My Liner Notes

Favourite Shows of 2011

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:24:27 -0500

1) James Blake - Lee’s Palace, May 14
2) Portishead - Sound Academy, October 9
3) Prince - Air Canada Centre, November 26
4) Animal Collective - Coachella Festival, April 16
5) St Vincent - Phoneix, December 15
6) Elvis Costello - Sony Performing Centre, June 23
7) Bon Iver - Massey Hall, December 6
8) Feist - Massey Hall, December 1
9) Beirut - Phoenix Theatre, August 2
10) Patrick Watson / Amy Millan - Koerner Hall, November 10
11) Ryan Adams - December 10, Winter Gardens Theatre
12) Fleet Foxes - Massey Hall, August 14
13) Lee Fields - The Mod Club, July 2
14) Yuck - Echo (Los Angeles), April 13
15) Lauryn Hill - Sound Academy, January 22
16) The Strokes - Coachella Festival, April 17
17) Wilco - Massey Hall, September 17
18) Twin Shadow, Wild Nothing, Memoryhouse - Lee’s Palace, June 18
19) The Shins - Phoenix, September 22
20) Tie: Still Corners - The Drake, October 25 & Jane Birkin - Great Hall, December 7

Favourite Singles of 2011

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:05:23 -0500

1) Wilhelm Scream - James Blake
2) Video Games - Lana Del Rey
3) Soft - Washed Out
4) Midnight City - M83
5) Goshen - Beirut
6) Holocene - Bon Iver
7) Holland - Cold Specks
8) New Beat - Toro Y Moi
9) I Need You Now - Cut Copy
10) Never Come Around - La Sera
11) Killin’ The Vibe - Ducktails Feat. Panda Bear
12) The Morning - The Weeknd
13) 212 - Azealia Banks
14) Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells
15) Cruel - St. Vincent
16) A Real Hero - College f/ Electric Youth
17) Cuckoo - Still Corners
18) Hearts - I Break Horses
19) Make My - The Roots Feat. Big KRIT
20) Ritual Union - Little Dragon
21) Vomit - Girls
22) Sadness is a Blessing - Lykke Li
23) Got to Let Go - Charlotte Gainsbourg feat. Charlie Fink
24) Go Outside - Cults
25) Lonesome Hunter - Timber Timbre
26) Raw Spectacle - Miracle Fortress
28) Blackeye - Love Inks
29) Walking Far From Home - Iron & Wine
30) True Blue - Dirty Beaches
31) Theophilus London Feat. Solange - Flying Overseas
32) Lady Luck - Jamie Woon
33) Lotus Flower - Radiohead
34) Weekend - Smith Westerns
35) Hex Girlfriend - Neon Indian
36) The New Improved Hypocrisy - The Radio Dept.
37) The Wall - Yuck
38) Forget It - Blood Orange
39) Shell Games - Bright Eyes
40) Holy Holy - Wye Oak
41) Under Cover of Darkness - The Strokes
42) Come On Over - Veronica Falls
43) Crystalline- Bjork
44) My Mistakes - Eleanor Friedberger
45) War in Heaven - The Raveonettes
46) Iron & Ore - Ohbijou
47) No Room for Doubt - Lianne La Havas Feat. Willy Mason
48) How Deep is Your Love? - The Rapture
49) Grimes - Vanessa
50) An Argument with Myself - Jens Lekman

Favourite Albums of 2011

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:30:00 -0500

1) James Blake - James Blake
2) Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
3) Beirut - Rip Tide
4) Yuck - Yuck
5) Fleet Foxes - Hopelessness Blues
6) St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
7) Still Corners - Creatures of An Hour
8) Bon Iver - Bon Iver
9) Lykke Li - Youth Novels
10) J Mascis - Several Shades of Why
11) Washed Out - Within and Without
12) Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin On
13) Wilco - The Whole Love
14) M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Waiting
15) Youth Lagoon – The Year Of Hibernation
16) Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine
17) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
18) The Weeknd - House of Balloons
19) Feist - Metals
20) Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
21) Alex Turner - Submarine OST
22) The Antlers - Burst Apart
23) Cults - Cults
24) Bjork - Biophilia
25) The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave
26) CANT - Dreams Come True
27) Drake - Take Care
28) Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls
29) I Break Horses - Hearts
30) The Roots - Undun
31) Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Mirror Traffic
32) La Sera - La Sera
33) The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
34) My Morning Jacket – Circuital
35) Bright Eyes - The People’s Key
36) Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts
37) Miracle Fortress - Was I The Wave?
38) Bry Webb - The Provider
39) Danger Mouse & Danielle Luppi – Rome
40) Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo
41) Panda Bear - Tomboy
42) Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
43) Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
44) Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
45) Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
46) Wye Oak - Civilian
47) The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
48) The Dodos - No Color
49) Neon Indian – Era Extraña
50) Braids- Native Speaker

Love Etc: A Q&A with Jill AndresevicLove Etc....

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:20:39 -0400

Love Etc: A Q&A with Jill Andresevic

Love Etc. (www.loveetcthemovie.com) is an upcoming documentary that follows the relationships of five couples in New York City’s five boroughs.

By documenting 15 months out of the lives of five different couples, Andresevic takes a magnifying glass to the enormously complex subject of love and relationships.

What emerges is a fairly realistic snapshot of not just what it’s like to fall in love, but more importantly, what it takes to maintain a healthy relationship.

Coming off my experience with Our Liner Notes, this is a topic I am all too familiar with. So I suppose it goes without saying that I was instantly able to draw comparisons to Love Etc. and Our Liner Notes.

I sat down with the director, Jill Andresevic, where we discussed the film, love and relationships, and what it takes to make a relationship work.

How did you first come up with the idea for Love Etc.?

Jill Andresevic: The idea came from Jonathan Tisch and his fiance Lizzie Tisch when they were standing in line for their marriage certificate at City Hall in New York City. All around them, people of different ethnicities, from different countries, all ranging in age and socio-economic backgrounds, were all waiting to do a similar business transaction based on love. That room represented a snapshot of the world, and at the same time a snapshot of New York City. This was the beginning of the film and where the inspiration came from.

Hollywood is known for its misleading or glamourized representation of love and relationships. But at the same time, reality television has contributed to this problem as well. How were you able to portray these themes in a realistic way with Love Etc.?

JA: This movie is about everyday love. It’s a true documentation of five stories set in New York City over the course of a year. The intention of the film was to create an honest and authentic portrayal of what happened to these individuals (ages 18-89) over the timeframe we documented them. There was no attempt to glamorize their lives, the focus was on telling their stories. The end result is a film that examines what real love looks like - in real life, unscripted.

How did you come across these five couples? Were there originally more couples?

JA: The casting of the movie was a feat in and of itself. It was a time consuming process that involved “hand-casting” the individuals through a combination of street casting, research, and email blasts within targeted networks of people. We never found one person off a Craigslist ad, although a few ads were placed. Our goal was to uncover people with lives that fit with our subject matter, who were diverse, compelling on camera, comfortable in front of the camera, and had a sense of humor about themselves and the world.

We started filming approximately 10 stories, which quickly dropped to seven and in the edit we made the decision to cut two stories leaving 5 stories in the final film. Personally for me, it was a very difficult decision to cut two of the stories after filming people for over a year.

How frequently did you follow these couples throughout the two year documenting process?

JA: I don’t have exact numbers, I know we shot approximately 80 days (including pick ups) over the course of 15-ish months. How often we shot with a subject was based on what was happening in their lives, which varied. For example, we shot almost 5 days in row during the Indian wedding, because that was an important time in that couple’s life.

Obviously it takes a certain level of trust to allow people into your life and see the inner workings of your relationship. How long would you say it took for these five couples to bestow this trust in you?

JA: This is a difficult question for me to answer, as it’s hard for me to step outside myself and analyze how long it took for me to build trust with each person. I can say I had an automatic rapport with everyone immediately otherwise I wouldn’t have started filming them, and I don’t think they would have agreed to let us film either, if that mutual feeling didn’t exist from day one.

I came across the website of your previous documentary, I Heart New York: A Love Story, which seemed to more or less have the subject matter as Love Etc. Was this a project that eventually transformed into Love Etc.?

JA: “I Heart New York: A Love Story” was the working title for the film when we started development. As of now that website is still up, and the film short on the site represents what I shot over 3 days in NY with my production team before the film was fully funded, to demonstrate to the financiers how the film would look and feel. Once we were funded, we also showed the “funding teaser” to potential key crew (our DP / producer etc.) and potential subjects. It was helpful for us to share the teaser with crew and potential subjects, as it gave them a visual and tonal reference for the film.

Albert and Marion first bonded over their common passion for music (a subject I am all too familiar with). How important a role do you think music plays within a relationship, bringing two people closer together?

JA: Music was the reason Albert & Marion came together in business first (as song writer & composer) and later as husband & wife. In their relationship, music played a key role, as the glue that brought them together and has helped hold them together over 49 years.

I think music plays a greater or lesser role in a personal love relationship depending on what music means to each individual in the relationship. For example if two rocket scientists fall in love, music may not play a role at all in bringing them closer together, unless one or both of them had a natural affinity for music. That being said, I think if a couple has a mutual affinity for music, that is another element that can bring them closer.

After just a couple of months of interviewing my subjects for Our Liner Notes, I was sad to see it end. So I can only imagine how you felt after more than a year of interviewing the five couples. Have you stayed in touch with the couples?

JA: I am deeply grateful for the time and access that everyone in all the stories gave me and my crew. It was a life transforming experience for me, as I will never see love in the same way. I stay in touch with everyone that is in the movie.

Was there an overlying theme you found in interviewing and documenting the relationships of these couples? Has it affected your own perception of love and relationships?

JA: Love is what we all want, but it’s not easy. To love someone is a choice, and it requires commitment and effort, and should never be taken for granted. Love is not a fairy tale, i.e. you meet Prince Charming and then the happily ever after part happens. That is not real life. Even if someone said they met the “real Prince Charming” and they are in a magical happy relationship, that means they are a. lucky, b. they made a good choice, and c. somewhere behind their curtain, they put sweat equity into the relationship and effort to make it work. That is my take away after two years of total immersion in the subject… oh and one more thought … don’t ever give up on love. That is the other important thing I learned. I believe now more than ever, love is possible anytime, at any age, it’s a matter of desire and willingness to put forth the effort. It’s our human condition to love and to want to be loved.

Love Etc. premieres at Toronto’s Bloor Cinema on April 6 as part of the Doc Soup presentations. It opens in select cities this summer.

Every single music-related conversation I’ve had in the...

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:43:43 -0500

Every single music-related conversation I’ve had in the last three months has inevitably lead to one artist alone: James Blake (no, not the tennis player).

For those of you who haven’t heard Blake’s EPs or his recently released self-titled debut LP, picture Bon Iver “going to church” and fucking around with Auto-tune and you’ll get an idea of what to expect.

Now I know a lot of you have already tuned out after reading the bit about Auto-tune.

But make no mistake about it: Blake has reinvented the conventional practices of Auto-tune, which remarkably validates the tired gimmick.

He just announced a full North American tour today and you can see if your city has been selected as one of the lucky few.

For all my fellow Torontonians, mark May 14th on your calendar, as Blake will be playing the Rivoli. I can’t think of a more fitting venue.

Check out the minimalistic yet engaging video for his latest single, Wilhelm Scream above.

AUX TV Weekly feature for the book, Our Liner Notes

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:24:39 -0500

AUX TV Weekly feature for the book, Our Liner Notes

NEW STROKES SINGLE!

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:54:00 -0500

NEW STROKES SINGLE!:

What happens when you haven’t put out a record in five long years and you announce that you’re making your new single available for free on your website at a specific time?

The seemingly reinforced walls of the Interweb come crumbling down. The Strokes official website has been inaccessible for the last 20 minutes as eager fans have been flooding the site for the free download.

But thanks to one good samaritan, the single can be downloaded through Mediafire. For now, anyways.

Our Liner Notes Available Online!

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:36:02 -0500

ourlinernotes:

Our Liner Notes is now available for sale through Etsy, which can be found in their books and zines showcase section. Buy your copy today!

ourlinernotes: With just two weeks away from the launch of Our...

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:19:07 -0500

ourlinernotes:

With just two weeks away from the launch of Our Liner Notes, I wanted to post one of my favourite music videos of all time: Bright Eyes’ “First Day of My Life”.

This John Cameron Mitchell-directed gem is certainly one of the inspirations behind Our Liner Notes.

Also, if you haven’t seen his latest film Rabbit Hole yet, well, you really should.

Here’s a sneak preview of the front cover of Our Liner...

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:02:47 -0500

Here’s a sneak preview of the front cover of Our Liner Notes

Here’s a sneak preview of the back cover of Our Liner...

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:02:21 -0500

Here’s a sneak preview of the back cover of Our Liner Notes

I’m pleased to announce the upcoming release of a new...

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:27:00 -0500

I’m pleased to announce the upcoming release of a new coffee table book I have been working on, which explores music as a romantic catalyst.

It’s titled Our Liner Notes, which is either a sensible or lazy move on my part (depending on your perspective), and will be available online and in select Toronto music and book stores starting February 13 (a full list of stores will be announced in a few weeks).

We’re also throwing a launch for the book on February 11 (just in time for Valentine’s Day) from 8 pm to 12 am at Tabula Rasa (745 Broadview Ave), which will feature performances by Spirit Oak, Foxes In Fiction and DJ Daniel Brooks (of Medallions ).

A portion of the proceeds from the book will go to The Regent Park School of Music, a not-for-profit music school which provides affordable high quality music education for youth.

Here’s some more information about the book:

Written and compiled by Justin Lee, designed by Tammy Yiu, photographed by Christine Lim, and illustrated by Lauren Pirie, Our Liner Notes documents the r…elationships of 14 music-obsessed couples who share their personal experiences involving music.

These anecdotal stories provide tiny glimpses into the dynamics of their relationship and the enormous role which music has played in uniting them.

From the day they first met, to the shows that conjure up fond memories, to the dusty mixtapes that serve as musical love letters, these are their liner notes.

Album art for Iron & Wine’s Kiss Each Other Cleanr

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:35:24 -0500

Album art for Iron & Wine’s Kiss Each Other Cleanr

Iron & Wine Perform New Album in its Entirety

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:33:42 -0500

Last night Iron & Wine performed an intimate, acoustic show at New York City’s The Greene Space which is broadcasting on demand on NPR’s website now.

The band played their new album, Kiss Each Other Clean, in its entirety, well before its January 25th release date.

And trust me: once you watch the video stream or listen to the audio you won’t be able to wait for the record’s release.

The last My Liner Notes post of 2010 is short and sweet —...

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:50:00 -0500

The last My Liner Notes post of 2010 is short and sweet — emphasis on sweet.

Two of my favourite singles this year were Big Boi’s “Shine Blockaz” and The Black Keys’ “Everlasting Light”, ranking #14 and #15, respectively.

So it came as a welcome surprise when mashup artist Wick-it the Instigator combined the two songs for his “Everlasting Shine Blockaz” mix.

And while you’re at it, check out the rest of The Brothers of Chico Dusty, his mashup mix of Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty and The Black Keys’ Brothers.

Enjoy, and I will see you all in 2011.

It’s no surprise that Sufjan’s favourite musical...

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:15:00 -0500

It’s no surprise that Sufjan’s favourite musical genre of music is Christmas music.

A few years back he released a box set of five volumes packed full of original and traditional Christmas music.

Then as each Christmas would approach, subsequent volumes began popping up on the Interweb. However, Volume 6 was never previously available, let alone heard. Until now.

The good folks at rawkblog are currently streaming all seven songs on Volume 6 so now you’ll have a proper soundtrack for all your Christmas activities—whether you’re roasting chestnuts on an open fire, or secretly wishing the 36 people in front of you at the department store line (Readers Note: I don’t actually mean a real case filled with explosive diaherrea because that would be disgusting).

Sufjan Stevens - “Heirloom”, live at Massey Hall on...

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:46:19 -0500

Sufjan Stevens - “Heirloom”, live at Massey Hall on October 13, 2010.

Top 20 Shows of 2010

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:43:51 -0500

1. Sufjan Stevens @ Massey Hall
2. Pavement @ Osheaga Festival, Montreal
3. Belle & Sebastian @ Massey Hall
4. Arcade Fire @ Toronto Island
5. The Magnetic Fields @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
6. Owen Pallett @ The Mod Club
7. Charlotte Gainsbourg @ Olympia Theatre, Montreal
8. Voxtrot @ Bowery Ballroom, New York
9. LCD Soundsystem @ Kool Haus
10. Kings of Convenience @ Phoenix Theatre
11. Air @ Phoenix Theatre
11. Band of Horses, Grizzly Bear & Karen Elson @ Williamsburg Waterfront, Brooklyn
13. Tallest Man on Earth @ Lee’s Palace
14. The Flaming Lips/Spoon @ Molson Amphitheater
15. El Perro Del Mar/Taken By Trees @ The Mod Club
16. Spoon/Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall, New York
17. Beach House @ Opera House
18. She & Him @ Bowery Ballroom
19. The Besnard Lakes @ The Horseshoe
20. Jonsi @ The Sound Academy

Beach House - Norway (Practice session recorded for...

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:18:44 -0500

Beach House - Norway (Practice session recorded for Pitchfork.TV)

Top 30 Albums of 2010

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:16:00 -0500

1. Beach House - Teen Dream
2. Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz
3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
4. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
5. The National - High Violet
6. Owen Pallett - Heartland
7. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
8. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
9. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
10. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
11. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
12. Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
13. Shad - TSOL
14. She & Him - Volume 2
15. Radio Dept. - Clinging to the Scheme
16. Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
17. Taken By Trees - East of Eden
18. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - Record Collection
19. S. Carey - All We Grow
20. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
21. Diamond Rings - Special Affection
22. Wolf Parade - Expo 86
23. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
24. Twin Shadow - Forget
25. Spoon - Transference
26. Foals - Total Life Forever
27. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
28. The Roots - How I Got Over
29.. Roky Erickson & Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil
30. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way