The centre will not hold

William Butler Yeats, in 1932

This might be a long walk but please, walk with me.

Lately, everything’s been a bit much, hasn't it? Just everything. The growing environmental crisis leading to devastating wildfires, floods, landslides and droughts which the oil and gas sector and their minions in government who depend on their economic clout, choose to ignore. The ongoing attacks on Ukraine by Russia. The devastating, disproportionate and disgusting onslaught of Gaza by a west-backed non-democratic Israeli government which we accept because doing something might lead to something worse (though how that could be is beyond me). Continual economic strife caused by an American administration too daft to know what it is doing. That same administration’s quick step into trying to rid the US of all migrants and refugees through autocratic means using questionable arrests and deportations. The same administration is trying to rewrite several decades of advancement of women’s rights and LCBTQ+ acceptance. The same administration’s attempt to ban books and artistic expression which they deem anti-American. Lastly, I suppose, because to give any more examples would be overkill, is the bald-faced corruption of that same administration using their government platform to enrich themselves and their friends (either through cryptocurrency schemes or accepting large gifts from foreign governments). We don’t actually have to look that far. The Ford government in Ontario has made it their policy to dole out money to their friends and patrons who might benefit from any of their unnecessary schemes under the guise of infrastructure. I will also note that none of these governments causing such havoc are lefties. They are hard-right conservatives (from the MAGAites, to Putin, to Netanyahu). They are only growing in number from being elected in Italy, Hungary, and Poland to rising in the polls in Germany and France. Against their namesake, they aren’t conserving anything, especially not norms, which they are dismantling with glee.

It’s hard to put into words or even to know how to react. Then I heard this from Ezra Klein’s podcast:

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Mix Equal Parts Day and Night 

The increasingly misnamed Quarterly Sextodecimo, Autumn 2012 Issue

With the arrival of the Autumnal Equinox, the air has chilled faster than a punctured CO₂ cartridge, and I ought to know. In the last 28 days, I've had seven flat tires on three different bikes. It's difficult to imagine a more frustrating occasion of flaccidity than that of a blown tire but if you're going to ride, you're going to get flats. It's equally difficult to accept the changing of the season. I hope this playlist will be a salve to your fading summer sunburn.

Download it here (116 MB - as usual, if you're using iTunes, after importing the tracks, import the included XML file for the playlist to appear in order).

The Tunes

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Synthetically Happy 

Recently a friend and I were having a discussion when I told him that I decided to be happy and that I'd heard people use that expression, "Happiness is a choice". I assume it is so, unless you've had a brain injury or illness that impedes typical brain function (I'll avoid the term "normal"). He then told me I had to see this video, which he then displayed on his large HD TV. There is something to be said for watching Web video on a large HD TV. This TED talk is about 20 minutes, so view it full screen and get comfortable.



As a naive non-scientist I can say the more we learn about the brain, the more it appears like the magic is leaving the world. Do you know what I mean? Primitive man thought almost everything had a spirit or every phenomenon was magical thus spiritual (did we invent religion or are we hard wired for it etc ?) Things that we may have pointed to in the past as proof of the Soul, for instance, are being whittled away and re-imagined as evolutionary science. Charity and altruism aren't part of our humanity but simply ways we have been configured to preserve our species thus continue our genes. We have empathy and can read each other's emotions as a form of communication. Communication helps us form communities where we thrive and when we thrive our species has success and can continue. I know there have been some explanations of why we are able to make music or why we create art, I just can't think of them at the moment. We know why the sunset is orange and now we're figuring out why we think sunsets are pretty. Personally, I still think there is too much "magic" in the world to completely explain away the existence of "the Other" out there which is why I can't describe myself as an atheist (though I still wouldn't describe myself as very spiritual. A nice guy, sure, but not someone who depends on spirituality). Oddly, as this TED talk seems to be another scientific nail in our spiritual coffins it is also resonant of a comment I often think of from the Dali Lama. I'm not Buddhist but at some point you have to respect a guy who thinks a lot about these things. When asked the meaning of life, his answer was direct, (I'm paraphrasing), "The meaning of life is simple. Be happy and be useful". I'm still working on both, but recently I definitely think happiness is a state of mind you make not something you find which reflected nicely by Dan Gilbert's talk and the Dalai Lama's instruction to just "be happy". Not find happiness, but be happy. I'm on it.

In With the New (Music) 

'All Songs' Listeners Pick The Best Albums Of 2010

This isn't really new and I suppose I should have posted it oh, about 10 or 11 days ago, but here we are and seeing as no one has a time machine or anything and I can't just "back-post" or something, I'm posting this now. It's All Songs Considered Listeners Picks for 2010.

The only podcasts I ever listen to more than once are music podcasts and good ones are like great self-contained playlists. A few times a year All Songs Considered do a round up of the favourite bands, artists, concerts, or over looked albums. But their listener picks are pretty great.

If, for some reason, you are thinking to yourself, "What are the cool kids listening to these days?" Well, this is it. You can hear most tracks in their entirety either by listening to the podcast online or or by downloading it.

I've made an iTunes Playlist here. Too bad you don't get that awesome one penny discount on a playlist the way you do on an album.

The podcast only plays the top 25 listener picks but PDF of the top 100 is available here.

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 25

It occurs to me that recent episodes of this podcast have been slightly soft. Fear not. Prepare yourself, for it is time to be rocked and/or rolled. I'm talking about putting a brick through the other guy's windshield. I'm talking about taking it out and chopping it up. In the land of the Northern Lights and the Canadian Tuxedo we do things loudly. With licks hot enough to burn your fingers and hooks sharp enough to hang meat, I give you The Besnard Lakes, The Constantines, and Black Mountain. These bands can't hold a grudge because they're too busy grinding their axes.

Episode 25: You Will Be Rocked and/or Rolled
plays 12:25 mins

Links Open the iTunes Music Store
1. Devastation - The Besnard Lakes
2. Hotline Operator - The Constantines
3. Evil Ways - Black Mountain

It has not gone unnoticed that this is not just the last podcast of the year, but also the 25^th LAB Mixtape showcasing over 80 songs. Please join with us as we plan an international celebration of this very special podcast (which may happen to coincide with some other year end event). So pop a cork and indulge in the whimsy of trying to somehow commemorate a year or a decade. Remember what Abe Lincoln said, "It's not the years in the life that counts. It's the life in the years that count."

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 24 

The holiday season brings with it an unbearable amount of seasonal music, which we promptly forget on December 26th. It's fair to say that winter does not receive the same kind of musical treatment that the other three seasons enjoy. With that in mind, these are three songs that bring winter and the end of the year to mind without the sentiment nor the nostalgia usually brought to forefront in December. They speak of remembrances, isolation and loneliness or the stillness of a snow-covered field.

Episode 24: Winter Solstice
plays 11:35 mins

links open the iTunes Music Store
1. Little Girl Blue - Nina Simone
2. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
3. The Last Laughter of the Laughter - Travis

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 23 

The lineage of Black American music is simply too deep and broad to discuss here, yet recently I was struck by similarities heretofore unseen, that now seem obvious. I suppose they were always obvious but humor me. These are the small epiphanies one receives after three hours on a bicycle, while listening to music served randomly and serendipitously by an unbiased iPod. I present to you, Prince, Michael Jackson and the masterful Curtis Mayfield. No explanations required.

Episode 23: The Undeniable Blackness of American Music
plays 18:47 mins — officially the longest running Mixtape thanks to the over 9 minute Mayfield track (which still leaves you wanting more).

links open the iTunes Music Store
1. Black Sweat - Prince
2. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson
3. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield

PS. Apologies for the extremely poor down sampling on the Prince track.

Lab Mixtapes: Episode 22 

Sometimes you hear a particular instrument and it strikes you as so odd and wonderful you wonder why you don't hear it more often. The banjo comes to mind, and, yes, the harp. I know what you're thinking. "Aren't harps played by fat people dressed as angels in cheese commercials?" Yes - also by that strange woman seen playing with classical quartets who knows too much about Wiccan Rice Krispie recipes. But they also create a window to some far off magical place. Be it in your mind, your heart, or as in the cheese commercials, your gut. All I'm saying is give the harp a chance.

Episode 22: The Harp Will Rock You
plays 11:16 mins

Links open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Like Someone in Love - Bjork
2. Exploration - Bruno Coulais, Mathilde Pellegrini, Hélène Breschand
3. The Sprout and the Bean - Joanna Newsom

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 21 

A stretch of rainy weather and cloudy skies reminded me of Seattle, home to many pop/rock phenomenon, and the spiritual starting point for this mixtape. I came to know these three bands at around the same time thanks to sources like CBC Radio 3, NPR's All Songs Considered, KEXP from Seattle and surprisingly, Believer Magazine which publishes an annual collection of loosely curated musical selections.

Intelligent lyrics (they use some big words), simple, personal stories performed to ruckus folk-rock melodies and a sort of anti-glamour touch of bittersweetness are hallmarks of Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists and The Shins. Is that what the kids-too-old-to-be-kids call "Emo" or are we in "Twee' territory here? Hmm, no, me thinks we'll preserve "Twee" for the Belle & Sebastian Mixtape. From that description, these guys are a set of bright t-shirts away from being the Wiggles. Yet there's a propensity for wearing geeky eyewear and getting the "indie" chick from the record store (or Zoe Deschanel in the case of Death Cab for Cutie's front man). Each of these bands have found a healthy audience while maintaining that unknowable metric known in this bureau as "indie cred". Enjoy and remember, grey skies are going to clear up. Eventually.

Episode 21
Runs 10:10 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. I WIll Follow You Into The Dark – Death Cab For Cutie
2. We Will Become Silhouettes – The Shins
3. The Rake's Song - The Decemberists

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 20 

This week I've become nostalgic for the coming end of summer, so I thought I'd lay these summer tracks at your feet as a sacrifice to please the Gods of Autumn. What makes a song a summer song? I have no idea. Breezy melodies that carry through the warm evening air or that are heard coming from car stereos or out on the street. Maybe? Who Knows? Enjoy with an SPF of no less than 30.

These three songs have been playing over and over in my head so much that they've become my de facto summer soundtrack. Oddly, these tracks represent a cavalcade of the animal kingdom, featuring Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse, Caribou and Grizzly Bear. I guess summer is more about the fauna than the flora?

Episode 20
Runs 12:10 mins

1. Just War – Sparklehorse & Danger Mouse
Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
2. She's The One – Caribou
3. Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 19

For once, this opening music from Champion out of Montreal isn't just an intro, it's the first track in this mix. The Canadian music scene is a strangely fertile place for electronic artists who plug in, tune in and drop the needle in the most inventive ways. Even if you've never listened to DJ driven tracks before, such as those by The Chemical Brothers or Daft Punk, I hope you'll find something to like in this trio. I will say that the last track by Holy F**k powered me through an eighty kilometer bike ride and continues to be my "motivation" soundtrack.

Episode 19
Runs 11:38mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Sergio's Trio - Champion
2. Melody Day - Caribou
3. Lovely Allen - Holy F**k

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 18

Covering Radiohead songs is nothing new but the song, "Creep" is special and has been covered by so many other artists, it's hard to keep track (people such as Beck, Moby, and Korn, have all performed it live). Even Radiohead has recorded a pared-down sparse acoustic version. It's a remarkably versatile number and lends itself to instrumental arrangements. While the song remains the same it's curious how it seems to speak to so many different song writers. Listen for yourself and see if it speaks to you.

Note: This song drops the F-bomb at least once so you're likely to hear it three or four times in this podcast. If you're offended by such language I recommend firing a shot gun near your ears so as to cause deafness, because that's really the only way you'll be able to avoid hearing this particular word in the 21st century, media-drenched world.

Episode 18
Runs 15:16 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Creep - Edmund Welles
2. Creep - Pretenders
3. Creep - Anni Rossi
4. Creep (acoustic) - Radiohead

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 17

I dreamt a dream of walking along a thunderstorm soaked¹ New York City street. I found a CBGB's way bill. Tonight's show would highlight only ass-kicking New York City Rocker Chicks. including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Karen O, Blondie with Debbie Harry and the inimitable Patti Smith headlining. Alas, CBGB's is no more, though the music remains and as always, – dreaming is free.

Episode 17
Runs 11:27 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store:
1. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2. Dreaming - Blondie
3. Gimme Shelter - Patti Smith

FN1. As I write this Toronto is being sparked by shocks of lightning brighter than any paparazzi's flare so I can say this mix fits well with a rainy night.

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 16

I'll always associate Elvis Costello with a group of artists, many from the UK, that broke through the grip of top forty play lists in the 80s. Perhaps mis-labelled "New Wave", bands like Elvis Costello & the Attractions, The Jam, The Squeeze, Talking Heads, Blondie and Joe Jackson crackled and spat through mainstream radio and made college stations worth listening to. What powered these acts wasn't just a newfound intensity but great songwriting. The Jam's Paul Weller and Elvis Costello have few successors today but one band that reminds me of those earlier acts is the New Pornographers and their main songsmith A.C. Newman. Newman might be one of Canada's best songwriters at the moment and no other band can match the New Pornographers output of consistent quality pop songs. Viewers of CBC's The Hour may be too familiar with this Newman tune, "Use It" but it reminds me so much of the Costello Classic "What's so funny" it was hard not to include in this mix.¹

Episode 16
Runs 11:27 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. That's Entertainment - The Jam
2. What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3. Use It - The New Pornographers

FN 1. I had originally planned A.C. Newman's newest single "Ten or Twelve Things" in this mix but there was no denying the drum break being so similar to the "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding" so I gave in. Plus Twin Cinema is an album that, if it were an ultimate fighter were slay any and all comers.

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 15

After my first listen of the Strokes debut album, I had the feeling I had heard this lo-fi sound before. To my mind it seemed very much like the Velvet Underground but to other ears the music sounded more like the Buzzcocks. The influences in this mix run pretty deep. Artists like Bowie and Iggy Pop followed the Velvet Underground, who in turn collaborated with the likes of Brian Eno. Whether the Strokes were paying homage or borrowing it's clear they are (to borrow a phrase myself) standing on the shoulders of giants. Enjoy. Sunglasses and leather jackets may be required.

Episode 15
Runs 11:23 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. Take It Or Leave It - The Strokes
2. Everybody's Happy Nowadays - Buzzcocks
3. I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 14

Guy Maddin made a film called The Saddest Music in the World. Did he have this music in mind? Christine Fellows sings about loss and memory, while Cat Power, sings of regret, pain and forgiveness. The Weakerthans quietly ruminate on a simple prayer in a hospital room. Sarah Harmer may be the odd one out in this mix but this particular song, Lodestar, is to me, beautifully sad but finishes on more of an up note. I just couldn't bring myself to swallow that many downers in a row¹.

Episode 14
Runs 14:49 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. I Don't Blame You - Cat Power
2. Verterbrae - Christine Fellows
3. (hospital vespers) - The Weakerthans
4. Lodestar - Sarah Harmer

FN 1. That was actually an unintentional pun on suicide. Only one of these artists have attempted suicide that I know of. I've been reading a lot of David Foster Wallace lately and of course have read about his suicide and struggle with depression. Then I found myself reading about Ludwig Wittgenstein's brilliant family. Two of his brothers committed suicide as did another relative. Ludwig thought of it often and as early as the age of ten. It occurred to me that maybe "genius" as we know it, really is a type of damaged brain. A mind swirling with too many things at once, going into dark places where it may not return. We revere the brilliant, the genius, yet is there a kind of intelligence so severe it casts the mind into constantly thinking of ending itself? At any rate, it makes being average seem a little more salable.

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 12

There's a pretty clear bloodline between Sonic Youth, the Pixies and The Breeders, so I won't really elaborate. Recently, iTunes made this Julie Doiron song the free download of the week and I was struck by how much it reminded me of The Breeders album Last Splash. I see other iTunes Listeners bought Cat Power, but maybe that's because they already have Last Splash and Dirty in old fashioned CD format. Enjoy the distortion, it's there for a reason.

PS. I realize having "Gigantic" from The Pixies may be redundant but that song kicks ass, so if I want it in there - it goes in there.

Episode 12
Runs 12:14 mins

Links open the iTunes Music Store
1. Gigantic - The Pixies
2. JC - Sonic Youth
3. Saints - The Breeders
4. Consolation Prize - Julie Doiron

PS. I'm actually writing this two days before Good Friday and I can't help but wonder if there's not a hidden Christian theme of redemption, revelation and forgiveness in this mixtape. Probably not. Right? Nah? JC doesn't mean Jesus Christ and Saints well that's just, um, about a summer carnival thing. Right.

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 13

I never really imagined having a Coldplay song in one of these sets. Yet, here it is - with a twist of lime. Each song in the mixtape this week is culturally displaced and remixed. British power pop performed as Cuban Big Band. Irish Art Rock fashioned as a Reggae tune and finally a reggae classic sounding like a piece of rootsy Americana. Nothing is as it seems through the looking glass.

It's proof of the strength of these songs that they are so successfully re-imagined. "Radiodread" wins for best pun and is probably the best example. Radiohead songs all performed as reggae? It works brilliantly. Radiohead are just one of those bands whose influence is seen merely by the number of artists covering their songs working in completely different genres: reggae, jazz, classical. Another great collaboration is Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer singing Bob Marley's Redemption Song. These two older artists interpreting Marley is sublime and inspired.

Episode 13
Runs 11:56 mins

Links below open the iTunes Music Store
1. Clocks - Rhythms Del Mundo
2. No Surprises - Easy Star All-Stars
3. Redemption Song - Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 11

Pianissimo may mean to play softly but there's nothing too soft about this week's tracks. From the romantic swooning of Royal Wood, to the Prog-rock inspired sounds of Plants and Animals, to the airy and atmospheric Patrick Watson, each of these songs are anchored by the piano and by a kind of bigness. At times they verge on an almost "twee" sound but in the end, the strength of the songwriting comes through and leaves you wanting more.

Perhaps you think this music sounds kitschy and pretentious to your troll-like ears. That's okay. To get through this life you must learn to accept when you are wrong and that you are just being a bit of a jerk. This set starts like a Merlot but finishes like a boiler-maker. If you wind up in AA don't call me unless, as one of your 12 steps, you're calling to apologize about being wrong about this music.

Episode 11
Runs 11 mins

Links open the iTunes music store
1. Mirror Without - Royal Wood
2. Luscious Life- Patrick Watson
3. Bye Bye Bye - Plants and Animals

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 10

What do a Gypsy, a Spaniard and two Brazilian pop stars have in common? No, it's not a joke, it's an instrument. Namely, the guitar. Recently I was watching Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and Spanish guitar plays a small but important role in the plot which is what brought this music to mind. I mean, my God, even the names of these artists have flair — Django, Paco, Gilberto. Fair warning, if you are walking right now, you may begin to skip, if you're sitting you may begin to stand and if you're standing you may begin to dance. Don't blame me, blame the guitar.

Episode 10
Runs 12:20 mins

Links below open the iTunes Store
Introduction music - Iguazu - Gustavo Santaolalla
1. Honeysuckle Rose - Django Reinhardt
2. La Nina De Puerta Oscura - Paco De Lucía
3. Morre O Burro Fica O Homem - Gilberto Gil & Jorge Ben