Man this is awesome. Remember that 90’s hip hop group Black Sheep? Well frontman Dres has remade ‘The Choice Is Yours’ rewriting lyrics to create an innovative pro-Obama voter initiative video.
I suggest he remakes ‘Without A Doubt’ after Obama takes it next week.
(Toronto) I really hate ska (ska punk) . When I hear the word ska, I immediately think of over weight, middle aged, tattooed guys in black suits and funny hats playing their trumpets, which happen to be connected to their wallet via a long chain. Now I didn’t know much about The Rumble Strips going into tonights show at the El Mo except that I really liked their song Girls And Boys In Love. In what little I read about the band before the show, the infamous ska word was mentioned more than once. As I paid my $13 at the door I was dreading having to sit through some shitty Mighty Mighty Bosstone want-to-be performance. When five skinny, pale dudes from Coronation Street took the stage, I knew that I was going to be OK. And I was.
For the 25 of us in attendance, The Rumble Strips gave it their all. Those who came out were defiantly fans and the subtle, appreciative crowd sang along to their rocking, marching anthems. Tracks like Motorcycle and Alarm Clock kicked the shit out of the freezing cold El Mo.
At one point, bass player Sam Mansbridge busted out his own drum and when his drum stick broke he picked some random hard thing he found on stage and bounced it off the drum. When that thing got lost, he preceeded to beat the shit out of the drum with his hand for the remainder of the song. It looked like it hurt, but it rocked.
The Rumble Strips reminded me of the Canadian trumpet rocking super group, TheWet Secrets. Even a Zutons comparison might be in order. Whatever it is, the Rumble Strips are fun and worth catching. And they definitely aren’t ska.
4/5
Toronto - It has been a strong year for the Aussies - Cut Copy destroyed the Earth with their album In Ghost Colours, The Presets made some waves, Heath Ledger (RIP) kicked ass in The Dark Knight and now you even have a movie called Australia coming out soon. All in all, not a bad year for the land down under. Enter Empire of the Sun, or as I’d like to call them - Aussie MGMT. Just look at that album cover - if Ziggy Stardust made love to Siegfried and Roy, that album cover would be the child that comes out of one of their orifices. The lead singer - Luke Steel (formerly of Sleepy Jackson) even sounds like the dude from MGMT. However, sonically, the bands are quite different. Whereas MGMT focused more on the rock aspect of the 70s, I think Empire of the Sun fuses the retro 70s sound with catchy pop hooks. Empire of the Sun has retained that excellent Australian light dance pop foundation that bands like Cut Copy have used to perfection. Maybe I should call it the Modular sound.
I have listened to the album once and it’s pretty decent, maybe I will write a review later, but here is the single - Walking On A Dream. The song title sounds like something American Idol winner would sing, but that don’t let that dissuade you.
You can’t have a post about Australia without a picture of a Koala bear:
Nicole Kidman:
and Crocodile Dundee:
CrikeE!
Thats not a knife!
Oasis performed Champagne Supernova with a 50-piece choir last night as they wrapped up the 2008 BBC Electric Proms in London. Bigger than fookin’ life.
Toronto - The fifth installment of Suedeview features a song off the hit record Coming Up, the post Bernard Butler third album that featured a more poppy/accessible sound that yielded 5 top 10 singles. By the Sea was not one of the singles, but it still holds up as a solid song off the album. It’s an elegant piano piece, I guess.
She can walk out anytime anytime she wants to walk out that’s fine
She can walk out anytime anytime she feels that life has passed her by
And when I start my new life I won’t touch the ground
I’m gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground.
He can walk out anytime anytime he wants to walk out that’s fine
He can walk out anytime across the sand into the sea into the brine
And when I start my new life I won’t touch the ground,
I’m gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground.
So we sold the car and quit the job
and shook some hands and wiped the make-up right off,
And we said our good-byes to the bank
left Seven Sisters for a room in a seaside shack,
And when I start my new life I won’t touch the ground,
I’m gonna try hard this time not to touch the grounds
…it’s by the sea we’ll breed
…into the sea we’ll bleed…
