Friday, December 30, 2011

2011……The Music


    I was originally going to write this huge diatribe about how this year really sucked for me…I lost my job, my marriage fell apart you know the whole drill, it was to have 0% musical content, then I thought no one's gonna want to hear me bitch about my problems, and truth be told I have my son who's an amazing little guy right by my side so it can't be all that bad…. onto the music

   So this is the time of year when every Blog/Magazine/Website puts out there year end lists…you know the lists that try to make you feel uncool for not listening to the bands that they like …well here's some inside info..most of the writers have never listened to the records all the way through, they just put them on the list to look as cool as everyone else around them…or to get on the guest list the next time "that band" comes through town.

       I thought I'd take a different route and not put mine in any particular order, this is just a list of records that came out this past year that I really dug , I also won't bore you with long write ups about them, I'll just make it short and sweet….so here we go


David's Town- 11 Original Hits From Byrdesdale Spa, UK! (Fucked Up)

     As most of you already know David's Town was a RSD (Record Store Day) release from our good friends Fucked Up. But if you bought it originally hoping to groove out to my man Damian's planet smashing vocals you was sadly mistaken. The record was all over the place from DIY to post-punk to power pop…to be perfectly honest I have actually listened to this record more than DCTL….it's just such a good fucking record…and I have to say Damm you Ben Cook for the line "Do you wanna go for a curry with me?"  I start singing that line out of nowhere some days….you knows that's a sign of a good song.

D-Sisive – Run With The Creeps

    When Run…the first track on Run With The Creeps drops you get this strange feeling that Derek Christoff has to do thisthis being create, just listen to the lyrics and the beats as they're spread across the landscape of the record, it's DIY, it's PUNK, it's HIP-HOP, it's POETRY…it's beautiful Man….Thanks for giving us one of the best releases in many years.

Wilco-The Whole Love

  This was a record that I could (and still can) put on and let play…nothing to dangerous or adventurous just a great Pop/Rock record, and that's very hard to find with the stuff we have to wade through these days.

Fucked Up-David Comes To Life

No explanation needed…Thank You Damian, Ben, Jonah, Josh, Sandy and Mike

Bjork- Biophilia

   With Bjork you have to be in a certain groove to enjoy her music, it's not a day at the beach soundtrack, or something you throw on while the in-laws are over for dinner….but when the right time strikes Biophilia is one of her best recordings in a very long time.

The Rucksack Willies-Letter to Anne

Roots music with a shot of bluegrass and a female singer that can take on the best of them and win hands down every time best describes Toronto's The Rucksack Willies debut album Letter to Anne.

Kurt Vile-Smoke Ring for My Halo

     This record is the real deal, no phoney bologna for Kurt, he tells stories like he's talking to a good friend he just ran into on the street. If you like your music folksy with a blues tint then Smoke Ring for My Halo is your bag.

Bon Iver-Bon Iver

     I was going to start by saying that you would have to be deaf not to get the beauty and intimacy of Justin Vernon's voice on Bon Iver's S/T record …but even a deaf person could feel this……get it, put it on, and lose yourself.



           Those are the ones that really stuck with me and some part's of them moved me enough to be added into the Playlist that continuously changes in my head.



What do you have for me 2012?


Joe Cornelisse-SSGS

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Roots: ‘Undun’ (Short Film)

     
       I don't want to get into the habit of just posting videos on the blog , but after watching this today I knew it had to be shown. The Roots are one of those rare bands that don't grow stale with age, they continue to push boundaries ...and I and every other music fan thanks them for that. Here is their short film that accompanies their 13th studio album "undun"....enjoy

Joe Cornelisse-SSGS




Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Mohawk Lodge - Days When You Die Music Video

 

 

I'm really digging these guys right now...so enjoy


Joe Cornelisse-SSGS

Fucked Up's David Comes to Life Album of the Year

         It's been quite the year for Fucked Up, besides touring the world over they have also received every accolade under the sun for their Punk Rock Opera Masterpiece David Comes to Life...now comes the news that in SPIN Magazines Year End Best of Issue David Comes to Life has been named Album of the Year.....I still can't believe that, and to top everything off Damian is on the cover!!

So, Congratulations to Sandy, Damian, Ben, Josh, Jonah and Mike and everyone else tied to the band....what a mind blowing accomplishment


Here's the latest video from David Comes to Life "Turn the Season" directed by Scott Cudmore.

Joe Cornelisse-SSGS

 


Saturday, December 10, 2011

Fucked Up and Sloan play Toronto Benefit shows


    Toronto's The Great Hall plays host to a couple of benefit shows on the 20th and 21st of this month. On the 20th Toronto's own Fucked Up will play all 78 minutes of their critically acclaimed punk rock opera David Comes To Life as a benefit concert for the COUNTERfit's drug user's memorial project and The Barriere Lake Legal Defense Fund. The Sadies, PS I Love You and Quest for Fire are also on the bill that night…Do not miss this killer show.

  Then the following night Fucked Up present (They are NOT playing that night) a second benefit concert featuring Sloan, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Ohbijou and Bonjay. Sloan have announced they are going to be playing the full One Chord to Another record, now that is one show you will not want to miss (I saw Sloan this summer and they are as good if not even better than when they started 20 years ago). 

Tickets are $20 for both evenings and are now on sale at Fucked Up's webstore. Both shows take place at The Great Hall (1087 Queen Street West) and are all ages events with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are also available at Rotate This (801 Queen St. W.) and Soundscapes (572 College St.) in Toronto.    

  At the shows you will be able to pick up a split 7" of Fucked Up and Sloan. Fucked Up cover "Jingle Bells" and Sloan cover the Christmas classic "12 Days of Christmas"…Sloan's version is already available here 

There will also be an After Party...here is the flyer with all of the info:

Below are descriptions of the two charities that will benefit from these two shows:

COUNTERfit's drug user's memorial project was established to acknowledge the high number of drug user deaths due to the drug war. The project will create a permanent outdoor monument to remember and celebrate the lives of drug users who have died in our community. It also aims to strengthen our resolve to end the drug war and the devastating impacts on our friends and family members.

The Barriere Lake Legal Defense Fund was set up to support The Algonquins of Barriere Lake, a small First Nations community in Quebec. They have been forced into a costly legal battle with Canada to protect their land rights. The community has been fighting for years to ensure Canada and Quebec honour their Trilateral Agreement, a landmark resource co-management agreement signed in 1991. The governments are determined to quash the agreement and are now trying to seize sensitive community documents supporting the fight for the Trilateral Agreement. These documents include research on traditional land use & occupancy, wildlife habitat studies, and land claims research.




Joe Cornelisse-SSGS