We've Moved!

Go on over to www.museink.ca where you will find all of our new posts and playlists! Hope to see you there!

Half Moon Run - Dark Eyes

Up until the day of the show I was completely prepared to defend this album as my top choice. It has all the elements of a great album: a great sound, variety of songs, and three incredible, solid "single" worthy songs.

CKXU Playlist 16/10/2012

Hello Trusty Followers, here is this weeks playlist for you all!

Elephant - Hannah Georgas

Two Feet Stand Up - Cookie Duster

Funeral Song - Fast Romantics

Miss Canada - Jason Collett

Backlines - Stars

The DFA Clump

Turn It Out - Death From Above 1979

The Looks - MSTRKRFT

American Names - Sebastien Grainger

Black History Month (Sammy Danger Remix) - Death From Above 1979

Show Me Your Eyes - Royal Canoe

The Mirror - Aiden Knight

Stairway (Yukon Blonde Cover) - Dan Mangan

Eight and a Half - Self Titled

Half Broken Social Scene, half The Stills; Eight and a Half is a joint project of two of the biggest bands in Canadian Indie music in the last decade.

Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune

Dan Mangan. Heartthrob. Husband. Master of Melody.

CKXU Playlist 09/10

Here is our playlist for our Brand New Music show. There has been so many good albums released lately it was hard to narrow it down but a few bands prevailed!

Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur

Kathleen Edwards is well known for her rootsy folk sound and this album is no exception.

Parlovr - Kook Soul

Emerging out of the thick, lush, layered textures of the Montreal music scene comes the complete opposite: Parlovr.

Said the Whale - Little Mountain

Following the success of 2009’s Island’s Disappear and their 2011 Juno win for Best New Group, Said the Whale had set the bar high - and they surpassed it easily.

Brasstronaut - Mean Sun

On first impression Mean Sun might just sound like a more ambient Broken Bells - and you wouldn't be wrong.

CKXU Shadow Polaris Show 10/02

Here is our playlist for our Shadow Polaris edition of the show. These are our Top 10 albums of the year, the song we played is in brackets. For the next 10 days we will be posting a review on each album and strongly recommend you check them out.

CKXU Playlist East Coast Edition

Here is our playlist for the East Coast Edition of MuseInk Radio:

Brian Wilson is A.L.I.V.E - Rich Aucoin
Madre Padre - Matt Mays
He Doesn't State Into The Sun Anymore - Long Distance Runners

The Fiddle Clump
Yer Fall - Hey Rosetta!
Close Up To Me - Two Hours Traffic
Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' - Joel Plaskett

Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Jenn Grant
My Friend - Paper Lions
Rattle Your Cage - Boxer The Horse

Rapture - Wintersleep
Maybe It's Just Me - Classified
Concrete of the City - Gabrielle Papillion

Also, seeing as for some reason we didn;t post our Vancouver Playlist, here is our Vancouver playlist that we played a few weeks ago:

About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All - Dan Mangan
Fire's Highway - Japandroids
Jesse, AR - Said the Whale

Hot River - Yes Nice
Radio - Yukon Blonde
Summer in the Shelter - Cinderpop

The Mountain Clump
Vampire - Pink Mountaintops
The Way To Gone - Black Mountain
Congo - Bear Mountain

This Is Where We Are For Now - Maurice
Dirty Town - Mother Mother
Hey Snow White - The New Pornographers


So that brings us to the end of our Canadian Road Trip. It was a fun journey, full of joy and excitement.  We encourage you to buy the songs and create your own playlists for your own road trips around the country or even around other countries. Im sure it would work just as well.
Next week we have a Polaris re-cap special where we are going to play our opinion of the top 10 albums and who we think should have won. Make sure you tune in next Tuesday at 6-7pm MST on CXKU.com!

Polaris Prize Reaction

Well Feist won something. What a surprise.

Personally I was hoping for something unexpected to happen, like Fucked Up winning again. But we're stuck with the status quo. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed Feist's album, but do I want it representing the best Canada has to offer? Most certainly not.

Anyway I just felt like posting this and owning up to my prediction that was made on twitter:

Oh well I guess. Next year.

New Video from Rich Aucoin - Brian Wilson is A.L.I.V.E

What do you guys think??

CKXU 09/18 Montreal Edition

Here is our playlist for this weeks radio show!

Your Ex Lover is Dead - Stars
Obedear - Purity Ring
Lightshow - Plants and Animals

The Clump
Old Mythologies - The Barr Brothers
Amaze-Me-Jane - Parlovr
In Your Body - Arianne Moffatt
Oak of Guernica - Yamantaka//Sonic Titan

Little Golden Age - Wolf Parade
Side of the Road - Mark Berube

She Wants to Know - Half Moon Run
Cannons - Little Scream
Shake, Sweat, Scream and Shout - Artist of the Year

Honorable Shout outs to Arcade Fire, Malajue and Karkwa! Make sure you tune in next week for our East Coast Edition! Maybe we will be joined by our co-host Englebert the fly again, who knows!

Certainly Not This

Today was the annual record fair in Lethbridge at the Galt Gardens appropriately named (at least to me) Love and Records. Vendors and businesses from across Southern Alberta come to Downtown Lethbridge for an afternoon of live music, records, records, and more records.  This year I was unfortunately only able to stay for an hour, but that was enough time for me to uncover this gem. I don't know how many were made but I didn't even know they existed before today; this coming from an admittedly obsessed Metric fan.

 So if there's anything to take from this: go out to events like this. You never know what you will find.

Could this get any more awesome?!!

Said the Whale show at the Gateway 09/05

Said the Whale came to Calgary yet again! I never complain about another Said the Whale show. Even though this is the 3rd time I have seen them live this year this show stood out. Their last show in Calgary back in April was an All Ages show. Now dont get me wrong, I understand the importance of All Ages shows, but I have never seen so many 13 year old hipsters drunk off of their first beer in my life. Next time someone tries to start a mosh pit to Love is Art next to me, they die.

So onto the brilliance of the Gateway show. They opened with Out on the Shield when they usually open with a single such as Heavy Ceiling. this was awesome and completely unpredictable. They then carried on to play many other fan favourites such as This Cities a Mess and The Light is You. The crowd was singing along to every song! They also asked for requests on Twitter and played Hurricane Ada which I requested! They may have been going to play it anyway but I like to think they played it because of me. It felt like they were playing to the fans more than trying to promote thier album which I really liked. Never miss a chance to see them live!!! They pretty much tour endlessly, you have no excuse!

Here is the set list for the night. There was a new song in there somewhere too but i forgot to write it down:

Out on the Shield

This Cities a Mess

A Black Day in December

The Light is You

O Alexandra

We Are 1980

Big Sky, MT

False Creek Change

BC Orienteering

Lines

Big Wave Goodbye

Jesse, AR

New Brighton

Hurricane Ada

Loveless

Camilo the Magician

Emerald Lake, AB

Encore:

Seasons

Goodnight Moon

CXKU Playlist 09/11 Southern Ontario

Here is the list of the songs we played this week! Why is this area different than others?  From this area of canada you generally see a variety of influences, but you really see a sense of progression from the artists.

Romantic Rights - Death From Above 1979
I Wanna Die Young - Great Bloomers
Whispers - Lake Forest

No Glamour in the Hammer - Whitehorse
Sulk - Trust
Don't Be Afraid of the Spark - Sunparlour Players

Live It Out - Metric
Standing Alongside Gone - Cookie Duster
Took a Train To India - Eight and a Half
Almost Crimes - Broken Social Scene

Barnes' Yard - Rural Alberta Advantage
Inches and Ages - Attack in Black
Blueprint (live) - Arkells

Honourable mentions go to Fucked Up, Timber Timbre, Elliott Brood, Crystal Castles, Jason Collett, and Shad for being awesome but we couldn't fit everyone in, sadly.

September 4, 2012 Prairie Special

Here's the playlist for the show on Tuesday:

Soothsayer - Royal Canoe
Little Homie (Feat. Abstract Artform) - Giving In
Civil Twilight - The Weakerthans

Conditioning - Cadence Weapon
Die Fighting - Foam Lake
Generation Handclap - Library Voices

THE CLUMP - Local Arists
Maria - Leeroy Stagger and his Band
Silver Wheels - Indio Saravanja
Only A Rocketship Can Save Us - Jesse and the Dandelions

Rocky Mountain Living - The Dudes*
Crash Landing - Rae Spoon
By Lamplight - Woodpigeon
Prairie Girl - Rah Rah

In place of Funeral Song by Fast Romantics because I forgot the mp3. Check it out it'll be worth your while!

Update + Plans

    So apparently we have a blog...  If you're wondering why the posts suddenly stopped, it's simply because we haven't had the time.

   "But what happened to all the free time you used to have?" You, reader, may ask.  My response is simply: life.  Things change, and this last month we've found ourselves at a loss for time.  The main time sink, and possibly a lack of motivation for blogging, has been our new radio show on the University of Lethbridge radio station!  Every Tuesday at 6pm Mountain Time you can listen to us playing and talking about our favourite Canadian music on CKXU 88.3 FM or online at ckxu.com.

    We're hoping to use this blog as a supplement to the live show.  As a way to talk about what we didn't have a chance to on the show, to post our track listing that we played, and just as a forum for what we've been listening to or thinking about.

    Hopefully this answers any questions if anyone has been watching the blog and was wondering what was up.  And hopefully you'll check us out tonight!

Video of the Week: Nash

For this weeks video of the week I have chosen 'Sad Robot Harmonies' by Nash, directed by Christopher Mills. This song is taken from the Montreal natives album The Death of Reason, which he recorded, engineered and produced himself. The moral of the song, as described by Nash, is 'no matter how shitty things get, there’s always good, and love prevails despite the sadness of things around you'. Enjoy!

Something Folky

We survived the Folk Fest and are back to tell another tale! This festival is a different kind of festival, people get comfortable on lawn chairs and prop up for the day. At other festivals, people who want to stand and dance get prime location in front of the stage, however, here the lawn chairs reign supreme with dancers at the sides. It creates a very laid back approach to the festival compared to others where the main focus is on partying. This makes the Folk Festival stand out amongst the many summer festivals as it provides that little something different.
Another stand out part of the festival are the workshops/sessions. As well as having the artists do a regular performance, the festival also puts on workshops where a group of artists all perform together and take part in each others songs. This gives you the opportunity to not only get to see your favourite artist more than once but to have a much more personal experience in a context you will probably never get to see them in again.
Here are some of my highlights!
Dan Mangan: Obviously a biased review as he is my absolute favourite (other than Said the Whale of course!) but this show was brilliant! It was a little disappointing that he played a very similar if not exact same set as he did at his recent show in Banff, but he is still a magnificent human being. He is an excellent live performer so if you ever get the chance to see him do it, he is currently on tour! Here is my favourite Dan Mangan pose, the Banana.

Tinder Dry Workshop: This workshop showcased Dan Mangan, Whitehorse, Sam Baker and Tom Wilson from Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. Not only did it give me another hour and a half of Dan Mangan but it was really interesting to watch. Luke Doucet from Whitehorse may just be the best guitarist I have ever witnessed in real life, improvising solos after hearing 10 seconds of the song and just being plain awesome.  All the artists worked so well together, it was by far the best workshop I saw of the day, I am glad I got to witness the magic.
Rural Alberta Advantage: This was the last performance we saw and it was a great way to end the festival for us. The Rural Alberta Advantage got the whole crowd to their feet and gave their performance a lot of personality and energy. Considering my tiny stature, I couldn't see very much but I still had a good time. AN honourable mention goes out to Crazy Dancer Man, giving it his all and stamping his feet, and to Guy in Tree, who climbed a tree outside the venue so he could see the band and was dancing on a branch. I am looking forward to seeing RAA again when they tour this fall.

Overall, I had a great time at the festival. It shows there is more to Calgary than just a corporate oil city and allows you to get away from all the concrete and skyscrapers and see a different side to the city. I am very much looking forward to next summer and all the festival will have to offer!

Video of the Week!

In lieu of his upcoming performance at the Folk Festival, here is Dan Mangans latest single, and also the opener off of his latest album, "About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All."Enjoy!

Festival Survival Guide

As the Calgary Folk Festival is coming up, which I am super stoked for, I thought I would write up a little festival survival guide for you all. Festivals can be large amounts of fun if you do them right so here is a breakdown of what you need to go into a festival and make it out alive!

1. Sunscreen

Sunscreen is key! There is nothing worse than getting burnt and having to worry about how much pain you are in and what kind of cancer you are getting when you should be enjoying your favourite band. Layer up and reapply! And wear a hat, you will thank me later.

2. Stalker Supplies

The good thing about music festivals is band members usually wander around the grounds. This gives you the opportunity to bump into some of your favourite people! Always have a Sharpie at the ready! You never know when you will need that all important autograph. A camera is good too, to capture that beautiful Kodak moment. Here is my favourite stalker photo taken at Sasquatch: A Sheepdog grabbing lunch.

3. Water

Lord knows we would all love to be able to survive on alcohol alone but alas, the human body needs H2O. Make sure you take enough or you will end up spending $5 for a bottle. If they only let you take one bottle in take a few empty bottles too so you don't spend all day in the water line.

4. Bring Enough Booze!

This more applies to camping festivals but there is nothing worse than running out of booze on the first night. Sure, you can go line up and pay an extortionate amount of money for another case of beer but by then you have lost your buzz and no one wants that. So stock up and go crazy!

5. Waterproof Clothing

It's a festival. It's going to rain. It's inevitable. A waterproof jacket is a good investment. If you want to wear a garbage bag poncho go ahead but I prefer to look stylin'. Once you're wet, you will have to spend the rest of the day in wet clothes which will ruin your fun. Also, if you leave because it is raining, you are a loser and shouldn't have come in the first place.

6. Toilet paper!!

Maybe the most important. No one wants to get stuck in a portapotty with no TP. At the end of the day they will run out, be prepared!! Also, hand sanitizer will be your best friend.

So that is my advice for all you would be festival goers. Festivals are expensive, get your money's worth! I will be back next week to give you the lowdown on the Folk Festival: the highs, the lows, the good, the bad. Will I have a heart attack when Dan Mangan walks out onto the stage? You will have to wait and find out.

Playlist July 26, 2012

     This is the first of what I’m hoping to make a weekly occurrence, where I post a playlist that I made myself and give tips on how to order and create your own.  I fancy myself somewhat of an amazing, spectacular, incredible, etc. creator of playlists so I hope my advice will help you make your own for any occasion.  Each week I will include the playlist I’ve made, the title I’ve chosen, and a Youtube link to the portion of the playlist that I talk about in my tip. I would just put the whole playlist on Youtube, but it would be common for me not to find all of them.

Changing Places

The Blueprint (Live) – Arkells*

The Only Place – Best Coast

Out On the Shield – Said the Whale

New Goodbye – Hey Rosetta!

Amaze-Me-Jane – Parlovr

Morning Bird / Water Lines – Attack in Black

Windsor – Michou

Express Yourself – N.W.A.**

O My Heart – Mother Mother

The Maid Needs A Maid – Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton

Guilty Cubicles – Broken Social Scene

*Works best if you cut the final about 20 seconds

**I used the second version of this that is on the reissue, but either version works.

     Ordering tip #1 – I always start my playlists with either an upbeat song that’s not very dense texturally, or with a song that eases the listener into the playlist.  What you choose entirely depends on what kind of playlist you’re going for and what the next songs are.  Here I have the Best Coast song second and I know that it kind of eases into itself so I wanted something that set an energetic tone for the playlist.  If you were to choose a song such as Hayloft by Mother Mother to go second you’d need something that built and had very little dead air at the end of it. Context is everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a4D1wLIU1I&list=PLE4649F1253CB2D98&index=1&feature=plpp_video

 

Polaris Prize Part 2

         Our first stop on the Polaris Prize short list was a 78 minute epic by Fucked Up. Our second album is considerably shorter; with a running time at 31 minutes  Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s Yt/St is a far cry from a rock opera, but strangely enough the first work the band did together was a “drag rock opera” called 33. As someone who before the short list was announced had no idea who Yamantaka // Sonic Titan were, or even if that was their real name, and being as it seems no one else has either there isn’t much information on the group that describes themselves as “Noh-wave”.  Based on the little information there is, the group has two distinct acts. The first is the rock band who was nominated for the Polaris Prize, and the second is the theatre group that works under the same name.  In the internet age it’s rare that you aren’t able to find the information you want, but with this band it just seems as though we have to interpret the music and make guesses from there.

         The album opens ominously with a rain in the background and tribal chants in the foreground. This transitions nicely into the catchiest song on the record, Queens, a slow paced rhythmic song that stands out from much of the rest. At this point we could continue going track by track, but really that’s not how this album should be listened to.  As mentioned it is only 31 minutes long and split into 7 tracks there is really no reason why this shouldn’t be talked about as a whole.  The Fucked Up album had to be split up due to its long story, but with this one there really isn’t a story.  It’s more about the blending of styles, and the creation of sonic art as opposed to pop hits.  Due to the lack of liner notes on iTunes and not having access anywhere to the lyrics I decided to just listen to the different textures and styles that they were using.  They mix Japanese, Pop, Experimental, Native, and even Church elements into one huge field of sound, sort of showing what can be done and what no one is willing to try.  If they win the Polaris Prize it won’t be because of their song writing; it will be because of how different and progressive this album is when compared to a field of less progressive albums.

Why I Will Always Choose Vinyl

With vinyl record sales being on the rise in the last few years, many people have asked the question 'Why is vinyl making a comeback?' These are some of the reasons that I love vinyl so much.

There's a certain labour of love associated with vinyl records. You get to put a lot more input into your music. Where some people may be content to just press download and play without even having to get out of bed, I myself enjoy the process that goes into searching for and playing a record. Making a trip down to the record store and searching through bins of records for the one you are looking for adds an element of fun to the purchase. Finally finding a record you have been searching for for months makes the music worth so much more than a digital download. Taking that album home, setting it up on your record player, flipping it over, makes the process much more physical than just pressing play on a CD. If an artist puts that much effort into the production of the record, the least we can do is give a little back.

Actually having a physical copy of a record also makes a big difference to the musical experience. Being able to actually hold the music, inspect it and read the insert rather than just having some MP3 downloads on your computer adds much more in terms of what you get out of the music. An artist spends a lot of time on their album artwork. Why waste it on a tiny thumbnail in iTunes? A vinyl record shows off the album artwork in the largest form, giving you the full experience that the artist intended. Having your records lined up on a shelf also adds to the aesthetic appeal. I would much rather have a bookcase full of books than an e-reader sitting on a shelf, why would music be any different? With most records coming with a digital download card, you don't need to worry about not being able to listen to the music on the go, so why wouldn't you want to get that full experience?

With a good set up, vinyl's can sound much better than an MP3. They carry a much warmer sound than the digital equivalent which can sometimes sound quite tinny. Although some people complain about distortions in the sound, I personally feel the crackles and imperfections add to the nostalgia of the record. Some people argue with today's compression and recording processes, new vinyl's are not that different to MP3's sound wise. Yes, there are some bad sounding records, just like there is some bad sounding CDs or downloads. However, if the artist has taken the time to make their album sound the best that they can, it will show in the sound quality of the record. Records also force you to listen to the album in order, again giving you the full experience of the album that the artist intended while writing it.

However, as much as I love vinyl records, there are a few downsides. You can get the average CD on iTunes for $10-$15 whereas new records can be upwards of $25. However, as discussed above, you are getting a lot more for your money. They can also be quite collectible as often limited quantities are produced and once they are gone you have to hope for a reissue. An MP3 will be worth nothing in  25 years, a record could have more than doubled in its value. There is also the downside of having to wait for the record. You can get a CD or download on the day of its release, however vinyl's usually take a little longer and often have later release dates. Include the time it can take to actually find the record and you could be waiting a while. Sure, I can order it online, but where is the fun in that?

Overall, records have much more to offer than digital downloads for the music consumer. There is still a long way to go. After showing my latest purchase to a friend she stated "are you going to hang it on the wall?" Support the artist and keep music alive. Buy vinyl. You wont regret it.

Polaris Prize Part 1

Our first stop on the Polaris Prize short list journey is easily the most vulgar.  Fucked Up’s David Comes to Life is the follow up to the 2009 Polaris Prize winning album The Chemistry of Common Life.  If you were given one word to describe Fucked Up it would have to be contrast.  Their music features lush, bright guitar parts and vocal harmonies sitting behind an angry guy yelling: and it’s beautiful.  On first glance one would think that the vocal style would take away from the character and message of the music, but in reality it adds to it, creating an entirely new texture that helps create the contrast.  Some stand out tracks on the album includes Queen of Hearts, Turn the Season, and Lights Go Up.

What makes David Comes to Life exceptional is that it is a concept album.  While first listening to the album it may be hard to follow the story that lead singer Damian Abraham crafts over 78 minutes, 18 tracks, and 4 acts in what is described by them as a “rock opera”.  The idea behind a hardcore punk band doing a rock opera goes back to contrast.  They wanted to show what a genre viewed as indulgent and over the top would look like in the hands of a band that is nothing like the hair metal bands of the 70’s and 80’s.  This rock opera is hardly a sing along, but the way that they sing/yell/scream and the smooth, smart transitions help to quickly drive the love story between David and Veronica.  Following along in the liner notes the band gives you the barebones of the story in short captions before each song, but to truly delve into the story and become immersed in this world they have created you need to follow along and read, listen, and feel as the band takes you on the journey of David coming to life, eventually, with love in his heart.

Royal Canoe - Hold Onto the Metal

I came across this magnificent Winnipeg band one Sunday night at The Slice and they became an instant favourite. Not since the first time I saw Said the Whale, which also happened to be at the Slice, have I been so in awe after a show. They were even worth a long drive to Saskatoon to see them again. This is a single off of thier EP 'Extended Play', check it out and clap along!

The Lethbridge Lowdown

         Lethbridge. Or as some like to call it Deathbridge, the City of Wind. But what of the music scene in Lethbridge? Is it worth putting up with all the bad hair days? Elton John seemed to think so, making a stop here on his latest tour. Elliott Brood even called it their second hometown, playing 2 nights here last month. All in all, a steady flow of bands comes through these city limits, some well known, some not worth the $5 cover charge. But hey, not everyone can do a 'Rococode/Royal Canoe at the Slice' and blow my mind. The venues also cater to local musicians with open mic nights at both the Slice and the Owl. Yeah, the service at the Slice is a little lacking, but just go to the bar for a beer, and if you go back a few too many times there's a mattress on the ceiling if you want to stay the night. The university also brings in some gooders with Bedouin Soundclash, Said the Whale, K-OS and the Pack A.D, to name a few, all making appearances in the last few years. Henotic was my favourite venue, but alas, it is no more.  If you manage to go to a show and not foolishly forget to bring enough cash/your debit card for merch (who does that?) Blueprint is a few blocks away to fulfil the rest of your music needs. 
       Overall, Lethbridge has a lot more to offer than most think. It is not just 'that city south of Calgary' but has a growing indie culture. Lethbridge's own The Ketamines even made it to SXSW this year. In the years to come it can only grow in what it has to offer for us young indie folk.   


      Oh. And Westside is the Best side.

Polaris Prize Short List Reaction

Trying to suggest that the Polaris Prize is absolutely right is ridiculous.  Every year, sometimes at the short list, sometimes before the long list, great albums fall aside to the eventual winner of thirty thousand dollars and the prestige of winning the only music award that matters in Canada.  This prestige is present because of the amazing judges doing a very good job of actually choosing the best Canadian album.  Past winners include Patrick Watson, Fucked Up, and Arcade Fire; the latter winning a Grammy the same year. 

Today the Short List was announced.  On it, some surprises, some not so much.  Under the surprise category I’d put Drake’s Take Care, Cold Speck’s I Predict a Graceful Expulsion, and Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s YT/ST. While those albums left me surprised, Feist’s Metals, Grimes’ Visions, and Fucked Up’s David Comes to Life were essentially foregone conclusions.  All three of these albums are albums that critics adore for their unique characteristics.  The final four artists (Cadence Weapon, Kathleen Edwards, Handsome Furs, and Japandroids) all put out albums worthy of being on the short list, but I don’t think you can label any of them as favourites.  In future posts I’ll be exploring all the albums nominated for the Polaris Prize and complete the journey with my prediction for the winner.