Music Review: Sarah Mclachlan - Wintersong

Before I begin, I'd like to say, that while I liked Sarah Mclachlan's music in the past, I've never actually owned one of her albums until now.

It all started when I first saw one of her performances of Joni Mitchell's River a few weeks ago from her new Christmas album, and I knew it was something special from then on. Next was this week's free itunes download of her version of Silent Night, which had an Enya quality to it. I then knew I had to get this album.

So, now I have my first Sarah Mclachlan album, and as it so happens, it's probably the best Christmas album to be released this year. None of that tacky selection of Christmas songs like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer or Santa Clause is Coming to Town are on the album. Sarah Mclachlan explains that she despises the commercialism of Christmas, and she chose songs that reflected Christmas as a celebration of Christ instead of a symbol of commercialism. As such, the album has more of a personal touch to it, and you can see that the album has been a labor of love for her. It's also quite a deep album as many of the songs are sung with melancholy. One would think that as a Christmas album, the songs should be cheerful and upbeat, but the reality is, that life isn't so cheerful, and one often wonders if we'll be together for the next holiday. That's what Sarah Mclachlan tries to show through her singing, and in the end, it brings a sense of hope to the whole situation in a way that a cheerful Christmas album might not possible.

The arrangements are quite interesting and not always what you would expect. For example, the first time I heard Greensleeves, I thought it was a completely different song. The melody isn't the same as we know, rather it seems like an entirely different melody wrapped around the same lyrics. It changes the mood of the song entirely into one that is darker, but in its own way, it is beautiful.

Along with covers of Joni Mitchell's River, there's also a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's Song for a Winter's Night and the Charlie Brown Christmas favourite, Christmas Time is Here. All in all, along with her original Wintersong, her covers and her interpretations of the classics, it's really quite a remarkable album that manages to convey artistic expression as well as keeping in check the true reason for the Christmas season.

NOTE: I should mention that there have been videos released around the same time featuring songs from this album. They have her singing while playing a piano. These aren't the same versions of the songs that are on the album and the instrumentation on those featured songs are different.

Album: Sarah Mclachlan - Wintersong
Label: Arista /Sony Music Canada
Release Date: October 17th, 2006
Bonus Material?: No
Site: http://www.sarahmclachlan.com/
Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/sarahmclachlan

Currently Reading: Deception Point

I became a fan of Dan Brown after reading the Da Vinci Code, and I think many did after that one, although it is a book that you either love or hate. Ironically, it was the second book in a series of books that became extremely popular, and it was only after it became popular that they reprinted Angels & Demons, his first book in the series. I actually ended up liking Angels & Demons better then the Da Vinci Code, and I hope they make a movie out of it like they made the Da Vinci Code a movie, which I found to be very cleverly made due to the book's visual clues. So far, all those books in the series have religion as a recurring topic. Angels & Demons presented a topic that is a very heated debate topic; one of Science vs Religion. The Da Vinci Code showed us that we should keep an open mind, that not everything should be taken at face value, that there is often an other side to what we are told. Apparently the yet unnamed third book will tackle the topic of Religion vs Politics, or Religion vs State, the Pentagon being a location in the story. It's all speculation of course, but I'm anxiously awaiting for its release.

In the mean time, I've wanted to read one of his earlier novels called Deception Point. I've wanted to read it for quite some time ever since I read an excerpt of it in, I think Angels & Demons, and I got it as a present last Christmas and only getting to it now.

Here's the description and synopsis:

When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory — a victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity of the find, the White House calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar Michael Tolland, Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery — a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But before she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assassins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.

Synopsis

When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory -- a victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election.

Movie Review: Casino Royale

Finally, the James Bond franchise is cool again. I never liked Pierce Brosnan very much. His Bond seemed to more or less just be action movies with the Bond name attached to it, with very weak stories. They focused too much on the action, and cartoony action at that.

Me and My Dad went to see Casino Royale last night on the recommendation of my Sister, and it was probably one of the first movies in awhile that made me feel like it was money well spent. The last one that did that came close to that was The Prestige, but even that didn't really do it.

Casino Royale brings the franchise back down to earth. Remember when the movies actually had good stories and didn't suck? Has been awhile in this franchise hasn't it? Well, imagine if a movie actually made an effort to be a James Bond movie again. This movie is it.

You know, I originally had doubts about Daniel Craig as Bond. When they first announced him he got the role, many people gasped at the fact that they had cast a blond bond. But you know what? You could never actually tell he actually is blond, cause there is something called dying. I think Roger Moore was the closest to blond that we ever got before, and we won't get a blond bond, because Craig's hair was dyed. Ok, maybe it was a dark blond. Anyway, at first I didn't think he was suited for the part, but gradually I accepted him.

Last night I was damned glad that they had went with a particularly unknown actor. It means there's less to distract us about, unlike Pierce Brosnan who was in Remington Steele, and Roger Moore who played The Saint. It was in effect, a perfect start for a franchise looking to look back at its roots. In a way, it was sort of like getting our first look at Sean Connery in Dr No. And Daniel Craig reminded me a lot about Sean Connery's Bond, yet he didn't try to be Sean Connery. Rather he became his own unique Bond. There was no doubt at the end of the movie that, he was Bond. I was sorry I ever had casted doubts on Craig for the role.

The movie gets back to basics. There are no gadgets, except for the few believable things that I won't mention. There's no Q. No Money Penny. You might ask, what's a Bond movie without those things? I'll tell you. It's a Bond movie that's actually really good for once, because instead of having gadgets to rescue Bond out of stupid plot holes, he has to think his way out of sticky situations.

There's a lot for girls to like about this Bond, and there's also lots of cleavage for guys to stare at. Wow, I almost thought Eva was going to have a wardrobe malfunction at more than a few points in the movie. Her dress was very loose.

Anyway, it was money well spent and I'm glad we went. Bond is Back!

New Look aka Blogger Beta

Wow, it seems like everytime I go to write on this blog, that it seems longer and longer since the last time I wrote. This time, 2 months? Is that possible? Haven't really done much since my last blog post except for reading, and I haven't gotten any new music since the last review, so there really hasn't been much for me to post about.

Well, there is NaNoWriMo which I did participate in. I want to thank everyone involved for the support, though I must say that I cannot continue with it as I feel too rushed and too stressed. I will continue working on the story on my leisure which I will enjoy doing far more knowing I'm not on a deadline. While I'm no longer doing it, I want to say that I have a lot more respect for those who go through with it year after year. It really is quite an amazing accomplishment. You know who you are ;)

I've moved this blog over to Blogger Beta, and unfortunately meant I had to ditch my beautiful template and had to choose between a limited choice of templates due to the big overhaul between the template system. On the other hand, things are much easier to tinker with, which is a definite plus. I'm liking it so far. On the bottom of each post, you'll notice labels. These labels allow me to put posts in different catagories, which make it easier to search for something specific down the road, or if you just want to read book or music posts. I like those too because it allows me to see just how many of each kind of post I've made over the years.

Music Review: The Duhks - Migrations

One Two Three Four, Run to the store! The Duhks have a new album and it's a sweet one!

That's right. I put in an order at Amazon on the week of its release in September and got it the first week of this month. I was a little impatient that it would take so long. But, I have to say, it really was worth the wait.

When I first got their self titled debut earlier this year which was released last year, I quickly fell in love with it, and so when I heard that they had a new album coming out this year, I both was really excited and had a little of trepidation. The trepidation was because I wasn't sure if they'd pull off such an excellent album as their debut, because as is often the case, followups aren't always as great, sometimes due to a producer change and a different vision that that producer has. Vision changes can be good, but they can also be disastrous. Well, in this case, there is a producer change this time around, but thankfully the vision stayed the same. The only thing that has really changed is the slicker production. Slicker production doesn't always work as sometimes it takes away from energy and art of the songs, but here, it works as all that was really done was give the songs more of a velvety feeling if that makes any sense. There is more bass to the songs this time around to make them stand out more.

So, how does this one compare to their self titled debut? It's actually quite a really standout album. I'm not sure if it will ever nudge the self titled debut out of my favourite spot, but there are some really stellar tracks on this album, and I would have to say which album is my favourite that came out this year, I'd easily pick this one. In fact, If anyone asks me what Canadian culture is like, I'd hand them a copy of this album and say that this pretty much sums it up.

Canadian culture is quite a mix, and a mix that we aren't afraid to show and it shows a lot in our music. In this album, you have a cook pot of Métis, French-Canadian, Acadian, and even some Cajun and Zydeco which the title of the album seems to imply (If one has any doubt, Cajun is a degeneration of Canadian while Zydeco is a degeneration of the french Les Haricot, which is the french for green beans, all deriving from Lousiana).

Many stand out tracks on the album, including a cover of Tracy Chapman's Mountain O' Things, a celtic song called Three Fishers sung by the beautifully voiced Tania Elizabeth, and Who Will Take My Place? about an Irish patriot, which is probably my favourite on the album as it's beautiful and poignant.

Starting with this review, I'll be posting the lyrics to the song that catches me most on an album, and that one happens to be Who Will Take My Place.

Who Will Take My Place?
Written by Dan Frechette

If they shoot me down to shut me down
Who will take my place?
If they bring an army into this town
Who will take my place?
if they rule this land and silence me
When I'm laid out with injury
When my words won't matter much anymore
Who will take my place?

Revolution, you are not my own
Who will take my place?
There are flowers painted on those stones
Who will take my place?
When the silence of oppression dies
Overheard beyond the battle cries
Are the words of final compromise
Who will take my place?

When the dogs of war are on the land
Who will take my place?
When you forfeit life to take a stand
Who will take my place?
When the dreamers fear the simplest thoughts
When the bloodshed takes all that you've got
When this world's an empty, creaking floor
Who will take my place?

If they rule this land and silence me
When I'm laid out with injury
When my words won't matter anymore
Who will take my place?
Who will take my place?

---

Again, I repeat, One Two Three Four, Run to the store! The Duhks have a new album and it's a sweet one!

Album: The Duhks - Migrations
Label: Sugarhill Records
Release Date: September 13th, 2006
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.duhks.com
Myspace page: www.myspace.com/theduhks

Music Review: Lennie Gallant - When We Get There

Been awhile hasn't it? I have to be honest. I haven't had much to post about ever since my trip. I guess I should have spaced that out more since I knew I wouldn't have that much material until a future purchase. I did promise some full length reviews of the albums I bought on the trip though. So, we'll start with this one.

Lennie Gallant. What can I say, but When We Get There. It's surprising that a singer-songwriter of his talent isn't more well known, even across Canada. What I mean by that is, I would put him in league with singers such as Gordon Lightfoot and Jimmy Rankin, and Ron Sexsmith. Yes, he is that good. At first I didn't really think much of it, but it's grown on me a lot and I find it to be one of my favourite albums that I've bought this year. I think it's destined to become a classic.

The songs are beautiful, and just the kind of songs that should be hits on the radio, but somehow aren't. The kind of songs that make you wonder just what are actually considered "hits" anymore. The kind of songs that make you wish that there were more of.

Album: Lennie Gallant - When We Get There
Label: Universal Records (Canada)
Release Date: 2005
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.lenniegallant.com

The Trip: Loot

Well, I picked up quite a bit of stuff during my trip, mainly in music and books. I'll list them here with a sentence or two, where I'll save bigger descriptions for later when I actually get to read them.

First stop was when I was in Ottawa. We headed to the Chapters in the market, the one that's two stories big. Wow, I had fun in there. Didn't think I'd spend so much time in there, but we spent nearly 2 hours there, maybe 3. It was almost too easy to get lost and get tempted to keep picking up more books. So, here's what I got there.

System of the World by Neal Stephenson: This is the book that finishes the Baroque Cycle. It's volume 3 of 3. Finally I have them all.

Kydd by Julian Stockwin: Saw this new series on the bookshelf and thought I might as well give it a try. It's a new series in the lines of Horatio Hornblower by C.S Forester and Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. In other words, napoleonic era, which I like.

Star Trek Titan (book 2): The Red King: You'll remember I read Titan: Taking Wing earlier this year, and I thought they were well written, so I picked up The Red King, and Orion's Hounds.

Star Trek Titan (book 3): Orion's Hounds: You'll remember I read Titan: Taking Wing earlier this year, and I thought they were well written, so I picked up The Red King, and Orion's Hounds. Yes, I did this on purpose. You're not experiencing double vision.

King Jerry by David Arnason: Picked this up in the bargain section. Couldn't resist. Well, who wouldn't when it's priced at $2.99. It's essentially a modern retelling of King Lear. The book says itself "A satirical modern-day version of King Lear set in a western-Canadian university English Department. "

Now for the music. Well, when we were in Quebec, on our way back, that is, we went to View Quebec and stopped in at Archambaud, which I think I mentioned in my original post. This store is a treasure of a store for finding french music, and has 3 floors! A bit on the pricy side, but then I'll take that over not being able to find them at all. Over there, I found at least two CDs I wouldn't even have had the chance of finding in Ontario, and I found them so easily.

C'est Ici Que Je Veux Vivre - Marie-Michèle Desrosier: Got this one and decided to give it to my Mom as it has many old french Quebec songs by other artists on this. I thought that she would like it more than me considering that. It was so easy to find to and I didn't have very much trouble at all finding it. In fact, one could say that it found me. I went to one corner of the store and it was just there, staring at me. Funny how that goes.

Plus Grand Que Les Mots - Les Muses: Wow, I had been looking for this one ever since I'd seen them on the East Coast Music Awards two years ago. Ask about them in Ontario, and you get weird looks and people wondering if you're thinking of Muses, Throwing Muses, or other bands using that word. In other words, it didn't exist to them. This is truly an awesome record. Beautiful french songs, with very clear words, which is quite rare as recordings aren't always too clear and sound compressed. It's beautiful even if you don't speak french.

When We Get There - Lennie Gallant: The only non-french album that I got while there. It's really quite a good album. It's my first of his and he's a great songwriter. Good songs.

The Trip: Pictures (Part 4)

Misc

Will have to describe all the images here ahead of time since I'm having trouble entering text along with the pictures without the pictures messing up the text.

Picture 1: Beautiful sunset that we caught on the way back. We just had to stop. There was no alternative. It was gone very soon though as it didn't last very long.

Picture 2 & 3: Ok, there's a story behind the next two. At our second hotel, Motel a la Brunante, there was this fancy shower contraption. That is, the shower could slide up and down a metal bar to adjust height and the head could also swivel. There was a sign next to the hairdryer above the sink that basically told people to be gentle with the shower and not force it. It was both in French and in English, but the English version had a mistranslation to it that I found hilarious. I couldn't resist taking a picture as it's not something you see everyday.

Picture 4: Next is the windmill park next to La Maison D'Eole (Translates to The Windmill House) where I had breakfast one morning. There were a lot of these windmills in Quebec, and to the right is the biggest verticle windmill in the world, as the waitress at the restauraunt explained. Unfortunately, the braking system failed and it's too costly to repair, so it's not working.

The Trip: Pictures (Part 3)

Le Grand Rassemblement

We stopped at this roadside attraction on the way back and we found that it was actually a lot more than we realized. This art is just amazing. The artist, Marcel Gagnon made statues made out of concrete and wood that extend further down the shore. As you'll see, some of them are even on rafts and when the tide comes in, looks like they're floating on the water. The idea is that all seafarers are all converging together onto this point for a big get-together, hence Le Grand Rassemblement. It's really quite unique.

The Trip: Pictures (Part 2)

Rivière-Du-Loup

This next set is the house where my grandfather grew up in.It was built in the 1800's. My grandfather's family wasn't the first family to own it, but I think they were the second family to own it, and now, sadly it's a halfway house. I would have loved to have taken different angles of it, but I couldn't since we stayed in the vehicle the whole time.

The Trip: Pictures

I said the pictures would be coming, and guess what, they're here! I'm sorry for the poor quality of the pictures in advance. These were taken with my new video camera and video cameras aren't known for good still quality. I had to use it for pictures since my brother borrowed my other camera for his trip to Cuba. Click on them to see them full size.

Auberge-Sur Mer

This set of pictures was taken from the balcony of our hotel room overlooking the sea.

The Trip: Scoop

Well, I was gone on a trip since the 10th. Went up to Ottawa and from there, me and my sister went on a trip with my grandfather up into Gaspésie, up to as far as St-Anne-Des-Monts. Our first stop was at Notre-Dame Du Portage, where we actually had our hotel (Auberge Sur Mer) where we had an awesome room with a balcony overlooking the sea. We ate there that night in the dining room to a very fancy dinner, but unfortunately the service was very slow! We were in there starting at 9:45pm only to get out of there after having eaten everything at 11:30pm.

Then the following morning, we ate breakfast there and a very good breakfast at that. Just about the best breakfast I ever had. Then we went on to Rivière-du-Loup where my grandfather was born and grew up where he told us stories of his childhood and showed us the home he grew up in, which is now a halfway house. Apparently the house has a lot of history attached to it. I do love the town and the old houses though. If I could, I'd want to own a cottage in that area.


So after our little tour of Rivière du Loup, we went on towards St-Anne-Des-Monts where we found another good hotel (Motel a la Brunante). The price wasn't too bad to begin with, but it was also a little on the expensive side, but my grandfather had managed to charm one of young ladies who worked at the reception. Throughout our trip, me and my sister were sharing our hotel room while my grandfather would be getting a room of his own, and we wanted them side by side. Unfortunately, the hotel only had one simple room that wasn't non-smoking, but he said he'd take it anyway and lowered the price to around $60, and then remembered that elsewhere, there were two rooms together, but what they hadn't told him was that it was a room with two beds, so he got more for the price!

And this hotel really impressed him. It was the first hotel room that had a bar in the bath to help him get in, and you wouldn't believe it, but it impressed him so much that he kept talking about it with everyone he met. My sister and I both found that really funny and cute. For example, we stopped off at a tourist center in Matane where he went to go to the washroom, and he had been impressed that that one had a hook to put his clothes on. Those two things somehow seemed to be the highlight of his trip. This guy is 92. He congratulated that tourist center on having a hook and went on to tell his story about his bar in the bathroom at the hotel, and that wasn't the only place he did this.

What impressed me about that hotel was the fact that they had a red light in the bathroom to help dry clothes and towels and to help with the cold from stepping out of a shower on a cold day. I'd never seen anything like it before. But that might also be a disadvantage. You see, the normal light hadn't been working for some reason, and so I decided to turn on the red light, which turned itself off in the middle of my shower. Now picture someone in total darkness in a foreign shower trying to feel their way around. Hmmmm.

That night we ate at a little restauraunt attached to a gas station which ended up having some pretty nice food, and what surprised me was that for some restauraunt like this to have escargot. It was kind of funny because it didn't seem in character for a restauraunt of that type, but then again, what do I know of that area?

Breakfast that morning was very good. It was at a little restauraunt next to a windmill park (coincidentally the one with the biggest verticle windmill in the world) called La Maison D'Eole, and I had a nice big house style omelette with mushrooms and bacon in it. The toast was made out of some thick bread. Hmmm, just thinking about it makes me hungry for one.

Ahh well, so we went all the way from St-Anne-Des-Monts the next morning all the way to Lévis where we stayed at the Hotel Kennedy, a very reasonably priced hotel owned by a family. Our room had a coffee maker! This I was impressed with, and the following morning, I made coffee. I learned that not every room had one, but that should change as the hotel is still quite new. It's only a few months old, and they're still adding things to it.


The next morning, we went to Quebec City, visited Vieux Quebec which I did for the first time and found the treasure of a store called Archambaud where I found what I had been looking for for ages where I hadn't been able to find in Ontario (this will be detailed in a future post). Then we went to Montreal where my sister would be visiting a friend for the night while my aunt who lives there would be driving us back to Ottawa. And then I spent the rest of my weekend in my aunt and uncle's cottage in Ottawa and came back home on the 21st.


Pictures will follow soon.

Currently Reading: Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 1

You're right. I haven't really had much time for reading this month. Mostly because I was busy with a trip and I didn't do much reading during that trip as I was too busy doing other things. I'll post more about my trip later, like when I get my pictures downloaded from my camera.

But, right before the trip, I did start a new book. This one is the Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 1, which was given to me by my brother for Christmas this year. It's a definitive version of the best science fiction short-stories published, this one between 1929 and 1964, and great stories they are!

Anyway, I know it's not much of a post now, but I'll have more posting to do in the next few days that will make up for this smallish post.

Currently Reading: Hornblower & The Atropos

Did I say I was a slow reader? Sure seems like I'm going through books lately and contridicting what I said earlier. But the fact of the matter is, the books I've been reading lately have been easier to read than I thought they would, so I'm just blowing through books at a fast pace.

This one is part of C.S Forester's Horatio Hornblower series of novels, and the first novel of his that I read. It's part of the books in the pile that I got last year while in Vermont. Amazing that I've still got books in that pile that I haven't read yet and I only paid a dollar total for all of them. They sure were worth it for the reading I've been doing with them.

Unfortunately, I can't find a summary of this book without spoiling it both here and for myself, but if you've seen the A&E series of movies, then you'll love reading this. I've started reading the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin series of novels, which the Master & Commander movie was based on, and in comparison, this novel feels more simplistic and less stylistic, and almost more mainstream. So far, I've enjoyed the Patrick O'Brian novels more since he has more of a flair for descriptions, and makes you almost feel like you're there, enough to smell the sea water. So, so far, it's good, but not as good as I'd hoped it would be.

Currently Reading: Pattern Recognition

I, err, forgot. That's right, I forgot to post the book that I'm currently reading. I'm more than halfway through it now, but I suppose it's better late than never, right? I sure don't want to make a habit of forgetting.

Right, so with that out of the way, I'm currently reading Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. It's my first book of his that I picked up in the bargain section at Chapters, and some say that it's far from being his best book, this one taking place in the present, while most of his other books take place in a far away future. Since I don't have much to say about it so far, I'll just post the synopsis from the book itself:

"Cayce Pollard is an expensive, spookily intuitive market-research consultant. In London on a job, she is offered a secret assignment: to investigate some intriguing snippets of video that have been appearing on the Internet. An entire subculture of people is obsessed with these bits of footage, and anybody who can create that kind of brand loyalty would be a gold mine for Cayce's client. But when her borrowed apartment is burgled and her computer hacked, she realizes there's more to this project than she had expected.

Still, Cayce is her father's daughter, and the danger makes her stubborn. Win Pollard, ex-security expert, probably ex-CIA, took a taxi in the direction of the World Trade Center on September 11 one year ago, and is presumed dead. Win taught Cayce a bit about the way agents work. She is still numb at his loss, and, as much for him as for any other reason, she refuses to give up this newly weird job, which will take her to Tokyo and on to Russia. With help and betrayal from equally unlikely quarters, Cayce will follow the trail of the mysterious film to its source, and in the process will learn something about her father's life and death."

Title: Pattern Recognition
Pages: 368 [Hardcover Edition]
Author: William Gibson
Publisher: P.G Putnam & Sons

Canadian Music is Disappearing

Picture the scenario of someone walking into a record store, money in hand, and coming back out with that money still intact. You might wonder of course, why that money is still not spent. It might either be that they're out of stock of what you're looking for, or that the artist is no longer in their list of artists to stock.

That person was me. Just today, went to Music World to planned on getting something I had been eyeing for many months. I scanned the rack of CDs, trying to find what I wanted: Melanie Doane. I had found her quite easy to find in the past, so I was quite surprised that I couldn't find it. A clerk came to ask if I needed help, and I told him what I was looking for and he went to check "the book" once I told him the correct spelling of her last name. Came back and told me they don't stock her anymore. Huh? Asked why, and the answer came back that it didn't sell well enough. Ok, sure. Last I knew, she sold well enough.

Fine then, I figure I'll try something else I'd been eyeing that was easy to find in the past. And you know what? Same deal here. And then I start voicing my disappointment to the clerk. Met another clerk, this time a lady that understood my plight and thought the decision to no longer stock them was a stupid one. Can't argue there.

It seems as if all the music that I like and interested in is disappearing. It's not just one band, but two out of the two I had been looking for that I could no longer find. These are not the biggest money makers, I'm sure, but as I said in my previous post on this subject, how is a smaller band supposed to make money if the albums aren't in stock? A lot of these smaller bands need the bigger chains to support them due to their smaller influence. Some of these Canadian bands only tour specific provinces or areas and hardly venture out of it and the support from these big stores means more of a chance for someone who might not be familiar with their music to become aquainted with them. Example: Band might not tour selected location, but at least I can enjoy their music and hope that in the future they decide to tour further out. But with these stores cutting their support, it means less of a chance of success for these smaller bands, not to mention those that can't even get stocked in the first place that deserve a chance.

It seems that more and more with the experience that I've been having, that Canadian bands are disappearing from the shelves, in favour of bigger, more promising acts, that will probably just end up fading away in the next 2 or so years, and by that I mean both bigger Canadian and American acts that are pushing the smaller ones away. There ought to be some of the same Canadian Content Regulations put in place that the Radio and TV abide to that give smaller bands a fairer chance, even if those albums don't quite sell as much as the bigger bands. We need some protection for these artists.

So, while I am interested in buying this music, it seems foolish that these stores not make it available for those with money in hand. I would gladly pay money for something I want that is in stock. Is that so hard to do? I'm starting to feel frustrated and depressed that I can't find the music I want, and I feel it's the start of an ugly trend. Of course, it could just be that I'm just too out of touch with what I'm supposed to want, right? What's a poor guy supposed to do? Obviously, walk right back out with the money still intact.

Currently Reading: Star Trek - Titan: Taking Wing

Yes, don't laugh! I do read Star Trek books. I like reading them for light reading material when I don't want my brain to overload. Not going to say much as I've only just started it, but this one takes places after Nemesis is a new series about Riker's new command, the Titan. Should be exciting. I've wanted to read this one for quite awhile now. It was staring at me on my bookshelf, pleading to be read, and maybe after that I'll pick up the two other books in the series.

Ok, so as you've noticed, I finished reading Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. It was quite good. I'm glad that I've finally read it so that I don't have to keep people silent.

Currently Reading: You-Know-What!

It's been awhile since I've posted what I've been reading. I'd forgotten to actually post what I've been reading ever since I finished reading The Confusion. And that's mostly because I'd been reading books in my pile that I had gotten in Vermont last year that aren't really worth mentioning. Yes, still trying to catch up, and I still have books that I got for Christmas. Wonder how long it will take me? I'm guessing I'll be done all of them by the time Christmas comes around.

Anyway, yes, I'm reading HP: And the Half-Blood Prince. It's taken long enough already to get to it, and I figured this was as good a time as any. I'm a slow reader and don't plow through like most people, so you'll just have to bear with me and wait until I finish it to discuss anything that I know you're bursting to talk about. I'm currently on Chapter 16 for those who are curious. And this is the UK cover, the one that is also used for the Canadian release. I tend to like the UK covers better than the American covers. The American covers sometimes tend to look a bit overdone in my opinion, and the one thing that makes the UK and Canadian releases stand out is the fact that they don't use chapter images.

And then of course, there are the Adult versions of the cover for each book. As a treat, I'm posting this one:

Music Review: Spirit of the West - Star Trails

As promised, here's another review, this time of the same band as the last. Won't happen often, I'm sure, but nevertheless, here it is. This time around, it's Star Trails, their latest release and is my first studio album of theirs.

As I said in the last review, I'd been meaning to get an album from this band and Hit Parade was a great way to sample their wide range of music styles from their different albums, and now that that is done, it was time for me to pick up a studio album. I mainly wanted to get this one first because it had caught my eye. Beautiful cover isn't it? In essence, it captures the name of the band perfectly. Here we have tents lit up at a star party in Northern Canada, possibly at one of the big summer Star Parties that happen every year. Time lapse photography has caught the star trails using a long exposure of many hours. And on the horizon, the greenish glow is not nuclear fallout due to a failing nuclear power plant, but an Aurora Borealis, something which is very distinctive to the north. The further north someone goes, the better chance of seeing an Aurora you'll get. And in some native communities, Auroras are considered to be the doing of spirits. So, as you can see, with this cover being as catchy as it is, it also has quite a bit of meaning towards the band's name. A well chosen picture for their cover.

Well, enough talking about the cover. Onto the music! So, how does it stack up? Well, I'd have to say in general, the whole album has a sort of retro 80's feel to it. I'm not sure why, but whenever I listen to it, I certain vibe from it that feels like something from that era. There are certain songs that sound like more modern of course, but there are also some songs that sound like they'd almost been done before, and songs that sound like they're from other bands of the 80's like Chicago. Perhaps it's simply the style they chose to do them in, but I can easily picture Chicago doing some of the songs on this CD, particularly 'King of Scotland' which sounds like a signature Chicago song. And the song 'July' is something I swear I heard before by a different band but, again that probably is just attributed to the style itself. Overall, I was a bit disappointed in the CD in that it sounds kind of familiar but isn't, almost like a deja-vue. Maybe I expected too much after hearing the fantastic Hit Parade and was spoiled by the range of style in that one, but it left me a bit to be desired. Does that mean it's not a good CD? Of course not. I still like it, but not as much as I hoped I would.

Album: Spirit of the West - Star Trails
Label: Universal Records (Canada)
Release Date: 2004
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.sotw.ca

Music Review: Spirit of the West - Hit Parade

It's been awhile since my last review and I've been meaning to post something, so I won't delay any longer.

Spirit of the West has quickly become one of my favourite bands over the years, but I hadn't actually bought an album of theirs until recently. I'm not sure which song I heard first. It was either "Home for a Rest" or "And If Venice is Sinking". But by either one, I was hooked!

"Home for a Rest" is one of my favourite drinking songs, and is often mis-attributed to Great Big Sea. Funny thing, considering these bands sound nothing alike aside from their Celtic roots. Sometimes I wish Great Big Sea would just cover it to get it over with and say that they've actually done it.

"And If Venice is Sinking" is a beautiful love song in the style of romantic ditties of the venitian era, complete with accordion, as well as a tuba as bass. Essentially, it's about wanting to stay in Venice even if it sinks and going under with it, since it's so beautiful.

I'd been searching for the best album to get and I'm pleased to say that this is a great introduction to the band (I've bought another of their albums since) and these favourites are just a few of the many good songs on this album, including orchestral versions of "And If Venice is Sinking" (as if it wasn't beautiful enough!) and a few others. And if you haven't guessed by now, this band isn't a polka band like the cover would seem to suggest, but rather a Celtic based band, which has progressed into more of a rock band, and this album showcases the range of songs that they have very well. It definitely is a great album to have.

So, what are you waiting for? Don't walk, but run to the store to pick up a copy!

Album: Spirit of the West - Hit Parade
Label: Warner Music Canada
Release Date: 1999
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.sotw.ca

Tech support can be funny

Doing something a bit different today. Today I'm posting one of those technical support stories. What makes this one different for me at least is the fact that the person taking the call was one of my friend's sisters, so it kind of strikes close to home. I just couldn't resist posting it, so here it is.

A few months ago, a friend of mine had this happen to his sister who works in a call center taking calls for a big American cable company who's name I won't mention. All I'll mention is that the call center is in Canada. I swear I'm not making any of this up...

---

A woman is waiting for a cable technician to come to her house so that they can install cable. She's in New York. That distinction is important. You'll know why in a minute...


She calls, and this is how the conversation went approximately.

Techsupport: Hello, Techsupport, how may I help you?

Client: Hi, I saw one of your vans parked outside and I've been waiting for my cable to be installed. He got out but he never came to the house. Instead, he got back in and drove away.

TS: Umm Maam, the technician reported hearing gunshots coming from your house.

Client: Oh, that was just my husband doing target practice in the basement!

How the Canadian Music Industry Smells

Ohhhh! He lives! Actually I've been engrossed reading Neal Stephenson's The Confusion and I haven't really bought any music recently, save for the Ray movie soundtrack and Spirit of the West's Hit Parade. So, as you can see, I haven't actually had much material to go on, especially since The Confusion is such a long book. But I haven't forgotten about this blog, which is why I'm making this post in the first place. I'll actually maybe review Hit Parade, but not the Ray soundtrack, because technically, what is there to review about it?

Ok, so I actually went out to buy some music today, so more material to review! But before I mention what I got, I've got a story. I went to the biggest music store there is in town. It's basically the only big chain store we have in the city anymore, and they usually carry lots of things that the other stores like Walmart and Futureshop don't. Well, I talked to a worker there who helped me try to find what I wanted. I first asked for Carbon Leaf. He goes to look for it in their index, but nah, he can't find it. I was surprised considering how big the band is down south, and that their latest album was actually released both in the US and Canada. He tells me that the chain won't put anything on the list unless the corporation recognizes it. So, essentially, you'll only find the already established bands. Big deal, right? Well, next, I asked about an up and coming Canadian band called the Clumsy Lovers. Awesome band, awesome music. Sorry, but can't find the album! You guessed it, because the corporation doesn't recognize them and they aren't on the list. How frustrating is that? I really want to support the band by buying the music, but I can't find it anywhere, and they aren't exactly an indie band. They're signed by Reprise Records, the same label that signed the Barenaked Ladies! I'm there in front of this worker wondering how new bands are supposed to become recognized and have their fans buy their albums. Man, it's frustrating to me just thinking about it. It must be doubly frustrating for the bands themselves! What a stupid policy! What's even worse is, this guy told me the store is not allowed selling albums of local bands, even if they know they're doing well, because, you guessed it, they aren't in the index. Hmmmphh! So, how the heck are bands supposed to make it in this industry? Yes folks, the Canadian Music Industry stinks! That's how it smells. S. T. I. N. K. S. Well, anyway, I did manage to find something I wanted. I was disappointed that I couldn't find Carbon Leaf and the Clumsy Lovers, despite how good these two bands aren't getting the support they deserve. I as I was scanning the CDs on the racks, I realized in the back of my mind that I did have another album in mind that I wanted, so I ended up walking out with Spirit of the West's Star Trails, their newest album. I did actually pay for it before walking out though ;)

Speaking of what stinks, anybody watched the Junos this weekend? Apparently it was the first time broadcast worldwide, and could be watched in the US on MTV and VH1. Of course, they needed worldwide recognized talent for that to happen and make people watch. But I tell you, Pamela Anderson just didn't cut it. She was probably one of the worst hosts the Junos ever had. She looked like she felt out of place , trying to remember who's who in Canada and who that upcoming talent is because of being in the US for so long. She looked disconnected from her reality. And then she drops the bomb while everyone boos her. She had made a poor tasteless joke about the seal hunt. Frankly, I think Mrs Anderson shouldn't be making jokes like that when she's been so out of touch with Canada and happy to be living down south. She was in Halifax afterall, one of the centers of the seal hunt. It was almost like a slap in the face to Canadians. "Hi Canada! Glad to be here! *SLAP!*"

Well, if Pamela Anderson wasn't bad enough, these Junos also had to count on American talent like Coldplay to get viewers. Not a bad idea on paper, but I'd far much rather see Canadian talent pulling in viewers. It is, after all a Canadian music awards show. Stop worrying so much about what the US will think, just showcase our talent! There are a lot of Canadian bands out there that deserve being watched by millions of US viewers, but instead that spotlight is being taken by an American band. This is Canada afterall, not the US, and I find the use of American talent to be pretty denigrating to Canadian talent, as if to say, our talent can't hold itself up, can't be counted on. What happened to the Canadian content regulations? They should have been put more into use here. I'd really hate to see the Junos become US-Centric and lose itself as a Canadian music awards show. But then again, it's not like it really matters does it? Do the awards really matter? Afterall, as a friend said, Great Big Sea, having been nominated for 12 years will have to change their biography to state that they are "twelve time juno losers". Yes, 12 years of being snubbed, folks. But in there, there's something to be proud of. There's a band that still makes money; people buying their albums, going to their shows, year after year getting snubbed. The by's are probably sitting around and saying: "Guys, look at all our fans! We don't need the Junos to tell us we're good!" After all, does anyone really remember Alannah Myles? She cleaned out the Junos in the 80's. Says a lot doesn't it?

Music Review: Michelle Doyle

It's the 1930's. Smoke is swirling around you. You're sitting at a table eating dinner at a cabaret where sultry notes can be heard from a sexy singer on stage. In one word, you could say the atmosphere is mellow.

This is exactly the experience one gets when they play Michelle Doyle's album. It transports you to an era where you could just relax and enjoy the music for what it is. It's produced by her big brother Alan Doyle (of Great Big Sea) who also co-wrote some songs. Among the songs are some soft jazz, some pop ballads and a cover a Mary Chapin Carpenter song. She really has a great and powerful voice that puts you right in the mood. Sometimes, like in Darkest Stranger, she even reminds me of Pat Benatar.

All in all, it's a stellar debut album, and if her other albums are as good as this one is, I think we'll be in for quite a treat. The only thing that would have detracted me from buying this album would have been the fact that it's only available online and not in record stores, at least as far as the rest of Canada is concerned. I got this one as a Christmas gift.

Album: Michelle Doyle
Release Date: 2004
Bonus Material?: No
Site: http://www.michelledoyle.com/

Music Review: The Duhks

Remember, how I've been wishing Nickel Creek would someday tour Canada? Well, The Duhks are a new Bluegrass band from Canada and are the closest thing we have to Nickel Creek at the moment.

The group describes themselves as "contemporary acoustic," "progressive soul-grass," and “kick-ass rock/folk fusion”, and it is a hell of an energetic mix that these talented musicians put out. I find myself tapping my feet at the reels, like a marionette on strings, meaning that it's that infectuous.


The lead singer's voice is full of soul, something that one hardly gets out of a bluegrass band, yet she also evokes the old-tyme type of bluegrass voice at the same time. Though these songs are not necessarily all bluegrass. For example, there is one song that resembles old style French-Canadian/Acadian folk songs, and the singer on that one sings it so well, complete with the vocal intonation style of the time, that one would think it were an old-time classic, yet it is an original.

This is clearly a Canadian styled Bluegrass band. A lot of influences here are like Canada itself, with its many languages and ethnicities, including salsa, blues, old-time, celtic, scots-metis, with its band members of different backgrounds and it creates a truly different sound. If we look at Nickel Creek for the moment, we notice that the band has a lot of jazz influences, which is mainly a creation that started out in the states. But even so, it's interesting to note the crossroads between celtic, bluegrass and jazz come together. New Orleans was/is like a hub for all of them, so it's not entirely unplausible that Nickel Creek got some of their influences in jazz. At the same time, The Duhk's influences are entirely Canadian. Well, aside from maybe some American bluegrass bands.

If one could choose a band for Nickel Creek to tour Canada with, The Duhks would be the perfect opener. In fact, it's said that Chris Thile of Nickel Creek is a fan of The Duhks. So, you never know! Maybe on Nickel Creek's next album tour, they'll tour Canada with The Duhks as their opener. We can always wish of course. It's just Ducky!

Album: The Duhks - The Duhks
Label: Sugarhill Records
Release Date: January 2005
Bonus Material?: Yes (Enhanced CD)
Site: www.duhks.com
ecard: http://www.sugarhillrecords.com/ecard/theduhks/

Currently Reading: The Confusion

Well, Ok, I guess it's about time for a new post isn't it? I haven't told you what I've been reading ever since November, and what a better way to start off the new year. This one is going to be taking me awhile, since it's 848 pages. Hah, never fear though. I like big books and I'm never scared of having to read them even if they look daunting at first. I consider them more bang for the buck I just alternate between a big meaty book and a light read to give my mind a break, so the next one after this will be a book that will take me a week or two to read through.

I've been a fan of Neal Stephenson ever since I read Snow Crash. I think it's the book that started many people reading him, and as any fan will know, he's quite wordy, and his descriptions can go on and on. That's basically why I like him. He can make some of the most mundane things really stand out, and his prose can be quite good and memorable. I've read everything of his ever since. Well, I think there is one I haven't read and that's the one set in a university, and those that were previously under a different pen name co-written with an uncle of his.

Anyway, this book is the second book in what is called The Baroque Cycle, a 3 book series, and it was originally going to be published all as one book, but that would have been a bit daunting for anyone, including me, considering they all have approximately the same amount of pages. It's set in the 1600's, and it's essentially a prequel series to his previous book, Cryptonomicon, which took place in WWII and present day. All the characters in The Baroque Cycle are ancestors to the characters in Cryptonomicon, and it's interesting to see what these characters do in relation to what happened in Cryptonomicon, meaning that whatever these people do, will end up creating a legacy for the people that follow in their footsteps. For example, in the Baroque Cycle, there are Jack and Bob Shaftoe, and in Cryptonomicon there is Bobby Shaftoe. Daniel Waterhouse in the Baroque Cycle, Lawrence Pritchard (1940's) and Randy (1990's) Waterhouse in Cryptonomicon. All of this presents a certain depth to the universe that is being read, and all of them at the end of the Baroque Cycle will end up close to where the characters in Cryptonomicon are born, I think. I find it nice when an author puts some thought into writing like this as you can expect a certain quality to it. It makes the stories that much more meaty, and that's the kind of thing I like, and it makes me keep coming back for more. I mean, nobody likes a turkey filled with air, right? ;)

As an aside, I hope everyone had some nice holidays. My computer, which is practically all new now is running great, and it's only a matter of time before I get some games to show off it's awesome power. I got two new CDs as a Christmas present from my sister that arrived in the mail on Friday, so you can expect to see reviews of those fairly soon.