What We're Turning

Wale - "Attention Deficit"

I’ve been following Wale’s career for a while, ever since the now defunct Good Weather For Airstrike’s posted Nike Boots and I couldn’t get it out of my head. So to say I’ve been looking forward to this album might be a bit of an understatement. I had pretty high expectations too since Wale’s put out some seriously good tracks over the past four years that have all been leading up to this major label debut. I’m glad to say that when I listened to this record last mont… I mean today (because I would never ever download a leak because that’s obviously very very wrong) I was not disappointed.

It might be because I’m so sick of listening to hip-hop that’s been auto-tuned to death that Wale’s record feels so fresh, but either way I do think he’s brining something new to the table. He also touches on some serious issues on this record reminding all those fools out there that sometimes it’s okay to get emotional on a record. “Shades” and “Contemplate” stand out, and so does the laid back Hollywood story “90210” (Which he claimed was about Paris Hilton on his Twitter, but which we think might as well be about Lindsay Lohan. I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time he rapped about her). Now don’t get it twisted, he still brings the party on this record. If “Pretty Girls” or “World Tour” don't get you up out of your seat then I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you.

[She is 90210]

Including the iTunes only “My Sweetie” (which I think should have been an album cut) for your listening pleasure, but you really should get out there to support good music and pick this one up. If your store isn’t stocking it, demand that they do because this album deserves a chance to be heard.

DL: Wale - My Sweetie

I Gave My Heart To Rock N' Roll

The Sounds w/ Foxy Shazam
October 26, 2009
Commodore Ballroom

Last night I finally had the chance to fulfil a dream I’ve had for the past six or so years: seeing the Sounds play a headlining show. As far as I know they haven’t played one here since I’ve been of age and the only time I was able to see them was at Warped Tour (and if you’ve ever been to Warped Tour, you know that barely counts).

The opening act was a band I’d never heard of called Foxy Shazam. They played that semi-ironic brand of late 70s/80s inspired rock (and they dress the part too) that I probably wouldn’t have taken seriously if I heard it on record first, but these guys put on a hell of a show. There were handstands, magic tricks, staged fights, high fives, people crawling across the stage, guitars thrown into the crowd, and at one point I’m pretty sure the signer ate a couple cigarettes. They definitely succeeded in getting everyone pumped.


[look at those fucking hipsters]

During the time between sets I realized this wasn’t going to be the most civil crowd. People were already shoving their way to the front and some girls got into a fight with a couple guys to the right of me and started smacking them in the head.

Finally The Sounds hit the stage and everyone went nuts. I could try and be objective here, but all I can really say is that they were absolutely amazing. Maja might just be my new favourite front woman (or maybe I‘ll call it a three way tie). She completely owned that stage. They played a pretty varied set that covered all three records. Highlights included “Seven Days a Week,” “Ego,” “Living in America,” and “Painted By Numbers” which was especially awesome live. There was also an incredibly off key “Night After Night” sing along where people pulled their lighters out. At one point Maja did a stage dive and crowd surfed over us. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I acted like a ridiculous fangirl when I got to grab her hand. It was like I was 15 all over again.



They closed the night with “Hope You’re Happy Now” and a pit opened up in the crowd. I can’t even remember the last time I was in an actual mosh pit, but I definitely remembered why I stopped putting up with that mess. Maja claimed we were the most energetic crowd of the tour and promised she wasn’t just saying that for the sake of saying it and said she'd tell everyone else. For once, I actually believed her because people were completely insane. There was a non-stop wave of crowd surfers and not enough security to catch them. I left the venue having accidentally ingested the hair of several strangers and covered in sweat that was mostly not my own, but it was absolutely worth it (even if I keep finding new places that hurt every time I stand up). If you’re even a casual fan and you haven’t seen The Sounds yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

Oh yeah, and on a completely unrelated topic, I should mention that we did get to see Jay-Z a couple weeks back and he was all inspiring and shit. Just sayin'.

Terminator: Strength of the Human Heart

SPOILERS, obvs.


I’m going to start this by saying that I’m a fan of bug dumb action movies. I know that sometimes you just have to turn your brain off and enjoy the ride. Yet, even I have my limits. Terminator Salvation crossed the line from “mindless entertainment” and headed into “straight up dumb” territory.

That’s not to say that McG didn’t succeed in terms of some fun action. Stuff blew up, and it sure did look cool, but I have to believe that lying on some figurative editing room floor there is a version of this film where the plot and actions of the characters actually make some fucking sense. Take for example Moon Bloodgood’s character whose name I can’t fucking remember. Let’s say you’ve been fighting in an all out war against the machines. You know they want you dead. You know they can’t be trusted. Yet you seriously think it’s okay to lie to Common so you can release him because there’s absolutely no way he could be lying to you because he looks like a “man”?

I also know that when watching movies there’s this whole “suspension of disbelief” thing you have to do. But do not tell me that it’s safe and possible to detonate what are essentially a bunch of nuclear bombs that wipe out an entire Sky Net facility while you’re in some goddam helicopter right fucking next to it. If those visions from T2 taught me anything, that is not how fucking nuclear bombs work. Also, you shoot the Terminators in the head! Everyone knows that!

Another thing I normally don’t mind is when a movie, even a big dumb action movie, tries to have some sort of moral or message. What I do have a problem with is when they repeatedly smack you in the face with it. The question of what makes humans different from the machines is one that comes up over and over again in sci-fi, and now we don’t need to wonder anymore. It’s our heart. Literally. See, Marcus has a heart, and that’s why he turns his back on Bellatrix Lestrange and goes to save John Connor. That’s why when we see through the eyes of the terminator trying to kill him his “vulnerability” is his heart. He is killed by a punch to his heart. He is revived by a shock to his heart. John Connor almost dies because he is stabbed through his heart. Then (in an ending that felt ripped straight from a Michael Bay film) in a totally sterile desert operating room, Marcus give John his heart so that He, John Connor, the HEART of the Human resistance, can continue to live. GET IT? DID YOU GET IT YET?

B+ for the action, F- for the plot and for making no fucking sense.

Also, while watching, a fun game to play is trying to guess at what exact moment Christian Bale lost his shit. Honestly, I think that was my favourite part.

'Cause we're so handsome, and we're so bored.

Bloc Party w/ Hot Hot Heat
April 26, 2009
Commodore Ballroom

I felt liked I’ve been waiting for this concert all my life. Well, okay, maybe just for the better part of five years, but close enough. Whether it was because I was underage, or just couldn’t get my shit together, every other time Bloc Party came though town I missed out so I was pretty pumped for this one.

I was extremely disappointed to find out Hot Hot Heat was opening. I was a little late (but not late enough) so I missed most of their set, but from what I did see not much has changed. This was my fourth (I think) time seeing them and they still didn’t impress me. I just wanted to hear Bandages, and they at least gave me that.

Bloc Party on the other hand lived up to my expectations. Even though it was a Sunday night the crowd was hyped and they absolutely killed it. They played a good mix of old stuff and new stuff and I got to hear all my favourites so I was satisfied. Not too much banter, but they did take a minute to call out Dave, a.k.a. “the guy in the bright yellow shirt“, and to ask what made the people on the balcony think they were so important.



I’m glad I got to see them in a smaller venue for my first time. It just wouldn’t have been the same at a place like the Orpheum. Also, I just want to say it was nice to be part of a crowd where singing (read: screaming, extremely loud and out of key) along was encouraged (unlike some shows that may or may not have been previously mentioned on this blog).

[Pictures again courtesy of my not-so-poseur friend]

Not Gonna Teach Him How To Dance With You

Mates of State w/ Black Kids
April 18, 2009
Commodore Ballroom

A little late with this post, but school has been kicking my ass, so I apologize to all of the people who don’t read our blog who I’m sure have been anxiously anticipating a new post.

I should mention the opening act Judgement Day. They weren’t exactly my thing, but they deserve an A+ for effort and ingenuity. They’re basically a metal band but they’ve replaced bass and guitar with cello and violin. Seriously, check it out.



It seems that a few more months of touring did Black Kids some good because they were better than I remembered. Though, it may have had something to do with the energy of the crowd because they sure knew how to party. They played basically the same set as back in October and it definitely went by too fast. I can’t wait until these guys put out another record so they can stay on stage for more than 45 minutes. Also, I’d like to mention that after attending what feels like a million shows, I finally caught a damn guitar pick. It was a serious personal achievement.

Between sets we actually got to say hello to Reggie at the merch table where he was taking some pictures with fans. Then we just hung out at the back of the dance floor where with the help of some Dre, Weezy, and Michael Jackson a little retro dance party broke out. People were pop n’ lockin’ and everything See:


[Apologies to the random strangers in this photo.]

Even though I was pretty excited to see them, by the time Mates of State took the stage I, as well everyone else there it seemed, was pretty burned out. It might have been a result of where I was standing, but the mix didn’t sound too great either. They still played a solid set though, but the highlight was definitely when they invited couples to slow dance on stage and one girl decided to strut her stuff to completely steal the show.

[And thanks to my previously mentioned poseur friend and her facebook for the pictures]

808s & Heartbreak

I promised I'd reserve judgement on this record until I actually heard all the songs, and not that I have, I'm gonna let it rip.

I'll be upfront. I don't like this shit. Well, that's a lie. I like two and a half songs (those being Heartless, Robocop and half of Paranoid, but even with those my main complaint holds true). I'm still hoping that maybe after 20 more listens I'll change my mind on this one an d love it, but I really don't think that's going to happen.

No matter how great Kanye West thinks he is, he's just not a good singer. That's my number one problem with this record. He's no Boby Dylan either, so I'm not just going to let that slide. Especially when he's throwing his voice up at the forefront of these tracks, counting on that for the hook rather than some decent lyrics (see: Amazing). I mean, have you seen him try to sing this stuff live? Ouch. Some of these songs even start out pretty good, then the chorus hits and it just all falls apart. I really believe that if anyone else had made this record, people would not be all over it. It sounds like he layed down some demo vocals and just left them, thinking they were good enough.

I've seen quite a few people saying that all the hate on this record is coming from people who were expecting a rap record and don't like that he's taken a new direction. I want to make it clear that's not where I'm coming from. I like it when artists try something new. Some of my favourite records are the ones where people took a chance and reinvented themselves. I get it. Artists have to evolve. I'm not asking Kanye to make The College Dropout pt. 4. That would be boring. I'd even say that some of what he's doing on this record isn't that different from the direction you could feel him going in with Graduation and the stuff he was doing on the Glow in the Dark Tour. But here's the thing: just because he's trying something different doesn't mean it's good.

I've also been getting the vibe from some comments I've read around the internet that some people feel like because this record is "emotionally honest," it's not okay to criticize it. It's true that sometimes Kanye does get a little real on this record. At least he tries, but this record just feels like such a vanity project. If it helps him work his issues out, makes him feel better, then good for him. I just feel like his ego gets in the way of getting emotion across on this record. It's pretty hard to separate art from artist when it comes to Kanye.

To wrap this mess up, I'll at least give Kanye some credit and saw at least most of the beats are pretty sick. He's still a solid producers. Just work on the singing. Please.

Missy Higgins @ The Commodore

Missy Higgins w/ Joshua Radin
November 1, 2008
The Commodore Ballroom

I hate boys at concerts. Okay, maybe I should be a little more specific because that sounded kind of sexist. I hate loud obnoxious boys who look like they are probably in a fraternity, who make multiple beer runs through the crowd and feel the need to stand in the middle even though they're all about a foot taller than everyone else there. Now, to the show.


Joshua Radin opened, and he sounded great, but I felt a little bad for the guy. He was up there by himself with just his guitar and the crowd was being ridiculously noisy. I was pretty close, and sometimes it was hard to hear him between songs. He pointed it out repeatedly too. It was a little awkward. For his last song, he just unplugged his guitar and microphone and sang it for the people up front who were paying attention. Sometimes I don't think the Commodore is a good place for quiet acts.


After what felt like an eternity and a Grey's Anatomy soundtrack or two, Missy Higgins finally came on stage. She played for a solid 90 minutes and sounded amazing. I'm always impressed when someone actually sounds better live than they do on record. She talked quite a bit, but it wasn't a problem. She was hilarious, talking about what she did for Halloween and telling us about a bad experience with some wine while in Italy. I was excited she played both “They Weren't There” and “The Special Two.” She pulled Joshua Radin out with her to sing a cover, which I thought was nice. Their voices go well together. She didn't bother with an encore, warning the crowd beforehand that she thought they were dishonest (I agreed. I hate clapping for 4 minutes knowing they're going to come back anyway, I've only ever seen one spontaneous encore). She ended with “Scar” and the crowd sang along.

Ya'll Are As Good As Your CD

Black Kids w/ The Virgins
October 11, 2008
Richard's on Richards

We showed up to this show a little too early. And by a little too early, I mean we were literally about the tenth people to walk through the door. That gave us a lot of time to people watch. Being a show featuring two blog buzz bands, I think you can figure out the general make up of the crowd. Mostly indie kids and quite a few, well, you know, plus a couple people who are probably just there because they heard a song on Gossip Girl (not that there's anything wrong with that). Five years later and "The OC effect" is still going strong, and I still don't know if that's a bad thing or not.


First up, looking like they came straight out of 1991, was The Virgins. They played an energetic set, and were kind enough to only make one pot reference (we get that shit a lot out here). For all you "the EP was better" types, I'll admit that they did benefit from being away from the gloss of the studio. They make the kind of music that sounds better a little dirty.


They might still be a little green on stage, but Black Kids sure know how to bring the party. As with the Virgins, they sounded a little better live than they do on record. They busted out essentially every song they've ever written, and ended the show at around 9:30. Yeah, I said 9:30.