Ramblings of a mad Corrie freak

Whoo. My life was so hectic this week I missed my beloved Coronation Street, which meant I had to get up at 7:30 a.m. (!) on Sunday (!!) to catch the omnibus. But it was worth it if only because they packed more plot into this week than the last month combined (cat fights, fist fights, forbidden trysts, family dynasty angst, oh my!) However, the best was one of those classic Corrie unintentional (to the character at least) double-entendres -- with Roy Cropper telling Ian "Gandalf/Magneto" McKellen's character: "Hard grindings must give you some satisfaction."

And no, I'm not going to give any context for the comment. It's a lot more fun that way.

Compromise 2006

Canada has another federal election on Monday. All the polls indicate the country read to elect a Conservative government in some form or other. I am incredibly wary of the Tories but have come to believe that a minority Conservative government might not be a bad thing. They would be too weak to push through any radical changes but a housecleaning in Ottawa is well overdue. It's not good to have one party in power for 12 years.

A Conservative majority on the other hand scares the pants off of me. My mother sent some articles (Including this one) detailing Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's association with the philosophy of Leo Strauss. From what I understand, it's like the neo-conservative interpretation of Plato's Republic -- People are too stupid to rule themselves so a philsopher elite class need to do it for them. Instead of being upfront about their real motivations, these philosopher kings may need to sell the public a "noble lie" in order to maintain stability and loyalty. Sound familiar? Mmm-hmm.

What else? Martin damaged beyond repair is an excellent examination in today's Toronto Star into how it all went wrong for the Liberals. The best bits:

"What's self-evident now is that the seeds of Martin's failure were sown by success. In dividing Liberals to topple a sitting prime minister, Martin and his clique so weakened the Western world's most successful political party that a Conservative revival became inevitable.

... Voters accept that politicians will say almost anything to get elected. But prime ministers are diminished when they make national interests subservient to partisan advantage."

On the lighter side of things, Bawdy Politic is a site with some awesome icons and T-shirt designs. Don't trash Jack's 'stache indeed!

And, of course, PLEASE VOTE ON MONDAY! It's important, dammit!

2005 In Music

Here it is, the long-time-coming Best of 2005 Mix. As I mentioned in my previous post, in 2005 I felt alienated from both mainstream taste and hipster trends. As Art Brut succinctly put it in "Bad Weekend" -- "Popular culture no longer applies to me." I just seemed out of step with everyone last year. This was probably most clearly illustrated with the recent news that the one band I was really excited about, The Needs (Formerly Special Needs), broke up before releasing a proper album! How's that for a kick in the teeth?

Without further ado -- The Mix!


1. Kate Rusby – "No Names"
2. Mountain Goats – "This Year"
I didn't hear these two tracks until Dec. 31 but they both were so good I felt them worthy of inclusion. The Kate Rusby track, a duet with Idlewild's Roddy Woomble, is absolutely gorgeous. The Mountain Goats track just seemed tailor-made for a year-end mix with the line: "I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me."
3. The Raveonettes – "Ode to L.A."
I miss the heavy feedback of the band's previous work but this track, featuring Ronnie Spector, might but their best-ever song.
4. Art Brut – "Good Weekend"
When, oh, when is this album going to get a domestic release? I really don't want to pay $25.99 for it and I don't download entire albums on principle. I'm mad at myself for missing their gig in T.O. earlier this year where the bass amp caught on fire. Fortunately, they're returning in April.
5. The Rakes – "Retreat"
"Stasbourg" is probably a better song but I can't argue with lines like "Everything's temporary these days / Might as well go out for the third night in a row."
6. Kaiser Chiefs – "Every Day I Love You Less and Less"
Because I overplayed "I Predict Riot" and "Oh My God".
7. Maximo Park – "Apply Some Pressure"Probably my favourite track of the year.
8. Franz Ferdinand – "The Fallen"
Torn between this and "Do You Want To."
9. Brendan Benson – "Alternative To Love"
Like most power pop acts, I find Benson's albums tend to blend together but there's always a few standout tracks.
10. The Needs – "Blue Skies"
R.I.P., guys. "Francesca" was also ace.
11. Hot Hot Heat – "Goodnight, Goodnight" If only the rest of the album was as good as this track.
12. The Cribs – "Mirror Kisses"
"Hey, Scenesters!" also rocked.
13. Hal – "Worry About the Wind"
Beautiful sunny pop from Ireland. Way better than The Thrills.
14. The Lucksmiths – "Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco"A band that consistently churns out perfect indiepop but always seems to get overlooked when it comes to recognition. They need to tour with Belle & Sebastian now.
15. Super Furry Animals – "Atomik Lust"
I must be honest and admit this album was a disappointment but this tune demanded repeated plays. Beautiful.
16. Jamie Lidell – "Multiply"
I fear this is my first step on the slippery slope to listening to adult contemporary stuff like James Blunt.
17. The Tears – "Refugees"
See my comments regarding the Art Brut album in #4.
18. The Strokes – "You Only Live Once"
OK, I guess I'm cheating 'cause the album didn’t officially come out till '06 but it's my list, I make the rules.
19. The Killers – "All These Things That I Have Done"
Released last year, but it was definitely a '05 song. One of those inescapable tracks that always seemed to be playing at various points in my life last year.
20. Loudon Wainwright III – "The Swimming Song"
This is quite a bit older than '05 but I discovered it through The Squid and the Whale so nyah! Anyway, it nicely sums up 2005 for me:

"This summer I went swimming
This summer I almost drown
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around
Moved my arms around"

And not a "worst of" but rather Things Everybody Else Loved But Didn't Impress Me in 2005:
The Arctic Monkeys
Surfan Stevens
Devendra Banhart
Broken Social Scene
The Arcade Fire
Death Cab For Cutie and related Ben Gibbons projects
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah


And that's all, folks!

Random Garfield

The Eagle_Fire Garfield Generator spits out three random Garfield panels. The result is a combination of surreal mindfuck, detournement and the funniest Garfield strip you've seen in years. You can also lock a panel in place if you think it might be funny or useful. Here's what I came up with:

I didn't realize you wrote such bloody awful poetry

Stereogum invites its readers to come up with their best fake Morrissey song titles. My favourites:

I Would Hang Myself But the Noose is Too Pretty For Me

Dubya's Persian Abattoir

We're Waiting For Your Answer, Tony

You Are the Most Challenging Soduku of All

At the Bottom of a Drink Lies the Answer I Can Never Know

Newsreader In Peril

I'm Not Sure I Like Your Face, Ramona

Hello 2006

2005 was a strange year for me. For a good part of the year I couldn't muster up enthusiasm for the things that used to make me happy.

Whereas everyone else in the world went crazy for making playlists and themed mixes, I could barely stand to read about music anymore. I gave up pretending to care about trends and genres of music that didn't interest me. Most of the year's buzz bands just bored or irritated me. I mean, the Arcade Fire are OK but they're nothing special. I didn't even know how to pronounce Kayne West's name for a good half of the year. Watching Much Music while home for the holidays was like seeing a broadcast from another dimension.

What this boils down to is that I guess I'm officially a boring adult. Heck, I started listening to Bruce Springsteen. But the biggest thing is that I finally stopped worrying about what other people might think. Because it turned out that those people only ever existed in my head in the first place. I managed to find some music I cared about this year and that's the only thing that's important.

I also couldn't bring myself to write whether it was about music or anything else. Why? Who knows. It's like I made some unconscious decision to see what life would be like if I stopped doing the things that made me happy. And guess what? I was miserable. Or at least highly unsatisfied.

In 2005 it seemed like I was trapped in some cocoon or stasis, trying to regenerate my old self back. I thought I needed time to myself. But it turns out the only thing navel-gazing gets you is a stiff neck.

Time to straighten up, fly right and rejoin the human race. Sorry to everyone I didn't e-mail, phone or talk to. I'll make it up in 2006.