A good feeling

I have a good feeling about 2008. Don't know why and don't know how but it's going to be a good one. Even in terms of music, I know it's going to be good. You know why? Here is an example:

Franz Ferdinand will be releasing a new album, which means that they'll be touring again which means that they'll be coming back to Toronto again, which means that we may possibly get tickets to the show this time, which means that we may get to see them live. You see?
(Impressionable Youth: HELL YEAH!)

Franz Ferdinand - What You Waiting For (Gwen Stefani Cover) (mp3)

What else? So maybe that's looking too far into the crystal ball, but I'm excited about about a couple of new releases.

The Duke Spirit will be releasing "Neptune" in February. I'm excited. It's got a Spiritualized, Mercury Rev, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club type of Anglophile rock sound.

The Duke Spirit - Lassoo (mp3)

The Raveonettes "Lust Lust Lust" should be out soon. It's been delayed since last November due to record label changes and from what I've heard it sounds pretty good. Sweet vocals and a Phil Spector wall of sound.

The Raveonettes - Hallucinations(mp3)

The Blakes has a new self titled album out, which has the kind of swagger of indie rock boys who don't really care (but they secretly do).

The Blakes - Don't Bother Me (mp3)

Juno

A couple of days ago, Impressionable Youth and I got free passes to see a screening of the movie "Juno" at the Cumberland theatre. It was a cute movie, with the same kind of quirky awkwardness as the Royal Tenenbaums etc. It was about a sixteen year old girl played by Ellen Page who gets pregant and decides to give the baby up for adoption to a yuppie couple played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, who plays Michael in "Arrested Development." We got t-shirts at the end of the film of a comic book in the movie staring Yuki, the Japanese pregnant manga superhero. Its one of those images that provokes a raised eyebrow expression and the uttering of "wtf?"

And the part in the film where they played Sonic Youth's cover of the Carpenter's "Superstar" brought back memories from when I was about 14 and I first saw the music video where Kim Gordon played the drums wearing a red dress. I thought it was the coolest thing ever that a girl was playing the drums.

Sonic Youth - Superstar (Carpenters cover) (mp3)

And thanks to all who helped ImpressionableYouth click on the Two Hours Traffic Banner. We got second place. Yay! So as a token of our gratitude, here are two previously unreleased live tracks that came with the winnings:

Two Hours Traffic - Sure Can Start (live) (mp3)
Two Hours Traffic - Better Sorry than Safe (live) (mp3)

Music World Closing Sale

I went to Yorkdale mall on the weekend. This is one of the few malls in Canada where Music World still exists. On top of that, it happens to be more conveniently located than the HMV. So I approach the store, only to realize that they're having a store closing sale.

No! You can't do that! You're pretty much the only other CD/DVD store in Canada! You've survived alongside HMV and the internet for so long! I respected you because of that! You're the alternative! You're Canadian! Fight the power!

But I suppose we all saw it coming. I did some research and it turns out that Music World declared bankruptcy last month after losing over $9 million in the last year and being sold to new owners. I was just a little late to catch on. There's a chance that a few major locations may remain open, but the game is pretty much over when January hits us. Is anyone else reminded of the closure of Sam the Record Man in Toronto during the summer?

I went inside to join the other scavenging shoppers. According to the sign, you save 20% on the last ticketed price on all CDs and DVDs. I picked up a CD that I've been meaning to pick up for a long time- Luke Doucet's "Broken (and other rogue states)". He's a little bit country, a little bit blue, a little bit easy listening and quite a bit talented. He's a Canadian artist, so that already contributes to how under-rated he is, although I've seen two of his videos being played on Much More Music. Nonetheless, the only people I know that has heard his name is Edie, and two of my close friends that learned of him through me.

Luke Doucet - Emily, Please (MP3)
Luke Doucet - It's Not the Liquor I Miss (MP3)

I approached the cash register and was greeted by employee number 002--- (it says on my receipt, but I imagine it'd not be wise to toss his identity out like that.) He was appropriately dressed for his job in a music store, with a hoodie a depressing shade of blue, an eyebrow piercing, few-day-old stubble and a young look about his face. I thought as I placed the disc on the counter, he's surprisingly content despite the closing of his place of employment.


"Just a thought: I wouldn't be able to use my SPC card on top of the 20% discount, would I?" I asked, hoping to save another 10%.
"No, sorry." he replied with a bit of a laugh. "Since we're closing, we don't accept it anymore. But, I do like your hat."
"Thank you!"
He looked down at the CD as he scanned it.
"And I really like Luke Doucet! So I'm gonna give you another 10% off anyway."
"Oh, really? Thank you!... Wow, I didn't think I'd meet anyone that likes Luke Doucet."
"Yeah, me too! I saw his show a while back. He was playing at a film festival and had his wife and kid onstage with him. He did a bunch of Tom Waits covers, which was really cool."

And that's how employee 002--- made me a happy girl, despite the store's closure.

So if you've got some CDs you've been hankering to get, please visit Music World in its last days of life. They're having a sale to mourn their closing.

Semisonic - Closing Time (MP3)