Well the Lady left me... for the week to return home to Paris and spend the holidays with her family. Now whilst alone at the apartment I wend digging for some old Paris pics that I took, all of these were taking when I first got my tripod, most were taken on my daily walk to work which was the Adidas store at the time.
We've come so far in the last 10 years, before there was YouTube there wasn't much to go around. but in the last 5 years, whenever a news anchor tells his weather man to "keep fucking that chicken" or a Afro Kung-Fu master fails on his backflip attempt or even the Nintendo 64 kid. Well there all there on YouTube. I've also reading on a lot of websites and different magazines that cover their best of 09' about their top YouTube video of the year.
Well here's mine, it actually came out in 2008 but I came across it just a few weeks ago and it never gets old to me...
Now I won't get all mumbo jumbo like I did for the previous post but here IS the post for the "IT" girl of 2009. After long thought (3 to 4 minutes) of deep concentration I came to 2 finalists.
Emily Haines from Metric, just cuz she is to me, what all male lead singer are to girls, seeing that I've never seen them live then I can't say what I would do or how retarded I would behave at on of their shows. The second finalist and winner of 2009 is Zooey Deschanel. Zooey had a a busy 2009 and I had the easy task of enjoying it all (except her engagement to Death Cab's lead singer). Starring as Jim Carrey's love interest in Yes Man, then crushing all of our douchey guy heart and souls in 500 Days of Summer. She also had time to record a album with Folk hero M. Ward called it She&Him Volume 1, really nice album all covers and she has a lovely voice that is unique.
Alors voila, my lady of the year 2009, Zooey Deschanel!
Now I could have gone with what would have been a easy choice and picking Beyonce's "Put a ring on it" but there isn't a person on this earth who hasn't seen it. I'm sure when the UN drops food supplies into 3 world countries, they all include TV's with that video playing on it, so I wasn't going to waste this space with a video that you've already seen and are probably really annoyed with.
I'll actually try to educate and entertain. You see, back in the 80's and 90's music video was king, MTV actually played music videos and so did Much Music and Musique Plus in Quebec. Then something happened... the Real World and TRL happened and it spawned a disease bigger than most diseases... reality TV and Much on Demand and it's retarded cousin "+ sur command". All of these elements killed the music video, I mean they still played some but the art and thrill was gone.... gone were the days of Spike Jonze dancing with his troup to a Fatboy Slim song, gone were the phsycotic images from Chris Cunningham and the multi-layers of almost every Michel Gondry video. the art had died. Then, in the distance (2005) YouTube was born and once again, we were given the opportunity to watch and re-watch all of our favourite music videos!!
Now with the power of video on demand back into our hands, it allowed groups like OK GO to make a good old DIY "treadmill" music video. It also allowed us to enjoy much of our idie rock bands that most channels would never play like Arcade Fire and especially Radiohead. The art of the music video was back without Spike Jonze, Chris Cunninham and Michel Gondry who had at this point moved on the feature lengths, it's now up to people like WIZ, Romain Gavras and now DIY & Brillantine who directed my 2009 video of the year for Vitalic's first track off of their 2009 album titled Flashmob.
It illustrates how Vitalic Flashmob album cover was made. This video clip is an oniric and contemplative journey of a man recreating the 19th century experience of Etienne-Jules Marey on fluid dynamics.
Smoke lines represent the notion of stability, the triangle goes for the disturbance and incidentally for the V of Vitalic. The concept of a flashmob is illustrated here as a result of an intruder perturbating a stable environment.
I didn't write them two last paragraphs... so sit back and enjoy.
Long time no see... well it's the fist day of winter today and so after a long month of school and work, all 15 to 16 hour days, all my time was spent working and in between that time, I spent most of it reading all kinds of magazines and website all giving their annual "best of '09" picks and also the best of the decade. Some were suprising (Pitchfork gave total kudos to Sufjan's Illinois for top album of the decade) while Rolling Stone gave me a total "WTF?!" moment, seriously, was Children of Men that good a movie to be the number 2 movie of the decade?!
Also, U2... album of the year?! well here is my first stab at it. my top 10 albums of 2009.
I'll try to do other categories but they might not be as detailed as this one, remember, this site is free and it isn't the smartest system for blogging so this post took ages... see, below each "mini" album review is a little "YouTube" bar that has a single track off of each of my top 10 just to give you a idea of what you are reading. I hope you enjoy and if you do comment, post me your top whatever of 2009.
You read about me, let me read about you!!
10. Vitalic - Flasmob
Well it was trendy a few years ago to include a "french" electro band into everyone's top 10/50/100 lists of whatever year. I think I'm the only one to include on this year. Vitalic's Flashmob will make you cooler then any fashion geek out there. If you work in a fashion store, stop boring you're customers with you're horrible music and play this instead, although if you work at American Apparel, just don't play it at all, because I hate you.
VITALIC - See The Sea (Red)
9. Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts
Fell for this band right after hearing them on the radio, I "myspaced" them and got the album. I was really into it when I was sick and high on medication so in my sleepy state, I kept on looping all their songs in my head because it was all I was listening to at the time. Wonderful voice, nice band, get this one!
Noisettes - Sometimes
8. The Gallows - Grey Britain
The last great punk album of the decade came out in february 2009 and it was called Grey Britain by The Gallows. They came to Warped Tour to save me from mundane bands and little kids and really made their 30 minute set one of the best sets I've seen in years. The album is as intense as the live, they almost make you forget that the Sex Pistols ever existed.
Gallows - Leeches
7. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Our parents had Crosby Stills and Nash back in the 60's and 70's when folk was king, then was beheaded by the "Keytar" in the 80's. in the 90's grunge was king then Folk came back with the likes of Conor Oberst, Mike Ward, Jim James and Mike Mogis. Once reunited, the formed the supergroup monster, Monsters of Folk. Really nice album filled with acoustic guitars that are really enchanting and perfect for nappy days.
Monsters of Folk - The Sandman, The Brakeman, and Me
6. The Gossip - Music for Men
Saw this band with the Lady back in October and became obsessed with their energy. Not since Blondie has a lead singer sound so raw and beautiful at the same time. All you R&B Mariah Carey's out there can't hold a candle to Miss Beth Ditto.
Gossip - Pop Goes The World
5. Converge - Axe To Fail
Give me more time, add a few new months to 2009 like, maybe we could call one "febtober" or "Marchcember" just to give me a bit more time to listen to this gem and possibly give it the number one spot. Just brilliant as always from Converge, my favourite fetish from this album is that the drum sound is totally stolen from every Metallica album from the 80's.
Just listen closer next time.
Converge - Wishing Well
4. Alexisonfire -Old Crows/ Young Cardinals
Alexisonfire's latest album is by far the album that I listen to the most this summer and it's all that I expected it to be, heavy and soft at times but a altogether enjoyable album from a really great Canadian band. Hope to see them live in the new year.
Alexisonfire - Accept Crime
3. Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
The soundtrack to my fall, Sufjan's musical soundtrack to the Brooklyn and Queens Expressway was what my ears needed to fend off the always loud and heavy music I listen to while commuting to school and work. His music gave life to my daily events and characters along the way.
Sufjan Stevens - Movement III: Linear Tableau With Intersecting Surprise
2. Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
What can I say about these guys, been a fan for a while and seen them live like a plenty of times and they still rock my socks every time. This being their 5th studio album and the best one since Hot Damn, ETID just knows how to keep the energy alive.
Every Time I Die - After One Quarter of Revolution
1. The Chariot - Wars and Rumours of Wars
This is my number one album of the year, seeing them live two weeks ago was the icing on the cake. The Chariot's 3rd full length is almost lethal and the DIY approach is what makes this album so unique in the Hardcore Punk genre. For fans of Converge and Botch, this is a must for this year.
I Should really be in bed right now but seeing that my blog has taken wings, no wait, scratch that... it's on fire! I'd figure I'd throw this little vid into the mix. It's the new Vampire Weekend video for their new single Cousins, this track is all about the drums and it just makes me want to dance like I'm suffering from some sort of specialness.
Anyways, albums out January 11th if you can't wait then just get their first album if you don't already have it.
What to listen to this week's segment focuses on something slightly different. If you are in my close circle of friends, you would know that I've developed a deep appreciation for Sufjan Stevens and have been listening to his music none stop since the day I read about Pitchfork's top 200 albums of the decade. Sufjan's album Illinois was ranked number 1 in a tight top 10 battle between the likes of Radiohead and Arcade Fire among others. Only knowing a few Sufjan songs and thinking that his Illinois album was a album for kids based on it's colourful cover, I never paid much attention to the album when it was released in 2005. Now 4 years later and coincidently a week before heading off to Chicago, I couldn't stop listening to his music, Illinois is probably my favourite album of the year if not decade in my opinion. Now I'm not going to get carried away here on a album that was released 4 years ago, my "What to Listen to This Week" segment is about current releases so I'll focus on Sufjan's Stevens current release called the BQE.
The BQE also known as the Brooklyn, Queens Expressway is the subject of this album but if you already know about Sufjan's previous work, this might come as a surprise. The BQE is a orchestral soundtrack reminiscent of everything from John Williams, to George Gershwin to old Hitchcock movies from the 50's. This soundtrack is meant to be a accompanying piece to the film that Sufjan also filmed and directed. It's delightful and beautiful also haunting at times, great music to fill the room and also great for the Holidays if you're just sick and tired of Mariah Carey or Boys to Men murdering you're Christmas classics, be different and play this with Sufjan's Christmas album and you'll be the bee's knee's at all you're Holiday festivities.
Here a "part 2" to my pics of Chicago, the "Windy City", the "White City". I'm thinking of using these pics among others to make a portfolio to possibly foward on to some local agencies. Give me your thoughts and feedback, I'd like to know what you guys think.
Last week I had a moment well it actually lasted all weekend. I went to Chicago, all things go, all things go. To be honest, it was a wonderful weekend and the city was really wonderful. Chicago has everything and is everything that a big city should be and have. For starters, it's clean, like very clean, no garbage in sight. Second, personally for me, I spent most of my week end imagining the city in the days of Al Capone and Elliot Ness, the architecture is all around to help my imagination. Third, the trains are well maintained and run on time and the best part is, you can take it from the airport, this being the only city in North America that does so. Anyways, I'm not much of a writer so here are some of my favourite pictures from my weekend with the lady. Enjoy and please do comment!
October 13th 2009 at Le National was the venue for Gossip's return to Montreal. I'll be honest, other than "Standing in the way of Control's" title track, I wasn't ever really taken by Gossip. I attended the show cuz I'm a dude with a Lady and I bought the tickets for her birthday. Turns out by the end of the show we were both up in our seats dancing till we go sweaty and she loved the show and I loved it almost more than her. If you never heard of Gossip, just think of Blondie but with a 300 pound chick on vocals and moving on the stage faster and with more elegance than Mick Jagger in his prime. Kudos!
OH and for my Parisian friends.... le 14 et 15 Novembre au Bataclan Paris!
Yep Yep, for all you Hardcore Christian fans out there, Norma Jean and The Chariot will be playing at less than a klick from my place at La Tulipe on December 6th, get your tickets NOW! one last insane show before it's off to the parents and family and Christmas and New Years and so forth.
I've shot Norma Jean twice so far once for Truth Explosion in Paris and another time for pleasure. Little did I know that they in fact used two live pics in their 2007 tour poster... so I'm happy!
THIS IS MY BIKE AND IT WAS STOLEN LAST WEEK IN FRONT OF MY APARTMENT, IF YOU SEE IT, CALL ME RIGHT AWAY AT 514-573-7225. IT'S A FLAT GREY GIANT SEEK 2 WITH MULTIPLE SCRATCHES ON BOTH BARS ON THE FRAME THAT MEET AT THE HANDLE BARS DUE TO THE LOCK. THERE IS ALSO A GIANT LOGO STICKER THAT I CHANGED PLACE AND PUT IT ON THE CROSS BAR THAT GOES FROM THE HANDLE BARS TO THE SEAT. THERE ARE ALSO TWO APPLE COMPUTER LOGO STICKERS ON THAT BAR. MOST OF YOU KNOW I'VE HAD A BAD WEEK BUT I'M FEELING BETTER AND DETERMINED TO GET MY BIKE BACK, ANY INFO WILL HELP AND KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!!
LAST LITTLE DETAIL, THE REFLECTOR ON THE FRONT WHEEL IS MISSING, THAT'S ALL THAT WAS LEFT NEXT TO THE BROKEN BICYCLE LOCK.
6. The Gossip - Music for Men
4. Alexisonfire -Old Crows/ Young Cardinals
1. The Chariot - Wars and Rumours of Wars
What to listen to this week's segment focuses on something slightly different. If you are in my close circle of friends, you would know that I've developed a deep appreciation for Sufjan Stevens and have been listening to his music none stop since the day I read about Pitchfork's top 200 albums of the decade. Sufjan's album Illinois was ranked number 1 in a tight top 10 battle between the likes of Radiohead and Arcade Fire among others. Only knowing a few Sufjan songs and thinking that his Illinois album was a album for kids based on it's colourful cover, I never paid much attention to the album when it was released in 2005. Now 4 years later and coincidently a week before heading off to Chicago, I couldn't stop listening to his music, Illinois is probably my favourite album of the year if not decade in my opinion. Now I'm not going to get carried away here on a album that was released 4 years ago, my "What to Listen to This Week" segment is about current releases so I'll focus on Sufjan's Stevens current release called the BQE.
Hey
