September Blues: Where has the summer gone?

A new school year has begun, meaning a fresh set of pens and a whole stash of stationery porn i.e. notebooks(Thanks, Muji!).

The cooling breeze in Toronto reminds me to get ready for the autumn. Layering becomes a must-have skill because the changing climate is getting so hard to predict! Come sundown, it's like we're on the dark side of the moon! The photo above is one that I found in a vintage shop by the Beaches in Toronto. These people know how to layer, from a time when fur was not as political as it is in the present. Does anyone know the couple? Who are the lucky people to call this man and woman their ancestors?

To remind ourselves of the last days of the summer and for those coping with post-summer fling blues:

Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken- Camera Obscura

Dance Craze Favourite #1

Do you remember when the people at Time were editorializing about Las Ketchup's song, the cleverly titled Ketchup Song?
I distinctly remember people talking about how big this song was going to be but it never
caught on in Canada! I thought I was one of the select few who knew what was about to transpire in the summer of 2002, (or was it 2003?). The tastemakers at that small-press magazine predicted badly. The last time I crossed the the US-Canada border to New York City, I missed declaring my good taste.
I like the rocksteady touch of the slap guitar. Do you hear it? No? I also hear surf-rock. The crossover potential of this song clearly escaped Canadian music consumers.
My question is, would Kevin Drew have signed them for a better distribution deal?

The Playlisted Reloaded

Guilt has consumed me in this specific endeavor and this post is an absolution.

I have some music that I would like to share with you. My friends know that I love
Serge Gainsbourg. His music is poetry and his poetry music.

An artist has come to try and fill Serge's white jazz shoes after a long while. His name is Benjamin Biolay. The subject matter is the same: mostly love and at times, explicit and graphic love. Living in different times, I don't think people are as easily shocked as they once were.

Serge Gainsbourg- Je t'aime, moi non plus

Benjamin Biolay- Dans la Merco Benz

Differences? Similarities?

The Playlisted

This week, I thought that I would share what I have been listening to repeatedly.

Nouvelle Vague- Dancing with Myself

Nina Simone- Brown Baby

maylee- A Lullaby for My Fictitious Children

I realized how useful music can be in that you don't really need anything
to keep it with you. I have been forgetting my mp3 player at work and it
would be annoying to some people. The songs that I really enjoy are
already imbedded in my brain that I don't need the physical device.

In my humble opinion, my old player is actually a lot more musically
valuable than a lot of those
touch-screen-ones-that-shall-be-named. Lady Gaga sounds as
unoriginal as when Gwen Stefani did it the first time around.

Melissa and Jeremy

TP: You guys are the first couple on this blog. How does it feel?

Melissa: Is the Academy to thank for this honour?

Jeremy: Hardly.

TP: What is on rotate on your nondescript MP3 player?

M:

Teenager- Alone Again

Yacht- See A Penny (Architecture in Helsinki Remix)

The Radio Dept.- Too Soon

J:

Willie Nelson- These Are Difficult Times

Passion Pit- Got Your Number

Jamie T.- Salvador

TP: So are you guys as tough as they say?

J: Do you remember when Björk beat up that woman in Thailand?

TP: Yeah. I remember some of my E! True Hollywood Stories from the early 00s. Very vaguely though.

M: That move, we spiced up and made it our own.

Nicole

TP: Good morning, Nicole.

Nicole: Yeah.

TP: What songs are you listening to nowadays?

N:

The Dead Weather- Are Friends Electric?

Frightened Rabbit- Keep Yourself Warm

Animal Collective- My Girls

TP: Why are you so camera shy?

N: Obscurity is the new reality TV.

Falco

TP: Falco. What are the top three songs that you have been listening to?

Falco:

Nina Simone: Baltimore

The Strokes: Hard to Explain

Kings of Tomorrow vs EBTG: Tracey in My Room

TP: Besides taking gorgeous photographs, what are your other talents?

F: I can make salad.