Too Lazy

This blog is slowly descending into an archive.

More later when we aren't lazy.

Robot Rock

Still a great deal better than most local bands.

2008 Polaris Music Prize Shortlist

This is my favourite shortlist thus far, most likely because of my increased effort to scout new Canadian music for Jon & Thom in the morning. Jon, what's your pick?

* The Acorn, Glory Hope Mountain
* Attack in Black, Marriage
* Black Mountain, In the Future
* Born Ruffians, Red, Yellow and Blue
* Buck 65, Situation
* Basia Bulat, Oh, My Darling
* Cadence Weapon, Afterparty Babies
* Cancer Bats, Hail Destroyer
* Caribou, Andorra
* City and Colour, Bring Me Your Love
* Constantines, Kensington Heights
* Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles
* Destroyer, Trouble in Dreams
* Fred Eaglesmith, Tinderbox
* Kathleen Edwards, Asking for Flowers
* Christine Fellows, Nevertheless
* Gatineau, Gatineau
* Hayden, In Field & Town
* Veda Hille, This Riot Life
* Hilotrons, Happymatic
* Holy Fuck, LP
* Islands, Arm's Way
* Karkwa, Le volume du vent
* Corb Lund, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!
* The New Pornographers, Challengers
* Pas Chic Chic, Au Contraire
* Sandro Perri, Tiny Mirrors
* Plants and Animals, Parc Avenue
* Ghislain Poirier, No Ground Under
* Protest the Hero, Fortress
* Justin Rutledge, Man Descending
* The Sadies, New Seasons
* Shad, The Old Prince
* Socalled, Ghetto Blaster
* Stars, In Our Bedroom After the War
* Tegan and Sara, The Con
* Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
* Two Hours Traffic, Little Jabs
* The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour
* Wintersleep, Welcome to the Night Sky

brb

nujabes - music is mine
yo la tengo - sugarcube
rogue wave - christians in black
guthrie - broken chair
5. sexsmith keep it in mind
dawn landes - young folks
matt pond pa - so much trouble
born ruffians - badonkadonkey
javelins - el dorado
10. neutral milk hotel - holland 1945
ryan adams - halloween
tom vek - c-c
casiotone - graceland
css - rat is dead
15. tom wiats - walking spanish
bicycles - lj and toques
by divine right - psychic radio
plants and animals - lola who?

We Get Lazy When We're Bored

Summer is here.
Ring the bell.

It's official: Thom and Jon In The Morning is switching time slots! No longer must we/you endure the hardship of awaking at 6am on Thursday's to hear the sweet sounds of sonic bliss. We are moving to:

Mondays
10:30 am - noon

For the first show at the time slot:
1. Grizzly Bear - Easier
2. Andre Ethier - Don't Let This Mean Old World Swallow You
3. Plants and Animals - Guru/Sinnerman
4. Jason Walker/Tom - Requiem
5. Born Ruffians - Red Elephant
6. Animal Collective - Derek
7. Destroyer - Rubies
8. Of Montreal - Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games
9. Fembots - Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist
10. Feist - Secret Heart

tents

national - ada
awkward stage - the circus ends in tears
rogue wave - lullaby
the thrills - restaurant
the mae shi - run to your grave
nich worby - all blind mice
nina nielson - cloudberry mountain
of montreal - forecast fascist future
islans - dont call me whitney, bobby
fiest - monarch
final fnatasy - thi slamb sells condos
radiohead - 2+2=5
pedro the lion - options
iron and wine - lions mane
the ghost is dancing - september 01
pascal - little red radio
tokyo police club - be good
tv on the radio - the wrong way

Send transmissions from the one armed scissor

Subscribe to Downbeat magazine.

Irrelevantism

Unlike Shutter Shades, I enjoy Irrelevantism. It's Post-Post-Modernism but dual posts is so passé. Mark my words, it is the next big thing.

Shutter Shades.

I think all people who wear shutter shades should be sent to live on an ice flow, that way; 1) We don't have to see their stupid idea of retro-fashion assaulting our vulnerable eyes, 2) the light from the sun will bounce off the ice, rendering the shutters useless and 3) the newly endangered polar bears will have food to hopefully sustain them longer.

Black Kids not only have an extremely undescriptive name, but also a rockin sound. I have ignored them due to the nod they got from "Rolling Stone". It seems the stone has only picked up shit on its long slow decline to the bottom, but they are the exception to that rule.

Album out on July 7

Black Kids - Hurricane Jane

Stay Positive

Brand new "Hold Steady" single was released today on itunes in the U.S of A, but we have it hear for you. It has group chanting, horns, and Craig Finns distinctively springsteen-esque voice (which by its very nature of being "springsteen-esque", is not at all distinctive."

It sounds like it could be an outtake from "Boys and Girls in America", which despite the lack of progress musically I am still very much looking forward to "Stay Positive" out July 15 on Vagrant.

The Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis

I Am Laziest

Looking ahead to either the best or worst summer of my life.
Every summer I go to Queen, but now I want to see Dundas.
"I'll never smile again, I'll never change, I'll never grow, I'll never learn"
Laura Barrett is from Toronto, and plays folk-psych-minimalism-classical-jazz.
Here is her space, with her songs.
Please visit CBC Radio 3 for more songs.
It's hard to find a friend.

I am lazy

This summer vacation has turned me into a lazy slob. I don't have a job, I do nothing with my days, and contribute nothing to society or my bank account. I lay around the house all day listening to The National and reading. On the bright side I have made it through 4 novels since the end of school and countless other reading materials. I also got a copy of the Virginia EP by the National, you know, the one that comes bundled with the DVD. It is pretty awesome.

The National - You've Done it Again, Virginia


Jon

Todays Playlist

This week's instalment of Blog Radio, or The Breakthrough (Thom and Jon in the Morning).

artist song
The Weakerthans -(Manifest)
The Weakerthans -The Reason
The Weakerthans -Reconstruction Site
What Made Milwaukee Famous -Blood, Sweat and fears
What Made Milwaukee Famous -Cheap Wine
What Made Milwaukee Famous -The Right Place
T.W. Walsh -Drunk and Poor
T.W. Walsh -The New North American Friction
T.W. Walsh -The Polite Way to Rob a Bank
rogue wave -chicago x 12
rogue wave -lake michigan
Fancey -Witches Night
Fancey -Lost in Twilight
Fancey -Karma's Out to Get Me
Crystal Castles -Untrust Us
Crystal Castles -Crimewave
Islands -Rough Gem
Islands -Volcanoes
Animal Collective -Peace Bone
Destroyer -Blue Flower/Blue Flame
Destroyer -Dark Leaves from a Thread
Hayden -Lonely Security Guard
Beach House -Turtle Island

Real Tom Waits

A little while ago I spoke about my love for Tom Waits, and recently my disdain for Scarlet Johansson, and from that discussion arose my recent string of Tom Waits listening.

I am going to do a bunch of songs that Tom wrote and later were picked up by other acts (for better or worse).

Tom Waits - Anywhere I Lay My Head

Tom Waits - Downtown Train

Tom Waits - Time

Tom Waits - Martha

Tom Waits - Ol' 55

At least these are the ones I remember other artist covering, anymore to add and I will post them.

Tour Dates:

06-17 Phoenix, AZ
06-18 Phoenix, AZ
06-20 El Paso, TX
06-22 Houston, TX
06-23 Dallas, TX
06-25 Tulsa, OK
06-26 St. Louis, MO
06-28 Columbus, OH
06-29 Knoxville, TN
07-01 Jacksonville, FL
07-02 Mobile, AL
07-03 Birmingham, AL
07-05 Atlanta, GA

Press Conference:

Cancon

Indeed it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I would plead for forgiveness but in all honesty I haven't been that busy, in fact I rather enjoyed my 2 weeks of nothingness. Moreover I believe that I am rested up enough to contribute a little more regularly, at least more regularly than Thom.

First order of Business is Brendan Canning's Broken Social Scene Presents.

The second of the series, and includes many of the things that Kevin Drew's did, including most of the members of Broken Social Scene, and a many of friends that cameo.

First Track is

Brendan Canning - Hit the Wall

Tour Dates:

05-09 Istanbul, Turkey
05-10 Istanbul, Turkey
05-12 Njimegen, Netherlands
05-13 Amsterdam, Netherlands
05-15 Paris, France
05-15 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
05-16 Vilagarcia de Arousa, Spain
05-18 Minehead, England
05-20 Dublin, Ireland
05-21 Sheffield, England
05-22 Oxford, England
05-23 London, England
05-25 Moscow, Russia
05-26 Helsinki, Finland
06-15 Manchester, TN
06-27 Calgary, Alberta
08-02 Chicago, IL
08-04 Montreal, Quebec
08-24 San Francisco, CA


Second order of business is the Bon Iver Album, self-released last year, picked up by jagjaguwar this year, and soon to be released in the UK (already release here in Canada) on the 12th. The album was recorded in a cabin in the wilderness, and as my friend Ewan described it, think of it as the lead singer from TV on the Radio alone in a room with a tape recorder. Fantastic Album, I cannot say enough good things about it.

Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago"

Bon Iver - Skinny Love

Tour Dates:

05-10 Rye, England
05-12 Glasgow, Scotland
05-13 Manchester, England
05-14 Sheffield, England
05-15 Brighton, England
05-16 London, England
05-17 Brighton, England
05-19 London, England
05-20 London, England
05-22 The Hague, Netherlands
05-23 Ottersum, Netherlands
05-24 Amsterdam, Netherlands
05-27 Paris, France
05-29 Ghent, Belgium
05-31 Barcelona, Spain
06-02 Dublin, Ireland
06-04 London, England
06-21 Minneapolis, MN
07-20 Chicago, IL
08-03 Columbus, OH
08-24 San Francisco, CA
08-25 Los Angeles, CA

Multi-cultured

I'm wondering: just how much does being a Canadian effect my taste in Canadian music? Am I biased to Canadian artists because they are from the same country I am? Do I have a particular pessimism toward American artists? British artists?

I really don't like British bands...it's just something about them. Maybe Jon can do a Brit-tribute post for me.

New this Thursday

The Bicycles - B-B-Bicycles
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - In This Home On Ice
Peter Bjorn and John - Detects On My Affection
Sarah Harmer - Escarpment Blues
(5) Spoon - They Never Got You
Sufjan Stevens - Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!
Wilco - Handshake Drugs
The Unicorns - Ghost Mountain
Islands - Rough Gem
(10) Think About Life - Paul Cries
The Arcade Fire - Crown of Love
Final Fantasy - This Lamb Sells Condos
Barzin - Queen Jane
The D'Urbervilles - We Are The Hunters
(15) Forest City Lovers - Don't Go, Please
Nina Nielsen - Cloudberry Mountain
Water Colour - Hidden Sound
We're Marching On - Shithead Kids
Acorn - Brokered Heart

Ben Gibbard is Weird

'nuff said.

.

There is life on this planet.

Why?

Why do actors think that they are entitled to foray into all aspects of the entertainment industry? I say, "keep your hands off of my Tom Waits, Miss Johansson!"



ugh,

jon