"There's no such thing as a broken tambourine." The Arcade Fire come home.

The Arcade Fire's recent homecoming run of shows at the Corona Theatre was an exercise in contrasts. The time has certainly passed for anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of this band on their rise to stardom. They were playing at El Salon less than a year ago, but these shows were very much a confirmation that this band has long since arrived. Montreal has always had a curious way of being skeptical of its most successful exports, and it's a testament to the band's strengths all over the board that they were able to follow in the wake of the hype and press that arrived home long before they did, and still deliver.

The Arcade Fire probably turned a corner this weekend—the one that results in venues getting larger and crowds becoming increasingly watered-down. The band's incredibly broad appeal, and the fact that they played three consecutive 900-capacity shows meant that not everyone in the room was chanting along to the "Wake Up" opener on all three nights, and even fewer noticed that "Headlights Look Like Diamonds" didn't appear once. But this is to be expected, and if there's any band that can handle this unfortunate and seemingly necessary phenomenon without losing integrity, it's the Arcade Fire. That said, the Sunday show on the 24th was definitely the stand-out—for myself at any rate. This was probably as much a function of the Saturday show being added later than the other two (and consequently having the highest quotient of enthusiastic fans present on the Sunday), as it was a result of the band just getting comfortable. Touring all-over for 6 months has honed and focused their live show into a performance that is as strong and consistently flooring as the emotion behind the music. The crowd was just the trump card on Sunday, with a few minor exceptions.

While none of the shows were without minor technical glitches, Saturday's featured what was likely the most distracting, with a keyboard getting damaged sometime during one of the bands theatrical freak-outs. The band was also without the services of Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) on that night, having been stranded in PEI due to his commitments on CBC Radio's Vinyl Cafe.

Fortunately for all concerned, Owen returned on Sunday in fine form and set the stage for the evening with his solo opening performance; enraptured silence followed by thunderous applause was the general theme. Sarah Neufeld has matured into an even more captivating performer in a few short months, and can certainly hold her own, but having Owen as a foil only helps. There was no contest, for example, between Monday and Saturday’s version of “Kettles”, and these two had much to do with it. Final Fantasy was only slightly less impressive on Sunday, but blame that on the drunken fan that continued to upset the flow of an otherwise pretty flawless performance. Welcome to the big time; it can be huge pain in the ass. Seeing Owen and Richard Parry performing Mariah Carey, however, was pretty priceless.

Priceless is how I feel about each Wolf Parade performance I’m lucky enough to see. If Arcade Fire has become a finely-tuned majestic machine, Wolf Parade is a wild beast lurking around the previous corner. And I can’t tell you which band I love more. Wolf Parade wasn’t as well received as they could or should have been on any night—but they ought to be headlining their own shows at this point, playing slightly smaller venues filled with people who are psyched to be there and all dancing their asses off. A light Arcade Fire sister-act this band is not, so it’s no surprise that a peripheral element of the crowd didn’t seem to catch on. But no matter.

For those that do get it, Wolf Parade is a wildly original art rock quartet with brilliant songwriting, an incredibly authentic sense of punk desperation, and a deep, dark soul. Their performances got progressively better each night, holding onto more or less the same setlist, substituting a ballad here or there (“Dinner Bells” was left out on Saturday; “Same Ghost Every Night” was omitted on Monday) and saving “It’s a Curse” as the one-off opener on Monday. Tim Kingsbury from the Arcade Fire joined the band for most of their songs on all three nights, and while his presence was certainly felt in a positive way (he contributes greatly to the raw energy of his own bands’ guitar sound), it’s not like they would have fallen flat without him.

Someone needs to tell Dan Boeckner that banter isn’t necessary for stage presence, and that he shouldn’t give a good goddamn about audience interaction. People who really care about music go to shows for the music, and when Dan is actually playing he’s like Iggy Pop, Richard Hell and Tom Verlaine all rolled into one. And that’s what matters. The same can be said for Spencer Krug. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who isn’t floored—musically and lyrically—by his “I Am My Father’s Son” needs to get their head checked.

I am my father’s son,
and I’ll build a house inside of you,
and I’ll draw three figures on your heart:

One of them will be me as a boy,
one of them will be me,
and one of them will be me, watching you run.

But ultimately Arcade Fire came out and delivered like the headliner they were billed as. The band performed more or less every song on Funeral each night, saving the one two punch of “Power Out”->”Rebellion” for the finale on Sunday and Monday, and tastefully mixing things up with plenty of other gems. In addition to EP stand-by’s “No Cars Go” (with Sunday’s version far and away the best) and “I’m Sleeping In A Submarine”, we were treated to two versions of the unrecorded “Cars and Telephones”, the old-time “Brazil”—to which the band does incredibly novel justice, and Talking Heads’ greatest love song, “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)”, which is slightly less well represented. (Win actually made reference to this fact on Monday, saying “we probably shouldn’t keep playing this, but I just love singing the words so much”. And who can blame him. I know I’ve bounced around a room many a time belting out those lyrics like they were scripture, so I’m not going to be the one to suggest they stop playing it.) Chalk up another point to Sunday’s show for featuring the only performance of “Vampire/Forest Fire”. Monday also saw the band supposedly debuting a new song (no title was given), which sounded much like any of the Funeral ballads, if less fleshed out.

Arcade Fire will likely go on too stir crowds into quasi-religious frenzy with songs like “Haiti”, “Crown of Love”, and “Tunnels” (maybe the three most consistently moving songs on these nights) in rooms all over the world for sometime. More and more people will likely take notice, and more will be drunkenly asking for broken tambourines, but such is success. Sure, I’m slightly concerned for the band and all the pressure and bullshit they will likely have to face as they move forward in their careers, but my faith in them outweighs that fear. More importantly, I just saw a whole bunch of other kids pour all their faith into them, too. And that natural resource isn’t running out anytime soon.

Take care of your flock (Neighbourhood # ... )

There's something deliciously ironic about the strange and all-too-familiar situation with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the new site that it's leader Warren Jeffs is currently constructing in Texas. The FLDS is basically a polygamous Mormon cult whose real belief system is a function of Jeffs's egomaniacal whims.

Here's a man who is living the real American dream as it known and encouraged today; Jeffs has taken his ability to control people and their fears to the extreme and now seems to have set up camp in George Bush's backyard. Now I've no doubt Jeffs is a dangerous man that has probably hurt a lot of people and who probably needs to be dealt with in some way, but watching frightened Texan legislators try and do something about him is kind of amusing given that he is, in many ways, a man after Bush's heart (except for the whole polygamy part ...). You reap what you sow.

And in the meantime, while all these supposed leaders are busy building big white temples for themselves and abusing their flock for personal gains, the real preachers roam like coyotes with mythology in their pockets, hiding in Montreal, spreading the real gospel.

A different man from Texas plays three shows with a band here this weekend, starting tonight. There are a lot of reasons that the Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade are so adored. But what strikes me as the most significant is how these bands (however their sounds may differ) seem to accept and embrace the necessity of death in a really joyful and wise manner. The people that used to populate the Americas—before they were slaughtered, abused, and displaced—used to have these kinds of stories and rituals that they would use to reconcile themselves with the cyclical nature of life on this planet, with death. Men like Warren Jeffs, men like Benedict the XVI, men like George W. Bush—their mythologies are built on fear and therefore empty. You can hide in temples and churches of your own building and adorn them with gold, but if they aren't truly sacred places (and how can then be, if your flock is guarding their gates instead of inviting people in?) you won't be saved when the time comes to die ... because you will have lived without knowing life.

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Speaking of not knowing life, the latest run of print ads against gay marriage sponsored by Focus on the Family Canada are now going with 'we're open-minded, really!' rhetoric:

We try to be open minded ...

That's part of getting along with our friends and neighbours, who may have different ideas about everything from fashion to art, politics to religion. We believe it's healthy to have an exchange of opinions, and we believe diversity makes our country richer.

We also believe it's important to maintain the core values and beliefs that support families as the cornerstone of society. That's why we're worried about the effect same-sex marriage would have on families and the world our daughter grows up in.

Since when do hetereosexuals have a monopoly on families? As far as I'm concerned, this ad (and I'll post the ghastly photo that goes along with it soon) is hate literature being printed in our national newspaper. Saying you're open minded by throwing around the vocabulary of diversity does not undo the bigotry of assuming that same-sex marriage is somehow an assault on the 'family'. You try to be open minded? Try harder. No one who opposes same-sex marriage is fooling me. Prejudices are not values.

Timing is everything.

Was I the only one to tune into CBC at 7:45 PM to watch the Prime Minister address the nation (as every news source this morning told me he would be doing...), only to discover he had already spoken? That's really good PR, guys. Tell the country you've got something to say to undo all this adscam damage, and then piss half of them off by jumping the gun. What the hell happened?

God doesn't always have the best goddamned plans.

It's the beginning of a new age.

Yes, with the Shins performance tonight at the Spectrum, Montreal's Spring Show Season begins in earnest. Thursday the High Dials play at Maisonneuve's annual Visual Curiosity party at the SAT, with Shoot the Moon playing later that same night at Casa del Popolo. I'll be DJing with Nick "Pius XIII" Diamonds on Friday at the Green Room, where we'll also be having the afterparty for Hot Hot Heat with the Futureheads. Saturday through Monday sees the Corona Theatre hosting the most important shows in the history of the planet. Yeah, everyone is excited to see the Arcade Fire play three triumphant homecoming shows, and why shouldn't they be? It's rare that a band actually deserves all the high praise it receives, but mark me down as someone that believes all of it in this case is fully deserved. Anyone who has seen Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) perform knows that it will be well worth showing up early on these nights, but it's Wolf Parade you need to be absolutely certain not to miss. I'm now told that the Sub Pop album is coming out in July, but that it will be another EP. Huh? Who knows. Point is, if you haven't yet seen and or heard Wolf Parade, and think no band as good as the Arcade Fire is going to come out of Montreal (or anywhere for that matter) for a long time ... you need to be at these shows. They are of course, very sold out. Here's a little consolation, if you haven't yet heard it. Wolf Parade: CBC Radio 3 Sessions. Next week's not-to-be missed shows include Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at El Salon and Caribou with Junior Boys and the Russian Futurists at la Sala Rossa. And it just keeps coming after that.

Oh yeah, and they elected some new Pope. A 'conservative' apparently, with a hard line against homosexuality and feminism. In other words, a new 'spiritual leader' with no sense of humanity. I need to sneak some Wolf Parade onto Bush's iPod. Somehow I think that would make everything ok.

Hmm, how else can we profit from human suffering?

Some of you may be aware of the fact that Iraqi insurgents have a new American video hostage. What you may not know, Wonkette reports, is that you can see this video for free over at ABC!



Talk about tact.

We've got a bigger problem (I'm here to pump—your oil!)

I'm thinking of voting for the Green Party this summer, and it has little to do with the Gomery inquiry. Sure, the inquiry is the reason we're going to have an election, what with the Conservatives absolutely unable to resist the opportunity to topple the minority government—even if it's the last thing the country wants and needs—but it's not why I may not vote Liberal.

If I do vote Liberal, part of the reason will be that I'm sick of political maneuvering and opportunism being the number-one policy-maker in this country. It's Democracy's great flaw that political parties have to focus more on staying in power than on governing. Naive to think it could be otherwise, I know. But if I'm Paul Martin when this election is called, I'm drawing as much attention as possible to the fact that the only reason we're going to the polls has nothing to do with the good of the country (or anybody's notion of what that good might be), and everything to do with Stephen Harper thinking he can win. That, and painting a picture of the Conservatives that looks a whole lot like the ruling theocracy to the South. Same-sex marriage will be a tenuous platform for either party, and I hope Paul Martin isn't afraid to sound the alarm bells on it.

I'm also increasingly skeptical of Brault's testimony. While it looks as though Jacques Corriveau certainly had his hands deep in the sponsorship pie, I'm still not convinced all or any of this money went back to the actual Party. Seems to me someone who is willing to defraud the public is much more likely to be filling his own pockets than his party's coffers. For all we know Brault is a sovereigntist hoping to implicate the Liberal Party, and looking to detract attention away from his own crimes. More likely, Brault is a man whose only allegiance is to the dollar and his own well-being. The point is, Harper's assertion that we don't need any more time to formulate our opinions about the inquiry is a crock of shit, and I'll thank him not to speak for me again.

But there have been revelations of a different sort this week. The Canadian Cancer Society released it's annual report, which suggests that the cancer crisis this country (and likely much of the developed world) is facing is only getting worse. I tend to believe that cancer is a symptom of over-industrialization and all its synthetic efficiency-and-profit-first mass-production. I suspect we've eaten way too much of a very unstable apple, and are only beginning to see the consequences.

Add to that the little excerpt from James Kunstler´s post-petroleum-portrait, The Long Emergency, that I came across thanks to Mudd Up!, and suddenly I'm not impressed with the Liberals' plan for Kyoto.

Sure, Kunstler might seem a bit sensationalist, but it's no secret that the oil situation on this planet is only going to make things worse for everyone. The next war might be in Iran, but I'd wager the U.S. goes into Venezuela long before North Korea. Talk about your convenient situation for Cheney and friends. Here's one of your biggest suppliers of oil arming itself to the teeth because it's sure you're going to march on in. We have to! Chavez is a threat to American security! Unfortunately, that may actually be true this time, with Chavez sucking up to Iran, Cuba, and China—complete with extreme leftist rhetoric. We need to get out of the oil game altogether, climate change or no. I hear China just bought into Alberta oil ...

Oh, and another reason I may not vote Liberal? I just got Minister of Transport Jean Lapierre's Spring 2005 newsletter in the mail...

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And why isn't the mad-cow story that Kelly Crowe and The National have been breaking for the CBC bigger news? This is pretty obviously a cover-up on the part of the USDA. This story will never reach the American people, and I'd wager BSE is more rampant in the U.S. than anywhere else ....

Penner delivers

I'm happy to report that former Unicorn, Alden Penner, is alive and well and continuing to make some excellent music. In addition to the short set he played on Friday at a Head-and-Hands benefit (where he's now working as events co-ordinator ...), Alden has put out a very stripped-down (we're talking brown-paper bag and paper-clips-as-packaging) self-released 7". I had heard that Alden had been doing some film-scoring of some kind, and one side of this disc certainly suggests that. "L'Espair" is a beautiful instrumental piece that would sound right at home in any number of French New Wave films. No real music-lover will have reason to complain if Alden only produces music like this for the rest of his life.

Fornunately for all those kids with short attention-spans and fickle non-tastes, there's also a second track whose title, "The Ghost of Creaky Crater", accurately suggests a sound nearer to those old Unicorns gems. That's not to say that it doesn't differ from anything on WWCOHWWG. The song is as simply and tastefully produced as its aformentioned packaging, foregoing the bleeps and buzzing for a kind of honest and effortless intensity that the Beatles were able to create so successfully on their later albums. There are hints of the old Unicorns playfulness here (dig the French verse), but they could be just as much a function of the almost-frail European sentimentality that seems to permeate this record. Not only do these two tracks stand up to anything the Unicorns have done—they also mark a welcome evolution that may not have been possible had the band stayed together. No word yet on official (or even digital-format) releases or full lengths, but there appears to be no shortage of material.

If Th' Corn Gangg ends up delivering on their hip-hop-heavy end of the post-Unicorns offerings, as I suspect they will, I'll happily stop thinking about what could have been when that pink vinyl stares at me mockingly. Two bands aren't always better than one, but in this case they very well could be. Bring on the beats!

I'll scratch your back, you scratch the Pope's, and everyone else can just stay itchy.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the waves of pilgrims flooding into Rome to be slightly moving. It's always amazing to see humans come together peacefully in such large numbers. I just wish it could be for something more than a man, who—'great' or no—was still just a man. I personally have no overwhelming respect for anyone who collaborates with the AIDS epidemic by telling Africans that contraception is not an option. What really bothers me though is this self-important spectacle of mourning that's trying to pass itself off as religion. I've no doubt there are Catholics and others worldwide that have a healthy relationship towards themselves, their rituals, and the world around them, and who have been genuinely moved by the Pope's passing in a meaningful way. At that's great. But for every soul that still understands what religion is (despite the valiant efforts of the world's 'religious' institutions to rob us of all its worth), I see hundreds of pilgrims out there, entirely alone, crying because they think they're supposed to.

It's like those Michael Jackson fans that start wailing if they see him in person. Why does that happen? Because people have been bred to believe in God-as-celebrity. They have forgotten the divinity inherent in themselves, and so they cry out hysterically when they see the value of their own lives pass by them, possessed by some other human of otherwise equal worth, and dressed in silly costumes. I wish these people marching through Rome knew that they were marching for each other, and not some man whose time has come to nourish the soil.

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On a—and I use the term lightly—lighter note, am I the only one who isn't shocked by the 'explosive' details of the Canadian sponsorship scandal that have finally been 'publically' revealed? Oh, you mean a political party in power was getting kickbacks for giving out government contracts? Shocking indeed. By no means do I condone any of this, but haven't politics always worked this way? Regardless of how far into the Liberal Party this scandal will legitimately penetrate (I actually kind of feel bad for Paul Martin; he probably knew what was going on, but couldn't do anything to stop it until he took over...), the hyperbole-hunting masses will likely not be won-over with good PR damage-control on this one. Talk about your fixer-upper.

Now it looks as though we're going to get an election before summer's out, with the Conservatives potentially poised to take a minority government, and the Bloc frothing at the mouth at the prospect of taking even more Quebec seats and having an Ontario/West Coast-dominated government to rally the old sovereigntist troups against. If only the NDP could get its act together and convince Canada that it could actually govern this country ... I'm expecting some big ambitious words from Jack Layton when this election does happen. Anyone want to join the Green Party and make a go of it?

This is all a real shame. For all his ho-humming, I kind of had a bit of faith in Paul Martin. And between you and me, I'd take a government that skims a hundred million off the top over a government that wants to undermine the Charter anyday.

I think it would be funny (and I also think it's kind of feasible) if, after another election, we still have a Liberal minority government, with a few more Bloc seats. I mean, if they can re-elect Bush...

Hunting for Uni/Corns

If you're like me, you were sad to see the Unicorns part ways. Well, if you were like me, you didn't much believe it at first, but had sneaking suspicions that it could very well be true. And then, eventually, you were saddened. Montrealers who enjoyed what each member brought the band will be happy to know that various Uni/Corn fixes are on the way.

This Friday, Alden brings his solo work to a benefit show along with Blocks group The Diskettes, and Jenni Lee at the Griffintown Co-op, 242 Young.
I'm also told that we should be getting Montreal's first Corn Gangg show sometime in May, which as many of you probably know features Nick and Jaime as the inspiration and backdrop for some dropped rhymes. Subtitle should be the imported emcee in question. Still all up in the air, of course.

In the meantime, Nick and some guy named Dustin will be joining me as guest DJs on April 22 at the Green Room for my usual Fondue gig there on Fridays. Should be fun.

Spring is here. We're opening the windows at Korova in earnest this Saturday, where I'll be playing my only set this weekend. Long-sleeved clothing frowned upon.

Shameless capitalists say shopping can kill you!

A follow up on the 'Decent Conservative T-shirts' (see my Blog Mountain post, below) because I just can't help it:

While the 'Nuke the Moon' shirts are so absurd that they really can't be infuriating (wasn't that a Mr. Show sketch way back when?), their arsenal of this type of shirt is more than a little disturbing

Revisionist history aside, the most fascinating thing this site has to offer is their FAQ. First you've got your straight-up lie that undermines the company's supposed pro-American stance for the sake of profit:

Are your shirts made in America?

Yes. Sometimes the blanks we get from the top manufacturers are assembled in Central America. There's not much we can do about that.

But the best has to be the pathetic subtle attempts at inspiring good ol' right-wing-agenda-serving fear in the clueless little hearts of their customers:

Is it safe to buy things on the internet?

Yes - despite what some hold-outs still think, online transactions are much safer than traditional retail. …. Also, when we process your order, your credit card information is not even seen by human eyes in most cases. Compare that to what typically happens at a restaurant, for example, where your credit card completely disappears for a time - totally out of your sight and control.

Safer than traditional retail? I can understand the argument that it's as safe—maybe—but safer? Why? Because if you leave your gated, gun-protected community to go shopping you'll be shot? I've seen the future. America will collapse on itself through Oedipal self-prophecy. Must shop ... must bring ... gun ... with me ... must shoot ... anyone I see ... because ... they must be ... a threat ....

Wow.

Blog Mountain and Democratic Vistas

If the 2004 Presidential Election put blogging on the mainstream media map down south, I'd wager to say that the recent publicity leak fiasco with the Gomery Inquiry will have a similar effect here in Canada. Today's Globe and Mail has the story, complete with an interview with the Minneapolis blogger 'who is concerned about publication bans and restrictions on freedom of information'. Now I don't have a lot of sympathy for the crooks in question, but I don't see why the public absolutely needs to know the details now. Is this really a question of principle when most of the public is just consuming the inquiry like it's pornography anyway? I don't know what's more infuriating, the fact that this ass thinks he knows which civil liberties take precedence in Canada (first it's publication bans, then it's our fair treatment of homosexuals...), or that he would say something like this (being interviewed in today's Globe):

First off, I think it's a terrible thing that you guys can't publish this. This is the type of thing that a free press exists for, is to hold their government accountable.

First off, that's exactly what the inquiry is for (well, that and a whole lot of political maneuvering, but that's another matter altogether). Second, someone should tell this guy "with a libertarian bent" that the reason for the publication ban was to ensure certain citizens' rights to a fair criminal trial. Finally—and maybe most important—if he wants to talk about government accountability, maybe he should start with his own wretched House.

I won't be linking to his blog, not out of fear of reprisal from the Government, or out of respect for the stupid inquiry, or even to protect those individuals who probably deserve to go to jail. No, I just don't want to subject anyone to the workings of his sad little mind. I will, however, reproduce an image found in an ad on his page for a site that touts 'Finally, Some Decent Conservative T-shirts':
Yes, 'decent' is definitely the word I would use here. Oh, America. Some appropriate words from an American man who had just a tiny bit more insight into the many pleasures of diversity:

I say we had best look at our times and lands searchingly in the face, like a physician diagnosing some deep disease. Never was there, perhaps, more hollowness at heart than at present, and here in the United States. Genuine belief seems to have left us. The underlying principles of the States are not honestly believed in, (for all this hectic glow, and these melodramatic screamings,) nor is humanity itself believed in. What penetrating eye does not everywhere see through the mask? The spectacle is appaling. —Walt Whitman

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So keeping the rising Power of the Pathetic Blog in mind, I present the following. Go see Black Mountain on their current tour, if you can. Bloc Party was in town last night, but it was the Black Mountain show that had members of Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, and the Unicorns in attendance. Maybe it's because Bloc Party really is just a half-decent UK guitar-rock hype band with a good drummer, and maybe it's because Black Mountain kicks some serious live ass (see below for the record review), and maybe both. But it doesn't really matter why those musicians were there. What matters is that I'm pretty sure about the kicking live ass part.

Quarterly report

Clocks changing means the year is a quarter of the way through, already. With that in mind, here are my top five releases for 2005 thus far:

	We're Marching On - Argh! Umph! Ahhh! [Social Arts Club] Debut EP release from the Guelph/Toronto quartet. While bands and music nerds North of the border shrug off suggestions of a unified Canadian scene, I'd suggest that at the very least there's an emerging indie-gospel sound that has serious roots around these parts—with Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, the Hidden Cameras, and the Unicorns leading the way. Add these boys to the Chorus, throw your arms up, and scream 'Hallelujah'. Or something like it.
	Out Hud - Let Us Never Speak of It Again [Kranky] A few !!!ers and friends have soundtracked the spring dancefloors with this sophmore release. Have a soft-spot for tasteful electro and funk-punk when you wanna dance, but brutally aware of how stale it's become? Try this on. The sounds are all over the board, the causes unique ... but the effect is the familiar 'this kicks ass'.
	Final Fantasy - Has a Good Home [Blocks] An insanely talented performer and pillar for Toronto's Blocks club, Owen Pallett's debut was apprently hurried through the studio. But the album's songs are so lovely and Pallett's method so original that any shortcomings don't really register. This probably could have been better, but that doesn't mean it's not fantastic. And I'd likely forgive this gentleman anything for his strings arrangements on Funeral....
	Black Mountain - (Self-titled) [Jagjaguwar] Former Jerk With A Bomb Stephen McBean's latest project has had me rocking out Zeppelin-style for all of 2005. It's bluesy, gritty, trippy, balls-to-the-walls rock, and somehow still sounds fresh and clean. Does that make any sense? Whatever, I don't care, I'm seeing them at the Sala Rossa with the Album Leaf in a few hours ... [insert cheesy fist raised/headbanging motion here].
	Patrick Wolf - Wind in the Wires [Tomlab] Patrick Wolf kind of scares me. In a good way. His music comes across as simultaneously dark and wise, medieval and futuristic. If you have a taste for those kinds of timeless troubadours, it's likely that whatever fear he inspires in you will morph into joy. Easily as good as his first album, 'Lycanthropy', without the rehashes or tragically forced sea changes that second attempts often yield.

I'll try and post a We're Marching On mp3 as soon as the band gives me the ok. I must now find out if the cross on the mountain is in fact lighted in purple to mark the Pope's passing, as I've been told it would be my whole life.

Curling trumps Pope

Apparently CBC actually stands for 'Curling Before Christ'. Every channel I get (that's about 4) has coverage of the Pope's death—save the CBC, which is showing curling. Now I care about as much about the Pope Passing as I do about Hurrying Hard, but you have to think there's something wrong with this picture. I imagine Peter Mansbridge & Co. are busy preparing their broadcast (and I could have missed a brief breaking-news announcement), but I mean come on. Are there that many people who give a shit about rocks and brooms on ice?

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

Following Ms. Shiavo's death, U.S. House Republican Tom Delay had the following to say about the judges responsible for upholding the law:

The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behaviour ... [this is] a perfect example of an out-of-control judiciary.

I'd say the founding principles of the United States are pretty much dead. 'Yes, we'd like to make an amendment to the Constitution that strips the courts of their power and turns the state into a dictatorship...' Newsflash: when an otherwise democratic state begins to dismantle the checks-and-balances inherent in its system, it becomes a fascist state.

If anyone makes an attempt to keep the ailing Pope alive against his wishes, because, you know, we have to 'err on the side of life' ... we can be pretty sure Judgement Day is coming. And all the better. I can't wait for the 'Rapture' to take away all these poor deluded souls who wouldn't know what 'life' was if it slipped a finger in their ass. Then we can go on living in the sweet sweet pits of Hell without them trying to limit our inalienable rights to liberty...