Flying from a higher place

                                  

From all of us here at Friday Soundtrack (okay... just me... and Kurt Elling), thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas! 

Be safe and make good (adventurous) choices. Remember: Santa's no goof. He's a cat. A real swinger.

Baby blues time travel

*WORD OF CAUTION* - I am writing this at 12:20 am on Friday, December 7th. The song I feature may already be a viral hit so please, forgive me in advance! The rest of this post will be written after I use my time machine to travel to next Thursday at 8pm.

*ZAP*

Ugh. That didn't feel good.
And we took on a lot of clocks.

Anyhow... on with the post.

If you didn't hear the news last Thursday, Jon Mann and Ivory King decided to break up. It's true. I heard the news from my friend, Burton. He's a good dude.

We've Got To Break Up is the song Jon and Ivy wrote to explain their decision to end it. They shared this poppy track with the entire world. Their relationship was real. And before you ask- yes, there is a dance.

Of course Jon and Ivory are from Brooklyn.

We live in strange times. Stranger, still, if you live in Brooklyn.

We live in exam times.

We live in clementine times.

We live in end times.

Thank goodness for my time machine.

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On an unrelated note, I promise that next week's entry to the soundtrack will NOT be sad. Also, it will NOT feature a guy-girl duo.

Heck, it might even be festive. Stay tuned!

Pale Stallion

Do you ever wonder what The White Stripes would sound like if Meg was talented? And what if Jack wasn't such a dominant force on stage? And while we're at it, let's polish it all up a bit. Cut some of the grit and re-think the lyrics. Pretty it up. Layer on some DISGUSTING harmonies. More acousta-pop. More country and folk.

Okay. Maybe we're talking about an entirely different band now. But I still think there's a shared something between The White Stripes and husband and wife duo, Whitehorse. Exactly what that something is, I'm not certain. Either way, I love love love this band.

The first time I heard the band was last year on CBC radio. I can't wait to see them in Toronto in March at the historic Massey Hall!

Doucet and McClelland looking dreamy

Four feature songs this week from Luke and Melissa's second album, The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss, released this summer:

No Glamour In The Hammer - a song that shows off the bands experimentation and multi-instrumental musicianship.

Out Like A Lion - a song featuring Melissa's gorgeous voice.

Mismatched Eyes (Boat Song) - a song with a kitty in it. Incredibly emotional and tight. The setting reminds me of home.

Devil's Got a Gun - a song that breaks for beer.

I can't understand how these videos have only been viewed between 5 and 13 thousand times.... especially considered I'm at least 100 of those views.

Out of the Blue

No... I'm not talking about Miles.

I'm talking about the Biebs.

Justin. Bieber.

You know. The guy who played the Grey Cup halftime show on Sunday.

I can't say I've tracked his career too closely (I'm not a 15 year old girl), BUT HEAR ME OUT FOR A MINUTE. There are only 13 sentences left in this post, and I promise to appease the haters by poking fun at Stratford Ontario's most famous export.

It's obvious that Justin isn't going away any time soon. The lyrical content of Bieber's most recent album is predictably more adult than his last effort and, by drawing on the production talent of Zedd and Diplo, JB has hacked the recent popularity of electro house and dubstep. Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing Bieber 2.0-- a shapeshifter that moves with the times but maintains a hue that keeps a smile on the faces at Def Jam: platinum.

In a few short years Bieber has undeniably moved from the classroom to the club. He's not the first, of course (cudos: MJ and JT), but he seems to be progressing at an accelerated pace. I'll admit that his music, so far, has been pretty bland. But maybe by the time he buys his first razor he'll grow some vision. Some edge. We can only hope because, big surprise, you're going to hear a lot more from Mr. Bieber over the next decade.

Given the trajectory of his recent releases I'm curious to see what his albums are like, cover to cover. For now, here's this week's entry to the soundtrack, "Beauty and a Beat", featuring Nicki Minaj.

And now for my promised provocation: is it just me, or is "Boyfriend", the first single from Believe, eerily similar to the Ying Yang Twins' 2005 hit "Wait (The Whisper Song)"?

A bashed up Bieber? 

Still prettier than your sister. 

Holla.

Breaker

These two live performances broke me this week.

1. Dan Mangan - Basket
2. The Avet Brothers (with the Brooklyn Phyilharmonic) - I and Love and You

Try 'em on for size.

p.s. law school sucks
p.p.s. I am endlessly amused (and not surprised) by the fact that my geek-ish posts get the most views

Old Geeky Hotness

Warning:here be dragons.

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Pop quiz: what are the two best role playing video games of all time? 

Answer: Chrono Trigger and Baldur's Gate II.

Interesting fact: both CT and BGII have incredible music.

Interestinger fact: In all my 27 years on this earth, I have not played BG(I).

Bestest fact: that's all changing in less than a month.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am one of the thousands who pre-ordered Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition when it was announced oh-so-many months ago. I'm seriously considering dropping out of law school to plug in the 100+ hours this high fantasy D&D adventure is going to suck from my life. Follow your passions, right? 

If you need me, I'll be at the (virtual) tavern.

I don't know the BG(I) soundtrack, but I'm quite familiar with the BGII score. And it is AMAZING. In truth, I still get very, very on-edge when I hear the Firkraag theme. Second hardest fight in the game, next to Kangaax the demi lich (imprisonment, anyone?).

If you've played BG(I) I'd love to hear your thoughts on character builds/alignment. Either leave a comment or msg me directly!

Special prize (only for those who answered the pop quiz correctly): the best video game soundtrack of the 2000s.

See you next week!

Gotta have my clicks!

I've listened to a lot of Telefon Tel Aviv these past few days. It's made me want to get into electronic music production.

The band stands out because every one of their tracks is mind-boggling deep and layered. I expect that every soundscape took hundreds of mind-numbing hours to create.

If you've had a busy week and need to re-centre yourself, this is your soundtrack. You're welcome.

Sound In a Dark Room
At the Edge of the World You Will Still Float

Incidentally, can anyone recommend similar artists? I'd love to explore this genre/style a little more.