The Sight of Me Not Moving

Happy Birthday Vermy

2009-07-20T20:57:00.010+10:00

Today, my favourite hockey player, Antoine Vermette turns 27.

Thank you for your skills that first gave me interest in the great sport that I today play and watch everyday.

Now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, you are truly an asset to their growing and developing team. Its very promising, keep it up.

Music Monday

2009-07-20T18:49:00.005+10:00

My five songs this week starts with some local Melbourne talent. I was lucky enough to see these guys live when the opened for The Getaway Plan back in June!

Chin Up Baby - Stealing O'Neal

I have fun with this one. I've been listening to it for a while and have yet to get sick of it!

The Hardest Part - The Getaway Plan

A B-side track from the defunct group is one of my favourites and I wonder how it did not make any releases because its awesome and hard not to sing along to.

I Was Married - Tegan and Sara

Couldn't leave my faves out of a Music Monday. I Was Married is the first track off 2007 album The Con. It only goes for a minute-thirty and touches on Sara's feelings about Proposition 8 and gay marriage opposition in Calafornia.

Midnight Express - Gyroscope

Its hard for me to believe that I haven't mentioned these guys until my third music monday. IN the U.S of A, I was obsessed. The Perth band was a perfect playlist for my long cold dark ride to Hudson High School. Midnight Express is one of their best. Off their early album Sound Shattering Sound.

Call the Police - James Morrison

I highly doubt this is Morrisions only appearance in a Music Monday, his other hits like This Boy, Wonderful World and Undiscoverd will most definitely be here in the future.

... Post Secret

2009-07-19T21:31:00.001+10:00

Stolen Post: Sainthood

2009-07-18T00:09:00.005+10:00

From Under the Radar

Tegan and Sara announce title of forthcoming album, Sainthood, in Under the Radar interview Canadian duo’s follow-up to The Con is slated for late October and will consist of 13 to 15 tracks.

Tegan and Sara plan to master their sixth studio album, Sainthood, at the beginning of August and release it at the end of October. Tegan Quin spoke with Under the Radar this morning to update us with some of the basic details and offer her impressions of the new music.

Hi Tegan, I was told I was going to talk to Sara, so I guess they pulled a switcheroo on me.
Tegan Quin: Yeah, I thought you were going to talk to Sara too, but you know what? I really like Under the Radar, so I'm happy to talk to you.

That's great! I only mention it because I had some Sara-specific questions, but I will adjust right now.

[Laughs] I can do my best to pretend I'm Sara.

No, no, please. We want your best Tegan. Do you have an album title?

We do. We kind of decided it a couple weeks ago, when we were just finishing up in the studio. Until further notice, we're going to call the record Sainthood.

Who are the producers and primary musicians on the album?

We did the record with Chris Walla and another gentleman named Howard Redekopp, who co-produced So Jealous, our record before The Con. So, the two of them produced. Chris Walla played bass. Jason McGerr from Death Cab played drums. And our guitar player from our regular touring outfit, Ted Gowans, was there with Sara and me. So we all shared guitar and keyboard duties.

When and where did the recording take place?

We started in May. We were at Sound City in Van Nuys. A lot of great records were made there, like all the Tom Petty records and all the Fleetwood Mac records. And then it had a resurgence in popularity in the '90s. Nevermind was made there and Pinkerton was made there. So, it was a pretty classic studio. It was strange to go there every day and walk past those bands' records and be like, "Don't let them down!" So we set up there for three weeks, the five of us in one room and kind of played the record live. We played songs 30 or 40 times in a row. We sort of played as a band, which was the first time we'd done that. And then we had a few days to travel up to Seattle. We spent about four weeks at Two Sticks Audio, which is Jason McGerr's studio outside of Seattle, and we finished up there.

Do any guest musicians appear on the album?

No. There's one person who came down and played violin. It think it's gonna get in, but I haven't heard the final mix of that song yet. So I won't announce her name, just in case she doesn't make it on the record. [Laughs] The five of us were able to sort of cover everything. Sara and I, again, had very extensive demos, similar to how we did The Con. We spent a lot of time recording at home first. We always have an excess of music to put down. We started out with 51 songs. It was a very streamlined process by the time we got recording. There wasn't a lot of sitting around going, "Let's see. Who can we get to come and play?"

Have you had violin on your records before?

Our first record had a lot of cello on it, and we've definitely had the instrumentation that sounded like string instruments, but we never brought someone in to actually play any string instruments of late.

Are there any new, funky instruments that you've added for the record?

No, I think we kind of went back to very traditional- I think there are still a lot of keyboards and there are still sonic elements similar to The Con, but this is definitely our attempt to go back a little bit into more of the rock band area of our experience. On If It Was You and So Jealous, it felt like we were a rock band. And, I think, on The Con, because Sara and I recorded most of it by ourselves, and then with Chris, and then brought in a drummer, it felt very staggered. It was very different, it was put together like a jigsaw puzzle. And this is very much a traditional five-piece band just playing. So we got very nerdy. Pretty much every keyboard on the record is run through 85 different amps and 25 different pedals, and I'm already getting anxiety thinking about how we're going to make that happen live. But, other than being nerdy, we still were playing pretty traditionally.

When I talked to Sara during pre-production for The Con, she said you two wanted to take six to eight months off to write that record. It seems like you didn't need such a break for this album.
Yeah, I mean, we had a great schedule last year. Sara and I have been touring since we were 17, and we sat down with our management prior to The Con and said that we didn't want to go out and burn ourselves out. Sara and I are very interested in being successful. We want our music to be successful and we want to grow every record, but not at the expense of our sanity or our health, so we had a lot of time off for The Con, more than people-even our friends and family-realized. When we'd go out and do five weeks, we'd come home and take off a month and a half. So we did write quite a bit. When we actually finished touring The Con, it was only about four months before we started recording the new record, but that felt like a lot, because we had taken two months off and toured for three weeks, and then to have another four months off, we were kinda getting edgy and feeling lazy. We got the time off and we got it more staggered than we thought we were going to. That felt pretty nice. I think, as a musician, sometimes you want these big periods of time off, but there's just nothing to do. [Laughs] And we did find things to do. We both produced other records, I've been working and creating a book series. We both always find things to do, but ultimately Tegan and Sara are the thing that takes up all our time, so four months is a good enough break for us.

So when did writing for this album begin in earnest? Was it during The Con tour?

We did that big American tour last fall, and I say it started around there. We didn't tour a ton in the summer, so for me, that's when I started to write for The Con—I'm sorry, for this new record. So the first few songs kinda came out before that tour, and then the rest came around Christmas and then into the spring. We started pre-production in March, so most of the stuff that I wrote was during that time. Sara and I flew to New Orleans in November, and we wrote together, which is when we wrote the song "Sainthood," which is what inspired this record. It's not actually on the record, but it's the song that sort of inspired us to get working on a new record. We've never written together. In 14 years, we've never sat down in a room together, until we decided that now was the time. So we went and wrote seven songs together, which was really weird. The title track "Sainthood" was really great, but the rest of it was just really strange. I think Sara and I need to be alone to balance ourselves [laughs], like we came up with really weird music. I'm sure it will see the light of day at some point. With the way the music biz is now, you always have to have B-sides and extras.

Anyway, it was a really fascinating experience and, when we release the record, we're releasing books with the record, I mean, at the same time, and one of the books is about our trip there. We brought a photographer and we taped everything that we did, and it sort of looks at the experience of sitting down together for the first time and writing. It was really exciting. Sara had been getting into Tom Petty and had watched the documentary that came out about him last year [Peter Bogdanovich's Runnin' Down a Dream], and Sara was like, "Everybody writes together! Everybody from that era wrote together. We should write together." And I was like, "We are not Tom Petty!" But it was great. It was a really cool experience. And again, that's sort of when we really started to get inspired and write a lot of music.

So how many of those seven songs are on the album?

Zero. [Laughs] But one of them, "Sainthood," I think we'll play it live. It used some Leonard Cohen lyrics, and they didn't approve it. It's sort of like this weird world where, if you want to play that song and record it, you can have it, but you can't pillage from a song. We were like, "OK." We're still going to play it live and it will be a part of the folklore of this record. Literally, we had 51 songs, so it just got whittled down and the best songs won. There are two songs on the record that we wrote together, but not in New Orleans, which will be the first time we've ever written anything together and it got on a record. So that's really exciting, and they're weird songs, which is great. [Laughs]

Do you have titles for those songs?

I do, but I'm not going to announce them yet, 'cause we haven't mastered and there's always the possibility that one of them will get shoved into a corner or get banished. We're going to announce them at some point. I think we master on August 4, so I'm trying to be good and not say what they are. But they're good, 'cause they're really weird. Sara's so strange. It's so weird to write with her. She has such a strange brain.

Paul McCartney likes to tell the story about how when he was writing "Getting Better" for Sgt. Pepper, John Lennon chimed in with the line "It can't get no worse." Did you have any moments like that writing together?

We had some tough moments when we were writing together in New Orleans, but the other two songs we wrote together, we wrote from our own homes, and when I sent Sara the music for one of the songs, a couple hours later—I didn't know if she would like it. It was pretty crazy. It was my first time writing in Reason [software], so it was like 18 different sequencers all going at the same time, and then I played keyboards and all this crazy stuff-she texted me, "Oh my God, this is so good! Doing vocal tracks right now. I'm fucking Madonna." And I was like, "What?!" It turned out really cool. It was very inspired. And she even threw a Material Girl reference in there. So I think that song for sure is gonna be on the record. It's pretty freaking awesome. But when we were writing together in New Orleans, it was pretty painful, which is kind of why we did the book, 'cause we knew it would be, and it's a pretty hilarious read because it gives a clear overview of how [it went], which was kind of a disaster but kind of awesome too. I mean, we didn't kill each other, there was no physical violence. And we still are a band, so I guess it wasn't that bad.

I heard there are 15 songs on the album, but I guess that's not official yet.

Yeah, basically the day that we master, then it will be official, but right now, it's between 13 and 15. I love all 15 songs. They're like babies at this point. We've been working on them for four months, so I don't want to let any of them go, but unlike our past record, we didn't sequence the record [beforehand], so I don't know if everything will fit, in terms of an emotional trip [laughs]. We're getting nitpicky about it, but there's the potential that something won't fit in terms of where to go from song to song. There's always that chance. We have rough mixes of everything, but as things are being mixed, things are sounding so amazing, it makes you question certain songs. I know we're crazy right now and have no context, so it could be anywhere from 13 to 15 songs. I'm really holding out for all 15 though. But even though, it's only 42 minutes long. It's not really a long record [laughs].

I was going to ask about that. With The Con, I think the 14 songs totaled about 37 minutes, so I was curious if there would be any epics on this one.

No. In general, I think everything feels maybe 20 seconds longer. [Laughs] There are definitely more songs on this record that have more of a traditional outline for some reason. I think because we were in band mode, we were jamming it out as a band, so things started to feel really good, and it would be like, "Let's add an extra chorus" or "Let's have an instrumental break here." So I think that's the one thing that people are going to hear when they hear this record, is definitely more of a band, which is really exciting because The Con was really Sara's and my answer to hating having the band in the studio. We were so frustrated with that process that when we went in to do The Con, we were sort of isolating ourselves, whereas with Sainthood, we love our live band, and the opportunity to play with basically the rhythm section from Death Cab for Cutie for two months was really amazing.

I feel, as an artist and a musician, it really challenged us big time, so I think this sounds like a rock record, it sounds like a band record. It still sounds like Tegan and Sara, but it sounds like, I think, a really, really, really mature Tegan and Sara, because literally in pre-production, we would play songs 30 times a day, and then, when we got to recording, because we were recording tape, we would only do a song a day, and we would play it. There were a couple songs on the record we played over 50 times, so I felt like I was getting better as a musician just sitting there, which was kind of insane and sounds really cliché, but I've really never practiced before, and to play the same guitar part a hundred times in two months, I was feeling myself getting and growing more confident as a musician. So I think the record does reflect a much more mature and much more confident-sounding Tegan and Sara.

How would you describe the tone of the album?

I think it's pretty dark. It's very poppy sounding still, but it's a pretty dark record. There are a few songs that were influenced by mid-'90s punk rock fascination, so there's definitely some dark, fast, kind of heavy stuff on the record, but there's some pretty poppy stuff as well. Sara's got a couple tracks that, I don't even know how to explain, really weird but very poppy. I always joke that Sara brings the credibility to our records. You know, songs like "Relief Next to Me" and "Floorplan," they're so hard to digest on that first listen, it feels like genius or like, "Wow, this is amazing." Whereas you hear a song like "Hop a Plane" or "Speak Slow," and you're just like, "It's pop! It's easy!" You're singing the chorus along by the end. I think Sara moved more in that direction on this record, which is really exciting for me. To hear like seven or eight "Back in Your Head"s was really exciting, like not quite so poppy on every song, but she definitely pushed herself on this record, I think, even more than I did. She wrote more than I did, which is the first time in 14 years that she'd done that. So I think it's still a really poppy record, it's still Tegan and Sara, but there are definitely some happy moments, and I think musically there's stuff on there that we've never even attempted to do, and it came pretty natural, so I'm still getting used to it. There are songs where I'm definitely like, "Ooh, this is weird." But I think it will be cool.

Shows That More People Should Watch

2009-07-14T23:59:00.002+10:00

You know that feeling? The feeling you get when you know what your watching is special?

Well I know. I get this feeling every so often and I think more people should share this with me.

So first, above all, is the third series of Skins.

Skins is not just a TV show, its an obsession. British e4's teen drama is the most under watched show in the entire world, simply because every should be watching it.

The third series specifically has an all-new cast replacing Tony Stonem and his best friend Sid Jenkins, girlfriend Michelle and the other wackos Anwar, Maxxie, Chris, Cassie and Jal.

In stead is Tony's younger sister Effy who barely said a word in series 1 or 2. Effy starts a new school and meets new friends including three boys, Freddie, JJ and Cook who all fall head over heels for her at first sight. As well as Emily who is in the shadow of her twin sister Katie, and also Naomi who is the object of Emily's secret affection. There is also Pandora and Thomas but they are crap characters so I won't mention them.

When we all saw Tony and his mates in series 1 and 2 we thought "Wow, what an amazing show this is."

But now, fresh in the wake of ten episodes of Skins 3. We know that those first series were nothing, it had more comparison to Antiques Roadshow.

Skins 3 shows the beginning of friendships and those friendships developing over time. I won't give to much away but there are those moments, fulfilling moments that you've been waiting for after engrossing yourself in these young lives. Like when Pandora finally stands up to Effy after she loses her virginity to Cook or when Naomi finally gives into her feelings while at the lake with Emily, or when Effy finally told Freddie how she felt or when Emily held back her fist and Katie accepted Emily for who she was.

This is what makes the show great. The best television I have ever or will ever watch... except... there is series 4 just around the corner.

My next show would have to be The Phillip DeFranco Show.

1, 2, 3, 4, welcome to The Phillip DeFranco Show, the show that is the best show, that's not really a show, that's me talking to a camera for 3/4 minutes, yeah yeah.

Phillip DeFranco is a self-confessed geek living in inner-city Atlanta. He is also a YouTube legend under the alias "sxephil."

Though PhillyD does have his own website and around 300,000 views on each of his videos. This is not enough!

DeFranco sits in front of his Mac with a picture of a monkey on his wall and he talks about stuff. That's it. Usually he finds a news story to make fun of. But when he does it he's hilarious!

He is without a doubt, the funniest man on YouTube. Take that smosh.

I always smile when I see his video pop up in my subscription box. But watch him now, because he is rumoured to move on from the four times weekly web show this November.

The last thing that you should watch is the web series called Anyone But Me. I have this one on my ipod, its great. Ten short episodes from Strike TV has huge entertainment value.

The show follows a New York City girl who moves upstate after her father gets sick in the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

It follows Vivian played by Rachael Hip-Flores who is torn between her old life and new life and Vivian's new friend Archibald played by Joshua Holland who is a mystery man, constantly drawing on his sketch pad and he won't let race or stereotypes define him.

Anyone But Me is a good little watch, not because of the amazing Home and Away-esque acting, but the writing is terrific and you can invest in the characters experiences.

Go! Watch them now!

Music Monday: Back to School

2009-07-13T10:16:00.002+10:00

God dammit, back to school tomorrow. Oh how you have gone so fast. Come again soon please. My sleeping habbits will not be the same for a while thanks to Wimbledon and the Tour de France. My homework status is unknown and I just can't wait for September.

Are You Ten Years Ago - Tegan and Sara

It makes me extremely excited to open my second Music Monday with another Tegan and Sara song from the 2007 album The Con. The Quin twins changed it up with their fifth song off the album, adding a drum beat to Tegans song. In the movie The Con, which followed the duo as well as producer Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan explains that she wrote the song as a 25 year-old writing about being fifteen.

The backing vocals are threaded throughout the track, with Sara contributing as well. The dirty secret of the twins is that not only do they not write together, but on their recorded tracks they sing their own back up vocals, this track is one of the only exceptions. A great contribution to a great album.

It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry - Glasvegas

Because the best show put this song at the best moment of the best episode, it will forever be one of my favourite songs. Or at least a great reminder of a very fufilling moment in television. The thing is, Skins never has happy endings but in episode nine of season 3, Skins gave us a happy ending. As the two great characters left hand in hand (it kicks in at 4:04), Its My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry played loud and everyone smiled as their hearts warmed.

I'm Not Alone - Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris is a very funny Twitter, but don't let that distract you from his catchy dance music, his hits The Girls and Acceptable In the Eighties has nothing on this track, deadmau5 put their spin on it for Ministry of Sounds Sessions Six, and it is most definitely a standout.

Streetlight - The Getaway Plan

A tad cliche, but its my favourite of all The Getaway Plan's tracks. It was one of their biggest hits and remains as a solid opener to all of their shows. Intricate lyrics and Matts long notes make this great song a pleasure to listen to.

Coffeeshop Soundtrack - All Time Low

All Time Low's sound is not a new one. And Coffeeshop Soundtrack isn't exactly original but my my my does it sound great. You scream your lungs out singing along to this one whether you're in the shower, on the train or at one of their shows. I'm not ashamed to be a big fan.

Stolen Post: Moog or what?

2009-07-12T15:44:00.003+10:00

From Tegan and Sara.
I thought it was Moog, like a moo cow.

Tabloid Rumours in the Twilight Zone

2009-07-11T22:55:00.009+10:00

Tabloids have been going crazy like a nerdy kid on a new World of Warcraft game ever since the Twilight craze started last year.

Naturally, twi-stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have been caught in the middle.

But recently as the two wrapped up shooting for New Moon, the Twilight sequel, the rumours have been going insane.

I'm guessing that Famous and People got sick of reporting if there might have been a secret romance and ended up to committing to the story that the two young stars were in fact an item.

The pair were never seen together apart from on-set and there was absolutely no evidence to say that the two we even remotely interested in each other.

One story in particular caught my eye. It was suggested that Rob would go between both Kristen and fellow co-star Nikki Reed's hotel room during one night on the New Moon set.

Then of course, there was the stories about infidelity and problems in the relationship. But how could there be problems when there was no relationship at all.

In fact, wasn't Kristen's actual boyfriend Sky High Star Michael Angarano visiting both the New Moon set and the set of Kristen's next project The Runaways?

The stories this week took the cake. First there was a photo of Robert talking to Nikki, the pap caught them at a moment when they might have both blinked or had an itch. Somehow, Famous managed to turn the photo into a "public spat" where Nikki yelled at Rob for "dumping her for Kristen."

Then all the tabloids wrote about the only thing they had left to. A pregnancy. Yep, the tabloids reported that Kristen was preggers with Robs baby.

What the hell?

Then in the same week. "The pair ended it" for good this time. Apparently, Robert was hooking up with Remember Me co-star Emilie de Ravin. An eye witness said the two "got a drink together between takes", it must be love.

These silly, waste of time stories have taken up space in the gossip mags for to long. It used to be that tabloids would fabricate something from an interview or a paparazzi photo which was tolerable. But not anymore, they create what they want out of thin air. Just like Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt's "secret affair." Frankly, we should all know by now that a source or an insider is code word for Amy from IT.

Even though the pair are broken up from their make believe relationship in tabloid land, two-hundred bucks says they will re-unite as New Moon starts to make the publicity rounds in September and October.

Meanwhile the rumour mill is hot for Rob and Emilie, as well as the tabloids absolutely loving The Runaways as Kristen Stewart is set to have a steamy scene with Dakota Fanning.

Three Music Videos To Watch Today

2009-07-10T16:30:00.008+10:00

Music Videos! Where would the music industry be without them. These are just some of the best in my opnion from recent times.

I love love love this brilliant video from the Presets. I think The Presets have had a number of great although unusual videos. But this one takes the cake.

The boy dancing around the city is simple yet brilliant and suits the song amazingly. The dancer has unbelievable talent and is complimented by great choreography. It helps with the epic song and the great band.

The next video is my favourite Michael Jackson video that is out there and one of my top ten favourite songs from him. The video he made for Leave Me Alone is a feast on the eyes, its creative and entertaining while taking an underhand swipe at all those tabloids who gave him a hard time.

The last video isn't an official music video and I'm pretty sure you would have seen it, but its classic, so if you haven't, watch it now.

The story behind it is a kid in America bet his friend that he could fit the entire song on his hands. He did. Watch it.

Is this the best Fail ever?

2009-07-09T22:20:00.002+10:00

I've been reading FailBLOG daily since late last year, and I love it. I have come accross few that have reduced me to tears of laughter. This one is one of those.

Two things always get me. Incredibly stupid people saying dumbs things, and people stacking it.

This is one of the former.

Yahoo answers can have epic moments, this is one of them.

Hockey: The Chosen One Arrives

2009-07-09T18:42:00.005+10:00

John Tavares was introduced to the media at Nassau Colloseum on Long Island today. He was presented with his very special Tavares number 91 jersey.

Tavares’ name and face were plastered on the center-ice scoreboard that was lowered to provide a backdrop to the makeshift stage on the bare arena floor. Season-ticket holders bought T-shirts with his name and No. 91 on the back, and yelled encouragement at him.

This kid is my age! And even if I was used to being in the public eye, this would definitely be a daunting task. Lets just hope he doesn't pull a Steven Stamkos and suck ass for the first half of the season.

In other news, the Minnesota Wild crapped the bed and missed out on Saku Koivu, who left the What the frack Montreal Canadiens in favour of the Anaheim Ducks, who have been big winners so far this off season. With Bobby Ryan really on his way, expect to see good things this coming season.

In another head-scratcher, the Toronto Maple Leafs still don't have any top-six forwards, instead they went ahead and signed another defencemen, fossil Francois Beauchemin, for not one but three years. Frankly, this is another epic win for the Ducks. A plus.

Toronto did bag the Monster goalie Jonas Gustavsson. But seriously Brian Burke, Mikhail Grabovski can't score all of your goals. And Nazem Kadri isn't ready yet.

In other hockey news. The Senators managed to rid Alex Auld to the Dallas Stars, Chicago managed to avoid a crisis by locking up Calder nominee Kris Versteeg for another three years.

Lastly, Claude Lemieux said that he has hung up the skates formally. Good riddance old man.

What are you talking about NME?

2009-07-08T17:28:00.012+10:00

"I don't want to read about how shit my favourite bands are"

One thing I don't understand, is the indie obsession with NME Magazine. First of all, simply the practice of reviewing music I find silly. Think about it, obviously people have different tastes otherwise there wouldn't be such the wide variety of genres in the music industry.

But it is NME Magazine that goes out of its way to be particularly obnoxious when reviewing artists and albums.

Obviously I'm a tad biased when Tegan and Sara are involved but narrow mindedness from bitter Greg Cochrane.

In his review of the twins scintillating 2007 album The Con he talks little about the content of the songs and musical composition. The short one-hundred and thirty-five word review opens by taking a swipe at the twins by comparing their edginess to G-rated American Idol star Kelly Clarkson.

The out of touch reviewer even touched on the horrendous White Stripes cover of the duos 2004 hit Walking With A Ghost, not at all relevant to the current record.

In fact, it takes Cochrane sixty-eight words before he touches on the content. But after touching on the subject it quickly descends into cheap comparisons where he compares them to an artist that simply shared their sexual preference, instead of a description of what a potential buyer might listen to.

And of course, NME ends with another swipe.

A saddening case of brick production, paper soul – here the Quins are little more than twin airbags.

Tegan and Sara probably considered this an escape after what happened last time that NME gave them a review. NME liked their last album. 2004's So Jealous review was ended with the phrase.

We like Tegan and Sara even though they hate cock.

Too many times, NME has tried to be outlandish and different instead of offering their opinion of the music. Whether it offers an attack on the girls sexual orientation in a seemingly "good" review or the mags mis-informed view that producer and Death Cab For Cutie Guitarist Chris Walla is a "gushing pop-sop". And frankly I think its time we stopped caring for what Greg Cochrane says seeing he wasn't listening to the same album as us.

To quote Sara's reaction to the idiotic review. I think it says it all.

Airbags save lives...and if the NME doesn't like us, they can suck my
cock.

This misogynistic magazine has gone from indie royalty to a male dominated magazine who try to mention Muse and the Arctic Monkeys at every opportunity.

Check out Tegan and Sara's banter at a London Instore about the magazine here.

Hockey: What the frack?

2009-07-07T12:27:00.011+10:00

Whoa. What the frack? As of the 2009 Trade Deadline in February, much changed for me as a Senators Fan, which I proudly have called myself since the lockout. Whats not to love? We have Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Mike Comrie, Antoine Vermette and Daniel Alfredsson! But not any more thats for sure.

We dished our best penalty killer and my favourite player at the deadline to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Pascal Leclaire to try and solve goaltending woes. Then, as the season came to a close and Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup. Dany Heatley who has scored fifty goals multiple times and won the Calder back in the day, asked for a trade. Not only that, but the Senators got him a trade. To the new look Edmonten Oilers. But that wasn't good enough. What idiot came up with the no trade clause?

But by far the most horrific crime anyone has committed at the Senators organisation this season was signing Montreal's Alex Kovalev.

Not only that, but he and his white Reebok skates are going to be a $5 million cap hit each season. Again prompts the question, what the frack?

Personally, I don't think Kovalev deserves two let alone five. The thirty-six year-old with a bad attitude is well past his prime from scoring almost 100 points with the Penguins in the 2000-2001 season.

This has been only one of the head scratching deals this off season.

What the frack Philly? The Flyers traded Joffrey Lupul among others for the biggest douche in pro-sports. Chris Pronger.

What the frack Montreal? Aside from getting rid of dead weight (Kovalev) the Habs traded Chris Higgins plus more to the Rangers for... Scott Gomez? Why?

Senators you have again disappointed me, I was once a diehard fan. As we slowly decline into basement dwellers, I beg you, plan for the future! Develop Brian Lee, give him responsibility. Give a game to Jim O'Brien and Ruslan Bashkirov.

It's exciting to think of the players Ryan Shannon, Cody Bass, Jesse Winchester and Nick Foligno are going to be. It remains to be seen how we'll come out the gates in 2009-10.

And not to be outdone:

Well done Minnesota. For snagging Martin Havlat.

And of course, well done New York and Tampa Bay for grabbing John Tavares and Victor Hedmen respectively.

Stolen Post: Musical Typing

2009-07-06T17:56:00.005+10:00

From Tegan and Sara
Probably the best activity ever.

Music Monday: Top 10

2009-07-06T15:13:00.006+10:00

Because this is my first post I'm simply going to have to mention my absolute favourite songs from the past year or so. Ever since I got my Ipod classic it doesn't leave my side for very long.

My first song would have to be this one, simply because it has over 20 more plays than any other song in my itunes. 108 plays actually. All since January, the last time my itunes kicked the bucket. Thanks apple.

Nineteen - Tegan and Sara

Check out the acoustic version performed for Spinner here. I really don't know what about this song does it for me. It could be the fact I repeatedly put it in small playlists and just don't flick to the next song when it comes on. It was one of the very first songs from the duo I had heard. Tegan's whiney vocals are perfect for the song. I have never been a believer in love at first sight but this song speaks volumes about the feeling people get when they experience it. I especially love the bridge when the song seemingly comes to an end, and then comes back after a cute little verse. Could be one of my favourites for a very long time. This is only the first appearance by the Canadian twins on my list I assure you.

It's Not My Time - 3 Doors Down

Check out the video here. Not hard to understand why I love this song. The start where the guitar and drums come crashing in is one of my favourite beginnings to any song. This song is always a staple in my warm up before a hockey game. Great song, its hard to not sing along and jump around.

Decode - Paramore

Performed live on Jimmy Kimmel. Yes I do like Twilight, but that is not the reason I can listen to this song over and over again. First of all Hayley Williams isn't exactly hard on the eyes. Second of all this song probably defined my overseas trip to the States. Whenever I here this song I'll always think of rocking out in the car with Dar and Kailey. I miss you guys everyday.

Hop A Plane - Tegan and Sara

Catch the quick song here. Another song from the 2007 album The Con, Hop a Plane is a quick rock poppy song from Tegan. I have always subconsiously preferred Tegans songs to Saras. With large exceptions from hit song Back in Your Head and another one of my faves Burn Your Life Down. I think its pretty safe to say that not only will Tegan and Sara appear in each Music Monday, but they are more than likely to appear multiple times. Especially with another Chris Walla produced masterpiece to come out worldwide in October.

Rhapsody On A Windy Night - The Getaway Plan

Listen to it here.These young Melbourne boys cut their career short as a group to pursue personal projects. Really is a shame and I'm sure I'll include a Getaway Plan song each week. I have never been a fan of screamo music but the lyrics and tunes from these boys set them apart. Rhapsody is one of the last tracks on their debut album Other Voices Other Rooms, and it really makes the record end with a bang. They recently did it justice by performing it as their last song ever at Melbourne's Hi-Fi Bar on July 4. These guys will be sorely missed.

FIVE MORE SONGS
YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO

Manhattan - Kings of Leon

The fourth release of the smash hit album Only by the Night, Manhattan is in my opinion, the best song on the record and has a great hook. Its a really fun listen.

Don't Hold Back - The Sleeping

Admittedly, I did discover this song on Guitar Hero, go on laugh at me. But the thing is, there is so much more to this song than the funky guitar riff. You can dance to it and you can sing to it. The singers voice is different as he almost chants the lyrics in his strained voice but it suits the song.

One Last Time - The Kooks

The Kooks hit album Inside In/Inside Out got me hooked, I can listen to it from beginning to end. One of my favourite albums in my short lifetime. So when The Kooks brought out their follow up called Konk I was sceptical because I couldn't really fathom the record meeting the expectations it set for itself. It got there for sure. Though Inside In/Inside Out remains the better album, Konk certainly delivers a couple of great songs including Sway and One Last Time.

Bounce - MSTRKRFT

Sessions Six delivered a a multitude of great mixes and Bounce was no exception, barring a few vulgar lyrics, Bounce is a stand out from disc one of the Ministry of Sound's latest edition

Clutch - Fat Segal

Memorable from the launch of Season Two of UK teen drama Skins. Clutch makes an impact straight away as Maxxie performs a group dance for his mate Tony. Fat Segal has made a lot of great contributions to the series, including the well known theme song. Clutch is a simple drum beat that'll get you pumped for anything.