Archive for the 'weakerthans' Category

The Weakerthans

A couple of days  ago I mentioned my penchant for liking songs about cats.  I probably should’ve been more specific.  I should have mentioned I particularly like songs from the point of view of a cat.  Namely a certain Canadian cat who goes by the delightful moniker Virtute.  As far as my research team {er, me} is concerned Virtute first made her debut on the music scene with a song on The Weakerthans’ 2003 album Reconstruction Site (amazon) (itunes).  It was on this track where she {I assume she’s a she due to Virtute not generally being associate with male cats} lamented the depression of her owner.  She encouraged her owner to live life again.  To invite people and friends over and to forget the past and all those awkward emotions associated with it.  Her best line, “we’ll pass around the easy lie / of absolutely no regrets / and later maybe you could try / to let your losses dangle off / the sharp edge of a century / we’ll talk about the weather or / how the weather used to be.”

Apparently her pleading and good natured ribbing didn’t quite pull through for her lonesome owner.  On last year’s album by The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour (amazon) (itunes), Virtute the Cat again takes the stage and explains why, in the end she chose to leave.  There was a great big world out there and her curiosity simply could not be ignored anymore.  Maybe it was her owner’s depression, maybe he was just getting older, or maybe Virtute and her owner were too similar to share the same space for such a long time.  They both depended too heavily on each other as an emotional crutch and it wasn’t healthy in a long term situation.  In the end she’s ultimately sorry that she left, but she knew she had to go.  If you’re listening to this song the line to wait for is “but I can’t remember the sound that you found for me / I can’t remember the sound.”

mp3 : The Weakerthans - Plea from a Cat Named Virtute
mp3 : The Weakerthans - Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure

I’m a huge fan of The Weakerthans {I chose their latest album as the second best release of 2007} and these two tracks illustrate a great point about the band.  They can take literally any subject matter and make it relevant to everyone.  And even while they’re making a universally understandable song they have a gift for making each thought, each emotion, each song apply in some unique way to each and every one of us that has had the pleasure of hearing their music.  Here’s to hoping that Virtute makes another appearance on their next project.

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The Best Albums of 2007

At long last here are my top ten albums released during the past twelve months. Download all the tracks and play them loud, support the artist by buying their albums, merchandise, or concert tickets, and most of all continue to enjoy great music. This list was ridiculously hard to create due to the amount of talent in the musical realm, but, these are the albums that I was most excited about in 2007. {note : in the list below the artist name links to their website, the album title links to the album on amazon, and the iTunes link will open iTunes to the appropriate information}

All the tracks in one zip file : here {zshare = left click}


01 : Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8 (iTunes)

Easily the most cathartic album I’ve ever heard the general storyline of this album chronicles the path frontman Craig Minowa took while coming to terms with the death of his son. Most of the tracks on this album have to do with what little Kaidin’s life would have been like {he would’ve turned eight this year} or how he inspired his father and those he met with the joy of life. It was a very close call between Cloud Cult and The Weakerthans for album of the year, but this band from Minneapolis pulled it out in the end. From beginning to end there is not a single note that I would change about The Meaning of 8.

mp3 : Cloud Cult - Take Your Medicine
mp3 : Cloud Cult - Your 8th Birthday
mp3 : Cloud Cult - Purpose


02 : The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour (iTunes)

Second place, and by a very slim margin, goes to one of my favorite bands of all time, The Weakerthans. Coming a full four years after their previous effort, this studio album had a lot of fans wondering if rust and age would tamper with the signature lyrical and melodic brilliance of The Weakerthans. All fears were laid to rest after one listen, though, with the only complaint being it clocks in under forty minutes. John Samson tells these wonderful vignettes about empty rooms, curling tournaments, and runaway cats that are filled with a sense of forlorn truth. Something in this album rings true on every listen. If you’ve never heard The Weakerthans their newest disc is easily a wonderful starting point.

mp3 : The Weakerthans - Tournament of Hearts
mp3 : The Weakerthans - Virtue the Cat Explains Her Departure
mp3 : The Weakerthans - Sun in an Empty Room


03 : Radiohead - In Rainbows

Not much else could be written or said about this album other than what has already been said. Radiohead tops many of the best of lists across various publications and blogs. They released their album completely on their own, with their own website, and charged nothing for the music if that’s what you chose to pay. They bucked convention with this release, just as they’ve continually created new and innovative sounds on each of their albums. This, their seventh studio album and first in four years, is an amazing musical achievement even without the marketing {or lack thereof} hype.

mp3 : Radiohead - Reckoner
mp3 : Radiohead - Videotape


04 : Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (iTunes)

Although many a rabid fan and critic balked at the slightly new direction Arcade Fire went on their sophomore effort I challenge you to find another band that made this interesting, layered, and talented a second studio album. Moving away from stories involving apocalypse and funerals this album instead finds its voice in a social commentary of sorts {which is perfect when you’re influenced by Bruce Springsteen}. I thought this album was a perfect follow up to Funeral. Yes, it is different, but so are we.

mp3 : Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)
mp3 : Arcade Fire - Intervention


05 : Bishop Allen - The Broken String (iTunes)

Throughout 2006 Bishop Allen, which is a collaborative effort between Justin Rice, Christian Rudder, and various backing musicians, released twelve EP’s; one for each month. It was with much anticipation, then, that I awaited their first proper studio full length this past July. And Bishop Allen did not disappoint with The Broken String. From start to end the storytelling, the music, the melodies, and the undeniable fun of the album had me playing it for anyone who would listen. Over five months later it still amazes me that this amount of quality music was put on one album.

mp3 : Bishop Allen - The Monitor
mp3 : Bishop Allen - The Chinatown Bus


06 : Foo Figthers - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (iTunes)

Foo Fighters released their most mature and grounded album to date while finding a way to showcase Dave Grohl’s massive talent without the use of a sprawling double album. From start to finish this album shows the diversity of the entire Foo Fighter’s cannon while always keeping you on the edge of your seat, anticipating what song is coming next. From a pure rock anthem like Come Alive, to the bombast of The Pretender, down to the the ecstasy found on The Ballad of Beaconsfield Miners, there is no stone left unturned on this, the best rock album of the year.

mp3 : Foo Figthers - The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners
mp3 : Foo Fighters - Come Alive


07 : Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim (iTunes)

Sigur Ros is easily my favorite band that I cannot seem to describe to others. Or for that matter get other people to listen to. They’re a band out of the great land of Iceland and lead singer Jonsi sings in one of the most beautiful falsetto voices I’ve ever heard. If the angels from on high sang in Icelandic then this is what the music backing them would sound like. This release was a double album with the disc labelled Hvarf containing studio versions of previously unreleased tracks and the disc called Heim containing acoustic versions of previous favorites.

mp3 : Sigur Ros - Heysatan
mp3 : Sigur Ros - Staralfur


08 : Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (iTunes)

Originally scoring much higher in my list Beirut fell to number eight after repeated listenings. Although this album didn’t have the staying power I thought it would have it still is a solid effort from Zach Condon throughout the mix as he brings his particular ecclectic/gypsy/folk/balkan style of music and makes it a true edition to the great new American Folk wave. There’s something in his music that cannot be found anywhere else. Due most likely to his extensive traveling throughout eastern Europe during his developmental years and the fact that a wrist injury keeps him from playing the guitar properly.

mp3 : Beirut - Guyamas Sonora


09 : Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (iTunes)

The critics who hated and/or panned this album when it was released have almost nothing in common with me. I, for one, cannot fathom what they were looking for in the second studio album from Band of Horses. Cease to Begin showcases a sound and style that are uniquely theirs; from the driving guitar rhythms to the unique crooning style of frontman Ben Bridwell. I thought this album was solid from start to finish with the inclusion of a few incredible tracks like Island on the Coast and Is There A Ghost. Band of Horses is one of the best bands in the past couple of years and I’ve been excited about their music since their first release.

mp3 : Band of Horses - Island on the Coast


10 : Sea Wolf - Leaves in the River (iTunes)

Rounding out the top ten albums of 2007 is this little gem by Sea Wolf. This band is the brainchild of Alex Brown Church, who formerly played with the band Irving, and he incorporates a variety of devices and sounds to tell his stories. Although at times the record can sound like a smooth amalgamation of various sources, in the end it is a blissful thirty five minute mosey through Alex’s life, music, and stories.

mp3 : Sea Wolf - Leaves In The River

Download all the tracks in one zip file : here {zshare = left click}

And there you have it. In my humble opinion those were the best albums of 2007. Other noteworthy albums that didn’t quite make the top ten include In Our Bedroom After The War by Stars, Wednesdays by Wakey!Wakey!, From Here We Go Sublime by The Field, Sawdust by The Killers, Magic by Bruce Springsteen, B Sides Live by Zach Williams, Graduation by Kanye West, and We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse. As talented and wonderful as this past year has been I’m looking forward to 2008 when there will be new albums by my favorites Sufjan Stevens, Cloud Cult, the Magnetic Fields, the Postal Service, and Weezer.

For those of you who just found my blog take a minute a peruse other posts here at The World Forgot. I hope you enjoyed yourself this year, 2008 is sure to bring something amazing to everyone.

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The Weakerthans

I might have a love/love relationship going with this little band from Winnipeg, aptly named The Weakerthans. And I guess what I mean by love/love is that my relationship with them is just like a love/hate relationship, just without anything I can ever find to hate about them. From their release, Fallow, in 1999 through their latest album, Reconstruction Site, they’ve done nothing but impress me and I honestly cannot say why they haven’t exploded with popularity yet. I guess I’ll file them away with Shout Out Louds as yet another wonderful band, making great music, who just doesn’t seem to get to the tipping point.

mp3 : The Weakerthans - The Last Last One

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SS Mix vol. 1 - Just Say Words

And so begins the Summer Sounds series of mixes. Previously I’ve posted a slew of EA mix albums for download, and those will continue again this autumn when I return to my studies in East Asia. For now, it is summer, and here we go.

To download the entire mix in one sweet little package get it
here - at yousendit
here - at megaupload

for individual song downloads click below

01 : Dashboard Confessional - Don’t Wait : Yes, this song is on every list over the past few weeks. Yes the album is out and waiting for you to own it [overstock.com has it for 7.99]. But, it serves as a great kickoff to the summer. This is what summer music has always been for me, and in this mix you’ll find more of the same. Breezy, light, lovely, made to spin on the beach, it’s all here.

02 : Guster - New Underground : Everyone has said that the new Guster album is a departure for their original sound, but let us all face it, every band out there grows up and matures. In fact, the best bands are the ones that change over time. Trust me, turn to any band that has staying power [at least 10 years] and compare track one of their first album to track one of their recent album and you’ll see that this is just the standard of growing up.

03 : Phoneix - Long Distance Call : Sounding like the fresh new mashup of The Strokes and Maroon 5, this French group has a clean, crisp sound that in one way or another grabs your attention. Earlier in the year I recommended their latest album, and I say again, it will not disappoint you. This is my favorite track of the disc, but the rest is really solid.

04 : The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You : I got their album almost seven months ago, listened to it twice and almost threw it away. Instead I filed it away and let it collect dust. And then a few weeks ago I saw them play this song live on Conan and they blew me away. Since then their disc has been getting heavy rotation and here I go promoting them again.

05 : The Weakerthans - (Hospital Vespers) : One of the most underrated bands since the year 2000. I don’t know if it’s due to marketing or bad word of mouth. Maybe they play horrible live shows. I just don’t understand why this band isn’t up there alongside Death Cab or Dashboard as undergound breakout artists. They’re talented, they play superbly, and their lyrics tell stories that you care about in the end.

06 : Zach Williams and the Ramparts - Hospital Bed : Zach Williams is on the same level as Asher Lev. Great folk revival that pulls a lot of its morals and lessons from their Christian roots. Much akin to Page France or Sufjan Stevens. I am a firm supporter of Zach Williams and am even considering a myspace petition to get them to change their ridiculous band name. But, I will allow them to call themselves whatever they want as long as they keep making songs like this.

07 : Band of Horses - The Funeral - I just realized that on this mix there are two songs with the word hospital in their titles followed by a song called The Funeral. Maybe I should quick throw something by The Arcade Fire on here. Maybe that would be a bit cliched. Maybe it’s all a subconscious reflection on the fact that while I was making this mix my father passed away. I’ll never know. But I do know that if I die, I want this song played at my viewing, preferably as a live show by the Band of Horses.

08 : Thom Yorke - Like Spinning Plates : Radiohead will always and forever be at the top of my list of favorite bands. They are far and away the best live show I have ever seen, and I have been around the block. This little rendition comes from when Thom Yorke played a solo show where it is basically Thom and a piano. I love how this song captures the idea of total heart and head confusion. How it captures what it feels like to be lost, and to know that you are gone.

09 : American Dollar - Everyone Gets Shot : In almost every single one of my mixes I’ve found a way to include an instrumental piece, and here it takes a prominent position. The mix takes a definite left turn after this piece, assuming before this slice of heaven from American Dollar was going in a straight line of melancholic and mostly new music. The next five tracks focus mainly on the voice of lead singer, and so this track serves as a little musical sorbet to reset your palate.

10 : The Strokes - I’ll Try Anything Once : Originally a demo take for what would later become You Only Live Once, my first band to hit the obsession mark in my collection, The Strokes, gave this song away for free on their website as well as including it as a b-side on their second single from the album First Impressions of Earth. Although it’s obviously a rough cut with some fuzzed keyboards and Julian’s scratchy vocals I think I like this version more than the jazzed up, full band version that’s on their third album.

11 : Regina Spektor - Samson - I can never decide if she uses Biblical imagery because she believes it or because it tells compelling stories. But in the case of this song I don’t care what her motives are. Now, true to Spektor’s past, this is one of two or three great songs off of the album it’s found on, where the rest are mediocre at best. And I would say that she benefits from the age of digital downloads, where kids buy one song at a time. Anyway, this song is great.

12 : Snow Patrol - Set the Fire to the Third Bar : I don’t know why bloggers and critics have trashed on the latest effort by these lovely Brits. This is exactly the type of music they’ve always made. Strong anthemic ballads. Songs that soar and reach peaks reminiscent of Coldplay or earlier Radiohead. And on this track there’s a nice duet vocal with Martha Wainwright, quite a fine catch for such a song.

13 : Feist - Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix) : The original version of this song was included on an earlier mix, one of the EA mixes, and it was good enough to make a second go round. This time Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard have put their own twist and some of their own vocals on it. They don’t change the chemistry too much, but they easily give the song a little bit of an upper, a nice beat, and the pure genius of Ben Gibbards voice.

14 : The Long Winters - Ultimatum (Live at WOXY) : What do you get when you combine one of my favorite bands with one of the best radio stations out there? You get sheer genius. Where the album rendition shines with it’s production, sometimes, almost to the point of being overproduced, this live version illustrates how the song is brilliant regardless of how it’s reworked. And, if you read this blog enough, you’ll find that I’m almost always a sucker for the stripped down version of anything.

15 : The Beta Band - Al Sharp : This song is truly a blast from the past. Very rarely do I find a friend who actually has a Beta Band album on their shelf. And also, just as rarely, do people not fall in love with this quirky little band after the give them a chance. They’ll probably always be a fringe band, but I’m not sure that will ever phase the Beta Band at all.

16 : Sufjan Stevens - The Perpetual Self : Everything is lost, oh oh, but I know that you can take it to the Lord. Everything you want, oh oh, is it all that you can gather for yourself? I love Sufjan not simply because his music sounds great. Although a huge part of his allure is the fact that he is a master when it comes to arrangements, the bigger draw for me is that his lyrics are intensely intelligent. He writes brilliant songs, and I guess he would after basically going to school to be a creative writer.

17 : The Walkmen - Another One Goes By : What a perfect ending to this mix. I probably should have saved this song for the ending track to the summer, but it found it’s way into my heart and thereby onto this site. I can see this song being played on season finale’s from The O.C. to North Shore to the end credits to any big romantic comedy over the next five years. I would even go so far to request this as the last dance at prom, if I was ever to go back in time to attend that wickedly weird even we call prom. It fits great as an ending.

EA Mix vol. 5 - Going Home

EA Mix vol. 5 - Going Home

This mix was prepared while I was living overseas this past year. It wraps up the EA Mix volumes for this school year [vols. 1-5, EA standing for East Asia]. I put a lot of thought into these songs, the order they are arranged in, and especially the lyrics they contain. It’s always good to be going home.

download the full mix in .zip format
yousendit : here
megaupload : here

[click on the song titles below for individual mp3 downloads]

01 : Neil Diamond - America : The line, “They’re coming to America,” is repeated again and again in this classic by the former sequined wonderboy of Vegas. This song comes from his glory days and kicks off the album with the appropriate flair.

02 : Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA : Ok, ok, I know that this song is about a guy, born in the USA, who is figthing in Vietnam. But I grew up with Mellancamp and Springsteen on the radio and it came down to a Born in the USA versus Smalltown battle. The boss just wins that fight my friends, and this song proves that the old guys know [or knew] how to rock.

03 : Simon and Garfunkel - Homeward Bound : Some of these songs are so ridciulously obvious that I feel a bit embarassed having to explain their inclusion. I mean, honestly, if they line “I wish I was homeward bound” doesn’t scream “put me on this mix, then I don’t know where to find lyrics more appropriate to this collection.

04 : Boyz II Men - It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday : Again, blast from the past songs battled it out for inclusion here on the mix. This time it was Boyz II Men against Michael W. Smith’s Friends are Friends Forever. I know this song is cliched, overplayed, trite, etc., yet it still fits perfectly with the overall mood of the mix. And it serves to transition from the older kings of music into the new kids on the block [of course, figuratively speaking]

05 : The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving : “My city’s still breathing, but barely it’s true. Through buildings gone missing like teeth. The sidewalks are watching me think about you, sparkled with broken glass. I’m back with scars to show, back with the streets I know will never take me anywhere but here.” The Weakerthans were the most underrated, overlooked band of the year 2000. Maybe it was all the Y2K buzz, maybe it was mad-cow, or maybe we just missed something great in the process of understanding that 2000 really wasn’t the new millenium [or was it?].

06 : Brendan Losch - You Go You Leave : “Cause you go, you leave, you’ll never come back.” Plaintive is the best word I can think of to describe this song by Mr. Losch. I met, discovered, became efriends with Brendan on myspace and so I don’t mind plugging his musich at each and every turn. And I love this line, half way into the song, “are you even listening to me, cause I feel like you were never there.” I can just imagine that line being spoken aloud to countless of my friends as they drift in and out of conversations this summer back in the states.

07 : Primitive Radio Gods - Standing Outside a Broken Telephone Booth with Change in my Hand : Yes, it’s true, there were bands with obscenely long song titles well before Sufjan came along. And just like Mr. Stevens, when you make gorgeous music, you are allowed to take all the liberties you desire with your song titles. For some reason this song has always reminded me of coming home. Maybe it’s the line “the plane takes off from Baltimore and touches down on Bourbon street,” or maybe it’s the repetitive chorus of “I’ve been downhearted baby, ever since the day you left.” Whatever it is, this song feels like home to me, and I love the lyrics.

08 : Zach Williams & the Ramparts - Hospital Dream : I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but they need a new name for their band. Sure, Zach is the frontman, maybe even the overall controlling genius, but still, the last band I knew that made it huge with a name like this was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers [or Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg Seven - kudos to Conan]. Maybe it’s the “the” bands fault, but for whatever reason bands with “and the” in their name never seem to make it. And I really want Zach and company to thrive. He’s a great song writer, could easily be signed by Barsuk, and could make a killing if he moved to Chicago, Seattle, or Portland. But enough on that, this song is gorgeous.

09 : Phantom Planet - California : I know, I know, this song is overplayed as well. But as my friends are flying home from East Asia most of them will be landing first in California. And it just made sense to put a song that yells “California, here we come” over and over again on the mix. Not to mention that even though this song almost pushed them into T.V. song jingle embarrassment [see the Remembrants and the Friends theme song for one shining example] Phantom Planet has pressed on to reinvent their sound and their image.

10 : Stars - On Peak Hill : I love Stars, and stars. Both the noun and proper noun. And I felt like this song really had a home time feeling to it. It seems as if it’s a song taken from life in a small little town where you can talk about “the time I was five at the top of Peak Hill, and the wind almost took me away.” I could just imagine flying over oceans and looking out the window, back in time, and thinking about all those little stories and anecdotes that only make sense when you’re back home.

11 : David Gray - Shine : I feel if people besides Dave Matthews fans ever bought into this Brit then this song would be featured on all graduation mixes, goodbye finales, and funeral episodes for the rest of time. I mean really, just listen to the man sing. “And ours is a road that is strewn with goodbyes. But as it unfolds, as it all unwinds, remember your soul is the one thing you can’t compromise.” The whole song is a sad and yet strangely hopeful goodbye, after all “who knows what’s waiting in the wings of time? Dry your eyes, we’re gonna go where we can shine.”

12 : The Walkmen - Hang On, Siobhan : This is a song to a person with quite possibly the best name ever. Siobhan. Pronounce that correctly before listening to the song and you have won a free ticket to my heart. Really. From the first time I heard this song I’ve been in love with both it and the boys that crafted it. The opening line through the last straining lyric, it’s all amazing. “So hang on, Siobhan, we’re coming home soon.”

13 : Ben Kweller - Lizzy : Ben Kweller, or as he references himself in song and print, BK, is one amazingly talented individual. Granted, his early stuff with Radish might have been a little overrated, but when have music magazines [either in print or online] ever really been accurate at predicting the future? Anyway, this little ditty hails off of BK’s debut solo album from about five years ago, titled Sha Sha, and tells the story of two people spending time apart for the first time. “Lizzy I write our scene; telegraph, telegram, telephone, telling you I’ll be home soon.”

14 : Josh Garrels - Going Home : Question, how on earth could I not include a song titled “Going Home” on the going home mix? Question, how could I not continue to promote someone with as much tallent as Josh? I couldn’t find a reasonable response to either of those questoins, so Josh is here. “I’m going home. She’s, she’s going home. We, we’re going home. Going home when we die, we’re going home in the sky. Going home by and by, we’re going home to live with Christ. Hallelujah.” Writing out the lyrics does not do justice to this boys brilliance.

15 : Ben Gibbard - Recycled Air (acoustic) : Taking a music track, created by someone you’ve never met, and writing lyrics for it has to be hard. That alone would have qualified this song, as originally released by the team of The Postal Service, for the mix but Ben Gibbard takes this song to new heights with his solo rendition. Making it ever more melancholy, chill, and sad along the way. And the song is about flying away in an airplane. “I watch the patchwork farms, slow fade into the oceans arms. Calm down, release your cares, the stale taste of recycled air.”

16 : The Supertones - So Great a Salvation : Who would have ever thought I would include a throwback song from a Christian Ska band? Especially when it includes the line “Woke up this morning and I just had to pack up all my life. Just read through James’ book, start to pray and I ask God for a wife.” Doesn’t really seem like my bread and butter, I know, but the chorus is “Why me God? Why should you chosoe me? Your team God, can you use even me?” And I think that’s something we all felt this year, that we all go through, so it made the cut.

17 : Dntel - Last Songs : Such an appropriate ending to a mix album commemorating the end of living overseas for a year. I always have songs that, in my own little world, would fit perfectly in the soundtrack of my life. And this song always reminds me of that wait in the airport for that last flight on your way home. The one wait where you have to sit alone because all your travel friends have caught their flights and it’s just you from this point until you’re actually home. That’s what this song is to me.

And this concludes the broadcast of EA Mix albums for the time being, stay tuned for two new mixes in a new series, SS, coming soon this summer. Be aware, there is so much more good music in this world. Don’t limit yourself.

Check back often.