MusiXNyX

2004-09-19T11:34:00.000-04:00

Seven Circles

2004-09-18T00:08:00.000-04:00

I bought the new Tea Party album last week. I am at once disappointed and pleased. It has certainly moved away from the industrial middle-eastern flavour that Jeff Martin has favoured in the last hmm... four albums? There are a few very excellent songs, and sadly, a few really awful songs... and when I say awful, I am not talking "oh my gawd I can't possibly listen to this rubbish"; no I mean, "this sounds oddly similar to three other songs on three other tea party albums."

Holly McNarland makes an excellent appearance on the album in Wishing You Would Stay. The song presents something new in Tea Party's repetoir as Martin has never done a boy/girl woebegone dialogue... and heck, I like it. Ocean is not a bad song either... although I am so SO disillusioned with his lyric-writing ability. "And if I promise an ocean, would you care for the notion, of staying here and resting your weary head..." What is this?? Grade five English class? While I'm on the rampage trashing my favourite band, it gets worse. The song is called Stargazer, and it goes something like this: "These are the days, when we're dancing through the haze, with our ears to the ground, we're searching for the sound..."

Gah! What happened? And yet, I defend this band to my last dying breath... ever faithful fan am I. Anyway, since the album is in my car, all the way down the hall, through the kitchen and in the garage, I am too lazy to go and get it, thus ending my review. But in one last shining moment of intellectualism, I give this album ***1/2 STARS

Up next: The Cure's self-titled album, The Cure.

On a personal note, I just accepted a job at Casino Rama. My new job involves catering mind-numbing spiritual libations to those piteous souls who empty their bank accounts, drop their paychecks, and draw third mortgages on their homes so that they can "find their fortunes" in the toilet bowl that is called a Casino. There's nothing like dropping your money and flushing.

I start Monday. Boo-ya.

bending over for greatness

2004-08-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

I have returned from my psuedo-summer-life at camp. I am not sure what to say about it... I have many words and few brain cells. Basking in lethargy of spaghetti-stuffed belly, watching 3-hour Family Guy special. I lost 10 pounds this summer so I have a lot to make up for. Hence the 2 pints of chocolate-peanut butter ice cream in the freezer.

So anyway I was at the Kee to Bala in July to see The Tea Party. It was absolutely amazing, although I was a little disappointed with their set... it sounded like the same set they played the last time I saw them. And I heard maybe two new songs from their forth-coming album, The Seven Circles. But they did an awsome cover of Tool's Sober.

Oh and I also just about walked into Jeff Martin, the man Himself, as I was leaving the ladies room. He gave me this look... it wasn't necessarily a good look. But he LOOKED at me...

The Nyx is back baby.

yes she would bend over and become a groupie in a millisecond.

Satisfying My Curiosity

2004-08-10T02:09:00.000-04:00

After an afternoon that went by waaaaay too quickly, as it IS my precious, covetous day off, I found myself being rushed out the door at one in the afternoon with makeup on one eye and no underwear to speak of. Jeff and I were heading to Cambridge to pick up a stash of sumtin' sumtin' and then hightailing it to the Molson Aphitheatre in Toronto for the Curiosa Festival. It was amazing, and I admit, my first REALLY BIG concert like that. I always end up at smaller venues for some reason. Anyway, we had great seats, I met up with Kate, whom I haven't seen in about a year, and heard some incredible talent... I liked Mogwai better than Interpol. The Cure came on and played for a good solid two hours. I am happy because I heard the songs I wanted to hear and Jeff heard his and we had an amazing time. The Cure live are absolutely incredible and you can tell they are a vetran band who don't even have to look at eachother to harmonize themselves. I could just close my eyes and enjoy the music. They aren't terribly creative when it comes to theatrics, but then again, their talent MORE than makes up for it. I was there for their music not a theatrical play.

So after the concert, there Jeff and I were, cruising north on the 400, smoking the Colts he had just bought from the gas station, just chilling and enjoying the music of whoever we were listening to. When suddenly the steering wheel starts shaking uncontrollably and I hear a loud thumping noise... Yes, ladies and gents, we got a flat tire, at 12 midnight, in the middle of the 400 highway. Such excitement. But I am home safe... and high as a fucking kite man. This would explain my half-assed attempt at a concert review. Sorry.

That is all.

In The Still Of The Night... there is a bear

2004-06-28T23:00:00.000-04:00

Seriously there is a bear roaming around the camp grounds... it's been rummaging through the garbage behind the dining hall these past several nights. Craaaazy.

This has, so far, been THE coldest June I can remember up here. I have been wearing sweaters and pants for the past few weeks, and I am sitting here in the "staff lounge" freezing my little finigers off typing away since I am internet deprived. Thank you lord there is no one in line behind me so I can relax a little.

It is absolutely beautiful here, and the days can be quite lovely when the sun comes out, but there has been this hard cold wind blowing for the past few days and I am more wind burned than sun burned. I also have a cold, if you can believe it. Sucky... I've been sneezing and sniffling.

Well anyway, that's it for now. Can't be too creative when I am under pressure to finish this... someone's waiting for the computer. *sigh*

Till we meet again

Punk-O-Rama

2004-06-17T10:53:00.000-04:00

In an effort to expand my musical horizons I asked my friend Kate to share some of her favourite music with me. She has always been a music lover... it's why we get along so well. But since I left Toronto over two years ago, she strayed away from her old I-like-everything attitude, into this Punk Revival genre, and now it's all she listens to. I am certainly not criticizing her; in fact I think it's admirable that she has found a niche that she truly loves and that probably makes her happy. So I asked her to help me with this post. She gave me three of her favuorite bands, and recommended two songs from each of them. Then she was supposed to find me pictures for each band, and help me write about them, but she disappeared on me *cough*cop-out*cough*. So, because of a serious lack of time on my part, all I am going to say, is you should check out the following bands if you are in the mood.

On a personal note, I am leaving for the summer to the Muskokas to teach sailing. I'm getting paid to stay in a rustic cabin and drive around in a motor boat all summer. Tough job, I know, but someone's gotta do it.

So, MusiXNyX will resume in mid-August. Don't go anywhere!

Have a great summer everyone!

The Used

SONGS:

"Blue and Yellow"
"Box Of Sharp Objects"
"The Taste Of Ink"
"Buried Myself Alive"

Brand New

SONGS:

"Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't"
"Seventy Times 7"

Taking Back Sunday

SONGS:

"Cute Without The E"
"So Last Summer"

The Tarantino Connection

2004-06-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

Quentin's Music

If ever there was a God of movie making, Quentin Tarantino is it. And he's no slouch when it comes to the music in his movies either. I am convinced that if he never became a famous and brilliant movie creator, director and producer, he would be like Comic-Book Guy from the Simpsons; only he would posess an encyclopedia of knowledge on movies and music. Actually, I suppose he already does, but he's rich and famous, so that puts him in a whole different category... I think. Have you ever watched this man talk in an interview? You have to run thirty miles an hour just to keep up. It's like he has SO much knowledge crammed into his brain, he can't talk fast enough to get it all out. That could, of course, have something to do with the unsusal amount of chemicals he purportedly consumes on a regular basis... but who am I to make conjectures? I humble myself before his superior knowledge in awe and bewilderment.

I think the only film I haven't seen that invloved Tarantino is Natural Born Killers... and every time I say that, I always get "I can't believe you haven't seen that!" Well I haven't, so deal with it. He didn't direct it, he just wrote the script, and even then, Oliver Stone re-worked it anyway. More recently, I saw, and loved both Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2. I loved Uma Thurman, the other wonderful characters, fun plot, and amazing cinematography. Even more so, I absolutely adored the soundtrack, which, I later found out, contained several songs written and produced by Wu Tang's producer RZA. In particular, I was so very surprised and amazed, as I was sitting in the theatre watching Volume 1, to hear Zamfir's The Lonely Shepherd begin to play. As a staple song in my youth, I couldn't have been more surprised. That whole sequence gave me goose-bumps.

The Tarantino Connection is an album Jeff picked up recently, and I had a chance to listen to it in my car yesterday whilst driving along the highway. It is THE perfect sunny summer day, I-have-nothing-better-to-do album, with songs from some of his best films like Pulp Fiction, Resevoir Dogs and True Romance (although he didn't direct that one either...). For anyone who is familiar with Tarantino and his work, he prefers sappy-seventies and eighties-style music, which, certainly, best fit his films. I find nothing wrong with his tastes in music, mostly because he carefully picks each song for a specific reason, and I admire his ability to hit the nail on the head, as it were. This album encompasses a wide range of musical styles, such as Urge Overkill's Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon, the excellent Leonard Cohen's Waiting For A Miracle, Stealers Wheel's Stuck In The Middle With You, and Cowboy Junkies' Sweet Jane. I feel I must warn Yea, Oh Faithful Readers, that this is some dangerous toe-tapping, car-dancing, look-at-me-I'm-retarded driving music. Beware. * * * STARS

This reviewer also assigns above cheesey review a rating for poor content, grammatical error, weak arguments, and bad thesis development. * STAR

Resurrecting Nothing

2004-06-13T19:34:00.000-04:00

q&a

Although information is sketchy, at best, there is indeed a new NIN album in the makings. What are we at now? Halo 17? 18? After a two-year hiatus, since his 2002 album, Still, Trent is keeping pace at a few albums every couple of years. Not sure what 2004 will bring, but it looks to definitely be at least one album.

I had a chance to peruse nin.com and was really pleased to see that Trent has continued answering fan-based Q&A. He comes across as both introspective and humbly endearing and I am totally enamoured with by his "normal-guy" attitude.

I have lately been listening to Pretty Hate Machine, as well as a two-disc import of Things Falling Apart which includes several remixes of Starfuckers Inc., and am ever marvelling at the incredible talent and genius of the man. Here we have a guy who, while working as a janitor for some shitty independent recording studio, records his first CD in his off-hours, probably only with the help of a synthesizer and a mixer, and ends up with an album that has been praised as some of his best work in his entire career. And, like bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, he was unexpectedly caught off guard by his popularity, and later, by his morph into an interntaional sex-symbol, particularly after releasing Closer off The Downward Spiral EP. In a reply to a fan question on the NIN website, Trent wrote:

shy, loner misfit-type writes personal lyrics from journal figuring the world won't notice. world unexpectedly notices. shy, loner, misfit-type retreats further feeling unnaturally exposed.

And this reply only adds to my unending respect and marvel at the man. He writes and plays his music for the love of writing and playing music. I know most musicians would claim to do the same thing, but none of them seem to do it with quite the same panache as Trent. Ok, gushing finished.

And All That Could Have Been off the And All That Could Have Been Deluxe Edition is, admittedly, one of my most favourite songs. Call me broody and depressing - I never claimed to be otherwise. I also, of course, love Pretty Hate Machine. But I am going to go for the underdog, and review Things Falling Apart, an excellent remix release of The Fragile. It's quite possibly one of his more daring and diverse albums... although NIN expert I am not, as I barely own half of the band's albums. So, rephrasing above statement, I add a reverent "in my humble opinion." In particular, as I already mentioned somwhere in this horribly garbbled review (to be blamed on lack of sleep), I have taken a joyful liking to the three incredible remixes of Starfuckers Inc.. This is mostly because I have been becoming more appreciative of the electronica genre in general, and, more specifically, hard-core industrial beats. So it's fitting that this album slips nicely into my music mood. For those who know the song, at some points it's hardly recognizable, but lost in a layering of amazingly dense mechanical-sounding samples. And this only serves to illustrate NIN's incredible diversity, and Trent's own need to follow his own muse. Having said that, the guy who reviewed this album over at Allmusic.com can take his cryptically-worded bashing and cram it up his rectum. * * * * STARS

trent

Tea Party Mantras

2004-06-12T17:53:00.000-04:00

The Tea Party

As a very huge Tea Party fan, Interzone Mantras did not disappoint. I admit, although it was released in October of 2001, I didn't actually pick it up until sometime early in the new year of 2004. So I suppose this isn't late breaking news, but since The Tea Party are supposed to be coming out with a new album this summer, I couldn't contain my excitement, and had to write about them. I suppose I've had my head up in a cloud... or to put it more aptly, stuck in a whole, since I missed their White Ribbon Campaign concert in Toronto last Tuesday. Very upset with myself. But, according to their website, they are supposed to be coming back to the great TO for the Toronto Blues Festival on July 22. I will make a point to get that day off and boot it to TO if I can (...although I'm also taking off August 9th for Curiosa... hmmm must figure out how to juggle concert priorities...)

I am such a freak, I can tell you exactly what song hooked me on to Tea Party... and even better, I have a vivid recollection of the moment I first heard that song. It was Fire In The Head, off thier Edges Of Twilight EP. I had this shitty little bed-side clock radio that I would listen to for hours when I came home from school, and I distinctly remember hearing the song, pausing whatever it was I was doing, and leaning forward to turn up the volume. The album released in 1995, so I was 15. And ever since then, I've been a steadfast fan. Although I didn't go to my first Tea Party concert until they played Frosh Week at the University of Guelph my freshman year, I still faithfully bought each album, and listened to it over and over again. My particular favourite was - and still is - the excellent, very industrial and dark Transmission, which went double platinum.

So as I said, Interzone Mantras did not let me down. The band's website lauds it as some of their best work. For this album, Jeff Martin became less involved with producing in order to get back to basics and just play his guitar. And that's what the band as a whole concentrated on too - getting back to the basics by playing their music until they came up with something they liked. Writing the music involved sitting around in their studio, playing together. Martin then made a pilgrimage to Prague, rented an apartment, and found artistic inspiration for his lyrics in the quiet solitude of his European haven. Very poetic.

I found myself drawn towards the deeper, sadder songs within this album. I remember seeing them live at Club Denim in Guelph about a year ago, when I first heard the emotionally stirring Soulbreaking. The entire audience was absolutely mesmerized. But after having a chance to listen to the album a great deal, the soaring sounds of Requiem became one of my favourites, along with the less-depressing, but just-as-moving Cathartik. Some people find Tea Party repetitive and to "deep and depressing". But for those who love them, Interzone Mantras delivered. * * * *1/2 STARS

Their next album, The Seven Circles is currently in production, and as of yet, has no scheduled release date. The website claims sometime this summer.

Legion Of Boom

2004-06-11T22:31:00.000-04:00

The Boyz of Crystal Method

I have seriously failed as a Meth fan in two large, significant ways:

1. Excitedly headed out to buy newly released Legion Of Boom album two or three months ago, listened to it several times, made a wholly boring trip to Montreal to visit ailing grandmother, lost album somewhere in vast recesses of large ugly rental car called Chrysler. Never saw CD again.

2. Discovered thecrystalmethod.com, constantly checked tour dates, nearly shit pants as one day Toronto date was added to bill. Could not find listing on Tickmaster anywhere. Finally emailed promotions chick at Guvernment in T.O. asked where the hell they were. Found that it was a multiple venue called Decadence, April 8th. But bank account sadly lacking funds, decided to make wallet happy, not Nyx.

I heard from an acquaintance several days later that Decadence had been the most incredible venue he'd been to in years (and this guy had been around the block a few times, if ye ken my meaning). So, basically, I suck, on all counts.

From what I had a chance to listen to, Legion Of Boom was a really fantastically diverse album. From very ambient-esque electronica, to a heavy dance alternative feel, like in the CDs single, Born Too Slow, featuring guest vocals by John Garcia (formerly of Kyuss), and the guitar riffs of Wes Borland. The Meth also bring guest-star appearances by beat-box extraordinaire Rahzel for The American Way, and the saavy, very sexxy, Milla Jovovich vocals which haunt I Know It's You. All in all, a very excellent album - if a little slow in places for this gals' tastes. * * * 1/2 STARS.

I also managed to pick up Community Service a short while ago, without really reading the back, and was, at first, a little perturbed that it was a remix cd. But it has long since made up for that, since i'm totally diggin' it in my MTX-equipped car. The Meth remix staple songs like Garbage's Paranoid, and Rage's Renegades Of Funk. And let's not forget the Matrix stylins' of The Red Pill. * * * STARS.

Stabbing What?

2004-06-10T22:20:00.000-04:00

Stabbing Westward - when they were good

So what happened to Stabbing Westward? I remember hearing the dark, soul stirring lyrics of What Do I Have To Do on the radio, and totally fell in love. That was off their second album, Wither Blister Burn & Peel. Then came the excellent Darkest Days, with ever more delicious Industrial-gothic songs like Torn Apart and Save Yourself. And then, they disappeared. In 1999, the band came to a "creative impasse" with Sony, and they parted ways. The band then opted for an Independant label, Koch, in 2000, and recorded their fourth album, self titled. Why had I not heard of this album, or these songs until I researched it? Their website writes the following:

"The group likes the idea of being a big fish in a smaller pond. Weary of the industrial metal niche it had been pigeonholed in, the group decides to take a poppier approach on its new record...Feeling that the changes were tantamount to a rebirth, the band decides to call the new record, simply, Stabbing Westward."

HUH??? "Weary of the industrial metal niche"? Deciding to "take a poppier approach"? And their "great" new creative idea led them many places; namely their official break up in February of 2002.

So I ask myself, how did this happen?

And then I downloaded Stabbing Westward's cover of New Order's Bizzarre Love Triangle, off the Scary Movie 3 Soundtrack, and decided maybe their break-up was a good idea after all.

every you every me

2004-06-10T10:21:00.000-04:00

PLACEBO; Without You I'm Nothing

"Sucker love is heaven sent.
You pucker up, our passion's spent.
My hearts a tart, your body's rent.
My body's broken, yours is spent.

Carve your name into my arm.
Instead of stressed, I lie here charmed.
Cuz there's nothing else to do,
Every me and every you..."

Excellent driving song. Excellent CD. We were sitting in the car yesterday, windows down, system pumpin'... and Jeff said this song reminded him of 'US'. Very sweet. Although everytime I hear it I think of Cruel Intentions. Not that I particularly liked that movie. I like thinking of US better.

Still trying to figure out how this all works. Put in a chatter box >>> very cool. But as HTML expert I am not, can't figure out how to have a "Favourite Links" in the side bar.

Signed, HTML Idiot.

The Cure's Curiosa Summer Tour

2004-06-10T00:52:00.000-04:00

CURIOSA IS COMING!

Just a few short weeks ago, I believe, The Cure announced their intention to do a summer tour. It's actually a music festival, with two stages, which will be a totally amazing summer concert venue for Cure fans. The Cure Website posted this:

"The idea for a Festival Tour came up last September during our rehearsals for the KROQ show. We found ourselves really looking forward to playing with a lot of other bands we like and thought "Why not put our own festival together and take it out on the road next year?". We spent the winter putting the bill together and think we've come up with the perfect summer day out. There will be two stages and the bands will alternate; the running order on the main stage will stay the same but the second stage will evolve as the tour progresses. There will also be other stuff going on at every show"

The Cure, of course, is headlining, and bands include: INTERPOL, THE RAPTURE, MOGWAI, THURSDAY, MUSE, and CURSIVE. They have also left the second stage open for TBA, which will hopefully draw some local talent.

Concert dates start July 7th and run through to August 29th, although the band has been adding dates to the bill. Check out the link above for further info. I am particularly psyched because they added a Toronto date on Monday August 9th at the Amphitheatre... early bird tickets went on sale this morning... WoOT! More info to follow.

N.

wtf am i doing

2004-06-09T23:28:00.000-04:00

test

2004-06-09T22:12:00.000-04:00

NyX. Taken by crappy camera in living room yesterday.

So that's me. WoOT! It worked. Now I'm editing this. WTF am I doing? *shrugs shoulders* meh.

NyX

Blog-Fu

2004-06-09T21:41:00.000-04:00

So this is it... the maiden voyage of my Music Blog. Hopefully in the near future I will add several team members, but for now it's just little ol' me. Not much else to say, just going to poke around and check things out. See what this puppy can do.

N.