CMJ Recap

CMJ took place this past week, from the 21st to the 25th. I've only been once before and that time I had a badge. This time however, I didn't have a badge, but there was still much to see and do. Due to my work and class schedule, I wasn't able to take as much advantage of all the free shows as I would have liked. However, the ones that I was able to catch did not disappoint.

On Wednesday there was the Terrorbird (sidenote, I love them) party at the Cake Shop. The lineup was outstanding, but I only made it for Tobacco, Women and Takka Takka. Tobacco, while I love his latest album Fucked Up Friends, put on an interesting show. The visuals didn't quite match the music and he didn't do much in the way of play anything, unless you count pressing the play button on his computer. But, I still enjoyed it nonetheless. After Tobacco, I left for a bit and when I came back, Women were almost halfway through their set. I know some were let down by their performance, but I loved their energy. Up next was Takka Takka, who were one of the highlights of the party for me, as I've been listening to Migrations on repeat. Unfortunately, their set was cut short due to time issues, but they definitely made the most of it.

Takka Takka

During the day on Friday I went to the Pirate! party at Fontanas and the Team Clermont part at Arlene's. I went to those more for the people hosting than for the bands themselves, but I still had a good time. 

Friday night was Land of Talk and Broken Social Scene at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. The show sold out and I managed to get a ticket from one of my coworkers. Thank goodness, because the show was incredible. I haven't heard Land of Talk's first full length Some Are Lakes, but I really liked their EP Applause Cheer Boo Hiss and after their performance that night, I'm going to have to check out their new album. 

This was my third time seeing Broken Social Scene (for those of you who don't know me, they are my favorite band and I might be slightly obsessed) and it was quite the experience. The first time I saw them was last November during the Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew tour. So, half the band was absent, but they did play some older songs. I caught the band in most of their entirety this past August at Osheaga. Amy Millan (from Stars) showed up and BSS mixed the set up with their material, along with songs from Kevin Drew's solo album and Brendan Canning's album as well. 

This time however, Elizabeth Powell (from Land of Talk) filled in for the female vocals. I wasn't aware that she had actually joined the band, but I thought she was great. Anyway, so Broken Social Scene was fantastic. They started the show off with "Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries" and went straight into "Shampoo Suicide" which was basically the signal that this show was going to be quite different from previous shows. The band played for over 2 1/2 hours and they played almost all of You Forgot It In People . There were breaks at various points; first for the song "3,000" from bassist Sam Goldberg's side project, then for a scientific musical project from Do Make Say Think which featured studying voice recordings and using their patterns to create songs, and finally for Apostle of Hustle's "National Anthem of Nowhere." 

Also, Kevin Drew was in a strange mood. I know I say this like I know him personally, but from past shows, he seemed less annoyed this time especially with all his talk about playing until the venue's curfew and talking about how great and appreciative the fans were. That was short lived because then of course he got snippy as soon as someone in the audience would shout a request (sidenote: thank God that didn't deter him from playing certain songs. That happened the first time I saw the band; some overly obnoxious people in the audience kept shouting for "Lover's Spit" and he then decided not to play it since people kept asking for it even though it was on the set-list). Drew claimed that this was the last time the band would be playing some songs (such as "Anthems For a Seventeen Year Old Girl") for awhile as the band will be going on a short hiatus after this tour and possibly recording new material. I really hope that new material is on the way, though it will be sad if the band no longer plays songs such as "Anthems" as previously mentioned. However, it would be incredible if the band played 3 hour shows (as hinted) or just perhaps do something completely different and play Feel Good Lost live in its entirety.

All in all, I'd say my CMJ experience went fairly well. My only regret is that I missed out on a lot of bands I wanted to see, but with so much going on, it's actually kind of overwhelming.

Yesterday, I saw Chuck Klosterman while I was walking to class. For those of you who don't know me very well (or at all for that matter), let me just say that I love him. Well, I love his writing. I love the fact that he makes no apologies for his viewpoints and is more or less, both a music snob and nerd. Perhaps aficionado would be a better way to describe it.

ANYWAY, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is one of my favorite books (although it's more of a collection of essays, but that's besides the point). I've read it countless times and as a result, the book is not in the best condition. To add to its wear, it is the book I always bring with me when flying, which is something I seem to do fairly often. I've also made it a point to highlight and mark quotations and excerpts that I enjoy and mostly find completely hilarious.

"I wake up, I feel the inescapable oppression of sunlight pouring through my bedroom window, and I am struck by the fact that I am alone. And that everyone is alone. And that everything I understood seven hours ago has already changed, and that I have to learn everything again. I guess I am not a morning person."

About a month or so ago, I stumbled across a box of books in the lobby of a friend's apartment building. It was there that I found two books by Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album. I had first read Didion during my Freshman year of college, in an English class that focused on Post-modern literature. We read the essay "John Wayne: A Love Song." Out of the many books and essays I read in that class, Didion stuck out the most to me. I just loved the detail of her writing, her honesty, and her capture of the cultural, political, and social atmosphere of the 60s and 70s in America.

Recently, I've had time to read both collections of essays. Her writing has struck me on both a personal and academic level. Primarily in my Media Studies: Ideas class, with her descriptions on culture industry and the interpretations of it.

From The White Album:

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live. The princess is caged in the consulate. The man with the candy will lead the children into the sea...We interpret what we see, select the most workable of the multiple choices. We live entirely, especially if we are writers, by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the 'ideas' with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

I cannot understand why someone would give away collections of her essays. At the same time, whoever did it, I thank you, as those books have now taken a permanent residence on my bookshelf.

2008 Polaris Music Prize

The Polaris Music Prize is Canada's response to the Mercury Prize, which honors musicians from the UK and Ireland. It's relatively new, having awarded it's first prize back in 2006. 

Caribou won the 2008 Polaris Music Prize for his album Andorra. Although I do enjoy that album, I thought that Plants and Animals with Parc Avenue or Holy Fuck with LP would win.

I'm surprised that Caribou won, only because compared to the other musicians nominated for this year's prize (with the exception of Stars and The Weakerthans), he is fairly well-known. In the past, the bigger name musicians, such as Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade, and the Arcade Fire, all who were nominated (and rightly so) did not win. I've read other blogs that commented on this issue as well and I happen to agree with them.

However, it seems that since last year's awards, the Polaris Prize has been seen by some as somewhat of a joke. There was quite a fuss made over Patrick Watson winning over nominees such as fan favorites Feist and the Arcade Fire. This is mostly because Watson has been associated with having a fan base of soccer moms, and that's just ridiculous and unfortunate. Of course, thanks to the iPod commercials, look what has now happened to Feist. I happen to really like Patrick Watson (I love his collaboration with The Cinematic Orchestra) and I thought Close to Paradise was a beautiful album. 

Perhaps now that Caribou won, the Polaris Prize will be taken more seriously by those who have snubbed it for past decisions.

"I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum"

I absolutely love Wes Anderson. Unlike most Anderson fans I know, The Royal Tenenbaums is not my favorite film of his. Mine's Rushmore. However, that's neither here nor there.

I visited the Tenenbaum house today, which is located at 339 Convent Ave., right off of W. 144th. It was wonderful and probably as close as I will ever get to Wes Anderson or any star of the film for that matter. 

From the outside, the house was gorgeous, and so were the surrounding brownstones. I did not get to see what the inside of the house looked like, as it was locked and vacant because it had a building permit on one of the outside doors with a description of the work that is to be done on the house. From one of the windows I was able to make out some living room furniture, but it didn't look like any from the film. I was slightly disappointed that I had no access to the roof, as all I really wanted to do was shout "Go Mordecai!", but perhaps it was for the best, as not to publicly embarrass myself. 

Instead, I spent my time milling about the outside and sitting on the glorious stoop.

This Dance Will Last Us Forever

Cut Copy is one of my favorite bands. In Ghost Colours is a fantastic album and is without a doubt one of my Favorite Albums of 2008. In fact, it's still in heavy rotation on my iPod and iTunes. Anyway, Cut Copy played 2 shows here in NYC, on Sunday and Monday night, but both of them sold out before I could get a ticket which was slightly disappointing, but I got over it since I've seen them twice before. I will say that Cut Copy puts on a great show and a respectful, yet fun dance party.

Yesterday afternoon, members from Cut Copy and The Presets did a DJ set at the Apple store on W 14th. It was fun, but strange since not many people showed up for the set. No one was up for dancing and it was a bit awkward just standing around the Apple store trying to not get in the way of the employees assisting customers. The DJ set only lasted for an hour and while some people were in and out, I stayed for the entire time. My choosing to do so resulted in getting put on the guest list for their after party  and getting a bunch of other free stuff as well. All in all, I think that turned out to be a pretty good tradeoff for not being able to go to the shows at Webster Hall.

(@ SXSW 2008)

Oh Modular, I love you so.

The Squid and the Whale

Say what you will about that film and Noah Baumbach in general. I don't care. I absolutely love The Squid and the Whale. It may be pretentious, but it's earnest, troubling, uncomfortable and completely hilarious all at the same time.

Anyway, the real point of this post is to mention that I saw Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Walt Berkman in the film, on 5th Ave. the other day. 

In order to spare myself the humiliation, I didn't approach him. I wouldn't have had anything of substance to say; instead I would have been my awkward self, mentioned that I loved the film, and then make things more painful by mentioning Kafka.