michaelkim.ca - MK blog

Bloc Party is one of those bands that makes you just wanna get up and dance. Not only is lead vocalist Kele Okereke able connect with the crowd, but their performance just releases pure energy. The crowd just goes insane!

At last summer’s Toronto Olympic Island Concert (pictures here), they teased us by playing some of their new songs. And wow, did it ever blow me away! It made me wanting more, but the wait is almost over. Their new album titled, “A Weekend in the City” will be out on February 5th, 2007. For a quick fix of their new new single “The Prayer”, check out their myspace page. To catch a sample of their full album, it’s been available at a torrent site near you since January 12th.

It’s been a good year for New York City in 2006. All three bands, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Rapture, Ratatat released there sophmore albums this past year. All really sweet stuff. Try ‘em out, take ‘em for a spin.

MP3: “wildcat”
from the album: classics
release date: 08/15/06
label: xl recordings

Good stuff coming out of the Scandinavian north. Check out this band from Norway, 120 Days, on their self-titled debut album on Vice Records. More at myspace.com/120days

120 Days perform “Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)” at the FADER house at 88 Delancey, NYC during CMJ. 11/2/06.

Also, while doing a little research into the band, I fell upon some interesting stuff about the origins of their band name, from the 18th century French book 120 Days of Sodom

Aries Spears (MadTV) does a wicked impression of LL, Snoop, DMX, Jay-Z.

After 18 months of using and abusing my iPod, the first thing to go were the original white earbuds. They were pretty good for an OEM… until I put on my new cans! I just got a set of AKG K26P’s, the same makers of Harmon Kardon audio. Now I realize what I was missing! Holy F**k where did all this bass come from? After reading great reviews, I was sold.

headphone.com said things like “Oh, yeah… Killer small sealed portable headphone. Good sound, big bass, great seal!”

Just get em!

I can’t say enough good things about the new Silversun Pickups album titled Carnavas. I just can’t stop listening to it. If the gauge for a good album consists of being able to sit through the whole thing without skipping through songs, then this is really good stuff.

Great new single from Junior Boys. Check out the rest of their new album titled “So this is Goodbye”

My ipod has been a faithful companion, during the morning rushhour to work and back, jogs on the boardwalk, in the aisles of Loblaws and Home Depot, on long train rides during my recent trip to Europe. It’s helped me along all of life’s more mundane moments… vacuuming, laundry. Not to mention, whenever I’m in the washroom doing my #2, goes nicely with a good book or magazine. The other day, I almost dropped it into the loo cuz I forgot I was holding it between my legs. I had a magazine in one hand and toilet paper in the other and it almost slipped. The only thing saving my ipod from meeting my last night’s dinner, was catching it by its’ headphones saving it from certain death. Smiling, I was thinking there ought to be another one of those ipod ads with a guy sitting on a toilet… iPoo, haha.

Anyways, after having used it for several months now, being the lazyass that I am, I noticed that I’ve had mostly the same songs on it since I first got it. After reflecting about this for a moment, my ipod has been an absolute pleasure, giving me choice to choose between thousounds of songs, a true audio oasis in a dry soundscape of top 40 hits… thank you, thank you. Anyways, at the same time, I feel that I’ve been isolated and content with the 6Gb of songs that’s somehow kept me hostage for all these months. True, I could have downloaded or bought other songs, but again that’s too much effort.

I realize that I can’t live without it or can I? iRonically I’ve been craving to hear radio and radio DJ comments these days. Somehow, I feel like the iPod may be too much of a good thing. Freedom to choose what ever to listen to, but very isolated at the same time.

Time for some CIUT and KCRW .