from Sleigh Bells last night

And a super crappy quality copy of “To Tundra”

I apologize, I never used this camera before for video, had no idea how bad it was.

Setlist, Night 2

My copy of Hello Sadness

So while I was waiting for the show on Sunday, I decided to go on more of a Scott Pilgrimage continuing from where I left off. Some of these took ages to find but I was overjoyed to find them.

Knives’s School

Wychwood Library (where Scott first spots Ramona)

Second Cup (The one where Scott’s sister works at)

Pizza Pizza (Scott & Knives pass it on their first date)

Goodwill (Again, the one Scott & Knives go to on their first date)

Hillcrest Park (Where Scott & Ramona go on their first date)

and the hardest to find but the coolest.

Scott & Wallace’s House (It really is literally a garage)

Seeing these guys tomorrow and Sunday here in Toronto.
My favorite band’s first television performance!!! 

Also, I think Jason is the first to appear on Letterman in a Manchester United jersey.

Doubly fucking awesome

Top 10 Songs of 2011 

04. The Weeknd - House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls

Speaking of new artists that kicked open the door in 2011, there’s probably none who did so to the extent of The Weeknd. Releasing 3 full album length mixtapes in one year while consistently delivering with each one, as well as finding himself on a handful of other hip-hop & R&B artists records by the end of the year, 2011 was gonna end with everyone knowing who this guy is.

The Weeknd is a 21 year old R&B/Hip-Hop artist out of Toronto and while many might be quick to make the connections with this guy and Drake, that would be a huge mistake. In truth, while occupying places on the same spectrum, The Weeknd is more or less the anti-Drake. While Drake’s music is filled with regrets, despair, heartache and longing, The Weeknd is uncomfortable confrontational. The Weeknd works over slices and diced beats of famous songs but produces a sound that’s at once catchy as it is foreboding, claustrophobic, and paranoid. No sweet sentiments here, rather the lyrics of The Weeknd’s work at times echo early Bret Easton Ellis novels with dark seedy tales of drugs, sex, and violence.

And with a Siouxsie and the Banshees’s song reproduced to a euphoric dance fever on House of Balloons before dropping into a gritty minimalist beat playing under the details of The Weeknd’s sleazy rhymes on Glass Table Girls, no song better captures The Weeknd than this.

or maybe not.

So I actually started writing this while I was procrastinating, and then I procrastinated even more, and then I finally finished working out, which I did around maybe 2 in the morning. Go me and laziness!

But then I got lost in trying to narrow my songs of the year nominees and came up with about 70 finalists, so I’ll hve to hack that bad boy down when I get the time. Fuck knows when I’ll do my films one, probably round Oscar noms time again, since I still have a lot to see.

So like shit, I haven’t caught up with you guys since like what, Halloween?

Ok. Well then here’s been my life -

My crappy retail job basically went mental. I’ve been working only a few hours under full-time for like the last 3 weeks during the Holiday season and working in the kids department no less. My manager is still a condescending prick and hates me. There’s also like hardcore dramu going on at work too cause he hates our assistant manager and is trying to get her fired. The store is more or less with the assistant manager though cause she’s awesome, so he’s got some hard work ahead of him. Our assistant manager is one of the few people I legitimately love to work with. She’s funny, warm, kind, super relaxed and chill, swears like a sailor and is an excellent leader, cause she makes you actually feel like you’re contributing something and appreciates the work you do.

Me and the cute new girl at work are still close but not much to really report on that front. I mean, she’s married, and she’s crazy about the boy, nothing is gonna change, that’s fine, something I sorta accepted awhile ago. Plus at this point it’s almost getting to the point where we’re setting into our platonic broship where we give each other shit and banter everyday. Does that stop me from checking her out when she’s not noticing? Hell no, but at least I don’t feel I have to try to impress or charm her or anything. 

There’s been some Holidays too. Remember my epic Halloween food blog? Could’ve done one twice the size with Christmas shit if I wasn’t lazy. See, Christmas is my shit. I know being in my 20s and my general tastes and sensibilities should probably dictate that I’d be sorta cynical and shitty about Christmas but I’m not. I should talk about how it’s crass commercialization and a bastardized version of the Holiday is all that remains, but god bless it, god bless this commercilization. Because see, I buy into it, I go for it 110%. Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch? Those are my boys right there. I don’t give a shit about religion or Jesus. I may be older now, but that doesn’t stop me from still even if for a few hours buying into the mythology and fantasy of Christmas. I wasn’t the kid who had figured out Santa wasn’t real before others, I was the one who found out way too late and embarassed himself, but I’m fine with that. And I still remember all those emotions and the excitement that came with the holiday as a kid. I still love Christmas movies and music and the decorations, it’s the one Holiday I genuinely care about during the year.  And was this year’s perfect? No, it’s Christmas, it never is. But it was alright, it was nice, and I was happy, and that matters.

(Footnote: If you’re wondering which Seasonal Foods did do it for me, then the answers would be the Sweet Cinnamon Wheat Thins, White Chocolate & Peppermint Pretzel Chips at Target, Gingerbread Lattes at Starbucks)

I also celebrated the insanity of Black Friday, (like every year) but in ridiculous fashion this year. I mean, on the downside, it kind of ended up consuming my whole like Thanksgiving, I missed the Macy’s Parade which I haven’t done since, well ever, but I had a nice Thanksgiving dinner. Then I went out to Best Buy to take my chances waiting 6 hours in the cold for a HDTV, but unfortunately didn’t get there early enough for it. From there I hit up tons of different stores, getting FIFA 12 for half price, getting some DVDs for like dirt cheap, getting a solid new pair of headphones for 60% at Radioshack (STEAL) and then going and blowing about $100 while at the Urban Outfitters sale. I did this through the night though, so like, I left at 8 PM on Thanksgiving and just wrapped up shopping around 11 AM the next morning. It’s at THIS point, where I still had to go work the rest of the day. So I caught a bus across the city and spent the next 8 hours limbering across the store like a zombie, it was, uh, shit.

Speaking of shit experiences? Don’t work the kids department during the Holiday season with a massive fucking hangover, it may drive you to suicide if it doesn’t kill you itself. Went out for a night to see !!! and hang with some buds from school and ended up drinking enough to work up the courage to talk to the girl who was dancing with me after the show had and then drank even more to to keep dancing. At a certain point I just remember bits of our conversation, getting a ride from a friend, bits of being at a dive bar I don’t remember and that’s about it. Good night? For sure, but the next day? Christ all-fuckin mighty.

Uh, what else, I’ve been working on a project with someone from school. He wants to make a short film for some local film festivals and stuff and saw my work in class and asked me to help him out with it, so we’ve been meeting about that but need a day when the weather is right to shoot.  He’s a good dude, got some decent ideas, and hoping he’ll repay the favor too when I finally finish what I’m writing now. Oh and the fact that he’s got good weed doesn’t hurt either. Also I might have another project coming up to shoot a music video for a local band that one of my friends know. So stay tuned for that, we’ll see. Not my style of music, but won’t say no to some work.

Uhhh, I’ve been really tired constantly, like really tired. I wake up, haven’t done anything, and am already exhausted. I can’t get enough sleep though cause I can’t just like come home from work and not do anything or I feel I’m losing myself or like my sense of identity. I never just want to find myself in a cycle of just wake up - work - come home - sleep. So I’ll sacrifice one for the other.

I’ve seen some movies though, and really loved some. I’m sure you guys saw my frothing at the mouth over Hugo but I also really enjoyed Martha Marcy May Marlene, Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and found Muppets to be pretty terrific.

So that brings us to now. Well right now I’m moving in with my grandmother for the next month until I go back to school. I need to as best I can be able to save money for school and this seems to be the best way even if it’s not something I really like, but I’m getting close and I’m worried with the time and finances. So yay for living in the suburbs of Buffalo. =\

I’m not really sure what I’m doing this weekend but with all this free time I’ve been having now that the Holiday season is over, I hope to. I have a good crew of Man United supporters to hang with but it’s tough with not really having that many people I’m close with here. Which I should also say in regards of holidays, brings me to why New Years Eve is probably my least favorite. See, New Years is kind of like an utterly senseless ultimatum in our culture. It’s the night that society says, “Go out, get drunk, be stupid”. It’s basically a holiday to party, and if you don’t, you kinda sit at home watching people party and the ball drop and can’t help but feel lonely. Even worse though is the double-edged sword of it though, because what does New Years start with but the countdown to the New Year and you guessed it, a New years kiss. I mean, the holiday can feel lonely enough on it’s own but going out with coupled friends in previous years has always made this a surefire way to feel a bit lonely. I mean sure, maybe you’ll be saved at the last moment by another attractive person as lonely as you are (has happened before) but your odds aren’t great.

Plus the whole idea around it is dumb. Nothing changes when the year does, that’s just like, I mean come on, it’s not even exciting after you’re like 5 and realize tomorrow is just gonna be another day with a new calendar year. If you have resolutions, why the arbitrary start date? Start now, do it for real.

On the bright side though, only a few weeks till my trip up to Toronto for back to back nights of Los Campesinos! Now there’s a day that means something to me.

Anyway, this is kinda just an update and rant and jumbled thoughts, overall, doing alright, hanging in. Haven’t talked to some of you in ages now, drop me a line, lemme know how you’ve been, what you’re up to.

thejuanreyes:

gabdar:

This is all just too great.

Ahh neat. 

Been to all these places. I just wish Sonic Boom wasn’t forced to move too, loved the old location.

Can’t wait to go back to Lee’s Palace for Los Campesinos! in January.

Toronto’s my 2nd city.

brokenaccidentalstars:

devtchka:

Sonic Boom (Kensington Market)

Sonic Boom records recently announced they were vacating the premises at 512 Bloor West, to be replaced by not one but two new locations. While the store in the Honest Ed’s building on Bathurst just south of Bloor is not yet operational, a brand new Kensington Market branch is up and running as of yesterday. (August 10th)

I wonder if Dallas has been here yet.

This makes me so so sad, Sonic Boom is my favorite record store in the world. Even more so than any record store in New York or LA (Sonic Boom > Amoeba) and I thought especially with Scott Pilgrim, that it was on it’s way to becoming an iconic landmark of Toronto, or at the very least of the Annex. Sad to see it had to move, no more basement with live shows.

Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing! at Wrongbar, Toronto (October 8th, 2010)

Honestly one of the greatest nights of my life

The Weeknd - House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls

Kept hearing about this album but only just got around to listening to it, happy I did, so good, so so good.

I’d even say we could meet half way but there’s just the fucking atlantic then BOOM Canada.

I could settle for Canada! Toronto is my 2nd favorite city.

Oh my god, thank you, you’re awesome