Old Enough to Forget

Sinematic , released in 2019, is a sprawling 13-song experience spanning two albums. Broken into four segments, it's actually easier to digest in the small chunks presented on each side than sitting and listening to this on streaming (or CD). Although having said that, depending on my mood I like to eat the elephant one bite at a time. If you have the time, listening to it uninterrupted is a treat if you can manage it in a single sitting.  The streaming version also contains lyrics, and to my surprise on Apple Music the album description contains an overview as well as commentary on several of the songs, which was a real surprise. My goodness, this is how you try and compensate for not having a physical copy. I still find it interesting that I was never really a fan of The Band as a kid. I recall seeing bits and pieces of The Last Waltz and couldn't figure out what the fuss was. I do remember there was a bit of a tempest in a teacup when the band reunited without Robbie in the ...

Most of this was written in real time as I listened to the record for the first time. I have, of course, gone back in time to edit and add more after the fact. Why not? At the moment I'm about two tracks in. I just dropped the needle and sat down. The first track, "Intro," is exactly that. It was a cool, sort of techno-influenced piece that segues into "Forever," which was pretty good. Having the song end with a tape effect is a nod to a past that doesn't exist. I suppose if you can replicate it digitally, why not? "Like I Used to Be" is pretty cool. The song features what I have to assume are Matt and Kim trading vocals back and forth. The song is a mid-tempo alternative electronic piece with a lot of '80s-flavoured programmed percussion. I like it. Very retro ... or is this called Lo-Fi? "I'd Rather" Oh, here we go. A nice fat thuddy beat. At the risk of exposing my limited range in defining or understanding genres, I suspect th...

Boniface is another of my Marco Polo Platters . The cover was intriguing and pretty much screamed nostalgia to me. It doesn't get much cooler than an '80s Fiero on a prairie back road. I had never heard of Boniface before, but considering the kid sitting on the hood of that Fiero probably wasn't even alive when the car rolled off the assembly line, it's safe to say I'm not exactly keeping up with what's new. Then again, I don't really pretend to be in tune with the latest trends. I like music, and if the music likes me, we'll get along. It's hard to tell whether Boniface is a band, or a musical identity. A glance through the credits and I get the sense the core musicians are Micah Visser, vocals, keyboard, guitars, Joseph Visser, guitars and Michael Dunn, drums. The songs were all written by Micah, with a couple being co-written by Eg White (best name ever) and one by Steph Marsiano. I suspect this is Micah's vehicle. I was looking forward to hea...

I still have a fairly big pile of Marco Polo Platters waiting for their turn on the record player. I have to say the little store, which I may as well plug, since who knows how long they’ll keep doing it, has not been great at repopulating its small section of clearance items. Sunrise Records is probably the last of the mall record stores still standing in Canada. Oh well, I’ll keep checking, as I still manage to find myself lost and abandoned with frightening regularity. I almost didn't pick this up as it was Vol. 2 , and the obsessive completest in me could not handle getting an album out of sequence. In the end, as you can tell, it didn't stop me. I persevered, I overcame, I willed myself to push forward ... in the end, I am here victorious, and am listening to, and writing about Vol 2. before I've even heard Vol. 1 . Way to go me. Now, to be fair, this isn't the first time I'm hearing the band, I just don't really remember what I've heard. They've ...

Always Tomorrow is another of my beloved Marco Polo Platters. The first thing that caught my eye was the cover. Okay, that was the second thing. The first thing was the clearance sticker, but dang the cover gave me a good chuckle. The cover for Always Tomorrow  is a weirdly wonderful juxtaposition of perspective on a familiar image. It's a picture taken from inside the Hotel California looking out into the world. Some will get it, some won't ... most won't care. It's the font in the bottom right that pulls it all together. Dagnabbit that album was twenty years when Bethany Cosentino was born, so I'm guessing her parents had a decent record collection. Of course I could just be seeing things, and this is all a giant load of horseshit. I don't think so. Best Coast is a dreamy pop band who likes to incorporate jingle jangle guitars into their music. The music is weirdly nostalgic for me. It may be new but structurally this is what I grew up with. Ah, the more thi...

Frank Turner is a bit of a conundrum. I can't rightly recall how I first heard of Mr. Turner, but I ended up with copies of England Keep My Bones (2011) and the two albums that followed, Tape Deck Heart (2013) and  Positive Songs for Negative People (2015). The only song I can remember is the all too short "Eulogy" that opens his 2011 release. I do remember them as being pretty decent, even if they didn't stick with me. I obviously liked him enough to pick up more of his stuff. That's the problem (one of many) with getting old, the neural pathways required to make those associative connections with time place and music are well worn and the ability to carve fresh tracks alongside the long establish ruts is pretty much an improbable task. However, my ability to appreciate music in the moment has not diminished. I'm as quick to pass to judgment as I ever was. If anything I'm more self aware and will often take the time to intentionally listen, really liste...

Steven Page has been quietly releasing albums since his departure from Barenaked Ladies back in 2010. I'll be upfront and admit I don't have a dog in the fight as to whether the band is better off with him or without him. Honestly I was a casual at best and while I have a few of their CDs I more or less stopped listening after their 2001 release  Disc One that collected their greatest hits from 1991 to 2001. I had no idea he had recently (dates and times are relative around here) released Excelsior . Over the last 25 years I've more or less observed from the sidelines. When Steven left Barenaked Ladies, I  watched along with millions of Canadian their reconciliation that wasn't a reconciliation for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame back in 2018. That performance absolutely silenced any doubters that this, THIS was the version of the band we needed, but wouldn't get - and that's okay. As cool as that Hall of Fame moment was it somehow managed to exclude...

Little Image, or little image, or my favourite and most aesthetically pleasing littleimage. is an alternative pop band from Dallas Texas. The band features the talents of Jackson Simmons (vocals, guitar), Troy Bruner (drums) and Brandon Walters (bass, synth). This is what passes for alternative nowadays. Yeah, I am old. Well, oldish, but it's all relative. Still, gotta give these kids props. They're a band, and band's are not the flavour of the day. Hollywood Records may or may not have the cachet they once had when they were the home of Queen and Fastball. They're still a major label in an age when I have no idea what labels are supposed to do for an artist. I suppose if I had the time I could write a letter to Ashton Ulrich and Mike Daly the dynamic duo who are the band's A&R team and ask them. Self Titled  is another one of those Marco Polo Platters I shelled out less than ten bucks for. I don't know why I just don't take a picture of the album and ...

Uncertain Country was another one of my Marco Polo Platters , and I bought this because it looked cool. I figured it would be artsy and independent. The back cover showed both Factor, and the government of Canada logos, which is code for artistic grants. I'm not judging at all (not yet anyway), I think it's great there's support for the arts. I just hoped it sounded good too. I'm going to give this a couple of spins before I sit on my stool of judgment and spew my nonsense. I am really looking forward to this one. I love the anticipation of the unknown.  First a little homework. For those in the know you can skip ahead to the parts where I jibber jabber about the record. Nothing I'm about to jot down will come as a surprise to the band's fans. I am for the most part largely oblivious to a lot of new stuff that's out there. I hear bits and pieces, often through my son who has a pretty eclectic CD collection. Yes, CD that's his media of choice. I like mos...

Hard to believe it's been a decade since I first heard My Morning Jacket's The Waterfall . I don't remember how I found it in the first place ... but I did. I honestly don't remember much other than the first cut "Believe (Nobody Knows)" was hypnotic. Such a great song. I'm going to have to listen to that one again ... but first I have a few things to jot down about the band's 2020 follow-up  The Waterfall II . I managed to snag a crisp new vinyl copy for under ten bucks. One of the many Marco Polo * bargains I've secured over the last year. I'll admit initially I was a wee bit perplexed by the title, but I also suspected there was a reason. My Morning Jacket is one of those bands I really don't know a lot about, they've been around a while. Their debut came out in 1999 and every couple of years a new album would get released. When Waterfall came out in 2015 it would be another five years before the outtakes were assembled into an al...

The Northern Pikes were never one of my go to bands. They skirted the periphery for me, although they had a couple of killer tunes: “Things I Do For Money” was a nearly perfect ‘80s songs with a wonderfully syncopated delay on the guitar and a head bopping groove. The other was “Hopes Go Astray” which was (still is) a captivating song from  Secrets of the Alibi but don’t remember much else. The only thing I remember was being a bit disappointed. I was probably mix tape hunting, and aside from that one great song ("Hopes Go Astray") I didn’t pull anything else off and I suppose that was enough for me to bury it. Who knows. I was pretty quick to pass judgment and often it was brutal, and as I've found out in hindsight my loss. The band would keep dropping albums I more or less ignored ... okay it was more but I'm trying to soften my ambivalence. When they dropped "She Ain't Pretty" I had to admit it was catchy, but the little hairs on my neck didn't s...