American by Neutral Gang Colours

As requested, here is yet another song and video by Neutral Gang Colours. This time it is a mashup of a reading of his poem America. Also, the melody is a sample of Tom Waits' "Dirt in the Ground." Enjoy

EDJ

Europe! Europe! World! World! by Neutral Gang Colours

Yesterday I showed you the video for our first track, "Moloch, Whom I Abandon." Today I want to show a second track by our band called "Europe! Europe! World! World!". Like the first one, it is also based on a poem by Allen Ginsberg. If you like it, please let me know.

EDJ

Moloch, Whom I Abandon by Neutral Gang Colours

One of my past times is creating sample based music. My good friend Jeremy Caradonna and I have created the self-proclaimed supergroup Neutral Gang Colours by emailing a song back and forth until we are satisfied with it. Here is one of our songs, which is based on the poem "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg. I hope you like it.

EDJ

Canadian Idol Meets International Terrorism

As much as I hate using a show as lowly as Canadian Idol on my blog, this video is too good to pass up. Here is Canadian terror suspect khuram Sher's audition on Canadian Idol. I love his use of "2k5" to give him more street cred. This guy is going places... trust me.

World Meet Slangblossom

Yesterday I showed you a killer tune from Hellnback, one of Canada's premier MCs. I'd also like to present to you one of Canada's best kept secrets, Slangblossom. Rather than seeking imitation of a more mainstream sound, Slangblossom have evolved into a highly original and honest group. Their sound mixes both the profane and the angelic together to deliver a seriously powerful and satisfying style (Think of Dalek mixed with Company Flow). This track is one of my favorites and really showcases this group's ability to discuss serous issues while also laying down some serious beats. Check it out and pick up a copy of their debut album Convulsions.

EDJ

What is Hellnback?

Some of you may know that I am a student and a teacher. In my life as a student, I study music and its ability to both reflect and direct culture. My research is mainly focused on Hip Hop music and it's impact on Canada's First Nations communities. While this is a topic that is certainly not discussed when most people are talking about of Canada's Hip Hop scene, it is an incredibly dynamic and supportive community. One of my favorite performers is Hellnback from the group Rezofficial. His stuff is great! Killer samples, great flow and some deep lyrics. Check it out!

The Avalanches- Frontier Psychiatrist

My favorite music video of all time has to be the Avalanche's Frontier Psychiatrist. There is no other video like it. For those of you who do not know the Avalanches, they are a group of DJs from Australia who make their music entirely from borrowed sources. Although they only have 1 album (Since I Left You) that was released 10 years ago, their influence is a relevant today as it was then.



EDJ

Arcade Fire Rocking the Suburbs

I think it's rather fitting that my first album review will be for a release that I have been anticipating for quite some time now. I have been a big fan of Montreal's Arcade Fire since their monolithic debut album, Funeral. That album made huge headway om the international scene and shot the band to indie stardom. I believe that Funeral resonated with so many people because of its ability to capture the innocence of spaces like childhood bedrooms and playgrounds. the kind of areas that we can only fantasize about in our jaded adult minds and never return to again. Their second album, Neon Bible, was not received as well as their debut and I suspect this was because people were drawn away by its bleak subject matter rather than the quality of the content.

Yet here were are in 2010 and Arcade Fire are back to form with The Suburbs. In many way, The Suburbs touches upon many of the same topics of funeral, yet there is an intangible difference that is very difficult to isolate. Many of us see the suburbs as an place that exists in the imagination more than the real world. It is a place for people who wish to retire from the gloom of the city and live a safe, clean and "normal" middle-class life. Yet, as we all know, the suburbs are far from that. They are dirty and unsustainable communities that are cut off from the culture and vibrancy of the city. They are for folks who wish to obtain the illusion of country living, without actually living anywhere near the country side.

This fictionalized reality that we have created with aluminum and brink is what fuels Arcade Fire's epic album. In the opening track, aptly name "The Suburbs," Will Butler explains that, "I just can't understand/how I want a daughter while I'm still young/ I want to hold her hand/ show her some beauty/ before this damage is done." This delicate imagery demonstrates the naivety of the suburbs and it's search for security and comfort in a world that promises anything but that. Other songs like "Modern Man," "Empty Room," and "City with no Children" all touch upon similar ideas and depict the shortsighted fantasies that exist in the suburban world.

It would not surprise me if all member of the band spent some time of their lives in the suburbs. Surely to know your subject this well, you must have had to experience it and put in some time there. Yet, even though the album takes a critical stance to the suburbs, there is rarely a sense of condemnation. Instead, the band merely aims to hold a mirror to that world and allow their already apparent contradictions to shine through. I believe that this represents the maturity of the band and their ability to do great service to complex place and people. Instead of marginalizing and putting the suburbs in a box, the album reflects the complexities of this world.

One of the best albums of the year... so far.

EDJ

First Ever Post

I've been planning this blog for quite some time. I want to create a written record of the sounds inside my head. The kind that go CRASH, BAMN, BOOM and keep me up until breakfast. I want to share my ideas about music, art, film and media with the world in the form of an ever evolving piece of literature.
I pray my ideas don't bore you to pieces, and I hope I can enlighten you as to how I see the world around me. As the song goes, "come see the world in my eyes!"

EDJ