i guess they really love me...less than three months of joining ckrg and becoming a dj - they have promoted me to a music director position! this is totally a dream come true for me because i now i can rule all and i have final say on what records get into rotation at the station. i love this power. i'll listen to almost anything, and i can tell you if you're good, so if you in a band/know a band and/or have contacts to any indie/major label or promotional/distribution company...please do get in touch and send me some music!

look how cute these are! they are hoodies for your ipod! who's going to buy me the pink one for christmas? you can order them online right here for $24 u.s. i'm also in love with this cute little portable record player apparently from japan...on the same site...it's a tad pricey but it's so darn cute!

LAST CHRISTMAS I GAVE YOU SUCH PRETTY VINYL

my friend sean mccabe just gave me a preview of this asobi seksu & pas/cal split 12' single and it's sooooo good. asobi seksu's version of the ramones' "merry christmas (i don't want to fight tonight" totally incorporates their trademark sound - lovely vocals, fuzzy mbv-guitars and a melodic, driving drum beat. it's totally lush. excellent! pas/cal's take on wham!'s "last christmas" is even better (if you can believe it)...it's a perfect slice of holiday pop. you all know the song, now hear it like it's your very first time all over again...there's a pretty piano, and even prettier harmonies. the best thing about is the unexpected solos and sonic experimentations. totally dreamy.

you can pre-order is very soon on this site so get yer ass over there a.s.a.p.! it's limited to only 500 copies and will sure be a very valuable collector's item one day, especially cause both bands absolutely rock. sean also did the artwork of course, and i reckon it's the cutest thing EVAH and totally worth the price alone.

this will also be the first release for the new romantic air recording co. started by pas/cal's own bernard levine. it says on the label's site that he hopes "to set a high standard of music, design, and packaging that encourages fine attention to subtlety and an unwavering wit. With the aid of some glimmer of good fortune we plan to use the label as a medium through which to spread our slightly skewed gospel truths of beauty & beautiful truths, brightening every gray corner of the globe. We hope you enjoy this initial offering - look at it as our little Holiday gift to all of you!"

if you want it hear the record first, you'll have to tune in to my radio show tomorrow (or i guess today...i'm up so late!) at 1-2:30 p.m. GOT IT?

LOVE'S BEEN GOOD TO ME

i've been obsessively listening to frank sinatra. i've finally decided that he is the best male pop vocalist of all-time. i just adore his voice...it makes me smile and swing around the room. i've totally started binging on christmas music by the way, so i just picked up his a jolly christmas from frank sinatra album, i haven't listened to it yet, although it sure looks fantastic. i originally wanted to buy this cd but the store didn't have it, so i settled for this instead. i also got michael buble's let it snow e.p. and it's absolutely fantastic. i've played it many, many times already. my favourite is his rendition of "grown up christmas list". he totally reminds me of mr. sinatra, and i don't care...he's younger and cuter!

i can't wait until christmas, it's totally my favourite time of the year. not much longer to go i suppose...just got to get through this long-ass shakespeare paper i'm working on now and final exams.

i'm going to prepare for my indie rock x'mas radio show tonight. it's the last show of the year, because the station is going on hiatus/vacation until january - so tune in tomorrow from 1-2:30 p.m. to hear some of my favourite acts sing you original and classic x'mas favourites :)

want free tickets to the up-coming high dials show in toronto (december 17th)? i've got a whole bunch to give away courtesy of the rainbow quartz label & CKRG 89.9 fm...please make sure you can make the date, then all you gotta do is e-mail me and tell me how great i am and why you want 'em. tell all your friends, pass this along. share the love.

also in my ears: nyc's other passengers who has an excellent e.p. out titled is it nothing to you, all those who pass by?. they kinda sound like jesus & mary chain during some parts of their songs - all very dark and gloomy, yet very powerful. i also like the winter pageant. so very pretty soft rock, really reminds of broken social scene...c'est tout pour aujourd'hui, au revoir mes amis... j'espère que vos jours et les nuits sont remplies avec la bonne musique

I JUMPED UP AND I FELT TIPSY I CAN'T STAND UP

the walkmen rocked david letterman last night with their performance of "little house of savages" (their new single). as i've mentioned before, hamilton leithauser is easily the most dynamic frontman i have ever laid eyes on. he just totally gives it all into every single performance.

i love their latest album, bows + arrows and it is easily one of the finest records released this year. they are one of those bands that tread the fine line between anger and romance. the songs are warm and cold at the same time, and i've discovered that their music is great to play when you're inebriated, or at least in a semi-conscious state at 3 a.m. their melodies are so well developed you can't even tried to hide it and some of the lyrics are so devastatingly honest, it really gives you a blow to the heart just when you least expect it. then of course there is their signature old piano tinkering that takes precedence on many of their songs...it's so pretty and fits in so perfectly into their music. the guitars are near-breathtaking and the percussion just kicks your ass every single damn time you put on the record. there is so much love and energy and passion to the music of the walkmen that you'd be silly not to embrace.

TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW

word is that jude law is the SEXIEST MAN ALIVE. this completely took me surprise...when i found out, i got this puzzled look on my face and wondered to myself, where do you suppose they got that idea from? weird. anyway, can't wait to flip through this at work later this week.

i went skating on saturday evening with some friends and it was so much fun. have i mentioned how much i love skating? i contemplated sharpening my skates because it's been long overdue but i never ended up doing it because i was afraid they would become almost "too sharp" and i'd slip and do a horrible fall on the ice. i figure i'll eventually have to do it because the blades are getting rather dull. funny thing is i ended up seeing a lot of kids that come to the library where i work at the rink (although both the library and the rink are in the vicinity), a couple of them said "hi". near the end, we ended up playing tag and i was horrible at it because i can not speed skate for anything!

the afternoon was spent watching down with love on dvd today. i loved every minute of it! renee zellweger and ewan mcgregor were great in their respective roles. the visuals were great, as they really tried to pay homage to the old romantic comedies of the late 50s and 60s. i loved how nearly every frame was bursting with colour. it was so snazzy and very well put-together. it was also a very sweet romantic comedy. props to the music supervisor for including frank sinatra's "fly me to the moon" (such a great classic!) into the movie.

i started off the morning by playing my favourite interpol video on my computer before going to work. i adore this band. i've just realized that their official website now hosts all their videos and you can stream them all on this page for your viewing pleasure. go now! the video for obstacle 1 is directed by the ever so lovely floria sigismondi (who has worked with my other favourites - bjork and sigur ros). it's totally awesome, i really love the first frame with all their wires moving around like that. and paul looks so suave in his glasses, sam is really banging the hell out of those drums, carlos looks as fashionable as ever...and my sweet daniel even does his little foot dance (you can see it better in the slow hands video). there's a couple close-ups of him and he looks oh-so-great. the best part of the video though is the girl they have, who does this manic-dancing as if possessed by their music, it's beautiful and creepy at the same time. anyways - do check it out because there are many great shots.

on a side note, i also love feist's video for "one evening". it was the last video they played during last night's the wedge and it's great. very simple - she's just dancing with this man and the backdrops change from time to time. i love the routine, i'm going to learn it. yup. you can view it on her site if you click on "videos".

sondre lerche is co-hosting on much music's the wedge, like, right now. i know it's old but guess what? he looks so adorable! and he played a belle and sebastian video ("step into my office, baby) and beck ("dead weight") and talked about his undying love for a-ha. so cute. i'm going to faint...well, not really but at least i can let out a couple dozen sighs. sondre is like the epitome of cuteness. i just want to pick him up and put him in my pocket, and show him around. i can't ever think of him in a sexual way or anything...i just always have this overwhelming urge to like, hug him...and really squeeze him and protect him. yeah. okay, i'll shuddup now. good night everyone.

p.s. i'm listening to coldplay again. "the scientist" is such a hauntingly beautiful song. i can't wait for the next album. i've started reading this new biography on the band by gary spivack called look at the stars. it's great - so many nice photos and the total inside scoop on the band.

it's been a very relaxing day off, even though i should be busting my butt right about now working on completing my assignment for my shakespeare class. .so far i have spent the day watching ashton kutcher movies and old episodes of buffy on dvd. i like ashton - he's goofy, totally cute and his movies are totally silly and dumb. what's a better way to spend a friday afternoon? and i forgot how good buffy is...i totally stopped watching the show after angel left (i know, i'm shallow), but it's so well written..i guess i'll slowly catch up.

and right now i'm listening to this my morning jacket album and it's so good. it's definitely one of those albums i missed out on when it was originally released in 2003. it's definitely country-influenced rock and roll, but it's so pretty at the same time while still taking cues from classic rock (think led zep). it's bold and ambient, with harmonies that are almost-epic. me thinks this will stay in my stereo for some time.

I LOVE YOU 'CAUSE I HAVE TO

i finally scored myself a copy of the dogs die in hot cars album and it's great. so much fun to listen to, i'm dancing in my underwear! it kinda reminds me of franz ferdinand mixed in with those lads from the futureheads with a toss of xtc, talking heads and early 90s brit pop (pulp, blur) thrown into the blender. it starts off this crazy piano part, and then goes into a total funky jerky rhythm that is prominent throughout the record. the band also harmonize with each other through a lot of the songs, just like the aforementioned futureheads. ace! my favourite song so far is "somewhat off the way"...the "oh oh ohs..." sound kinda cheesy, but i love this stuff.

so i took a break from working on my ethics paper to watch the o.c. because the walkmen were going to be featured on the show. they performed their new single, "little house of savages" and "what's in it for me" i also watched for seth cohen, baby! the boy is too cute. totally adorable. i loved the last scene with him wearing that cute little dress shirt and black tie. sigh. and he likes such good music - i mean, it's the walkmen!

we come together making chance into starlight
meet me tomorrow night, or any day you want
i have no right to wonder just how, or when
and though the meaning fits, there's no relief in this
i miss my beautiful friend.

today is jeff buckley's birthday and there are celebrations happening all over the world...

fans in toronto can attend the canadian premiere of the documentary "amazing grace" on the life of jeff buckley tonight at 9:30 p.m @ the bloor cinema downtown. bring a non-perishable food item as admission. more details are available here.

so light a candle and play "grace" all night, for it is one of the most divine albums ever produced.

happy birthday jeff!

all the cool indie kids are talking about death cab for cutie's recent move from barsuk to a certain major label so i decided to take out the photo album again to load up onto sebastian the ipod. it's been a while since i played the whole album (although i find myself frequently spinning "a movie script ending", my favourite dcfc tune) and i nearly forgot how amazing this album is. i forgot how emotional it is...every word ben gibbard sings just resonates so well with me. it was like i was listening to it for the very first time all over again, don't you just love that feeling?

i do. wow. the postal service it ain't, but it's just as good!

my rebel prince rufus wainwright releases his follow-up to 2003's stunning want one with want two today. the package also includes a dvd of a live concert filmed at san francisco's fillmore auditorium. be sure to pick it up in stores.

playlist 11/16/04 - "the specialist" on ckrg 89.9 fm
1) the winter pageant - "waxing incomplete"
2) the flaming lips - "do you realize?"
3) sigur ros - "untitled"
4) zero 7 - "monday night"
5) royksopp - "sparks"
6) bjork - "all neon like"
7) interpol – “slow hands"
8) the walkmen - "we've been had"
9) belle and sebastian - "sleep the clock around"
10) turin brakes - "blue hour"
11) the doves - "firesuite"
12) badly drawn boy - "fall in a river"
13) the smiths - "the boy with a thorn on his side"
14) ed harcourt - "the ghost's parade"
15) the eels - "grace kelly blues"
16) kings of convenience - "days i had with you"
17) starsailor - "way to fall"
18) john lennon - "watching the wheels"
19) the beach boys - "don't worry baby"
20) the cardigans - "erase/rewind"
21) r.e.m. - "at my most beautiful"
22) ash - "sometimes"
23) ambulance ltd. - "primitive (the way i treat you)

be sure to tune in next tuesday from 1-2:30 p.m.

joss stone is truly a force to be reckoned with, the girl isn't even two decades old and she has released two phenomenal albums in the span of two years. i've had her latest cd, mind, body & soul on repeat on sebastian the ipod all day. i can't remember the last time i grabbed my hairbrush and sang (later turning into lip-synching cause i can't sing for beans) in front of the mirror, praticising my sultry faces... the entire album is just so sexy and it's so fun to just lay back and groove to. i'm thinking this and the latest prince album (which i have taken out out again after a long hibernation) is such a musical aphrodisiac. i seriously love it...and it's a nice break from all the loud and obnoxious rock and roll i am known to wake myself up to. shame on you if you still haven't heard miss. stone's mix of soul, funk and r&b grooves. she's huge in england where she is originally from and i think she's gonna take over the world someday soon. her debut the soul sessions featuring the wonderful cover of the white stripes' "fell in love with a girl" (re-worked to "fell in love with a boy") ended up on a lot of critics "must-have" lists last year. overall, this album is lot stronger than her debut, although the quality of the tracks diminishes in the last four songs.less is more: they really should have scrapped them and ended the album with the gorgeously understated "understand". the instrumentation and production on the record is amazing: piano, horns, bass and electric guitars galore. it totally has an old-school feel to it. the up-tempo tracks are infectious and hook-laden and the slower tracks are so sensual and beautiful.

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress
Or softly lightens o'er her face,
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek and o'er that brow
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,—
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent.

--- Lord Byron

i stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch punch drunk love on dvd last night, and it was fabulous. i'm extremely behind in good movies and this one had been recommended to me time and time again by tons of friends, and i never got around to it. although very slow-paced at first, i ended up really liking it. p.t. anderson is a very good director with such vision...and this was such a beautiful love story (albeit just a little bit twisted, the way i like it to be). and hey, adam sandler didn't annoy me at all. i usually hate his goofball comedies, but this movie showed such a different side of him. you really sympathized with his character, his sisters were completely crazy and controlling his life...no wonder the poor guy had such low self-esteem.

because i'm just so darn creative and artsy, i did a little craft today during my study break...

here is my homemade interpol keychain featuring the guitarist i adore - mr. daniel kessler! wo-hoo! dan is the man, folks. sadly, when i showed it to my friend kristine, she doth lament that i was the world's biggest nerd. i proclaim that she is just jealous that daniel doesn't open the door and come home with her every night.

it took me only five minutes to think of this plan to carry it to the final stages of completion. i'm quite proud of myself and will soon show it off at the next rock and roll show i make an appearance at.

[ i spent a lot of the day wrapped up in blankets, in my pajamas, in bed, drinking jasmine tea, reading lady chatterley's lover (lawrence) and bits and parts of shakespeare's macbeth. ]

the strokes are working on a new album and this week's issue of NME has the details, plus more droolworthy pictures.

on the way to school, i put on a david bowie bootleg from france recorded during his "reality" tour and it was awesome, not only because it sounded like a soundboard recording, but because david bowie just rocks harder than you and me combined. as usual, i was singing along to "china girl" and "changes" (love those songs!) now i'm listening to this new danny michel album where he does cover versions of davie bowie songs and it's pretty great. i wasn't sure what to expect because...well- the original songs are damn well near perfect anyway, but danny really does them justice with his new arrangements, which are mostly slowed down and more folksy. from his country-influenced take on the first track "young americans" on, i was hooked! i like the fact that he didn't pick necessarily pick his biggest hits either which shows that he appreciates bowie's weirder and more experimental tracks. go danny! check out the cover artwork by temple bates, kinda creepy but fitting in the most perfect way imaginable.

i'll start off with a story for you lovelies.

i was coming home from my internship @ chart today and it started to snow a bit...totally crazy! it was kinda cold but i was smart and brought my black gloves with me in the morning. i was standing by the stop waiting for the bus while sebastian the ipod was singing liz phair's "why can't i?" to me...it's been my guilty pleasure for, like, more than a year now. that's also crazy. shuddup! liz phair used to be better than this, yes, but damn - it's like, a perfectly executed pop song. anyway, i get on the bus and sebastian starts playing keane's "somewhere only we know", now i adore this track like crazy. it's such a good piano ballad...yes. i'm slightly bopping my head singing the words softly and i know the music is loud, and i notice the lady sitting beside me is staring at me. i look back and she gives me the dirtiest look - i realize that she hasn't taken a liking to my loud music, i suppose it was clearly spilling out of my headphones and she could probably hear it loud and clear. anyways, i just gave her a "staring is rude!" look and continued to play my music..totally ignoring her, should i really have given a fuck? did she really expect me to turn it down for her? it's my music - i will play is as loud as i please, bitch. you see, this situation has happened to me so many times before, it's not even funny...i usually just give them a dirty look back and continue on my musical bliss. if it really is bugging you, move - because there's plenty-o-room on the bus, lady. the woman should be so lucky she's getting a chance to hear such damn fine music, i bet she listens to ashlee simpson on her dinky radio at home. hahaha.

i finally got around to going through the pictures my cousin and i took together while she was here visiting, and they totally made me laugh and smile thinking back on all the crazy, fun things we did. i totally miss her right now, and i know for sure that if she were here, i would have having way more fun right now.

here's one of my favourites, taken right before we went out clubbing, i'm in the pink of course :)

and these two photos were taken at east side mario's (i love that restaurant!)

...Read less

SO ADORKABLE!

i just finished watching the o.c. season two premiere. hmmm, not that exciting but i suspected as much, just more badly scripted meaningless teen drama. honestly, almost everything about the show annoys the crap out of me, i just watch it occasionally hoping to catch the indie rock references and to stare at adam brody. it's all about seth cohen, baby! talk about geekalicious. i stayed up to watch adam on jimmy kimmel last night before falling asleep and i had good dreams...although we won't get into that.

i want to see alfie this weekend, if i can squeeze in some time. who wants to be my date? come on - it's jude law! jude law! i can't stop watching the commercials/tv spots. what a gorgeous man. le sigh.

i also have this craving for jelly belly jellybeans right now. can someone please buy me some? my favourites are the sweet pear and peach flavours. but really, i'll eat anything sweet...just don't get me the disgusting flavours like black licorice or whatever.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

there's a beatles documentary/special on right now on star tv, but i have a lot of reading to do for class and it took a whole heck of a lot of discipline, but i switched it off (and now i'm wasting time writing in here, typical). anyway, it just talked about their early days and their first visit to the u.s., and they showed interviews from family members and people who worked with them. there wasn't footage i hadn't previously seen anyway, so i'm not too bummed out although seeing the beatles always makes me so happy. you know, i was named after that beatles song michelle. my favourite beatle will always be paul mccartney, although you can certainly argue that john lennon was the more talented one. paul's just always been such a charming man and i love the way he carries himself. i even have his solo records! cheesy love songs ? - yes, please! hehe.

this is turning out to be a really depressing night and i'm in no way refering to the u.s. presidential election. still waiting for the final results to trickle in...

my retarded younger sister decided that i wouldn't notice if she decided to steal about seven of my cds and listen to them. normally i don't mind if she asks politely but i've already banned her from laying a finger on my prized cd collection because this girl has absolutely no respect for other people's things, meaning she damages them and then shrugs it off like it's no big deal. she's really scratched up my discs in the past and even broke my sony discman earlier this year. i was so ticked off about that. today i find out she has really scratched up two of my favourite sonic youth cds, and there are little nicks on the other albums. i take great care and pride in my collection and this just plain pisses me off. i've already yelled at her, but it doesn't change the fact that the cds aren't in perfect condition anymore. i really want to strangle her right now.

after a wonderful day of cd shopping, tim horton's coffee and sushi, i ended up at the futureheads show @ lee's palace last night. what can i say? - the guys are a really tight live band with so much infectious energy. so much fun! after telling us how much they loved toronto, they started off the night with "le garage" and then pretty much played through their entire debut album along with a cover song ("dorian gray") by some band i don't really remember. even though every song seemed to blend into one another after a while, i still love the multiple vocal harmonies and the crazy stage antics. their cover of kate bush's "hounds of love" sounded totally awesome live. i think it's really well done. the band are really worth checking out live and i'm really hoping they'll come back to a small venue like lee's again with their best buddies franz ferdinand but at the rate their popularity is soaring, it seems near impossible. remember they did play at the docks just last month. man, that venue sucks ass... le sigh. ah well.