensemble @La Sala Rossa, June 6th
2. The Nymphets @Zoobizarre, October 7th
3. The Fall @Hiro Ballroom, NYC, November 4th
4. The Hold Steady @La Sala Rossa, August 30th
5. Evan Dando + John Kastner + Elizabeth Powell @Main Hall, February 8th
6. Lavender Diamond @Northsix, NYC, November 3rd
7. Roky Erickson & The Explosives @Associaçao Portuguesa, October 6th
8. Comets On Fire @La Sala Rossa, September 6th
9. Lambchop @Le National, September 23rd
10. To Live and Shave In L.A. + Dreamcatcher @La Sala Rossa, September 1st
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