I’ve cared about No Age since the beginning. Few bands sum up punk rock so perfectly for me. No Age manage to capture many different aspects of old and modern music, taking elements of ambient noise, looping and sampling and adding frantic punk riffing, yelling vocals and painstakingly catchy melody.  Despite their recent commercial success thanks to high rated Pitchfork reviews, a Coachella performance, and hilarious Narduwar interviews they are still mostly unknown to the public. I was shocked yesterday to find the hoops one had to jump through to obtain the newest No Age single “In Peril”. I had to take a picture of a picture. Crop it with Microsoft Paint, email said picture to some strange email address, await a reply and follow the link to the Mp3, and finally listen to the song, which was only 37 seconds long. I’m not going to talk about how this made me feel, lets just say I really did enjoy this song. If you’re unfamiliar with No Age, I am now going to introduce them to you:

Get Hurt EP:

This was the first No Age album I purchased, and was the album that turned me on to the band. The first song I heard, which may still be my favourite No Age song “Everybody’s Down”. It’s quite the headbanger once it gets going (haha) and the line “not afraid of laughter” always gives me goose bumps. The intentional lo-fi guitar, which is now so prevalent, was one of the first times I’d ever heard anything like that.

No Age – Everybodys Down

Weirdo Rippers:

Again No Age delivers with a huge album of distortion washed guitars, ambient noise and catchy punk tunes. You find yourself wading through seas of noise waiting for them to pick it up to something more, not exactly wanting more, but hoping for a beat, and when you get that beat, everything feels alright. Check out this gem from the album Weirdo Rippers:

No Age – Neck Escaper

Nouns:

This to me is No Age’s best release. Everything was figured out, and I couldn’t have been happier with it. I feel like a bastard but I downloaded it weeks before it was released, however I did by the CD the day it came out and had it signed at Coachella by the members of No Age. Every song provides the listener with the perfect dose of noise, riffing and beats. I’ll give you two tracks from this masterpiece, I cant choose just one.

No Age – Brain Burner

No Age – Cappo

Losing Feeling EP:

This album came out only a few months ago, and I am notorious for tossing albums on the back burner if they don’t catch me right away. I was hoping for more Nouns or Weirdo Rippers and this album isn’t exactly what I was looking for. It sounds like No Age left the whiskey at home and picked up a few hallucinogens on their way to the studio. As most No Age albums are a cross between ambient soundscapes and punk rock bangers, this album provides almost solely noise songs, only delivering on the classic No Age sound with the song “You’r A Target”. As I mentioned before, I haven’t given this album too much of a listen over, but here is a song I dig thats no the aforementioned single.

No Age – Aim At The Air

and now finally the newest No Age song, I went through all the hoops so you don’t have to! Enjoy, and hopefully I’ve made a fan out of you.

No Age – In Peril

-lionsteeth

When I was a little kid I would love to go grocery shopping with my mom. I would always check out Save-On’s little book section and would stare in awe at the amazing cover art of the Conan books.

It wasn’t until years later, long after I had forgotten about those wicked Conan books, that I found out who was responsible for those beautiful covers… Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell.

I don’t have any background info on these two artists… but that’s what wiki is for right?

Here are just a few samples from my new fave art genre… fantasy art.

Happy Monday…

-Japan11

The year was 1998, and I was but a mere 10 year old lad playing cards with my brother in the cabin of our boat. We were tied to the Newcastle Island docks just off the coast of Nanaimo and it was a standard west coast night – kind of wet, a little windy, and sort of cold. Any warmth that the small electric heater had generated was instantly dissipated as my father and his friend entered the cabin.

They were speaking about a man named Bob (I use the name as a generic placeholder, having forgotten the original, although I think it might have actually been Bob). Neither of them had really known the man, just heard his name mentioned and occasionally saw him around the docks, as he used the same marina as us. From the little information I have been able to gather about him, I can say that he was pretty much your average middle aged man, and you know what is common for middle aged men? Heart attacks. Just a couple days prior, Bob had been working on his boat alone in the evening when he was struck down by a heart attack. Now, heart attacks aren’t usually instantly fatal, however if you are like poor Bob and you fall into the ocean while having a heart attack you are completely ruined. If the story of Bob ended there it would be kind of sad and unremarkable to the point of not worth sharing. It doesn’t end there however, in fact it only serves to set up the real story.

The next morning the body was found washed upon the shore of Newcastle Island, the very same island that we were now docked at. Even though the remains of Bob were quickly retrieved before the crack of dawn, they were too late to get him before the wildlife could give him a hard time. As the coastguard zodiac pulled into Midden Bay they found the corpse near the shore surrounded by albino raccoons. In the glare of the spotlight the raccoons eye’s flashed red before they ran off into the woods. As Bob was placed into the boat to be brought back into the city, they noticed that a lot of him was missing. The albino raccoons of Newcastle Island had eaten much of the man, and even scarier, had gotten themselves a taste for human.

-Wolverox

I’m not one to claim friendships with bands I know who’ve “made it”. Most bands you know haven’t really “made it” anyways, and just because their song was featured in some indie art house film or a Walmart ad doesn’t make them a commercial success. Nor has Women “made it”, however I do know them, distantly, from a time long ago. From interviews I’ve read, Women seem to be hiding from their dark past, a past I felt I was part of. A despondent past, of when they changed not only my personal view on music, put also an entire musical community. These young men played in a band who’s name I will omit as they do seem to try and stay away from anything relating to it. This band took our small island towns scene by the hand, led to to a cliff and tossed it into a churning and boiling sea below. Everyone wanted to like them more, a short 4 song EP and a few studio demos, all we could gather. A handful of shows and brief contact with the members via email.  And then they vanished. Keeping up with the members new projects was never too hard and I collected their albums as if they where still the band I new and loved, never the same line up, never the same sound but some elements where always there.

And then, years later I became aware of Women. I couldn’t believe my eyes, the original line up of a band that I just wanted to replicate in everything I did musically. And then I heard the track Black Rice and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, they had as I had grown up. Abandoning the heavy aggressive sounds of the early 2000′s as we all did and striking a claim in a sound more current, yet unique and classic. I’ve heard many references to The Beach Boys, and yes it’s in there. However if your looking for summer beach jams, this isn’t for you. Some songs do provide great melody and up tempo guitar work, however the main point lies in the experimentalism of their work. Songs consisting of 5 minutes of unabridged static, off kilter and dissonant guitar battling by Pat and Chris and rhythms that literally give you goosebumps. These musicians are trained beyond anything I could ever hope to accomplish and when they set their minds to making a dark indie-pop album, they succeeded in ten fold.

Women – Group Transport Hall

Women – Shaking Hands

Women – Upstairs

-lionsteeth

These are Cheddar Dippers…

This is my story:

One night not too long ago my good friend, Eric the Red, and I came down with a truly savage case of the munchies. My main man, being the amazing provider that he is, reached into his ice-chest and pulled out these Cheddar Dippers – our salvation – or so I thought… Quite honestly these babies disappointed me – they were not crispy or crunchy, both the cheese and breading were bland and the provided ranch sauce was extra gnarley and watery. These snacks were not good but I ate them anyways because that’s who I am.

After I got over the taste I found myself enamored by the super “cheesy” design and photoshop job…

Here a few of my observations:
-The cheese which is supposed to be bubbling out of the sticks looks so fake… as does the parsley
-Love the “Party On!”
-Was hooked at first by “Roadhouse Quality”
-Was looking forward to and disappointed by the “Crispy Great Taste”

Aftermath:

My bubble has burst as my worst fears have been confirmed, there is such thing as bad fried cheese.

Rating of Product:

1.5 Bon’s off of Broadway’s out of 5 … (.5 marks for genius design.)

Windom Earle – Kitten vs. Pegasus

-japan11

You said it strangely attractive-could be my mom – sequin studded babes!

It’s shit weather out there, but I’m feeling it, feeling better than most. Here are some songs, hand picked by our staff, to help you get over the rain.

Lionsteeth:

Japanther – Challenge

Iceonthetrail:

Destroyer – Your Blood

Slobby:

Black Mountain – No Satisfaction

Artandstars:

Math The Band – Why Didn\’t You Get A Hair Cut

BYEZZZ!!!!

The Music of Bright Black Morning Light could only be described as _Smoke__, and _Swimming.

While listening to the album Motion to Rejoin, my body was lifted into a placid tango. You could

Compare my experience to the wandering of the South American Spectacled Bear. The music is just so _spacey_ and joyful. Bright Black Morning Light comes from the town of __Orange__ _Eagle, where they made a great impact in the __psychedelic _ scene, playing soley to the __sleepy hipsters__ of the city.

Brightback Morning Light is best enjoyed with ____hollywood sized lines____ while ____jogging____ on your favourite ____treadmill____.
____Hologram Buffalo____ is my favourite, when its ____gleaming____ tones ____slip___ over me I can’t help but ____speak in tongues____.  Their sound is simlar to ____boxing____ with ____Hunter S. Thompson___ on ____Mars___while a group of ____Wild Boars____ ____stampedes.____.

Bright Black Morning Light – Fry Bread

Bright Black Morning Light – Friend Of Time

lionsteeth+iceonthetrail

It seems that Vancouver Island has become a breeding ground for great bands lately. A prime example is Colourbook. For the past few months their self-titled album has been in heavy rotation at my house, in my headphones, at my work, and just about anywhere else I could possibly listen to music. I simply cannot say enough good things about this band. Their songs are just so fucking great. Each one a ride that takes you up and then brings you slowly back down again while managing to leave you high. They accomplish so much: great use of many instruments, fantastic tempo changes, beautiful vocal harmonies, and the list could go on and on. There is great depth to the music, so much so that you could listen to the songs over and over again for a long time (like the amount of time it takes to have a shower, cook dinner, eat dinner, and then write a blog post on colourbook) and still want to listen once more.

In case you haven’t noticed, I really like Colourbook.

You will too.

Krakatoa – Colourbook

The Wimbledon Riot – Colourbook

There have been some rainy grey days in Vancouver this fall, but it seems like the weather is going to be nice to us for a while.  Lets celebrate with some SCIENCE!

Check out this awesome video from 1952 called A is for Atom, explaining the basics of what an atom is and how atoms release energy. This is an artifact from the effort of the United States to promote the peaceful uses of atomic energy after the bombing of Hiroshima.

-iceonthetrail

An Introduction To Podcasting:

I first came upon podcasting in March of 2006, during a brief stint of driving my dad’s fully loaded Ford F-250 with built in Sirius Satellite Radio. I was growing tired of flipping through channels playing nothing I particularly liked or disliked. Mediocrity dominated the “college rock” station, Eminem controlled the “hip-hop” station, and more often than not I was stuck listening to either news or stand up comedy, which could only sustain my attention span for so long. Then one day while fumbling through the hundreds of stations on this little cellphone sized radio controller, I found channel 96, CBC Radio 3. I think they where playing something off Arcade Fire’s Funeral album… I was shocked to say the least. I became an avid follower of Radio 3, participating in contests, phone in trivia sessions and actually got my chance to be broadcasted live on the R3-30 podcast Episode 36.  However after awhile I began to get bored of purely Can-Content and began to search for new podcasts to fill the void. Since then I’ve become a huge fan of many different podcasts ranging from Science and Technology based radio shows to readings of short stories published in the New Yorker.

CBC radio rarely disappoints me; Today I want to tell everyone about “Wiretap With Jonathan Goldstein”. I listen to Radio 1 while I drive my work van, Radio 3 every day live at work, and now I’ve discovered the genius that is Jonathan Goldstein. As I had devoured every podcast I could get my hands on from “How Stuff Works”, “Stuff You Missed In History Class”, “The Moth”, and many others I began searching for new content. I found Wiretap on the Itunes home page and was instantly intrigued. “If so many people like this, it cant be that awful!” I thought to myself, reading the rave reviews in the comments section. Unfortunately, the first episode I listened to was called “Irwin” and was a short clip of 9 minutes that was never broadcasted live on air, but pod casted as a fill in for an episode that could not be legally downloaded. Oh, and I was also trying to go to sleep and didn’t even last the full 9 minutes. I then proceeded to forget about Wiretap and moved back on to the new content from my other favourite podcasts. On a whim the other day I dived back into Wiretap and was shocked at how incredible it was. Jon Goldstein provides a kind of middle-class philosophy in each episode, playing on a theme but not often addressing it directly (death, dreams, fitness ect.). The podcasts are quick (usually under 30 minutes), witty, and light-hearted, although skimming on the edge of something much deeper. Much of the podcast is taken from haphazard telephone skits of Jonathan speaking to friends and family over the phone as they dish out bargain-rack advice and hilarious often dimwitted concepts for Jonathan’s own radio show. Below is an excerpt from David Eagleman’s book “Sum: Forty Tales From The Afterlives” as heard in the introduction to Wiretap Season 6 Episode 2. This short story really sets the mood for the more thought provoking side of Goldsteins show.

“In the after life you are treated to a generous opportunity, you can  choose what ever you would like to be in the next life. Would you like to be the member of the opposite sex, born into royalty, a philosopher with bottomless profundity, a solider facing triumph in battles. But perhaps you’ve just returned here from a hard life. Perhaps you where tortured by the enormities of the decisions and responsibilities that surrounded you. Now there is only one thing you yearn for: simplicity. So for the next round you choose to be, a horse. You covet the bliss of that simple life, afternoons of grazing in grassy fields, the handsome angels of your skeleton, and the prominence of your muscles, the peace of the slow flicking tail, or  the steaming riffling through your nostrils as you lope across snow blanketed plains. You announce your decision, incantations are muttered, a wand is waved and your body begins to metamorphose into a horse. Your muscles start to bugle, a matte of strong hair erupts  to cover you, like a comfortable blanket in winter. The thickening and lengthening of your neck immediately feels normal as it comes about. Your fingers blend hoof-ward, your knees stiffen, your hips strengthen, and meanwhile your skull lengthens into its new shape, your brain races in its changes and your dream of what it is like to be a horse gallops towards you from the distance. Your concern about human affairs begins to slip away. Your cynicism about human behavior melts, and even your human way of thinking begins to drift away from you. Suddenly for just a moment you are aware of the problem you over looked. The more you become a horse, the more you forget the original wish. You forget what it is like to be a human, wondering what it was like to be a horse. This moment of lucidity does not last long, but it serves as the punishment for your sins, a Promethean, entrails pecking moment, crouching half horse, half man, with the knowledge that you can not appreciate the destination, without the knowing the starting point. You can not revel in the simplicity if you can not remember the alternatives. That’s not the worst of your revelation. As you realize that the next time you return here with your thick horse brain, you wont have the capacity to ask to be a human again. You wont understand what a human is. Your choice to slide down the intelligence ladder is irreversible. And just before you lose your final human faculties, you painfully ponder, what magnificent extraterrestrial creature, enthralled with the idea of finding a simpler life, chose in the last round, to become a human.” – David Eagleman from Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives.

I highly recommend checking out this podcast, downloadable at the Itunes Podcast store for free, or here at the CBC radio website. You can also listen live on Saturdays at 1:30pm and 11:30 PM on Thursdays on CBC Radio 1.

-lionsteeth