MONDOmagazine

I know we all spent the year RickRolling each other and reliving A-Ha nostalgia. Believe it or not, some people released some albums this year, too. But most of us found ourselves reliving past interests, researching long-gone releases, and feeling positively old. Thus, Part One of the semi-sort-of-not-really-best-of-2008, as disagreed upon by your friends at MONDOmusic.

Jake Shenker’s Top Five

1. David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (Todo Mundo)

In 1981, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and acclaimed producer Brian Eno teamed up to produce the electroacoustic, tape-loop-driven My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. The record was a complete departure from Byrne’s Talking Heads style, lacking conventional vocals and built upon samples of voices and loops. In 2006, while working on the re-release of that record, Byrne and Eno decided to collaborate again, producing this year’s Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. This time, the duo took a more conventional approach, producing catchy pop songs with just a tinge of eclecticism. Byrne’s recognizable voice soars as dexterously as it did 25 years ago, and his songs are still top-notch; Eno’s production adds an electronic vibe to Byrne’s organic style, accenting acoustic folk songs with strange percussive hits and often unrecognizable instrumentation. The result is a record that is immediately digestible and appealing, but with enough bizarre nuance to produce something unique.

2. 340ml – Sorry For the Delay (Sheer Sound)
3. Hey Rosetta! – Into Your Lungs (Sonic)
4. Hawksley Workman – Los Manlicious (Universal)
5. Zaki Ibrahim – Eclectica (Sony)

Natalie Sylvie Plourde’s Top Five, Plus

1. Fleet Foxes -Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)

I found this year to be quite slow compared to years past; in the rough, however, there were a few gleaming diamonds. New indie darlings Fleet Foxes have received much love from the music elite: Pitchfork and Mojo both recently named Fleet Foxes the best album of 2008. This lovely record will soothe your soul with its enchanting melodies and soft but sometimes complex acoustic guitar. The warm four-part harmonies used in many tracks contrast with the haunting vocals of Robin Pecknold, disputably the lead singer. Though it needs a bit of patience for the first listen, it grows on its listener with every play. It isn’t an album that will grab anyone by the face and shout “We rule!” but, really, it’s damn beautiful.

2. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (Sony/Columbia)
3. Vampire Weekend -Vampire Weekend (XL)
4. Girl Talk- Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)
5. Portishead – Third (Island)

Honourable Mentions:
TI – Paper Trail (Atlantic); Lil Wayne – The Carter III (Universal); Kings of Leon – Only by the Night (RCA)

Leo Moncel’s Top Five

1. CBC Radio 1
From the friendly, quick-witted Matt Galloway of Here and Now to the hard-edged, focused manner of The Current’s Anna-Maria Tremonti, you know CBC Radio kept it engaging, entertaining, and educational. In the kitchen or the car, I know they got you hooked on the daily.

2. Teach Yourself Korean recordings
From Berlitz’s practically-oriented series of handy phrases and short dialogues, to the more comprehensive Mastering Korean, I was bumpin’ the elementary Hangukmal this fall. Hottest track from M.K. has to be “Dialogue A” where Mr. James meets Ms. Kim and they introduce themselves formally! But I won’t front like Berlitz didn’t put it down with their dialogue on reserving a table at a restaurant.

3. Old Leonard Cohen MP3s I borrowed from York University’s library
This shit had my speakers blazin’! From the sombre, condemnatory growl of “Avalanche” to the frustrated, self-loathing cries of “Dress Rehearsal Rag,” Cohen had it locked. If it’s dark and profound you’re after, Leonard Cohen’s your man.

4. Q-Tip – The Renaissance (Universal Motown), if I’d heard it
Yeah, Q-Tip emerging at long last with another release! If you’re a Tribe fan (that is, anyone with a pulse who can hear), then I know you were psyched about this one. I was, too. I heard from Facebook that it was excellent. I almost went and bought it. Then I kinda waffled and forgot about it. If I had heard this album, I probably would have loved it enough to give it my number four slot.

5. Nas – Untitled (Def Jam/Columbia)
Nas is, to my mind, the greatest rapper there is, period. I know why others don’t share my opinion when he keeps dropping albums that are just “fairly good.” Like this one. It is good. It even has something to say. It didn’t put my jaw on the floor, but it has the distinction of being the only real album on this list.

Jan Streekstra’s Top Five

1. Larkin Grimm – Parplar (Young God)
2. The Dodos – Visiter (French Kiss)
I’ve been mocked a lot in my life. And I’ve mocked a lot. A lot of writers — a lot of people — feel out their poignancies using the arts. I look at mockery and wonder how I can be so hypocritical as to tolerate this situation: like every childhood, mine was stained with taunts that caused me to cry almost before I knew what had happened. Yet I cannot abandon it — I would not feel safe abandoning it. While I have no pretensions that mockery serves as my first psychological guard, I do it and enjoy it.

I’ve realized that true mockery, spontaneous and free-reined, is fed in part by malice. Malice breeds in the wake of revealingly powerful apprehensions about your place in the state of the world. Mocking uses conviction, and conviction is the seat of conscious identity: mockery brings us a flavour of truth, an addictively direct, effective, and precise way to be clear about what we’re thinking.

Parplar and Visiter cap off the list and get nods because they mocked me directly, lyrically; I was lucky enough that their self-critical dementias spoke to mine. They pointed me out, and laughed at me, and in turn I learned from them. The rest are brilliant works, and relentlessly mocked me with their images of my history, teaching me that my tastes are predictable even when I’m firm in my belief that I have found something new. I don’t think this is the same as eternal recurrence, but it is equally discomforting.

3. Small Sur – We Live In Houses Made Of Wood (Tender Loving Empire)
4. Menahan Street Band – Make The Road By Walking (Dunham)
5. Why? – Alopecia (Anticon)

Feed The Animals
Girl Talk
Illegal Art, 2008

By Natalie Sylvie Plourde

One of my fondest preteen memories is of going through old issues of NME and Rolling Stone, cutting out my favourite pictures and sticking them to a record sleeve. I adore the art of the collage. Slapping and overlapping, only to end with products so fervent that (despite my mom’s opinion) I had to keep some of them even to this day, foreshadowing the road my tastes would take. A mashup, like an auditory collage, is a lot of small bits forced together until they fit, to create something new.

Enter Girl Talk. Beyond “versioning,” and well past “remixing,” DJ-slash-mastermind Gregg Gillis takes the idea of the mashup to new heights. Gillis’ most recent creation, Feed the Animals, features over three hundred songs in its thirteen tracks. This masterful album has, appropriately, something for everyone: “September” by Earth Wind and Fire mixed with the rap break in Fergie’s “Glamorous”; Nirvana’s “Lithium” mixed with Salt ‘N Pepa’s “Push It”. Music lovers rejoice: Girl Talk makes the Top 40s enjoyable, and highlights the fun bubblegum of charts past; his charm is his memory for the old and the obscure, while still staying current above and below the surface. Gillis goes as old-school as James Brown and as new as this year’s Radiohead, as mainstream as Flo Rida and as off-the-charts as Hot Chip [Ironically, I have no idea who Flo Rida is, whereas Hot Chip.... - Ed].

In this album, even more so than the last, he uses very current, popular samples. Most of the dominant lyric tracks are rap/hip hop/R’n'B songs, so while Gillis prepares a salad with a wide variety of ingredients, those with a taste for gangsta may gobble it up a bit faster. Feed the Animals also has “Oh my god, remember that one?!” moments woven in to it, like one-hit-wonder Len’s “Steal My Sunshine”. It’s just a glimpse, a wink, but it’s definitely there, and it definitely put a smile on my face.

Outlandish and goosebump-inducing song selection aside, Gillis has mastered the art of the transition. He has a teasing method, where he mixes the tail of the current song and repeats bits and pieces of the new song he’s introducing before he fully integrates it. He preps you for the bigger moments in the album, so you know when they’re coming.

At times, Gillis can lose his ear for what fits nicely. When “I’m a Flirt” by R. Kelly gets mixed with an early ’90s dance track, the notes don’t match up and Kelly sounds flat. These failings were conspicuous even on previous album Night Ripper, which hooked me on mashups. The great thing is that the bad parts only last ten seconds maximum, but that same quick tempo can lose some. It can be difficult to keep up with Girl Talk, because there’s so much information being delivered at once. Luckily on Feed the Animals, he slows everything down every once in a while to allow listeners to catch their breaths. This album, while still upbeat and dance-tastic, is slower but sweeter than his previous work. Gillis uses larger chunks of songs, occasionally giving the listener an entire verse and chorus as opposed to one or the other.

As an artist, Gillis does have political substance. For example, he hasn’t paid for rights to use any songs — there is a distinct possibility that execs and pop stars will not be pleased with his new popularity. Gillis also offers the “Pay What You Want” option for Feed The Animals on his website, which is, needless to say, a growing trend among independent artists. Upon downloading, prepare to feel a bit uncomfortable if you choose not to pay anything, because a window will ask you why you’re being cheap!

Sweet Thing and Los Campesinos!
at the Mod Club
December 5th, 2007

By Natalie Plourde
Photographs by Meghan Gribben

The Mod Club was just starting to be populated, which wasn’t too surprising; there was still one band before the headliners. The stage had an unmarked crease around it, like the kind a goalie has, a space the crowd wouldn’t penetrate. Nobody wants to trust a band they’ve never heard before; it’s probably safest to keep one’s distance.

The band that took the stage call themselves Sweet Thing, and sweet they were. The lead singer, Owen Carrier, was clad in a sweater vest and stood proud with a red tambourine which matched the bassist’s pants. When Carrier threw his head back, his powerful wail gave me goose bumps. I threw caution to the wind and moved right up to the stage.

Sweet Thing is like a sexy, not-as-watered-down Maroon 5. While it’s not your token indie sound, it’s not particularly innovative. But what the group may lack in creativity is made up in genuine musical talent and sheer entertainment. It’s fun! It’s pop music with an old soul. They clearly love Queen and it looks like Carrier picked up a couple of stage moves from Mick Jagger.

There was a wide range of styles, from blues to funk, from rock to jazz. There was handclapping and even toetapping; jazz hands were a-plenty as Carrier pranced about the stage, posing for the camera and belting out tunes. A fresh and funky guitar riff accompanied his beautiful bellows. His eyes returned to his audience and as he sang, he danced with his microphone stand – without tripping. The energy that Sweet Thing exuded during the performance was enough to make my friends and I dance along. The crowd tiptoed nearer to the stage – Sweet Thing was reaching them.

At the show, the Toronto boys were promoting their self-titled EP, but are currently producing an album themselves – with a little help from Chemical Sound Studios, which you might associate with yummy bands Final Fantasy and Death From Above 1979.

By the time Sweet Thing left, the crowd was all warmed up and ready for Los Campesinos! to grace the stage. To borrow a line from their very own notebook: the band was okay, but the fresh air was better. Their brand of campy dance pop wasn’t completely lost on me; it had its moments. The fiddle added a nice touch to a tweaked-out guitar, both juxtaposed nicely with frequent bells. The sugary female voices were well balanced by raw young male vocals.

Los Campesinos! played straight through all the songs from their EPs Hold On Now Youngster and Sticking Fingers Into Sockets. Nothing more, and no attempt from the audience to propose an encore. I wasn’t complaining. As a performance, the septet lacked the sort of charisma that could have set them apart from a recording. All the cute, childlike tunes began to melt into one long, xylophone-banging song when there was no real break, besides a pre-pubescent mock-attempt to address the crowd. The frontman needs more confidence – unless he spoke so feebly because his balls haven’t descended just yet. The fans had a good time, though, and there were plenty smiling faces and dancing feet.

The crowd emptied out quickly, having gotten a 12-dollar performance for a 12-dollar show.

The Moodswinging Weather Mix

By Natalie Sylvie Plourde

Whether you’re putting out your Christmas lights, lighting your menorah, or cringing at holiday commercialism, we can all agree that we have our rituals around this time of year. Yes, it’s freezing and miserable outside, but for those of us fortunate enough to have a bed and iTunes, it doesn’t have to be so bad. And so, I give you my 10-song playlist for the wintertime – served best while cuddling in bed with a significant other, a significant book, or a significant thought. Read the rest of this entry »

I Even Made a Mixed CD!

By Natalie Sylvie Plourde

Trying to make a summer playlist skimpier than my bikini was a challenge. This task required tact and precision. More importantly it needed a setting. So, while there are about 250 other songs I would classify as super-extra “summer tracks”, these 12 are particularly good for barbeques on the beach with friends (hence the title of the list).

For best results, please enjoy the list in the order it is written in. Particularly the last three songs, which sound best just as you’re finishing your hamburgers and the sun is beginning to set. Go ahead, have another beer.

Disclaimer: Some songs may be considered cliché additions, but to me there’s something near blasphemous about omitting Bob Marley from a summer list. Sometimes it is best to go with the obvious.

1) “Define A Transparent Dream” by The Olivia Tremor Control
2) “Lucky Charm” by Apples in Stereo
3) “Peace Frogs” by The Doors
4) “12:51″ by The Strokes
5) “Summertime” by Janis Joplin
6) “Wooden Ships” by Crosby Stills Nash and Young
7) “Sun is Shining”by Bob Marley
8 ) “Inaudible Melodies” by Jack Johnson
9) “Badfish” by Sublime
10) “Concrete Schoolyard” by Jurassic 5
11) “Pacific Theme” by Broken Social Scene
12) “The Orchids” by Califone

Oasis, Sting, Uffie, Locrian Mode and “Don’t Stop Believing”

Oasis by Alexander B. Huls

I just don’t get it. Oasis used to be huge. Remember What’s the Story, Morning Glory? Huge! After that, they just kinda fizzled out. People complained they were basically ripping off the Beatles, which was true. People complained about the antics of the Gallagher brothers, specifically Liam, who was perpetually being an idiot. People complained their music just wasn’t that great anymore, if it ever was. But here’s the thing: people always complain they wish the Beatles were still around. Well, why don’t you fill that void with Oasis? Regarding the Gallagher antics, it’s more fun than watching a high school prom dramatically spiral out of control once booze has been secretly introduced to the punch! Besides, in these days where being a punk band means you probably never even actually listened to punk and you date Hilary Duff, isn’t it fun to see old-school destructive rock ’n’ roll antics? As for their music not being good, well, you got me there. I just mourn that they didn’t stay popular, since we may have been able to continue a real-life rock spectacle for the ages.

Sting by Allana Mayer

Yes, he’s a pretentious twit, whose real name no one cares to know. Yeah, his ego is pumped full of bleeding-heart-collagen, endless-giving-silicon, and do-gooder-fat — transplanted from his pragmaticism, which long ago dwindled to nothing (but people who can afford to feed entire third-world countries don’t need to be pragmatic). Yes, most people would prefer to forget that there was ever a life after The Police. But hey, The Police are reforming, so you’re gonna have to fill in those gaps in your selective memory. And those gaps will be filled with Grammy Awards, honourary music degrees, and — oh yeah — acting in Dune! That’s gotta get him a little credit. Plus, making fun of his own teary-eyed earnestness on The Simpsons. Plus, being a moderately attractive, well-educated, self-assured older man who hasn’t been caught in any celebrity scandals.

Sure, no one under 45 cares about his easy-listening soft-rock achievements post-”Every Breath You Take,” but I loved that shit when I was young and dependent on my mother’s CD collection. And if you insult my mother’s taste, I’ll have to hurt you. Anyway, since then I’ve never been able to shake the idea that there’s something of value in his agreeably distant voice, his straight-up traditional pop structure, and that his songs are actually inspired by interesting cultural facts. If it can be cool to listen to both Can and Damo Suzuki, why can’t it be cool to listen to both the Police and Sting? (Man, I’m going to get into so much trouble for that comparison.)

I’ve said it many times in the last few months, sometimes in secret, but I’ll announce it plainly now: I love Sting. And there’s no reason why you shouldn’t, too. Lutes notwithstanding.

Uffie by Natalie Sylvie Plourde

As soon as I get out of the shower, before I do my hair or put on makeup, to get ready for a night of dancing and malfeasance, I like to listen to music that will get my blood rising and my ass shaking. While many listen to whatever generic hip-hop or pop is on the Top 40 this month, I have managed to seek out terrible music to love. The most recent sin is Uffie. This little white girl from Miami often fakes a British accent and raps. Sort of. But damn the music is fun to listen to.

Uffie is more vulgar than a frat guy you’d meet at a kegger, and the beats are great — thanks to her boyfriend DJ Feadz. There is something infectious about the voice of an 18-year-old (who sounds like she’s 12) lyricizing about the rap industry, hos, and “popping the glock.” If you’re not familiar with Uffie, think of me as your new pusher.

Locrian Mode by Elisha Denburg

“That’s not a real mode,” I’d overhear teachers and colleagues say as I passed their classrooms, practice modules, bathroom stalls and other places of higher learning. “It doesn’t even have a perfect 5th.” Phrygian’s hunchbacked cousin, they called it. “The runt of the litter.” The mode that’s only there to complete the cycle of seven in the diatonic system we as western music academics hold on a lofty pedestal that sits on top of three bibles, perched atop two more pedestals.

But who says the mode that’s based on the leading tone of the major scale shouldn’t enjoy the accolades and fame in which its brothers and sisters bask on a daily basis? Listeners, theory geeks and music snobs of the western world, to you I say, “TI IS THE NEW DO!” Let not your prejudiced ear be fooled by the tri-tone centre! The devil’s interval will find its way into your ears and hearts and become so firmly loved and embedded that the next time you hear a sappy movie soundtrack in Lydian mode you will cringe at its sweeping and expansive consonance! Flattened degrees 6, 7, and yes, even 2 will cry out for even more dissonance as 5 follows suit! We shall march ever onward, upward, and so far beyond time and space that the universe will collapse on itself and all you will be able to hear are the first two notes to West Side Story’s “Maria.”

“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey by Lonny Knapp

When the road ahead is too steep to climb; when dark skies and rain fill my brain; when all I want to do is watch TV, eat corn chips, and masturbate — the strength I need to carry on can be found in a song.

“Don’t Stop Believing,” Journey’s motivational masterpiece from their hugely-successful-1981 release, Escape, is like a four-minute-and-twelve-second shot of inspiration. It has been discovered, through years of clinical study, that simply listening to the opening keyboard riff of “Don’t Stop Believing” drastically reduces the effects of depression and outperforms prescription drugs Paxil, Prozac, and even Viagra. In fact, by the one-minute mark — the part where the electric guitar comes in — nine out of ten listeners report a change in their mood for the better.

A word of caution: side effects may include a loss of control of the extremities (“Don’t Stop Believing” has been known to induce involuntary rock kicks) and in some cases the inability to differentiate between everyday objects (listeners have found themselves strumming on a tennis racket or singing into a hair brush while jumping around the living room in their pyjamas).

“Don’t Stop Believing” should be taken aurally to combat the blues, but should never, under any circumstance, be used in combination with Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” or Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

Hot Chip
The Warning
EMI Records, 2006

By Natalie Sylvie Plourde

The sophomore album from British band Hot Chip is a delicious sound for sore ears. The Warning is a marriage of fun dance music, unorthodox structures and catchy tunes. Sometimes a little downbeat, often times upbeat, Hot Chip’s brand of lo-fi, often minimalist, but always catchy electronica will move your feet and bob your head.

The vocals in opening track “Careful” don’t seem to complement the music beneath them, but as the song progresses, the clashing layers fuse into one harmonious sound. A few other songs leave a similar impression, notably “Tchaparian” and “Arrest Yourself.” Just how did they manage to make all those conflicting noises pleasing? My guess is techno magic, but you can theorize for yourself.

The highlight of the album is title track “The Warning” hands down. It’s a fun juxtaposition of borderline-weirdo lyrics (“Hot Chip will break your legs / Snap off your head”) and beautiful ones (“Excuse me child / I am trying to see / All the colours of wonder your brightness can be”) to a predominantly bass, electro and xylophone melody. The music has different layers that become evident only on multiple hearings, and is a clear product of hard work and meticulousness. The biggest selling point of “The Warning” is the velvety vocals by Joe Goddard (who also plays synth), who has known Alexis Taylor (lead vocals and keyboards) and Owen Clarke (guitar and synth) since he was twelve. How endearing is that?

Speaking of endearing, the track “So Glad To See You” is best matched by the imagery of a smiling little boy holding a wilting rose. It is a melancholic, downtempo song about an endless love that can never be. The song is backed with harmonic “oh”s made by Al Doyle and Goddard along with the xylophone, slow bass and clicky drum machine that carry much of the album. The voice and keyboard effects used in the chorus and bridge are sure to break your heart in the most dulcet of ways. Who would have thought that a song that uses the word “ass” could still be sweeter than grandma’s cookies?

The Warning seems like a progression from the band’s debut album Coming on Strong. Whereas that album tended to rest on safer melodies and sillier lyrics, The Warning offers sound and lyrics that come from a more experimental place.

The Warning will not satisfy anyone looking for lyrics explaining the meaning of life. The words, though fun, don’t always make much sense. By and large, their ideas don’t relate. It’s more likely that the sound will reach out and touch you before the lyrics do.

It has certainly touched the English. The album was well recognized by UK charts last year with two top 40 tracks: “Over and Over” and “Boy From School.” Toronto-based Paper Bag Records also recognized the band in 2006; Hot Chip appeared on the compilation album See You on the Moon!: Songs for Kids of All Ages released by the label.

Recent success brought on by The Warning is a warning: Hot Chip is a band to keep your eye on.