The Best of March

Best Movie: I Love You, Man... maybe its cause Liz and I just saw it last night, and its the one that I can remember most clearly, but it was really funny. Highly recommended, especially if you've got somebody you wanna take out (like on a date).

Most annoying thing that happened: I got a couple of e-mail taking posts down because I posted photos that apparently, I don't have the rights to. I don't want to take away people's livelihood, but I don't think me posting the album art for Neko Case's newest album is doing anyone any harm. So, from now on I'll be creating my own artwork to go with those posts... like this:

... hope you're happy Neko.

Best Book: I realize I gave all the books I read (The Last Season, The Sunset Limited, The Education of a Coach, and Downtown Owl... 4!) this month different grades, but I'm going to override those grades and proclaim it a four way tie. Each book was good in a different sort of way, but none of them really knocked me on my ass the way The Road did, or pained me the way The Last Shot did.

Best on TV: Chuck... that could just be because Liz is so into it, but its the one show that's become appointment TV at our house. Although, the appearance of Stringer Bell on the Office was almost good enough to push it over the top...

Best Album: I loved Chris Whitley (its not exactly new, but, whatever), but the combination of Suf and some of the best rappers around remixed by Tor into Illinoize (available for free) is a virtual lock for a spot in my top albums '09.

Best Single: ... should be no surprise...
[mp3] The Tallest Man/I Like It ft. Grand Puba

The Black Hat Brigade @ Walker's Brew (Brampton). Sat. Mar. 28.2009.

So, it pretty much worked out perfectly that the Black Hat Brigade were playing in Brampton last night (or maybe two nights ago by the time this goes up) for a couple of reasons. Partly because, based on their s/t 2008 debut EP, they've become one of my favourite bands, and, the other part being it was a nice excuse to get out to the great nation of Brampton to see Liz's parents.

Initially, Liz and I, both recouping from Friday night, were not that into it and were kind of in survival mode (i.e. you know that point when you're hung over when the smell of booze makes you kind of sick to your stomach?). But once the BHB got going, particularly after the (2nd, 3rd or 4th song... I can't remember) one from the BHB EP, both of us really started to perk up and really have a good time.

From there, as the two us got more into the show, I started to pick up on a kind of Explosions in the Sky (the guys who provide the Sndtrck to FNL) vibe to their music.... the driving basslines, the rising action, the really pointed, catchy guitar hooks. At first, when I talked about their s/t EP last year I made the comparison to Wolf Parade - as did many others - but, after seeing them live (and hearing the last WP album) I almost think the WP comparison almost is a disservice to the band.

.. maybe I'm over selling it a little here, but if you haven't give the BHB a chance yet, you ought to. And, now's the perfect time because they've got a new EP coming out in May, Fathers (and a free sampler they're giving away at shows), which you can buy through their myspace page.

As a final note, this may turn into Black Hat Brigade week here at BM (haha! nice acronym) headquarters (my couch) since last night (perhaps foolishly) the guys agreed to trade emails with me this week for a new segment I'm going try, aptly titled "Exchanging e-mails with...". I'm hoping (but not holding my breath) that this segment will turn into a weekly, but more likely bi-weekly or monthly, segment as an excuse to try and associate with people way cooler than me.

[mp3] Black Hat Brigade - Zombie Shake
[mp3] Black Hat Brigade - Swords (live @ Walker's Brew)

And, I played around with a bunch of different settings on my camera last night, so here are some that turned out... at least kind of:

Grand Analog f. Shad, Dog is Blue, Black Hat Brigade, When Babies Attack!, Blue Print for Recovery, Someone Else Who Doesn't Deserve an Action Figure

(Now that's the look of a man that's excited to be a father! And, no the Chris Bosh jokes are not going to stop any time soon... regardless of whether he deserves it or not.)

• Herohill has a pretty cool hip-hop track, Grand Analog (who I've never heard of) ft. Shad (who continues to be awesome).

• I got an email from Paul (Wolves, Hawks & Kites - R.I.P.) who's taken to creating music instead of writing about it. He's recording under the moniker, Dog is Blue and his album is called Makes Ghost Noises, and while I haven't actually taken the time to sit down and listen to it (yet) Paul is a good guy and definitely is worthy of a listen.

• Going to see the Black Hat Brigade on Saturday in the great nation of Brampton at some bar called Walker's Brew. Really looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll have something to report Sunday or Monday.

• First Roger Federer cries (or, more accurately has a melt-down at the Aussie Open) and then he knocks up his long time GF Mirka... I've gotta say, things could be going better for him... then again, he's no Chris Bosh...

• Speaking of the Raptors, Raptors Republic has a "Blueprint for Recovery", that I think it a more articulate/detailed version of what I've been saying/thinking over the last couple of months.

• Basketbawful (a hilarious basketball blog cronciling all the things wrong with the world of basketball) has brought to my attention the release of a Zach Randolph (circa NYK) action figure... what?!? Isiah Rider wasn't available?

Pick of the Week #12: Illinoize

Are you a DJ? The economy getting you down? Unemployed or underemployed? Why not try a mash-up?

Initially, my pick of the week was going to be Brother Ali's The Truth Is Here EP - some B-sides from 2008's The Undisputed Truth, and a couple of unreleased tracks - but then I came across Illinoize (which, incidentally feats. Brother Ali on the track "Night Zombies/Talking My Shit").

My initial reaction to the idea of the 'remix tape' was, man this dude wants some attention... and that's probably part of it, I imagine, but the beats are HOT! It probably helps that he's decided to feature some of the best rappers from the last 20 years (IMHO): Outkast, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Big Daddy Kane & DJ Premier, Brother Ali, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious); and the man responsible for the best album of this decade (yes, I think its better - at the moment - than Funeral or whatever other crap-assed album you were thinking of). But, I guess that's the beauty of this album... its all in the selection. Everything, each one of the 7 songs fits, and fits really well. There's no excess, no filler, just songs that work.

If I knew more technical stuff about music, I could probably explain more specifically/accurately/vividly about why all this works so well. Starting from the beginning "Star of Wonder/None Shall Pass" ft. Aesop Rock - "Star of Wonder" of course, hilariously, being a Christmas song - TOR allows the beat to drive the music and just subtly allows Suf to creep into the background and give the album just a little different flavour. By the time I got to track 7 and you see "The Dress Looks Nice on You (one of the prettiest Suf songs)/Make You Feel That Way (the cool, laid back Blackalicious track)" I wondered how the hell it was going to work... and, miraculously, TOR finds a way to blend the two tracks in a way where Suf's guitar just adds a little flourish to the beat, and allows GoG to maintain that chill flow...

The executive summary: This could very well be the best album of the year. And, while I might be the exact target audience for Illinoize (I'm love Suf, and every hip-hop artist on the album)... TOR really sets himself up for success.

[mp3] The Dress Looks Nice on You/Make You Feel That Way ft. Gift of Gab
[mp3] The Tallest Man/I Like It ft. Grand Puba

Oh yeah, you can download the whole album at Illinoize.biz.

Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: Ohbijou
Pick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands
Pick of the Week #9: Chris Whitley
Pick of the Week #10: Alela Diane
Pick of the Week #11: K'naan

An Apology

One of the really cool things that's happened over the last year or so with the Burgeoning Metropolis blog is that people send me albums, for free, because they think I'm awesome (or at least that's how I imagine it). Or, more likely, they want some exposure, but I prefer not to think so negatively.

Occasionally, I'll hear a band before they have many fans and I'll feel like I do my bit to promote some music that I think other people will like, and that gives the band a little bit of a bump. Maybe a couple of more people buy their album, go see a show, maybe they even recommend an artist to a friend... this, really, is the entire purpose of this blog (that, and so I can get famous). And, well, its also fun chatting with people in bands that I like, sending emails and getting actual responses from live human people.

Unfortunately, since I'm not super human (in anyway that's appropriate for me to mention in this forum) its gotten to the point where I can't/don't get to every album that's sent this way and that makes me feel bad (sad face). So, consider this a pre-emptive apology to the albums I get that I don't get to in the coming months, and a way for me to plug a few bands that I know I've forgot/haven't posted about/haven't posted enough about:

Dave Norris! (Ottawa, On) Exactly Off EP
I wrote about his first EP, affectionately titled The CD-R EP - mostly, I suspect, because he sent it to me on a CD-R - and I really enjoyed it. The new EP he's sent me... I managed to lose (and I feel like an ass)...
[mp3] Dave Norris - Come On, Lighthouse

The Rest (Hamilton, On) Everything All At Once
I'm not really sure what to make of these songs, the sound, etc., at times I find it really compelling, so maybe its that I just haven't given it a chance... there are shows coming up in both Toronto (Apr.24) and London (Apr.30), so maybe I'll make it out and that'll really get me into the record.
[mp3] The Rest - Everything All At Once

wordPEOPLE (Toronto, On) People's Eatery
I think the fact that I haven't written about this album says more about how lazy I've been about exercising than it says about their work. This is an album I would totally listen to when I run/workout/drive around in the summer, and I have been doing none of that... note to self: re-listen to this album in 3 months.
[mp3] wordPEOPLE - Keep Up ft. Louwop

Matthew de Zoete (Hamilton, On) Bottom of the World
This dude has "mad tour dates" all over Europe this summer, so, maybe you'll start hearing more about him... and with the whole Luke Wilson thing he's got going on, I suspect he is going to have a great tour...
[mp3] Matthew de Zoete - Warkworth Penitentiary

... and I'm sure there are others, so, sorry that I forgot you... again...

Let's Book Club!: Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

Downtown Owl, Chuck Klosterman's first (I'm pretty sure) work of fiction, reads remarkably like his other (non-fiction, obviously) work, which, is probably a strange statement. Sure, he tells a story, the story has characters, but its the way that Klosterman goes about telling the story in this choppy, mulit-dimensional kind of way, and the use of a bunch of different literary devices(?) - I'm not a lit major - which just makes it feel (to me) a lot like Sex, Drugs and Coa-Coa Puffs. Although, this might be the most obvious statement in the world since I'm esentially saying that 'this thing CK has written is like the other stuff CK has written', so, duh... right.

On the whole, Klosterman creates some interesting characters and sets them in wholly uninteresting place (a small town, Owl, ND), and the book comes across more as a showcase for what CK can do as a writer rather than a compelling story, or, alternately, a story that tells us something about human nature, or the world, or something more profound. But, maybe that tells us something about Klosterman, who, while an interesting guy to listen to (I think he's been really interesting on the BS Report), he strikes me as an introverted dude that people must've kept their distance from in high school.

Grade: Compared to the other fiction I've read since the beginning of the year (The Road) its definitely not as good, but the characters were interesting and Klosterman is def. a creative dude. B

Up next: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which came up on my google search for 'best books 2008' and Kyle gave it an 'A', so away we go....

1. The Inner Game of Tennis | Timothy Gallwey (134 pages) | A
2. The Last Shot | Darcy Frey (240 pages) | A+
3. The Road | Cormac McCarthy (287 pages) | A+
4. Outliers | Malcolm Gladwell (299 pages) | C+
5. The Last Season | Phil Jackson (304 pages) | B-
6. The Sunset Limited | Cormac McCarthy (160 pages)| B-
7. The Education of a Coach | David Halberstam (288 pages)| B+
8. Downtown Owl | Chuck Klosterman | (288 pages)| B

CMW/F

I didn't get to any Canadian Music Week/Fest shows, but there were a number of good accounts of what happened. So, if you're the kind of person that complains about CanCon - you're probably not reading this - but if you are... check out some of these bands and shutyourpiehole.

Some show reviews (and I realize this is pretty late) from CMW/F.

• Bob = Sloan, Matt Mays, Black Hat Brigade, the Bicycles, Amos the Transaprent, among others.
• Michael (Big Mike?) = Tindersticks, Slim Twig, the Rural Alberta Advantage, Black Hat Brigade and Amos the Transparent, among others.
• Various Artists @ AWmusic.ca - saw a bunch of stuff, but the ones that might be of any interest to me/you all - Two Hours Traffic, Rebekah Higgs, and Young Galaxy; The Bicycles, Human Highway, Handsome Furs; Chad VanGaalen, Gentleman Reg.
• BlogTO has a bunch of stuff also... including this 'CMW in photos' post, which is pretty excellent (even if I know exactly one of the bands that he took photos of)

Let's Book Club!: Education of a Coach by David Halberstam

I promise I'm not making this up... I've actually read all these books... I haven't had my computer, and I've been sitting on the couch reading for the last 4 days or so.

David Halberstam's take on Belichick is basically this: he is successful because he works/worked really, really, really, hard. The book was actually a lot more of a narrative of Belichick's life than I thought it would be (despite the fact that the title is Education of a Coach - go figure), covering a great deal of the Belichick family history, their move to America from Croatia, and Bill's upbringing on the east coast as the son of a football coach.

Aside from that, it should be noted that, and this should be news to no one, that Halberstam is an awesome writer (also, he invented the comma). And, I think I actually might have enjoyed this a little more than his masterpiece Breaks of the Game (about the 19--? Portland Trailblazers) if only because the only people I knew on that team were Kermit Washington (famous for the Rudy Tomjonavich punch) and Bill Walton (not actually on the team, left the year before).

All told, the book would've been somewhere near 100 times more interesting if it had been written after the Patriots cheating scandal, but, with Halberstam being dead (R.I.P.) and all that may not have worked out so well.

Grade: B+

Up next: Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman... to the best of my knowledge he hasn't written fiction before (at least that I've read) so, it'll be interesting to see how this goes...

Apologies for any spelling mistakes, but I've had a couple of glasses of wine and I'm no mood for editing.

How to Beat Teen Wolf, the Watchmen, CollegeHoops, Hoora... for the Raptors, Alela Diane

• I found out last week - or maybe someone just reminded me - that Kyle's BFF Misha wrote this hilarious piece on McSweeney's "Covering Teen Wolf: One Coach's Guide" which is really worth the 7 mins it'll take you to read it.

• Liz and I went to see the Watchmen.  And, after reading Sepinwall's review - where he says that basically the movie was unmakeable, ie. it was too dense, too many themes/backstories to cover.  I haven't read the comic, and I walked away from the movie kind of indifferent.  The action sequences were pretty cool, I loved/thought the idea of an alternate reality with Nixon as President was hilarious, but it wasn't anything I'm going to discuss at length with anyone.

• Did anyone see any the end of the Ten-MissSt. SEC final on... Sunday?  There were at least 5 turnovers and somehow .3 seconds were added to the clock.  Exciting? Yes.  Entertaining? Yes. But please don't make that argument that this is better than the NBA...

• Speaking of the NBA... how 'bout those RAP-tors?  I think their game vs. the Pacers on Sunday is probably the first game I've watched - in its entirety - in a good couple of months.  Love the addition of Pops Mensa-Bonsu (or any Spurs castoff, really)... I don't love that BC is going to pay him WAY too much in the off season, or that its not going to fix the fact that the Raps look they have no idea how they're going to beat teams... but, hey, its a nice lil' silver lining...  Also, on a hilarious note: during Sunday's telecast I'm about 95% confident that Jack Armstrong picked the Lakers, Cavs, Celts, and Magic as his final four despite the fact that 3 of them play in the same conference... way to do your homework Jack.

• Alela Diane's To Be Still - particularly since Liz likes it also - has been playing a lot around here this weekend.  So, it bears repeating, if you like Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, et.al., you really ought to have a listen to this album.  
  

Let's Book Club!: The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy

The Sunset Limited is "A Novel in Dramatic Form", which is to say that's its a play, a conversation, between White, a Professor, and Black, a recovering addict. The setting, the writing, and the mood all kind of fit with McCarthy's other stuff (ie. The Road and No Country for Old Men - I realize there are others but I haven't read any of them), but its definitely not as violent - in as far as its just a conversation set in Black's apartment.

For what it is, its an interesting conversation, but, I feel like it would be a much more interesting in actual play form, rather than just words on a page.

Grade: B-

Up next: Since its Spring Break (woooo!) I might give The Infinite Jest a shot, but I'm thinking I might try and leave that until the summer. Otherwise The Education of a Coach or a book that Liz really liked Cockeyed (the story of a teenager who goes blind - Non-fiction).

1. The Inner Game of Tennis | Timothy Gallwey (134 pages) | A
2. The Last Shot | Darcy Frey (240 pages) | A+
3. The Road | Cormac McCarthy (287 pages) | A+
4. Outliers | Malcolm Gladwell (299 pages) | C+
5. The Last Season | Phil Jackson (304 pages) | B-

Pick of the Week #10: Alela Diane - To Be Still

I've had Alela Diane in the car for about the last week (and I've been driving every day - I know, boo-driving) and I'm wondering whether I might actually like her better than Jenny Lewis/Neko Case/amIforgettingsomeoneelsehere? I'm not sure this comparison is entirely unreasonable, so, let's make the comparison (shall we?) and see how ridiculous it sounds...

Alela Diane: To Be Still has got some very good reviews on Metacritic (so I'm not completely alone in liking this) and would be dramatically higher if it wasn't for a couple of reviews that absolutely ripped the album. My feeling = if you don't like folk/country/singer-songwriter don't write a review about it... I mean, I'm not going to write about how stupid I think... say, Oprah is. At any rate, the (4) user reviews total a 9.5, so what this suggests to me is that if you like sort of thing (folk/country/singer-songwriter) its an album of the highest caliber.

Lewis/Case: On the other hand, by my count Jenny Lewis - while having a much bigger library - has thrown out a couple of stink bombs lately, namely, Acid Tongue (while the song 'Acid Tongue' is probably my favourite song she's done the album was very, very, bland) and the last Rilo Kiley album was pretty craptacular. Case though, as far as I can remember, has released pretty awesome solo albums (Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and Blacklisted) and the last two New Pornographers were good and excellent (Challengers and Twin Cinema). So, that's going to be tough to top.

The verdict: I've looked at the wiki entries for both Jenny Lewis and Neko Case and they are frighteningly impressive: awards, compilations, and apparently Case's Middle Cyclone just debuted at #3 on Billboard... so, Alela Diane (who is only 25) has some catching up to do, and probably isn't going to be as culturally relevant anytime soon, but, I think To Be Still is pretty close to being in the same league as Rabbit Fur Coat and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.

That said, as cultural relevance increases so do ticket prices. So, would I rather pay $10 bucks to see Alela Diane from 10ft. or $33.50 (plus $8 - 10) to see Neko Case from 150ft. (with the entire crowd on backing vocals)? I think I'd go see Alela Diane. Part of that, it probably goes without saying, is because I have a negative $15,000 a year income right now, the other part is that I think its just more fun to see music up close - its more personal, you're supporting people who actually need the money/appreciate the attention, plus (as I understand it) you score more cool points when you tell people you're going/have gone to see a band that they've never hear of....

Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: OhbijouPick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands
Pick of the Week #9: Chris Whitley

Let's Book Club!: The Last Season by Phil Jackson

My computer is still being repaired and its looking like I'm going to get it next week, so, for those of you who are sitting on the edge of your seats you'll probably have to hold tight for another week or so.

The book... is basically a series of diary entries (or more likely adapted, edited, and re-written diary entries) from the 2003-04 Lakers season (this was two seasons after they won their last of three consecutive championships).  It's not exactly a literary masterpiece, but hearing the 'behind the scenes' stories gives some really interesting insight into Jackson's success as a coach, Kobe's melt-downs in the playoffs, and probably a little why Shaq hasn't had won more than he has.  More than anything else, it really drove home how important a team concept is in basketball, and how significant having a system and defining the roles of your players within that system is.  And, I think if you look at the last, say dozen teams that won titles (Celtics, Spurs, Pistons, Lakers - the Heat maybe being the exception) all of them have played good team basketball.

Grade: B- 

Next up: I'm actually already about half finished a 'Novel in Dramatic Form' The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy, because I wanted something a little different.  After that, I've got David Halberstam's book about Bill Belichick The Education of a Coach.  

Pick of the Week #9: Chris Whitley

I couldn't tell you exactly why, maybe it was because I was listening to Ben Harper's first record Pleasure and Pain on Saturday morning (where his sound is a lot more Bluesy) that made me think of Chris Whitley. As soon as that name popped into my head I proceeded to rifle through google videos to see anything I could that had Whitley in it... and I'm not sure whether the videos - at least the live ones - really live up to the recordings, which is strange considering he's such an unbelievable guitarist...

I first heard of him when I was living in Korea (the good one) through NPR's 'All Songs Considered' and his cover of the Flaming Lips 'Mountainside' (which, I have since found out is on his first post-humeous release Reiter Inn - to be purchased by me momentarily). After hearing about him, and since I couldn't get ahold of any of his music, I had completely forgot about him...

So after reading more on Whitley (i.e. his wikipedia entry) I went out and bought Dirt Floor (since Living with the Law and Reiter Inn weren't there) and I've been really, really enjoying it. In part I think, because its something different - I don't listen to a lot of Blues - but also because its really good.

The executive summary: He may look like a more coked out version of Kid Rock, but he plays a hell of a guitar.

Sean, this seems like something you might be into... have you heard him?

A couple of videos, just to give you an idea...
"Scrapyard Lullaby"


"Hellhound On My Trail (Live - Robert Johnson cover)"



Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: Ohbijou
Pick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands

The (belated) Best of February

The Best on TV: 24
I watched the first two seasons of 24 in approximately a week (a couple of years after they aired on TV) - bear in mind there are 24, 40min episodes - and was absolutely hooked. Then, I went through a phase where I got sick of the twist, after twist, after twist, etc. format, the fact that Jack Bauer only whispers or yells, and got off it after the end of S4(?).

After Mark wrote about the 24 movie I watched it, and fell back in love with the Jack Bauer Power Hour. I've learned to just appreciate it for what it is, an action-packed-ass-kick fest, and, honestly, since FNL ended (on DirectTV at least) this is the show that I most look forward to each week...

Best Movie: Fired Up!
... yeah, yuk it up... you snobs! I think a good comparison that someone suggested to me was American Pie meets Bring it On!... just go rent (download) it and tell me I'm wrong.

Best Live Set: Adele Diane
(As documented here) which was a little bit of a surprise, but I think she had a voice comparable to Jenny Lewis or Neko Case.... I still need to get my hands on her new album.

Best News Story:
I had written something about how Stephen Harper looked like a 14 yr old girl who had just seen Zach Efron when he was doing his Ottawa press conference with Barack Obama, but Shaq calling Chris Bosh a transvestite is WAY funnier (thanks Andrew)...

Best Book
Slam by Nick Hornby, which wasn't near as good as anything I read in January, but, whatever.

Best Album
I feel like its been a little bit of a weak month, which may have nothing to do with the actual music put out and more to do with the fact that I just hate winter. March, I understand, from various news reports, will be much warmer. This is a good thing.

At any rate, maybe because its fresh in my mind but I'm going to go with Gentlemen Husbands' Something Along the Lines of 'A Lesson in Unprofessionalism'....

Best Song
The acoustic version of Metric's "Help I'm Alive"

Let's Book Club!: Slam by Nick Hornby

... was a nice story, but wasn't anything special. If you have a sister who shops at big box stores, I'd buy it a used book store and give it to her. Or, alternately, if you want to scare someone you know out of an unwanted pregnancy.

Grade: B-

Up next: I'm excited to say that I got a Toronto Library card over the weekend, so, (up next) is a couple of lieberry books: Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book and The Last Season by Phil Jackson.

Pick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands

Gentlemen Husbands (the Greater Cobourg Area, On). Huh. I'm not really sure what to make of the name... does it mean that they're good to their wives? I think they may be getting an e-mail from this guy (me) to figure out what that's all about...

... I just looked up where Cobourg was (I mean, is)... and, it appears to be an hour east of Toronto... who knew there was anything between Toronto and Kingston?

... the EP (Something Along the Lines of 'A Lesson in Professionalism)... it reminds me a little bit of Cuff the Duke(originally from Oshawa)'s first album Life Stories for the Minimum Wage, although it makes me think that Cobourg is a much nicer place. LSftMW was, if I recall correctly, kind of dark/depressing/reminiscent of Oshawa, while the GH EP seems much more "glass half full". On LSftMW Cuff the Duke gives off this 'God, we need to get the hell out of Oshawa vibe', but the GH EP says to me 'We're from Cobourg, and we run this shit...' (ironically, on "Riding in Cars" they actually do say something like 'we need to get out of this town').

To me, this is what good music is about. Its about telling your story - whatever it is - and being honest about it. And the Gentlemen Husbands tell a really fun, compelling, story about: girls, blue collar work, drinking, and being young in the country (or in Cobourg). Right now I'm feeling like the GH's EP is the musical equivalent of Tim Riggins (from Friday Night Lights). I'm also feeling like there are approx. 3 people who read this who are going to appreciate the Tim Riggins comparison... anyways... I'm adding this band to the list of smaller Canadian bands that I cheerlead for, which includes, but is not limited to: Black Hat Brigade, The Golden Hands Before God, Ketch Harbour Wolves, Rah Rah, Ohbijou, Sunparlour Players, etc. So, expect to hear more about them from me in the future.

Apologies for not having any mp3s, but my computer is completely F'd.

If you're interested in hearing them go visit their myspace. You can steam their EP in its entirety there.




Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: Ohbijou