Last weekend, Cara and I went to Rowe Farms on Bloor West. They are a network of farms in Guelph, specializing in “responsibly raised” meats. Serendipitously, John Rowe the man himself was hanging out in his shop on a Saturday afternoon talking to customers. This is a smart man. He also just started growing his wheat on his property, and kindly gave us a bag of homemade whole wheat pasta that he extruded himself. So once we had the pasta in hand, we decided on buying some organic ground pork and made some uppity style pasghetti and meatballs. I like my tomato sauce to go for at least a few hours, it makes a world of difference. The pasta was wheaaaty but delicious.
Just last night, we made a sweet dinner for some of Cara’s fam. I’ve been wanting to try Beef Wellington since I had a killer version of it at Grace on New Year’s Eve. We decided to try Whole Foods for the first time in Yorkville to get most of our ingredients, except for the $80 they wanted to charge for their beef tenderloin. I get it – beautifully raised meat should cost a lot, it’s animal flesh. It should be expensive. But we went to another fine foods grocer and got the same for less than 1/2 that. And it just felt weird in there, it just did.
Made the Duxelles with mushrooms, onions, red wine, and fresh thyme. Seasoned and seared the beef on a really hot pan, brushed with mustard, let it rest, egg washed the puff pastry, laid out the Duxelles on the pastry, wrapped it up nice, brushed with more egg wash, topped with rock salt, scored it, and went into a 400 oven for about 30 minutes. A nice medium rare. Finished with roasted garlic mash, steamed green beans, and a pan jus of drippings/red wine/butter. Beauty f’in dinner. Sorry for the shitty photos.
This is blogger heaven. I should have told you sooner. You already know about it. Too slow to show.
Peter Gabriel is making a (hopefully) symbiotic record. It’s called Scratch My Back. It’s a record of covers, hoping the bands he covers return the favour by recording a song of his (see the narcissistic scratching?). He’s gone to Arcade Fire, Magnetic Fields, Elbow, and our friend Bon Iver for inspiration. He’s released a few of the tracks. Here’s his version of your babysitter’s favourite Bon Iver track.
Peter Gabriel – Flume (Bon Iver)
There are few better things than when Peter Gabriel decides to push it. You know what I mean. His push is how teenagers feel feelings. The pre-cry throat lump instantaneously floats with that push. Please refer to choruses 1 and 2. That’s music.
Here’s the tracklist:
01 “Heroes” (David Bowie)
02 “The Boy in the Bubble” (Paul Simon)
03 “Mirrorball” (Elbow)
04 “Flume” (Bon Iver)
05 “Listening Wind” (Talking Heads)
06 “The Power of the Heart” (Lou Reed)
07 “My Body Is a Cage” (Arcade Fire)
08 “The Book of Love” (The Magnetic Fields)
09 “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today” (Randy Newman)
10 “Après moi” (Regina Spektor)
11 “Philadelphia” (Neil Young)
12 “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” (Radiohead)
Kina Grannis is one of the only YouTube cover singers that deserves major (label) attention that I’ve come across. Great voice, cute as heck, smart and sweet, and primo cover selections. Check out her channel for some nice renditions – some top 40, some a little off the beaten path (Iron and Wine, Fleet Foxes, et al). Now she’s in L.A. courted by major labels. Well done. She did Bon Iver before he dominated your babysitter’s playlist, so cool credits are duly awarded. The date stamp proves all.
It’s too bad that cool internet photos always get questioned by the Photoshop factor. Either way, it’s like a T-1000 ice hand! The ice sculpture at Arnold’s wedding! A frozen PowerGlove ! Click that link, then you don’t have to take your multivitamin today. That video has riboflaaaavin.
Frozen Niagara Falls, in 1911. Maybe our parents feel alienated by our climate change paranoia because they had to hear all about global cooling 40 years ago. Jes?
After many hours of research, guilt, uncertainty, pressure, and realizing when two people work full time that we can afford one car, we took the dirty plunge. I work in the sticks, Cara works in the sticks (plus Hamilton one to two days a week). It takes me about 60 minutes one way, Cara about 75 on transit. I now need wheels for field work and getting to some remote locations, Cara wants to feel safe on the busiest highway in the world (better reason).
As for our Mother Earth, the jury is out. It’s not a fully robust argument, but I defend myself with the advantage of always going used:
“Making a Prius consumes 113 million BTUs, according to sustainability engineer Pablo Paster. A single gallon of gas contains about 113,000 Btus, so Toyota’s green wonder guzzles the equivalent of 1,000 gallons before it clocks its first mile. A used car, on the other hand, starts with a significant advantage: The first owner has already paid off its carbon debt”.
Meaning do some full cost accounting on your car (production, distribution, operation, disposal) and realize that used cars can cut down on two (and potentially all) of these things. Production would account for 10-15% of total emissions so we’re already good there. But hey, down the rabbit holes we go.
I’ve heard only two songs of his since I heard of him back in ‘06. ‘05/06 was quite a year. He is a friend of a good old friend. He is from Hamilton, Ontario. He has a very special voice, it’s quite something. A lot of Jeff Buckley, a lot of warm echo, a lot of dark romance, a lot of feels, plenty of heart, a little bit of tortured, a concerted amount of effort, and not enough attention. That was too many quantities. He definitely seems like a cat guy. Most good musicians are cat guys.
And here’s a song I’ve kept of his, this chorus is one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in the past 5 years. If you like Jeff Buckley, you’ll be butter in two seconds. Sorry, the comparison is too there. You’ll understand a few words, but it doesn’t matter in the slightest.
Joel Elliott – I Leave Women
This was supposed to be a post about the Southern Ontario’d Southern Souls. It’s really quite a solid website, albeit direct copies of Paris’ Blogotheque and London’s Black Cab Sessions. Toronto needs one too, all big cities need one. Local music, local landscapes, local culture and feelings of belonging. If we don’t mystify our geography, it won’t feel as special. People love New York because of mystifying its geography in media and through osmosis. Toronto can do something similar, hopefully in our own apathetic self-conscious, overly kind way.
And only 3 weeks late. But I’m excusing it as that I needed a 3 week buffer digestion and reflection time. And you were so fatigued from the decade end listnoise that this new list is like you’ve never seen a list before. And because this list is so important to your life. Yar. To me, 2009 was considerably less impressive than 2008. Mainly because 2009 didn’t produce Fleet Foxes, and Robin Pecknold’s voice is still the male lead in the musical of my brain.
10. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career – one gets transplanted to the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance a little bit, if a lady was singing Earth Angel. Like if Zooey Deschanel was actually good. Vintagey, some beautiful big band grandeur, young voices, and some nice Beach Boys throwbacks. Too bad the album gets a bit tired 4 songs through. Little dynamics and changes in mood, but the mood it has is a nice thing.
Camera Obscura – James
9. Dark Was The Night (Various Artists) – Kind of cheating as it’s a comp, but there’s too many great songs on this record. Organized by members of The National, this charity compilation boasted some true b-side gems. Jose Gonzalez covers one of Nick Drake’s best, Bon Iver offers one of his best songs, and The National utter some words that automatically come out brilliant. B-sides are b-sides for a reason, but it’s nice to know that bands still hide one or two nicely kept nuggets. I feel like Grizzly Bear takes after Radiohead in releasing this b-side single to compilations like Dark Was The Night – keep it simpler and poppier than your normal songs, and softly kill in 3 short minutes. Listen for the insane vocal syncopation and steel drum accompaniment on such a seemingly simple folk song.
Grizzly Bear – Deep Blue Sea
8. Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest – haha. They’re pretty good. Not hipsterbloggerspeak – just a solid grower record, earth shattering arrangements, and about 3 groundbreaking songs. I love when bands know their best song, and that song is the first song. They love Brian Wilson, they love Radiohead, they want to pay tribute to American rock in their own architecture schooled, cowlicked way. Once you hear this song, you’ll wonder if Jason Reitman thought this was the perfect opening song to his new movie, or if it would just be too literal.
Grizzly Bear – Southern Point
7. Passion Pit- Manners -Detractors may say it’s just ecstasied MGMT of 2009. I see it as a slightly refreshing twist on electro rock. Perhaps more importantly, Passion Pit marks the end of irony and its stronghold on people like us. Their name, their aesthetic, what they want to do to you – it’s literal, it’s straight up, it’s honest, and there’s no dry punchline. To me it’s a breath of fresh air. I don’t have to try and act cool anymore, I can sound like a girl, have my chuckles, and try and tug back that lost infantile ignorance. If you haven’t heard their lead single “Sleepyhead”, focus for the first 60 seconds because it’s perfect. After that, meh. Here’s what Passion Pit would consider a ballad, Moth’s Wings.
Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings
6.Bruce Peninsula – A Mountain is a Mouth – Thank you Toronto. More literal lovely. OK so this album wasn’t the most earth shatteringly great record. However, they do have an eternally fun live show, undeniable smokered vocals with mandatory Tom Waits references, and the gift of bringing back good memories of your elementary school choir. I miss choir, and that’s why I love cliche Toronto singer collectives like Bruce Peninsula.
Bruce Peninsula – Steamroller
5. Malajube – Labyrinthes – If you know me, you know I have a soft skull spot for French rock music. It’s femmy, it’s piano minor chords, it’s often good mood music. Malajube beef up on their second major release. They don’t get enough love in the Anglopress. Lead single Porté Disparu is classic smooth French pop, and Christobald`s Wintersleepy meets Bloc Partyinstrumental always catches me off guard with that one extra chord, so I always refill my cup.
Malajube – Christobald
4. In-Flight Safety – We Are An Empire My Dear – So much Canadiana, I know. Don’t worry there will always be more. Since this band’s inception circa 2004, these four gentleman from Halifax have always made me jealous. They’ve always written the music I wish I had written, melted the bands I wish I had melted together. Their initial love of Sigur Ros, and now with their new record, a clear nod to Brooklyn’s The National. Not fair. Lyrically the band remains cheesy and weak, but so am I Lois. So am I.
In-Flight Safety – I Could Love You More
3. Metric – Fantasies – You hate me right now don’t you. Metric is good ok? This year I fully came to terms with my addiction to rock hooks. Thank you Metric. I feel like once Emily et al rid themselves of their record contract, they said to themselves, “Let’s make the hookiest stadium rock record we’ve ever made, on our own, and make some insane money doing it”. The new modus operandi for ex-major label starlings. Some of this record is full blown fluff. Some of it makes Brandon Flowers overdose on Xanax wishing he wrote 4 bars of Help I’m Alive. The record was destined for fist pumping from the first line (snort not song).
Metric – Satellite Mind
2. Ohbijou – Beacons – oh was 2009 the year of the female voice. It also marked the full return of earnest. Ohbijou is earnest. I almost felt sexist for how many male-centred bands and artists I listened to, but 2009 filled my quota and then some. Casey Mecjia’s voice is lullaby pablum. Often delicate, but upon request she can really wail in her own urgent, special way. Ohbijou makes beautiful folk pop music from Toronto. You should really listen to this record.
Ohbijou – Black Ice
1. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Boy this was Phoenix’s year. On every late night show (twice), a Cadillac commercial, continuously overheard from teenage girls sharing both white headphones and frappuccinos right after school. And that’s what it is. This album is summer, it is freedom, it is open arms, it is looking at the sky, it is wind blown hair, it is greasy hair from three skinny dudes from Paris and a brown basher of a drummer. Like if Aziz Ansari and Animal from the muppets had a bebe. Phoenix was my favourite live show of 2009 where I saw the tirelessly hip proletariat of Toronto explode with vulnerable joy. This album is the definition of pop with brains, the goal of every musician of every stripe.
I eat risotto like it’s daily Flintstone vitamins. Not good. I like how you can throw your fridge on any risotto and it still tastes great. Shrimp and basil this time. Ready for more urgly flash?
More brulees. Easiest/finest dessert.
Pork roast stuffed with Stilton and rosemary with a sauce made of roast drippings, white wine, and caramelized onions. GORSH. Thanks be to Callum and Alix.
Fish night with potato cakes, steamed veg, chives.
Monsanto’s corn and those lab rodents – this is pablum, just for us. GMOs may just be needed to feed the growing population, but the ones in charge of the seeds have put their businesses through the shaky grinders of intellectual property law. On the other side is forcing farmers to buy seeds every year, and saying you’re feeding the world but not doing anything significant to actually feed people that need it most. You’re not responsible for feeding everyone for free, you just can’t say you’re feeding the world like you’re humanitarians. So far, you’ve hurt way more people than you’ve helped.
The Whole Foods CEO is the extremeist me – John Mackey is both an Ayn Rand disciple and a frolf enthusiast – that’s just too extreeeeeeeeme. A bit nuts but exotic organic nuts.
Environment
A year without plastic – entitled “Plastic Manners”, a traditional but great idea for a blog (the “project” blog [cough Julie and Julia]). Hope she gets a book out of it. I’ll be reading, I’d like some good alternatives.
Hybrid cars don’t save much (any) oil – Not really as green as you expect when you even just consider “full cost accounting” – sourcing parts from all over the world doesn’t make it that ecogoodnstuff.
A primer in Environmental Assessments (EA) – leave it to Spacing to cover a necessary but possibly dry topic in environmental policy. Luckily they tackle a fascinating case study – the Gardiner Expressway.
How nuclear power works – from our friends at HowStuffWorks, it’s about time we actually knew some details on nuclear power.
Feed-In-Tariff 2.0. – How Ontarians in the know of current energy policy are trying to truly capitalize on a subsidized energy gold rush.
U.S. drinking water widely contaminated – loaded term, and quel surprise – gas stations, industry, chemicals, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, sewage, cosmetics, cigarettes, dead animals, road salt, and whatever else you can think of. And you think bottled water is that much better.
More Waterworlds – nearby stars could be hosting water based planets too. Luckily no webbed-footed Kevin Costners.
Toronto
Toronto’s arts scene coverage gets a boost – some coverage on new/small/emerging galleries, musicians, and artists around the city. And with an attractive, bearded, Urban Outfitted plaid shirted gentleman. Kudos to Late Night in the Bedroom, now sponsored by big blogTO.
Hello lovelies. Sellout post title. And sellout band photo. But hey, who doesn’t want wheaty agri-foliage in a band photo? The faces are nice, and it is what it’s supposed to be. But I really enjoy this song. Beach House has a new record coming out this year, and people are excited about it. I thought Devotion was nice – a bit one note and minimal dynamic but some very nice, redeeming qualities. Slightly trendy, slightly masculine cat-powered vocals, shaker, nice organs, and good old-fashioned prettiness.
I believe this new track “Norway” is their lead single off their new LP, Teen Dream. They are a bit over the top with the analog drift feature of their synth on this track, but it makes it sound that much more dreaaaaaaaamy. If you were dreaming on a slightly nauseating deep sea boat ride.
I get all of my silly photos from Digg, a site populated by marijuana activists and people with a penchant for buggery. This one made me laugh though. If you think this movie was inferior to Wall-E, you go on Rotten Tomatoes too much.
