Burnin' Up

Toronto's in the middle of a heat wave, and today is nearing on brutal conditions. Summer hasn't even officially begun yet, and I'm already praying for air conditioning. Pass me a Freezie, and listen to these "hot" songs.

All files are direct links.

Madonna "Burning Up"

Jenny Owen Youngs "Hot in Here" (excellent Nelly cover)

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince "Summertime"

The Lovin' Spoonful "Summer in The City"

Friday Five: Add Some Sunshine to Your Soul

 Here's five covers of some great soul songs to start your Friday off right. Enjoy!

For your ears:
Tanya Stephens "Part Time Lover" (Stevie Wonder cover) right click to save

Elephant Man "Tainted Love" (Gloria Jones cover) right click to save

Miss Fish "Love To Love You Baby" (Donna Summer cover) right click to save

Discovery "I Want You Back" (Jackson 5 cover) direct link

The Knocks ft Alex Winston "You Can't Hurry Love" (The Supremes cover) direct link

For your eyes:
Neko Case performing Aretha Franklin's "Runnin' Out Of Fools"

Steal My Sunshine

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." - Steve Martin


Listen to: LEN "Steal My Sunshine" (direct link)

A Joyful Noise

In case you've been under a rock this week, Gossip's 5th studio album, A Joyful Noise, just hit stores. Go out and buy this one kids, you won't be disappointed. Beth Ditto's voice is one of the most powerful out there.

Video: Gossip "Move In The Right Direction"

Video: Gossip "Perfect World"

Remain Nameless

"I know everybody lets you down. I'll do the same. But know I'll always be around. This can remain the same. Call me when you need me. Call me anything you want." - Florence + The Machine


Listen to:
Florence + The Machine "Remain Nameless" (direct link) 
  

Friday Five: Cover up!

Five cover songs 'cause it's Friday, you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do. All files are direct links. Enjoy!

For your ears:
Intelepaths "Freak Like Me" (Adina Howard cover)

Lightouts "Push" (The Cure cover)

Dream Tiger "Control" (Janet Jackson cover)

Work Drugs "Rolling In The Deep" (Adele cover)

Miike Snow "Two Hearts" (Phil Collins cover)

For your eyes:
Ben Folds covers The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights"

Fright Night!

Since I was about 6 years old, I have absolutely loved horror movies. After catching my first scary flick, Friday The 13th, I have been enthralled with having the crap scared out of me. Now, the genre is stuffed to the gills with some really, really horrible movies. I have sat through countless hours of shite trying to get a good scare (side note: hands down, worst "horror" movie I ever sat through was The Human Centipede. I wanted to break things after that piece of crap). This week I watched 1 really superb horror movie, and 2 pretty decent ones, so I thought I'd pass them along.

First up, is The Cabin in the Woods. I know I am just one of thousands of people who are jumping on this movie's bandwagon, but the movie is really that damn good. Joss Whedon nailed the genre here, and while it is not over the top scary, The Cabin in the Woods has its moments, and is fucking hilarious to boot. See it in the theaters, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

"Whedon described the film as an attempt to revitalize the horror genre which he, along with director/co-writer Goddard, felt had "devolved" with the introduction of  "torture porn" (Saw, Hostel). He called it a "loving hate letter" to the genre, continuing:

On another level it's a serious critique of what we love and what we don't about horror movies. I love being scared. I love that mixture of thrill, of horror, that objectification/identification thing of wanting definitely for the people to be alright but at the same time hoping they’ll go somewhere dark and face something awful. The things that I don't like are kids acting like idiots, the devolution of the horror movie into torture porn and into a long series of sadistic comeuppances. Drew and I both felt that the pendulum had swung a little too far in that direction^{." - wikipedia}

 Watch The Cabin in the Woods streaming online

Now, my favorite type of horror movies are ones that deal with demonic possession. Maybe I'm intrigued by the idea of Satan taking over a person because my butt spent too much time in a church pew when I was younger? Regardless, they're my favorite go-to in the genre. The Exorcist is still the best in the bunch, and one of my favorite movies of all time. Possession movies have seen an uptick in the past few years (The Rite, The Last Exorcism, The Possession of Emily Rose, etc) and most are decent. While panned by critics as absolutely horrible, I did enjoy 2012's The Devil Inside. Available now on dvd after a very short theatrical release in January, The Devil Inside is in the vein of "found footage documentaries" that have been making the rounds since The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Th story deals with a young woman who goes to Rome's Exorcism College (which really exists by the way) to find out more about exorcisms after her mother kills 3 clergy members during a botched exorcism. Cast with unknowns, and shot mostly on location in Rome, the movie has it shares of really intense chills. While the ending left a bit to be desired, I still think this deserves a watch.

Watch The Devil Inside streaming online.


Sequels are usually the bane of any horror movie enthusiast, and by the time a studio has gotten to the 3rd, 4th, or 5th movie in a series, they are usually a hot, schlocky mess. I tend to shy away from sequels, but I decided to take a chance on Paramount's Paranormal Activity 3. I enjoyed the first two entries of this series, but i do have to say that I believe Paranormal Activity 3 is far superior to its predecessors. PA3 tells the story of the sisters from the first movies, and how the "entity" that has plagued them came into their early lives. I think I enjoy this entry better than the others because watching young children get harassed by an evil spirit is way more frightening than watching adults make stupid decisions. Shot once again using "fond footage" of home movies and video surveillance, PA3 is worth a watch.

 Watch Paranormal Activity 3 streaming online

Summertime Sadness

"Honey I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere. Nothing scares me anymore."

 Lana Del Rey "Summertime Sadness" (Reich & Bleich Remix) right click to save

Lana Del Rey "Summertime Sadness" (Bill Wants Remix)  direct link

Lana Del Rey "Summertime Sadness" (Adrien Mezsi Remix)  right click to save

These Are The People In My Neighborhood...

Toronto is chock full of talent in virtually every entertainment spectrum. From music to movies, books and blogs, T.O. has you covered. Here's two very talented Toronto ladies that I think everybody should be watching!

First off, Tasha The Amazon

Tasha The Amazon is a Toronto producer/artist who has been dropping tracks all spring for her upcoming mixtape, FiDiYootDem. Tasha's lyrical style is slick and intelligent, and her beats (co-produced by Tasha & Danthrax of Bass & Bakery) are original as hell and guaranteed to keep your head bobbin' all day long. Three tracks are currently up on her site for free download, and I highly recommend the newest track "Where Are Now", which I personally cannot stop listening to.

Next up is Sarah Bertand of InAPark Poductions

Sarah Bertrand is a Toronto DJ/Writer/Robot Enthusiast who recently self-published her own "Best of" book. Her book is a collection of hilarious letters she's written to companies about their products or marketing over the years. The book is a smart, fast, and funny read that I highly recommend. You can pick up her book, "The Best of InAPark Productions"  at Amazon.com, and you can keep up with her hijinks over at her official blog. You can also check her out during Toronto Pride  at the Glad Day Book Shop festival stage doing some of her readings.

Janelle Monae Ticket Give-away

For my fellow Torontonians, the lovely ladies over at Bad-Perm are giving away 2 tickets to see Janelle Monae at The TD Jazz Fest on June 22. Official contest rules are here, just be sure to take me if you win.

Friday Five: Pop Goes Punky

A very guilty pleasure of mine is pop songs covered by groups with a little punk edge to them. Here's five of them for your Friday. Enjoy!

For your ears: (direct links to files)
Cover Me "Hold It Against Me" (Britney Spears cover)
MXPX "Summer of 69" (Bryan Adams cover)
Homegrown "Barbie Girl" (Aqua cover)
H20 "Like A Prayer" (Madonna cover)
Cover Me "Baby" (Justin Bieber cover)

For your eyes:
China Drum performing Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" :D

Come See About Me

Over the past few months, I've been thinking about my Mama a lot more than I normally do (which is a lot anyways). My Mama got diagnosed with lymphatic cancer and has just started an aggressive treatment of chemo followed by radiation. She's having a rough go at it right now, as the side effects have been harsh on her. Being about 1,500 miles away has made me feel useless and helpless at times, but I try to talk to her over the phone at least every 2 or 3 days to check up on her. She's in good hands, with great doctors, and my amazing family taking care of her. After getting off the phone with her this evening, I was feeling disconnected and a bit down over the whole situation. As I was sitting on the couch, having myself a little pity party, I remembered one of my absolute favorite memories from my childhood. More than one specific memory, it's more a collage of all the instances my Mama would dance and sing around the house with me, listening to music. Sometimes it was what was popular and on the radio at the time (Madonna, Michael Jackson), but more times than not, it was Diana Ross and The Supremes. My mother loves Motown, and that was passed down to me as well. Motown music, especially The Supremes, can raise my spirits higher than any other genre of music. Pure musical bliss. There are a ton of "greatest hits" collections out there for The Supremes, but I think The Definitive Collection is a great jumping off point for their music. Enjoy!

Diana Ross and The Supremes: The Definitive Collection

My absolute favorite songs by The Supremes are "You Can't Hurry Love" and "The Happening". Here's The Supremes performing The Happening

Friday Five: RIP MCA

Founding member of The Beastie Boys, MCA (Adam Yauch), lost his battle with cancer today. The Beastie Boys were the first rap group I heard in white bread Newport. I instantly loved it, and wanted more. In light of MCA's passing, here are some covers of Beastie Boys' songs, or songs covered by the Beastie Boys themselves. Enjoy. 

For your ears: (right click and save)
The Hot Rats "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right" (Beastie Boys cover)

Enabler "Heart Attack Man" (Beastie Boys cover)

e.s.l. "Girls" (Beastie Boys cover)

Beastie Boys "53rd and 3rd" (Ramones cover)

Beastie Boys & Biz Markie "Bennie and The Jets" (Elton John cover)


For your eyes:
Switchfoot performing "Sabatoge" by The Beastie Boys, live.