It's Funny...

I was considering putting this blog on hiatus with the advent of CuttingAndWitty, but I was looking back at some old stories today and I don't think that have the heart to do it. I may post with a lesser frequency than I have in recent months, but the combined total between here and there will probably be the same. Less music-specific talk here, but that may be a good thing.

We went to the Aloha Room tonight - what an awesome bar. It only holds about 40 people in a few intimately-lit booths, but wow. The DJ was spinning the greatest records: Camera Obscura, The Velvet Underground, Joe Strummer, etc. It was almost like he was dictating the direction of conversation. All of Wells' friends here are really great - just a super mix. To tell you the truth though, I'm struggling a bit with things. I love the people, the city and just the general vibe here. Too much. Lots of good stuff to do, plenty of family, and some people to whom I'm already starting to feel close. I was supposed to be here... so that's a little difficult. London will be great, but Ottawa is just a pretty sure thing right now.

It feels like a small town of a million people. I'm going to miss some people here a lot.

Apartment

It's official - I now have an apartment! I'm going to Ottawa next Friday to visit some of the family / homies, and bask in the joy that is life post thesis. I'm going to go to London for a day to check out my new diggs / roomies, meet my new supervisors, and hopefully hook up with the coach of the cross country team. Pictures to follow - should be some good times.

I'm listening to the old Nordic Beat demos as I type, and I'm getting a crazy case of nostalgia.

Love,
-Mark
(xox)

Blah

Pardon the lack of content for a few days. Been working on some new stuff that I'm pretty excited about. Info soon!

Big News

I bought a ticket today to see Tegan and Sara on October 6th in London! I have been dying to see them ever since I heard So Jealous, and that desire was only intensified by the fact that Goosh, Oakley and I were unable to see them at Austin City Limits in 2005. (Their set was canceled.)

I am going to preempt the imminent lambasting by the Pitchfork crew and encourage everyone (except Wells, and people of like mind) to give The Con a listen. It's generally a lot more fleshed out than its predecessor, in terms of both ideas and instrumentation. The song structures are generally more complex here, making for less immediate likability, but more long-term playability (I have listened to this album more than 30 times in the past two weeks, and I can't foresee getting sick of it). Production was supplied by Chris Walla, and percussion by Jason McGerr (both of Death Cab for Cute fame). Other session artists include Matt Sharp from Weezer and Hunter Burgan from AFI, both playing bass on separate tracks.

The title (third) track is where the album really comes together. It starts out with the familiar acoustic guitar / vocal combination that has made the pair so successful, but then kicks in with the big percussion, and even bigger new-wave synths. Their vocal harmonies are absolutely amazing here, probably the best they've ever done.

Tegan and Sara have stated that this record is much darker than its predecessor. On Knife Going In, more great harmonies abound to very personal lyrics

I feel the knife going in
I'm feeling like it's not enough to kill me
I thought up and fast
But I'm feeling it now and I feel like she's sleeping inches from me
I let it pass

Floorplan appears to be about wishing a significant other would feel as strongly about a relationship as the partner. "I want to draw you a floorplan of my head and heart / I want to give directions / of what you'll be looking for". Eventually she leaves, but not without some misgivings

I know I'll hold these thoughts in my heart forever
I shouldn't go but I can't really help it
When I feel this pressure

Like Oh, Like H and Nineteen both tend to be of a very personal nature as well, and both are equally strong.

"Back in Your Head" is probably the catchiest track on the album, and will probably be a single. Tegan's chorus of "I just want back in your head / I'm not unfaithful but I'll stray / When I get a little scared" sounds amazing over a great piano hook.

Really, the whole thing is great. I can't wait to pick up the vinyl release of this thing, and I double can't wait to see them. Here's an old instore that they did at Fingerprints that really shows what a great dynamic they have. Really funny and engaging.





Love,
-Mark
(xox)

When I was in elementary school, I remember reading about this indoor community in Social Studies class. The whole community was inside a large dome. I don't really remember if it actually existed or not.

I walked from my office to the university center yesterday to find it nearly completely empty, save a couple of food vendors and this one guy who looked like he'd been sitting there for a really long time.

I've heard of people that live in residence at MUN, and don't go outside for weeks on end during the winter. When you think about it, it's really easy to stay inside for long periods, given not only the underground tunnels / skywalks connecting the entire campus, but also the fact that is has a seemingly unlimited number of restaurants, a conditioning center, a pharmacy, a travel agent, and so on, and so on. What a weird existence though: you sleep in the same place that you work and play and everything in between.

After Rebecca's party on Friday night, I went over to Larder's and met up with him, Mandville and Cashin. It had been so long since all of us had been in a room together, and it was really nice. I had been having these weird memories for the past year or so, and I could never tell if they were real or fabrications. I spent a fair deal of time asking things like

When we were in North Sydney, did we go on this adventure looking for cigars and then get stalked by some dudes at a pizza parlour?

Or

When we jumped off Sulley's dad's boat in the ocean, did we swim to some abandoned island and hang out there? Did I imagine that?

Turns out that both of them, more or less, happened. There were others that no one could remember though, so they're in the "maybe" category.

-Mark
(xox)

James' Last Night

Lobo, Jay, James and I had a fire at Middle Cove last night for James' last night in town. Apparently, a lot of other people had a similar idea. The photo below is a 15 second exposure.



We got some random dudes to jump into the photo as they were leaving, as seen below.



Awesome times. James, I'm gonna miss ya!

Simple Pleasures

Benefit #1 of being a grad student: not having to haul your ass out of bed after being a little too self-indulgent the previous weekend. Yes, it's true. I arrived at 12:30 today, feeling very refreshed, and found out that I had won the coffee club draw again at Treats! Quatre cafe gratis pour moi, so I was well pleased.

Taking three consecutive days off was the best idea ever. The PJ party on Friday was hilarious, but I think that I had even more fun at Jamie's (aside from Jill punching Mandville in the nuts) on Saturday and Goosh's (make millions, biatch!) on Sunday. I also spent a fair chunk of the weekend just skateboarding around town by myself, and making the odd coffee stop downtown. I'm starting to remember why the entirety of my teenage years was spent on one of these things.

Today I have been working on the centerpiece of my thesis, a graph depicting a 3D residual surface. It's so pretty! I can't even believe how good the data plot worked out. All the while, I've had Pitchfork's playlist on in the background, and it's kind of like the greatest radio station that doesn't exist in the world. So much good stuff!

Love,
-Mark
xoxo

PS: I watched Great New Wonderful yesterday afternoon (despite renting it a week ago - Blockbuster hates me). Mom said it was "a little slow" (she had watched it on Saturday night), but I tend to disagree. It followed five characters in post-9/11 NYC and tried to depict the subtle differences in their lives since the tragedy. It wasn't perfect, but I felt that there were some really beautiful moments.