Shanies: Most original project

Continuing my holiday tour of the west, I'm in Lethbridge today. I don't have a huge amount of time as we're about to sit down for dinner, but fortunately this shouldn't take long.

While Trent Reznor has been a bit of a self-righteous prick the past few years, he does still manage to make some great music. Team him up with an industrial genius like Atticus Ross, and you can get some pretty cool results. As such, my Shanie for the most original project went to the duo of Ross and Reznor in their completion of the Social Network Soundtrack.

While I haven't even seen the movie yet, I already feel like I know so much of the story and feel of the movie simply from listening to this soundtrack over and over again.  Very seldom is a musician able to perfectly create a descriptive atmosphere through music, but the soundtrack doesn't just provide a nice background, it defines a beautiful cross between digital confusion and angelic nerd-dom

There were a lot of cool things done in the musical world this year,this just happened to speak to me.

-I could use another mile in your shoes

Shanies: Song of the Year

Always a difficult decision, since there is just so much music to choose from, the song of the year award must take into account a lot of different factors.  For me, the song of the year should combine elements of well written tunes, creative lyrics, catchy hooks and something which sets the song apart.

Good hip hop is like good wine.  Anyone can take a sip and enjoy themselves, but I think it takes time for one to truly be able to appreciate some of the nuances of the genre.  While I am by no means calling myself a connoisseur, I think I have been slugging back on the hip hop sauce for long enough to tell the good stuff from the baby duck.  That it mind, it took all of my musical pallette this year to appreciate the depth, and full bodied tannin flavour (ok, I'm done with the wine analogy now) of Shad's Rose Garden.

Beyond the obvious catchy beat which evokes an old school Motown feel, Rose Garden layers on thick an intricate punch beat which if you listen closely, seems like to much percussion, but when you sit back and listen to the whole song, blends perfectly.  Approaching the end of the song, loops of layered vocals play over top of each other forming a nice little wind down to a great song.

But of course, the strength of this song, as with any Shad song is in the lyrics.  Beyond the central theme of trying to bring people down to earth, Shad manages to incorporate some of the strangest, yet most impressive lines into his raps: "Glen Beck better duck like foie gras."

Just listen to the lady in the dress...


-Strength in numbers made you feel divided in a crowd

Merry Shananigans!

 

Merry Christmas to all!  No Shanie award today, however to console you, my band has provided you with 3 free tracks to download and listen to on Xmas.  Click the link above and enjoy!

And to all a good night.

Shanies: Video of the Year

Much to do in preparation for Santa's arrival tomorrow, so I'll keep this brief. It simply wouldn't be the Shanies if somewhere in all this madness, Hollerado didn't make an appearance.  Considering nearly 4 years of fan-boy-ism, I'm almost contractually obligated to fit them into my annual review at least somewhere.

This year, while the boys did their usual workhorse load of touring and also put on some fantastic live shows, the thing which best captured my heart was their second video for the song Americanarama.  While I loved the original video in all of its Dave Foley-creeping-around-a-bunch-of-scantily-clad-individuals-ism, the new video was a fantastic, original, and fun idea.  More and more bands are taking on incredibly ambitious music video projects in an attempt to be the next viral internet video and while Hollerado may not be as big as Star Wars Kid or Dramatic Chipmunk, they're video has well over 700,000 views.

Enjoy!



-Tell me what I want to hear but not what I need to know

Shanies: Concert of the Year

2010 was an incredible year for live music in my life.  Given that I had just moved to Toronto - a city which gets more live acts than anywhere else in Canada and has an incredible indie scene - and was really not working that hard, I spent a lot of time in various venues.  I saw Ian Blurton destroy The Dakota with Huron and lay down layers of riffs which had me lost in a daze.  I was licked by the frontman from Trigger Effect while screaming along lyrics at the Bovine.  I saw tiny dots which resembled Them Crooked Vultures at the ACC.  I witnessed act after act own the stage at Hideout during NXNE.  I really did see it all this year (except for White Cowbell Oklahoma... stupid scheduling issues).

Yet, my award for concert of the year came from a Dark Horse.  One fine evening, I ventured on down to the Horseshoe tavern to watch one of my favorite TO bands: The Speaking Tongues.  Don't get me wrong, these guys are amazing and put on a standing-O worthy set.  However, the were the opening act for a show which was the most unique, entertaining, and awe-inspiring thing I've ever seen one man do on stage.  Bob Log III is an absolute mystery to most.  Dawning a velvet jump suit and a spaceship helmet with a phone receiver attached to it, Mr. Log takes to the stage to entertain the crowd by doing the following:

• Playing some wicked stompin blues licks on his electro-acoustic guitar
• Keeping a kick drum shaking your soul with his right foot
• Providing a wonderful musical garnish on the high hats with his left foot
• Screaming out the most ridiculous lyrics into the phone receiver firmly attached to his helmet in songs such as his famous "Boob Scotch"

I wish I could make this shit up.

Let's just say I've seen a lot of live music in my life.  While Bob Log may not have been the best concert I've ever seen, he is by far the most impressive individual I have ever seen on stage.  I would continue to describe what I saw, but this is a hell of a lot easier:




-You don't have to love me anymore, but you've got to love this lullaby