Pop (#5).

Pop is something Canada does really, really well.  Maybe it seems like I’m reaching for another pop post, but I’m actually not.

During my teenagerdom, my sleeves were tagged with the scrawlings of east coast powerpop bands.  These groups were my version of social salvation in those typical disjointed times.  Where music acts as a good guidance counsellor you actually like.  It was simple music, but it’s this type of music that commonly makes one understand its power and communitizing qualities.  From grades 9-12, I was socially in limbo – not fully down with the super cool A-list basketball players, but also too cool for other “lesser” cliques.  So I ended up where many other social intermediaries settled – Student Council. Later in high school I found people that loved this music as much as I did, even though it was in an ironic way.  So we started a shitty band.  And I belooonged !  I found that place to be exclusive and superior and cool.  It felt right and it still does.

My older brother had a large impact on me in high school period, and an even greater impact on what I listened to.  He was high school A-list, and I still felt like it was important to climb the list ladder. So I listened.

It primarily came down to THE Halifax Pop Explosion of the 90s, the clear flagwavers of the movement being Sloan.  I still think they were truly great.

Sloan – Take The Bench

Sloan didn’t care about how close the Beatles were to their respective chests – it was undeniable, very witty, thought out, fun pop music.  Then the “second tier” of bands followed in the promenade, and it was my chance to really impress people with slightly obscure band names.  I was 17 and I felt like a young Cameron Crowe. Thrush Hermit, Local Rabbits, Super Friendz, Flashing Lights, Eric’s Trip, and The Inbreds.  Really bands like Sloan and Thrush came down to revived Beatles and The Who, where Eric’s Trip and Local Rabbits followed a modern influence of American 90s indie like Pavement and Sonic Youth.  Growing up on the Beatles, I already leaned towards certain sounds, but I was thirsty for it all.  More importantly, after thinking Pearl Jam was the be all throughout my earlier days, I was encouraged that great pop rock music could be more feminine than grunge, and that’s even without the out-of-control Chris Cornell hair.

And now we jump to the 00s.  Luckily, we still have great reasons to celebrate straightforward pop music from the east coast.  They destroy the rest of Canada in this department right now, so I present Exhibits A thru infinity.

Mardeen – Kids

Mardeen – Pretty Smart

I still don’t know why this band isn’t at least a national household name.  Their debut record Read Less Minds is just unabashed fun.  Every song is a winner, I’ve said this many times.  Unassuming, fun energy, and brings back the wit and the subtle swagger of east coast rock.  The pre-chorus starting at (0:56) of “Kids” is exactly what people should want in a pre-chorus – drenched in hook but with the knowledge that something epic may just punt your whole body after the turn.

Two Hours Traffic – Nighthawks

This is what irks me – no disrespect to Two Hours Traffic, but they don’t deserve what they got.  If Mardeen was given their chances, boy oh boy.  This is their only song that I’ve really enjoyed, and even then I really only want to stick around for the first verse and the first chorus.  The first line is perfect, too.

In Flight Safety – I Could Love You More

I’ve had a soft spot for In Flight for many years.  Their first record was one of those records that I wish I wrote.  I was simultaneously jealous and enamoured.  A great mix of Sigur Ros atmospherics with homey lyrics and folk aesthetics.  Singer John Mullane feels like a kindred spirit, and from the handful of times we’ve chatted, I think I’m right.  Compassionate, aware, and good dollops of romanticism.  It’s also a bit crazy that as their influences have changed, mine have changed in the exact same way.  From an obsession with reverb ala Sigur Ros to a slightly embarrassing fondness for cheesy Britpop to a more controlled love of darkish, sentimental, well-revealed rock like The National.  This band does not fit into the aloof and apathetic hipster cool mold, and that’s why I like them.  It always comes back to the cheese, man.  They’ve had blips of popularity, but they still are quietly creating beautiful pop music.

Wintersleep – Migration

Wintersleep brings in grungier, folkier, and darker elements to Halifax pop/rock.  They remain as one of my favourite Canadian bands.

GOOD magazine goodies.

You probably know GOOD magazine.  Maybe it’s a blog, maybe it’s a website, I don’t know.  I don’t do journalism.  Really.  GOOD is the mother of all creations on the internet – the infographic.  A visual and concise way of displaying trends and many different types of information, from global energy use to meat consumption to healthcare spending.  It seems to try and tackle some of the bigthink, TEDesque problems we all face today.  I love this website.

Just today I read a great article on second generation biofuels (the ones that we all actually want that doesn’t take food sources away from people) and was given the link to a nice little diagram on how the smart grid would/should work when implemented.  Obama has given billions to improving the smart grid situation, and to me is arguably the most important initiative they can run with right now.

Oh and this nice video.  Just a quick reminder that insane amounts of water and carbon go into our daily lives.

 

 

“Second generation biofuels”

 

 

Transit ride frustration science.

You’ve been there before – you wait for a bus, streetcar or train, and you wait wait wait.  Then all of a sudden 3 buses/streetcars/trains show up right after the other.  Turns out our paranoia and frustration is getting rectified with Mexican professors and transport modellers.

Read the New Scientist article here.

[image via spacing]

U.N.K.L.E.

I am an unnnncle !!  Maryn Cameron Christie – 7 lbs, 5 oz.  Off to see the new niece today and hopefully cook the fam a beautiful meal.  She was actually an adorable baby.  No bias, I swear.  No oblonged misshapen heads, just pure babycute.  We are fam-i-ly!

350 times.

I went to this on Saturday, and to be a sourpuss I was disappointed.  Non-violent activism is great, but it needs to last longer than an hour for people to take it seriously.  I’m glad Ottawa’s protest was so well attended.

Read this article about the day c/o friend Chris DePaul and the Qatalyst blog. Chris was kind enough to post a link where one person can send a letter to the 5 heads of our political parties c/o the David Suzuki Foundation.  One letter gets sent to 5 people.  Efficient deliveries!  But seriously, now is the time.  Of any time recently, now is the time to actually do something.  Make your voice heard, send letters, it’s not difficult nor time consuming.  Democracy is more than feeling annoyed by voting every few years.  Even a little bit helps.

The fact that our government has been so silent on climate change truly angers me.  People are even walking out on Harper in international climate meetings because they know he’s not serious about anything climate related.  Finally the international community is starting to put pressure on us to act.  Environment Minister Jim Prentice says that “Kyoto needs to be rewritten”.  I love how transparent politicians make themselves in a matter of one sentence.  Jim Prentice is proving to be the worst.

He’s not actually the worst, I’m sure his wife is a smart and talented lady and has well-adjusted children and drinks tap water proudly and believes in evolution and knows the problems with politics and maybe even hopes to try and change things.  (my self-indulgent run-ons).   But he’s acting sans spine and a true yes man to Harper.  The dictatorial tone to the Harper legacy returns?

You’ve probably heard of the protestors interrupting question period in the House of Commons yesterday.  My biased guts really appreciated their sacrifice, but the reasoned part of me knows this is a very disrespectful thing to do in the House.  If people were yelling how we should teach creation in schools, I would be pissed.  I get it, let them do their job.  However,  if you think House MPs are any less disrespectful or infantile, check your head.  People don’t want Copenhagen to be a failure, and the message needs to be loud.

Pop (#4).

Pop is cheesy, and so am I Lois.

Red House Painters – Have You Forgotten

This all started when I was walking downtown and realized something – I look at as many people as I can see.  As a basic human level of interaction, I think we all should all work at that.  I then proceeded to make fun of myself for how much that sounded like a poorly-derived and likely over-delivered Snow Patrol lyric (or something as equally unfortunate).  Cheese and corn are often a key part of pop music.  We all know pop is pop because we all feel alienated by the more difficult concepts we don’t understand.  But that shouldn’t be a reason to downplay its value.  It may not challenge one’s tastes, but it at least still connects people with something outside themselves.

Lyrics that are direct, barely veiled, with those feelings we’ve all felt.  The universality at the exact same time as the inherent intimacy.  The classic epic contrast.  That’s where the power comes from.  It’s where music carries the fire.

The  brooding voice, that heartfeltiveness, perhaps some warm nostalgia, and some self-indulgent creative confessions.  Welcome to pop music, self-indulgence.  The water is balmy.  In a way, self-indulgence and cheese go hand in hand – a drum solo, an Usher song with exaggerated swagger, a disingenuous declaration of love, and every song Motley Crue ever wrote.  Annoys some people at certain times, but comforts many.

Mark Kozelek and his offshoot groups (Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters, solo) have been winning hearts and minds for a long time.  This song was my first introduction to the man.  Hope you enjoy, and explore more of him if you like his voice/vibe.  Lots of goodies.

Our weekly news.

China’s water issues – After decades of dirty development, the Chinese government is aggressively pursuing more stringent environmental regulation, with a particular focus on water distribution and wastewater treatment. [NYT]

Urine-powered cars – Auto fuel that is easier to electrolyze and process than hydrogen fuel cells (although hydrogen as a fuel source won’t happen for a very long time if at all). However, authors warn that we’ll likely need our urine for other things, especially fertilizer.  Lots of phosphorus in urine, and it turns out we not only have peak oil, but peak phosphorus. [The New Republic]

All of our batteries – Exploring the primary source of the world’s lithium in Bolivia’s famous salt flats.  As you know, lithium is the main component in our iPods/BlackBerry batteries, etc. [Foreign Policy]

Toronto’s water.

[via CBC]

Bacteria resistant to some antibiotics have been found in Toronto tap water, a University of Michigan scientist says.  The water remains safe to drink, he said, but the finding raises the possibility that disease-causing bacteria will pick up the resistance genes.

OK, first things first – I definitely have my own biases/beliefs on water quality.  This topic has been a focus of mine the past few years with the schooling and the learning and the things of that nature.  So we have some almost-completely-harmless bacteria in our water.  Is anyone surprised?

Obvious statements – bacteria are a part of our lives, every second.  All but a few strains of E. coli are completely safe, many of which you need in your intestine to break down food.  Drinking bottled water will get more and more expensive as international water supplies decrease and the price of oil increases.   Bottled water is not an alternative, it’s a luxury.  The viability of shipping water hundreds of kilometres on a truck will soon be priced as absurdly as it sounds.  Bottled water is already 3-4 times the price of gas now, it will only increase over time.  Now don’t get me wrong, tap water in Toronto can taste like a pool bottom.  It’s heavily chlorinated, but it’s nothing that a fresh Brita and a few hours can’t change.

Torontonians have their Lake Ontario, Waterlooians have their groundwater.  The quality of between surface and groundwater can be different, but forget the source of your water for now, as contamination is just as likely between the plant and your tap through the distribution system.  Most often, we’re using ancient water pipes and old treatment plants that often use chlorine as their primary treatment method.  The reason for all of this is simply money.  Repairing this infrastructure and investing in new treatment technology costs hundreds of millions.   These repairs are happening right now and will continue to happen, and less people will complain about the taste of chlorine because new treatments will reduce or eliminate the need for it.  Reverse osmosis, ozonation, and UV are just some of the new passive methods of water disinfection that won’t impact taste/odour.

The big message here is this – if we want popluations of people to thrive in a society in this day and age, the water in your tap will be polluted, period.   So is your bottled water, you know that.  Actions have consequences, remember?  Runoff from agriculture, discharges from industry, salt on our roads that enter the stormwater system, and leaky tanks and pipes.  Currently the Ontario government is implementing “source to tap” water protection policy – a massive, preventative policy to improve water quantity and quality for Ontario communities.  In the future, the inputs from typical polluters will likely be smaller and we will have the technology and infrastructure to distribute plentiful, clean water for the masses.  Get pumped.

Pop (#3).

Pop is not just about catchy melodies.  It’s also about catchy rhythms.

Holy Fuck – Lovely Allen

It’s a car commercial, and it’s great.  I like this song because they are amazing arrangers with great rhythms (ie. bass and drums).  This song barely focuses on any significant melody, just a nice bassline, great sounds, and dynamic.  Not to mention, without an amazing melody the sounds have to be great. And they are.  Great contextuality, smart, poppy, joyous, slightly sloppy and unkempt, and I don’t miss a voice.  It’s also rare in a pop song where the bass takes the majority of the melody in the beginning.  Admittedly I think they took a page from Broken Social Scene’s first record but more music like that in the world makes the children chant and drink Coca Cola.

An interesting trend I’m noticing in popular music is how big rhythms are completely dominating big melodies in popular esteem.  It’s why Timbaland is a cagillionaire, why dance punk is so popular, why electronic music in North America is growing quickly.  Kick on one, snare on 2, kick on 3, snare on 4.  Harder than it sounds, but I feel the world of melody is being really under-appreciated these days.

Let’s face it, it’s not cool to be a guy who loves melody right now.  To overly generalize, I feel like rhythm is more of a masculine quality while melody is  more  of a feminine quality.  It’s why whiny, overdriven, melodic rock is popular with girls and skinny jeans boys, and why hip hop is more popular with men.  Lyrical content is obviously a factor, but it’s just a veil – big and simple beats for big and simple men.

NBC’s Community is solid.

That’s a pretty good biblioteca.  Been watching it off and on, and it’s actually remaining solid and funny.  NBC Thursday night !  Rocking it more than ever.  This show, Parks and Rec (good not great so far), The Office (staying good), and 30 Rock (overrated but still good).  Thanks, TV!

Ontario’s budget.

[via Toronto Star]

Every Ontario man, woman and child owes an additional $1,891 thanks to a record provincial deficit of $24.7 billion, greater even than the impact of Ottawa’s massive shortfall on each Canadian.

I will thank these Liberals for getting the Green Energy Act out of the gates.  Money for public transit is also something I appreciated.  But this is atrocious.  These guys are done, it’s the Conservatives to lose now in the next election.  The depressing thing is that both Ontario and Canada will be represented by people I really don’t want representing me.  But that’s just my tough nuggies isn’t it. Democracy!

Pop (#2).

Pop is meek and weird.

Chad VanGaalen – Willow Tree

I love this song, I love this man.  Music is great because I can tell what kind of person he is by this song, especially because it’s the first song off his new record (Soft Airplane).  We all know the first song is often the mission statement.  The first paragraph of the essay. Shrill but shy, dark, smart, wimpy and beautiful.

The beauty of Chad VanGaalen lies in his contrasts – super poppy vocal over crispy banjo, over morbid lyrics about beaten pets, over battery powered fuzzy synth and African thumb piano.  All true.  The mid-chorus breakdown (1:27)  in this song is pure pop joy.  Sunny trumpet, clumsy clarinet, 1-2-3-4 singalongs, and that skippy hand waving feeling.

Update: I just realized I had posted this song already, so I present another one of my faves.

Chad VanGaalen – City of Electric Light

Goodbye Gourmet.

Didn’t even know this until today, but Gourmet magazine folded earlier this month.   It’s my favourite food magazine, and known to be the industry standard for the past half-century.  One more in the fire.  I’m sad – a magazine and culinary institution is done.  Hopefully their recipe site epicurious.com and some TV spots with editor Ruth Reichl will be enough.  Booooo.

This is pop.

Building on the post below,  This pop talk is a selfish opportunity for me to showcase a song that is great and pop-like.

I like it when pop is loud-ish.

… And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – Let it Dive

It’s been about 2 years since I’ve heard this song.  This song is one of those songs.  Zing those songs dot com, Chris DePaul and 1 other reader of said website.

First, a great rock anthem has to religiously exercise the inner air drummer demons out of me.   Not always that difficult, but this song makes me feel like the conductor of a Dave Grohl rock opera, and that is simply a beautiful thing.  Second, big and great guitar tone.  That’s some amazing overdrive.  Third, guilty pleasure drum sounds – big, Bonham/Grohl school styles, warm.  Fourth, nothing like big 5ths and octaves to get your blood moving in the morning. You get to get on your stadium anthem shoes, and you get to celebrate a breakup with joy.  Fifth, the end is still well done, and it’s fun.  One of my favourite things to do when listening this song is keeping the quarter note beat when the band drops out at 1:07 through the track.  When it comes back in, you feel like King Midas when everything comes back in on 1.

n.b. needed an edit (!!).

A meek rebuttal.

Friend Alix McLean (the closest to a mid-20s musicologist that I know) had some issue with my patronage to American band Wilco.  In one of her recent posts, she defines what pop music is to her – a pretty Smiths tune, one of the best Beach Boys songs ever, and the song Annie Lennox continues to monopolize on adult contemporary radio for 20 years.  No worries Alix, you can use my WordPress theme if you want.

First let me say that I am a Wilco appreciator, not an Ashes of American Flags-waver.  Tweedy has a voice like an old friendly creepy neighbour, the musicianship of the band itself often verges on virtuosic,  the songs are often fun, often provocative, but sometimes aimless (Ghost is Born jam songs), sometimes bland (a lot of their early stuff for me). I also don’t remember having the conservation with Alix about “pop” per se, just Wilco.  But I’ll bite.

I first present War on War on Letterman. This song is more pop to me than almost all of your posted offerings.

First of all, if we’re arguing for their pop-quotient, this is too easy.  A major, E major, and D major all over this song in a straight up 4/4 style.  Nothing could be more American guitar pop. Melodically and lyrically, it’s quite straightforward.  In a nutshell :

“It’s a war on war / you’re gonna lose / you have to lose / You have to learn how to die / if you wanna wanna be alive”

“Just watching the miles flying by / you are not my typewriter / but you could be my demon moving forward through the flaming doors”

Melodies are pleasant, happy, slightly plain.  Lyrics are a bit better than average, especially 2nd verse.  Arrangement is great – super poppy with some nice flair.  Love the keys part, a lot.  Wilco also has one of the best drummers in North America playing for them.  The legend of Glenn Kotche is well known, mere mortals like us would barely understand.  Polyrhythms, phasing rhythms, all the crazy shyte.  But he can also perfectly pound drumskins for an American pop song.

Okey, another example:

First, this is a pop song.  Personal, informal, four chords, repetition.  The other thing I appreciate about Wilco in general is their sense of humour.  It’s obvious on their new record (Wilco “The Album”), but Heavy Metal Drummer brings in some innocence to what would normally be considered a serious record (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot). As a rock mythologist, Alix my dear !  You would appreciate the humour and simplicity in this song.  To me this song pays tribute to their fondness of country elements.  Listen to the whole song please, especially those words.

” I miss the innocence I’ve known / Playing KISS covers beautiful and stoned “. Funny.  Anyone that loves rock music identifies with some of the cliches in this song.  Twirling drum sticks, bleached blond hair, women falling in love with drummers.

Ok one more.

This is pop.  Mid-tempo, classic rockish, alt-countryish.  Impossible Germany, unlikely Japan…  that just sounds good.  One of my favourite Wilco lyrics of all time is in this tune – ” This is what love is for / To be out of place / Gorgeous and alone / Face to face”

Just because Wilco succeeds at mid-tempo doesn’t mean they’re bland.  Anyone else with me ?  I know of at least a few.  Have at it, Hoss.