SUB POP 'O' RAMA

Much ado has been made about the 20th anniversary of indie label Sub Pop this summer. The label has been effective at branding itself, and in it's early incarnation it held a place of high esteem and guaranteed coolness with music fans of a certain stripe (or perhaps I should say "of a certain plaid").

I have to confess that I wasn't overly drawn to the label's output during it's early grunge soaked Mudhoney/Screaming Trees/Tad days of the late 80's & early 90's. During that era my label of choice was 4AD, and I found, at least for a few years, that I was almost guaranteed to like anything that they released (long live ethereal dream pop!)

I find now that Sub Pop is more eclectic than it used to be and generally I am drawn to more recent acts like Iron & Wine, The Shins and Flight of The Conchords. In many ways having a favourite label that one is loyal to might soon become a bit of an anachronism, in a similar vein to talking about a local radio station that is relevant, or working a regular 9 to 5 job.

Anyways, in the August/08 edition of Mojo there is a Sub Pop compilation that provides a relatively decent snapshot of the last 20 years. It appears to be chronological and I made an honest effort to sit through the earlier material, though found myself skipping through eagerly to the mid way point. Here is the track listing for inquiring minds;

01. GREEN RIVER - This Town
02. MUDHONEY - Sweet Young Thing…
03. TAD - Wood Goblins
04. L7 - Shove
05. SCREAMING TREES - Change Has Come
06. AFGHAN WHIGS - Retarded
07. RED RED MEAT - Braindead
08. ERIC MATTHEWS - Fanfare
09. IRON & WINE - Southern Anthem
10. THE SHINS - New Slang
11. THE POSTAL SERVICE - Such Great Heights
12. KELLEY STOLTZ - The Sun Comes Through
13. FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - Bowie

14. PISSED JEANS - Caught Licking Leather

15. NO AGE - Eraser

(Here's a link to download the tracks, courtesy Zona Musical - password matt-o-rach) - enjoy!

Is there a label in your mind (either past or present) that has consistently released amazing and mind blowing output?

DIGGING THROUGH THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE WITH MAD MEN

I have been watching the first season of the show Mad Men on DVD, and after five episodes I am struck by the sense of silent anguish and the inherent malaise that lies beneath the surface in this portrayal of the Madison Avenue lifestyle in the early 1960's. Everything sure looks "swell", but there is a constant sense of unease that is always lurking in the shadows.

There is a great scene where a suburban housewife who is clearly suffering from depression is being reassured by her hapless husband who is completely bewildered by her condition and has no reference point for dealing with this. He is genuinely perplexed, and while pointing to all their belongings asks innocently "how can you be unhappy with all of this?".

It seems that the post-war prosperity is at it's zenith, and yet we see numerous characters who despite the appearance of having all the trappings of success and material acquisition are clearly unfulfilled. It makes me wonder how our era would be portrayed 50 years from now.

I think that we risk being portrayed like a herd of lemmings being blindly distracted while the world implodes around us, remaining hypnotized and transfixed by the brilliant and glossy images and the endless barrage of information constantly at our disposal.

Although there would be some truth to this type of portrayal, I also believe that there are more people getting switched on, using technology to engage with the larger culture and become agents of change in an increasingly complex world. Hard to say, perhaps those of us who are still around in 50 years can be hired as consultants to provide some nuance to any depiction of early 21st century western society.

Regardless, I appreciate how Mad Men presents a playful portrayal of some of the more acceptable cultural norms of the early 1960's; constant drinking and smoking while at work, the subversive role of the female secretaries in the male dominated ad agency, the sincere conversations about the benefits of smoking and kids playing with pellet guns at birthday parties while their parents get drunk.

It gives us an opportunity to be a little smug about how "far" we have come, though I suppose it is more of a challenge to try and step back and take stock of our own present day absurdities and poke a few holes there. This to me is the role of good art. Whether looking backwards or forward it challenges us to step outside the dominant paradigm and take stock, if even for a moment.

STAPLING CDS

There are a number of ways to share your music in the digital age. Regrettably, this is increasingly resulting in litigation being pursued by some multi-national corporations looking to assert some power over hapless music fans.

One low-fi (and safe method) includes stapling CDs to telephone poles, as illustrated recently by Toronto Indie band The Craft Economy, engaging in some good old fashioned DIY promotion (the band also included a statement criticizing the proposed federal copyright bill, C-61).

Personally, I find this idea to be very inspiring, especially in light of the recent undemocratic process initiated by the Canadian government of negotiating an international copyright treaty (ACTA) behind closed doors, without consultation or any parliamentary accountability.

So with slightly subversive motives, and in the name of sharing beloved music and promoting low-fi "file sharing" I think it would be a grand idea to make some mixed CDs of my favourite songs and leave them for free in various public spaces. I love the potential randomness of this, plus there is no IP address to track it back to!

Who knows, it may start a revolution, or at the very least it may result in someone being inspired by Galaxie 500's version of the Joy Division/New Order classic Ceremony, or hearing for the first time some obscure b-side by The Cure or a Big Star tune that I threw in for good measure.

Let the low-fi file sharing revolution begin!

"Once again, we're being told that home taping (in the form of ripping and burning) is killing music. But it's not: It simply exists as a nod to the true love and ego involved in sharing music with friends and lovers. Trying to control music sharing - by shutting down P2P sites or MP3 blogs or BitTorrent or whatever other technology comes along - is like trying to control an affair of the heart. Nothing will stop it." -Thurston Moore (Wired Magazine April, 2005)

(Note: Picture courtesy of Boing Boing)

A FEW THOUGHTS RE: GIANT INFLATABLE POOH

Is there anything more compelling than a story about giant inflatable pooh running amok? It certainly captured my imagination. It seems that a piece entitled "Complex Shit" by artist Paul McCarthy created havoc when it was blown away from outside a gallery in Berne, Switzerland. The end result was some broken power lines and a smashed window at a nearby orphanage.

It is actually a great metaphor for our age; large synthetic fecal matter blowing around, just like the deluge of manipulated images, false information and glossy ephemera that clogs our consciousness. After a while it builds up until it eventually becomes one giant glob that is bound to reek havoc in some sort of manner, if even on a psychic or spiritual level.

On a simpler level it's simply just fun to talk about, try discussing "giant inflatable pooh" without cracking a gigantic smile! I don't care who you are, somewhere in the recess of your soul there has to be a soft spot for all things scatological.

In response to the endless barrage of information about events in this world that inspire a sense of dread (or perhaps indifference for some), I think someone should erect a giant fan in a big open field, so that (giant inflatable?) shit can literally "hit the fan" every time something bad happens .

Not only would this be a cathartic exercise, but it would also be a brilliant illustration of how we are impacted by the seamless flow of information and events in an increasingly interconnected world. Regardless, "shit happens", and often it is increasingly difficult to ignore

GLAM'O'RIFIC!

Time for a Saturday morning video....

Today it is the marvelously playful homage to glam rock circa the video for "Bitches In Tokyo" by Canadian indie group Stars. This video made me chuckle and it is endearing in many ways, including references to the New York Dolls and The Smiths part way through.

There is also a funny reference to social workers that made me laugh at my own esteemed professions ("Stand back, I am from child social services, your children are doing fine!"). In many ways Stars are gifted at capturing a sense of youthful yearning and idealism in much of their material, and of course they give the sound advice to any upstarting musician that you should "move to Berlin".

PARKING FOR EVERYONE

I gave into my baser instincts the other day and went to a certain large Swedish household furnishings store that sells lots of crap you get to assemble yourself. It was a necessary evil, as I had some books that were rather irate at me for being left in boxes for so long and I promised them a swanky new shelf with a view.

After resisting the urge to buy a box of one million tea light candles at the check out I was intrigued by some of the reserved parking spots I noticed throughout the lot outside. With "hybrid vehicle" and "family" parking spots you are rewarded for either buying an expensive and fuel efficient car, or for deciding to breed and then having to forcibly drag your children through this monolithic structure.

I was inspired so I decided to document the other unique reserved parking spots that I noticed;

Of course I survived the experience, new shelves in tow and in complete denial about the hours of assembly that lay ahead. In many ways it is a strange experience for me when I go there, as the slick, orderly and highly rationalized shopping environment makes me feel like I am in some 1950's futurist fantasy sequence.

Needless to say I was happy to return to my home, where disorderly mountain streams and majestic pines surround me, and where my books breathed a sigh of relief at the promise of their impending liberation.

WHERE I LIVE

I dropped off the grid for about a week or so due to my immersion in the yucky process of moving house (see previous posting). Now I am back, and ready to blog with a vengeance....

I have moved to the district of West Vancouver, which is mostly crammed on the side of the majestic North Shore mountains across the water from Vancouver. Here are a few "facts" about my new community;

• It holds the dubious distinction of being home to Canada's first shopping mall, Park Royal(built in 1950). That's right, over half a century of mall rats, bad food court cuisine and impulse buying all in one place. Apparently it is a lot swankier now than it used to be.

• West Vancouver is home to a large cemetery where Canadian writer/visual artist Douglas Coupland has gone "Harolding" from time to time.

• The first non aboriginal resident of West Vancouver was apparently a Welsh deserter from the Royal Navy named Jack Thomas who thought this would be a grand place to settle back in 1903 (yes, folks this in indeed the newer part off the "new world").

• Making up for the perky a-historical newness of the community there are thankfully magnificent parks, beaches and awe inspiring views everywhere. Lighthouse Park is home to a few stunning old growth conifer trees that are up to 500 years old

• Due to the presence of many monster homes carved into the side of the North Shore mountains (plus the whole Hollywood North thing) there is a high ratio of celebrity types in this relatively small community. Recent encounters include Sarah McLachlan clothes shopping, and the dude who plays Superman on the show Smallville in line at Whole Foods.

• The social hub of the community is a 2 or 3 km stretch of the sea wall near Ambleside beach where you can stroll blissfully by the glistening ocean. Of course you will feel slightly out of place if you aren't lugging around a 20 oz latte, holding it out like some holy elixir in order to pay homage to the sea gods before you.
  

Alright, back to unpacking more $#@!* boxes!